Getting the Basics Right 2021 by Rural News Group

2021

Innovation for Future Profit PUBLISHED BY RURAL NEWS GROUP

ISSN: 1176-2012

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

FOREWORD // 5

Delivering science useful on farm DR SUE BIDROSE, AGRESEARCH CHIEF EXECUTIVE

I HAVE ONLY been in the job as

AgResearch’s chief executive for a few months now, but like anyone who pays attention to New Zealand’s dairy industry, I can clearly see it is facing unprecedented challenges. The fact that the industry has been a standout performer for New Zealand through the Covid-19 pandemic I’m sure is of limited comfort to you all when it comes to the demands of adapting to the likes of climate change, regulations around land use and water quality, increasing animal welfare expectations and shifting consumer preferences toward alternative proteins. What I also see, however, in my role leading a science organisation full of smart and motivated people, is a lot of research happening now and in the pipeline that is making and will keep making a real difference to the industry in meeting these challenges. It is impossible not to get excited when you hear the scientists fizzing about the potential of their work to solve big problems or provide new tools to improve our food production. In the important climate change space, we are working with the dairy industry to identify ways to help farmers reduce methane emissions, including research with DSM’s 3-NOP methane inhibitor that shows promise in this area. Our scientists are also exploring the potential of other tools, including continued research towards a potential methane vaccine. Having successfully bred sheep that emit less methane, our scientists are also part of some exciting research now with DairyNZ and others that looks at whether this breeding approach can also be achieved with cattle. Nutrient management is obviously still a critical factor for the industry, and especially in light of new regulations around freshwater. At places like the Southern Dairy Hub, which we share with DairyNZ and southern dairy farmers, there is important work happening around mitigation of nutrient loss in sensitive catchment areas and in the context of

winter grazing. Our scientists are also trialling some exciting new technology that enables urine nitrogen testing of herds in order to reduce nitrogen loss. Technology also presents opportunities for new farming practices that ease the burden on farmers, such as virtual fencing technology our scientists have trialled with positive results in a New Zealand farm setting. Animal welfare is an obvious priority. This is another area where our scientists are doing some important research with the industry, such as work to develop a much deeper understanding of the wellbeing and natural behaviours of dairy cattle. This gives farmers the knowledge to adapt their farming practices and demonstrate gains in this area. This research gets down to the detail of how a cow spends its day and what farming systems best fit with that. As the chief executive, it has also been pleasing to see our scientists making

a difference at the consumer level, by bringing their expertise in life cycle assessment to validate claims about NZ dairy products. The most recent being the measurement of the carbon footprint for the Anchor range of specialty milks, including greenhouse gas emissions across the products’ full lifecycle, that allowed those products to be certified carbon zero by Toitu Envirocare. However good our research is though, we must be properly aligned with industry and government to ensure we are delivering science that is useful. I have been encouraged so far to see that across the sector we seem to be on the same page around the most pressing issues and the research that is needed to address them. And now, our challenge is making sure as many Kiwis as possible know of the huge amount of effort going in, and the successes we are having.

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CONTENTS 08 Sustainable Farming 22

Protecting the land

Pasture

Get your foundations firing

24 Feed

Healthy rumen function

28 Soil 24

Lifting soil structure

Effluent & Water Management

Investing in storage

EDITOR Sudesh Kissun sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

44 Mating Management

PUBLISHER Brian Hight

56 Animal Health

PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Dave Ferguson Becky Williams

65 Calving

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These cows can milk! Transition feeding Dairy beef investment

68 Milk Quality

Keeping mastitis at bay

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

8 // SUSTAINABLE FARMING

Helping farmers run sustainable businesses FARMERS ACROSS THE

country are using OverseerFM to support them to operate environmentally and economically sustainable businesses and protect their land for the next generation. OverseerFM incorporates 30 years of scientific research into a user-friendly online tool that helps farmers and growers understand what happens to the nutrients brought onto and created on-farm. This helps farmers and growers understand how efficiently their farm management approach uses the available nutrients and what may be being lost. Developed in New Zealand, OverseerFM produces nutrient budgets for seven key farm nutrients, as well as greenhouse gas emissions reports.

The software enables decisions about nutrient management to be informed by science and, has the potential to save farmers and growers’ money, improve farm profitability, and lift environmental performance. OverseerFM can be used to assess the most common farming systems in New Zealand including dairy, sheep and beef, dairy goats, deer, outdoor pigs, kiwifruit, viticulture and a range of vegetables and arable crops. Dairy farmer Cameron Henderson, who farms 430ha in Oxford, North Canterbury, uses an ‘environmental accounting’ analogy to sum up his use of OverseerFM. “Many people find a farm accounting system daunting at first but once you have found

Caroline Amyes, Craigmore Business Support, says the software adds real value in terms of a forecast farm analysis to see what impact any farming system changes would have.

your way around the software, it is easy to use. “Similarly, you can use an accountant to complete your tax accounts, but the real value is to look at it in detail yourself, try some scenarios and see where you can make gains.” Having first used OverseerFM in the process of gaining Land Use Consent from Environment Canterbury, Cameron now uses it annually, to ensure the farm remains within its consent limits as changes are made as well as to model scenarios when considering other changes. The farm business winters its own herd and a neighbour’s herd on its support farm, and OverseerFM enables them to work out how many cows can go on there and for how long they can graze. They will also

be using it as they work to reduce fertiliser rates. Cameron sees the GHG emissions report function becoming increasingly valuable to farmers. The farm is part of Synlait’s Lead with Pride programme and one of the company’s goals is to achieve a fifty per cent reduction on total GHG per kilo of milk solids by 2028. “As part of that, we will get GHG targets for the farm,” he says. “Our farm will be benchmarked against the Canterbury average in OverseerFM and we can start to see how we stack up against similar operations. Going forward, Synlait is also in the process of developing GHG mitigation tools and Overseer is at the centre of that.” Miranda Hunter, a farm systems consultant specialising in environmental work across the lower South Island, uses OverseerFM with 30 to 40 clients. Most are dairy or dairy support farmers seeking modelling around pastoral or cropping systems. “Overseer is part of the jigsaw of information farmers are using to make strategic choices going forward. But, because of regulation, it is becoming a bigger piece – it’s a cornerstone piece of the jigsaw now. “Farming is getting more complex and increasingly now farmers are wanting to use it as part of their strategic planning around where their business is heading – looking at the risk in terms of environmental change and regulation and how they can position their business to reduce nutrient loss. “Overseer works well as a decision support tool, comparing apples with apples around the ways land can be used. When someone is deciding whether to buy some

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

10 // SUSTAINABLE FARMING

land, they will often want to know what the OverseerFM results look like for the current land use and for the proposed use.” Craigmore Sustainables business which includes 22 dairy farms, located from North Canterbury to North Otago and a sheep and beef farm in Middlemarch, has a sustainability programme in place at each of its farms and horticulture and forestry operations. They have been using Overseer since 2013, including modelling the impacts ahead of farm management approaches or land use change. Caroline Amyes, Craigmore Business Support, says the software adds real value in terms of a forecast farm analysis to see what impact any farming system changes would have. “Many of our farms are organised into ‘pods’ of four or five farms,” she says. “The managers or pod managers work with environmental

North Canterbury farmer Cameron Henderson uses an ‘environmental accounting’ analogy to sum up his use of OverseerFM.

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consultants to use OverseerFM to develop the nutrient budget for each farm. “Our role is to understand that information and use it to ensure we are within our nutrient limits. Our ethos is that we farm in a sustainable manner with a focus on making a long-term positive impact. That is important to our investors and all of this information is available to them also.” A recent addition to OverseerFM is the inclusion of plantain as a pasture type on pastoral and cut and carry blocks. Having this available in OverseerFM means that New Zealand farmers can now assess the potential impact of using plantain on-farm. To find out more about Overseer or to get started using OverseerFM go to overseer. org.nz. Here you’ll find some great information and resources that will take you through the process of getting started.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

12 // SUSTAINABLE FARMING

Change here to stay IAN WILLIAMS PIONEER FORAGE SPECIALST

WHAT A YEAR we have just

had! A severe drought that left many farms without feed was followed by a pandemic that is still with us. The end of 2019 saw the passing of the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act and in September 2020, the changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) regarding freshwater came into force. As a result, the farming community is having to rethink the way business is done. Production and profit have been the historical drivers for determining how farmers farm. Now they also need to consider environmental impact when thinking about what farm system they will operate in the future. The drought and the associated shortages of PKE showed how exposed to risk farms are if they rely on large amounts of imported feed to get them through adverse climate events. And on top of this, farmers who traditionally have relied on crops to winter stock on, may need to rethink how there are going to over winter their cows given the changes to the RMA and National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM).

While some old priorities remain true, there will also need to be a new emphasis on true sustainability. With this in mind, what are the basics we need to “Get it right”? Grow and harvest as much feed as possible The relationship between home grown feed and profit has been well known for many years now and has not changed. The data shows that farmers who grow and harvest large amounts of feed are more likely to make more money than those that produce less home-grown feed. Traditionally farmers have relied on lots on nitrogen to grow more feed but the days of applying more than 190kgN/ ha to pasture are over. Maize silage has become an integral part of many farms lifting the amount of feed grown and harvested. Historically, maize silage has been used as part of a regrassing programme. In recent years, farmers are using maize to grow more feed, more reliably. The result is the same, more feed grown per hectare across the whole farm. Just how much more feed is gained depends on the farm, but it can be quite significant. For

example, a 100ha farm growing 14tDM pasture per hectare and cropping 15% in a maize silage, annual ryegrass rotation can lift overall drymatter production by around 1.5tDM/ha across the whole farm Grow maize on effluent paddocks to increase environmental benefits and produce low-cost feed Farmers in many areas across New Zealand are now being required to reduce their N and P loss. Maize silage is set to become a key tool in this process. Maize is a deep-rooted crop that can extract water and nutrients from depths two to three times greater than typical pasture species (e.g. ryegrass/ white clover). Because it has a high demand for nitrogen (12 kg N and 10 kg K for every 1tDM removed), it can be used to remove excess N and K from effluent blocks. This reduces the risk of nutrient leaching and lowers the chance of milk fever caused by feeding high potassium pasture to springers. A two year on-farm study showed that maize silage crops grown on effluent paddocks with no additional fertiliser (no base, starter, or side dress)

Table 1: Typical costs of maize silage DM1

MAIZE SILAGE DRYMATTER COSTS Maize silage yield (†DM) in the stock

Low fertility paddock †DM/ha

Maize silage cost per kgDM in the stock (c/DM)

Maize silage cost per MJME (c/MJME)

High fertility paddock Maize silage cost per kgDM in the stock (c/kgDM)

Maize silage cost per MJME (c/MJME)

25.5

2.36

22.6

2.10

17.9

1.66

20.4

1.89

16.1

1.49

18.5

1.72

14.6

1.36

17.0

1.57

13.4

1.24

15.7

1.45

12.4

1.15

14.6

1.35

11.5

10.6

–

10.7

0.99

Maize silage has become an integral part of many farms lifting the amount of feed grown and harvested. Historically, maize silage has been used as part of a regrassing programme. yielded an average of 26.1 tDM/ha. Without the need for additional fertiliser, silage drymatter costs are significantly reduced (Table 1). Note: High fertility paddock costs assume no base, starter or side dress fertiliser is needed Feeding maize silage to reduce cow urinary nitrogen levels Pasture almost always contains excess crude protein (CP) relative to dairy cow requirements. A high proportion (typically 60 - 70%) of the excess protein (nitrogen) intake is excreted in the urine. In spring, this can be as high as 1,000 kgN/ha. This is well in excess of what pasture can take up, and urinary nitrates can be relatively quickly leached beyond the reach of shallowrooted pasture plants. Most cows require somewhere between 12-18% crude protein (CP) in their diet however pasture protein often exceeds 20% CP. At 7-8% CP, feeding maize silage dilutes dietary protein content, reduces nitrogen loss from the cow and therefore reduces the risk of N leaching.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

14 // SUSTAINABLE FARMING

Table 2: Waimate West Demonstration Trial: Productivity and financial outcomes for the 1997-98 season2

Make sure the cows achieve their body condition score (BCS) targets The science behind the value of having mature cows achieve a BCS of 5 (5.5 for 1st and 2nd calvers) is rock solid. However, many farmers still struggle to get achieve this target. Cows at BCS 5 vs BCS 4 will produce an additional 12 - 15 kgMS over the season and they will get in calf 8-10 days earlier. Feeding around 180 kgDM/ cow of maize silage over winter will lift cows by 1 BCS. The return from extra milk and more days in milk more than covers the cost of the extra maize silage required to put on the extra condition. It is a no brainer.

was conducted around 20 years ago at the Waimate West Demonstration Farm in South Taranaki. The data showed using maize silage to fill feed deficits could generate high response rates (see Table 2).

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Use maize silage to reduce reliance on costly imported feed Maize silage is one of the best farm systems feed available

CONTROL

MAIZE SILAGE FED IN THE: Spring

Summer

Stocking rate (cows/ha)

3.8

Maize silage (kgDM/cow)

300

293

290

Milksolids per cow (kgDM/cow)

285

332

309

337

Milksolids per hectare (kgMS/ha)

1083

1262

1174

1281

Days in milk

228

268

256

259

EFS ($/ha calculated at a $3.50 payout)

1489

1824

1532

1904

Increase in EFS over control (%)

–

23%

28%

Milksolids response (gMS/kgDM maize silage fed)

–

157

179

to farmers. It is competitively priced when compared to other similar feeds and has the flexibility of being able to be stored when there is plenty of grass to feed the cows or used when a feed deficit appears in the pasture supply (see Point 5). The drought of last season and the impact of Covid-19 on the supply and price of a product like PKE has reinforced too many farmers that having maize

silage in the stack ready to go whatever the season may throw at them makes good farming sense 1Pioneer Maize Silage 2021-2021 page 28. The value of pasture lost during the maize growing season has not been considered in the calculation of the maize silage drymatter cost. 2 Deane T, 1999. Proceedings of the Ruakura Farmers Conference 51:64.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

SUSTAINABLE FARMING // 15

Tips for reducing N losses on farm DairyNZ’s Step Change helps farmers achieve financial gains while reducing their environmental footprint.

VIRGINIA SERRA DAIRYNZ SELWYN HINDS PROJECT LEADER

A NEW PROJECT at DairyNZ

right now, Step Change, aims to help dairy farmers achieve financial gains, while making progress towards their environmental goals and adapting to pending regulation changes. We’ve already worked with farmers in some regions to achieve these goals. Now, through Step Change, we are taking these lessons wider to farmers around the country, to help them adapt to current changes. Head start in Canterbury Since 2018 I have been leading a project working alongside a group of partner farms and their rural professionals in Selwyn and Hinds to identify ways to reduce their nitrogen losses. The farms are part of a five-year DairyNZ project that’s influencing activity on hundreds of farms in the region sharing the changes taking place on partner farms with other local farmers through field days and discussion groups. Under targets set by the Canterbury Regional Council,

farmers in Selwyn need to reduce their nitrogen (N) losses by 30 percent by 2022; in Hinds, staged targets require reductions of 15% by 2025 and 36% by 2035. The most common actions farmers reported included improving their irrigation systems and management (94%), improving effluent systems (90%) and reducing N fertiliser use (80%). Several farmers who reduced fertiliser applications also said there was little impact on their pasture growth and profitability. Many changes made by these Canterbury farmers can be adapted to suit farmers in other regions and Step Change is

working to share these lessons more widely. Reducing N losses isn’t always easy, but this project shows it is possible and a number of options are available. Tips for low N fertiliser use One of the main actions farmers in Selwyn and Hinds catchments used to reduce their N losses was reducing N fertiliser applications. Some top tips are: kk Allow time to change N fertiliser use if you need to make significant reductions to meet new regulations. kk Reduce application rates to no more than 40kg N/ha in early spring and then to 0.8kg

N/ha per day of round length. conditions for clover growth and get paddocks soil tested to help identify if a lack of nutrients is limiting pasture or clover growth (pH, P, K and Mo). To avoid the shading of clover, careful grazing management is also important. kk Skip a few paddocks when pasture growth rates are high and silage making is not wanted/needed. kk Have a monthly N fertiliser plan and monitor it, to check that you are on track to stay within your fertiliser budget throughout the year. For more top tips, visit dairynz.co.nz/nitrogen-cap kk Optimise

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

16 // PASTURE

Get your foundations firing with the right nutrients Boosting the quality and quantity of our existing pasture asset is one of the quickest and most profitable ways to lift farm income. All things being equal, if we increase the feed quality and quantity, gains in animal production and reproduction will follow. Ravensdown Chief Scientific Officer Dr Ants Roberts discusses the crucial nutrient building blocks for cost-effective pasture growth. IT’S WELL-KNOWN THAT

most New Zealand soils do not have a significant ‘natural’ supply of important mineral nutrients to develop and sustain the production of quality pastures in the long term. To boost the growth of quality grass and clover pasture (the cheapest animal feed you will get), there is no substitute for applying cost-effective fertiliser nutrients and lime to optimise the plant-available levels. The nitty-gritty nutrients Pastoral agriculture in New Zealand is heavily reliant on pasture legumes to increase and maintain the soil nitrogen (N) pool. It is the size and rate of turnover of this soil N pool that often determines how much pasture a farm will be able to grow annually. To optimise the growth and function of our N-fixing legumes, we need a good supply of phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S), potassium (K) as well as other major and trace elements. Ensuring the correct balance of P and S where required can lead to significant increases in dry matter production and quality. Superphosphate, a multinutrient fertiliser, has been and remains an excellent way to enable pasture swards that support legumes to fix

Dr Ant Roberts, Ravensdown, says New Zealand soils do not have a significant ‘natural’ supply of important mineral nutrients to develop and sustain the production of quality pastures in the long term.

atmospheric nitrogen, and the balance of nutrients (P, S and calcium (Ca)) suit most New Zealand soil types. Long-term studies show that superphosphate’s use on grazed pastures promotes organic matter return to soils through excreta, uneaten herbage, and root turnover. This stimulates the vigour and population of soil microbes and worms, improving soil health and fertility. Superphosphate has shown itself to be ideal for New Zealand farming systems, affordably providing both

phosphorus and sulphur (S) in plant-available forms. Sulphur super contains both quickacting sulphate sulphur and slow-release elemental sulphur, which is great for maintenance, particularly where topdressing is infrequent, and on sedimentary, pumice and peat soils under high rainfall. Sulphur-enriched superphosphates are widely used in South Island hill and high country, but ultimately, the amount of sulphur required will dictate the most suitable product. The key features that have

sustained the value of superphosphate in New Zealand for pastoral farming since 1881 are: Its chemical composition: 9-10% total phosphorus, 11-12% sulphur and 20% calcium, all in readily plant- available form It is fully effective in a wide range of soil and climatic conditions By encouraging plant growth, it also encourages populations of introduced surface-casting earthworms and increased soil microbial numbers and function After more than 130 years of being made here in New

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

18 // PASTURE

Zealand, superphosphate is one of the most researched fertiliser products in our rural environment. It remains New Zealand’s most widely and effectively used fertiliser for pastoral, cropping and horticultural uses. Lime time The second major pasture building block is lime. Liming increases soil pH and enhances clover growth in the sward, improving soil fertility through greater nitrogen fixation

and leading to an increase in desirable grasses like ryegrass. The result is an improvement in pasture growth and composition, and the pasture becomes more vigorous, more nutritious, and more palatable to stock. Soils below optimal pH impact negatively on soil biological activity, slowing the breakdown of organic matter. Liming acid soils stimulates this increase in soil biological activity, and frequently results in faster organic matter breakdown and release of

nutrients, such as nitrogen (N), which then stimulates pasture growth. At pH 5.8 – 6.0, the recommended minimum optimum pH for pastoral soils in New Zealand, the adverse effects of Al and Mn toxicities associated with acidic soils are reduced. Nutrient availability and cycling is also improved, all of which are conducive to improving pasture production economically. Molybdenum (Mo) is a trace element that is essential in the

fixation of nitrogen by plants. The importance of lime here is that Mo availability increases as the soil pH increases above pH 5.5, provided the soil contains Mo in the first place. Lime is particularly important for establishment of clovers, which need at least a pH of 5.5 for successful nodulation. The greatest response to lime occurs in summer and autumn, with the smallest in spring. This pattern is consistent, regardless of the application rate and overall response.

