Rural News 19 Feb 2013

lifting its game

farming legend

Shearing contractors hope to change their rough, tough reputation. page 19

From humble beginnings to a thriving machinery business. page 50

RuralNEWS to all farmers, for all farmers

february 19, 2013: Issue 532

technology A multi-million dollar project designed to improve technology for beef and sheep farmers should be active by the end of the year. page 15

www.ruralnews.co.nz

$ Millions going to waste P E TE R BU R K E peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

MILLIONS OF dollars’ worth of extra production could be gained and saved if fertiliser was spread more accurately and efficiently, claims Massey University’s Ian Yule.

Professor Yule, who heads Massey’s Centre for Precision Agriculture, was one of the keynote speakers at last week’s Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre’s annual workshop in Palmerston North.

Fertiliser application requires getting the “right amount on the right place at the right time”, Yule says, but often this doesn’t happen.

It all starts with soil testing.

“It’s been demonstrated many times that taking soils samples from individual paddocks or zones around the farm pro-

duces better data and results – rather than just taking a general sample from the property. This is the best way to address soil fertility issues. There is a lot of evidence that we can save a lot of money without harming productivity.”

Yule says farmers often have areas of their farm which are more fertile than others and some that have more nutrients than they need. He says

by obtaining accurate data, and knowing the fertility profile of their property, farmers can then apply fertiliser economically and strategically.

“It makes me laugh when I see all these models that assume you’ve got a perfect application. For a start we estimate only 25% of spreaders used in New Zealand are properly tested so we have no way of knowing how well or otherwise

these spreaders are performing. We estimate only about 120 or 20% of all the spreaders used on farm – including commercial operators and farmers tractors – are tested, so the application rates of fertiliser could be wildly out.”

Yule refers to the Spreadmark test available for calibrating spreaders and deplores farmers’ neglect of such testing. “If I was regulator

Hat in the ring Ohakune sheep and beef farmer John McCarthy has tossed his hat into the ring for the upcoming Beef+Lamb NZ director elections.

McCarthy is challenging current North Island western ward BLNZ director Kirsten Bryant. Voting for eligible farmers closes at 2 pm on February 21 and can be done via postal ballot or via internet.

See more on both candidates pp 8-9

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That’s what works out here.

I’d be looking to see how accurately nitrogen is being applied. If I was a farmer I’d be asking ‘does accuracy matter for my bottom line?’ We’d say ‘yes it does make a considerable difference’.

“We’ve estimated that even with just improved urea application to dairy farms around the country we could produce about an extra $120 to page 4

More resistance confirmed A N D R EW SWA L LOW andrews@ruralnews.co.nz

FOUR MORE cases of weeds resistant to New Zealand’s most widely used herbicide, glyphosate, have been confirmed.

In December a first case, in ryegrass from a Marlborough vineyard, was revealed by the Foundation of Arable Research and reports of weeds surviving applications have been coming in from around New Zealand since, says ‘Avoiding Glyphosate Resistance’ (AGR) project leader, FAR’s Mike Parker.

“Last year’s announcement has really been a timely reminder.”

Representatives from primary sectors, regional councils and roading authorities are working to identify and deal with existing cases, and develop strategies to minimise new ones, he says.

Parker says the herbicide is environmentally benign, cost effective and the most frequently used herbicide in New Zealand. “If we were to lose it from the list of available products, farmers, councils and roadside managers would be looking to page 5

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

news 3 issue 532

www.ruralnews.co.nz

MPI waits for answers on PKE A N DREW SWA LLOW andrews@ruralnews.co.nz

News ������������������������������ 1-19 World ������������������������ 20-21 Markets �������������������� 22-23 Agribusiness ����������� 25-28 Hound, Edna ������������������� 30 Contacts ������������������������� 30 Opinion ����������������������� 30-33 Management ����������� 34-41 Animal Health �������� 42-47 Machinery and Products ������������������ 48-53 Rural Trader ���������� 54-55

Head Office Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Phone: 09-307 0399 Fax: 09-307 0122 Postal Address PO Box 3855, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140 Published by: Rural News Group Printed by: PMP Print Contacts Editorial: editor@ruralnews.co.nz Advertising material: davef@ruralnews.co.nz Rural News online: www.ruralnews.co.nz Subscriptions: subsrndn@ruralnews.co.nz ABC audited circulation 80,767 as at 30.06.2012

THE MINISTRY for Primary Industry says it is still awaiting an official response to correspondence sent to Malaysia’s Department of Agriculture following concerns raised by a Federated Farmers report.

Feds filed the report with MPI in November (Rural News, Dec 4), including a number of recommendations (see panel) in light of the findings of two Feds’ representatives on visits to two PKE plants in Malaysia.

One plant, visited on an official tour, met New Zealand’s Import Health Standards but the other, in an area that had recently had a foot and mouth disease outbreak, was woefully lacking. “And we suspect there are other plants that are a damn site worse,” maize growers committee chair Colin Mackinnon, one of the two who went to Malaysia, told Rural News.

He says his patience with MPI is starting to run out and is concerned MPI appears to be seeking to transfer responsibility for checking our imports to the Malays. “As the Malay officials told us, it is up to our officials to check this, not theirs.”

Mid Canterbury Grain & Seed chair David Clark, the other representative on the Malaysia trip, points out the official

tour the Malay authorities took them on was to a clean, modern mill, but one that did not supply PKE to New Zealand.

The Malaysian Palm Oil Board had assured them all plants were of this standard but the facilities they saw on their independent visit to another mill, chosen at random, was in stark contrast to those seen on the official tour.

“The changes we’re calling for in the import process are reasonable, inexpensive, and certainly will not end the trade in PKE. However, as a nation, we cannot afford to import the agricultural equivalent of PSA as a result of lax biosecurity.”

New Zealand’s Import Health Standard for PKE relies on product being heat treated to 85 deg C for five minutes. While that occurs during the oil extraction process, Clark says unless the PKE is subsequently stored in birdand vermin-proof facilities, then the heat treatment provides no biosecurity protection.

MPI told Rural News Clark and Mackinnon’s report provides no direct evidence of “massive biosecurity breaches”, or that palm kernel is supplied to New Zealand from the processing plant observed, a point Clark acknowledges. However, based on the sales and exporting pathway they saw, nor was there any evidence that PKE from the plant could not form part of a

Report recommendations shipment to New Zealand.

MPI director of plants, food and environment standards Peter Thomson last week told Rural News that at this stage, based on inspection, sampling and documentation, MPI has no evidence PKE meal from Malaysia does not meet the New Zealand standard.

However, he says MPI has undertaken to investigate, to clarify the context of what Clark and Mackinnon saw, and whether it is relevant to assurances being provided to New Zealand. “MPI understands Malaysia supplies PKE for a number of uses and markets with differing requirements…

• PKE imports only from certified sites.

• Routine audits to ensure supply chain secure.

• Screening of PKE to be done before it leaves import facilities.

• Non-PKE items removed in screening to be removed, recorded and reported to MPI. • Screenings to be disposed of by a biosecure and audited procedure.

• Pest and disease risk of individual contaminants assessed to identify possible incursion pathways.

[and] has made a formal approach to Malaysia’s Department of Agriculture, the National Plant Protection Organisation of Malaysia.”

As of late last week MPI was still awaiting an official response to that, he said.

Tech transfer to farmers needs a refresh peter burke

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER in its present form doesn’t work, says a University of Auckland researcher, Marie McEntee.

McEntee, a PhD student, is looking at how technology transfer has worked in sustainability projects in the horticulture sector. She says problems in other primary industry sectors are no different.

Technology transfer is now in the spotlight, with the Government announcing that it will pay $32 million from the Primary Growth Partner-

ship (PGP) Fund [see article page 15] to improve the uptake of science and technology in the sheep and beef sector.

McEntee says the present system of tech transfer in New Zealand is linear and needs to move away from this approach.

“We need to move to a more collaborative, participatory engagement process where farmers and scientists join together to develop technologies and then to ensure those technologies are taken up within those industries.”

McEntee says the present innovation system is complex and involves more

Forest Voice

than just the simple transfer of technology; it also involves complex political and social frameworks. “People have to understand how to work with those before they can just go out there and sell messages to farmers. You hit a brick wall if you do that.”

Extension services such as field days run by DairyNZ and BLNZ are good, says McEntee. “But there’s a danger of the success of these being judged by the number of people attending. Often the emphasis is on how many people attended; the organisers will say ‘we got

400’. Participation becomes a number gathering exercise, but sometimes it’s better to have 15 people there who are really motivated and then let farming networks get the message out.”

McEntee says her research shows that often technology transfer is tacked on the end of a project – a problem. “My research shows you need to put the engagement process in right at the beginning. You need to engage closely with the industry at the set-up stage to make sure the research is relevant to industry and the farmer.”

Let’s hear it for the trees...

PLANTATION FOREST REFERENDUM 2013

The world of forestry is changing rapidly. To boost the profitability of tree growing and to protect your interests, owners of all forests and woodlots – large and small – need to be part of the action: Promoting wood in the Christchurch rebuild

Protecting our trees from biosecurity threats Backing research so we can grow and harvest more high quality timber Advocating for fairer government and council policies

We’re now New Zealand’s third biggest export industry.

If growers are to benefit from this, we need everyone to have their say and for everyone to pay their way.

Standing with other growers as part of a better co-ordinated industry AUTHORISED BY THE FOREST GROWERS LEVY TRUST INC FREE PHONE: 0800 500 168

EMAIL: olivia.jones@researchnz.com POST: P O Box 10-617, Wellington 6036

www.forestvoice.org.nz

Rural News // february 19, 2013

4 news

Final push for wool deal pam tipa pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

WOOLS OF New Zealand expects – from today – a rush of growers to sign up in its last week of capital raising to pursue international and marketing sales opportunities.

The deadline is next Monday, but despite needing a further $700,000 to reach the $5 million minimum, chairman Mark Shadbolt says they still hope to get nearer the $10 million mark.

“Nothing really happens until the last week,” says Shadbolt. “We are confident of getting there and the big ques-

tion, which no one has got an answer to until February 25, is exactly what level of commitment we will finally receive.

We are confident we will get over the $5m; we would really like to get over the $10m because that has always been the objective.

“The synergy of Wools of NZ really works around the $10m and it would show the commitment of growers to wool market development as well.

“It’s been a long hard intense campaign. Our view as directors was to get out there and talk to as many growers as we can.

“The final step is to get more grow-

ers engaged and applying for shares.

“We’ve spoken to a lot of guys. We’ve got various subgroups we have been talking to – big growers, Maori incorporations, Wool Services shareholders – who can, or have been offered for their shares to be purchased by the new owner of Wool Services – so we have focused on various groups.

“Most of the meetings we’ve had have been positive. Will they actually get around to writing out the cheque?

That’s the unknown at this stage. We have been encouraging them to focus on the opportunity.

“There’s a fantastic opportunity

out there in the market. Talk to any grower at the moment and they will all tell you how cashstrapped they are.

“That’s really an indication that our models don’t work well for us as they currently exist and that growers need to invest outside the farm gate.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews Mark Shadbolt says wool growers need to invest outside the farm gate.

Targets and accuracy the key IAN YULE says that though having the right equipment to spread fertiliser more accurately is vital, farmers must also set targets.

A good example is a farmer who accurately measure the amount of effluent he spreads on his farm.

“He actually measures the pasture where he’s got a lot of growth and so on and then backs it up with soil tests to understand the effect his effluent is having

Ian Yule

on his soil and the nutrients it contains.

He’s backed right away from adding extra nutrients on those pastures; so, for example, every time he puts his urea on he’s saving about $20/ha by taking account of where his effluent is being put. Multiply that over a number of hectares and it becomes significant.”

Yule knows of a another farmer who’s done detailed soil sampling and is saving $22,000 on his base fertiliser and lime over the 300ha property.

“This is because they have gone out and sampled intensively and understood just what needs to be put on each paddock.”

Yule says the same principles of knowing the fertility in paddocks can also be applied to water and irrigation. ‘Precision irrigation’ can result in huge financial savings as well as environmental benefits. One farmer who installed precision irrigation is saving 12L water/sec.

“While the capital cost of installing such a system may be high, this farmer believes he is getting a 700% return on investment.

Yule also points to the added environmental benefits such as damage to pasture and a lack of leaching.

Millions going to waste from page 1

million dollars worth of dry matter.”

He says one key to this is reducing the co-efficient of variation, or put simply, making the application of fertiliser more efficient and avoiding unnecessary wastage. He points out that paddocks vary in size and shape and unless this is taken into consideration wastage can occur.

“By using GPS to help steer a machine in the right place, plus the use of all sorts of automated systems that can switch on and off in the right places and avoid overlaps, some major savings can be made. For example when a paddock narrows, the machine can be programmed to take account of this and narrow up the spread and maintain the application rate,” he says.

Yule says while there is equipment and other tools which can improve the accuracy of fertiliser application, one of the challenges is getting farmers to see the benefits.

“If I said to you I can give you a dollar off this product, it’s a tangible benefit, but if I said I can give you $10 more grass it’s not a tangible benefit.”

He says a lot has been done to engage with farmers, but more will have to be done to ensure the ideas and technology are picked up and applied.

Yule adds that much work has been done with fertiliser companies and ground spreaders, but they now need to reach out to the unconverted and non-believers. There also needs to be more emphasis on communicating with women, who play a huge role in on-farm decisions.

No progress going it alone MARK SHADBOLT says his farms have made about $1/kg more representing about $20,000 in extra wool revenues through Wools of New Zealand marketing assistance to the Banks Peninsula Growers’ Group.

The group, with 50 sheep farmers, has developed a relationship with international in-market customers helped by Wools of NZ, resulting in stable, long term returns for their wool clips.

Banks Peninsula Farms chairman Paul de Latour says they recognised early-on that going it alone in international markets would be difficult without the necessary relationships and in-market resources.

“The early focus was on getting to know our customers personally and understanding what they wanted so we could deliver fitfor-purpose product,” he says.

The commercial relationship with Wools of NZ and the credibility of its Laneve brand has been a key factor to leverage BPF’s unique value proposition and story.

Shadbolt says the Wools of NZ lamb’s wool contract has also provided financial benefit to his farming operation. This contract is available to growers accredited to Wools of New Zealand’s on-farm Integrity Program, which began three years ago with four containers, has increased to 14 containers this season and is expected to reach 30 containers next season.

John Quarmby, supplier development manager with UK company Camira Fabrics, says its customers are looking for product which meets environmental standards, traceability, best farming practice and stringent quality standards.

• See editorial: page 30

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

news 5

Dissident director accepts merger vote pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

A VOTE exceeding 80% in favour of the Farmlands and CRT merger by both cooperatives’ shareholders has been accepted by Hugh Ritchie, a former Farmlands director who resigned over the issue.

“A vote’s a vote, there’s no challenging that,” Ritchie told Rural News.

He and another Farmlands director, Charlie Pedersen, resigned last month over concerns about the merger including the business model.

“It was always the plan to make members aware and members have gone in fully informed; that’s what we set out to do,” says

Ritchie. “They have made the choice knowing the information. So I’ve got no problems.”

The vote by Farmlands shareholders was 82.5% in favour, and by CRT shareholders 85.5%, at meetings last week in Hamilton and Christchurch. The threshold for proceeding with the merger was 75%.

A second vote will be held on February 27, at which shareholders must approve a simple majority of 50%. CRT chairman Don McFarlane says subject to that confirming vote, a merger would proceed on March 1 beginning a process of unlocking benefits to shareholders.

McFarlane told Rural News the result means less

than 3% of the total shareholder base had voted against the proposal and “every opportunity has been given to express their views”. He said this amounted to a strong mandate to proceed.

Both McFarlane and Farmlands chair Lachie Johnstone acknowledged the voter turnout was not high, although they did not reveal the exact numbers, but they say this is often the case with cooperatives.

McFarlane says with cooperatives “if they are unhappy they certainly do turn out in numbers.”

McFarlane says CRT

Glyphosate resistance from page 1

at substantial environmental and financial impacts.”

