Dairy News 8 February 2022

The politics of the roadshow. PAGE 4 K U B O TA M 5 S E R I E S 93-1 1 0 H P

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FEBRUARY 8, 2022 ISSUE 487 // www.dairynews.co.nz

The politics of the roadshow. PAGE 4 BUDDING JUDGE

Passion for Holstein Friesians PAGE 20

CULTIVATION WONDER

One-pass preparation, seeding PAGE 22

FEBRUARY 8, 2022 ISSUE 487 // www.dairynews.co.nz

SHEEP MILK: A BOON FOR DRYERS “The value of NZ’s total supply of dairy sheep milk is likely to triple to $44 million over the next three seasons.”

– Outgoing FoodWaikato chief executive Stuart Gordon PAGE 5

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

NEWS // 3

Covid policy could bring staffing woes PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

MIQ is a joke PG.09

In-paddock drafting. PG.18

Top notch cultivators. PG.23

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THE DAIRY industry is facing the prospect of losing some highly skilled staff because they are not fully vaccinated.

Dairy companies around the country are individually going through a risk assessment process and consulting staff on whether or not to mandate vaccinations for staff.

Dairy Workers Union national secretary Chris Flatt told Dairy News he fears that some workers may be lost to the industry because of their anti-vaccination stance.

The union represents 8,500 workers in the industry and Flatt says the key focus of the union is about people’s health and safety when they go to work.

He says, like the rest of society, there are conflicting views within the dairy industry workforce on the issues of vaccination.

“What we have heard is that the majority of our members support vaccination. They want to be safe at work and have received double vaccination. But there are those within our union, like in wider society, who don’t agree with that and we are trying to support them as well,” he says.

Flatt says his union has been heavily involved in the consultation processes on risk assessments with those companies they have collective agreements with. There is only one

Dairy Workers Union general secretary Chris Flatt fears some factory workers may be lost to the industry because of their anti-vaccination stance.

they don’t have an agreement with.

He says the process has been fair and they feel their concerns have been listened to.

He notes that while they may not agree with everything, they accept the fact that companies have the right in law to put in place a vaccination mandate for their staff.

The union has the challenging task of supporting both those who are vaccinated and those who are

not. In the case of the latter, Flatt says they are working with these people to see if they can get a vaccination or possibly an exemption, which some companies are offering in certain circumstances – particularly on medical grounds.

“But we also have members who tell us they want to turn up to work and be safe at work and not be around, potentially, those that could spread the virus,” he says.

Flatt says there are some tough conversations still to be had before companies make a final decision on how to manage their respective risks around the highly-transmissible Omicron variant. Talks are ongoing in this respect and while it appears that most will mandate vaccinations, Dairy News is aware that at least one company will not, because of low vaccination rates in its milk catchment area.

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

4 // NEWS

Roadshow politics on display PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

A MUCH revised farmer consultation roadshow on how to deal with climate change begins this week amid serious misgivings about it taking place while a highly transmissible Covid variant is taking hold in NZ. Feedback is being sought on two emissions pricing options developed by the world-first Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership, He Waka Eke Noa, which includes DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) and Federated Farmers. The partnership was created to come up with a better solution after the Government legislated to put agriculture emissions into the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

DairyNZ and B+LNZ are running the roadshow, which was due to kick off two weeks ago, but was delayed while changes to the programme were made to align it with the

The clear view of the industry is that the He Waka Eke Noa consultation should be stopped in its tracks rather than putting the lives of farmers and their families at risk.

RUMBLINGS IN THE RANKS?

DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says only farmers will be able to attend.

rules of the Government’s ‘red traffic light’ setting.

These included fewer actual face-to-face meetings, more online options and restricting numbers at each of the 27 meetings to a maximum of 100 people.

The first meetings will be in Waikato and Southland starting on February 8.

As part of requirements to limit numbers to 100, those farmers who

registered for the original event are being asked to re-register. DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says this is because some of the dates and places have now changed. He says only farmers will be able to attend and separate arrangements are being made for rural professionals who earlier indicated a desire to attend the meetings.

Mackle says DairyNZ and B+LNZ have reduced the number of their teams involved in the roadshow and are doing their best to use directors and managers in local areas where possible, rather than flying people around the country. Mackle says getting quality feedback from farmers on He Waka Eke Noa is a big deal for the industry and it’s impor-

tant that farmers get the opportunity to ask the hard questions about the proposal. He says with Omicron around, the feedback he is getting is that many farmers will not come and may opt for online options.

“But the reality is that we won’t know how many people will be coming along until we see the registrations,” he says.

ANZ lifts forecast milk price ANZ HAS revised its 2021-22 forecast milk

price by 50c to $9.30/kgMS. This puts the forecast just above the midpoint of Fonterra’s latest milk price guidance of $8.90 -$9.50/kgMS. ANZ agriculture analyst Susan Kilsby says farmgate milk prices have benefitted from both the sharp lift in global dairy commodity prices and the softer New Zealand dollar.

“Dairy prices lifted much faster than anticipated in January as the impact of tight global

supplies for milk started to have a material impact,” she says.

“Milk supplies in all of the major milk producing countries are either tracking behind last season or growing only modestly.

“This lack of additional supply is now being felt in the global markets.”

Kilsby notes that the recent milk production data from New Zealand, supported by dairy company announcements, means buyers are now well aware that there will

not be a lot of additional product available from New Zealand during the latter part of the milk production season.

New Zealand’s milk supply is tracking 3.2% behind for the season to December, with production for the month of December down 5.5% on the same month last season.

Dry conditions throughout January mean milk supplies are likely to be curtailed for much of the remainder of the season, says Kilsby.

IT WOULD appear that the industry has been reluctant to go ahead with the consultation because of Covid and have felt heavily pressured to do this, against their better judgement.

B+LNZ and DairyNZ have asked the Government for an extension of time, but as Dairy News went to press, ‘silence was the stern reply’ from the Beehive.

It is acknowledged by industry that the timelines for the consultation are enshrined in legislation, but they point out that, in the past, this hasn’t stopped the Government changing its mind when it suits them.

Some industry insiders say that the stubbornness of government to postpone the consultation is ‘political’ with claims the ‘green’ elements in Parliament are being appeased at the expense of the rural sector. There are also claims that the call for a postponement is just another case of the primary sector ‘dragging the chain’ – a claim strongly refuted by industry sources.

The clear view of the industry is that the consultation should be stopped in its tracks rather than putting the lives of farmers and their families at risk by effectively forcing them to attend the workshops. ‘Attending’ online is regarded by many as unsatisfactory.

Tim Mackle says DairyNZ is monitoring the Covid situation on a daily basis both in the lead-up to the roadshow, and every day it takes place, to make sure people’s lives are not at risk.

Therefore there is still a chance the whole show will be off the road.

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

NEWS // 5

Sheep milk boom a boon for small Waikato milk dryers SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

THE DECISION to set

up spray drying facilities in Waikato is paying off, says FoodWaikato’s outgoing chief executive Stuart Gordon.

“It was the right decision but it took a lot of guts back then,” he says.

Gordon, who headed FoodWaikato for nine years, helped grow the business from two staff to nearly 40.

He says it is an outstanding investment and is helping independent sheep and goat milk producers make niche products for both domestic and export markets.

He says the growth in

New Zealand’s sheep milk industry was a boon for FoodWaikato which has a bright future.

“The value of New Zealand’s total supply of dairy sheep milk is likely to triple to $44 million over the next three seasons,” he told Dairy News.

FoodWaikato’s first dryer was built in 2012, costing $17m and having the capacity to produce half a tonne of spray dried powder per hour.

Although small when compared to 8t/hour dryers in the bovine industry, the facility became a stepping stone for fledgling goat and sheep milk producers.

In 2020 another slightly bigger dryer – producing 1.2 tonnes of

Outgoing FoodWaikato chief executive Stuart Gordon.

powder every hour – was added.

Today FoodWaikato offers specialised spray drying facilities for the manufacture of innovative dairy products, including infant formula. It tripled its manufacturing capacity with the commission-

ing of a new spray dryer in 2020.

Its customers include New Zealand’s two biggest sheep milk producers Maui and Spring Sheep, both of which are tenants at the neighbouring Innovation Park. It also manufactures prod-

uct for Australian-based Nu Mega, which develops bioactive ingredients for health and nutritional products.

Gordon believes the sheep milk sector is in very good shape.

With several key points of difference compared

to the bovine sector, it has the potential to grow its ingredients, infant formula and nutritional products.

Gordon says some marketing advantages of sheep milk include better taste and it is more digestable than cow’s milk. “They also have a lower emissions profile,” he says.

Gordon says the goat milk sector has been impacted by Covid.

It has decimated the daigou sales channel, where Chinese visitors to Australia and New Zealand bought goat milk formula and powders for neighbours and friends back home.

International students from China were

also major participants in daigou sales channel.

“At the moment it’s a bit hard for the goat milk sector but they will bounce back.”

Gordon will remain involved with Waikato Innovation Park as its part-time chief executive.