Thinking outside the [tree and fence lined] box

Pastoral agriculture in New Zealand is heavily reliant on pasture legumes to increase and maintain the soil nitrogen (N) pool.

Dung beetles will deliver upon the promise to restore and protect our freshwater while increasing production and drought tolerance. We need to be smarter than just focusing on planting and fencing. MPI supports planting, fencing and “other initiatives to prevent farm runoff ”. Without question that is where dung beetles fit in.

There is absolutely no better scientifically proven wayand of reducing overlandlined] Thebox solution is right under our feet Thinking outside the [tree fence flow than dung beetles. They deliver an up to 80% reduction in overland Dung beetles offer a remarkable natural

Thinking outside the [tree and fence lin

flow. This results in a 97% reduction in sediment, and equally includes Dung beetles will deliver upon the promise to restore and protect our freshwater sustainable solution to revitalise our soils and reduced e. coli and phosphorus. while increasing production and drought tolerance. pastures, and can rehabilitate New Zealand’s

waterways – if we act now. Seed dung beetles to fix the broken nutrient cyclebeetles. and boost “I would seriously recommend investing in dung It’sproduction. a short term cost with a long term benefit.” – Kurt Portas, award-winner farmer at Palliser ridge farm Farming For Our Future Generations

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PASTURE // 19

TIPS TO GET THE BEST RETURN FROM YOUR FERTILISER SPEND Fertiliser does represent a large investment, so it deserves time, effort and the right advice to ensure you are getting the best ‘bang for buck’ in terms of the cost/return relationship for your farm. Use soil and herbage tests to identify soil fertility levels for major and trace elements Dairy – consider using whole-farm soil testing to determine areas requiring capital, maintenance, and sub-maintenance rates of lime and/or fertiliser nutrients Mixed livestock – consider dividing the farm up into land management units (LMUs) based on slope, aspect and topography factors which affect production. Soil test these LMUs separately to develop a differential fertiliser and lime application plan to maximise the return from your fertiliser spend. Reducing applications of one nutrient can have a domino effect. For example, reducing P because your soil P levels are at or above the biological optimum for your farm could reduce S inputs by accident. If you use superphosphate to supply P (and S), then reducing or withholding super will also reduce or withhold S. Identify planting areas for winter or summer forage crops early. This way, soil testing and corrective lime and fertiliser application can be carried out prior to planting ensuring the right type and amount of nutrients are applied at planting, with a side dressing if necessary, to ensure you get the maximum yield possible. Growing crops is an expensive business if you get poor results. Use nitrogen fertiliser tactically to fill predicted feed gaps when climatic conditions allow, i.e. adequate temperature and moisture, but not in conditions that will promote direct leaching of N fertiliser.

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BENEFITS » Very persistent, even under harsh management conditions » Consistently high yield and cool season performance » Bounces back from hard grazings well » Safer to animals - won’t cause grass staggers or heat stress » Very late heading (+28 days) for carrying pasture quality longer into spring » Very low aftermath heading (returns to vegetative state quickly after heading) » Very palatable » Ideal for use as a short term, high quality feed, or for over sowing into damaged or run-out pastures to extend their life FOR FURTHER INFORMATION FREEPHONE 0800 427 676 OR CONTACT YOUR LOCAL AGRONOMY TEAM MEMBER NORTH ISLAND: James Bryan Tel: 027 235 4989 james.bryan@cropmark.co.nz SOUTH ISLAND: Liam Martin Tel: 027 555 6813 liam.martin@cropmark.co.nz www.cropmarkseeds.com @cropmarkseeds

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

20 // PASTURE

DairyNZ catchment engagement leader Adam Duker and local dairy farmers Mark Diamond, Blair Castles and Brad McNaughton

Helping farmers grow a leafy herb for cows INCORPORATING CERTAIN VARIETIES of plantain into a

cow’s diet has been shown to reduce the nitrogen concentration in their urine, which can leach through soil into groundwater. To test the benefits in local pastures, DairyNZ has been leading the Tararua Plantain Project in the lower North Island, where farmers have been growing the leafy herb for their cows. The Ministry for Primary Industries is also involved as a key contributor. Tararua dairy farmers Blair Castles, Mark Diamond and Brad McNaughton are already using plantain in their pastures. As System 2 and System 3

farmers and members of the project’s monitoring group, they’re keen for others to learn from their results. BLAIR CASTLES

Dannevirke dairy farmer Blair Castles is a farmer on a mission. He says when he found out DairyNZ was suggesting using plantain to reduce nitrogen (N) leaching, he was keen to get on board. He’s just one of several farmers in the area who are tackling the issue head-on – and sharing their findings with other farmers. “I like what DairyNZ is trying to achieve and I’m keen to show other farmers what plantain is

like in a sward,” says Blair. “To reach the Horizons Regional Council targets, we have to reduce N leaching on our farm by eight to nine kg/ha. All of us in the region need to get on board and do our best to be compliant.” Blair has been using plantain, along with chicory, for about six years. He’s looking at taking out chicory and lifting the rate of plantain. At present, chicory is 10% of his sward; plantain’s about the same. “It wasn’t difficult to establish but it’s been very effective. We wanted to use more herbs in our ‘fruit salad’ pasture of ryegrass and clovers. We’ve achieved this and the

cows like it. Depending on the trials, we could increase plantain in the future. We’ll do anything we can to be compliant with the council regulations.” Blair plants plantain in autumn, after the summer turnip crop has been lifted. He has a 15% regrassing programme underway, so it’s early days in terms of results with plantain. “When I first started using it, I had some concerns around bloat on plantain, which doesn’t happen with chicory. We had to monitor it but so far, we haven’t had any problems. As a precautionary measure we add bloat oil to the

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

PASTURE // 21

The way to grow any plant based material is naturally, while regenerating soils biologically. Join the biological movement with this range of products from Nitrosol. Nitrosol Fertiliser is now smoother, richer and easier to apply with increased N.P.K. Nitrosol Oceanic: Deep sea fish blood and bone with trace elements for pastoral farming. NPK of 11•5•7 Nitrosol Original: Ovine blood and bone with trace elements for horticulture. NPK of 11•5•7 Nitrosol Organic: Bio-Gro certified fish based fertliser. NPK of 6•1•3 Plantain has deep roots and is drought-tolerant.

drinking water, which covers the clover as well, and this seems to be working well.” He plants kale in winter and will also add fodder beet to the mix this year. “We used to grow swedes for our main winter crop, but this year we’re changing to fodder beet on the runoffs and a bit on the milking platform as well.” Blair tries to keep his use of urea low: about four tonnes per year on the 100ha milking platform. He says this seems to be an effective ratio, so it’s not necessary to pump more on. “Farmers in the area are being proactive and we have council support, so working with the scientists has to be a good thing – I’m all for it. The One Plan limit-setting process can be quite overwhelming for farmers, but when you’ve got DairyNZ scientists doing this research it’s not so daunting. I’m very happy to help and be part of it.” BRAD MCNAUGTON

Blair’s neighbour Brad McNaughton has already done a few farm trials of his own and is including chicory and plantain in his pastures.

About four years ago he started using ‘Rocket Fuel’ – a mix of plantain and chicory with white and red clovers. “Plantain did well, so we’re now including it in our regular regrassing programme,” says Brad. “We’re regrassing about 12% of the pasture a year, incorporating 2kg plantain with 25kg ryegrass and 4kg clover. “Plantain has deep roots and is drought-tolerant, which is good for us because we’re not irrigated and it can get very dry here in the summer. I’m waiting to see how we go in autumn and whether the cows find plantain less palatable.” Brad says the monitoring group meets every three months, or before drilling, to gauge what everyone’s doing and share information about the trial. “Next season we’ll sow in spring. I find you have to be exact with sowing plantain. We spray out with a herbicide after the turnips are lifted and direct drill the seed. “I learned farming through DairyNZ discussion groups and talking to others, but it will be a big step to plant 30% plantain.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

22 // PASTURE

PROCESSORS JOIN PLANTAIN PROJECT FONTERRA AND NESTLÉ are teaming up with DairyNZ to expand the Tararua Plantain Project. “We’re all about finding ways to ensure Aotearoa New Zealand has a thriving environment and a thriving farming economy,” says Fonterra’s Director of On-Farm Excellence Charlotte Rutherford. “We can achieve more by partnering with others, so it’s great to join forces with DairyNZ and Nestlé. “This is helping to speed up the adoption of plantain by farmers. Ultimately it could be a real game-changer to reduce nitrogen from cows and help mitigate nitrous oxide emissions.” The new collaboration is helping to accelerate uptake of Ecotain – a blend of environmentally functional

plantain cultivars developed by seed company Agricom. Currently, 50 Tararua farms have started to use plantain, through DairyNZ’s Tararua Plantain Project. With the funding boost from Fonterra and Nestlé, it is expected these farms and more will increase the amount they grow, therefore maximising the benefits. Ecotain has been used in studies by DairyNZ, Agricom, Lincoln University, Massey University and AgResearch, with results showing it can significantly reduce nitrogen leaching. Preliminary studies also show it has the potential to lower on-farm GHG emissions through the reduction of nitrous oxide, which is promising news for farmers. Nestlé, the world’s largest

food company and a customer of Fonterra’s, was keen to be involved in the Tararua project given the commitments it has made around sustainability. “Working with our suppliers and others is critical for achieving Nestlé’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Reducing on-farm greenhouse gas emissions and protecting waterways will help us get there and we’re pleased to partner with Fonterra and DairyNZ on this initiative,” says Nestlé’s Robert Erhard. The project also focuses on improving understanding of how farmers can implement Ecotain successfully and engaging farmers through workshops, events and a national farmer network to extend knowledge. As the industry good body representing dairy

farmers, DairyNZ invests significantly in sustainability research. DairyNZ’s general manager for new systems and competitiveness, David McCall, says the dairy sector has a wide range of work underway to reduce nitrates entering waterways and reduce on-farm emissions. “The seven-year Tararua Plantain Project is a flagship project for the dairy sector. It is delivering real, tangible results valued by farmers. The project has community at its heart as it seeks water quality improvements, while ensuring the dairy sector continues as an economic pillar within the local community. “It is excellent to have extra support from Fonterra and Nestlé within the Tararua catchment,” says McCall.

To some extent, it will come down to cost. Herbs are just another species in the paddock but if the trials are successful, we’ll aim to gradually increase plantain in our pastures until we reach 30%.”

he’s using about 2kg plantain/ha as part of a mixed sward with ryegrass and clover, which he sows after the summer turnip crop has been lifted. “Plantain is easy to grow and is part of our ongoing regrassing plan. It’s easier to manage than chicory and the cows love it.” Mark says farmers know they must make changes but, because every property is

different, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution. “We all live in houses of different shapes and sizes with different coloured roofs. Farms are much the same. Brad’s property is completely different to mine, even though we share a boundary fence. It’s definitely a hard one. Some farms have higher rainfall than others, and there are different

options available to help reduce leaching, like off-paddock infrastructure and changes to farm systems – but these all come at a cost.” Mark is also trying a few other things, like using gibberellic acid and liquid urea, to strategically-reduce N losses and increase pasture growth at times when growth rates are typically low.

MARK DIAMOND

Mark has been using plantain for three years. In a 10ha trial,

Plantain is easier to maintain and cows love it.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

24 // FEED

Healthy rumen function is the key to success of the cow throughout the season.

Maintaining stable rumen pH key to cow health and milk production CHRIS BALEMI MANAGING DIRECTOR AGVANCE MARKETING

ALL FEED MANAGEMENT

and supplementation in dairy cattle should be targeted at maintaining healthy rumen performance. Healthy rumen function is key to the success of every milestone the cow must achieve throughout the season. Some of the key challenges

the cow will face throughout each season are as follows: the lead up to calving and transition to lactation, successful calving, metabolic health, immunity to disease, hoof health, reproduction, and heat stress management. The health and efficiency

of the rumen directly impacts how well the cow performs through each of these of these challenges. A cow with suboptimum rumen performance will be at higher risk to problems such as, metabolic diseases, uterine infections, mastitis, lameness,

reproductive issues, and even spontaneous abortion. The rumen, along with the reticulum and the omasum are the fore stomachs of ruminant animals. These compartments are designed to mix, regurgitate and then ferment and digest fibrous materials such as grass

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

FEED // 25

and silages, and more recently, grain-based concentrates. Along with nutrients that are absorbed directly across the ruminal wall, the massive number of bacteria created during the process of rumination are a major nutrient source for ruminants. The bacteria is digested further down the gastrointestinal tract, supplying the majority of the animalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; daily protein requirements. The process of rumination is very energy intensive. Bacteria require large amounts of energy in the form of nonstructural carbohydrates derived mainly from plants and more recently grains in the diet. These non-structural carbohydrates are in the form of soluble sugars, which are mostly a combination of fructose (plant sugars) and starch; these sugars are naturally formed within the plant during photosynthesis. Optimum rumen fermentation is a finely tuned process. Insufficient energy in the diet and the rumen microbes will struggle and milk production and body condition will suffer. Excess energy, and the rumen microbes will start producing excess lactic acid and the finely balanced pH levels in the rumen will drop below the optimum level. Ideal rumen pH is very similar to optimum soil pH, in that the requirement is for a slightly acidic environment between 6.0 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6.2 pH. It is thought that sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) may start taking effect once pH drops below 6.0, with the problem becoming progressively worse as the pH reduces. Many diets targeting high production will be formulated to deliver a high level of non-structural carbohydrate, and chances are that there will be some degree of SARA within most of these herds. The problem is that cows suffering the sub-acute form of acidosis are often not easily identified and can still be highly productive. The issues normally arise with an increased prevalence of animal health diseases, most notably increased lameness.