AgResearch weed expert Trevor James says all reports of possible resistance need to be investigated but it is likely many will be found to be because of application misses or errors rather than resistance.

The AGR project aims to develop clear, sector-specific recommendations for use of glyphosate. “We hope these best management practices will reduce the number of glyphosate failures and also the number of cases of resistance, which is generally linked to overuse of the chemical.”

James says testing for resistance currently takes about three months but a PhD study funded through the AGR and aimed at developing a quicker testing method is underway. However, it is likely to be some time before that delivers and the resulting test may still not be suitable for use in the field.

He says anyone who suspects glyphosate resistance should re-spray the affected plant or plants, recording the rates of glyphosate used, and then, if the plant still survives, contact the project team for further information on how to submit plants for official testing.

is obviously very pleased with 85.5% confirmation.

“There’s another meeting to go through; the process isn’t complete yet. In spite of the [earlier] dissent, I think there is a clear message.

“We are conscious in a cooperative there is a strong connection between the members and their cooperative and that’s why we have had 18 meetings in the South Island; the shareholders have had every opportunity to have their questions answered.”

Johnstone says both co-ops had consulted

extensively on the proposal, including recent farmer meetings to discuss the merger, and the voting reflected the strong support the proposal received during this consultation process.

“We will continue to encourage shareholders to become informed and engaged as they consider their next vote later in February,” he says.

To have shareholders vote in favour at the first meeting was “certainly the first step”, Johnstone told Rural News. “There’s a bit more work to do, the process concludes after the

second meeting.”

The merged entity will have 54,000 members throughout New Zealand, at least 1000 staff, 47 stores in the North Island and 31 in the South Island. The two entities’ turnover adds up to at least $2 billion.

A business plan for the merger identified potential net benefits amounting to $18 million from the third year onwards.

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Forest Voice

Let’s hear it for the trees...

PLANTATION FOREST REFERENDUM 2013

A referendum of forest and woodlot growers is being held from 1–22 March.

A ‘yes’ vote will give all qualified growers a say in the future of our industry. They will also pay a small Commodity Levy on logs in the year of harvest.

To vote in the referendum, you must register, even if you belong to a forest industry organisation.

Ring us, write or better still, do it on our website now.

Help create a sector that is more profitable, better co-ordinated and fairer to all players.

AUTHORISED BY THE FOREST GROWERS LEVY TRUST INC FREE PHONE: 0800 500 168

EMAIL: olivia.jones@researchnz.com POST: P O Box 10-617, Wellington 6036

www.forestvoice.org.nz

SEAL5115RNd

pam tipa

Rural News // february 19, 2013

6 news

No one-size-fits-all approach to water P E TE R BU R K E peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE FUTURE of New Zealand’s rivers will be determined by how individual catchments are managed, says the organiser of a recent Massey University seminar on river management.

Dr Ian Fuller, senior

lecturer in physical geography at Massey, organised the day-long seminar, attracting scientists and policy makers from New Zealand and overseas.

“We were trying to bring together in one room various scientists working in river science as a whole with backgrounds in ecology, geo-mythology,

Ian Fuller

soil science and land use.

But we were also connecting with the end users – the planners, people from government agencies. It was a very ambitious sort of thing bringing quite a broad suite of expertise into one place to talk about the solutions to river pollution and river management and how to

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manage the fresh water resource in New Zealand.”

Fuller says as well as drawing on experts from New Zealand, they had speakers who had expertise in rivers flows in Australia and a scientist who’d worked in Africa on flooding issues relevant to our situation.

“We are living in a degraded environment and it’s a case of what do we do and can we do to resolve some of that degradation? How can we rehabilitate our river system and put limits on water use and effluent disposal?

“What are the goals and targets and what does society want. We need to set goals and the community needs to agree on them.”

Fuller says the muchcriticised state of New Zealand’s rivers varies – some are very bad. “It depends how you measure badness in a sense. If you look at sediment as a polluter we have in New Zealand some of the highest sediment-yielding rivers for a catchment in the world. The Waiapu on the East Coast delivers some 35 million tones of sedi-

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“The Waiapu is a legacy of stripping native vegetation from the land and attempting to convert it to agriculture – a scheme that failed.”

Another issue identified at the seminar was the potential long-term damage floods can cause.

Fuller says overseas some floods are uncovering heavy metals which have been undisturbed for many years. “There are places in the world where animals are dying because of this.”

He says others such as the Manawatu, Waikato and Tukituki are problem rivers. Low summer flows are part of the problem when demand for water – especially by farmers – is high. He says low flows are a naturally occurring phenomenon, but the problem is made worse by extra demands put on rivers.

Fuller says there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to dealing with rivers. One of the main recommendations to emerge from the seminar was the need to deal with each catchment separately.

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FEDERATED FARMERS hopes a three-day farm tour this week will build bridges to news media.

Journalists and Federated Farmers Dairy leaders are together touring Northland farms until Wednesday. The tour culminates with the Feds two-day national dairy council meeting in the Bay of Islands.

As of last week, five media outlets had said they would attend. Feds hopes to rope in TV3’s Campbell Live for at least part of the tour.

Feds general manager strategic communications David Broome says dairy farmers take a pre-dairy council tour each year, looking at farms and farming systems.

“As such it provides an opportunity to ‘bolt on’ media, especially those from the electronic media, who periodically cover dairy issues but often from a negative angle,” he told Rural News. “This tour is an opportunity for them to see and learn things with dairy farmers – what we see, they see.”

The tour includes a visit to the Northland Dairy Development Trust’s Dargaville demonstration farm and Landcorp’s Sweetwater farm west of Kaitaia. The 2460ha Sweetwater Station has three dairy farms with 3000 milking cows plus 2000 cattle on the hills.

Education is the main objective, Broome says. “By informing media what farmers are doing environmentally as well as productively we hope to broaden their understanding of dairy and agribusiness. Another advantage is creating linkages between reporters and members of Federated Farmers dairy council.”

Rural News // february 19, 2013

news 7

Too much use of urea and glyphosate – claims ‘expert’ andrew swallow andrews@ruralnews.co.nz

WE’RE USING too much urea and glyphosate, says a world renowned biological farming and food guru visiting from the US. While both have a place in moder-

ation, there are downsides and they’re showing up in our soils, water and produce, says Arden Andersen.

“Excess urea use is giving New Zealand about 3-4 times the amount of milk urea nitrogen as you’ll see in US milk,” he told Rural News before presenting a two-day ‘Soils, Science and Food’ course

Why they came SHEEP, BEEF and crop farmer Aaron Baird said he’d travelled from Otautau, Southland, for the Ashburton course because he wanted to learn about alternative farm regimes.

“I want to think about the ideas and come up with our own solution. I want a healthier way of farming with less inputs; not putting a whole heap of fertiliser and chemical on.”

Multiple dairy farm owner Bryan Beeston said he was there out of “a general interest” as he’d already been taking a biological approach for three years. “We’ve decreased our nitrogen inputs by 50% and lost nothing in production.”

Worms have come back into the soil which was “like concrete” four years ago, and grass growth is better than ever before.

“We’re just doing things differently. For example we mix our urea with water and fish extracts and spray it on now.”

know it’s an antibiotic in Ashburton last week. because that’s what it’s Organiser Phyllis put on the soil for: to Tichinin of Bio Ag NZ kill micro-organisms. and True Health says The last thing we need about a hundred delin an era of resistant egates registered for infective agents in the the $500+GST/head human population is course, with a similar to be putting another number at a second antibiotic in the milk one in Taupo this powder, particularly in week. “They’re probaArden Anderson children.” bly about half consulAs for urea fertiliser, it’s “pretty welltants, half farmers,” she said.

Andersen says “the bottom-line” known a lot of that urea, and the nitrowhy farmers attend is to increase profit/ gen from the manure, is going right into ha. A second string of reasons include your lakes and streams…. It’s kind of correcting “these problems of nitro- an oxymoron for New Zealand farming gen run-off, denitrification, excess urea which claims to be so efficient.

“Efficiency means there’s none in use… and of course the latest problem is the DCD found in the milk powder.” the water, none in the lakes, and it’s all The problem with DCD as a contam- utilised on the farm. The other thing of inant isn’t toxicity: it’s that it’s an anti- course is nutrition. You’re only going to get nutrition into the milk if the soil biotic, he maintains.

“State agencies can say all they nutrition is balanced and where it is want – that there’s no science to say supposed to be, which obviously it is there’s no direct toxicity – but we do not if we’re having all these problems

with the cow.

“We’ve got more and more problems with mastitis and it’s interesting to me how the industry here will say that’s because they’re high producers under stress. They’re not even close to producing what US cows are producing, so ‘stress’ is all a reflection of imbalanced nutrition in those cows.”

Reduced cow longevity also reflects imbalanced nutrition, he says.

Ask Andersen why establishment scientific bodies such as universities and Crown research institutes aren’t researching and testing the biological farming approach, and Andersen’s answer is damning. “Basically it’s all about money. More and more of the research being done is funded by the chemical industry, and so they’re extremely biased and they’re not going to do things and report things that don’t satisfy the agency, or company, funding that information. It’s no different here from the United States, Canada, Europe or wherever.”

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

8 news

Challenger says no to PGP P E TE R BU R K E peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

BEEF + LAMB New Zealand’s reserves should not be used to co-fund a Primary Growth Partnership (PG) scheme to improve the uptake of science and technology for sheep and beef farmers, according to John McCarthy a BLNZ candidate.

The scheme announced recently by the Government would see MPI pay $32.4 million, the industry $13.2 million and BLNZ $19.7 million from its reserves. A payment

from reserves would need approval by farmers at the annual meeting.

McCarthy also wants Landcorp, with big voting rights because of its holdings, not to vote because he claims it will follow government policy and has the potential to outvote smaller farmers.

McCarthy, standing against the incumbent Kirsten Bryant, says BLNZ’s reserves are sacrosanct. He believes the move by BLNZ to ‘get into bed’ with industry won’t work and history shows it never has.

“I think the funding of this raises serious issues. We are going to have a new bureaucracy to run that scheme. It’s what I call the creeping fungus of rural bureaucracies,” he told Rural News.

“I don’t believe this is the answer. BLNZ’s role is to run extension services, so why isn’t the money being given to them to do the job instead of setting up another organisation.”

McCarthy says for all its faults BLNZ is run by farmers, but he says farmer input into the new organisation to the run

John McCarthy

the PGP programme will be diluted and this is not good.

The Ohakune sheep and beef farmer says the reason he’s standing for the BLNZ board is because he’s weary of farmers being forced into being price takers and being told it’s good for them.

“It goes back to this expensive Red Meat Sector Strategy (RMSS), which was made so much of by BLNZ. It says farmers should only concentrate on those things which they can control which is, essentially, just things on

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tion. Until we change that price-taker-in-perpetuity, bottom-of-the-food-chain stuff the farmers endure, we will never advance our profit as farmers.”

McCarthy says he’s standing because he wants to give farmers a change from the status quo. He admits that if he gets elected he might be hated by some people.

He believes the meat

industry can’t keep on doing what it’s done for years and needs to take a quantum leap. “The definition of dumb is someone who repeats the same action over and over again and expects a different result. That’s what farmers are doing with the meat industry model. It has failed us historically.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

news 9

Incumbent backs PGP funding P E TE R BU R K E peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

BLNZ DIRECTOR Kirsten Bryant is backing the proposed PGP project to improve technology transfer to farmers.

Bryant says, unlike her challenger for her seat John McCarthy, she has no problem with some of the Meat Board reserves being used to help fund the project – a joint venture between government, the meat industry including processors, and banks and farmers.

Bryant and her husband Paul have farming interests in the central North Island and she says what excites her is that the PGP offers a whole new approach to farm extension.

“Instead of BLNZ running field days where one kind of farmer might have time to attend and get the information and take it away, this project is a quantum leap in how information is going to get to farmers.

“Different farmers have different means and ways

of learning information, [hence this programme]…. it’s delivering to those needs and that won’t be BLNZ holding a field day every day of the year.”

Bryant is also keen to see the PGP target women, who play a major role in farm businesses . She cites the example of how she and her husband Paul operate: “I have a big influence on how the business operates, on the strategic and on the key decisions. Do the field days BLNZ currently runs work for me and other women out there like me? Maybe, maybe not.

“My observations are that you don’t seem to get a lot of women at these field days so how can we deliver differently to give value to 50% of the sector.

So I’m really excited about understanding about the different types of farmers and being able to deliver to them what they need.”

Bryant believes the PGP can also offer help to others in the sector such as Maori agri business.

Don’t re-invent the wheel by holding more field days,

Co-ops failing farmers JOHN MCCARTHY has taken a swipe at the farmerowned meat cooperatives, saying they were meant to give farmers a say in the whole value chain, but haven’t.

“The southern cooperatives have been dominated by an excessive dose of testosterone. They both have different philosophies as companies and each one is just waiting for the other one to fall over so they can get an advantage.

“Alliance has a philosophy of ‘do nothing, put meat in boxes and get a good balance sheet’.

“Meanwhile, Silver Fern Farms, under the latest chief executive, are trying everything they can in marketing strategies. A lot of it I agree with, but it’s almost too late.”

she says. Instead, streamline the delivery process to farmers.

She points out that only a small proportion of the Meat Board reserves are proposed to be spent on the project.

“Of the $80 million sitting in NZMB reserves, $57.5 million of those are there in perpetuity and will never be touched.

These funds are there in case there is some market failure or disaster and will be used on behalf of farmers to restore market confidence. That money is not being touched. [We propose] accessing $10 million of the $20 millionplus that’s available for industry good projects.”

Bryant adds that given the strict criteria for

accessing this money she believes it would be used properly to benefit farmers.

“The lightbulb for me was seeing that this is where an industry good organisation should fit…. investing in a project which will enable a more productive and confident industry. This is a space BLNZ should be in.”

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

10 news

Science lagging behind policy demands P E TE R BU R K E peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE DIRECTOR of Massey University’s Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre says the science underpinning finding solutions on the impacts of nutrients in the soil and waterways has slipped slightly behind in

recent years.

Professor Mike Hedley says science is unable to offer the cost-effective mitigation strategies people are wanting and in some ways the desires of the policy makers has got ahead of the science.

‘Accurate and efficient use of nutrients on farms’ was the theme of the

26th annual fertiliser and lime research workshop, held at Massey University last week. Nearly 300 people attended the threeday event and organiser Hedley says this was highest number ever attending.

Attendees included scientists, farm advisors, industry good organisations, fertiliser representatives

and staff from regional councils. Keynote speakers came from overseas.

The workshop was run with the Precision Agriculture Association of New Zealand.

For 15 years the workshop has focused on efficient management of nutrients and the effect of agriculture on the community, Hedley says.

“This year we wanted to bring in the application of fertiliser and get people thinking more about precise management even at the catchment scale, describing the differences they have in soils and land classes and how these might be managed.

But he also notes some of the mitigation options raised, such as de-stocking and decreasing production, are not palatable to farmers.

One overseas speaker who drew wry smiles from some ‘more mature’ attendees, was Dr Phil Murray, head of the new

“This year we wanted to bring in the application of fertiliser and get people thinking more about precise management.”

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“You might imagine some soils may have greater de-nitrification capacity, so that is the aspect we were trying tease out and find out who’s looking at that.

One regional council told me they needed more research on that because it’s likely the solutions for river catchments will be in the variation of soils in the catchments.”

Hedley says the public is now more aware of the deterioration of water quality. Greater monitoring and measuring has highlighted the fact that some of the nutrients in waterways are coming from defuse run-off from farms.

North Wyke Research Station in the UK. Says Hedley, “When I heard him I wondered if the worm had turned. I remember in the 1970s we had farm research stations looking at every little aspect of animal production and a few of those started to look at their environmental impacts. So now we see in the UK they have set up farms specifically to test new science.”

He believes something similar is starting to happen in New Zealand with collaboration between the government, Fonterra, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ. Massey University is also planning a similar development.