He hopes to spend more time fishing and playing golf as a semiretired CEO. Gordon retired as chief executive of LIC before joining Waikato Innovation Park 12 years ago.

He later became CEO of the Park and took over as FoodWaikato CEO in 2013.

FoodWaikato chairman Barry Harris says Gordon was leaving the company in a strong position.

DEALING WITH COVID IN MILK FACTORIES PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE NEW Zealand Dairy Workers

Union is talking to dairy processors on how workers would isolate if they contract Covid.

Union general secretary Chris

Flatt says part of these ongoing discussions relate to sick leave and how people can isolate if they get sick.

He notes that, like in the cities, there are multi-generational households in rural areas and that presents its own challenges.

“The Government has talked about some support around this as well, but

we need to ensure workers can isolate and be off work and not feel pressured to go back to work early,” he told Dairy News.

“A lot of our collectives have good sick-leave provisions. From what we have seen oversees, we need to prepare for huge amounts of sick leave to be taken,” he says.

At the same time, Flatt says they have to look after people and make sure that they are not doing too much, and that their collective employment agreement terms are complied with.

“But at the same time recognising there may need to be some flexibility on certain sites because we could have large numbers of workers just

being on sick leave.

“We have been through the discussions in the last 24 months, making sure that in lockdown people are safe… but I am now looking ahead to see, what does that look like in terms of supply lines, such picking up milk? @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

6 // NEWS

Fonterra puts the heat on rivals DEMAND UP, SUPPLY DOWN

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FONTERRA’S RECORD forecast milk

price puts the pressure on other processors to match their performance, says Federated Farmers dairy section chair Wayne Langford.

Last month Fonterra lifted its 2021-22 forecast farmgate milk price range to $8.90 - $9.50/kgMS, increasing the midpoint of the range, which farmers are paid off, by 50 cents to $9.20/kgMS. The previous record milk price of $8.40/kgMS was set in 2013-14 season.

Langford says this is a strong result is uncertain times.

“It not only drives the milk price for Fonterra farmers but will also put heat on other proces-

Wayne Langford, Federated Farmers, believes Fonterra’s high milk price forecast will also put heat on other processors to match this performance.

sors to match this performance,” he told Dairy News.

“It will be interesting to see how other processors react to this announcement.”

Last week Synlait lifted its forecast base milk price for the season by $1.25 to $9.25/kgMS. The country’s second largest milk processor Open Country Dairy paid its suppliers $9.01/kgMS

in full for milk supplied in November and December.

Langford says farmers will welcome the lift in the forecast milk price.

“Any payout increase is welcomed by farmers, especially in the latter half of the season when there is more surety in the forecast,” he says.

However, some shine will be taken off by the rising farm working expenses.

“While this payout is welcomed by farmers, some of the shine has been taken off the on-farm profit by the increased costs of most products and services.

“There is also an upward trend in interest rates and most farmers are remembering the significant drop after the last high payout, so will be putting a bit in their back pocket in case that hap-

SYNLAIT’S NEW chief executive Grant Watson says dairy commodity prices have strengthened significantly as strong global demand has outrun restricted supply.

“As seen in most commodities, Covid-19 is having a significant impact as illness and lockdowns impact production and supply chains,” says Watson, who joined Synlait from Taupo-based Miraka.

“This has been amplified by rising production costs, driven by strong inflation and ongoing pressure on our industry to decarbonise.

“The New Zealand milk price is also benefiting from a weakening New Zealand dollar against the US dollar.”

Watson expects the ongoing demand for dairy products to keep

pens again.”

Langford praised Fonterra’s performance, especially during the pandemic. “Years of work

prices high for some time.

Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell says there is consistent demand for dairy at a time of constrained global milk supply.

“In general, demand globally remains strong – although, we are seeing this vary across our geographic spread,” says Hurrell.

Overall, global milk supply growth is forecast to track below average levels, with European milk production growth down on last year and US milk growth slowing due to high feed costs.

New Zealand milk supply is also constrained due to varied weather and challenging growing conditions.

Last month Fonterra reduced its forecast milk collections for 2021-22 from 1,525 million kgMS to 1,500 million kgMS.

around food safety standards, product lines and logistics have paid off in these uncertain times.

“This has helped farm-

ers feel proud of what they do each morning and the backbone they are providing for the NZ economy.”

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

NEWS // 7

Biodiversity brought to Fonterra farms A NEW project supported by Fonterra’s Living Water Partnership with the Department of Conservation will help onfarm advisors grow their understanding of biodiversity, with a view to further building biodiversity objectives into Farm Environment Plans.

‘Farming with Native Biodiversity’ is a 20-month project coordinated by the NZ Landcare Trust and funded by the National Bioheritage Science Challenge, Living Water, Silver Fern Farms and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

Protecting and restoring native biodiversity on farms provides clean water, shelter, shade, carbon sequestration, drought resilience and other benefits of a healthy ecosystem.

The Living Water partnership has identified that the biggest barriers to the protection and restoration of biodiversity on farms is limited access to advice and ecological expertise, along with the cost of preparing restoration plans.

“There is widespread interest from farming communities and farm advisors to protect and restore native biodiversity on farms, though expert advice is hard to come by and costly,” says Trish

Kirkland-Smith, Fonterra’s head of environmental partnerships.

Development of a farm biodiversity restoration and management plan can cost between $5,000 - 10,000, with additional costs for monitoring.

Across 25,000 pastoral farms in New Zealand, this is over $125 million for the planning alone.

“This new partnership project trials a more costeffective way of providing expert advice to the sector, working with over 60 sheep and beef and dairy farms to develop biodiversity plans and implement biodiversity management, then sharing the results with 6,000 more sheep and beef farms and 9,000 dairy farms.

“There is widespread interest from farming communities and farm advisors to protect and restore native biodiversity on farms, though expert advice is hard to come by and costly.”

The expected outcome of the project is that farmers adopt biodiversity objectives into their Farm Environmental Plans and support wider catchment biodiversity goals in the process.

For Fonterra suppliers, these biodiversity plans will become a part of their

LIVING WATER FARMING IS central to New Zealand’s economy, but how we are farming is impacting lowland freshwater ecosystems.

Our streams, lakes, rivers, lagoons and coastal estuaries are being impacted by high levels of nutrients, sediment, effluent and other contaminants. Freshwater ecosystems have been reduced and degraded.

This needs to change because healthy water is critical for economic development and New Zealanders expect to be able to swim, fish and gather kai in lakes, rivers and streams.

Fonterra and the Department of Conservation both recognise that New Zealand’s economic, cultural and social wellbeing depend on healthy ecosystems.

That’s why they’ve joined forces to respond to the farming and freshwater challenge.

Living Water is designing and trialling solutions to improve freshwater ecosystems and encourage sustainable farming in five catchments.

existing Farm Environmental Plans, which Fonterra provides to farmer owners free of charge.

Fonterra hopes the project will help farmers adopt biodiversity objectives into their Farm Environmental Plans and support wider catchment biodiversity goals in the process.

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

8 // NEWS

LIC says with a focus on cow quality over quantity, more farmers are turning to high genomic BW (BW) sires.

LIC overcomes Covid to post solid half-year result NEW CEO

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

LIC HAS announced

a solid half-year result despite challenges posed

by Covid.

The farmer-owned cooperative reported a net profit of $35.6 million, up 6.2% on last year.

Total revenue for the six months ending November 30, 2021 topped $169.4 million, up 5.4%.

LIC chairman Murray King says the board is pleased to present another strong result to farmer shareholders, particularly after a difficult period of Covid-19 restrictions and increasing cost pressure in the business.

“The LIC team worked hard to deliver a largely busi-

LIC has invested more than $80 million in genomic science over the last 30 years.

when demand for our essential artificial breeding and herd testing services is at an all-time high.

“I want to thank our farmers for trusting us to

Murray King, LIC chairman says the co-op faced Covidrelated challenges and cost pressures last year.

ness-as-usual season to our farmers this season, despite our main bull farms and laboratories operating under the Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions

that were in place in the Waikato for most of this period.

“Spring is the most important time of year for our farmers, and for LIC,

continue to deliver to them during this time.”

King noted that the business has worked hard to manage costs.

“And we remain on

track to deliver another strong result at year-end.”

LIC’s half-year result incorporates the majority of revenues from its core artificial breeding (AB) and herd testing services, but not a similar proportion of total costs, so are not indicative of the second half, nor the full year result. Revenue from international business, technology products and animal health testing is also spread through the year.

King says the half-year result was driven by more farmers investing in the co-op’s premium artificial breeding (AB) products, where young, genomically-selected bulls are used to fast-track genetic gain and deliver more value on-farm through increased productivity and efficiency, including

improved environmental efficiency.

This year, more than half (50.3%) of total AB inseminations will be delivered by genomicallyselected young bulls, up from 41.3% last year and 12.6% in 2016-17. Within that, more than 200,000 sexed semen straws will be despatched to farmers, up from 110,000 last year, and 33,804 the year prior.