SARA can also suppress immunity and increase fertility issues. When the rumen becomes acid, pathogenic bacteria can become more dominant in the harsher rumen environment. These bacteria produce endotoxins that weaken the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defenses

against disease, can even enter the uterus, as well as interfere with healthy hoof development. Recently endotoxins have also been identified as a contributing factor in the proliferation of a class of bacteria commonly called Treponema. High fecal levels of this pathogenic

Many diets targeting high production will be formulated to deliver a high level of non-structural carbohydrate.

bacteria have been linked to the prevalence of Bovine Digital Dermatitis which is increasingly being identified as a leading cause of lameness in herds. A recent study carried out in Ireland on a herd of 144 cows clearly illustrates how common sub-acute ruminal acidosis

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

26 // FEED

You could say as farmers you are not farming cows, you are actually farming rumens.

can be on an all-grass diet. This trial herd was fed a solely pasture diet, primarily made up of perennial ryegrass, these cows had been in milk between 80 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 150 days. Testing showed that eleven percent of these cows as being seriously affected with sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) with a pH level below 5.5, 42% of the cows were at a marginal pH level of 5.6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5.8, the balance of the herd were considered to be at lower risk with a pHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s measuring above 5.8. Farmers must bear in mind that modern highly digestible ryegrasses have been hybridized in order to produce high levels of sugar and starch, high ME. While these levels of energy are ideal for pushing production, without ample fiber or an effective rumen buffer, these grasses will be rocket fuel for rumen bacteria, pH can drop quickly during grazing and rumination of these grasses. Obviously one of the best ways to minimise the effects of this grass is to add more fiber, however this is not always practical, and it can also be a relatively costly exercise. While some fiber is great, it can lack nutrients and drag down the energy level. Too much can also make the rumen work

Obviously one of the best ways to minimise the effects of this grass is to add more fiber, however this is not always practical, and it can also be a relatively costly exercise.

harder than necessary, burning valuable energy in the process of breaking down the lower nutrient fiber. The challenge here is not to reduce the energy, but to control its effects. Under these circumstances, an obvious addition to the diet is an effective rumen buffer. The traditional buffer salt used has always been sodium bicarbonate; this salt is very soluble and shifts pH rapidly. Sodium bicarbonate has the disadvantage of losing the ability to effectively modify pH once the rumen gets much below 6.0. Ruminants naturally produce large quantities of sodium bicarbonate as a key component of saliva production. They are stimulated to produce saliva during both feeding and rumination. While sodium bicarbonate is a very effective

buffer it is also highly soluble and moves through the rumen very quickly, thus the pH shift may not be sustained. Another problem is that the pH drop associated with the onset of SARA often occurs hours after the last feed intake. SARA becomes an issue when the sugars and starches ferment in the rumen, not always when the feed is consumed. Feeding excessive levels of sodium bicarbonate also increases the carbon dioxide levels in the rumen which stimulates increased rumen flow and can lead to poorer digestion of feed. Rumen buffers that more gradually buffer pH in the rumen over many hours, have been shown to work more effectively at maintaining the pH within the optimum range for much longer periods of time. The most successful of

these buffers is made up of the skeletal remains of an ancient seaweed called Lithothamnium calcareum. Massive beds of this fossilized seaweed are found off the coasts of Ireland, and also the Brittany coast of France. The fossilized seaweed is removed and then ground into a material that can then be added to cattle feeds as an effective rumen buffer. This material once ingested, will stay in the rumen much longer than sodium bicarbonate giving buffering protection for many hours following feed intake. Rather than neutralizing acids, these materials act by absorbing the excess hydrogen ions onto their negatively charged microscopic latticework type structure. The fossilized seaweed, being largely insoluble, will stay in the rumen for an extended period of time. These products have been shown to effectively buffer rumen pH for up to 8 hours post feeding. You could say as farmers you are not farming cows, you are actually farming rumens. If you manage the rumen health and performance of your herd correctly your cows will be more productive and much healthier.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

28 // SOIL

Gypsum can also enhance soil structure, water infiltration and drainage in the face of high sodium levels.

Gypsum and dairy factory wastewater irrigation LEIGHTON WHITFIELD SALES PRODUCT MANAGER WINSTONE GYPSUM

DAIRY FACTORY WASTEWATER (DFW) can be a useful

resource for pasture and crops but high sodium levels in the wastewater may accumulate in soil. Excess sodium can be detrimental to pasture and crop growth since it causes low soil water availability and poor soil structure. Soil structure effects may reduce the ability of the soil to receive DFW before surface ponding or runoff occurs. Gypsum is an ideal

material to address any build up of sodium in soils receiving DFW, extending the number of years that affected land remains useful for receiving wastewater. Gypsum can also enhance soil structure, water infiltration and drainage in the face of high sodium levels. A gypsum programme should ideally start before critical sodium levels are reached. Sodium Sodium in wastewater largely

comes from the use of caustic soda and sodium hypochlorite in cleaning and sterilising processes. Some soils receiving this wastewater will tend to accumulate sodium. The extent to which sodium accumulates in a soil depends on soil type, drainage properties and the level of other minerals in the soil and wastewater. Sodium is relatively easily leached and the role of gypsum is to accelerate that leaching to reduce the chance of sodium accumulation.

High sodium levels can impact on soil structure. Sodium is a monovalent cation (single positive charge) and competes for cation exchange sites in a soil with the more desirable calcium and magnesium cations (both divalent). While calcium and to some extent magnesium help flocculate a soil into a crumb or aggregate structure, high sodium levels can reduce flocculation particularly in what are known as dispersive

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

SOIL // 29

soils (where clay content loses structure in contact with water). The subsequent loss of structure can impact on the ability of the soil to receive and drain large amounts of water as well as restricting roots and plant growth. High sodium can also increase soil crusting and reduce water infiltration, leading to increased water ponding and surface runoff problems. How Does Gypsum Work? Gypsum is hydrated calcium sulphate. Calcium from gypsum replaces sodium in the soil. The sulphate allows the sodium to be effectively leached out of the soil. The soil then has more ability to flocculate and form stable aggregates to improve drainage and soil quality. The reaction of gypsum in the soil is (see figure 1):

Calcium release from the partially soluble gypsum is faster than from lime (calcium carbonate). Lime is also unsuitable in many cases as it acts to increase soil pH, pushing out acid hydrogen rather than sodium from the cation exchange.

sodium in soils including soils receiving wastewaters. The combination of calcium and sulphate effectively address sodium. Calcium release from the partially soluble gypsum is faster than from lime (calcium carbonate). Lime is also unsuitable in many cases as it acts to increase soil pH, Figure 1

Why Gypsum? Gypsum application is a standard practice worldwide for addressing the build up of

Na+

pushing out acid hydrogen rather than sodium from the cation exchange. Although DFW can be acidic, the effect of adding it to the soil can increase soil pH over time, meaning that lime application would simply add to a future issue of overly high soil pH. Other calcium sources such as

Na+

calcium nitrate and calcium chloride would provide a faster release of calcium than gypsum but, at the high levels required, they would have negative effects such as increasing nitrate leaching or increasing soil salinity to the detriment of plant growth. Gypsum can maintain a higher electrical conductivity near the soil surface for a prolonged period of time resulting in improved infiltration of sodium rich DFW, thus further improving the ability of soil to receive the wastewater without ponding or surface runoff. Application method and rates Gypsum is typically and most easily applied as a broadcast

Ca++

leached

CaSO4 + SOIL CATION EXCHANGE => SOIL CATION EXCHANGE + Na2SO4

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

30 // SOIL

application to the soil surface. This is also the recommended method if soil crusting is to be addressed. Incorporation of gypsum into the soil is not generally required as the gypsum can work through the profile of most soils. Gypsum can be applied annually or every two or three years (at higher rates). Many soils will have quite high thresholds for sodium before soil structure is affected; this depends on the balance of the monovalent cations (sodium and potassium) with calcium and magnesium, the electrical conductivity of the soil. It also appears that soil resilience to sodium is increased by the organic content (lactose etc) in DFW (Cameron et al., 2003). Application of gypsum will be most effective if a programme of application commences before soil structure is impacted by the sodium and potassium. Regular soil testing will assist in calculating gypsum requirements. If sodium levels are high and increasing, gypsum application should be increased accordingly. The optimum amount of gypsum will depend on the current levels of sodium in the soil and the amount of sodium being applied each year, and complex factors affected by soil type and drainage properties of the site. A logical approach is to calculate gypsum requirement based on the annual increase in exchangeable sodium and potassium. Another approach is to identify the level of reduction desired in sodium and potassium to achieve reasonable or historic soil levels. For each excess milli equivalent (me/100g) of sodium, at least 1.9 tonne/ha gypsum would be required to counteract that. (Based on calcium replacing of sodium on cation exchange sites, calculated for a soil depth of 150 mm and dry bulk density of 1 kg/L and assuming 33% of calcium is lost to greater depth or plant uptake).

High sodium levels can impact on soil structure.

Addressing subsoil issues Sometimes subsoil structural issues can reduce drainage and impact on the ability of a site to receive wastewater without ponding or surface runoff. Gypsum may be helpful if the issue is related to sodium and dispersive clay content (clay that loses structure in contact with water), or if there is a problem with high aluminium availability in an acid subsoil. Applying gypsum to the soil surface for subsoil issues, requires generally large rates of 3 tonne/ha to 5 tonne/ha (even higher rates may be required with heavier soils or higher sodium levels). Allow sufficient time (at least six months) before checking any subsoil effect or conducting any deep ripping (the effect of which can be assisted by gypsum). Faster effects may be possible with incorporation of gypsum into the soil. Gypsum effect requires

drainage Drainage must be adequately addressed for gypsum to be effective at removing sodium. If a drainage issue is related to high sodium and clay dispersion, gypsum could assist, otherwise deep ripping, earthworks or artificial drainage may be required. Gypsum may not be suitable for some soils with a high subsoil pH (>7.0) where the calcium could form calcium carbonate and reduce drainage. Reducing phosphorus loss Gypsum can reduce surface runoff of phosphorus and other nutrients by improving water infiltration (through soil structural and chemical changes), by binding organic matter and soil particles together better and by increasing the ability of soil to drain and thus cope with larger water inputs. Gypsum also increases the binding of phosphate to soil minerals including calcium and reduces

the susceptibility of all forms of phosphorus to drainage losses. The multiple modes of action mean gypsum can be effective in a wide range of soil types. Rates of at least 1.25 tonne per hectare per annum (or 4 tonne/ ha every three years) could address excess phosphorus availability and losses to the environment (see Jenkins 2014, for more detail). References Cameron, K.C., Di, H.J., Anwar, M.R., Russell, J.M. & Barnett, J.W. 2003. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;criticalâ&#x20AC;? ESP value: Does it change with land application of dairy factory effluent? New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 46:2, 147-154. Jenkins, T. & Jenkins V. 2014. Use of gypsum to reduce effluent and fertiliser nutrient losses to waterways. In: Occasional Report No. 27. Fertilizer and Lime Research Centre, Massey University http://flrc.massey. ac.nz/publications.html.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

32 // EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT

An effluent system can be tailored to suit a farm’s requirements.

What to consider when investing in effluent storage INVESTING IN EFFLUENT

storage is a significant decision on-farm, so it’s worth taking the time to carefully plan what is needed to ensure the right design for your farm. Current and future considerations The first thing to consider when planning effluent storage is to think about how you currently farm and whether

anything will change in future. For example, if you’re currently an owner-operator but are planning to step back and get a manager, will that affect your plans? Or if you’re planning to expand your farm or herd – will the effluent storage pond be future proofed to cope with those changes? An effluent system can be tailored to suit a farm’s

requirements. Let your system designer and installer know your needs during the initial design discussion and keep your effluent system as simple as possible – this makes it easy for staff to understand and manage. DairyNZ has a farm dairy effluent system planning guide with a table of options to share with your designer, see dairynz. co.nz/effluent-system.

Choose an accredited designer Designing and installing farm dairy effluent systems is a technical job requiring specialist knowledge. As with a number of trades, an accreditation system is in place for effluent design. Accredited providers are trained effluent system specialists who understand and follow the Farm Dairy

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT // 33

Effluent (FDE) Code of Practice and design standards when designing and installing systems. DairyNZ established the accreditation programme. Look for the green tick logo when selecting a dairy effluent system company. A full list of accredited FDE companies is available online at effluentaccreditation.co.nz

Look for the green tick logo when selecting a dairy effluent system company. A full list of accredited FDE companies is available online at effluentaccreditation.co.nz

kk your farm management

Gather your core information When planning effluent storage, work with your designer to create one that’s suited to your needs and property. Some things to discuss and provide information on include: kk consent requirements kk soil type (soils can be either high or low risk for effluent application) kk daily water use in the farm dairy kk your budget

and how you want to apply effluent kk the pond site – including distance from the cow shed and line of sight to houses kk your preferences for the storage type kk effluent solids management kk safety management kk siting the electricity connection. To ensure that everyone is clear, check that the quote includes key requirements above such as the site, pond type, storage capacity and electricity.

Calculate how much storage is needed Your designer can calculate how much effluent storage is needed, based on factors including location, soil type, effluent application, shed type and water use. A report can show you how this figure was calculated – regional councils usually prefer to see the calculation to ensure the storage meets regional rules or resource consent conditions. Some councils will only accept system design and storage calculations from an FDE accredited company.

It’s a good idea to have a little more storage than your calculations show. The Dairy Effluent Storage Calculator will give the best results on-farm by allowing for deferred irrigation and ensure you don’t run out of space. If you want an independent storage calculation, an FDE accredited company that is not a product supplier or a Dairy Effluent Warrant of Fitness assessor can provide this service – see effluentaccreditation.co.nz and www.effluentwof.co.nz Training your team Ask your designer or installer for an operations and maintenance manual for your new system. They may also offer your team training. Check the guide! DairyNZ has summarised the key things to think about when planning or upgrading an effluent system, visit dairynz. co.nz/effluent

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34 // EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT

Use water efficiently, keep ecosystems strong BALA TIKKISETTY, WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE ADVISOR TECHNICAL

HEADING INTO SUMMER we

are already drier than normal, so it’s necessary to manage water judiciously for the health of waterways, ecosystems and economics. Its efficient use is also an important element of sustainable agriculture. Long term rainfall for the Hamilton Basin (Ruakura) is showing a significant dominance of drier than median years since 1980. Twelve of the last 20 years have been significantly drier than average, with 2019 the second driest year on record, while only three have been significantly wetter than average. With summer upon us it seems timely to revisit the lessons learnt from past droughts so the farming industry and support services can collectively get through the current situation and recover when conditions improve. Water is lost from the soil by evaporation from the soil surface and by transpiration from the leaves of plants. The combination of these two factors is called evapotranspiration. Water is also lost as it drains through the soil beyond the reach of plant roots. Soil moisture depends on the balance between the water gained from rainfall and the moisture lost through evapotranspiration. The intensity of the rainfall, the number of rainfall events, temperature, sunshine, wind and the amount of water vapour already in the air are all factors that can affect this balance. There has been growing awareness that our water resources are limited and there are multiple demands on this

It is important that water is not applied faster than the soil can absorb.

resource. We need to think in terms of sustainability of the recovery of farming businesses from droughts. Water harvesting and smallstorage technologies are key water-related interventions with the potential to contribute water for domestic use, livestock, fodder and pasture/ crop production. If farmers and landowners are considering water storage, please first talk to Waikato Regional Council for further guidance. There are also a few management practices that farmers can follow to help mitigate the impact of a prolonged dry spell. With stock welfare a critical issue for many farmers due to feed shortage, grazing management is very important. Most farmers are trying to protect their capital stock. Farmers need to think in terms of sustainability – recovery of the farm business from drought – and be looking at having a good drought management

plan. Farmers with irrigation consents may note that water use efficiency is drastically reduced by irrigation systems with low inherent irrigation application efficiencies or by sub-optimal irrigator operating practices. By paying attention to systems, farmers can improve their irrigation practices and the amount of pasture produced per unit of water applied. Efficiency can be boosted by applying water more evenly or by differential irrigation over areas of different soil type – if applications are more uneven than the system design specifications, modifications to the system may be needed to rectify the problem. It’s important that water or effluent is not being applied faster than the soil can absorb to avoid ponding, runoff and excessive drainage, and to enable more even soil moisture levels across the paddock. Farmers could also consider pasture types or species that

have inherently higher water use efficiencies than ryegrass and white clover. Lucerne, for example, is well known for continued growth when moisture stress stops ryegrass and clover growth. Other pasture types, such as tall fescue, are also potentially more drought tolerant. The important point to be considered here is the productivity of these alternative species under commercial situations. Of late, a phenomenon called ‘hydrophobicity’ is seen during drought situations. It’s an obstruction to normal soil water relationships and the phenomenon has significant implications for water storage in soil. It leads to pastures failing to respond to autumn rains, and delayed pasture recovery especially after drought and the subsequent constraints to winter production. Moreover, it has an adverse effect on pasture persistence and hastens pasture reversion.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

36 // EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT

Five cost effective strategies around effluent systems LLOYD THOMAS NEVADA SALES MANAGER

1. Minimise processing effluent to run naturally into management system is what with gravity the pond - no need for double we’re all aiming for right? After From the milking shed to pumping or extra work in solids all, effluent management is all storage, you want to minimise separation. This set up will save about the effective utilisation of processing. The most efficient you time, labour, and energy nutrients. method is to have all your costs. What is a cost effective effluent draining by gravity into effluent management system? one single storage facility. 2. Lined effluent ponds It’s one that gives you How is this cost effective? When choosing effluent maximum benefit from your Well having your milking shed storage, where possible go for investment. We see this as a located slightly higher than the a HDPE lined effluent pond. system that is: effluent storage pond allows the Why? kk Future-proofed - so you’re not worried about major upgrades and changes in the near future. kk Simple & efficient - designed for maximum results from minimal resources. kk Reliable - well planned and executed using tools & equipment that suit your farm’s set up, so you do not have to deal with constant hiccups. Below are five of the most cost effective strategies for To make most of your effluent dairy effluent management nutrients, it’s best to use a low pressure spreading system. systems: Dung beetles will deliver upon the promise to A COST EFFECTIVE effluent

kk Ponds are the cheapest

storage option to implement, with digging and lining being a fraction of the cost of an above ground tank. kk HDPE lined ponds require little maintenance, and the lining is designed to last over 100 years - now that’s futureproofing. kk Council compliance - with a HDPE lined pond you’re

Thinking outside the [tree and fence lined] box

restore and protect our freshwater while increasing production and drought tolerance.