Overseeer not the bee’s knees ONE TALKING point at the workshop was the use of Overseer. Many of those spoken to by Rural News were unhappy that’s now being used by regional councils as a regulatory tool. Most agreed it was of value to help farmers manage their N leaching, but was neither robust nor accurate enough to use to prosecute farmers in court.

Hedley says the message he’s getting from farmers is that Overseer can be used to help farmers develop mitigation strategies to lower their environmental foot print. But farmers are also keen to offer their own innovative solutions to solve the problems in their catchments.

Hedley says one encouraging thing he has noticed recently is that at both Massey and Lincoln universities there is an increase in the number of students doing soil science.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

12 news

Councils in the gun over plan changes

Landcorp hit by dry p e te r bu r k e peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

LANDCORP IS moving large numbers of sheep from its farms in Hawkes Bay and the East Coast of the North Island to greener pastures in the South Island.

Chief Executive Chris Kelly told Rural News it’s getting very dry on the East Coast and Hawkes Bay despite a brief spell of rain. He says the dry extends right up the coast and is bad at Wairoa. So far 2000-3000 sheep have gone south.

“We are taking then initially down to Canterbury and then on down to around Te Anau and Otago where we’ve got some big finishing farms. There were some quite big storms that went through that area at lambing time down there so our lambing percentage and the number of lambs is less than budgeted in the South Island.

So we have had less mouths to feed so we’ve got a fair bit of grass,” he says.

Lambing percentages in the south contrast sharply with those in the North Island. Chris Kelly says it was a record 146%. “That’s the advantage Landcorp has in being able to make use of all our farms. I keep talking about the fact that conceptually Landcorp has 120 paddocks and one single farm.”

Meanwhile, the new Minister for Primary Industry, Nathan Guy, made his first foray into rural New Zealand as minister and with his visit came much needed rain.

Guy told Rural News that Hawkes Bay farmers can’t quite work out whether he has special powers or just great timing given that the rain just as he arrived in

pam tipa pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

Chris Kelly

the area. “The locals are having a quite chuckle about this. They are hoping to invite me again next month so they can get the follow up rain.”

Despite there being no drought as such, Guy says, farmers there are in a tough patch because of the dry. “The 25-50mm of rain that fell will make a huge difference, so long as they get the follow-up rain. This could see them ending up in a reasonable situation going into autumn.”

Guy met with Feds president Bruce Wills, BLNZ chairman Mike Petersen and local leaders. He visited the site for the proposed Ruataniwha water storage scheme for irrigation of 30,000ha in Central Hawkes Bay. This scheme could prompt more dairying and dairy support in the region, and open opportunities for cropping farmers and commercial growers.

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MOST OF the rural sector sees the way the councils do cost-benefit analysis of proposed plan changes as “at best irresponsible and at worst negligent”, says a Horticulture New Zealand spokesman.

“When councils make some of these decisions they are significantly influencing the ability to undertake commercial activities,” says Chris Keenan, a HortNZ business manager.

He was commenting on HortNZ’s submission to the review of the Resource Management Act which supports the proposal to require councils to do cost-benefit analysis on proposed plan changes.

Most rural agencies will be making similar submissions on compliance cost/ benefits.

Keenan says councils don’t put any real numbers to cost-benefit analysis for plan changes. “Some really bad examples include Otago Regional Council’s water quality plan change, the Bay of Plenty’s regional policy statement or Horizon’s section 32 which had no cost-benefit analysis for the One Plan at all,” he says.

“A lot of councils are proposing changes to the way the rural community can function in respect of limiting nutrients, access to water or access to land use but they don’t cost

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what their proposals will mean for the community.

“They say it’s too hard but they are putting out plan changes now which would have the potential

liamentary process and suggest some amendments to improve the wording.

Another current example where cost-beneHortNZ chief executive Peter Silcock.

to seriously undermine the economic development of the country. So we say it is beholden on them to get better and at least make a decent attempt at cost-benefit analysis.”

Keenan says almost all plan changes out now are good examples of poor practice in measuring the costs and benefits associated with proposals put forward by councils.

The change is already in the bill – “we have campaigned for it to be in the bill and it is in the bill”.

Keenan says HortNZ aims to protect that change while it goes through par-

fit analysis should be required is in Selwyn Waihora, Canterbury, where new limits are proposed to reduce nutrient use significantly across the zone.

“We are talking about hundreds and hundreds of farmers. The impacts are likely to be intergenerational and if we get the number wrong when we set the limit, then that will require a downturn in the Canterbury economy to make it work.

“What we need to do is ask the community if they want to impose such limits. We need to present the community with what

the cost is. The modelling to do that is extremely complex; you have to work out what happens if you reduce the fertiliser use on a farm by a percentage and what it does to the viability of those farming operations, be they dairy sheds, horticultural operations or dry stock beef units; you’ve got to work that out. And what the effect is on the total economy; that is what we are not doing at the moment.”

HortNZ chief executive Peter Silcock says regulatory impact assessment is done for central government legislation changes and there needs to be more rigour to district and regional council changes.

Some measures are “misguided” even in respect of achieving the (environmental) goals the councils have set in the plans, says Silcock.

For example, requirements in One Plan may discourage growers using good-practice crop rotation because of consents required and the cost of those consents. A crop grower in the Manawatu may lease fresh ground from farmers every year or second year. But now they may face needing a consent every time they move on pastoral sheep and beef land.

“It might mean they reduce the rotation they have used for many years and which is very good for the environment,” he says.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

news 13

Dry weather yet to make an impact pa m ti pa pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

DRY WEATHER is hurting North Island farmers, but it is not “an economic game changer” at a national level at this stage, says the BNZ. The South Island is faring relatively well, but the North Island dry “is a negative for sure with agriculture production being lower than it otherwise would be,” says the BNZ Rural Wrap.

“As far as we can tell, agriculture economic growth will be negative in Q1 2013 (and possibly Q2 if more rain does not fall in the north soon). This follows what looked like a reasonable positive in Q4 last year (the latter figures are not due until late March).”

The report says January was a record dry for Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Masterton.

There was less than half January normal rainfall in most of the North Island.

In contrast, it was very

wet for much of the South Island. Even after some early February rain, many parts of the North Island are still suffering dry conditions. At best the rain brought a little time.

“The lamb kill tells the weather story in being well ahead of last season in the North Island but behind in the South Island, even after adjusting for the additional lambs this year,” the report says.

“There is also stock movement from north to south. While this raises costs, and is clearly negative for some, it can at least help limit the overall hit to national production.”

Regarding milk production Rural Wrap says it expects some large negative growth rates in February, March and April this year compared to last, in the North Island. This is not only because of the dry but because last season was exceptional.

“We are keeping a close eye on the weather situation, but while clearly a negative we do not think

it is an economic game changer at this point – not at least at the national level,” it says. “In contrast to the north, we expect South Island dairy production to keep honking along, showing strong growth, even compared to last season’s high levels.”

Despite the dry in the north and likely national

late season negative annual growth rates, the BNZ anticipates national production to be up about 2% to 3% on last year for the season as a whole. Last season was up 11% on the previous season.

The BNZ believes adverse flow-on economic effects will be felt in the current dry areas as farm-

ers reduce discretionary spending.

“This is likely to be most pronounced in sheep concentrated areas where farm profitability was already under pressure from a one-third drop in lamb and wool prices from a year ago,” it says. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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A good story to tell FARMERS HAVE a good story to tell, but the companies can’t do this because they are too busy competing against each other, Beef + Lamb NZ candidate John McCarthy says.

He also sees a need to create an “agricultural intelligentsia”. “Farmers rely on their leaders to get out there and do the best for them and I don’t think they have done this.

“Our leaders have been trapped. BLNZ has a role in fostering the intelligentsia of farming. We are failing our young people; we are losing ground to the legal and engineering firms who have a system of recruitment.

McCarthy believes farming has no system of recruitment, beyond the Telfords and graduate study.

“We should be drawing into our industry those people with the best possible brains we can get.”

Keep up with the latest stories from Rural News by following us on:

facebook.com/ruralnews twitter.com/Rural_News ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/rss

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

news 15

Red meat project up and running by year’s end p e te r bu r k e peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

A $65 million project designed to improve the uptake of science and technology by sheep and beef farmers, should be up and running later in the year.

The Ministry for Primary Industry says it is allocating $32 million from its Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) fund as part of collaboration with the

red meat industry. The industry will also help pay for the project. Already several meat processing companies and banks have committed funding.

The project will run for seven years and the MPI director general Wayne McNee says the programme will transform the delivery of knowledge and capability within the sheep and beef sector.

It aims to ensure that red meat producers consistently have access to, and

are able to effectively use, the best-available farm and business management practices.

McNee says it will do this by addressing gaps in technology transfer and ensuring stronger co-ordination between organisations and individuals working with farmers. “Importantly this is the most comprehensive collaboration of its type ever seen in the red meat sector, and the opportunities are exciting.”

Technology transfer vital WAYNE MCNEE says technology transfer is a high priority for the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Government.

He told Rural News that while some progress has been made in this area, there is room for improvement – hence the PGP project. “There is a lot of work being done making new technologies available, but in some parts of the farming community there seems to be, for a variety of reasons, a reluctance to grab hold of that even though it

would improve productivity and profitability.

“I guess farmers pick up their information from a whole lot of sources and we are getting some research done this year to look at where farmers are getting their research from. We also want to know why they make the choices they make.”

McNee says if you could move farmers in the middle quartile to that of the top performers, the country could increase its exports by about $3 billion a year.

Also excited about the project is the Beef+Lamb Chair Mike Petersen. He says it’s the first time such a collaboration has taken place in the industry.

Petersen says the project builds on the work done in the Red Meat Sector Strategy (RMSS) and is aimed at helping farmers lift their performance.

“A big part of the programme is understanding behavioural change and how farmers like to learn.

Some work has been done before, but not on this scale. The social science work will potentially change how we package and present things to farmers and hopefully the way farmers pick up information.”

Wayne McNee

Petersen says the top 20% of farmers are leaping ahead of the rest and this project aims to lift the performance of the others. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

16 news

On-farm spend boosts LIC result DAIRY FARMERS are investing more in technology and animal health services to lift incomes onfarm.

Farmer co-op LIC says higher farmer spending has boosted its half-year results by $11 million to November 2012. Its revenue reached $131.5 million compared with $120.1 million for the same period in 2011.

The improvement in revenue resulted from growth in demand as, in response to the volatility of the industry, LIC had minimal, or no increase in product or service pricing.

LIC Chairman Murray King says despite conservative times farmers are investing in

the products driving prosperity.

“The start of the dairy season is when most of our activity takes place – with herd testing, herd recording, artificial breeding and animal health – and that coincided, this season, with a drop in dairy payout, from the previous season’s high,” he says.

Despite this, demand grew with Murray King increases of 7.6% in herd testing, 10.9% in “In good and in dairy genetics, 31.9% in challenging times farmers DNA parentage testing, invest in products which 17.6% in farm software, will have a material impact 2.7% in farm automation systems and 21.1% increase on the profitability of their animals and the in animal health services performance of their like BVD testing.

farms and growth in demand has been seen across our entire product and service offerings,” he says.

“The good thing is that LIC is a dairy farmer owned cooperative, so everything we do – from products and services, to the profit, dividends and research and development – all return to our shareholders.”

Profit attributable to shareholders (net profit after tax) was $30 million compared to $28 million in 2011.

LIC’s business, particu-

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larly artificial breeding, is highly seasonal. Half Year results incorporate the majority of the AB revenues, but not a similar proportion of total costs, and are not therefore indicative of the second half result not the full year result.

The co-op says its balance sheet remains strong with total equity of $214.6 million compared to $199.7 million at the same time last year.

Total operating cash flow for the six months was a net cash outflow of $5.6 million which compares to $0.6 million net cash outflow in the previous year, the difference mainly due to timing of cash outflows.

THE COUNTRY’S finest cheesemakers gather in Auckland this month vying for top honours in the annual Champion of Cheese Awards.

From the smallest artisan cheesemakers producing one cheese a day to the biggest cheese maker, Fonterra will bring their speciality cheese under one roof. Marking a ten year milestone this year, the 2013 NZ Champions of Cheese Awards judging will take place at The Langham in Auckland on February 24.

With 413 entries from 59 different cheese companies, including six first time entrants and a larger number of smaller artisan companies, this year’s competition may deliver interesting results, says organiser Vikki Lee Goode.

“A host of emerging cheese companies placing entries indicates a real vibrancy in the New Zealand cheese industry, and may provide surprising results in popular categories often dominated by larger, well-established names,” Goode says.

“It’s reassuring to see such vitality and continued passion in our country’s cheese industry.

From well-loved and respected brands through to new cheeses made by talented second generation cheesemakers - there’s so much to champion about New Zealand cheese.”

A total of 28 expert assessors, including some of New Zealand’s most renowned food experts and writers, will consume and critique every cheese in the search for the nation’s best.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

18 news

Massey gears up for the future PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

MASSEY UNIVERSITY is planning to set up a model dairy farm based on the principles of sustainability. It will be part of the university’s new Institute of Agriculture and Environment, headed

by Professor Peter Kemp.

Pro-vice chancellor Professor Robert Anderson, head of the College of Sciences, of which the new institute forms a part, says the change reflects Massey’s re-focusing attention on the agriculture sector.

Referring to Massey’s former Institute of Natural Resources, Anderson says the latest move is not

Forging links with farmers MASSEY UNIVERSITY will consider new research projects on some of its other farms, says Professor Robert Anderson.

It will also appoint ‘scientists in residence’ to all research farms, to have scientists interacting with farm managers and the local community.

“For example we have appointed Professor Paul Kenyon as the scientist in residence at the Riverside property just north of Masterton. [His challenge is] land on the east coast of the North Island used for sheep and beef.

The question: ‘will we in 20 to 30 years be still utilising those lands… for

Robert Anderson

sheep and beef?’ If so, what farming systems will need to be in place?”

Another facet of the new Institute of Agriculture and Environment is the appointment of sociologist Brennon Woods.

Anderson sees farmers facing the challenge of applying science and technology from research institutes such as Massey. The role of the university’s social scientist will be to find the best way to transfer technology to farmers.

just a name change.

“So we have people (in the new institute) interested in production agriculture, people who are sensitised to issues related to sustainable resource use. It’s a broad spectrum institute, but one of the important goals of the institute will

be building profitable and sustainable agricultural systems to support the agrifoods sector.”

This requires people from different disciplines working together. “It will come down to identifying the big issues and marshalling teams, finding

and asking teams to address particular points of issue, not just from New Zealand’s point of view but also from a global perspective.

“This is not just an exercise in putting people together, but also in identifying projects and devoting resources .

It’s about Massey providing leadership and technology transfer, but above all we want to be an informed contributor to the debate. Universities have a responsibility to contribute to the debate no matter what particular perspective that might be; the critical thing is that the debate is had.”

Anderson says Massey will make sure its research reflects the different perspectives and future needs of the agri sector. This includes the idea of a model dairy located close to a river or a stream.

“It’s all about starting with ‘a blank sheet of paper’ with the overarching ambition of building a sustainable dairy farming system. How would we go about it, making sure we bring in all the perspectives – not just the production agriculture but also such as fresh water ecologists? It’s a case of setting up a living laboratory.”

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

news 19

Shearing lobby aims to lift its game pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

MANY QUALITY programmes are developed by people “who drive a desk”, says ShearNZ business manager Peter Taylor – but ShearNZ is being developed by people who know shearing.

Launched last April by the Shearing Contractors Association, which jointly funds it with BLNZ, ShearNZ is an interesting concept where the harvester of a product is the initiator of a quality pro-

Its website offers ideas on human resources, staff management and health and safety.

Taylor was a shearer for 20 years including a contractor for 10-12 years, and he taught shearing for the Wool Board for 15 years. He coordinates the national health and safety committee. “I’ve got shearing running through my veins… it’s hard to not love it even though it’s a challenging industry.”

Shearing Contractors Association president Barry Pullin, from Christ-

“To outsiders the shearing industry can be a ‘dim, dark void’ with a rough, tough reputation.” – Barry Pullins gramme for its own businesses, Taylor says.