“With a focus on cow quality over quantity, we’re seeing more farmers turn to high genomic BW (gBW) sires to help them meet climate targets and drive efficiency gains,” says King.

LIC has invested more than $80 million in genomic science over the last 30 years. King said it passionately believes in its power to enhance herd improvement and the role

LIC BIDS farewell to Wayne McNee, who stepped down in November after eight years as chief executive.

Subsequently, David Chin, formerly LIC’s GM operations & service was appointed as McNee’s successor and started on 17 January.

“Wayne led the organisation through a period of significant growth and development across all areas of the business while delivering strong shareholder returns, and LIC is a significantly better company than when he started in 2013,” says chairman Murray King.

“Wayne executed his duties to a high standard, setting strong expectations and operating with a high degree of professionalism. In turn, that level of performance has disseminated throughout the business, delivering strong financial results, including this half-year.

“We are confident David Chin’s leadership, combined with his deep operational knowledge, energy and passion for delivering value to our farmers, will serve the co-op very well into the future.”

it will continue to play in the future of the New Zealand dairy industry.

“Genomic selection now underpins our breeding programme and we’re really proud of the value it is delivering on-farm. “ Recently LIC shared the latest research with its farmers which reaffirms that genomics is the high-octane fuel that will help drive the next wave of productivity and efficiency gains for their cows.

“It’s really encouraging to see that farmers that have predominantly been using LIC bulls over the last 10 years are achieving markedly higher rates of genetic gain in their herds than the industry average

and seeing the benefit of our investment in genomics.”

The divestment of its automation business was also completed, with products, services and staff now transitioned to Allflex Livestock Intelligence, a NZ-based business unit of MSD Animal Health.

The co-operative also continued investment in research & development projects, including a major research project that aims to be able to select for lower methane emitting dairy cows.

Work to deliver on the improvement roadmap for MINDA, its cloud-based farm management software, also continued.

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

NEWS // 9

MIQ is a joke – contractor A LEADING rural contractor has described the Government’s efforts to facilitate the arrival of oversees workers as a joke.

Bluegrass Contracting managing director Brook Nettleton says in December last year they were told by the Government that they could get 200 overseas machinery operators in.

“To be honest we’re still no further ahead,” he told Dairy News.

“We had some drivers lined up, but the Government has taken so long to secure MIQ spots that most of them have got sick of waiting.”

Nettleton says now the Government is talking about scrapping MIQ requirements for overseas arrivals within the next two months. But he says the planting season will be half finished by then.

“The drivers don’t want to come all this way for four weeks work.

“My office staff have spent hours getting paper work prepared for each driver, for them to say ‘it’s too late and not worth coming now’.

“The ag sector is in the same position as they were back in September 2021.

“Why is it that we [let] DJs in at the drop of the hat but people wanting to come to NZ to work and put money in the community are being held back.

“These overseas machinery operators

and the rural sector have kept this country going through Covid.”

Rural Contractors chief executive Andrew Olsen says getting MIQ space is like peeling an onion.

“Its layer after layer and it brings tears of frustration for our members, who are already working impossibly long hours and as yet have not even been able to lodge Expressions of Interest for staff positions which ministers had approved to come in.”

Olsen wants the Ministers of Immigration and Agriculture and the Prime Minister’s Office to meet the urgency of the situation.

“We received approval on December 12 and now, more than a month on, we’re looking at another two months before the first arrivals.

“It’s not good enough.

The primary sector needs more support, now, and frankly the current situation our members find themselves in doesn’t cut it.”

Olsen says his organisation and Federated Farmers, supported by MPI, have done everything they could to help contractors meet a crushing labour shortage.

“We understand and respect that the resurgence of another Covid variant and border entry changes have put the squeeze on MIQ. “That said, those risks would have been part of the assessment when we

IN BRIEF Wetlands are ‘unsung heroes’ WETLANDS ARE important natural tools that combat floods, droughts and other extreme weather events, says Taranaki Regional Council director – operations, Daniel Harrison.

His comments marked the World Wetlands Day last week.

“Wetland loss has mounted over the past 150 years; however, we’re seeing more and more forward-thinking individuals, community groups, schools, landowners and organisations working and exploring how to restore these valuable ecosystems across Taranaki.

had ministerial approval just on a month ago to bring in the desperately needed 200 machinery operators.

“Now, rural contrac-

tors whose work is essential to food production and our export economy, find themselves towards the back of the MIQ queue,” he says.

Waikato contractor Brook Nettleton says the MIQ system is a joke.

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

10 // NEWS

DairyNZ wades into water fray JESSICA MARSHALL jessica@ruralnews.co.nz

DAIRYNZ HAS entered the debate between Federated Farmers and Environment Southland (ES) over water quality targets.

Last month, DairyNZ claimed its technical experts had reviewed the

science underpinning Southland’s current water quality limit setting process and believed there to be alternative targets that would achieve the improvements Southlanders wanted to see.

DairyNZ’s strategy and investment leader for responsible dairy Dr David Burger says that

the industry good organisation believes improvements could be made with nutrient loss targets lower than what Environment Southland has proposed.

“We share Federated Farmers concerns about Environment Southland’s water report released over the holidays, which suggests major reduc-

TO ALL FARMERS FOR ALL FARMERS

tions in nutrient losses across Southland farms, in some catchments of up to 90%,” Burger says.

“This is causing enormous stress for farmers who want to understand how the proposed targets came about.”

He says DairyNZ has been urging ES for six months to review their water quality modelling and explain how the targets would impact the Southland community.

“It is disappointing this hasn’t happened yet,” says Burger. “Now is the time to carry out this review while the process is still in its early stages.”

Burger adds that the proposed targets would affect all types of Southland farms and changes would impact regional economic activity.

“When targets have such major impacts on the community, they need

Dr David Burger

to be robust and reflect what the community wants. Having an alternative perspective on what targets may be needed, and the implications of these targets, will help start a discussion.”

However, ES chairman Nicol Horrell says the statements made by DairyNZ are misleading.

“It is disappointing that DairyNZ is making misleading statements about a process they are involved in,” Horrell says.

He adds that ES is yet to announce any water quality targets or limits and did not release any new information over the holidays – a claim also made by Federated Farmers in January.

“We are working through a step by step process that started some years ago.

“We will continue asking questions and talking to the community over the next two years, before updating and finalising the Southland Water and Land Plan,” Horrell explains.

He says that both ES and its partner Te Ao Marama have been keeping stakeholders, including DairyNZ and the Federated Farmers executive, abreast of the science information and modelling they’ve received via science technical sessions and numerous presenta-

tions to catchment and stakeholder groups and community boards.

“To be clear, while this information provides a sense of the scale of reductions needed, these numbers are not limits that an individual farm, property or business needs to meet over any particular timeframe.”

Horrell says the Regional Forum is due to provide advice to Council and Te Ao Marama later this year on both limits and methods to achieve the community’s values and outcomes for freshwater and estuaries.

“My council is committed to setting the region on the right path to improve water quality within a generation, as we are required to do.

We are also committed to ensuring we do it in a way that is going to work for Southland.”

NEXT BIG EXPORT SWEET SUCCESS?

RURAL NEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

HORTNEWS

www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND ice cream makers are somewhat in agreement with the Government’s assessment that there is room for expansion in the ice cream market.

Last month, Minister for Economic and Regional Development Stuart Nash released a report for the Food and Beverage Information Project which suggested there was scope to expand ice cream exports to Australia, Asia and the United Kingdom.

Marcus Moore of Much Moore Ice Cream says he is optimistic about New Zealand’s prospects in the export sector for ice cream.

“There seems to be increasing demand for New Zealand food products abroad,” Moore told Dairy News.

“I believe this is because we have the ability to innovate and bring new consumer trends to market

quickly; New Zealand food businesses are generally very nimble so can rapidly adapt to new food trends,” he says.

“New Zealand also has a fantastic dairy reputation that creates a strong platform on which to grow the attractiveness of our ice cream industry to overseas markets.”

“Our dairy industry has established itself as one of the finest in the world and that has to be very positive for ice cream producers,” Moore says.

The report suggests premium ice cream could potentially follow the global success of premium wine and honey exports.

Nash notes that ice cream is produced in almost every region in New Zealand and there are around 48 local manufacturers.

“The challenge is translating our strong global position in dairy

exports into a lucrative global market for our ice cream and other frozen treats.”

The report claims the NZ ice cream exports are growing in value, but volumes have remained relatively flat at 10-12,000 tonnes per year for approximately 15 years.

In 2020, New Zealand exported around US$36 million of ice cream, making up 0.3% of dairy exports for that year, which totalled US$11.2 billion.

The report notes that China and Japan take 72% (US$26 million) of New Zealand’s ice cream exports but New Zealand remains a minor player in the wider Asian region.

For comparison, approximately US$281 million of ice cream was sold in Asia by European producers in 2019. – Jessica Marshall @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

WORLD // 11

Arla invests in solar power EUROPEAN DAIRY

giant Arla Foods will be using solar energy to meet one-third of its electricity consumption within two years.