We need to be smarter than just focusing on planting and fencing. MPI supports planting, fencing and “other initiatives to prevent farm runoff ”. Without question that is where dung beetles fit in. There is absolutely no better scientifically proven wayand of reducing overlandlined] Thebox solution is right under our feet Thinking outside the [tree fence flow than dung beetles. They deliver an up to 80% reduction in overland Dung beetles offer a remarkable natural

Thinking outside the [tree and fence lin

– if we act now. Seed dungare beetles the broken nutrient andcycle boostand production. “Dung beetles able to to fix aerate soil, improve thecycle nutrient help manage waterwaterways absorption and dispersion... the potential benefits are amazing!” – Scotty Macdonald, Wairarapa farmer Farming For Our Future Generations

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT // 37

Ponds are the cheapest storage option to implement.

unlikely to experience waterway leaching, so it’s easy to get the big tick for council compliance. kk Fitting other effluent equipment or fitting in with existing effluent equipment such as effluent stirrers and pumps is easy, as most ponds don’t require special equipment to be fitted. kk Lined effluent ponds are by far the most common method of storage within the wastewater industry. 3. Stir well To get the best result from spreading your nutrients, it’s always recommended you give the pond a good stir first. But what makes a good stir? Aim for a shore mounted stirrer with Typhoon propeller. Why? kk Shore mounted stirrers create a near horizontal flow which gets the whole pond swirling, resulting in a homogenous mixture. kk Shore mounted stirrers have the most efficient use of power - they get the job done faster, and more effectively. kk It is specially designed to produce a strong trust, which is what’s needed to effectively churn through all the usual stuff found in an effluent pond without splashing. 4. Positive pumping A positive displacement pump is the way to go for cost efficiency. The advantages of

these pumps when it comes to managing effluent are: kk They are great for maintaining pressure and volume, so you’ll get a consistent flow being pumped through for spreading. kk They use a smaller motor to achieve the same results/ output, so you’ll be using less energy to get the job done in the same amount of time. kk Since they pump more consistently with pressure and volume, they are better able to overcome friction in the pipelines regardless of distance or elevation. 5. Use low pressure To make the most of your effluent nutrients, it’s best to use a low pressure spreading system. Low pressure effluent spreading systems such as a RainWave tanker, RainWave drag hose system, or traditional travelling irrigator cause less volitisation than high pressure systems, meaning more nutrients make it to the ground available for pasture to drink. For even smarter spreading and faster pasture growth, add a natural liquid fertiliser like AddGreen to your effluent before spreading with a slurry tanker. It is specially formulated to utilise the nitrogen you are able to spread, creating a more balanced nutrient application - you’ll get more bang for your buck while making the most of your time spent spreading.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

38 // EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT

Geraldine farmer Neil Campbell says the reduction in amount of treated effluent needed to be put back on the pasture is a big advantage.

Drop in effluent output makes a winning formula THERE’S NO DOUBT that

farming on the outskirts of a township comes with its own unique set of challenges. But the installation of an effluent treatment system has allowed Geraldine farmers Neil and Margaret Campbell reduce the impact of returning farm dairy effluent (FDE) back to pasture. The Campbells own Thorneycroft, an 800-cow operation that supplies Synlait. The 240ha farm (160ha irrigated, 80ha leased dryland) borders the water collection zone for the Geraldine township. It was while working with Ravensdown’s environmental consultants to renew Thorneycroft’s farm consents that the idea of installing a ClearTech unit came about. “The ClearTech science was a plus with the information we were putting together with our

consents to farm,” says Neil. Developed in conjunction with Lincoln University, Ravensdown’s ClearTech system uses a coagulant to bind colloidal particles together to settle them out from the water. This clarifying process reduces the environmental and safety risks linked with farm dairy effluent (FDE) by killing 99% of E. coli bacteria in the clarified water, the effluent odour and the risk of phosphorus leaching from the FDE applied to pasture. Stripping out the E. coli and other bacteria from FDE means the clarified water (69%) can be used to wash down the dairy yard and irrigated back onto paddocks. Freshwater use on farm is reduced dramatically, while effluent storage capability is increased. The remaining 31% Treated

THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY RAVENSDOWN HAS CALCULATED the effluent figures for Thorneycroft Farm to illustrate the impact ClearTech has had on freshwater use and effluent capacity. Numbers have been based on volumes produced by Thorneycroft since January 2020 and calculated to an annual figure using the DairyNZ Dairy Effluent Storage Calculator. The 60% reduction in effluent volume on Thorneycroft equated to 88 fewer travelling irrigation runs. In terms of labour, a reduction of two hours labour time each day equates to a total of 176 hours a year or an approximate saving of $3,520 /year (at $20/hour a labour unit). This labour can then be redirected into higher-value jobs. Ravensdown ClearTech product manager Carl Ahlfeld says ClearTech is an ideal solution for dairy farmers who want to increase effluent pond storage by reducing volumes, taking control of their capacity and compliance. “Reducing compliance risks, saving on pumping, effluent pond maintenance and storage costs are the bottom-line benefits to those farmers who also want to do the right thing in terms of reducing water use and reducing environmental impact,” says Carl. “The capacity it frees up within Thorneycroft’s existing storage means that they could in theory delay the start of effluent irrigation by 22 days in spring and still stay within 90% probability of having enough storage. “That’s a date change from 1st Aug to 23rd August, so it could give some breathing space during calving if storage is emptied before winter.”

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT // 39

Effluent (TE) is pumped to the holding pond before irrigation. Furthermore, when configured in such a way that the treated effluent is irrigated immediately after clarification, the E.coli in effluent spread on the paddocks is reduced by 91% - in the Campbell’s case, significantly reducing the risk to the community drinking water supply. Neil sees the reduction in the amount of treated effluent needing to be put back on the pasture as a big advantage. In the first year of the ClearTech plant’s operation the Campbell’s have recorded a 60% reduction in the annual volume of farm dairy effluent (FDE) returned to pasture. “You’ve still got the cows out in the pastures 24-7 doing what they have always done but by making an effort with the waste captured on the concrete, it’s one little step up the ladder in helping things out as far as water quality goes.” In addition to addressing

FDE return, Neil found other benefits, both expected and unexpected. “Our effluent spreading system is just a conventional travelling irrigator, so the less material we have to spread with that, the less labour involved,” he said. “The guys [on-farm] quite like that side of it.”

Another plus has been the improved setup for using recycled water to wash the yard and entry areas. A second high-pressure hose pump was installed and the main ring around the dairy shed was split into two, halving the time his team spend on cleaning up. Neil’s seen first-hand how

much easier it has made things for the staff on Thorneycroft. “It’s a lot quicker cleaning up because you’ve got an extra pump running instead of having just one pump and one system,” Neil said. “There are so many positives, and the science is all there behind it.”

Neil’s reaping the rewards STORY of mixing over separation

SUCCESS

Neil runs a 140ha dairy farm in New Plymouth milking approximately 380 cows.... Originally Neil’s effluent system used a weeping wall for solids separation, and he’d spread with his solids spreader when he had time... However the system wasn’t working out as he’d envisioned. He entrusted Nevada to design, supply and install a more efficient and effective effluent management system. This included a new 25m x 25m HDPE lined effluent pond, PC pump and EL9 shore mounted electric stirrer. “Lining the pond is important to make sure you’ll stay council compliant with no leaks. HDPE lining is recommended because it’s cost effective, reliable, and lasts a very long time. A PC pump and shore mounted stirrer are the way to go when you can get electricity running down to the pond. Not only is this the most efficient and cost effective way to get the job done, it’s also the safest in not having anyone need to venture out onto the pond for maintenance.” Lloyd Thomas, Nevada Nevada project managed the entire operation from contracting local company Excavat to dig the pond, through to installation of the pump and stirrer. With this new system set up, Neil simply spreads with an irrigator that he sets to run for two hours and

0800 464 393 nevadagroup.co.nz

then the pump switches off on a timer. As for the old solids spreader, it’s not quite retired yet, and neither is the weeping wall - the weeping wall was converted into a sandtrap, and the solids spreader is used to empty it when needed. “It’s [the new system] much easier than the old system. The pump is awesome. Makes things much easier with some storage. The stirrer’s great. Pivots from side to side and creates a good stirring action around the pond.” Neil Ryan

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

40 // EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT

In a river, the flow determines the effect of excess nutrients on plant growth.

Understanding the types of water features on farm ALL WATER IN a catchment

is connected. Understanding the types of water features on

your farm will help you make decisions to reduce the amount of contaminants reaching

waterways. This low point could be a lake, dam, river or the mouth

of the river where it enters the ocean. A catchment also includes groundwater, storm

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT // 41

water, wastewater, and waterrelated infrastructure. All water in the catchment is connected Catchments are connected by this flow of water, meaning what happens to water upstream or on-farm influences water quality downstream. Even temporary streams and channels have an effect on water quality downstream because they typically make up a large volume of water flowing over land. Ground and surface water are connected It is important to note that groundwater and surface water are also connected and may interact. This interaction is shown in the diagram below. Surface water can reach ground water when it filters through soils to recharge groundwater. Groundwater can reach surface water when solid rock

layers prevent water infiltration downwards. This creates shallow groundwater flows which can reach the surfaces as a spring. Groundwater can also reach surface water if the elevation of the groundwater next to a surface water body is higher than the water level in the stream. This means that nutrients in groundwater have the potential to enter surface water and vice versa.

DETERMINING WHAT IS GOOD OR BAD WHEN IT COMES TO WATER QUALITY WATER QUALITY IS a description of the condition of the water. It includes measurements, using proven scientific methods, of physical, chemical and biological parameters. There is no single definition for what is “good” or “bad” in terms of water quality. To determine what is good or bad we need to consider: kk What are the parameters of water quality? kk What is the water used or valued for? kk When setting water quality limits both parameters and values are

considered.

Values and uses of water kk In New Zealand water values typically include:

How different water bodies react to excess nutrients, sediment and bacteria The amount of nutrients, sediments and bacteria reaching a water body will depend on catchment features such as land use and practices, rainfall amounts and patterns, soil types and slope, and vegetation cover that intercept rainfall. Different types of water bodies react differently to excess nutrients, sediments and

kk Ecosystem health and biodiversity kk Cultural values including Mahinga kai (food gathering) kk Recreational values including primary contact (swimming, water-

skiing, kayaking) and secondary contact (fishing, tramping) kk Amenity values such as landscape and scenic values kk Health values including stock and human drinking water kk Economic values such as irrigation water and hydro power

generation Not every water body has the same values. A farm drain which we value for its ability to remove water, does not have the same value as Lake Tekapo, which we value for its ability to create hydro-electricity and scenic views. However, even farm drains have values and characteristics around drainage, biodiversity and mahinga kai that can be threatened by inappropriate land management.

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How a catchment forms a main river

REVERSE THE EFFECTS OF SOIL DAMAGE MADE BY COWS WITH 100% NATURAL GYPSUM A soilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to produce pasture can be seriously inhibited by the damage made by cattle traffic.

Ag Research* found that treading damage resulted in up to a 14% reduction in pasture yield and further research quantified a reduction in pasture production between 22% and 40% in the subsequent 3 months. This reduction outstrips the positive effects of annual application of base fertilisers (P, K and S).

Additional applications of gypsum across the entire farm aerates, conditions and improves soil structure promoting an optimum environment for pasture growth, reducing pugging. Gypsum also helps mitigate the flow of nitrates and phosphorus in New Zealand waterways. Visit your local agricultural fertiliser supplier for 100% natural gypsum.

* NZ Journal of AG Research 1994, Vol. 37: 559-567. NZ Journal of AG Research 2001, Vol. 44: 181-190

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

EFFLUENT & WATER MANAGEMENT // 43

When Reliability Matters. When Reliability Matters.

Low flows can also reduce habitat availability

bacteria. Once in a water body the responses to nutrients (and sediments) differ between lakes and rivers. Rivers In a river, the flow determines the effect of excess nutrients on plant growth. The flow regime includes the volume of water, how fast the water is moving and when it flows. Rainfall is unevenly distributed across catchments and through seasons, so river flow is dynamic. High flows During high flows, like floods, river water is often fast moving. These flows flush out sediments and nuisance plant growth. The load may end up wash out to sea, deposited onto land or transferred into the next catchment. However, in catchments with lakes and estuaries, high flows can deposit surplus nutrients in these waterbodies that can cause issues at other times of the year. Low flows During low flows, rivers water is often slow moving e.g. include dry summer periods or periods of demand for irrigation. The lower flow speed reduces the ability for the river

to transport sediment and phosphorus which can settle on the stream bed. Problems that can occur under low flow include sediment build up and nuisance plant growth because flows cannot flush the channel. The lower volume also concentrates nutrients which poses greater environmental risk. During low flows, nitrogen enriched groundwater can become the dominant source of flow in rivers increasing nitrogen concentrations. Low flows can also reduce habitat availability and increase temperature and oxygen stress on aquatic life. Lakes Lakes are especially vulnerable because rivers deposit nutrients or sediment loads in them where they accumulate over time. Shallow lakes Shallow lakes are sensitive to excess nutrients and sediments because wind and waves tend to stir up sediment more readily. This reduces clarity and shades out high value plants on the lake bottom, therefore resulting in loss of aquatic habitat for main species and a decline in water quality. *Article sourced from DairyNZ

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Genetic gain doesn’t just happen…..it’s derived from the elements of the “breeders equation”.

These cows can milk! MALCOLM ELLIS LIC GENERAL MANAGER NEW ZEALAND MARKETS

“THESE COWS CAN milk!”

That is the call I really enjoy hearing from dairy farmers – and it’s a deliberate statement that’s increasingly rolled out. Up and down the country we have experienced a more-thanuseful spring. There was the monster rain event in Northland early on and a couple of late-wintery reminders in the south, but generally Mother Nature has been pretty kind and the cow of 2020 has had the chance to express herself and hit her straps early. I recently spoke with a highly- charged, fantastic contract milking couple from Canterbury, and they excitedly talked of the cows hitting 2 kgMS/cow/day on just the eighth collection of the season, with the majority of cows in at that time being heifers. Then, when we caught up a short

time later the 1300 cows were ‘in-the-grove’ and rock solid at 2.5 kgMS/cow/day! This really is outstanding performance. What’s more, there are plenty of reports where there has not been a kilogram of supplement fed throughout the spring from the day the first cow calved. This has been pure milk production and genetic expression from pasture – New Zealand farmers, and Kiwi cows at their profitable best. That’s what we expect, surely? As a fourth generation farmer, I know it hasn’t always been like that. I often tell the story that I was brought up with a piece of Sunlight soap in my hand, and if we didn’t use it before Christmas, you didn’t get much milk after Christmas. This related to the practice

of pre-milking washing and manual stimulation; lactation persistency was an issue, as was milk let-down. Temperament wasn’t flash either. But it doesn’t matter how you look at it, the modern cow of 2021 is simply unrecognisable compared to the cow milked a generation ago. These cows today can milk! I’m a big advocate of the modern cow and a staunch opponent of the 90%-feeding, 10%-breeding principle. Of course feeding and nutrition are important considerations within a farm system, but if the 90/10 breakdown is right, how do we explain the 160 kgMS difference between the top-quartile and bottomquartile of all herd tested cows (i.e. this is corrected for the age of the cow, her breed, and the location within which she is milked)?

The cow of 2020 is indeed a special asset, but within ‘the herd asset’ a big range of ability and contribution still exists. A good deal of this variation exists following the ‘cow growth years’ where some cows were retained that arguably shouldn’t have been. While I understand their retention at the time, they remained to fuel the growth model of the capital gain construct. But today the focus is more on efficiency-of-conversion of those individual cows. Increasingly we’re celebrating the dizzy heights of the performance of some of these cows, and putting the critical spotlight on those at the other end of the bell shaped curve. Farming by numbers Genetic gain doesn’t just happen. In reality, it’s derived

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from the elements of the ‘breeders equation’. Personally, I was fortunate to have had the concept first explained to me (in my Massey days) by the late, muchcelebrated, Colin Holmes. The old adage of ‘mate the best cow to the best bull to get the best chance of the most desirable outcome’ certainly rings true. But the breeders equation contains the real good oil, and I’ve been true to it for years on the farm within the ‘Hillstar’ & ‘Te Aranga’ herds, and then for the five years I spent within LIC’s breeding scheme. All elements of the equation have impact, but for me the two we have most control over (and influence on farm) are the two I’ve put a ring around. Selection intensity/pressure should be a big driver. Herd testing to better understand ‘the wheat from the chaff’, and then focusing on the overall

reproductive performance of the herd to earn the right to not involve those poorer cows in the propagation of the next generation is a key component of the rate of genetic gain. Generation interval is also a real driver, the concept of which is often borne out on the female side with a farmer’s intent to AB his or her yearlings, citing these as the richest reservoir of genetic merit. The same goes with the boys, and this is where the co-operative investment in genomic technology comes in: Using

DNA, and the identification of superior genetic markers, to inject the influence of superior bulls at an earlier age, further ramps up the rate of genetic gain. I declared in 2016 that (if we weren’t already) we, as an industry, were very close to cow peak. I celebrated the fact that cow growth had fuelled sector productivity and prosperity for 2-3 decades and I sensed at that time that we were going to need to put the heat on genetic gain and the principals of herd improvement to etch out the gains from the next chapter of

our proud industry. I think we are extremely fortunate to have a co-operative construct focused on this key driver in New Zealand, and at LIC we are powerfully and passionately focused on the responsibility to drive the elevated gains. At LIC we are super engaged on working with you as farmers to unlock the data and insights within your herd to help move the dial faster. The spring of 2020 has again opened our eyes to the power of the modern cow but there is always room for improvement and we are determined to help deliver those gains. All the very best as we continue to navigate the general uncertainty around us – but take a moment to be proud of the resilience that is dairy as we look set to power on and deliver the fifth consecutive milk price on the north side of $6, despite the global disruption.

LIC is working with farmers to unlock data and insights within herds.

Why do we claim we’re the most sustainable dairy producers in the world? Because we are Our milk has the lowest emissions of anywhere in the world. Yep, we’ve taken on the challenge of sustainability, and we’re winning. Why? Because we’re dairy farmers, and we rise to a challenge. And it’s in these moments we shine.