“It has effects that reach back to the farmer clients with quality of service, and to the wool market in its assurance that people and animals are looked after; we take care of environmental issues and so on.”

So far ShearNZ has 10 large contracting members whose staff shear about 11% of New Zealand’s sheep. “We want more contactors to join but we won’t be going out doing the hard sell,” says Taylor Standards have been developed by people that “understand the industry intimately”. “We think there’s a huge advantage in developing a programme that can work at grassroots level rather than waiting for someone else to impose it on us. Sometimes these programmes are developed by people who drive a desk.”

Taylor, in Palmerston North, says ShearNZ aims this year is to develop more systems and tools for shearing businesses to run more easily without disrupting day-today work. All businesses now face huge compliance requirements.

“It’s built for the industry by the industry rather than being imposed on us by somebody who doesn’t understand the industry.”

church, says to outsiders the shearing industry can be a “dim, dark void” with a rough, tough reputation.

“As contractors we wanted to say, ‘we are proud of the job we do and we do a good job, so let’s put some measures around it, let’s put our heads up and say this is what we do and how we do it … and we can add to the story of wool’,” says Pullin.

“Wool is a tactile product; it touches people, people wear it, they stand on it, so it’s a people product. Rather than say it’s processed in a factory by a machine we should promote ‘this is a product for people and it involves people in the production of it’.”

Pullin says for the shearing contractor ShearNZ provides a measure of their business for attaining and maintaining best practice. “Very few shearing businesses have a good structure,” he says. “So ShearNZ provides a template for good structure, it develops and implements a business plan and makes sure the business is meeting best practice in the way it employs people, looks after them and does the job of shearing.”

Mullin says ShearNZ differs from the old Fernmark and other accreditation schemes such as Just Short or Integrity in

that it is not the farmers’ clip that is accredited but the shearing business – “what happened to get the people in the shed to do the job and what they did there”.

They have “incredi-

ble support” from BLNZ and from Federated Farmers, ACC, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the wool trade. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Barry Pullins hopes to change shearing’s rough, tough reputation.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

20 world

Aussie dairy farmers unite on milk price RI C K BAY N E

SIX HUNDRED south-west Victoria dairy farmers have united on a survival quest and more are expected to rally to the group’s banner ‘Farmer Power’ to fight for a fairer price for their milk.

And the movement is now branching out into other dairying regions. A meeting was held in Warrnambool, attended by Bob Katter, and the another is planned for Tongala on February 13 with Senator Barnaby Joyce, Dick Smith and Ausbuy’s Lynne Wlkinson.

The south-west Victoria farmers, with service providers and local community members, held a crisis meeting at Noorat on January 14 where they vowed to fight for better milk prices and more respect and leadership for dairy farmers. Some speakers wept as they told of their struggle to survive, others vented their anger at industry bodies, supermarkets, politicians and processors.

‘Farmer Power’ has since attended political and industry meetings and is developing demands to put to milk factories, politicians and industry groups.

At the inaugural meeting, dairy farmers and service providers painted a bleak picture of the immediate future with low milk prices unable to match increased production, feed and financing costs.

The meeting was organised by local dairy farmers Chris Gleeson and Phillip Bond who said it was prompted by crisis in the industry and a lack of understanding by politicians and lack of action by industry bodies.

The group has established its own website, www.farmerpower.com.au, is becoming incorporated and has started a public awareness campaign, including tractor rallies outside supermarkets in Warrnambool, to draw attention to farmers’ plight.

Gleeson said the immediate aim was to keep farmers afloat. “Our first prior-

ity is to get to the Federal Government to provide assistance for farmers. We have met with Victorian Minister Peter Walsh and he has agreed to help us get to the Federal Government.”

Admitting there was no quick fix solution, Gleeson said the group had not yet developed specific plans on how it would provide lasting change for farmers but was determined to make a difference.

“It’s not going to happen overnight but we have to have change to survive.

We’re already moving on our first priority to get assistance from the Government to keep farmers afloat and then to address the farmgate price.”

Gleeson said he was buoyed by response to the new group. “It has been overwhelming…. the phone hasn’t stopped,” he said. “It’s going national now. We’ve had media calling from every state. We had six ministers here for a meeting last week, not bad for a group that only started three

weeks ago.”

The group is in the process of becoming incorporated and is encouraging farmers to join for what Gleeson said would be a “minimal fee”.

He defended the formation of a new group despite Phillip Bond and. Chris Gleeson criticism at the inaugural meeting that the industry was already should have had this meeting 12 months over-represented. “We want it to be ago but our industry failed us so we had positive, to get fair trade for our local to do it ourselves.”

Major issues to be tackled by the milk, to get milk back into schools and to get an education campaign about the farmers include the need for a better benefits of dairy.” He said the attention and fairer farm-gate price for milk, grabbed by the group was already help- returning Australian dairy products back on supermarket shelves, gaining ing farmers.

Gleeson said the number of farms, more industry support from governproduction and profitability had fallen ments, and an independent review of over the past decade while the average industry representative structures.

They also called for protection age of dairy farmers was increasing.

“It’s time for farmers to put their against subsidised dairy imports, more heads together and say we’ve had direct say for dairy farmers in industry enough,” he said. “We’re in crisis and organisations and incentives for young we have to do something about it. We people to join the industry.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

world 21

sud es h k i ssu n

AN OUTBREAK of listeria linked to a batch of specialty cheese has caused the deaths of three people. And a 70-day incubation period for the illness means the emergency is expected to deteriorate before it gets better.

Twenty six cases are linked to the award-winning company Jindi Cheese, in Victoria. Its products are sold widely in Australia and exported to New Zealand.

A 44-year old Tasmanian man, a 68-year old NSW man and an 84-year old Victorian have reportedly died. One woman has reportedly miscarried due to the outbreak.

Victoria public health authorities say pregnant women, the elderly and those with poor immune systems are most at risk.

Jindi Cheese recalled cheeses from all batches it made up to and including January 6.

In a statement on the company’s website Jindi cheesemaker Franck Beaurain says product quality, stringent standards and customer satisfaction are the foundations of its business.

“These foundations underpin the domestic and international success of Jindi. In line with these driving principles, we’re currently undertaking a voluntary recall of our cheeses.”

Victoria’s acting chief health officer, Dr Michael Ackland, says it can often be difficult to identify the sources of listeria infections, and symptoms of the illness can take up to 70 days to appear.

Listeria is a bacteria that can affect a range of food products, particularly

soft cheeses such as camembert and brie, despite strict hygiene and manufacturing controls.

“The infection will cause minor or no symptoms in the vast majority of healthy people who may contract it, but is particularly dangerous for some vulnerable groups.

Listeria can cause miscarriages in pregnant women and death in elderly people and those with compromised immune systems.”

Early symptoms of listeria include fever, headache, tiredness, aches and pains.

Jindi cheese is imported to New Zealand in small amounts and sold in Auckland and Wellington.

MPI says it is overseeing the recall of imported cheeses from Jindi in New Zealand. The recall is of potentially contaminated Jindi and Old Telegraph Road brand cheeses with a variety of best-before dates and batch codes.

Four specialty food stores and supermarkets in Wellington and Auckland sell the cheeses.

“This is a precautionary recall. MPI wants to ensure potentially unsafe food is not available for sale and that people do not eat any of the recalled products they may have bought already,” MPI manager food and beverage Glen Neal says.

Anyone who has bought the recalled products is advised not to eat them.

People should return them to where they bought them for a refund, or dispose of them via the normal household rubbish.

“If anyone is concerned about their health, they should seek medical advice,” Neal says.

UK farmers seethe over horse meat A HORSEMEAT scandal engulfing Europe has UK farmers seething.

The National Farmers Union says UK farmers produce world class raw material for the supply chain and the scandal is undermining their integrity.

Tests have found horse meat disguised as beef in frozen lasagne sold around Europe. No health risks are reported but consumers are stunned.

UK frozen food company Findus withdrew one product – in some cases 100% cent horse meat, rather than beef – but the NFU says the scandal has nothing to do with the integrity of UK farmed products.

NFU president Peter Kendall says its members are rightly angry and concerned. The contamination took place post farmgate which farmers have no control over, he says.

“This has never been a farming issue but it is certainly an issue farmers will be taking extremely seriously.

The NFU is working with the industry to uphold the reputation of British

Romanian link EUROPE’S HORSEMEAT scandal has spread to Romania.

French consumer safety authorities say companies in Romania, Cyprus and the Netherlands were part of a supply chain that resulted in horse meat being disguised as beef in frozen lasagne sold around Europe.

Romanian officials are investigating whether horsemeat found in beef products in Britain and France came from an abattoir in their country.

farmers who are committed to producing world class raw ingredients.”

Kendall says farmers are concerned about the ramifications for the industry. “This whole system of quality is being undermined by failures within the supply chain and reinforces our call for clearer labelling and a commitment from retailers to British produce.”

He urged shoppers to look for the Red Tractor logo on their fresh meat. The Red Tractor scheme started by UK farmers, food produc-

ers and retailers ensures suppliers are inspected and certified by an independent professional body.

UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson says major retailers and food distributors must agree a plan of action to deal with the problem of horsemeat in processed beef products.

“People should have confidence in what they are buying. The responsibility for that lies with the retailers, who need to be sure that what they’re selling is what they think it is.”

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Listeria deaths linked to Aussie cheese

Rural News // february 19, 2013

Market snapshot Meat c/kgCWT

lamb market trends

North Island

South Island

Change c/kg

Change c/kg

Lamb - PM 16.0kg

Last Week

Last Week

-12

4.48

-10

4.58

Steer - P2 300kg

-7

3.95

-10

3.80

Bull - M2 300kg

-10

4.00

-10

3.85

Venison - AP 60kg

n/c

6.30

-5

6.45

BEEF PRICES

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

$7.5 $6.5

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

South Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price $8.5

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

$7.5

2 Wks Ago

Last Year 4.10

4.46

4.58

6.71

4.10

4.15

PM - 16.0kg

-12

4.48

4.60

6.73

P2 Cow - 230kg

-7

3.33

3.40

3.20

PX - 19.0kg

-12

4.50

4.62

6.75

M Cow - 200kg

-7

3.15

3.22

3.10

PH - 22.0kg

-12

4.51

4.63

6.76

Local Trade - 230kg

-5

4.00

4.05

4.10

Mutton

MX1 - 21kg

-5

2.60

2.65

3.80

P2 Steer - 300kg

-10

3.80

3.90

3.90

SI Lamb

YM - 13.5kg

-10

4.58

4.68

6.11

M2 Bull - 300kg

-10

3.85

3.95

3.85

PM - 16.0kg

-10

4.58

4.68

6.13

P2 Cow - 230kg

-10

3.00

3.10

3.20

PX - 19.0kg

-10

4.58

4.68

6.15

M Cow - 200kg

-10

2.85

2.95

3.10

PH - 22.0kg

-10

4.58

4.68

6.16

Local Trade - 230kg

-10

3.95

4.05

4.10

n/c

2.51

2.51

3.75

Change

2Wks Ago

3 Wks Ago

Last Year 5yr Ave

43.1

37.2

36.4

Lamb NI

+12%

317

284

252

231

14.4

16.1

12.5

+16%

343

295

290

359

Cattle NZ

-2%

Lamb SI

56.6

57.5

53.3

48.9

+14%

660

578

542

590

Bull NI

-9%

Lamb NZ

15.8

17.4

14.6

13.6

Mutton NZ

-14%

185

214

170

190

Bull SI

0%

5.5

5.5

5.4

4.2

Str & Hfr NI

-8%

15.9

17.2

17.2

14.6

Str & Hfr SI

0%

6.1

6.1

7.3

5.9

5.4

8.2

$5.5

3.4

2.4

NZ Weekly Beef Kill

80 60 40

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

$4.5

NZ Weekly Lamb Kill

900 750 600 450 300 150 0 Nov

Last Year This Year

Dec

Change

This Year

0 Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Last Week

Change

$3.5 $3.0 Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Mar

Apr

Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year 5yr Ave

+1

1.37

1.36

1.86

1.76

NZ$/kg

+4

5.70

5.66

7.78

8.81

Demand Indicator - UK Leg Price Last Year 5yr Ave

95CL US$/lb

n/c

2.20

2.20

2.15

1.67

NZ$/kg

+4

5.82

5.78

5.69

5.13

Demand Indicator - US 95CL Beef

South Island 300kg Steer Price

$4.5

2 Wks Ago

Feb

UK Leg £/lb

Export Market Demand

$4.0

Jan

Export Market Demand

Last Year

20

North Island 300kg Bull Price

Last Year 5yr Ave

14.7

8.5

$5.0

3 Wks Ago

41.9

2.8

Apr

2Wks Ago

-3%

3.1

Mar

Change

+2%

10.2

Feb

1000s

Estimated Weekly Kill

Cattle NI

+11%

Jan

MX1 - 21kg

Cattle SI

+20%

Dec

Mutton

NZ Slaughter

Estimated Weekly Kill

Cows SI

Nov

Last Year

4.02

Cows NI

$3.5

-12

YM - 13.5kg

2 Wks Ago

4.00

NZ Slaughter

NI Lamb

Last Week

3.95

$6.5

$4.5

Change

c/kgCWT

-10

1000s

$4.5

-7

Last Week

M2 Bull - 300kg

SI

$5.5

$3.5 Nov

Change

P2 Steer - 300kg

North Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price $8.5

LAMB PRICES

c/kgCWT NI

beef market trends

£2.50 £2.00 Last Year

£1.50 £1.00 Nov

$2.20

This Year

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

$4.0

$2.00 $3.5

Last Year

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

$1.80 Nov

Dec

Jan

Procurement Indicator

Feb

Mar

Apr

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

$9.0 $8.5

Change

3 Wks Ago

% Returned NI

-2%

70.4%

72.7%

74.65%

71.7%

% Returned SI

-1%

67.9%

69.2%

69.4%

66.9%

$8.0

90%

$7.5 $7.0

2Wks Ago

3 Wks Ago

% Returned NI

-2%

82.8%

84.8%

90.6%

60.8%

% Returned SI

-1%

82.5%

83.0%

82.9%

57.5%

Last Year 5yr Ave

Procurement Indicator - North I. Last Year

110% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% Nov

$6.5 Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

South Island 60kg Stag Price

$9.5

60% Nov

Jan

Mar

5yr Ave

$9.0

Last Year

$8.5

This Year

90%

Procurement Indicator - South I. Last Year This Year

$8.0

80%

$7.5

This Year

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Procurement Indicator - South I.

70% Nov

Last Year

This Year

80%

$6.0

Last Year 5yr Ave

Procurement Indicator - North I. 2Wks Ago

North Island 60kg Stag Price

$9.5

Change

This Year

$3.0 Nov

Procurement Indicator

105% 95% 85% 75% 65% 55% 45% Nov

Last Year This Year

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

$7.0

70%

$6.5 $6.0 Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

60% Nov

Venison Prices Jan

Change

Mar

Beef & venison prices are reported as gross (before normal levies & charges are deducted). Lamb & mutton prices are reported nett (after levies & charges are deducted).

Note: Freight is paid in the North Island but not by all companies in the South Island.

Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year 5yr Ave

NI Stag - 60kg

n/c

6.30

6.30

7.35

7.02

SI Stag - 60kg

-5

6.45

6.50

7.50

7.33

M re people on the ground,

Rural News // february 19, 2013

news BEEF

price watch WOOL PRICE WATCH Change

08-Nov

01-Nov

Last Year

Coarse Xbred Indic.

-4

3.90

3.94

6.36

Fine Xbred Indicator

+1

4.72

4.71

6.61

Lamb Indicator

-

-

-

-

Mid Micron Indic.

-

8.57

-

9.21

Backlog of cattle pushing prices lower

Indicators in NZ$

Farmgate prices for beef are heading south at present in both the North and the South Islands. A real backlog of cattle coming forward for kill is putting pressure on prices - particularly in the North Island.