The co-operative has inked a deal with renewable energy company Better Energy for the establishment of four new solar parks in Denmark.

Under the 10-year agreement, the dairy cooperative commits to purchase the majority of the electricity from the new solar parks.

This constitutes the largest supply agreement in Danish history on renewable energy without public funding.

The parks have an expected capacity of 250 GWh, corresponding to the annual energy consumption of 156,000 average Danish citizens, and enough to cover about one third of Arla Foods’ electricity consumption in Denmark.

Arla is increasing its target for reducing emissions in operations and logistics from 30 to 63 per cent: the solar park deal is one of several initiatives to help Arla meet its new 2030 emissions reduction target for its internal value chains.

Hanne Søndergaard, executive vice president at Arla Foods, says it is proud to be one of the first farmer-owned dairy cooperatives in the world to have a 1.5°C target.

“The new solar parks will play an important role in our shift towards renewable electricity and low-energy solutions at Arla Foods,” says Søndergaard.

“Our Danish sites form a major part of our operations, which is why we are very pleased to begin our transition towards green electricity in Denmark.”

By the end of 2025, Arla Foods’ electricity consumption in EU will come from renewable energy sources, with the majority through green power purchase agreements and investments in solar and wind projects.

With this new collaboration, Arla says it is taking a major step towards selfsufficiency in green electricity.

“Arla and our farmer owners continuously invest in new initiatives all the way from cow to grocery store with the aim of reducing our emissions and energy consumption.

These initiatives include climate checks on the farms, reduction of food waste, sustainable packaging and green energy sources,” says Søndergaard.

As a significant part of Arla Foods’ dairy sites and logistics emissions is directly linked to electricity consumption from dairy sites and logistics, the dairy cooperative continues to implement solutions in this area, adds Søndergaard.

“Our nearly 300 organic farmers and our biggest dairy sites in Denmark already run entirely on green electricity.

“The agreement with Better Energy is an important step in the right direction, and a way for Arla to contribute to the overall increase in Denmark’s green energy production.”

GOING GREEN By the end of 2025, Arla Foods’ electricity consumption in EU will come from renewable energy sources, with the majority through green power purchase agreements and investments in solar and wind projects.

The agreement is a major step for Arla towards achieving its target of having electricity consumption in Europe that is entirely reliant on renewable energy sources by the end of 2025.

Arla Foods’ nearly 300 organic farmers and biggest dairy sites in Denmark already run entirely on green electricity.

The first solar park is expected to start delivering electricity by early 2023, and all four parks are scheduled to supply electricity by early 2024.

Better Energy is responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the solar parks, which take up a total of 280 hectares of land.

Arla Foods will be using solar energy to meet one-third of its electricity consumption within two years.

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

12 // OPINION RUMINATING

EDITORIAL

Is the roadshow the right thing?

MILKING IT...

MIQ disarray

A2 takeover

Potato milk?

MEDIA REPORTS that only eight overseas teachers have arrived into the country seven months after 300 border exceptions were granted wouldn’t surprise too many in the rural sector.

In June, 50 vets were granted border exemptions, but only a handful have arrived so far; and 200 dairy workers were granted border exemptions, but fewer than five have arrived so far. And just last month 200 machinery operators were given the green light – none have arrived so far.

These numbers paint a sad picture of the MIQ system. Something needs to change, and quickly.

IS A2 Milk Company facing a possible takeover?

The Australian newspaper has linked a2 Milk to the Canadian dairy giant Saputo, which is reported to be close to making a big acquisition.

While a2 has declined to comment, takeover rumours have been rife during the past 12 months.

Once a darling of the stock exchange, with higher market value than Fonterra, a2 has seen its fortunes tumble as Covid set in.

Over the past year it has struggled to restore its earnings, profits and share price in the face of disrupted sales channels, excess stock and a slide in sales of infant formula in the key Chinese market.

Saputo, which already has a big presence in Australia, has an appetite for pouncing on dairy assets in key milk producing regions.

BRITISH SUPERMARKET chain Waitrose recently released its 2022 Food and Drink report, in which it predicts that potato ‘milk’ will be the biggest dairy alternative milk trend of 2022.

Yes, Forbes magazine reports that the humble spud could be the next big thing when it comes to alternatives to real milk.

Waitrose says the popularity of soy, almond, oat, and pea milk has increased in recent years and now it’s the turn of potato milk.

Low in sugar and saturated fat, it is – apparently – set to dominate coffee shop menus in the coming months.

The British supermarket chain is so confident in its prediction, it will be selling the only commercially available brand of potato milk on the market— a Swedish brand called DUG, owned by start-up Veg of Lund— from this month.

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Rain kills drought meet DAIRYNZ WAS forced to cancel its Top of the South farmer meetings, called to discuss a drought response.

Ironically, the reason for the cancellation was a heavy rain warning that Metservice issued for Takaka, Golden Bay. Farmers took to twitter to thank DairyNZ for “organising” the rain, prompting one rainstarved Southland farmer to urge DairyNZ to organise a drought meeting for his area.

While the West Coast was also forecast to have heavy rain, many other regions – north and south – could also do with some ‘rain-making’ by DairyNZ.

THIS WEEK sees the start of the revised He Waka Eke Noa roadshow run by DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb NZ. It is designed to give farmers up and down the country the opportunity to quiz the two organisations about the proposal to government on how to deal with climate change. Or perhaps a chance to endorse their proposal?

This would seem a laudable initiative on the part of the two industry good organisations to get farmer feedback face to face.

The consultation being undertaken by DNZ and BLNZ is not just face to face – there are online options for those that can’t get along to the meetings.

Behind the scenes, it’s understood that the industry good organisations have felt ‘pressured’ to go ahead with the face to face consultation out of fear that the Government will just stick to its deadlines and pass its own rules regardless.

Or is it a case of the dog wagging its tail before it’s patted on the head? DNZ and BLNZ have been asking for the whole consultation process of He Waka Eke Noa to be postponed, but the Wellington bureaucracy works at such speed that it would lose a race against a snail and hasn’t come up with an answer yet.

BLNZ and DNZ have revised the schedule for the meetings and made changes that, in theory, bring these into line with the red traffic light setting, including by limiting numbers. But there is a dilemma: on the one hand, there are messages circulating in the community that older people should effectively ‘hunker down’ with Omicron on the rise.

There are also concerns that the new Covid variant could cause mayhem should it hit farmers and others in the primary sector supply chain, such as those in processing plants and in rural supply and logistics.

The question must be asked, is the He Waka Eka Noa consultation in any way compromising the health of rural communities? Would it matter if the Government postponed the consultation process until the Omicron wave has passed or stabilised? Or is the whole consultation process just a farce anyway?

This all comes at a stressful time when livestock farmers are dealing with a drought, and waiting longer than usual for killing space at processing plants because these are already short of labour.

The horticulturalists are in the middle of harvest. Don’t the politicians and bureaucrats understand the farming cycle? Why not stage the consultation when there is downtime in the primary sector, or is that too logical?

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

OPINION // 13

‘Kidneys’ of the landscape BALA TIKKISETTY

WETLANDS ARE like giant kidneys, protecting the health of waterways by helping to dilute and filter harmful material.

With World Wetlands Day held on 2 February, it is a good time to reflect on these and other benefits that wetlands provide.

Wetlands once covered large areas of the country.

Now they are some of our rarest and most at-risk ecosystems. They contain a diverse range of plants and animals and are home to many rare and threatened species that are remnants of the original biodiversity of the area.

It is estimated that about 905 of New Zealand’s wetlands have been drained over time, with wetlands now occupying only about two per cent of the country’s total land area. This is one of the largest wetland losses anywhere in the world.

Wetland is a generic term for the wet margins of lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, estuaries, lagoons, bogs and swamps.

Natural wetlands have been appropriately termed the ‘kidneys of the landscape’, because of their ability to store, assimilate and transform contaminants lost from the land before they reach waterways.

One of the practices for reducing the effects of intensive agriculture is to strategically incorporate wetlands into farming systems. Sometimes it may be as simple as fencing out existing wet areas, or it might involve creating one with a low bank.

Many farms have lowlying and wet areas that can be managed as small wetlands with minimal impact on farm production, but potentially major benefits for water quality and biodiversity.

Nitrogen, phosphorous, sediment and pathogens enter waterways through groundwater and surface runoff. Wetland vegetation uses these nutrients for growth.

Research indicates that wetlands remove up to 90 per cent of nitrates from groundwater through a process called denitrification. Wetland plants trap sediment suspended in water, improving water quality. In riparian areas, their roots hold a stream bank together, reducing erosion.

Nutrient loss from farms is greatest when the volume and speed of runoff water is greatest, either through surface runoff or through the soil profile. Therefore, slowing down and controlling water movements across farmland is a critical factor in reducing nutrient loss into waterways.

A series of small, shallow sediment traps or sediment retention dams can be constructed throughout the catchment to take some of the energy out of the water.

If these are managed to remain wet for most of the year, they will replace those kidney-like functions and enhance the farm’s environmental outcomes.