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People, production and profit drive work life balance

honda and Steven – owners of a 920-jersey herd – pride themselves on their passion for providing employees with a work-life balance and keeping up with technology. Their closed system Hillfoot Farm calves once a year, allowing their staff a break, but they have increased their herd size by 320 cows and reap the rewards. The duo were delighted by the support they received when learning to understand the data. Now they consider it a “tool in the toolbox.” Rhonda and Steven’s relationship with the local supply rep played a strong role in the decision to invest in Allflex collaring. “We know Allflex is a trusted brand with experienced people. We wanted to work with good people and trusted companies, and we weren’t price driven”. “Our local supply rep knew we were early adaptors

to tech. We were looking for ways to take the pressure off and not be so reliant on me during mating.You never know what’s around the corner”. The collars were a ¼ million-dollar investment for the Bamford’s, but “what price do you put on your health and wellbeing? Embrace the technology!”. The data the collars provide only keeps getting better each year, and the more you understand and visually observe the cows, the better it becomes. Their “tool in the toolbox” comes with a written training protocol, created to instruct staff what to do when the daily health report and heat report are released. It is creating better, proactive farmers for their operation. Last year, they had twelve cows in the front paddock close to the shed, so they knew when each was calving. The herd calves very cleanly, sometimes making it difficult to distinguish which

cows have calved and solar panels will be installed to detect when cows are calving on the calving pad. Being able to access the data during calving will be “a real gamechanger”. Accompanying this, the technology tells Rhonda when a cow is in distress early. “We now happily and confidently transition cows from colostrum mob to milking mob and back again. It’s sometimes beneficial to give them a break during the season, especially if they are getting bullied or pushed around”. Traditionally, farmers would wait until physical signs of distress are recognized. The Bamford’s are recognizing they require less straws for artificial insemination and the calving spread has tightened by half a week. Their main goal in the foreseeable future is to reduce their empty rate to 5%. “Collaring plays a huge role in this, and there’s no way you can achieve this by eye”.

What’s Your Why? LIVESTOCK MONITORING For Rhonda and Steven Bamford, it was taking the pressure off Rhonda during mating giving her more time to focus on other aspects of her farming operation. From people to animal health, management to mating, you’ll have a bunch of reasons why you need Allflex Collars. Just know that no matter what your “why’ is, we’ve got your back. To find out more head to www.thegamechanger.farm

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

50 // MATING MANAGEMENT

Confirmation of conformation SIMON WORTH LIC SELECTION MANAGER

WE WANTED TO ensure farmers have

access to our best dairy bloodlines – genetics that deliver on the national breeding objective (breeding worth, or BW) and easy-care cows that last within the herd. Our breeding scheme does its utmost to deliver the objectives above; the common fundamental is one of balance. The over-arching guideline that our bull acquisition team relies on is the Livestock Selection Index (LSI). Although closely aligned to the index (BW), the LSI allows the ability to allocate various weightings to different traits, such as udder conformation, for example. Alongside factors within the LSI, weightings on conformation and shed traits are allocated, including: Dam selection: Using our extensive database, animals are narrowed down for possible contract matings. Thousands of three-generation pedigrees are viewed while searching for the next potential bull dam. All must fall within set criteria for breeding values (BV), and meet conformation thresholds. Dam inspections: Final selection of contract animals takes place in January and February. The bull acquisition team inspect as many of the in-milk cows as possible to ensure conformation looks suitable. Selection staff are qualified TOP (Traits Other than Production) inspectors. The team is mindful of animals that ‘have it all on paper’, but don’t measure up when it comes to visual inspection. During these on- farm inspections feedback from breeders is canvassed (e.g. how the potential dam rates in terms of workability traits, such as temperament and milking speed). Mating allocations: Sires of sons are carefully selected. Given the potential influence these bulls have, ensuring we identify the ‘best of the best’ is imperative. Making the grade as a sire of son demands

a high LSI, and a desirable balance of traits including conformation breeding values. Bull dam inspections: One year on from allocated matings, bull calves hit the ground. Of the 1700 that are genomically screened, about 230 are short-listed. Once making the short-list, bull dams are inspected/ re-inspected by bull acquisition staff. Genomics: The value and benefit of

genomics has been increasing every year. Conformation BV’s that start out as ancestry-only values are enhanced with genomics. Re-rankings occur, which ultimately impacts selection decisions. The graphs above illustrate a few of the traits that have been emphasised by LIC since 1996, and how the trait values have tracked across each cohort within the Sire Proving Scheme.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

52 // MATING MANAGEMENT

The case for Jersey genetics has never been stronger, says Jersey Advantage.

Case for Jersey genetics has never been stronger MICHELLE GOOD PROMOTIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR JERSEY ADVANTAGE

BREEDING AND GENETICS

are a long-term game and it’s three years from the time we make the choice around which straw or bull to use, until we really know whether it’s been a smart decision. So, it’s understandable that most farmers are thinking ahead when it comes to their breeding. In a recent Jersey Advantage survey, 60% of respondents said they were planning to make breed changes to their herd over the next five years, with over half of those planning to increase their use of Jersey genetics. It’s not surprising. With the resurgence of fat prices, the popularity of A2 milk, the growth in once-a-day (OAD) and variable milking routines, warmer temperatures and an increasing focus on efficiency and environmental footprint, the Jersey breed is well placed to meet the challenges of the future. Jersey bulls currently hold 25/30 spots on the All Breeds Ranking of Active Sires (RAS) list which ranks bulls on their Breeding Worth (BW). BW is a measure of an animal’s ability to breed profitable replace-

ments and the Jersey breed’s BW advantage is a reflection of several factors. Breeding Worth is made up of eight traits – fat, protein, milk volume, liveweight, fertility, somatic cell count (SCC), residual survival and body condition score (BCS). Of those traits, Jerseys, on average, rate the best for fertility, SCC and BCS. Jerseys have lower protein and fat breeding values but when milk volume and liveweight are taken into account they are the most efficient dairy breed. In fact, studies show that Jerseys produce around 9% more milksolids per kilogram of dry matter eaten than Friesians. The fat renaissance and the increase in variant component ratio – the value of fat relative to protein – has also helped Jerseys by increasing the economic value of the fat component which feeds into BW. The VCR used for BW is calculated on a five-year rolling average, and is currently 1:16 meaning that fat is 16% more valuable than protein. There has been a fundamental shift in the consumer perception of fat and associated

products which makes it likely that higher fat prices are here to stay. But even if the value of fat were to reduce to 75% of the value of protein, Jerseys would still be the dominant breed on the RAS list. Fertility is another area of advantage for Jerseys which have been shown to mature earlier and have the shortest calving to first service interval of the dairy breeds. This means they recover and cycle quicker post-calving, supporting higher submission rates and less intervention. Jerseys also rate better for body condition score which is important because lost condition needs to be restored through either additional feed or a longer dry period than that required for an animal of a higher condition score. Jerseys have a higher prevalence of A2 genes which helps farmers breed towards an A2 herd and the benefits that come with that such as milk premiums and increased demand for surplus stock. Of the top 25 Jersey bulls on the Ranking of Active Sires (RAS) list 84% are A2/A2 compared to just 36% of the top

25 Friesian bulls. As summer approaches many farmers will start to reassess milking intervals and make plans around managing heat stress. These are both areas where Jersey’s excel. The efficiency of Jerseys in a twice-a-day system translates to OAD milking regimes. In addition to this Jerseys have also been found to experience lower levels of udder breakdown under OAD systems because of their higher milk concentration. Jerseys also cope better in the warm, humid summer conditions. DairyNZ research shows that when air temperature is greater than 21ºC and relative humidity is greater than 70%, Friesians and crossbreeds begin to reduce their feed intake, and milk production is compromised. Jerseys are more tolerant of heat, with production losses insignificant until 25ºC. The size of Jerseys and the relative stocking rate compared to a Friesian animal is often cause for pushback to using more Jersey genetics, but the liveweight gap has been steadily reducing over the past 15 years.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

MATING MANAGEMENT // 53

Since 1995 sire proving data shows that Jersey liveweight has increased by around 30kgs while Friesian liveweight has decreased by around 15kg. The closing of the liveweight gap means that increasing the use of Jersey genes in your herd does not necessarily mean more cows need to be milked. The case for Jersey genetics extends beyond just your AB decisions, to the use of Jersey sires for natural mating. Jersey bulls are used extensively in yearling matings for their ease of calving and shorter calving to first service interval. For those chasing extra genetic gain, the use of high BW recorded Jersey bulls over yearlings can be a good way of generating extra replacements out of your highest genetic merit animals without the additional work and cost that comes with a heifer synchrony programme. Jersey bulls used to tail the herd can also provide a range of benefits. It’s common place

to hear of situations where a mix of Jersey and beef bulls have been used to tail AB, only to find that come calving the majority of the calves born are Jersey sired. The work rate and robustness of Jersey bulls is second to none. As with heifer matings - quality high BW, recorded bulls are available and can generate additional replacement calves if AB doesn’t go to plan. While the downside of Jersey bulls is the potential for more bobby calves, there is increasing interest in Jersey beef and an acknowledgment that coat colour and markings alone are a poor indicator of calf growth rates and profitability in finishing systems. A 2001 study by AgResearch of the comparative performance of Friesian and Jersey X Friesian bulls in intensive bull beef systems found that when stocked at a similar liveweight per hectare, there was little difference in terms of total output of beef per hectare. The

study concluded that Jersey X bulls could be as profitable as Friesian bulls provided the purchase price was discounted to reflect the fact that more of them would be slaughtered in lower paying weight ranges. Based on prices at the time, this discount was as little as $11 per head to offset reductions in carcass value. When it comes to Jersey Beef, competitions such as Steak of Origin have highlighted that the quality of Jersey beef can be up there with the best. There is trial work underway to compare growth rates, carcass yield and meat quality of Jersey X animals with promising results, which in time will see more outlets for surplus Jersey X calves. It’s also worth noting that Jersey bulls have the distinct advantage of generating calves with a lower pregnancy energy cost. In getting a live calf on the ground, most of the “cost” comes down to the energy required by the cow to grow the

calf over the gestation period. A higher birthweight calf will have a higher pregnancy energy cost than a low birth weight calf. The cost of the extra energy required to gestate that calf comes in the form of either additional feed or sacrificed production. This “cost” can be recouped if the offspring is sold for a good price but many farmers are caught out with a surplus of dairy beef calves right when the market is over supplied and prices plummet. All in all, there are many reasons to use Jersey genetics in your herd. Ultimately one of the challenges of farming is predicting and adapting to an ever-changing industry, but making decisions with efficiency, profitability and sustainability in mind is a good starting place. If you’ve ever considered using Jersey genetics in your herd, now is the time to do it. The case for Jersey genetics has never been stronger.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

54 // MATING MANAGEMENT

Increasing fertility by curbing pregnancy loss UNIVERSITY RESEARCH HAS shown that the stronger

the intensity of a cow’s estrous (heat), the better chance she has of holding her pregnancy. These findings could help New Zealand dairy farmers improve the fertility of their herd by having a heat detection plan in place to ensure animals are put up for AI when their estrous intensity is at its strongest. Dr Ky Pohler, Assistant Professor Texas A&M University, presented these latest dairy cattle fertility research findings to CRV field consultants and AB managers. As a specialist in reproductive efficiency, one of the topics in which he is interested is helping farmers increase fertility by decreasing pregnancy loss. The research has shown that

following initial conception (on average 80%), up to 30% of pregnancies are lost in the early embryonic period (P1 - first pregnancy exam). There is then a further 12% loss due to late embryonic mortality. These findings are also supported by a large NZ study led by AgResearch and published in the September 2016 DairyNZ Technical Series “Research finds most pregnancy losses occur in first week”. This work states that the pregnancy rate 70 days after first insemination was 55%, with a fertilisation rate of 86% of eggs, when cows are inseminated at the correct time. The big question Pohler and his team asked is, why do cattle, which are positive in P1, go on to undergo pregnancy loss? One clue they have uncovered is the significance

A heat detection plan will esnure cows are mated at the correct time of the estrous cycle.

of the relationship between the intensity of estrous at the time of AI and pregnancy holding rate. Cows showing strong estrus intensity at the time of AI may have an improved pregnancy holding rate. With fertility such an important issue for the dairy industry, how can farmers ensure they are mating at the correct time of the estrous cycle? This is where having a heat detection plan is critical and there are many elements to consider, including the correct use of heat detection aids. Pohler said, “We have been using Estrotect patches in our research. They have been invaluable because the farm staff and research technicians can use the patch score as a clear indication of estrous intensity. We have scored patches on over 10,000 animals in our data set.”

In 2019, Estrotect introduced an additional feature which clearly shows whether the animal is ready to breed or not. Patches are scored from one to four, with scores three and four indicating strong estrous intensity. CRV sales and marketing manager Jon Lee says the company is really pleased to see the latest research results confirming the relationship between a cow’s estrous intensity and her pregnancy holding rate. “With Estrotect, we’re confident we are providing our farming customers with a reliable tool to help them successfully detect premating heats. Farmers have a lot riding on their AI so we want to ensure they are putting cows up at the right time to minimise the risk of pregnancy loss.”

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

56 // ANIMAL HEALTH

New approach to transition feeding Dr Joe McGrath, head nutritionist for Sollus and a former senior lecturer in ruminant nutrition at the University of New England in Australia, is urging NZ dairy farmers to tip their thinking about calcium supplements and wintering on its head to get the most out of their herd’s production into springtime and beyond. MCGRATH’S RESEARCH FOCUSES on the critical

relationship between macro minerals, primarily calcium, and health. “Typically, what happens is the cow will experience a natural decline in feed intake from two weeks out before calving, over that transition period,” he explains. “That period requires good management to balance

that tendency, ensuring she continues to get sufficient energy, minerals and vitamins as she approaches a very high stress period.” McGrath says most dairy farmers will know something about the transition period being important, but not all may be aware how managing it effectively can bring on-going benefits beyond calving and well into lactation.

Even when she is optimally fed, a cow will be in a calcium deficit for the first six to nine weeks post calving.

Deficiencies in calcium over this period culminate in impaired immune function, causing problems including retained placenta and ketosis. Post calving metabolic problems like milk fever, or hypocalcemia, can also be more common in cows poorly managed over transition. Lowered calcium levels result from the significant demand for calcium to supply colostrum

production post calving. “A cow producing 10 litres of colostrum may lose 23g of calcium in one milking alone,” McGrath says. “At those demand levels, a calcium deficit can quickly develop, and the resulting ‘down cow’ can bring a cascade of secondary problems. This is on top of the time herd managers spend in trying to rectify these over a busy time of

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All-in-one has always made sense.

Finding several uses for things has always been a dairy farmer’s way. Why waste time and effort when there’s something right in front of you that will do the job? The same practicality is true with your LIC herd test. While you’ve got your girls there, you may as well do a milk pregnancy test and a test for animal health* – like Johnes disease, BVD and Staph aureus. You can even test for A2/A2 milking animals. You could call it a convenient, all-in-one solution. And that doesn’t just make sense, that makes good farming practice.

Ask your Agri Manager about booking an all-inone herd test today, or visit lic.co.nz/dropofmilk

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There's always room for improvement *A minimum 20ml sample is required to carry out health tests from herd test milk samples.

Nourishing calves with NAIT

Genna Harris and her family raise calves as one part of family farming business on the southern edge of the South Island. Genna and her husband BJ farm between the Mataura River and the beach in Southland, and raise calves in tandem with BJ’s parents on the neighbouring home farm. “It’s a family affair. My husband, my parents-in-law, my kids – Hunter is 11 and Jessica is five – we all work together. It wouldn’t work without all of us.” It’s an enterprise that has evolved over a decade when traceability has become the bedrock of the farming sector and New Zealand’s biosecurity has been tested by the arrival of unwanted diseases such as Mycoplasma bovis.