Dry conditions are continuing to plague North Island farmers and this is resulting in the cattle kill running at very high levels. Weekly kill numbers are 15% above the 5 year average for this time in the North Island, and 21% above in the South. Some plants are only managing to kill 20-30% of bookings and there are delays of up to 23 weeks which is a real concern for farmers looking to quit stock quickly.

Changes impacting Japanese beef market Japan’s new reduced import regulation for US beef is now in full swing and there have been big changes in the market already. Many Japanese retailers have discounted US beef products with others expected to gear up their US beef offerings in coming weeks. NZ exporters are suffering with bids for many cuts seeing large reductions in price. Tongue has been most affected as Japan is virtually the only market for NZ tongue. Some exporters have noted price drops of up to 37% on just a fortnight ago.

LAMB

DAIRY PRICE WATCH

Wool Indicator Trends

650 600 550 500 450 400 350 300 Feb

CXI

Apr

Jun

Aug

Oct

+44

4051

4007

4689

-46

4111

4157

4072

+15

4022

4007

4328

-18

4766

4785

4854

Dairy Prices Trends SMP But.

3,000 Feb

Dec

Apr

WMP Ched.

Jun

Aug

Oct

Dec

Whole Milk Powder Price (NZ$)

5,500

600

Last Year This Year

4,500

500 400 300 Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Coarse Xbred Indicator Lamb Indicator Mid Micron Indicator

Mar

Apr

3,500 Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Last 2 Wks

Prev. 2 Wks

Overseas Price Indicators

Change

Fine Xbred Indicator

08-Nov

Last Year

01-Nov

-4

3.20

3.24

4.85

-1

3.87

3.87

5.04

-

-

-

-

-

7.02

-

7.02

550

Wool Indicator in US$

500

CXI

Indicators in US$/T Butter Skim Milk Powder Whole Milk Powder Cheddar

Change

Last Year

+50

3400

3350

3900

-25

3450

3475

3388

+25

3375

3350

3600

n/c

4000

4000

4038

Dairy Prices in US$/Tonne

FXI

LI

SMP .But

4,500

450 400

WMP .Ched

3,500

350 300 250 Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

Oct

2,500 Feb

Dec

Coarse Xbred Indictor in US$

Apr

Jun

Aug

Oct

Dec

Whole Milk Powder Price in US$/T

4,000

550 500

3,500

450 400 350

Last Year This Year

300 250 Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Last Week 2 Wks Ago 4 Wks Ago Last Year

This Year

2,500 Nov

0.90

0.833

0.839

0.845

0.833

Euro

0.622

0.618

0.637

0.627

UK pound

0.530

0.529

0.523

0.527

0.75

Aus dollar

0.810

0.805

0.798

0.775

Japan yen

78.03

76.91

74.97

64.61

0.70 Nov

Euro

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

US Dollar

0.80

0.54

Last Year This Year

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

UK Pound

0.52

0.60

0.50 Last Year

0.56 0.52 Nov

Dec

0.85

US dollar

0.64

Last Year

3,000

CURRENCY WATCH vs. NZ Dollar

Recent dairy prices have been generally firmer in NZ dollar terms.

The market tone is steady to firming with whole milk powder prices in particular on the up. Buyer demand for whole milk powder has been decent relative to supply levels. Prices at the last GlobalDairy Trade event for whole milk powder rose by just over 5%. Anhydrous milk fat prices rose 7% while skim milk powder was fairly steady. NZ milk production for the season to December is 8% above last year.

But with production levels now well past their peak and dry conditions dominating in the North Island, production is expected to end up only 3-4% above last year. With export volumes out of Europe and the US now also declining, dairy prices are expected to continue to strengthen in the coming few months.

Last Year

Last Year This Year

Indicators in US$/kg

Dairy prices steady to firming

Whole Milk Powder Cheddar

6,000

LI

Coarse Xbred Indicator

700

There is very little price support now for lamb prices at the farmgate with meat company demand now waning as the Easter chilled trade draws to an end. Lamb kill rates are on the up in both islands.

North Island plants are also over booked due to the dry conditions.

Lamb kill rates are running at levels 37% higher than the 5 year average for this time of year. There are also plenty of ewes backed up with the dry conditions and companies are starting to switch their attention back on ewes to start to clear the backlog there. Prices will ease further with some companies indicating that schedules will be back to $4.50/kg (gross) in the not too distant future. Meat company margins on lamb remain around 15-20% lower than 5 year average levels. This suggests current farmgate prices remain slightly over-cooked relative to overseas market prices.

DAIRY

Skim Milk Powder

Prev. 2 Wks

4,000

Overseas Price Indicators

NZ lamb exporters are likely to be facing more competition in the UK market once Easter chilled orders cease with the expectation domestic supplies will be well above normal in the months to come.

A recently released report from EBLEX has revealed 500,000 fewer UK lambs were slaughtered in the second half of 2012 as the poor season made finishing difficult. Provided ewe lamb retentions remain static, this means carryover numbers could be as high as 750,000 head and with confidence in the sheep industry waning, retention could well be lower which will push further lambs to slaughter. Higher numbers will be offset slightly by lower overall carcass weights however it is expected that lamb production will be higher by some margin in the first six months of 2013. NZ exporters will need to prepare for some competition on price.

Butter

Last 2 Wks

Change

5,000

Lamb prices head lower after Easter trade

UK lamb production on the up

FXI

Indicators in NZ$/T

This Year

Dec

Jan

Feb

here and overseas.

Mar

Apr

0.48 0.46 Nov

Last Year This Year

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

agribusiness 25

francis wolfgram Finance Matters

Dairy Comment: Dairy Prices in the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) Auction

NZ Dairy Market Product

Auction 5 Feb 2013

1 Mth Ago

on February 5 continued the move up with a strong rise in the whole milk powder (WMP) price of 5.4% from the previous auction on January 16.

This is a rise in the last three auction events for WMP and is up roughly 10% for 2013. This is good news for the Fonterra payout forecasts and is a welcome relief for some dairy farmers doing it tough at the farm gate. The skim milk price (SMP) only shows a small rise of 0.5% from the previous auction with a 5% rise since the start of 2013. The butter milk powder (BMP) price rose 3.7% but this goes some way to offsetting the large price drop of -6.5% from the previous auction. Going against the trend is Cheese which had a slight fall of -0.1% and is down -1.1% for 2013. The GDT Trade Weighted Index (GDT – TWI) which takes in all dairy products was up 2.4% from the previous auction, outlying on average, a good overall rise in the market price for our dairy products and a good start to 2013 despite the recent dicyandiamide (DCD) issues.

3 Mths Ago

NZD/Tonne

Whole Milk Powder (WMP)

$4,099

$3,780

$3,961

Skim Milk Powder (SMP)

$4,201

$4,222

$4,077

Butter Milk Powder (BMP)

$4,172

$4,302

$4,148

CHEESE

$4,167

$4,087

$3,589

new zealand agri shares NZX Code

Company

Prices as at 8/2/2013

Divdend Yield

LIC

Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NS)

$5.60

9.71%

SAN

Sanford Limited

$4.40

7.47%

SKL

Skellerup Holdings

$1.67

6.71%

DGL

Delegat’s Group Limited

$3.20

4.02%

FSF

Fonterra Units

$7.32

4.37%

HBY

Hellaby Holdings

$3.36

5.37%

HNZ

Heartland New Zealand

$0.68

3.11%

NZ Agrishares: Agrishares are companies that earn the majority of its

income providing good and services to the rural sector. Agrishares give investors from the rural sector the ability to invest in companies that drive their local economy and in the process receiving attractive dividend payouts. The companies in this table have been selected to represent the Agrishares on the New Zealand sharemarket that have the highest dividend payout percentage. The dividend payout percentage represents the return on money invested very similar to the percentage one may receive from having money in the bank. Agrishares that do not pay dividends have not been included. Dividends and share prices have a negative correlation, this means when the price of the share rises the dividend will fall and visa versa. Each issue we will be outlining price changes and bring you any major news for these companies and what this may mean for future dividends. It is important to note that this table is in no way a recommendation to buy or sell any share but a list of New Zealand Agrishares that have the highest dividends. As always it is purdent to discuss your investment plans with a trusted financial advisors before entering into any sharemarket investment.

US Agricultural Commodity Prices Commodity

Units

Current Price USD

1 Month Ago

Live Cattle

Kg

$2.903

$2.881

Feeder Cattle

Kg

$3.252

$3.235

Lean Hogs

Kg

$1.908

$1.880

Greasy Wool

Kg

$12.450

$12.000

Corn

Bushel

$7.107

$7.570

Wheat

Bushel

$7.560

$8.620

US Ag Commodities: Beef production forecast has been

raised as cow slaughter in the first quarter is expected to be relatively high. Pork production is raised as carcass weights are expected to reflect more moderate feed costs. The beef export forecast for 2013 is unchanged as trade restrictions by Russia are offset by gains to Japan and other markets. Pork exports are lowered on trade restrictions imposed by Russia although there is expected to be some offset in higher exports to other markets. US wheat ending stocks for 2012/13 are projected 25 million bushels lower this month with higher expected feed and residual disappearance. The projected season average farm price for wheat is narrowed 5 cents on both ends of the range to $7.70 to $8.10 per bushel. Feed grain ending stocks for 2012/13 are projected higher this month as lower expected exports outweigh an increase in projected domestic usage. Corn exports are projected 50 million bushels lower based on the sluggish pace of sales and shipments to date and prospects for more competition from Brazil. Projected corn ending stocks are raised 30 million bushels. The projected range for the season-average farm price for corn is lowered 20 cents to $6.75 to $7.65 per bushel.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

26 agribusiness

Feed security and trade links in New Zealand’s favour – report pa m ti pa pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

NEGOTIATIONS WITH Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to strile a free trade agreement should be a key focus for New Zealand this year, says Rabobank.

Food security and safety – along with New Zealand’s strong trade links– will be key factors supporting the international competitiveness of our agricultural sector in 2013, the bank says.

But its Agriculture in Focus 2013 outlook report

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warns about increasing competition for New Zealand and Australia.

Throughout 2013, New Zealand’s strength in international trade links with key import markets is expected to be a competitive advantage, says Rabobank senior analyst Hayley Moynihan.

“Global supply and demand fundamentals indicate an increased reliance on exportable supplies from New Zealand in 2013, which should help bolster local prices, largely offsetting the currency drag (from the high dollar),” the report says.

But enhancing the international competitiveness of New Zealand

Hayley Moynihan

agribusiness is becoming more challenging, the report says. “Where possible, these challenges must be tackled in 2013 to mitigate the impacts of the elevated New Zealand dollar and to unlock the growing opportunities for the sector into the future.”

For New Zealand, a key focus is the ongoing

negotiations with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to make a free trade agreement. The report says foreign interest in New Zealand’s agricultural assets also looks set to continue in 2013, with the country’s reputation for quality food production making it an attractive destination for investors.

The report says other key issues facing the agricultural sector in 2013 include the strong New Zealand dollar, increasing regulatory pressures and sector employment.

The New Zealand dollar is forecast to stay high (relative to the US$) for at least another 12 months, challenging the competitive-

ness and profitability of the country’s exports, the report says.

Chief among the opportunities are those presented by the pressing global need to provide food security to rapidly expanding and increasingly wealthy populations, particularly in Asia.

However, extracting and retaining maximum value for that production – along with maintaining and developing competitive advantages – will be key to ongoing growth in exports, says Moynihan.

“The New Zealand agribusiness sector is expected to play a major role as a reliable supplier of high-quality, safe food

over the next decade, however it is not the only country eyeing the opportunities presented by the increasing food demand from a rising middle class in Asia. Maintaining competitiveness is vital to take full advantage of the opportunities,” she said.

Food safety is also an important factor identified by the report.

“Plagued by local food safety issues, many trading partners are seeking the assurance of high quality imported food and agricultural products,” Moynihan says. “And stringent food quality and safety frameworks already underpin production systems in New Zealand.”

Asia takes a bigger bite of NZ apple trade pa m tipa pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

NEW VARIETIES and redevelopment of existing ones with more appeal to the Asian market are a feature of the apple crop this year worth a total of at least $500 million, says Pipfruit New Zealand.

The industry continues to see an increase in supply into Asia and the Middle East, and a reduced reliance on Europe, Pipfruit NZ says. Supply to these developing markets has increased from 33% of total export volumes in 2011 to 40% last year.

Pacific Queen and Envy are among “Asian suitable” varieties which are gaining traction, Pipfruit NZ manager –

‘IN 35 YEARS THEIR SUPPLY HAS NEVER LET US DOWN.’

Jeff & Cyril Brownlie – Karamu Stud (South Devon) and Alton Vale Stud (Horned Hereford), Wairoa, Northern Hawke’s Bay

very productive trees, so those young plantings are coming into produc-

membership services, Gary Jones, told Rural News.

Apples growers are producing the most balanced crop they have had in many seasons.

“Pacific Queen is a New Zealand exclusive variety that has been around for a few years but it is coming into its own in terms of market demand and our ability to grow high quality product,” says Jones.

“Envy is another variety again proprietary to New Zealand that has shown huge increases in productivity; big apple,

tion now.”

Jones says Gala and Fuji growers are changing their product mix taking out standard colour and quality varieties and replacing them with higher colour and quality varieties. They are generally much redder and sweeter.

The weather has been kind to this season’s crop. “You can put water

on but you can’t put sunshine on. We’ve got really nice temperatures, they are not too hot and they are right in the perfect slot for apples,” says Jones.

Pipfruit NZ chief executive Alan Pollard says a forecast of 16.9 million (18kg) cartons was “a relatively modest volume and comprises the most balanced crop we have had in many seasons”.

Significant new plantings had come into production and “the New Zealand apple basket is very diverse now and has much wider global appeal”.

For several years now the industry has been working to reduce its traditional reliance on Braeburn. All of our

newer varieties are up in volume which is extremely positive, says Pollard.

Pollard says New Zealand can command premium prices in all markets. “This year will be no different, with exporters already receiving good levels of enquiry from Asia, Europe and North America,” says Pollard.

Again the largest percentage of this year’s export volume will come from Hawke’s Bay, which will supply 61% of the crop.

Nelson is expected to export 31% of the total export volume, Central Otago 4%, and the remaining regions (primarily Waikato, Gisborne and Wairarapa) 4%.

Rural News // february 19, 2013

agribusiness 27

GET SOCIAL Two-speed Ag economy continues Keep up with the latest stories from Rural News by following us on:

facebook.com/ruralnews

THE TWO-SPEED farming economy is continuing into 2013 with dairy and beef prices up, but sheep and wool prices suffering.

Nature has also thrown an unexpected curve ball with the persistent dry conditions starting to hamper production in some important areas of the country. The North Island has begun to dry out again after good rains in late December; whereas most of the South Island received some rain in midJanuary to keep things going.

Dairy farmers’ fortunes have improved despite mixed weather and a fright from the discovery of DCD in milk with a 9.8% increase in the whole milk powder price year to date putting to bed any major DCD concerns.

Evidence shows a connection between food prices and farm prices and the connection has been apparent recently.

The REINZ farm price index showed farm prices fell 14% from January to

ing as the realisation of lower lamb and wool prices has set in. New Zealand’s main competitor in sheepmeat markets is our beloved neighbour Australia. The Aussies are increasing lamb exports, putting downward pressure on world lamb prices.

Similarly to New Zeaing for about 40% of our land, Australia’s largely beef exports. The US pasture-based farming Department of Agriculture expects an increase of system is less affected by high feed costs. Moreimports to make a larger over, favourable seasonal conditions in “Dairy farmers’ fortunes have recent past seasons have perimproved despite mixed weather and mitted strong a fright from the discovery of DCD in flock rebuildmilk with a 9.8% increase in the whole ing and as a result, 2012/13 milk powder price year to date putting Australian lamb producto bed any major DCD concerns.” tion is forecast to increase by 15%.