Wetlands will also regulate the flow of water by soaking up excess floodwater and then slowly releasing it to maintain summer flows or recharge groundwater.

Bigger is generally better, but within a farm, small areas are good because you can create more of them, they are generally well-suited to fit into a farm’s budget and topography, they treat the contaminants close to where they come from, and they can generate a more widespread biodiversity benefit across your farm.

Waikato Regional Council can offer free advice to landowners on managing wetlands, including information on fencing, planting and weed control.

It’s important to check the rules and regulations, and to seek good quality advice to ensure our wetlands are properly cared for as complex, delicate ecosystems in a productive agricultural land-

scape.

Before undertaking any excavation work, always check with your local council on regulations regarding earthworks in

and around natural waterways and wetlands.

• Bala Tikkisetty is a sustainable agriculture advisor (technical) at Waikato Regional Council.

Wetlands are some of our rarest and most at-risk ecosystems.

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

14 // AGRIBUSINESS

NZ Dairy Event beats Covid THE OVERWHELMING response coming out

the New Zealand Dairy Event (NZDE) was exhibitor relief that the show went ahead.

The timing of the Government moving New Zealand to a red traffic light Covid protection framework couldn’t have been worse, with exhibitors either already at the show at Manfield Park, Feilding, or on the way.

Exhibitor numbers were immediately limited on-ground to 100 (plus event staff), and any hope of spectators being allowed onto the showgrounds were dashed.

Part of the solution came in the form of ‘bidr’, a New Zealand’s online

selling platform, which stepped up to livestream the event. It is the first time that’s happened in New Zealand.

Owner of the Ayrshire Champion and NZDE committee member Selwyn Donald said the organisers were put in a tough situation, but the positive exhibitor response has been deafening.

“So many people have come to me and thanked us for pushing on with the event under trying circumstances,” Selwyn said.

“We could have pulled the pin and sent everyone home, but if we did, everyone would have spent a lot of money getting cows ready and not

known where they fitted amongst their breeds.

“It was a huge call. But we also must congratulate and thank the exhibitors for also doing their part to make it possible, and the livestream was brilliant. I had messages from South Africa, the UK, the USA and Canada congratulating us on our win [Ayrshire Grand Champion with Aaron Rondo Lohnro, whose lead-up was hampered by Theileria and mastitis]. That probably wouldn’t have happened if it had been open to the public. The livestream was a definite positive to come out of the week.

“Across all the breeds the championship lineups were pretty outstanding. That was the best

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Isaac Kelson leads the Supreme Champion Joyclas Sammy Moo to the top of the Holstein show before she would go all the way against the other breeds. photo: Mud Media.

Holstein show I’d seen for a while.”

It was the Holsteins that won the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Supreme awards of their ages after the scores were collated from the five interbreed judges which included Kylee Per-

rett (South Taranaki, Youth Show), Ryan Lett (Waikato, Combined Breeds) Bernie Cox (MidCanterbury, Holstein), Craig Robertson (Canterbury, Jersey) and Roger Hutchings (Northland, Ayrshire). Together they awarded a black Holstein,

Joyclas Sammy Moo, the Supreme individual title of the show.

For Lawrence (co-chair of the NZDE) and Judi Satherley (event hospitality co-ordinator) they got the chance to watch their daughter and son-in-law, Robbie and Anna James

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPION

JUNIOR SUPREME

THE TWO-YEAR-OLD Holstein that rose to the top of the intermediate show was last year’s Holstein and All Breeds Junior Champion.

Charbelle Tatoo Pix, owned by Charbelle Farms, in Hamilton was also Best Supreme Udder of the Intermediate Show. Annabelle Scherer, who was on the halter said it was a wonderful moment for their family who were showing at their third NZDE. She said they had briefly considered not coming because of Covid restrictions, but they are now so relieved they loaded up that truck.

“We did consider it because where we are the country is tough and it’s drying out pretty quickly,” she said. “It’s not an easy prep, but we’re glad we made the effort because the result was outstanding. As I’ve reflected on it driving home it does make all the work worthwhile for that one moment in time.

“When I came out of the ring, Stephen (Annabelle’s husband) got emotional. He does all the work, he looks after these girls, he knows them, he milks them every day – twice-a-day. He was super proud. Mum and Dad were also quite emotional because these families come from their breeding. Our crew and family have also been amazing.”

In a one-two for their team, Tatoo Pix’s four-year-old dam won the four-year-old class in the Holstein show.

LARKSPUR LAUTHORITY Whip, a Comestar Lauthority daughter, was the Junior Supreme of the show. She was exhibited by Lara Honeyfield, at Kairanga, on behalf of Whip’s owners, Ron and Amy Baker, of Fusion Genetics.

Ron Baker candidly admitted that there had been some robust discussions about whether Whip deserved her place in the team before the show.

Regardless, Whip already had runs on the board. Last year, she was second in the Junior Calf class in the Holstein show and the L’Authority x Diamondback x Windbrook daughter has some other telling credentials. Her granddam is the top-producing Holstein in the couple’s 160-cow (year-round) herd, with a completed 305-day lactation of 1,114kg MS [14,761 litres].

The pair say they enjoy the rivalry of choosing the show team and every year one of them has the final say.

Up for grabs is a year’s bragging rights when they get it right. It might be a long year for Amy this time.

It completed a strong show for Whip’s handler, Lara, who also won the Intermediate Handler’s award in the youth show, in addition to being a member of the winning Open Country Youth Team Challenge team, Ollie’s Angels.

Check out our websites BREAKING NEWS MACHINERY REVIEWS

win with Sammy Moo in a triumph they could never have imagined.

The last time Joyclas Holsteins won Champion Holstein was at the Hastings Royal Show in 1993. Since then, the herd has passed through some family members’ hands, and while some cows have had to be re-traced the herd today is run by Robbie and Anna (their daughter) James.

They milk 300 cows on 150ha (including young stock) at Linton in the Manawatu. Joyclas Holsteins now includes 60 registered Holsteins. They showed three in-milk cows and one entry in partnership with Semex’s southern North Island manager and part-time fitter, Isaac Kelsen.

MANAGEMENT STORIES COMPETITIONS

MARKETS & TRENDS AND MUCH MORE...

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A milk test can tell you more than herd health.

There’s no point hanging on to girls who are not going to pull their weight in the herd. LIC milk tests can swiftly sort out your top milkers from your lawnmowers, giving you the information you need to make management decisions. But when getting a combination of milk tests done, you can access much more.

Like uncovering some of those unwanted issues like Johne’s disease, identifying which animals may carry the valuable A2/A2 gene or double checking pregnancy status. Plus a milk test is non-invasive, reduces stress and helps you build a more profitable herd, year on year.

Drop a call to your local LIC Agri Manager to book your combination of milk tests. lic.co.nz/dropofmilk

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

16 // MANAGEMENT

Diverse pastures, crops fit the bill in Northland THE POOR pasture performance of traditional ryegrass/white clover mixes has many Northland farmers searching for substitutes and Evan Smeath, who farms in Hukerenui, is willing to try alternative solutions.

The Smeaths’ diverse pastures include a variety of species: tall fescue, cocksfoot, chicory, and more recently, lucerne.

Their willingness to try different approaches was one reason why Smaller Milk and Supply Herds (SMASH) had planned to run a field day on their farm this week. Due to Covid restrictions, the event has been postponed.

The farm, which Evan and Sherleen own, and where his son and daughter-in-law, Clinton and Pam, contract milk, is made up of a 95ha dairy platform, half of which is susceptible to flooding, and a 72ha grazing platform, on hillier country, where they graze their young stock.

“We are at the top end of the Hikurangi Swamp Drainage Scheme and we can flood frequently,” says Evan Smeath.

“It can take from a day to 14 days to drain away, depending on the weather event. Half the milking platform can be affected in a bad flood.”

Smeath is not new to using alternative pasture

“There is no point in putting an expensive ryegrass in. I have put grass in, it is looking lush, and six weeks later it is gone again.” species. “We have to think outside the square as ryegrass isn’t cutting the mustard here in Northland, especially with the dry we’ve had over the last three or four years. By February, or even before that, the ryegrass is shot, it is too hot.

“I’ve been using cocksfoot for about ten years and looked into it because I was researching alternatives that would keep going. It can utilise water twice as well as ryegrass, and the new cocksfoots are more upright and not as clumpy.

“I’ve also been growing tall fescue for at least ten years. Those paddocks are still there now; ryegrass wouldn’t do that.

“On the top side of the farm that doesn’t flood, I am putting in cocksfoot, fescues, chicory, and lucerne, and on the flood blocks, chicory, a bit of ryegrass, cocksfoot, and clovers. I don’t spend too much on ryegrass seed –

The poor pasture performance of traditional ryegrass/white clover mixes has many Northland farmers searching for substitutes.

a good one at a reasonable price – because the chances of getting a flood are pretty high, and looking at biennials because they grow so much better.