In early spring Genna’s four-day old calves arrived from dairy farms in the area, NAIT tags in their ears and their movements all recorded. “We’ve got good systems in place and it’s really working well. We have all our movements recorded by the time they come through our farm gate,” Genna says. “When NAIT first came out we were rearing 1400–1600 calves and we wondered how we were going to cope! Getting the relationship with the dairy farmers right and making sure calves were tagged and registered. Because it’s such a busy time of year for everyone, quite honestly farmers

“Even before NAIT we used colour tagging in case we got rotavirus or any other disease. If we did get a disease on the farm, straight away we could stop picking up calves, alert the suppliers, and contain any virus until it was treated.” Genna is demonstrating how good processes and NAIT traceability protect the health of her calves and her farming business. “We’re really clear about the NAIT process and the biosecurity implications of moving stock.”

working seven days a week were finding the whole NAIT process a chore that sometimes it just didn’t get done.” The calves arrive to a comfortable life of eating and sleeping. “There are never more than 12 to a shed – you risk getting disease if you overcrowd

NAIT is an OSPRI programme

J1383 NAIT Ad Nourishing Calves with NAIT FA3.indd All Pages

them – and of course no one enters our sheds from another farm, so disease risk is low.” “Fresh bedding is a big part of our system. They get warm, dry bedding of woodchips that BJ makes on-farm in his chipper. And we recycle the old chips by spreading them on the paddocks.” To make sure they know where each calf has come from Genna has always used a secondary colour tag. “We have a colourful crop of bobbies – everyone has their favourite colours – so we’ve got a whole lot of blue and green tags running round the property.” The dairy farms that supply us keep the calves penned separately before they’re picked up, and we’ve always double-tagged. “That’s to double-safe ourselves. It goes in the left ear and every supplier we pick up from has a different colour. So even if an animal loses a NAIT tag, we still know where it’s from. “Even before NAIT we used colour tagging in case we got rotavirus or any other disease. If we did get

a disease on the farm, straight away we could stop picking up calves, alert the suppliers, and contain any virus until it was treated.” The movement recording system has evolved too, Genna says. “Last season we were getting the dairy farmers to transfer the calves through to us, but this year we got the Tru-Test Data Link app and it’s really easy to do – the wand reads the tag, the data is Bluetoothed through the phone and onto the Tru-Test app, then we hit the NAIT button and the data is automatically sent to NAIT. It has been a godsend.” “It means we can drive home with a clear conscience. And with Mycoplasma bovis about, you need that clear conscience – having them in the system and traceable is reassuring,” she says. Genna Harris’ story is also available in video, watch here: www.facebook.com/ OSPRINewZealand/ videos/1025954787745680

ospri.co.nz

0800 482 463

12/12/2019 1:47:15 PM

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

60 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Cows must get sufficient energy, minerals and vitamin, says Joe McGrath.

the year.” But McGrath cautions it is also the cows that don’t go down, but are still sub-clinically hypocalcaemic, that lurk in a herd like the unseen bulk of an iceberg. He says for every clinical cow there can be up to 10 times this number in sub-clinical cows. “If you add in the effect of high potassium, nitrate and ammonia intake from ingesting young green grass, magnesium absorption is reduced, and the cow’s ability to mobilise calcium will be reduced even further.” Often farmers will adopt a transition programme to lower the dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) into a ‘negative’ or acidic level by feeding anionic salts. This improves the cow’s ability to mobilise calcium. This activates the movement of calcium from her skeleton in preparation for the high demand colostrum production will place upon the cow’s calcium reserves. “But with low DCAD diets, mobilising those levels of calcium can also run the risk a cow suffers from excessive

bone wastage every lactation,” McGrath adds. “Furthermore, a negative DCAD diet is almost impossible to achieve in New Zealand’s grass-based systems.” Sourcing calcium from somewhere other than the cow’s skeleton would appear a good option. But farmers also risk worsening milk fever by feeding a calcium-based supplement during the transition period. “Over several lactations the continual draw down on her skeleton’s calcium, and that risk of traumatic events, make life hard for cows over this stressful period,” McGrath explains. “Even when she is optimally fed, a cow will be in a calcium deficit for the first six-to-nine weeks post calving, typically losing skeletal mass post calving, and only regaining some of it back over the late lactation-dry period.” Published data indicates that during early lactation a cow can lose between 0.3kg1.5kg of calcium from her bone structure. That can reduce her fertility, impact on her health, and ultimately, reduce her longevity within the herd. But absorption of calcium

sourced from diet, rather than just a cow’s skeleton requires adequate levels of activated vitamin D, to make it available. “However, her vitamin D levels will be lowest over late winter-spring, the same time her calcium demand is greatest,” McGrath adds. Phosphorous rich spring grass will also further inhibit a cow’s ability to activate sufficient levels of vitamin D post calving. As a result of the cow’s failure to metabolise that dietary calcium properly, they can suffer from milk fever. He says to help manage the critical transition period, products like Tranzsol, available through Sollus, provides cows with a metabolisable, safe source of dietary calcium. It contains lime flour, and a patented form of activated vitamin D (Hy-D). The presence of Hy-D with the lime-flour ensures effective, safe levels of calcium for the cow over the transition period. “A cow’s ability to get sufficient calcium is usually compromised by a complex interaction between available calcium,

magnesium levels, phosphorous levels and vitamin D,” McGrath says. “The presence of Hy-D enables her to absorb the supplied dietary calcium. In New Zealand based studies this has lifted calcium blood concentrations by 30%, compared to when only feeding anionic salts usually used in DCAD diets.” McGrath adds that using products like Tranzsol in a transition program give the cow a pathway to use the calcium in her diet, rather than relying solely upon mobilising her valuable skeletal calcium. “This idea of supplying calcium in her diet before calving is not common practice in NZ,” he says. “But overseas farmers have used it effectively for years, better managing milk fever risk, and giving cows a healthier start to their lactation – without drawing down on their bone calcium, which is what happens to Kiwi cows year-in-year-out. Ultimately, this may result in cows leaving the herd too soon, on the grounds of health or fertility issues resulting from poor health.

DAIRY

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT

Hokonui Farms are in the Mangawhai region of Northland. Owners Innes and Tania Anderson and contract milkers Miles and Tash Harrison milk 555 X-bred cows on a 200Ha platform. “Monitoring and recording all aspects of farm production is critical” and “Regular meetings” keeps us in the loop and provides us all with the farms performance and identifies where we can make management changes”.

“I knew our day, week and month was about to turn to custard”. “It felt like we had no time to breathe”.

“Miles (Northland Sharemilker of the year 2012) is very focused on spending time on improving efficiency and productivity and we provide him and his team with what they need to make it happen”.

“We noticed a drop in milk production, peak milk was slower and the herd just didn’t hit their potential”

One of those improvement areas was preparing the herd for calving. Miles says that “If things don’t go right we can waste a lot of time and money, getting frustrated and loading the entire team with stress”. “In 2019 we had at least 16 cows with clinical milk fever and lost 5 very good cows. I have no doubt that there were many more sub-clinical cases so we had a terrible start”.

“Down cows and dead cows are just not an option, something had to be done” In May of this year Miles and Innes spoke with Warwick Dowse from Phibro Animal Health to investigate on how the farm could be set-up better to deal with metabolic problems, specifically milk fever.

Phibro has a new product called Animate, an anionic feed additive and after two years of successful trial work in NZ, Animate was used on Hokonui Farm.

deaths, we hit peak production earlier, but most importantly, individual milk solids per cow was up compared to previous years. The Animate programs cost has easily been accounted for in increased milk production.

“We looked at a range of options, but Phibro had an actual program that we could follow and monitor during the transition period for the springer cows” Miles says.

“Another thing that is easily overlooked…we all had time to do other things better and there was no stress at calving time. It is so important to use our time more effectively…we could deal with normal farming problems”.

“Phibro provided us with options using a program, we knew the cost up-front and could monitor its effectiveness by measuring the cow’s urine pH over the transition period. This indicates that the cow’s metabolism was getting in-shape for calving and her calcium reserves and magnesium requirements were on track. The cows loved to eat the maize silage with Animate blended into it”.

“My overall goal of increasing our herd’s production through increased milk solids and days in milk has been met”. “It’s so important to stay in control and having little or no milk fever really allows me to do that. Animate dealt to the metabolic issues very effectively. We definitely got the basics right when using Animate”.

This year we had 1 case of milk fever and there were no

What is it? Animate is proprietary anionic feed supplement that will help: • Control clinical milk fever • Reduce the effect of subclinical milk fever • Support greater milk production • Improve your profit

How is it fed? Animate can be mixed with a range of feeds during transition either directly or in a palletised form.

Best results are achieved by? Mixed in the diet and consumed by cows for at least 20 days prior to calving.

Can Animate be used in pasture-based diets? Yes…it is possible to get metabolic issues under control if the Animate program is followed. Where can I buy it? Dairy Production Systems nationwide, Farmlands nationwide and Sgt. Dan’s in Southland.

How do I find out more about Animate? Contact Warwick Dowse on 0279 774 915 or warwick.dowse@pahc.com

FARM:

BRM

2011

2012

MILK FEVER SH

ANIMATE:

YES

12%

10%

MILK FEVER

ANIMATE

“Problems just built-up…our entire workday was disrupted dealing with down cows”.

Miles and Tash Harrison, with son Noah

2009

2010

2013

2014 YEARS

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Average milk fever on the NZ monitor farms before Animate® was 5.7%. After using Animate® it was reduced to 1.9%. Acknowledgement to Dr Bryan MacKay, Dairy Production System, Hamilton & Dr Luis Tedeschi Texas A&M University.

Talk to us today 0508 Animate (264 6283) | nzsupport@pahc.com | pahc.com © Phibro Animal Health Corporation. Phibro, Phibro logo design are trademarks owned by or licensed to Phibro Animal Health Corporation or its affiliates. Phibro NZ Ltd.

Phibro Hokonui Farms Getting the Basics Right 187 mm x 280 mm.indd 2

2020/12/15 10:37

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

62 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Cows’ stoic behaviour means their discomfort is not as obvious to us.

Getting a handle on how heat impacts your cows JACQUELINE McGOWAN DAIRYNZ ANIMAL CARE DEVELOPER

WE HAVE ALL heard people

say that some days are too hot for cows, but have you ever considered how much the heat is impacting them? Historically, understanding heat stress has been based on noticeably reduced milk

production, but now we understand that cows experience discomfort before production drops. Cows’ stoic behaviour means their discomfort is not as obvious to us. Things like increased standing, aggression

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

ANIMAL HEALTH // 63

Respiration is the earliest and easiest indicator we have on how a cow is coping, and it only costs a stroll through the paddock.

around the trough and increased breathing rates are easy to miss when we do not spend our whole day in the paddock with them. Discomfort has also increased in cows in line with the increased milk production we have managed over recent times. Increased milk production means cows have more metabolic heat to manage, and therefore require more

support to get through summer in comfort. To understand the affect of heat stress on your farm, I would like you to do two easy things: 1. Count how many breaths your best cow for production takes in 10 seconds 2. Research how many hours of risk your cows might face. Watch your best cow breathing You might still feel skeptical about the impact of heat on your herd, and you might be right. The best way to find out is to get out and look at your cows, between 1pm and 3pm on a summer day. Respiration is the earliest and easiest indicator we have on how a cow is coping, and it only costs a stroll through the paddock. High production increases susceptibility, so use your best cow rather than your smallest heifer. Once you have selected a

FAST BANG FOR A BUCK kk Install a tough race kk Clean troughs kk Install sprinklers and/or fans kk Put shade over the yard kk Improve flow rates or add troughs

cow, count how many breaths she takes in 10 seconds. The normal rate of breathing is 26-40 breaths per minute or 4-7 breaths in 10 seconds. If she takes more than 10 breaths, she is experiencing enough heat stress to reduce her feed intake and affect milk production. How many hours of risk? The hours of heat that will affect milk production differs regionally, ranging from two hours per day around Gore to 11 hours per day around Whangarei. However, the hours that

affect their comfort levels are an additional four to six hours per day, in every region. If cows are exposed to all that heat, the estimated impact on milk production ranges from 1.5kgMS to 7kgMS per cow between December and February. Many farms already have systems that reduce the risk for at least some of that time. But it is good to assess what you are already doing in each of those risk hours and whether you can apply some of the tips below. For more information visit dairynz.co.nz/heatstress

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

64 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Biosecurity in four easy steps KEEP THE COWS safe, healthy

and productive using these four on-farm biosecurity practices, which also contribute to a sustainable and profitable farm system. Whether it’s Covid-19 affecting people, or bovine viral diarrhoea affecting cows, the importance of biosecurity in keeping humans and animals healthy and safe cannot be underestimated. Nor can we ignore the effect on New Zealand’s economy and the profitability and sustainability of our sector if biosecurity measures are not carried out consistently and effectively. Ensuring your farm’s biosecurity is up to scratch doesn’t need to be complicated. By regularly following the four easy steps below, you’ll not only secure the future of your farm and its animals – you’ll also help protect the future of dairying. Adopt a ‘clean on, clean off’ policy Get everyone, staff and visitors, to clean their hands, and clean and disinfect their boots/footwear on arrival and departure. This minimises the risk of bringing unwanted pests, weeds and diseases onto the farm or spreading them from one farm to another. This is the equivalent of washing your hands to minimise the spread of Covid-19. Know the health status of incoming animals Check the animal health status of animals prior to purchasing or leasing. This can be done using the DairyNZ pre-purchase checklist, available at dairynz.co.nz/ pre-purchase Keeping all new arrivals separate from the herd for at

Ensuring your farm’s biosecurity is up to scratch doesn’t need to be complicated.

least a week will also reduce the risk of disease spread and also allows for testing and treatments. This is the same principle as all new arrivals into New Zealand having to be tested for Covid-19 and quarantined before being able to travel around the country. Ask your vet for advice on the specific risks to your farm.

identified with an approved NAIT tag, and registered, and that all animal movements are recorded within 48 hours. This means contact tracing can be carried out much more quickly and efficiently if needed, which minimises the spread of disease. Contact OSPRI (0800 482 463) if you need help with your NAIT account.

Update your NAIT Make sure all cattle are

Keep boundaries secure Maintaining complete and

secure boundary fences reduces the risk of unwanted animals contacting your herd and maintains the animal health ‘bubble’ of the farm. Check fences regularly and carry out any maintenance promptly. Where possible, keep all roadside gates locked, apart from the main entrance to the farm. Find out more about on-farm biosecurity at dairynz.co.nz/ biosecurity

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

ANIMAL HEALTH // 65

Health data in demand KATHERINE McNAMARA LIC DIAGNOSTICS BUSINESS MANAGER

FARMER DEMAND FOR health data on their cows is hitting

record levels this season. LIC’s Riverlea laboratory in Hamilton expects to process and deliver at least 1 million individual diagnostic tests this milking season (on herd test samples from around New Zealand). The specialised tests provide farmers with powerful information for better on-farm decisions when it comes to events such as pregnancy and dry-off, and in battling disease that can affect both production and reproduction. Diagnostic tests on herd test milk include identification of bovine viral diahoerea (BVD) and Johne’s disease, both of which can have a negative impact Katherine McNamara on production and reproduction outcomes. Another test, Staph aureus, indicates whether the cow carries nasty bacteria that will negatively affect its milk content. Other tests can be carried out to find whether the cow’s milk content is A2/A2 (as opposed to possessing an A1 allele), or to find whether the cow is pregnant. Back in 2013, BVD was the only core-alternative test offered on herd test milk by LIC. But today the cooperative has at least five tests in the diagnostics suite, all of which have significantly grown in popularity each year. LIC is set to process up to 400,000 milk pregnancy tests this season, with an increased level of processing capacity allowing the diagnostics technicians to keep up with demand. Of the demand for this type of test, more than 30% comes from new customers who have signed up for the first time this season. Of even greater demand is the number of farmers who want to learn more about the possible presence of Johne’s disease in their herd. DairyNZ estimates Johne’s Disease annually costs New Zealand farmers $40-88 million in lost production (additional, less obvious, costs include lost opportunities for genetic gain in cattle, and costs associated with breeding, feeding, and raising young stock that may end up being culled). Johne’s disease has been present within the NZ national dairy herd for at least 100 years, but until recently there’s been limited success in managing the disease on farm. Testing and identifying subclinical animals from herd test milk samples, in conjunction with a good farm management plan devised alongside a vet, can help manage Johne’s more effectively and efficiently. This year LIC expects to process in excess of 600,000 milk samples for Johnes disease, where we’ll identify individual cows that shed high levels of Johnes bacteria. Culling those animals is important in control of infection on farm.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

66 // CALVING

Investment in dairy beef MANAWATU DAIRY FARMERS, Nathan and Lois

Smith, say their investment of less than $10 per straw for beef semen generates “serious cash” nine months later. The couple, who 50/50 share-milk at Turakina Valley near Whanganui, milk all year round calving in autumn and spring. “We purchased the New Zealand bred Friesian herd of 500 cows five years ago and always intended breeding them to overseas genetics,” says Nathan. “My family are dairy farmers and I grew up understanding

the rationale they applied to the purchase of overseas genetics to improve their herd. I experienced the improvement they were getting, year on year, so it was a no-brainer to follow the same path when Lois and I bought our first herd.” Initially the Smiths bred for replacements but now use around 100 straws to generate their replacements at autumn calving. The remainder of the herd goes to beef. “We use 100% World Wide Sires dairy and beef bulls across the herd. Their sires are selected from the largest database of performance dairy

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

CALVING // 67

Lois, Brayden and Nathan Smith on the Whanganui farm where they 50/50 sharemilk.

stature, components and productive life are all traits which are prioritised when making sire selections for Kiwi farmers. You only have to look at dairy indexes around the world to see the impact US genetics is having globally. “North American genetics consistently top the indexes in most dairying nations, including our close neighbours, Australia. WWS currently has the number one proven Jersey bull and number two proven Holstein Friesian bull in Australia, as well as a wealth of other sires in the respective top 50 for the Australian BPI index.” Nathan Smith says that he and Lois like well conformed, strong cows that have a great temperament. “Our farming system is 1, possibly approaching 2. We are regenerative farmers and don’t use any fertiliser or nitrogen. “We milk once-a-day from calving all year round. Our goal is produce 400kgMS per cow all year round. This year we are on target to do 385kgMS quite comfortably and with a bit of tweaking, next season, we’ll hit

our target of 400kgMS,” Nathan Smith said. “The beef bulls are fantastic – we use Charolais, Speckle Park and Hereford. They’re well priced. We get outstanding calves; they’re the easiest calves we have ever reared. The size and strength of the calves is evident in the fact that we wean on average 20 days earlier than anything else we’ve ever reared. “They are easy calving. We only calve one or two cows a year. They’re big strong calves which drink well and grow. We can’t say enough about them really. We reared every single calf so we don’t have bobbies and we get all our replacements in the autumn.” Nathan says they take half of the beef calves “through to 18 months and sell the rest at either four days or at weaning”. “We might sell 50 at four days and average around $350 per calf – turning the original per-straw cost into some serious cash in just nine months. We also sell some as weaners, leaving around 300 to take through to either 12 or 18 months.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

68 // MILK QUALITY

Test spraying just one of the tools to fight mastitis NATASHA MAGUIRE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FARM MEDIX

FOR MANY YEARS we have

been bombarded with advertising about teat sprays. This sounds reasonable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; since the teat is the first line of defence for the cow against mastitis. If something is wrong there, mastitis risk is signifi-

cantly increased. But in nature cows are not teat sprayed. However, in nature cows only have one or two calves and, of course, do not share milking equipment with 10 or more herd mates twice-a-day. It is under-

Kathryn Coley, Head Microbiologist at Farm Medix conducts laboratory testing.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

MILK QUALITY // 69

A teat in poor condition from mechanical damage at milking time can increase mastitis risk.