On a bright note for contribution to the total Higher US cattle feed sheep farmers, ChiUS beef market by March costs are creating oppornese economic growth tunities for pasture-based 2013, of which New Zeaand lower-cost producers land beef exporters should is expected to accelerate in 2013 and as China like New Zealand. The US grab their share. accounts for 45% of New Things have not been is New Zealand’s major Zealand’s wool exports as rosy for sheep farmbeef market, accountAugust 2012, as world food prices fell and Fonterra initially forecast a substantially lower payout for the new season.

Farm prices have since picked up and in November were up about 5% on a year earlier. Forecasts of the dairy payout have a pronounced signalling effect on farm prices and all of this has also seen an increased interest in dairy conversions.

this points to upward price pressure over 2013.

Accordingly, improving wool prices will offset some of the lost income from weak lamb prices for some farmers.

While sheepmeat prices have slipped lately, forestry prices have been quietly advancing; late 2012/early 2013 have been a good period for New Zealand log export volumes and prices. A large part of this is due to demand from China.

While overall log imports to China were lower over 2012, as the Chinese economy slowed and the government tried to quell the construction and real estate sectors, imports from New Zealand were actually higher.

As economies elsewhere, especially in North America, recover, that will continue to restrict the availability of logs to China. This time of year also limits the availability Russian logs, so China should sustain demand for New Zealand logs.

Benefits of German takeover pa m t i pa

GROWERS OF Enza varieties are waiting to see if more value will come out of the takeover of Turners and Growers (T&G) by Germany company BayWa, says Jones.

Asked by Rural News what influence the takeover a year ago has had on the industry, Jones says he cannot not comment on whether it had been positive or not.

“But the returns for Jazz were up significantly so there has been a more positive season in terms of that variety that

is owned and exported by (T&G owned brand) Enza,” says Jones.

“In terms of BayWa, after one year the industry is still keeping an open eye and is still wanting clear positive results from Enza; a lot of growers are relying on Enza to get them better returns than historically has come from some of those varieties.

“I think growers are looking forward to the seeing synergies from the takeover

by BayWa especially in selling apples into Europe and Germany; they are looking at more value coming through that relationship.”

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

28 agribusiness

Agriculture training making a difference With youth of today, much is said of the negativity, lack of will to work, or conversely of wanting to be the boss without the practical experience that often makes a good boss. Bernard Lilburn discovers some fine, young, men who through agricultural training are making a difference with their lives.

Tem Sidney was a student at Hato Paoroa Maori College, near Feilding.

Through his Gateway Course tutor, Neil Budge, he heard of the live-in course offered at the 2000ha Otiwhiti Station that runs 24,000su on hill country, near Hunterville in the Rangitikei District.

He duly applied, was interviewed by the panel, whilst still at school, and was accepted for the 2012 Otiwhiti intake.

Sidney’s year on the training farm, which is run in partnership with Wanganui-domiciled Private Training Enterprise (PTE) Land Based Training (LBT), started on January 12 for the 48 week course and ended on December 21. The course covers the whole spectrum of sheep and cattle farming and in hill country. Students are involved in all aspects of farming, from fencing and

weed control – through the stock work The students have one day a week of classroom theory, and this takes place to dog training.

Dean (Hud) Hudson is the stock in the recently closed Otairi School, manager and a competent dog and which is on the station grounds. Tutor stockman in his own right. Hudson pro- Dave Atmore works with the group to achieve Level 2 and 3 Certifivides dog training tuition to cates of Agriculture. The stuthe cadets on a weekly basis, dents live in quarters on the and to this end, Sidney now property with meals in a comhas two useful dogs to take munal cookhouse. with him when he moves to Sidney was awarded a Harhis new job in the New Year. wood Farm Trust Scholarship He started with a heading prior to starting at Otiwhiti, pup, and then purchased and Tem Sidney which has helped him with older Huntaway, and fully admits, the dog has taught him a thing costs during the year. He also spent the or two, and also about patience when holidays prior to starting; pressing for working with stock. This also comes shearing contractor Tony Kendrick. He into play with hand-piece work where has involved himself, as have the other local shearing contractor Shane Ratima cadets, in the local social activities. A provides his expertise to the trainees. highlight of the year was winning the

Wanganui Rugby Union’s trophy for the local derby. He has also enjoyed the work at Otiwhiti, on neighbouring properties, and also in the South Island on properties that are linked to Otiwhiti’s owners.

Tem Sidney has gained a multitude of skills and especially enjoyed the dog training sessions with top dog trialist Lloyd Smith. As he moves on to a job on another property in the Turakina Valley, and like all the cadets, with the wellrounded education they have received, has employment for the next year.

Sidney’s ambition is to continue his education and progress through the ranks of responsibility to eventually manage a property, and a Maori block would be his ultimate goal to be able to give something back to his Pori or Iwi. Ihaka Gibb was an Awatapu College student who came on a Gateway course at the LBT campus on the Pioneer Highway in Palmerston North.

A student that didn’t really want to be there, but under tutors Neil Budge and Bernard Lilburn, his interest was sparked by the practical side of the course and by doing a calf slink run and

visiting a few farms. He left school and was a lost soul, on a one way trip to the big house, when he came back to the team at LBT in Palmerston Nth and asked what he could do. Ihaka became part of the Farm Skills youth training course, which does practical farming work on local properties whilst studying toward the Level 2 qualification.

Gibb was placed in a position on a dairy farm and worked there for 6 months for board and lodging and some spending money as part of his course.

When his time finished, he didn’t want to leave, but went to Gisborne and spent a season planting and pruning trees.

However, the love of the farming life won over and Gibb returned to a job near Dannevirke in February, and on Gypsy Day, he returned to his original Wairarapa job. His boss, farm manager, Taru Gardiner is contract managing for the owner and employs Ihaka and Meaha in full time positions milking 400 cows. Ihaka Gibb was a troubled youth and with mentored guidance and commitment on his part, he has turned his life around, and is now earning good money with a future in front of him.

Check out our websites BREAKING NEWS MANAGEMENT STORIES MARKETS & TRENDS MACHINERY REVIEWS COMPETITIONS AND MUCH MORE...

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RURALNEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

FEBRUARY 19, 2013: ISSUE 532

Central Districts Field Days FEILDING, MARCH 7-9

www.ruralnews.co.nz

Earlier field days offer visitors plenty

What:

Central District Field Days

Where: Manfeild Park, Feilding When: March 7 - 9

GA R E T H G I L LAT T

THE 2013 Central District Field Days will be one of the busiest ever with more exhibitors and an earlier date (March 7-9) than previously, say the organisers.

This fits better with Lincoln field days, says event manager Cheryl Riddell, who saw a need to give exhibitors more time to get to both events. “We wanted to give exhibitors 10-12 days to pack down and get over the strait to Lincoln. We will be moving the event back to a week later, on March 13-15, in 2014.”

Riddell says with 528 sites sold as of February 12 the event should pass last year’s record of 538 by show day. “We seem to

grow quietly every year.”

Many contests add to the excitement: Central Districts Tractor Pull, National Excavator Operator Competition, Stihl Timber Aces Wood chopping Competition and Central Districts Double Power Fencing Competition. There’ll be plenty of excitement, Riddell says.

Visitors’ looking for information will find it in lectures by the Horizon District Council (One Plan implementation and design) and by Fonterra lecturer Nicola Shadbolt and ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie (state of the economy). “The Massey University event will be streamed to the world via a webinar for the

first time in the history of the field days.”

A Suzuki ATV and Brent Smith trailer filled with goodies from exhibitors will be given away at the end of the show, Riddell says. “Exhibitors are still giving us things to put on the trailer.”

With so much to see

and do, and about 38,000 people turning up every year, Riddell says people should try to get to the event early. “Obviously they’ve got to give themselves enough time get there and walk around. It gets slightly bigger every year so there’s always more to take in.”

“What’s good about the Central Districts field days is it’s a good way to catch up with local guys.”

8.30am 4.30pm

Thursday & Friday,

4pm Saturday

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 19, 2013

2 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

Sheep dipper goes on and on TO NY H O P K I N SO N

ELECTRODIP HAS been making and selling its ‘magic eye’ sheep dip for at least 23 years, some owners still using their original machines – even some in service for 20 years.

“Many changes have been made over the years, mainly due to the feedback we get from our customers, to the point that the current model bears little resemblance to the original model,” explains Electrodip principal Martin Carey.

“The main features

remain the same, enabling the Electrodip to still provide excellent fly and lice protection.”

But Carey points to new features that are making the job easier and safer: self-adjusting sides, galvanised construction, and extra jets and covers.

So the unit can handle a greater volume of sheep easily.

The Electrodip has also shown to have great resale value.

As holdings increase in size, some owners are selling their old Electrodips and buying new ones for the new

features, enabling farmers with smaller holdings to buy a secondhand Electrodip at a lower price.

Owners are also using their machines to do preventative maintenance – including a lice-killing chemical in their fly dip.

Piston-diaphragm pumps powered by Honda motors enable chemical to be jetted into a full fleece, the maker says.

Says Carey, “Owning your own machine means there is no reliance or waiting on contractors, saving you time and money.

“Most owners with

an average sized flock achieve a 30-60% return on capital investment when compared to other methods.”

Tel. 07 573 8512 dipping@electrodip.co.nz

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Weeds, water and wheelchairs on the Horizon GAR ET H G I L L AT T

WEEDS AND water will be the field days focus of Horizons Regional Council. And a One Plan seminar tent will enable farmers to talk to the council directly about what the plan may mean for them.

For specific advice, bring your property’s valuation number, says chief executive Michael McCartney. “We encourage landowners to [talk over] queries or concerns.”

Weed control mascot Woody Weedbuster will travel about to educate children and parents about weed control.

Wood and Horizons environmental management officer Neil Gallagher will together stroll around to spread the news about plant pests.

“Wood Weed is our mascot and he helps make people aware of the threat of weeds,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher points out that Woody is an invasive Australian weed who skirted New Zealand’s bio-security, but “has turned over a new leaf” and now speaks

out against plant intruders in the region.

“Everyone has a different reaction to Woody.

“We just go with it. Woody doesn’t speak but he interacts with students.

This will be the first time Woody visits Central Districts Field Days. Mr Gallagher said Woody spends time at schools to meet children while Mr Gallagher gives presentations about plant pests in the region.

When not out walking the pathways at the Central Districts Field Days, Woody will be located at the Horizons marquee with Horizons’ staff that will be there to chat about everything from emergency management and road safety to freshwater and the One Plan.

Staff at Horizons will run One Plan seminars for farmers on Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8 with specific topics.

On both days the 9am seminar will be - Land, 10am - Nutrient Management, 11am - Biodiversity, 1pm - Nutrient Management and at 2pm - Land.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 19, 2013

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 3

Worm challenge will peak in autumn GA R E T H G I L LAT T

FARMERS WILL need to be prepared for the peak in worm challenge on pasture that occurs in autumn, says Coopers technical advisor Hannah Field.

The increased moisture in early autumn can lead to increased worm challenge on pasture, she says.

“If feed is short after summer, the autumn worm challenge can

be even more of a problem. If animals are in poorer condition, they are less able to cope with a worm burden.

Also, where animals are grazing shorter covers, they may be taking in far more worms than when pasture covers are higher. However, also remember drought conditions may decrease worm survival on pasture.”

Field suggests doing a faecal egg

count as well as keeping an eye on pasture covers and watching stock condition closely during this period to work out whether or not animals may need drenching early.

While fewer worms can survive in the dryer conditions of summer, Field says they can take off quickly after sustained periods of rain.

Using an effective drench is of utmost importance for worm control and for the future productivity

of your farm, says Field, who recommends having a full Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) done on your farm if you haven’t in the last 3-5 years, as well as carrying out a drench check at least once in spring and once in autumn..

The company’s team will offer drench check kits and advice on testing at the Central District Field Days.

Cooper’s Hannah Field (right) says farmers should prepare for peak worm challenges in autumn.

Tel. 0800 800 543

Unwrap a Birthday Offer from Gallagher Students focus on farmer safety It’s our 75th birthday and we’re celebrating!

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y Happ day Birth

MASSEY UNIVERSITY industrial design students are working on making farming safer and easier.

Tom Marshall (pictured) has designed the Huntaway, a prototype quad with a roll-cage rooftop and a seat that locks in at the bike’s tipping point.

The rider buckles into the seat, which allows the body weight to be shifted to match the direction being driven – somewhat like riding a motorcycle – but locking in when it senses the quad may overturn.

Says Marshall, “The seat is able to lean side to side to a point of 15 degrees each way. This swivel point is located near the base of the seat to enable effective movement of mass… which improves the performance of the quad, especially when cornering and moving along slopes.”

Marshall also worked on the engine layout in his concept to reduce the point of gravity. He says that pistons would move side to side and the wheels would be smaller.

SITE I16 www.gallagher.co.nz

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 19, 2013

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THE BEST digger drivers will face off at Central Districts Field Days in the finals of the National Excavator Operator Competition.

Eleven drivers will compete in planning, preparing and doing an excavation. They will also compete in a quiz.

Drivers are tested on worksite management, safety compliance, worksite planning, checks and maintenance of machinery.

But the novelty tasks pose the greatest challenges and are the maost spectacular, says the central regional manager of the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation, Giles Sullivan.

“They’ve had to do things like erecting a fencepost, picking up a manhole lid with a glass

of wine on it, pouring water from one bucket to another, pouring judges a cup of tea, playing basketball and painting something on a wall. We keep on adding fresh [challenges] to the event.”

The action doesn’t slow at the competition until the last competitor has finished, especially as all competitors must take turns in one of two

Hitachi ZX120-3 HP diggers from sponsor Cable Price.

“They provide two brand new diggers each year. The plastic is still on the seats and controls.

They provide excavators all over the country to all events and cover the transportation plus technicians that stand by if there are any problems.”

The competition will

do more than attract new drivers to contracting says Sullivan. Competition winners, national finalists and regional finalists all get prestige boosts which will help them attract business. “People who run their own business get a lot of credibility.

You also get other groups who use the competition to promote skills development amongst

younger staff members.”

Winners stand to take away a prize pack worth $3000.

And for a gold coin donation kids aged 3-16 are able to try their hand at operating a mini digger – scooping a drink out of a trough. “There’s always something going on… until 10pm on Saturday night when the prizes are announced.”

Experts to offer economic advice FARMERS’ BEST options for navigating economic turmoil will be addressed by Fonterra director and Massey University professor Nicola Shadbolt, and ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie.

Shadbolt will speak on Thursday, March 7 at 11am on ‘Farm busi-

ness resilience in turbulent times’.

She will draw on her research for the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association. She examined what resilience meant for dairy farmers and what New Zealand dairy farmers did to be more resilient.

Bagrie will speak on Friday, March 8 at 11am, on current economic factors likely to impact on New Zealand dairy farmers.

Both events will be held at the university’s site, and will be streamed live through the OneFarm website www.onefarm.ac.nz

Nicola Shadbolt

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 19, 2013

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 5

Shelter protects stock through extremes GA R E T H G I LLAT T

A HERDHOME shelter has lifted the profitability of farming through summer and winter for South Auckland farmer Peter Mansell, milking 150 cows on 65ha just south of Auckland.

He says without the two 30m structures neither the pasture nor the herd would have come through winters and droughts.

The property lies on loam, and though productive most of the year, it is susceptible to pugging and compaction in winter and to drying out in summer – not a great problem because he operated on a split calving system which reduced the load of stock on paddocks.

But in 2008 he decided to change the mating pattern from split calving to straight autumn calving; then he realised something needed to be done to maintain the quality of pasture on the farm.

“We had two big issues: the pugging damage we were going to get trying to milk cows throughout that

time of year, and feeding a reasonable amount of supplement at that time of year.”

Mansell also foresaw the replacement of a limestone feedpad used to stand cows off during wetter times of the year. “The council liked all effluent to be contained and there was no way of containing effluent in that system.”

He considered options including installing a concrete feedpad, but decided stock and conditions would create more effluent on an open-air pad than could be dealt with in wetter winter months.

The Herdhome system seperates liquids from solids and Mansell says this allows him to save effluent disposal for spring when it is most needed.

“I put dry effluent onto maize paddocks in October before planting as well as putting it onto sorghum as a nutrient booster for sorghum feed.”