“There is no point in putting an expensive ryegrass in. I have put grass in, it is looking lush, and six weeks later it is gone again. I have started treating all of the flood block like a winter crop/summer crop. I direct drill some annuals and biennials in the winter time, and a bit of clover and cocksfoot, and then in the spring time I go back in and add

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a bit of cocksfoot and chicory. It does cost me, but I get a lot of growth out of it.”

The Smeaths are also reliant on crops to meet their herd’s feed requirements.

“Maize is great value for money, and generally with our good fertile country we can do pretty well, with yields of about 23-25t/ha, occasionally we will get a drought where we get a bit less, 19-20t/ha. If we get a flood, maize is the cows’ staple diet, with a bit of balancing up. It

can be six weeks between the water being gone and grazing it if there is a big flood. From seed to feed is six weeks, so you’ve got a seven week period when you have to fill in with some extra supplement – maize is brilliant for that. It bulks the cows up and they keep the condition on.”

The Smeaths also grow a couple of less traditional crops for the north – fodder beet and lucerne.

“I have grown a bit of fodder beet over the last four or five years. It can be tricky to grow, but with

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The other crop we are starting to look at, now that Northland is getting warmer and drier, is lucerne. It seems to be doing extremely well. This is the first year I’ve had it in a pure sward, but I’ve had it in my pasture swards for three years now.”

Smeath is keen to encourage people to make the effort to attend events.

“You’ve got to get off farm and look outside the square. I have learned a

lot, and I am still learning.

Everything is changing and you have got to keep up with it.

“When you go to SMASH events they have two or three speakers covering different topics, and they are generally people that have been out there, done that, and are doing well at it. That is why I like going to their meetings, everyone is there to learn, listen, and ask the right questions.”

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

MANAGEMENT // 17

MINDA has you sorted LIC SAYS it has made more than 60 improvements to its MINDA LIVE and MINDA App following farmer feedback.

It says more than 8,500 farmers are now using MINDA LIVE, and 10,000 farmers and their staff are using the MINDA app to record animal events and access their data to make informed decisions on-farm.

Kelsey Thompson, a Stratford-based farmer, says MINDA LIVE and the app are all she needs onfarm in terms of information requirements to manage her herd of 170 Holstein-Friesians and make recording simple this calving.

“You can do what you need to on-the-spot, on the farm, in the cow shed; it’s all done in one go – and that includes your matings, your calv-

ings, and any health treatments.

Last spring I recorded all my matings, every day, straight into my phone, and then it was updated in MINDA LIVE when I got home every day. It’s very simple.

“During calving I still use the yellow notebook a bit, but I transfer the information straight to the app in my phone, then it automatically goes through to MINDA LIVE.” Kelsey believed it was a matter of diving-in and getting used to the software, most of which was intuitive.

“LIC keeps updating the software too, which helps – little things get refined to make the reports better and information more relevant.”

Jessica Bedford, LIC MINDA product experience manager, said for

Kelsey Thompson, a Stratford-based farmer and MINDA user.

calving, there were several reports and groups that would be handy to create.

“When it comes

to groups, some of the key pieces of data farmers could use are the expected calving

attributes; these will help identify animals that are expected to calve either early or late, or, for

example, animals that are expected to calve to the short gestation matings.

“These groups will

share with your MINDA app to ensure farmers have the right information on hand to make drafting a breeze.

“For those that prefer paper-in-hand, the expected calving by date or expected calving by cow reports will show the animals’ expected calving information, including an indication of which animals are expected to short gestation matings, and expected calf BW. “Entering your calvings using the MINDA app will ensure there’s no doublehandling of that information during the calving period, allowing more time to do other tasks on farm.”

A number of MINDA learning resources are available on the LIC website lic.co.nz/minda @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

18 // MANAGEMENT

In-paddock drafting at your fingertips COW GUIDANCE

system maker Halter is now offering dairy farmers the ability to draft

cows in the paddock, instead of out of the cowshed.

The company claims

Fraser Hasnip says drafting calving cows out of the springer mob is no longer is a game of bullrush on his Waikato farm.

it’s a world first and a big deal, for several reasons.

Halter business manager Steve Crowhurst

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says farmers have never before been able to seamlessly, and remotely, “ask 20 cows to walk out of a paddock”.

The company says cows are drafted, or separated, for a number of reasons, namely springers, heat or sickness.

Traditional drafting is typically managed via an auto drafting system built into the exit of the cowshed.

“It’s costly, involves building infrastructure, isn’t foolproof, and the system dates quickly.”

In contrast, the company says its system is managed via a smartphone and with a simple swipe, can be easily and instantly updated with new features.

Farmers can shift cows between breaks at times they pre-programme on the app.

The app also allows farmers to view their herds, as well as track and locate herds remotely.

Also, the ability to separate cows in the paddock means farmers can care for them at an individual level.

“They might need extra feed, they might

need to be assessed for lameness, or they might need to be artificially inseminated during mating,” says Crowhurst.

“Whatever it is they need, this technology opens up a multitude of new ways for farmers to care for their stock in ways that were previously impossible.

“Farmers can now select and move specific girls away from the mob any time of the day.

Essentially, they can run their farm how they want.”

The system is now on farms across the country, including Fraser Hasnip’s dairy farm in the Waikato.

“The new feature is huge for me,” says Hasnip.

“Drafting calving cows out of the springer mob no longer is a game of bullrush with a break fence in a paddock. I no longer lug around reels and standards and need loads of people to help.

“I can manage everything on my own without the extra stress to me and the cows.

“It’s such a seamless way to farm.” @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

www.dairynews.co.nz/enewsletter

PROTECT YOUR SEED, PROTECT YOUR FUTURE. For more information, talk to your local seed retailer or visit seedtreatment.co.nz

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

ANIMAL HEALTH // 19

Heat stress not only impacts a cow’s milk production, but the resulting loss of body condition can have a detrimental and longer-term flow on effect.

Evaluate feed plans, avoid heat stress woes AS TEMPERATURES soar, farmers are heat produced by the cow.

“Reviewing your cows’ diet to ensure being urged to review feed plans and consider what supplements could help reduce they’re not eating too much feed that is high in neutral detergent fibre (NDF) is the impact of heat stress on their cows.

Heat stress not only impacts a cow’s important as these feeds take a lot more milk production, but the resulting loss of energy to break down.”

He also encourages farmers to spend body condition can have a detrimental and time looking at longer-term flow on effect. their cows’ breath“If cows lose body condiing to assess if heat tion now, it can potentially stress is an issue. affect them throughout the “A good visual remainder of the season as assessment for they play catch-up before heat stress is to calving and into the next seatake note of how son’s mating,” says GrainCorp many breaths they technical support manager, take in 10 seconds.

Glen McFarlane. “In-calf cows Around seven under stress and under fed at breaths is good, this time of year can reabbut if it’s closer to sorb the foetus. Body condi10, the cow is likely tion loss now will come at a suffering from heat cost later when you need to stress.” put it back on.”

Glen McFarlane, Cows suffering Dairy cows are generally GrainCorp Feeds from heat stress comfortable between four and 20 degrees Celsius. But as soon as may also stand around rather than grazthe temperature rises, cows use a lot more ing or may be slow in walking to the milkenergy, generating heat as they digest their ing shed. McFarlane says these indicators are often seen before heat stress impacts feed, which makes them run hotter.

McFarlane says there are some simple milk production levels.

Along with reviewing feed plans and things farmers can do to combat heat supplements, McFarlane reminds farmstress and maintain cows’ energy levels.

“I’d suggest reviewing your feed plan so ers to keep doing the basics well.

“Make sure there is plenty of shade for you’re using more feed in the cooler part of the day and feeding concentrates as it animals, including at the milking shed, and using sprinklers together with fans in the gets hotter in the afternoon.

“Using supplements like molasses, salt shed.

“You could also consider shifting milkand Levucell SC can also help improve dry matter intake and fibre digestion. They are ing times to avoid cows standing in the ideal for complementing a good nutrition shed during the hottest parts of the day.”

He encourages farmers to contact their programme and maintaining good producfeed company if they have questions about tion over the summer months.

“Molasses provides energy, while salt managing heat stress and what supplehelps cows regulate their temperature. ments could help them maintain cows’ Products like Levucell SC make fibre body condition and minimise production digestion easier, reducing the amount of loss.

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

20 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Cattle judge in the making AT THE tender age of 15,

Jacoba Gread has already imagined her future in great detail.

She is astute enough to understand it may be a moveable feast, but there are still a few nonnegotiables: showing, judging, caring for and farming Holstein Friesian cattle.

Jacoba lives with her parents, Mark and Kylie Gread, and two younger brothers Elijah and Xavier at Tahuna, in the Waikato; Mark and Kylie 50/50 sharemilk 280 cows on 110ha.

Their Holstein Friesian stud, Heavenly Moos, is seeing success in the show ring and remarkable genetic improvements in only one generation – something which only fuels the family’s passion for the Holstein Friesian breed.

Jacoba started out at Calf Club as a child, a passion both her and her mum Kylie shared.