standable that sharing body fluids cow-to-cow is a major risk to the herd. So, is teat spraying critical in mastitis prevention? Yes, but It occurred to me – during a teat spray committee meeting at an international conference years ago – that it’s almost impossible to easily determine that a teat disinfectant product did what it was supposed to. There are so many variations on how to use them: What concentration to use at different times? How is it best applied? Which active ingredient to use? Are teat sprays all just the same? Why do we need to teat spray? Our laboratory, at Waikato Innovation Park. investigated to see if there is “more than meets the eye”. We tested local and international teat sprays using mastitis pathogens, as well as thousands of individual cow tests. We found that “there is more to it than meets the eye”, so we wanted to share the following

Rethink how you milk

points. 1. Teat Spray Efficacy Things have changed. Not long ago in New Zealand, a test involving actual cow teats and bacteria known as Protocol A was required. To make testing more affordable, and to remove potential testing complexities, the EN1656 standard is now used for all teat sprays. The products you use should meet EN1656 as a minimum. Unfortunately, this says nothing about whether the products you are using are best for your needs. The standard doesn’t compare well with real farm conditions. This standard was adapted from a disinfectant standard for cleaned hard surfaces – so it is difficult to compare with your actual farm. For example, the standard uses higher active ingredients concentrations than the ones you would typically find on farms (dilution). It uses lower amounts of bacteria than is realistic for a farm setting. It

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

70 // MILK QUALITY

also allows for contact times that are longer than desirable to prevent potentially mastitis – causing pathogens taking a hold. The standard also doesn’t cover all the common mastitis causing bacteria we find on farms. Overall, all teat sprays found on the market meet the standard. However, the bar has been set at a low level and active ingredients efficacy depends on the pathogens at play in your specific cases of mastitis. 2. When things go wrong – active ingredients Sometimes, when things are going wrong it is easy to blame teat spray. Here are some things to look for: Let’s stop talking about mastitis as if it were all the same. Root cause determines the active ingredient to use. The type of active you should use depends on your mastitis challenge. Which mastitis pathogens are you dealing with? NZ farming has changed considerably from the past with a now transient workforce, cows moving between farms, average herd size increasing, more automation and the use of feed pads and herd homes. This means cows are exposed to more risk and different pathogens. Organisms such as Serratia, Prototheca and Staph aureus can be devastating to deal with. Not all products are equal. We found that some common active ingredients performed differently – even when active amounts were the same. For example, not all iodines were equal – even at the same iodine concentration. Comparisons between iodine and chlorhexidine were interesting. Often times taken for the active ingredients to work were within the standard limits. However, when we assessed how rapidly they killed harmful mastitis pathogens, some active ingre-

NZ farming has changed considerably from the past with a now transient workforce, cows moving between farms, average herd size increasing, more automation and the use of feed pads and herd homes.

dients did not perform well. 3. To know how to fight it, you need to know what you are fighting Over the course of a season, you will have different challenges. This may or may not be related to the weather and can happen for a multitude of reasons. If you are having a challenge you will notice an increase in the number of mastitis cases you have or an increase in your bulk tank SCC. SCC is only part of the story. Remember SCC is only an immune response measure, it does not give us any information as to what

pathogens the herd is fighting. Relying on bulk tank SCC is an unreliable way to track your progress without this information. Determine what your mastitis challenge currently is. Get a comprehensive farm diagnostics test such as SNAPSHOT (bulk tank test). This information is vital to put in place corrective actions on your farm. Perform identification of clinical cases with a culture diagnostic test like CHECK-UP to help determines the pathogen type and subsequent course of action for affected cows.

This cow tested positive for yeast, something antibiotics are not effective against.

4. Proper dilution is money saved later Economy should not be your only consideration. At times, you will most likely need to use a higher concentration of teat spray. Mastitis can be costly, at a minimum of $170 per case, so sometimes a few cents spent on teat spray can save a world of pain in lost production, treatments and time. The cost of the teat spray will depend on how you need to dilute it – not the cost of the container of product. Check how you should dilute it to establish your real cost. Your friendly rep or store staff can be great sources of information. 5. Water quality Mixing is important for products that are not ready to use. They need to be diluted and mixed, so that the disinfectant, emollient and water are dispersed. Only use high quality water for mixing teat spray. Untreated (no chlorination or filtering) water from creeks, dams and rivers is not suitable. If you mix your teat spray and you see a reaction (such as white flakes or sediment forming) the product is likely to cause you issues with blockages and your dilution rate may differ from what you intended. (Chlorhexidine, in particular, is prone to precipitation in hard water.) In these cases, your active may be unsuitable for your purpose (your teat spray concentrate must remain dissolved to be effective), and potency of the teat spray will be reduced. Always use a dedicated containers or buckets for teat spray and resist temptation to use them for anything else. 6. Spraying equipment Teat sprayers need to be checked. Make sure your teat spray atomises out of your nozzle. If your sprayers are damaged, or the nozzles blocked, you won’t be getting

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

72 // MILK QUALITY

adequate coverage. Time spent checking these things is better than time spent managing cows with mastitis. 7. What else is in there? Like a bad toothpaste advertisement from the 80s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; claiming that toothpaste can penetrate your teeth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some manufacturers can embellish claims about teat sprays. The skin is a membrane, teat sprays need to be held onto the skin (not run off quickly) and provide both moisturising (emollient) and disinfection properties. A good disinfectant may not necessarily have teat conditioning properties and vice versa. Both roles are critical. 8. Keep up your end of the bargain At the end of the day, teat spraying is a crucial piece of the mastitis puzzle. Any teat spray must be applied so it is in contact with the entire teat (not just a drop on the end of the teat). To avoid any cracking or dryness and keep the teat supple. Whilst teat condition is certainly important, so too is disinfection. We have seen herds with high mastitis rates that have superb teat condition and high SCC. Applying teat spray right away after the cups come off, rather

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

MILK QUALITY // 73

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How? Milking is a time when cows are vulnerable to infection by mastitis pathogens.

than at the end of the row or round. The teat canal stays open for a time after cups off, and the cow is very susceptible to infection from bacteria at this time the sooner teat spray is applied after cups off, the better. 9. Overmilking – can teat spraying compensate? No. A lot of promotion has been spent on milking efficiency recently. Cows that milk out slowly are usually less comfortable and this can mean even longer milking times as they resist letting milk down. Did you know that once the ‘let down’ hormone oxytocin is released, the cow will ‘push out’ milk for around 3 minutes? After the milk is released, milk flow slows and reduces in volume. After that, we are literally ‘pulling’ the milk out of the cow. Waiting for the milk flow to fall to a dribble is extremely uncomfortable for the cow. An uncomfortable cow may shuffle or stamp her feet as the vacuum increases, or even kick off the cups. Keeping the time that

the teat is under vacuum to a minimum is key to reducing damage. Once damaged, teats have a high risk of harbouring mastitis pathogens on their surface and increases the risk for the cow to get mastitis. Bad teats increase your number of mastitis case. These can also cause difficulties with administration of intramammary mastitis, selective dry cow and dry cow therapy treatments (because teats cannot be cleaned) and even impact next season’s mastitis picture. Whilst teat spray can help repair damaged teats, without addressing issues that cause the damage, it is simply masking a wider issue – so spend your money wisely. We recommend being fanatical about your teats prior to drying off. Meanwhile, knowledge of pathogens in your herd, information from testing and cow history, machine checks, stray voltage checks and teat spray application checks are all vital pieces of the mastitis puzzle on your farm.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

74 // MILK QUALITY

Milk filters feel the heat BIGGER HERDS COUPLED

with modern genetics, higher production and faster milking speeds are putting more pressure on one of the least costly, yet critical parts of New Zealand dairy sheds – the milk filter. Mark England appreciates it might look like he’s stating the obvious by recommending dairy producers use a new filter every milking. However, he says, the implications make the point worth repeating. “Milk filters represent the last line of defence against contamination entering the bulk milk tank. It’s the least expensive, yet most valuable, insurance every farmer can easily have,” says England, Skellerup’s national sales manager.

Milk filters are the mechanical filter that separates the raw milk from any solid particles before they reach the bulk milk tank. And, if milk filters are pushed to their breaking point, they expose the bulk milk tank to sediments, contaminants, and potential payment penalties. Capturing that sediment before cooling also stops it from clogging the plate cooler and limiting or compromising the surface area available for heat exchange. Plate cooler dynamite to pull apart If a milk filter does fail and overload bypass milk happens, it ends up in the second-best filter in the dairy shed – the plate cooler. And, because it

has super-fine plate clearances, that contamination point affects flow, cooling, and takes hours to pull apart, strip, and clean. “Winter is possibly the most challenging time milk filters face in the year because there is more mud and other contaminants,” Mark said. “When you consider that a milk filter costs arguably $1 per milking, why would you risk it?” Size does matter An ongoing conversation in New Zealand centres around making sure the size of the milk filter remains appropriate for the dairy shed and the number of cows. England says where farms have experienced rapid growth in cow numbers, farmers should check their milk

filter sizes are keeping up. Filters are required to be sized at a minimum of 6.0 cm²/ cow effective filtering area. Full compliance is assessed to within 95% (or 5.7 to 6.0 cm²/ cow). Skellerup says its milk filters are manufactured in New Zealand for New Zealand conditions with detailed attention paid to their high wet-strength, even pore size and distribution, strong seams and dimensional stability. New filter for wash-down England also recommends that dairy farmers consider using a filter dedicated solely to their wash-down regime. To find the correct filter for your dairy farm refer to your NZCP1 Code of Practice.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

AGRIBUSINESS // 75

The state of play in agritech STEFAN BRIGHT LIC AUTOMATION BUSINESS MANAGER

IT’S NO SECRET that one of

the key challenges for the NZ dairy industry is attracting skilled, reliable farm staff. This puts increasing pressure on all types of farming operations, from small to large, from the top of the north to the bottom of the south. Can in-shed automation and sensor technology play an important role in this challenge? I think so. If you take a step back there is certainly interest

and growing investment into the agritech sector. As the world population continues to expand, investment in this sector is critical in enabling farmers to produce food efficiently for the world. With this flow of investment, technology will develop at a rapid rate and ultimately benefit the farming operations that deploys it. In-shed automation is not new and has been adopted in

many sheds around the country, allowing farmers to manage their herds and staff more effectively and efficiently. LIC introduced Protrack in 2003 and has seen systems installed in 2,200 herringbone and rotary sheds. This footprint continues to expand from basic automated drafting systems to fully fledged systems that identify cows as they come onto the platform and target each of those cows with correct

recipe and feed portions. These systems come to life with the full integration with MINDA herd recording system, removing the need for a whiteboard. Individual and group draft events can be scheduled and animal events easily recorded. Data, often referred to as the new oil of the 21st Century, is playing an ever increasing role in any industry you look too. This is no different to a

Sustainable farming today will help farming thrive in the future New Zealand’s farmers and producers are used to looking ahead. Planning for the future is crucial for any successful agribusiness. The future success of New Zealand’s farming communities will increasingly depend on good environmental management and sustainable food production. At Rabobank, we help you prepare for a successful future by working alongside you. Find out more about how we can help your agribusiness meet the challenges of sustainable food production at: rabobank.co.nz/sustainable-farming Growing a better New Zealand together. RAB0034

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

76 // AGRIBUSINESS

farming operation. The NZ dairy industry has hit peak cow numbers, and with that in mind, emphasis now goes on the individual performance and health of each animal. Every animal has a role to play. But in order to make well informed, timely decisions, farming operations need access to good quality data. This has been recognised within the industry for over a century with the introduction of traditional herd testing in 1909, which is a staple of many farming operations. For some, access to a few data points

throughout the season is not enough, and they have chosen to adopt in-line milk yield and SCC sensor technology. This technology means that insights are provided daily, determining top and bottom producers. This delivers a great deal of insight that can be used to make targeted breeding decisions and performance based culls. The spotlight is also firmly on animal welfare, with consumers wanting reassurance that the food they are consuming is coming from well looked after animals. Somatic cell count

(SCC) information provided on a regular basis can help farmers be proactive around managing mastitis which is a major health concern on farm. What is also sparking interest within the industry is cow wearables. Farmers are seeing real value in the ability to automatically receive alerts when the cow is on heat and when there is concerns about her health. LIC recently introduced Protrack Draft Integrate which allows LIC to receive draft requests directly from selected cow wearable

software. Once the draft request is received we automatically draft the cow/s in the next milking. This has proven successful with 35 farms picking up this module over the last 2 months. The year 2020 has certainly been an interesting one, but one thing we can all take from it was the importance of the NZ dairy industry. Population growth will not disappear and our dairy farmers, along with developments in automation and sensor technology will play a crucial role in the production of food for the world.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

PEOPLE // 77

Offer your staff an opportunity to further develop their skill set.

Staff education is a smart move GREG JARRATT VET AND DIRECTOR OF MATAMATA VETERINARY SERVICES

GOOD STAFF CAN be your

best asset, but when things go wrong, staffing issues can be your biggest headache too. Unfortunately, throughout farming communities across New Zealand, there are countless stories of employers and employees parting company under a cloud creating much angst and stress for all involved. It seems leaving employment strategy to luck these days is very high risk and many farmers without a robust employment strategy have experienced the nightmare scenario. Employment strategy focuses on three key areas – recruiting the right individual in the first instance, providing appropriate training to ensure they are both stimulated and adequately skilled for the position then retaining them. In my experience as a vet on multiple local farms, it seems the operators that invest in

their staffs’ development tend to have greater staff buy-in, less wastage, a higher standard of animal care and greater success with retaining good staff. There are many different options available to farmers with training providers ranging from the more formal Ag ITO type courses through to less formal on farm training. As a dairy cow focused veterinarian, some of the most rewarding jobs I have been involved in is on farm training sessions. Mostly, a training session on lame cow restraint, proper hoof examination and treatment has been received the best and provided herd managers and their staff with huge value. Believe it or not, there are still far too many NZ cows that become lame that are injected with penicillin (or worse still, non-withholding Ceftiofur!) without any attempt to lift the

foot and examine the hoof. This leads to excessive use of antibiotics, treatment failure, animal welfare issues, more cows being culled and less milk in the vat. Many would assume the decision to treat without examination based on attitude (can’t be bothered) before ability (don’t know how). Thankfully, speaking from experience, herd managers who invest in cow-side training report a noticeable improvement in both attitude and ability of staff responsible for treating cows. As a veterinarian overseeing antibiotic use and animal welfare on these particular farms, there is a noticeable decline volume of antibiotics used with improved treatment success. You don’t need to be Einstein to realise this equates to lower cost, happier cows, more responsible use of antibiotics

and more milk in the vat. From an employer perspective, staff that are provided an opportunity to learn skills such as lame cow restraint, hoof examination and treatment are generally more fulfilled and invested in their job. So the take home message is do not assume staff have the appropriate skills to perform their assigned tasks, offering an opportunity for staff to further develop their skill set provides significant value to them as individuals and your business at the same time. Veterinarians are in the box seat to offer these sorts of opportunities and I urge herd managers to investigate options.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

78 // PEOPLE

The most profitable farm businesses don’t just have a great leader- they have a great team.

We will not succeed without our people NOELLE FOX FARMWISE CONSULTANT

He aha te mea nui? He tangata He tangata He tangata. What is the greatest thing? It is people It is people It is people. THIS MAORI SAYING is

important to us all in the dairy industry – we will not succeed without our people. Do you know or understand the costs to your business when people don’t perform how you need them to? Employers and mangers are often spending large amounts

of time on a daily, weekly and monthly basis seeking to mitigate the actions of others on farm. Fixing mistakes, solving problems and stepping in to do jobs others have not performed are part of the daily routine on most farms where staff are employed. But why is this situation so common and repeated again and again across numerous farms on a daily basis? The increase in the scale of farms has been accompanied with the requirement for additional staff. Traditionally

smaller farms of under 300 cows were family run or sole operator farms. The most important decisions on budgets, cows and feed were made to ensure milk is produced as cost effectively as possible. Issues were addressed as they arose with little or no requirement for consultation. As the farm size and cow numbers increase, the business can no longer be operated by one person, and additional staff are required, to ensure the farm can function long term at a sustainable level, and it is at this

stage that staff management and people become as important as budgets, cows and grass. As the number of staff you employ increases, your ability to lead, delegate, coach and mentor becomes increasingly important. So how do we set ourselves, our farms and our teams up for success? Boosting productivity, finding more time to focus on the business and removing the activities on farm that don’t add value to the business is all about staying focused on the things

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

PEOPLE // 79

we can control and establishing how to best support each and every team member to perform to their potential every day. Establishing and understanding the difference between ‘can’t do’ and ‘won’t do’ is a game-changer in people management. Often when there is a problem we blame the person for not following instructions, for lack of common sense, or assuming they should know how to complete a task. However before concluding the individual is at fault it is critical to ask the following 5 questions. Did the person have: kk knowledge to do the job? kk skill to do the job? kk the correct method to do the job? kk the right tools to do the job? kk enough resources to do the job? If the answer is no, then it is a ‘can’t do’ situation. If it is a ‘can’t do’ situation, the solution is about creating and continually improving our processes to help our teams

As the number of staff you employ increases, your ability to lead, delegate, coach and mentor becomes increasingly important.

succeed. The farm manager needs to provide training, have an agreed standard operating procedure, provide the right tools and have enough manpower or resources to make the workload doable. We are focused on improving the skills, attitudes and knowledge of our team. The more skills they have the more they can contribute and increase our value adding activity. However, if the answer is yes to the above questions, than it is a ‘won’t do’ situation. It is now about employee behaviour, accountability and increasing awareness of consequences. When looking for the root cause of a behaviour it is critical to establish if it’s a ‘can’t do’ or

For large farms, staff management has become as important as budgets, cows and grass.

a ‘won’t do’. Often on farm it is presumed 90% of the time it is a ‘won’t do’, in actual fact it is more likely to be a ‘can’t do’. We can’t hold people accountable to our standards if we haven’t set them up for success. So when things go wrong we need to do a review what happened and why and establish the root cause of the problem. If the outcome is a ‘won’t do’ equally this needs to be addressed by holding people accountable and increasing awareness. Often when people don’t do what we want them to on farm we say nothing. We think, “they’ll know they did it wrong. They know how I want it. They’ll know next time”. Sometimes people might have

all the resources for can do but they don’t understand why things are important. If we don’t give them feedback when they get it wrong what are we saying? It isn’t important? It is ok not to do it? We shift the boundaries of expectation. If we give feedback we raise awareness of what is acceptable, what we expect. HR is no longer about just meeting legal requirements, such as ACC, ensuring hourly minimum wage rates and holiday pay are calculated correctly. Good, basic staff management involves setting up a quality work environment. From recruiting the right people to establishing simple repeatable procedures on farm, that are easy to implement where a team understands the business’s long-term vision and everyone is working towards the same outcome. The most productive, profitable farm businesses don’t just have a great leader – they have a great team which is set up for success.