Cows appreciate the shelter in winter and he has only seen mild mastitis outbreaks if he leaves stock on overnight, however the pastures have

never looked better, Mansell says.

“There’s not as much weed infestation, we’ve been planting new AR37 rye grasses and they last longer. Overall the farm is looking a lot healthier.”

Mansell also uses the shelter to keep cows cool in summer and says that is working well too.

“Cows low on condition are fed chicory supplement in the early morning and then go into the Herdhome during the day to get out of the sun and reduce amount of heat they are facing.

“They definitely look better than previously.”

With an excess nitrogen budget of 18kgN/ha/yr over the farm Mansell also has less of a leaching problem than other properties around him.

Zoe Pow, account manager for Herdhomes, attributes this to the use of the shelters. “Studies from Massey University have shown that farms nitrogen leaching can be reduced by 40% through the use of a standoff facility.”

Tel 07 857 0526 www.herdhomes.co.nz

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 19, 2013

6 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

Forks speed up hay making GA R E T H G I LLAT T

FARMERS and contractors wrapping bales will be able to double the number of bales they move around paddocks with the aid of

a new Rata drawbar hitch, balefork combo.

The company has attached mounts for foldup bale forks to its alreadyinnovative 3PL tow hitch.

Rata sales and marketing

team spokesman Oliver Amies says this was done so that operators loading bales into bale wrappers could tow the bale wrapper between paddocks, and then transport two

bales, one on the front and one on the 3PL, without having to attach a set of bale forks.

“Normally the operator would go into the paddock with the bale wrapper,

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drop it off the quickhitch and then collect a bale on the front forks, one at a time. This allows them to collect bales in half the time it would take them normally.”

pany has made a number of other modifications to the quickhitch to make it easier

Operators can then fold up the forks to allow for more manoeuvrability when shifting to the next paddock. Amies says the forks can be removed and stored when not needed.

“You can use it all year round, you just need to take the tines off and go on using the hitch.”

Amies says the com-

and safer to use.

The tow hook mount has been drilled in such a way that it is more visible from the tractor seat to make for easier and faster mounting. “We are trying to develop things that can make things easier and safer for farmers.”

The drawbar hitch, balefork combo can be

fitted with a high tensile 32ml 10 tonne capacity hook or 40ml 15 tonne capacity hook and Amies says it has been built to withstand the test of time.

Tel. 0800 80 2478 www.rataindustries.co.nz

Bottled water redundant TAKING BOTTLED water into the bush may be unnecessary for users of a new type of filter made by Lifestraw Australia.

Director Rob Shackleford says the device filters sediment, bacteria and parasites from water sucked from freshwater creeks, dams, rivers, troughs and drains. The user need not worry about parasites such as e coli or giardia. It can work with almost any freshwater source not contaminated by chemicals.

The straw sifts out 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, 99.9% of waterborne parasites and dirt and silt from water to about 0.2 microns as water gets sucked through it. An average of 200ML can be filtered per minute and each unit filters 1000 litres of water before needing replacement.

Shackleford says the straw will be on show at the Central District Field Days, where visitors will be invited to suck up muddy, contaminated water without using other filtration. “We put our money where our mouths are; people often can’t believe it.”

The straw was developed by Swiss public health company Vestergaard Frandsen for humanitarian aid projects and disaster projects in 2006. At first it was shipped by ship containerloads, not becoming available commercially until 2010.

The product reached New Zealand in late 2012. “We wanted to make it available to the general public as well as smaller charities that aren’t able to afford a containerload,” Shackleford says. www.lifestraw.com.au

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 19, 2013

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 7

Event sponsor the team to beat in tractor pull competition GA R E T H G I L LAT

TWO young mechanics from Palmerson North’s Norwood branch will be the drivers to beat in this year’s tractor pull, says branch manager Bruce Picard.

The machinery centre, sponsoring the event for the first time, also has two employees, Todd Fletcher and Roger Allen, competing as top-level entrants with a modified Ford 6610.

And Picard expects them to be the drivers to beat in the classic tractor section of the competition.

The 320hp manual transmission tractor is known for its grunt, especially in the weight transfer contest in which it usually competes.

In this, competitors tow a weight which includes another tractor. The towed tractor gradually has the brakes applied so the weight changes from a rolling weight to a sledge. The winner is the one who can tow the weight the furthest.

Fletcher surprised everybody,

including himself, when he came second in the 2010 Central Districts Field Days tractor pull event. Then in that year he won the weight transfer tractor pull competition at Mystery Creek – without ever really driving a tractor beforehand.

Picard says Fletcher was bitten by the competition bug. A New Holland T7060 borrowed from Eames Contracting was quickly replaced by the Ford 6610 which was donated by local farmers the Hopkins Farming group and worked on in the workshop by Fletcher and fellow mechanic and competitor Allen.

“They built the tractor in the workshop in their spare time. It’s something they’re dedicated to and they’re always competing in events or improving the performance of the tractor. It might have a little clutch trouble now and again but it runs well.”

Picard says they regularly come first and second at events around the country and he would be “disap-

pointed if they didn’t do well at Central Districts.They’re the hometown favorites. People think it’s quite neat that our mechanics can fix them and also drive them.”

The competition divides tractors into three classes: standard, pre 1985 chassis, and modified tractors.

Tractor Pull NZ chairman and event organiser Vaughan Coy says things should be exciting with different classes being raced on different days.

“There is something special about the bigger multiple day events such as Central Districts Field Days.” “\Saturday will see the main competition run so contractors only have to take a day out of their schedules to compete.

Thursday and Friday will see practice sessions for the main classes along with other competitions, such as the business house competition which was won last year by RD1 and will no doubt be hotly contested again this year, taking place throughout the day.

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8 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS www.ruralnews.co.nz

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Pen waterer keeps calves healthier GA RETH GILLATT

MILKBAR PEN waterers are helping a South Island farmer raise herd replacements.

Reuben Allan milks 1650 Jersey-Friesian cross cows off a 470ha platform at Waimate, South Canterbury. The property is a four-season-old conver-

sion from a drystock farm.

Allan started it to generate better and more stable earnings off the family farm.

He rears about 500

heifer replacements each year to improve the herd’s overall performance in an eight bay 360m2 shed and says when looking for water solutions for raising

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calves he wanted something easy to maintain and keep clean, and something that could provide calves with their water requirements without overloading them with disease.

He installed eight Milk Bar pen waterer water feeders and will add more when he expands the calf shed from eight bays to 12.

The 8L waterers are 575 x 330 x 275mm partly enclosed containers fitted with a float valve and piping. Milk Bar says the design eliminates most form of contamination and ensures calves can access clean water at all times due to smaller volumes of water in the water feeder.

Large mobs of calves can lead to health problems, but Allan has only seen the odd case of scours in his replacement calves, Milk Bar says. He attributes this to the use of the covered feeders and riverstone flooring, which Milk Bar staff sug-

gested. “We haven’t had to worry about rotovirus or pneumonia or anything like that. The calves always seem to be in good health.”

And though the water feeder is covered, Allan says it didn’t take much for calves to find the water. “Calves are naturally inquisitive so they found the water pretty quickly.”

Installing feeders required setting up waterlines and then clamping feeders to partitions with the built-on clamps.

Allan says clean-up is also easy. “We just need to clean them at the end of the season. It’s part of the cleaning routine and there’s not much we have to do to them.”

Allan is expanding the shed to 12 bays this season and says that he will be adding more Milk Bar pen waterers to handle water duties.

Tel. 0800 104 119 www.milkbar.co.nz

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TARAGATE WILL show its full range of electric fencing equipment and accessories.

“Our Taragate multi-strand gates have been a best seller for nearly 15 years and farmers keep coming back for more each year,” says co-owner Barbara Powell.

A first time release will be the Taragate high-strain, end insulator. Co-owner Kerry Powel says because they are made of polycarbonate these resist the growth of lichen and the like, which can lead to arcing and loss of power.

He says professional fencers comment that because of the design, the opposing wires, the fence wire and the tie wire are always in direct line with the strainer.

Taragate also sells insulators suitable for posts, battens and rods as well as its own range of electric fence standards and rods, geared reels with handles and different width insulation tapes.

Tel. 07 843 3859 www.taragate.co.nz

Rural News // february 19, 2013

central districts field days 29 New diesel station suits smaller lots FUEL STORAGE Systems Ltd of Ashburton, maker of Sebco tanks for diesel, waste oil and AdBlue, has launched a 1300L diesel station.

It springs from farmers and manufacturers expressing their needs to store smaller volumes of diesel in compliant, safe and secure tanks, with the features of other Sebco diesel stations.

“We discovered operators with a lower diesel use have also upgraded to vehicles with a common rail engine, such as the farm ute or SUV the family uses,” says Ed Harrison, Sebco managing director.

“These require clean fuel and the design of our bunding system virtually eliminates condensation; the inner vessel cannot rot or rust, so the fuel dispensed from the Sebco 1300 is as clean as it can be.”

The Sebco 1300 is fitted with the same quality components as the Sebco 2300 and 4800, such as a choice between the Piusi Cube 56 (240 or 12 volt systems) offering flow of up to 56L/m.

It has four metres of delivery hose with auto shut off nozzle – no risk of spilling while you fill. And it comes standard with a 5 micron water-separating clear-captor filter.

You can see inside the captor to check for accidental dirt ingress into fuel.

All pumping equipment, hose and

nozzle are located behind a lock up door and the whole unit is a neat and tidy way of storing diesel fuel.

Sebco offers a 2-year warranty on pumping equipment, 5-year warranty on the rotomoulded tanks and offer a 25-year design life.

“Sebco is committed to providing a smart storage facility for all farmers’ diesel requirements, and to also keep developing award winning tanks to further enhance security and safety around fuel storage on your property.”

Tel. 027 308 2800 www.sebco.co.nz

Earlier event set to break records Gareth Gil latt

MORE EXHIBITORS will be going to the 2013 Central District Field Days resulting in what organisers think should be an action-packed three days.

Central District Field Days event manager Cheryl Riddell had booked 528 sites by February 12, a little under a month to the actual event and predicted the 2012 record exhibitor number of 538 should be passed by show day on March 7.

The event itself will be held a week earlier than previous years so that exhibitors could get to the Lincoln event in time says Riddell.

“We wanted to give exhibitors 10-12

days to pack down and get over the strait to Lincoln.”

With the Central District Tractor Pull, National Excavator Operator Competition, Stihl Timber Aces Wood chopping Competition being held across the entire event and Central Districts Double Power Fencing Competition being held on the Friday there will be plenty of excitement for people but Riddell was especially excited about the Massey University lecture series, which would be webcast to the world for the first time.

Associate professor in farm and agribusiness management Nicola Shadbolt (also a Fonterra director) will speak on Thursday,

March 7 at 11am on ‘Farm business resilience in turbulent times’.

On Friday, March 8 at 11am ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie will speak on ‘Current economic factors likely to impact NZ dairy farmers’.

Even people who don’t attend the event can watch it live through the OneFarm site www.onefarm. co.nz and Riddell says it was the first time something like it had been tried at the show before. “The Massey University event will be streamed to the world via a webinar for the very first time in the history of the event.”

There should be plenty of people at the field days though.

Riddell says that about 38,000

tickets get sold every year and more go through the gates as the event doesn’t charge under 16s for entry.

With 538 sites to get visit Riddell says it is only just possible in one day with Horizons and A1 Wheelchairs providing mobility scooters for people who are less able.

Some exhibitors come from Australia. But essentially it is an event where the locals can catch up with their local dealers and rural service providers.

“Visitors can check out what’s new and catch up with local dealers and suppliers. You can catch up with who you’ve got as deal with throughout the year. It’s a good day to catch up with the local guys.”

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

30 opinion editorial

edna

Last chance for strong wool?

FEDERATED FARMERS president Bruce Wills recently wrote an opinion piece titled “The export ‘scandal’ you don’t hear about”.

It was all about the demise of the once mighty, strong wool industry and the lack of mainstream media coverage of the sector’s huge fall from grace. He adds how this decline, though very rapid, has not caused a stir on the television networks or in daily newspapers.

He points out that today New Zealand would be $6.8 billion better off if meat and wool had somehow maintained 2004 relativities to dairy. “It is the biggest missed opportunity for ‘NZ Inc.’ we have never heard about,” he adds.

In his piece Wills also quotes the recently released Nuffield Farming Scholarship report

by Sandra Faulkner who states, “The New Zealand wool industry is currently weak and fragmented to the point of being dysfunctional.”

What a totally apt, but sad descriptor for a product that was once New Zealand’s most valuable and visible export.

Wills asks how this story has escaped wide media or political attention outside the industry and the rural newspapers. He poses a very good question: just how has it?

In the meantime, Wools of New Zealand currently has a proposal out to strong wool growers aiming to raise capital from its farmers to pursue international marketing and sales opportunities.

In return for their $10 million investment, farmers will get a slice of the company and exposure to value-added wool ‘beyond the farm gate’.

With only a few days to go until this offer closes – February 25 – it is still anyone’s guess whether the proposal will make it over the line, but it’d be fair to say it must be the industry’s final chance of doing something.

“In looking forward, strong wool farmers like me have a big choice: without a wool levy we can either leave it to chance or take the ram by the horns,” Wills states. “As a ‘farmer’ I have put my money where my mouth is and shared up. As a ‘farmer’ I challenge my colleagues to call 0800 687 9665 or go to www.ourwool.co.nz and make a decision.”

Wills implores wool growers about the need to stand united and take the industry back.

“That means involvement beyond our farm gate because wool’s incremental losses will only keep mounting if we do nothing.”

Will strong wool growers take a stand and invest in their industry or let it shrivel and die?

We will watch with interest; but don’t say strong wool growers have not been warned.

RURAL NEWS HEAD OFFICE POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 3855, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140 PUBLISHER: Brian Hight .............................................. Ph 09 307 0399 GENERAL MANAGER: Adam Fricker ........................................... Ph 09 913 9632 CONSULTING EDITOR: David Anderson .......................................Ph 09 307 0399 davida@ruralnews.co.nz

“When he enters the straight, whisper in his ear ‘They’re eating horse in Europe’.”

the hound

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound?

Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz

The invisible man?

Blinked and missed it

MATES OF the Hound have been asking where Fonterra’s new chair ‘Little’ Johnny Wilson has been hiding. They reckon since his election late last year to the top job at the dairy giant, the new chair has disappeared from the scene. While Wilson is not a big man by any means, even the Hound reckons he is not so tiny that he’s invisible. Rumours have even surfaced that former chair Sir Henry van der Heyden may have kidnapped Wilson and is holding him hostage.

Should we send out a search party?

Your old mate was, last week, tipped off about a blunder on MPI’s website.

Apparently on the News & Resources page, sandwiched between the items “news” and “publications”, was the subject “blah blah blah”. Sadly, by the time this old mutt fired up the dinosaur drive on his museum-piece PC - and waited for the page to download on the oh-so-slow rural broadband - said subject had been removed; so MPI’s blah, blah, blah remains a mystery. Suggestions as to what might have been there to hound@ruralnews.co.nz

TECHNICAL EDITOR: Andrew Swallow ................... Ph 03 688 2080 PRODUCTION: Dave Ferguson ........................Ph 09 913 9633 Becky Williams ........................Ph 09 913 9634 REPORTERS: Sudesh Kissun ....................... Ph 09 913 9627 Pamela Tipa ............................ Ph 09 913 9630 Peter Burke .............................Ph 06 362 6319 SUB-EDITOR: Neil Keating ............................Ph 09 913 9628 WEBSITE PRODUCER: James Anderson .................... Ph 09 913 9621

Point of clarification, Mr Speaker!

THE HOUND had to have a bit of a giggle when PM John Key was giving new the Speaker and former Primary Industries Minister David Carter the official welcome speech in Parliament a week or so back. The PM said the one thing Carter and his predecessor Lockwood Smith had in common was a keen interest in artificial insemination! Your old mate would like to clarify, for the record, that both Smith and Carter’s AI interest is with cattle and not with any other types!