But when she reached 12-years-old and her final stages of Calf Club came to an end her cousin, Sarah Leech, encouraged her to consider showing in the pedigree ring.

“It all happened from there,” Jacoba says.

Now in her third season showing, the Morrinsville College Year 11 student is becoming more involved in the show season and all it entails.

Jacoba mostly attends the large shows - the Easter Show, Waikato A&P Show, Stratford Show and NZ Dairy Event – but also attends a few smaller local shows to help keep them on their feet for years to come.

She attended her

Jacoba Gread started out at Calf Club as a child, a passion both her and her mum Kylie shared.

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first World Wide Sires National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp in January 2021, in Gore, and also attended the 2022 Youth Camp held earlier this month in the Waikato.

Hosted by Holstein Friesian NZ, the youth camp teaches youth aged 10-21 about animal behaviour and care, and attendees take part in a mini show and team building activities.

“You make a lot of new connections there, and that’s what it’s all about,” Jacoba says.

“Before I attended the first youth camp I knew a few names, but I hadn’t met a lot of people as I

was new to the show ring.

The camps are a great way to really get to know people.”

Jacoba says the 2021 Youth Camp was where her mentorprotégé relationship with Holstein Friesian NZ member Annie Gill began.

“Annie nominated herself to be my guardian for the camp, and then hosted me for the Waipa Club Show, which led to many great opportunities such as being asked to help at the Autumn Harvest and Waipiri sale,” Jacoba says.

“She has become a mentor to me, helping me

hugely along the way.”

Jacoba also cites Holstein Friesian Treasurer Wendy Harker as a trusted advisor following her first Holstein Friesian NZ Judging School in February 2021.

“I had no idea what I was doing, so I just ended up doing what I thought was right,” Jacoba says.

“Wendy was so helpful, offering tips and advice.

I had done the junior judging competition at NZ Dairy Event for Jersey and Ayrshire cattle before going to the judging school but was still very inexperienced.”

Jacoba says judging

cattle has always interested her.

“I have wanted to be a Calf Club judge since I was little,” she says.

“Now that I’m older I still want to do judging, but on a more professional level, in the showring.”

While Jacoba is new to judging, she is amazed by how much she learnt in a short time.

“It’s really helpful to watch other people, what they do and the language they use, especially when it comes to saying your final placings in the lineup,” she says. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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JACOBA GREAD saw several successes at the 2021 Holstein Friesian New Zealand Awards, including winning the 2021 Frank Pfister Award, in conjunction with Neko McDonald.

This award is presented to the highest scoring youth member/s at an official Holstein Friesian NZ Judging School.

She has also seen success with Heavenly Hopes Joy S2F, an animal Jacoba picked as “the one” out of the 84 heifer calves born in 2020 on her farm.

Joy placed second out of 28 entries in the 2021 DeLaval HFNZ All NZ Photo Competition – All NZ Heifer Calf Class and placed second in the Holstein Friesian Black & White Youth

Photo Competition.

She was also Reserve Champion (first Holstein Friesian heifer calf) and fourth in the All Breeds category at the Te Kauwhata A&P Show, as well as achieving many other placings at local shows.

“Her dam, Heavenly Faiths Hope S1F, was my 2017 calf club calf who did very well - in dairy type especially - and I am very thankful that for the third year in a row Hope gave me a heifer calf, this time sired by Walnutlawn Sidekick,” Jacoba says.

“The improvement shown in this family in just one generation has been amazing and I can’t wait until later this season when Joy calves down. Fingers

crossed she follows in her mothers’ footsteps and gives me a heap of gorgeous heifer calves.”

When she finishes high school Jacoba wants to study veterinary science at university, so she has included three sciences in her curriculum choices: biology, chemistry and physics.

She is also studying agriculture, as she would like to be a dairy farmer and stay involved in the family farm and stud.

“When I was younger, I had everything planned out –I would marry a dairy farmer, be a judge alongside being a very successful vet, and have a heap of show cows,” Jacoba laughs.

“But we will see how it all evolves.”

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

CULTIVATION & CROPPING // 21

Don’t let dry weather rain on your pasture parade FOR NEW pasture you can be proud of – even if it feels too dry to think about it right now – consider sowing seed before it rains, instead of waiting for the autumn weather to smile on you.

Research shows ryegrass seed sown early in dry autumn conditions germinates well after weeks with no rain, says Barenbrug pasture systems manager Blair Cotching.

“It can also grow more feed per hectare than seed sown later, and will probably persist longer too, giving you a better result all round.”

Plus, you’ll beat the rush for contractors when the rain does come, he

Research shows ryegrass seed sown early in dry autumn conditions germinates well after weeks with no rain.

says. “We’ve been asked so many times if it’s okay to sow seed in the dry, we did a trial1 to confirm the answer.”

In hot Waikato peat during an autumn

drought, Barenbrug agronomists sowed perennial ryegrass seed with NEA2 endophyte in late February, March and April.

The earliest sowing had it the hardest – the

soil reached over 49 degrees C at seed depth (2cm), with no rain for 43 days.

Even so, this February-sown seed went on to grow 2 tonnes of dry

matter per hectare more than seed sown post-rain in April, and the endophyte was fine, Blair says.

Ryegrass seed sown after 1 March and before the rain comes is poised

for growth as soon as conditions are right.

If seed is still in the bag when the weather breaks, it can’t grow. By then everyone else wants to do the same thing, so contractors are flat out and delays are inevitable, especially the way things are now.

Because it starts growing as soon as it has enough moisture, seed sown early becomes new pasture that is ready for its first grazing sooner than if you wait and sow after the rain.

Why does this matter?

“That first grazing has a massive impact on your pasture establishment,” Blair says. “It helps the young ryegrass plants

grow denser and stronger before winter, when wet soils and heavy cows can damage pasture. And it gets the clover off to a good start.”

An added bonus – clover seed likes early sowing, too, because the soil is warmer.

The benefits of sowing early don’t stop in the paddock. If this technique suits your farm and your soils, it will also help you get organised ahead of time.

That means no rushing around at the last minute trying to get hold of seed, and a lot more peace of mind knowing you’re as ready as you can be for one of the most important jobs of autumn.

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

22 // CULTIVATION & CROPPING

New frontmounted furrow press PRIMARILY USED for reconsolidation, but also for ballasting, frontmounted furrow presses are becoming increasingly popular on tractors working with mounted seed drills.

Soil preparation specialist Lemken has recently upgraded its VarioPack front-mounted furrow press, including new steering characteristics.

Featuring hydraulically adjustable steering sensitivity for working in hilly terrain or with GPS-controlled tractors, the system allows precise, reliable pass alignment, while the “true-tracking” performance reduces driver strain, removing the need to counter-steer in difficult conditions.

The steering system is preloaded mechanically or as an option, fitted with a hydraulic cylinder/ nitrogen

Amazone has combined its Precea precision air seeder and CombiDisc 3000 compact disc harrow.

accumulator configuration.

Both formats allow the pressure to be adjusted to adapt to the current working conditions, making sure the press safely and reliably returns to its central position and ensures precise pass alignment.

This is said to be useful when working on slopes, or to prevent movement caused by a delayed response to the steering movements of a GPS-controlled tractor.

Retaining the time-tested hub-free design, the new models will include a rigid version with working widths of 2.50 to 4m and a ring diameter of 90cm, alongside a folding version with a ring diameter of 70 or 90cm and working widths from 4 and 6m. www.lemken.com

One-pass seedbed preparation, seeding MARK DANIEL

Lemken’s upgraded VarioPack front-mounted furrow press.

DRAINAGE AND SOIL AERATION PAY BIG DIVIDENDS Don’t put good fertiliser on compacted soil which can’t absorb it. If your soil can’t support 15cm root growth and good worm population check for compaction.

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AMAZONE HAS combined its Precea precision air seeder and CombiDisc 3000 compact disc harrow to provide one-pass seedbed preparation and sowing at operating speeds of up to 15 km/h.

CLAAS harvest centre product manager for Amazone, Steve Gorman, says the mounted combination is ideal for use in light to medium soil structures.

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“The rapidly-rotating discs provide a very good crumb structure, with the adjustable disc carriers in the wheel tracks and at the machine ends, ensuring a perfect levelling of the seedbed,” says Steve.

The CombiDisc 3000 is coupled to the tractor via Category 2 or 3 lower link mountings, while the seed drill is quickly and safely attached via the QuickLink quick coupling. A range of rollers is available to consolidate the seedbed in a range of soil type and operating conditions. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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tillage while the Precea’s high pressure separator delivers precise seed placement at high operating speeds, he says. The seed is separated individually into each seed row and is introduced into the soil via the propulsion channel.”

With a working width of 3m, the CombiDisc is configured with two rows of 410mm diameter serrated discs, mounted in pairs on maintenance-free disc arms. Offering a working depth of 3 to 8cm, adjustment is achieved mechanically, or via an optional hydraulic cylinder controlled from the tractor cab.