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

80 // DAIRY SHEEP / GOATS

Paul White says dairy sheep farming ticked many boxes.

Milking sheep no woolly idea A couple of Waikato farming families are looking forward to the rewards ahead of them after moving into the dairy sheep industry in 2020. Allan and Toni Browne are “career sheep farmers” on their family’s combined 570-hectare property just south of Cambridge. Paul and Dianne White are long-time dairy farmers on their family’s 520-cow dairy farm near Te Awamutu. In 2018, both families, independently, began investing a switch to dairy sheep. THE WHITES ALREADY had

their youngest son, Andrew, contract milking on the home property but were looking for opportunities to diversify, adding to their dairy and

drystock operation. The overall goal was to set up a family succession plan to encourage their other two sons, Brad and Kieran, to enter the farming industry.

“We discovered dairy sheep milking and started to investigate it a bit more.” The couple started their due diligence on setting up a dairy sheep operation.

“We worked out our budgets and our cashflow and it ticked many boxes for us, like profitability, environmental impact. It looked like a golden opportunity and very much like the

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

DAIRY SHEEP / GOATS // 81

“We worked out our budgets and our cashflow and it ticked many boxes for us, like profitability, environmental impact.”

way of the future.” The family didn’t want to convert their existing dairy farm so went looking for a new property to base their dairy sheep venture. They purchased a farm at Kio Kio, between Otorohanga and Te Awamutu. Shortly after, they signed a contract with Maui Milk to supply. The family already had a 44 aside Waikato Milking Systems

plant built by dealer, Qubik, on their own dairy farm in Te Awamutu. They met with Waikato Milking Systems and Qubik again, to begin planning for a Rapid Sheep Exit parlour for their new property at Kio Kio. Waikato Milking Systems Small Ruminants Specialist Andy Geissmann led the project to convert the Kio Kio property’s existing 18-aside Herringbone cow parlour, to a 40-aside Agili Rapid Exit Sheep Milking System. That involved keeping the existing building but installing new plant equipment, technology and the new milking system. The family bought milking ewes, in-lamb, from Maui Milk and the animals arrived on the property on June 8. Kieran and Brad worked in the corporate world at the time. Kieran as an analyst and Brad worked in rural banking. They quit their jobs and

PAUL AND DIANNE WHITE kk Farm managers: Their sons, Kieran and Brad White kk Farm name: Green Park Sheep kk Location: Kio Kio, Waikato kk Flock Size: 850 sheep (1200 expansion potential) kk Dairy Type: 40 aside Agili Rapid Exit Sheep Inline kk Number of bails: 40 aside kk Commissioned: September 2020

began work on the new farm. Their dad Paul works in an advisory role. The new property, now called Green Park Sheep, is stocked with 850 sheep. They kicked off milking about 500 sheep per hour with three people in the shed. Paul expected the per hour number to increase, with just two people at milking time. He says the milking parlour has been set up to allow the farm to expand in the future. “We bought the property, it’s about 81 hectares, it was milking 200 cows. I think we

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can go up to 1200 ewes, so the property has got a good up-side and a great future.” There’s been keen interest in the new system from neighbours who are waiting to see its results over the next few years. White has some advice to offer other people thinking of switching from dairy cows to dairy sheep. “Do your planning well first because that will take away the stress later on. There is quite a lot of advice out there around dairy sheep, which surprised us.”

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

82 // DAIRY SHEEP / GOATS

Lure of emerging market ALLAN AND TONI Browne

were also looking to diversify their family’s long-time sheep farming business. Their research also recognised dairy sheep as an emerging market, which was showing keen demand and good returns. “This is intergenerational family farmland, and we are career sheep farmers. We also have about 450 cows. But dairying is still new to us, about six years now as a business,” Allan says. “We became interested in dairy sheep as a concept because we had some skills, land and experience available which led us on to look at it a bit more seriously.” In 2018, they were able to lease some Southern Cross Dairy rams from Maui Sheep Milk to help set up their dairy sheep operation, now called Browne Pastoral. “It was more about access to the new European genetics

which had never been here in New Zealand before,” Browne explains. “We knew using those genetics, we would be able to produce more milk than anything else in the country. “And obviously to extract the value out of those genetics we needed to have a milking parlour that could do that for us.” They decided a rotary would be best suited for the 1200 sheep they wanted to milk in the first season and gives them the ability to go up to 2000 later on. The Browne family approached Waikato Milking Systems to manufacture a 70-bail Ultimo Internal Sheep Rotary, a prototype for the company. The new parlour was completed and operational in June. Training of the farm’s hoggets began in July and milking started in August. “It was exciting watching the

Browne Pastoral owner Allan Browne with Andy Geissmann, Waikato Milking Systems.

ALLAN AND TONI BROWNE kk Farm name: Browne Pastoral kk Location: Cambridge, Waikato kk Flock Size: 1200 sheep (2000 expansion potential) kk Dairy Type: 70-bail Ultimo Internal Sheep Rotary kk Commissioned: September 2020

new parlour come together. It has been a bit of a journey, from gaining access to the European genetics for our sheep, breeding, construction of the new parlour through to the first tanker collection,” Browne says. The rotary was “cranking out” between 600 to 700 sheep an hour, with three staff at milking. “The sheep grasped the concept of using the rotary after about half a dozen times. Then by about the 10th time through, 85 – 90% adapted pretty well. “I can see that once the sheep are fully educated about how to use the rotary, we’ll be able to reduce labour from three to two

people at milking time.” The farm is supplying milk to Maui Milk and the new milking parlour gives the farm scope to expand the flock in the future. “The only thing limiting us is the distance the sheep have to walk to the shed. The initial advice we had was that we wouldn’t be able to walk the sheep more than 500m without losing milk,” Browne explains. “In Europe, we know the sheep are all in barns so there’s no distance to walk. But I think we’ve already broken that mould and we are showing we can produce incredibly good milk with the sheep walking under 1km away from the shed.”

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

MACHINERY // 83

Before you dust off the chainsaw, think safety.

Don’t cut corners while operating a chainsaw MARK DANIEL

THERE CAN’T BE many farms

or rural properties that don’t have a chainsaw. Whether it’s just used for clearing fallen or broken branches, or for serious timber harvesting, it must be one of the most useful power tools available. Before you dust off the chainsaw, think safety, as working with chainsaws can be dangerous, but by working

safely, you’ll be able to fully concentrate on the task ahead. First things first: If you are not confident with a chainsaw, or haven’t picked one up in a while, make sure you get some training or otherwise put the saw down and ask a professional for help. The most common chainsaw injury is lacerations, but wearing the right personal

protecting equipment (PPE) including a helmet, protective glasses, forestry jacket, protective trousers, anti-slip boots and gloves can stop this happening. On-site safety means that if you’re working alone, make sure you tell someone where you are and carry a mobile phone with you. One of the most common, and potentially fatal, hazards

associated with chainsaws is kickback, which can be reduced, alongside many other hazards, by making sure you are handling the saw correctly. Wrap thumbs and fingers completely around the handles and hold your left-hand thumb under the front handle to reduce the force of any kickbacks. Hold the saw close to your body to achieve

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

84 // MACHINERY

balance and accuracy, while also adopting the ideal working position of having your left foot in front of your right foot with your knees, not your back, bent. When moving position on the worksite, the chain must never be rotating, as a trip or fall could lead to serious injuries. Finally, make sure no one is within a three-metre radius before you start working with a

chainsaw. Like any piece of equipment, a chainsaw requires regular maintenance to keep them in top condition. Getting back to basics, if a chainsaw won’t start easily or run properly, one of three basic areas are usually responsible – fuel, spark or air. Fuel takes in areas such as the carburettor, fuel filter, fuel

mix, hoses, primer bulb and the breather assembly. The spark is delivered by a combination of the spark plug, ignition unit, HT & short lead, stop switch and the flywheel, while air is controlled by the filter, carburettor, manifold, the muffler, hoses and the breather. FUEL Typically, there are three

fuel-related checks to make, including the fuel mix itself, looking for blockages or cracked lines and checking the chainsaws carburettor settings. Start by emptying the fuel tank and replacing with a “fresh” known fuel mix. “Stale” fuel has little or none of the smell usually associated with petrol. Unlike a four-stroke, a

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

MACHINERY // 85

10 BASIC CHECKS kk Pull the starter rope to see if the engine turns over and if

compression is adequate. kk Check fuel for quality and correct mix – recommend replacing with

a known mix. kk Check the fuel filter for blockage. kk Check fuel supply pickup and hose for blockage or cracking from

age. kk Check the air filter for blockage. kk Check the carburettor settings are correct (including the idle

adjustment). kk Check for spark. kk Check spark plug electrode for wear or carbon build up and correct

gap. kk Check the muffler spark arrestor screen, if fitted visually check

hoses, manifold and cylinder base gasket for leaks. kk Remove the exhaust to check for piston seizure or ring damage if

compression seems inadequate.

Typically, there are three fuelrelated checks to be made.

two-stroke engine doesn’t have an internal oil reservoir, instead relying on oil mixed with the fuel to lubricate the engine. It’s important to get fuel-tooil ratios right when mixing two-stroke fuel, with too much causing issues like starting

or running problems, or too little causing overheating and possible permanent damage. As a rule, a fuel / oil ratio of 50:1 is usually recommended for chainsaws, although for heavy use, some may be run on a mix of 33:1. To be sure, check your

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

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operator’s manual. When mixing fuel, always start by filling the storage container with half the amount of the petrol required, add the entire amount of two-stroke oil, agitate, then add the remainder of the petrol. As the leading cause of contaminated fuel is dirty storage containers, it’s essential fuel is stored in a clean vessel. Dedicated Combi Cans are designed to make storage safer and re-fuelling less messy, thanks to inclusions such as the no spill valves and a dedicated tank for two-stroke oil. Avoid storing pre-mixed two-stroke fuel for more than a month and don’t leave fuel in any tool for an extended period, preferably running the chainsaw out of fuel before storage. SPARK Without a spark, the fuel is unable to ignite, so the chainsaw won’t be able to start. To check for a spark, remove

the plug from the cylinder and re-attach the plug wire. Resting the electrode tip against the engine, pull the starter cord. If you can see a spark, then the spark plug is fine. If there is no spark, look for an oil build up, wear, or poor gap spacing. If in any doubt, replace with a new plug. AIR Air filters on chainsaws are often overlooked, but their importance is confirmed when you realise that one minute’s use of a chainsaw will use the same amount of air as the average person breathes in over a six-hour period. A clogged air filter reduces the amount of air able to reach the combustion chamber, resulting in poor performance, sputtering and failure to start. If you are still experiencing problems after trying the above fixes, the next port of call is carburettor adjustments, using

the High (H), Low (L) and Idle (T) screws. The H screw regulates the Air/Fuel mix during high RPMs, the L Screw does the same during low RPMs and the T screw regulates how much fuel is sent to the carburettor during idling. To make any adjustments, assuming you can get the machine to run, turn the L screw clockwise until the engine almost stops turning. Then slowly turn the screw anti-clockwise until the engine idles smoothly. Rev the engine, checking for smooth and responsive acceleration, making fine adjustments to achieve the desired setting. Likewise, adjust T screw by turning clockwise until the cutting chain begins to move. As soon as this happens, turn slowly anti-clockwise until the chain stops. At idle, the engine should run smoothly without the chain moving. The final step is to adjust the H screw, turning

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anti-clockwise until it comes to a natural stop. At this point, you will notice that the engine sounds rough, so turn the screw clockwise until the engine runs smoothly, before giving the throttle trigger a little squeeze to confirm there is minimal smoke from the exhaust and the engine accelerates smoothly. If your chainsaw is not starting, there might be a problem with a lack of compression. You should be able to carefully lift the weight of the chainsaw by the starting cord, but if you do notice the rope slowly extending, then the chainsaw compression is most likely low, so it’s a good idea to let the professionals take a closer look. Getting the Basics Right acknowledges the help of Husqvarna NZ in compiling this guide to getting the best from your chainsaw. For more information visit.www. husqvarna.com/nz

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

MACHINERY // 87

Keep on-farm health, safety rules simple for workers, visitors AL McCONE WORKSAFE’S AGRICULTURE ENGAGEMENT LEAD

ON-FARM HEALTH AND

safety shouldn’t be complicated. It’s very much about getting the basics right, and keeping it simple and practical to meet the needs of your business. These basics are straightforward. It’s about deciding that everyone being healthy and safe is important; identifying what

the risks are on your farm and how they should be managed; communicating that to everyone on farm – and continuing to communicate that message in your daily work. You’ll often hear people say such steps are simply ‘common sense’, but too many people on farms rely on instinct rather

than planning and, as a result, many people are still getting sick, injured, impaired or killed. This is why the law requires farmers – and all employers – to do some planning and put in place steps to keep themselves and others safe from harm. That requires some basic documentation. The purpose

of that is two-fold: to help you identify and manage work risks, and to provide a record that you are doing that. This isn’t difficult to set up or to use. Organisations like Beef+Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ and WorkSafe provide simple templates that can be downloaded to enable you to

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Keeping everyone healthy and safe on the farm should be paramount.

set your processes up. There are also a number of programmes and apps which can do some or all of the things you require. These include things like a risk register, emergency plan, training register, maintenance record, contractor orientation checklist, and injury incident and near miss record. Once these are in place, they can be easily updated as needed – such as when you identify a new or seasonal hazard, someone reports a near miss or a vehicle has been serviced. There’s no need for a lot of ‘paperwork’ but it makes sense to make a note in your

farm diary, about any health and safety discussions and any actions to be taken, including discussions with contractors. One of the key factors in this planning, should be identifying and managing risks around vehicles and machinery. This will help you to address the biggest health and safety issue on farms. In recent years, whenever a fatal accident occurs on a New Zealand farm, it has almost always involved a vehicle. The basics of safe use of a farm vehicles are: Choose the right vehicle for the job; Make sure the vehicle and the

driver are up to the job; Wear a seatbelt – on and off farm - if one is fitted - and wear a helmet where required. WorkSafe also strongly recommends fitting a crush protection device to your quad. Choosing the right vehicle for the job is critical. That begins with reading the vehicle owner’s manual and taking on board the manufacturer’s instructions. This will tell you what needs to be maintained and advice about trailers, loads, maintenance and passengers. Follow all the limits and recommendations provided and make sure others who will be using

the vehicle are aware of them. Before starting a task with a vehicle that you haven’t used in a while, or has been used by someone else, check it to make sure: kk It has fuel, oil and coolant kk the tyres are the correct pressure and have enough tread kk wheel nuts are firmly secured kk the brakes work kk any active safety system, such as traction control, is operational kk there’s no rust that affects the safety of the vehicle kk the engine is clean kk the lights work and are clean

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

MACHINERY // 89

kk the steering isn’t loose.

Anyone who will be using a farm vehicle or machinery needs to be properly trained and supervised until you, and they, are confident they are fully competent. Farm vehicle training courses are run in most parts of New Zealand. Formal training courses and refreshers are the best option to learn techniques to safely operate a farm vehicle.

You shouldn’t use a farm vehicle if you are not familiar with it or haven’t been trained to use it. You also shouldn’t use a vehicle if you have been drinking, taking drugs, taking medication that makes you sleepy or are fatigued. Always

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 2021

90 // MACHINERY

challenging situation. Choosing the best vehicle for the task to be undertaken is critical. Before you begin a job, always take a few minutes to think through the risks and how you are going to manage them, or have that conversation with anyone you are asking to do it. If a vehicle is required, discuss the best one to use. Will they be accessing steep or slippery slopes or towing heavy loads? It might be that they will need to return to the shed and change to a different vehicle for part of the job or access some areas on foot only. That might not be the most convenient or

fastest option but it will be the safest one. Wear a helmet where required and wear a seatbelt if one is fitted. While roll over protection (RoP) has contributed to a decrease in fatal injuries, accident investigations have identified that most of the recent tractor fatalities could have been prevented by the driver wearing a seatbelt. Also consider fitting RoP to your quad or side by side. Farmers don’t set out to have accidents. However, you can’t rely on being perfect all the time. Many times, you will get away with making a mistake, but sometimes people don’t

In recent years, whenever a fatal accident occurs on a New Zealand farm, it has almost always involved a vehicle.

– and these are the ones who become statistics. The seatbelt and crush protection are there to save you from very serious harm when a mistake occurs – think carefully about where you are relying on being perfect and about what you could put between you and serious harm. Above all – and this is the most basic tenet of good health and safety practice – lead by example. If you take health and safety seriously and show you care about your personal safety and the safety of everyone on farm, workers, contractors, family members and visitors, then

others will follow your lead. You can do that by living these simple basics, wearing a helmet, wearing a seatbelt, checking a vehicle before use, using PPE where required. And talk about health and safety and why you are doing it – because no farmer wants anyone to get sick or injured because of the work they are asking them to do, and because you want them to go home safe and well to their families at the end of the day. Detailed guidelines about safe use of vehicles on farms, which can be used as part of your training programme, are available at worksafe.co.nz.

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