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

CULTIVATION & CROPPING // 23

High-capacity cultivators Each disc uses a single maintenancefree bearing, which combines with an underframe clearance of 55cm, to ensure a clear residue flow through the machine, prevents disruptions due to blockages.

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

At the rear, the machine is fitted with the Double-U self-cleaning and anti-clogging roller, designed to provide optimum soil consolidation.

tions due to blockages.

Working depth is hydraulically assisted, allowing easy and accurate adjustment that, once set, is maintained across the full width of the machine via hydraulically controlled pressure

in the extension cylinders – the Kuhn’s Steady Control system.

At the rear, the machine is fitted with the Double-U self-cleaning and anti-clogging roller, designed to provide optimum soil consolidation.

By turning on the roller at the headlands, the machine maintains stability and minimises any risk of soil compaction in these areas.

For transport, machines fold to 3m width and 4m high, using

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available with small notches (for shallow cultivation) or large notches (for deeper soil penetration), are mounted individually on support arms, using four integral polyurethane elastomeric blocks to provide

fle

KUHN HAS extended its range of independent disc stubble cultivators with the addition of the high capacity Optimer L Series.

Available in 9 and 12 metre working widths, Optimer L is designed for high quality shallow cultivation at operating speeds of 13 to 18 km/h. With a working depth range from 3 to 10cm, it is sufficiently versatile to fulfil a range of roles including enhanced crop residue management, stale seedbed creation and fine seedbed preparation.

The layout sees two rows of 510mm diameter discs operate set at 16˚ from horizontal and 6˚ from vertical for optimum tilth creation. Discs,

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

24 // CULTIVATION & CROPPING

Simple but effective WHILE A 3.0m x 3.0m sheet of heavy-duty PVC might not seem to be cutting edge technology, sometimes the simplest ideas can often be very effective.

The Agricontract SeedSock expands on that basic PVC sheet, featuring lifting loops in each corner and a flexi-

ble discharge spout in the middle. It is said to make emptying a seed drill or fertiliser spreader hopper a whole lot easier.

Laid out on the floor with the discharge sock tied off, a drill can be driven over the sheet, the hopper emptied and the machine moved out of the way. The sheet is

then gathered up and lifted using pallet forks or a hook attachment on a telehandler or front-end loader.

The 1.4m long outlet ‘sock’ at the centre of the sheet can be untied and the seed residue released into a sack or bulk bag.

Arable farmer Olly Harrison – known primar-

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ily for his YouTube videos and farming nearly 2,000 acres in the NW of England – came up with the idea, when he noted the time taken during drilling when changing from one seed variety to another.

By chance, his neighbour manufactured bouncy castles, so was well equipped to manu-

Laid out on the floor with the discharge sock tied off, a drill can be driven over the sheet, the hopper emptied and the machine moved out of the way.

Enviro DD30 Accurate double disc air seeder plants seed and fertiliser in a closed slot with minimal disturbance for fast germination.

• Customise with a crane, electric drive and press wheels to suit your needs • Large diameter discs cut through trash and ride over rocks • Accurate and versatile seed metering system

facture a bespoke “sheet” that could withstand the rigours of life on the farm.

He says that a lot of drills are awkward to empty and usually involve dumping seed on to a concrete floor, then sweeping and shovelling it into a sack. The SeedSock makes the job a whole lot quicker and easier by discharging on to a sheet that turns into a temporary container when lifted off the ground.

Other uses can include emptying a fertiliser

spreader hopper after a mechanical break-down or preparing a “home -brew” cover crop seed mixture on the floor, like mixing concrete with a shovel, then loading it from the SeedSock into a drill. The large sheet can also be used to cover empty hoppers or seed or fertiliser on a trailer as weather protection.

The SeedSock is fully tested for CE/UKCA approval with a maximum load rating of 400kg SWL. www.spaldings.co.uk

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INCREASED PRECISION TOPCON’S LATEST product is designed to establish sugar beet and maize more accurately and help reduce seed wastage.

The Apollo CM-20, a universal row crop planting controller, can monitor planting accuracy in realtime and relay this information to the operator, allowing them to deal with any anomalies quickly.

Offering the ability to control the functions of up to 24 electrically-driven seeding units, the controller allows “on-the-fly” adjustments to avoid seed wastage, as a result of overlaps, headland misses or when operating in “short ground” in awkwardly shaped paddocks.

In addition to the auto-section function, Apollo also offers variable rate control and variable rate application of up to three additional granular products, but the manufacturer suggests its key advantage is the ability to monitor singulation and spacing accuracy and to ensure that each seed is dropped in the correct position.

This includes bends in the paddock, where turn compensation reduces the seeding rate towards the inside of the curve and increases it at the outer radius, where the seeding coulters travel further and faster.

This ensures all seeds are planted at equal distances irrespective of any irregularities in the shape of the paddock.

DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

CULTIVATION & CROPPING // 25

Merger rakes lifts output, reduces costs MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

DRIVING IMPROVED

efficiency, many farmers and contractors are committing to machinery that improves output, preserves quality and ultimately reduces costs.

ROC’s RT series of continuous merger rakes are a case in point, featuring a revolutionary raking system that not only creates greater output, but also protects crops from damage during harvest.

The Italian-manufactured range is distributed in New Zealand by Webbline Agriculture Ltd, and overseen by the company’s ROC franchise manager, Winston Smith, who says he expects the range to make a significant impact in the New Zealand market.

“While continuous mergers are relatively unknown in NZ, the ROC range will complement our existing series of SIP Star swather rakes, allowing us to offer a full range of options to farmers and contractors,” he says.

The ROC merger is available in working widths from 3.8m to more than 12m.

Compared to rotary rakes that ‘drag’ the crop horizontally along the ground, the ROC merger has a vertical pick-up, like a baler or harvester, which lifts the drop and places it on a conveyor for gentle delivery to either side of the machine. This, combined with an innovative tine design, results in a cleaner crop with a significantly reduced level of foreign material included in the swath.

In addition, because mergers can build significantly larger rows than traditional raking systems, harvesters operate more efficiently, with reductions in fuel, time and wear and tear on components.

Recently trialled with contractors in the North Island, an RT 1000 with a 10m working width demonstrated improved speed and quality, depositing two 10 metre swaths next to one another, clearing 20 metres and allowing the harvester to make fewer passes in every paddock. At the same time, the RT 1000 matched the output of a more common 12.5m four-rotor swather.

In operation, the side sections of the merger runs on four adjust-

Recently trialled with contractors in the North Island, an RT 1000 with a 10m working width demonstrated improved speed and quality.

able, modulating tandem wheels, while the centre section runs on a hydraulic rear axle lifting system that can be raised to 1m for road travel, to clear large rows or for turning at the headlands. Both the speed of the pick-up and the speed and direction of the conveyor can also be changed to suit different conditions.

For operating in reduced spaces, the RT series can also operate with either, or both, side sections of the merger

in the raised position, or even with the separate sections of the conveyor running in opposite directions.

Smith says the 10m RT 1000 and the 11.5m RT 1150 are likely to be the most appropriate for NZ contractors. “NZ contractors using higher powered foragers for increased output in grass silage will really benefit from the impressive performance of these ROC mergers.”

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DAIRY NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 2022

26 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Folding front mower cutterbar hailed a world first FIRST PREVIEWED

by Krone at Agritechnica 2019, the company has release further details of its folding front mower cutter-bar.

Described as a world first for a disc mower, the maximum working width of the EasyCut F400CV Fold is 4.04, said to be suitable to complement mounted/trailed rear mower or a butterfly combination set-up.

The novel layout sees a hydraulic slewing gearbox folding the two outer discs into the space between the tractor wheels to reduce the width of the mower below 3m for transport. The driveline remains connected and the discs stay

in the cutting position.

In the paddock, the discs fold back to the working position, are hydraulically

locked and the side guards are lowered.

It is easily folded from the tractor seat and the

wider working width eliminates the risk of the tractor running on previously cut grass, but also

provides a large degree of overlap with rearmounted mowers, so eliminates uncut strips

of grass, particularly on turns or curves.

In other Krone news, the Krone EasyCut TC Connect is a new development aimed at broadacre Australian and American farms, allowing two trailed mowers to be coupled to the same tractor, knocking down 13.08m of crop in a single pass.

It is developed for use with the company’s EasyCut TC 400 and TC 500. When the TC 400 is matched to the company’s F320 CV/CR front mower, the working width of the combination is 10.3m. This increases to 10.7m with a F360 CV/CR and 11.1m with the F400 CV Fold.

Suitable for Controlled

Traffic Farming (CTF), the cutting width of the EasyCut TC500/F 320 CV/ CR is 12.2m. Wider widths are also available, namely 12.6m with an F 360 CV/ CR and 13.08m (40cm overlap each side) with an F 400 CV Fold.

It is also said to be particularly beneficial in sensitive crops such as alfalfa.

Krone says Australian and American farmers often operate the front mounted EasyCut F 400 CV Fold together with two EasyCut TC 400 rear mowers, producing three identical swaths for uniform wilting. Each model can also operate as a solo machine. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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