Silly cow

Job done?

THIS OLD mutt can’t help shaking his head in amazement at the stupidity of some politicians. When, recently, 1700 cows were shipped from Timaru to China, Green MP Mojo Mathers whined that cows were not made to travel on water and sending the cattle to China was an outrage. Perhaps the Green MP is not aware that a number of animals – sheep, pigs, dogs, cats – as well as humans, are not made to travel on water.

But there are things called boats and ships which float on water and carry such animals on them; that is how these creatures got to NZ in the first place.

NEW PRIMARY Industries Minister Nathan Guy’s first official visit was to Hawkes Bay to see the impending drought in that region. Your canine crusader hears that no sooner had the new minister touched down to tour the parched pastures of the East Coast, than it began to rain. As a mate of the Hound’s opined: there are two ways to almost always guarantee rain – hay making and a visit to a drought region by the minister. No doubt farmers will be hoping Guy’s handling of the primary industries portfolio will deliver similar success.

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER: Ted Darley .......... Ph 07 854 6292/021 832 505 ted@ruralnews.co.nz

WELLINGTON SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Mark Macfarlane .Ph 04 234 6239/021 453 914 markm@ruralnews.co.nz

AUCKLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Stephen Pollard ....Ph 09 913 9637/021 963 166 stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz

SOUTH ISLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Kaye Sutherland Ph 03 337 3828/021 221 1994 kayes@ruralnews.co.nz

TAURANGA SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Tony Hopkinson .. Ph 07 579 1010/021 949 226 hoppy1@clear.net.nz

ABC audited circulation 80,767 as at 30.06.2012

Rural News is published by Rural News Group Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of staff, management or directors of Rural News Group Ltd.

Rural News // february 19, 2013

opinion 31

Will we ever be on the sheep’s back again?

FOR MOST sheep farmers the 2012/13 season began on a high with lamb prices looking as if they were going to hold up for another season – but then reality took over.

It began with the meat schedule prices tumbling, week after week. Meat company leaders had warned us the 2011/12 season had incurred significant losses. This and the present lower market returns is reflected in the current reduced schedule.

In simple terms, meat companies have paid out too much to producers and the way ahead is to stay close to market returns. With all companies having found the same song sheet there is little room for ‘shopping around.’

Farmer meetings last year had been carefully exposed to this reality.

However, it wasn’t until farmers started receiving killing sheets and saw them in alignment with the falling schedule that they realised the golden age was on hold.

But is it necessarily all bad? As one mate said, most of the “extra” money paid out had gone into farmers’ pockets. So maybe we should accept the proposition that we got our payout a bit sooner than expected.

Talking to one meat industry leader, it seems that after a bit of pain this season all the key indicators point to a significant improvement next season.

However the opportunity of starting to catch up with those dairy farmers goes back into the cupboard.

With Government’s blessing/encouragement it seems there are substantial amounts of funding

available to ‘supercharge’ approved farming research programmes. It’s called the Primary Growth Partnership Fund, and for the red meat sector, click on the Collaboration for Sustainable Growth programme.

Last season, sheep farmers had a chance to rescue another ailing product. Apparently strong wool hasn’t died; it’s out there waiting to be rediscovered. If the information in the recent promotional brochure seems familiar the reason may be recycling.

Several of my mates agree with the prospectus when it states this may be the last chance for strong wools to move out of the bargain basement market and into the high value sector where it belongs. Failure to act now will mean more dairy conversions and forestry blocks.

While strong wool’s fortunes recently tumbled in Oamaru, with the closure of the Summit Wool Mill, further south in Milton a group of determined souls have resurrected the once highly successful Bruce Woollen Mill.

Little more than six months ago Bruce Woollen Mill was a sad old brick building on its last legs. But it has now risen from the ashes.

Cliff Heath, chairman of Wool Equities – the major shareholder in Bruce Woollen Mill – says production is underway and more work could be handled. The mill operation was underpinned by ongoing work from shareholder directors. It was estimated this utilised about 20% of the plant.

From a standing start of seven employ-

ees there are now 30, all but one local. These numbers could be increased depending on available work. There could be

some employees coming in from Oamaru.

Unlike Oamaru, Milton had minimal exposure to carpet production.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

32 opinion

Changes coming in the post B RU CE W I LLS

NZ Post wanting to modernise the mail was not a shock.

In 2002, NZ Post hit ‘peak mail’, handling 1.1 billion items, but last year handled only 835 million items. It is not hard to see why; email and the internet. While Federated

Farmers got the Government to lift its broadband investment to $300 million from $48 million, rural is nowhere near the penetration or speed for the big jump.

With 71% of New Zealand’s physical exports (worth $32 billion) being ‘rural,’ broadband needs to start from the farm, orchard and plantation.

Yet one irony of NZ Post’s plans is that it may introduce the rural post model to towns.

When city people visit rural areas they sometimes comment about rural boxes clustered at the top of roads. You have to explain to them that is to speed up delivery because NZ Post ‘froze’ rural address delivery

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

points. No proposal has been made to change this freeze.

In town, the postie – on foot or bike – will usually be mirrored by a Courier Post van. In contrast, rural posties are contractors who deliver much more than the mail – newspapers, ‘parcels’, groceries and even milk.

While no Rural Post contractor I know relies only on their mail contract to make ends meet, their service is an invaluable ‘glue’ in our rural community.

Farmers’ concern is what these changes mean for the viability of Rural Post contractors. We will be going out to our members to ask them which of NZ Post’s four options for change they prefer.

We could probably put the status quo to one side, meaning the choices are

really between: 1) tweaking – cutting some services and buying time to reengineer NZ Post’s business; 2) cutting – managed decline to three delivery days; or 3) deregulation – cutting NZ Post free and leaving market forces to

phony is now heading.

Against this backdrop, NZ Post does deserve credit for returning a group profit in 2011/12 of $169 million. KiwiBank was a big factor, but compare that to the US$15.9 billion lost last year by the

“If newspaper distribution changes from six days to three, ‘daily’ papers will likely have to become thinner or mirror the postal schedule.” work things out.

We could also subsidise postal services, but that smacks of trying to protect the icebox from the refrigerator. This is the danger of viewing every state asset as inviolable. I remain glad Telecom was privatised when it was – given where fixed line tele-

US Postal Service.

Commercially NZ Post’s business model must either evolve or become extinct, but farmers are not the only ones affected, since rural posties also deliver newspapers. Traditional print media face big challenges. From the Otago

Daily Times right up to the Northern Advocate rural people are heavy subscribers, and, in the case of Rural News, are consumers who attract advertising that funds news gathering.

If newspaper distribution changes from six days to three, ‘daily’ papers will likely have to become thinner or mirror the postal schedule. The distinction between what is a daily, weekly or fortnightly starts to blur. It may also hasten the move to paid online newspapers – yet another reason to supercharge rural broadband.

I cannot predict the future, or what our members may say when we ask them, but change is coming and that change is coming in the post.

• Bruce Wills is the president of Federated Farmers.

Rural News // february 19, 2013

opinion 33

Capturing animal N the answer to improving water quality Parsons insists that solutions to reduce N impacts per unit food production must focus on reducing the true inputs of N (fertiliser N, and nitrogen fixation, and imported

food N) while maintaining production. Research to improve N use efficiency in the whole system of food production, as well as in each biological component (plant, animal and

• Jacqueline Rowarth is professor of agribusiness, The University of Waikato and a trustee of AGMARDT, the Agricultural and Marketing Development Trust.

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Feds’ fees clarified IN JACQUELINE Rowarth’s column (Rural News Feb 5) ‘United we stand …divided we fall’ a sub-editing error caused the following error about Federated Farmers’ annual fees: “The federation has approximately 27,000 members and the subscription is $120-59 (incl GST).”

This should have said, “The federation has approximately 27,000 members and the subscription is $120-$598 (incl GST).”

Rural News apologises for this error.

soil) is underway, but will take time.

In the meantime, understanding the issues, rather than grasping at straws, will assist farmers make progress.

K ea IK l u Fo y r u

it is operating more efficiently.

The big issue is how much feed (and N) is entering the national herd altogether. Claims that New Zealand could maintain dairy production and reduce its environmental impact by reducing the number of cows – but feeding them better – is misguided. This strategy would improve energy (carbon) use per unit of intake and food produced because larger, better fed animals have improved margins of production over maintenance energy (carbon). But it would not improve efficiency of N-use per animal.

“N excretion, notably in urine, rises at least linearly as intake of N rises,” says Parsons. “In addition, if the same amount of N was excreted by fewer animals, it would be distributed less widely in space and losses of N would be greater per unit of N cycling and in total.”

The overall challenge is that New Zealand is dependent on selling food overseas. Food contains protein which requires nitrogen. Exporting N means that more N is needed in total and as a consequence there is more N cycling in the system.

“We’ve fallen into the trap of looking for solutions that might improve efficiency of C or N use per animal, without also thinking whether this reduces total C and N use across the country,” adds Parsons.

“Producing the same amount of food in total by feeding fewer animals better does not reduce total N required. The calculations should be on a country basis, not animal basis.”

Id

A REDUCTION in the proportion of the total amount of nitrogen (N) eaten by the national herd, that currently escapes to the waterways and atmosphere, could be achieved by capturing more of that nitrogen within the body of the animal.

“This would improve the efficiency of use of N, by reducing the proportion of the total amount of N in the system that is being repeatedly cycled in a very labile form – urine,” says Professor Tony Parsons, AGMARDT chair in carbon cycling at Massey University.

“Dairy cows do exactly this: they capture nutrients in milk which is then removed from the farm.

For the same total intake of N in dairy cows and dry-stock beasts, the dairy cows put N into milk that would otherwise have been excreted in urine.”

Parsons says the fundamental point is that grazing animals are not the real source of nitrogen; they are simply recyclers and concentrators (in urine patches) of what they are fed.

“Whereas plants combine carbon (C) from the atmosphere and nitrogen (N) from the soil/atmosphere into an organic form, animals separate much of the C and N again. Most of the C is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (and some in methane), but in a lactating cow far less C is released as carbon dioxide, because more remains coupled and harvested in the milk.”

A single, high-producing, lactating cow will be eating much more than a dry-stock cow, so overall it is likely to be producing more N in its urine – but

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

34 management Focus day crowd: farmers and industry professionals at the February 7 event.

Protein curve power The Southland Demonstration Farm at Wallacetown, near Invercargill, held its second focus day of the season earlier this month. Andrew Swallow reports.

MONITORING THE protein content of your milk can be a powerful tool to check whether your herd is adequately fed and consequently producing to

its potential.

“It’s really something that’s worthwhile monitoring on your Fonterra website,” consultant Howard de Klerk told a

recent Southland Demonstration Farm focus day.

De Klerk contrasted the milk protein curve for the farm’s 800-strong herd this season with those of

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the previous two years.

This season, which looks likely to smash all output records for the farm, protein content started to pick up from November 1; in previous seasons it didn’t lift until late December or early January.

“Just when the bulls were coming out we were turning the corner, which of course was two months too late. This year we were much earlier and were in positive energy balance through mating.”

That’s been reflected in holding the six-week in calf rate at 68%, despite a reduction in inductions, hence more late calvers, and halving the numbers of CIDRs used to 50.

But it’s the difference in the vat that’s the stand-out: production is 11% ahead of last year and on course for a total of 350,000kgMS, provided May isn’t too mean. At that it would be up 10% on last year and 27% ahead of 2010/11. “That’s quite a substantial increase,”

noted de Klerk.

So how’s it been achieved? He stresses there’s been “no one silver bullet” that’s brought about the turnaround.

It’s been a combination of sharper management in three principle areas: pasture and its use, body condition score and supplement use.

“It’s the three legs of the stool, not just any two. If it’s only two, you are going to topple over,” he warned, as the focus day questioning gravitated to a couple of this season’s more controversial changes: pre-graze mowing and grain feeding.

The pre-graze mowing is used where an occasional paddock cover gets a little longer than ideal, say 3000kgDM/ha, to ensure the herd takes it down to the target residual of 1600kgDM/ha.

Besides maintaining pasture quality for the next round, ease of eating and a slight wilt on the cut pasture means intake is increased, though there

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BUDGET blow-out looks like being more than covered by the 10% leap in production (see main story) the Southland Demonstration Farm is on course for this season.

As of the end of December, farm working expenses (FWE) were $88,000 over budget, though at least half is due to incurring expenses earlier than expected, rather than genuine over-runs, the field day crowd heard.

“In next month’s variance report we should see a correction of about $50,000,” farm supervisor Stacey McNaught told a focus day on the farm earlier this month.

The three big areas that have genuine over-runs to date are vehicles, ACC, and repairs and maintenance R&M). “Like all farms we’ve found R&M difficult to control. Sometimes stuff breaks down more than you expect.”

To try to avoid similar unexpected expenses in future a policy of employing skilled technicians to come onto the farm and service or check plant and machinery is now in place.

Savings have been made on feed largely thanks to the price of PKE plummeting since the budget was set.

To make cost allocation and control easier through the season SDF has started using an order number system, which includes the expenditure code.

“Suppliers have been told not to sell to SDF without getting an order number from us.”

As invoices come in, they’re matched to the order number, hence allocated accordingly.

Rural News // february 19, 2013

management 35

pointer may be a slight penalty in quality, it was acknowledged.

When paddocks get beyond 3000kgDM/ha they’re dropped out of the round and made into baleage.

Round management on the farm has been tighter this season, said de Klerk, so it’s never been below 21 days and will be pushed out to 30 days or more during the autumn.

“Good pasture management starts in the autumn,” he stressed.

“You need a plan to achieve the correct residuals at drying off. If you don’t, you are going to start the next season on the back foot.”

Getting the autumn residuals right means a good wedge of pasture for the spring, keeping supplement costs down and getting production off to a good start.

“It’s just amazing how much extra feed you can need if you don’t have that wedge in spring. You can go through 100, 200t just like that.”

Similarly body condition score (BCS) management starts in the previous season, managing the herd through autumn to be at 4.5-4.75 at dry-off, to ensure they’re at BCS 5 or more at calving. “We know we can put on half a condition score over winter.”

Indeed, this season’s

production at SDF is reaping the benefit of PKE feeding through a summer dry last year such that only 8 of the 800-head herd were below that 4.5 target at dry off, and all made BCS 5 or just above at calving. “There was very little variation.”

At the start of mating none were below BCS 4.0 and the herd averaged 4.3.

“You could argue it should be even higher, closer to 4.5,” suggested de Klerk.

The third leg of de Klerk’s stool, by his own acknowledgment, was “the contentious one”: supplement feeding. For the first time this year SDF is feeding barley and will use about 90t for the season, as well as some palm kernel expeller meal (PKE) and silage.

“We’ve used the barley to increase energy intake, but more in the

sdf season summary • Production 11% up YTD • Mating result held with less intervention • FWE over-run outweighed by output • Three key drivers: better BCS, pasture, and supplement management.

Skinny cows are getting extra feed through autumn at the Southland Demonstration Farm.

spring than now… The aim is to feed enough to meet demand. We’ve just adjusted the supplement to meet the cow’s requirements. If you use supplement right it actually helps

and complements pasture management.”

Later in the season, with the herd producing less, PKE will be used instead of barley, with about 120kgDM/cow of

each used in total. With silage, the supplement budget for the season is 370kgDM/cow, compared to 544kg in 2011/12 (summer drought) and 270kgDM/ha in 2010/11.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

management 37

Green waste brings yield gains Compost for forage brassica break-even

A N D REW SWA LLOW

COMPOST APPLICATIONS could substantially boost crop or pastoral profits, judging by the recently released report of a three-year, $720,000 Sustainable Farming Fund project.

The 66-page report details the use of the recycled municipal waste in three-years trials at four sites: on grass and forage crops at Albury, South Canterbury; across an arable rotation of wheat, silage maize, oats/ryegrass, and peas at Lincoln; in intensive vegetables north of Christchurch; and kale grown on ex-forestry land at Bankside, central Canterbury.

In all but the vegetable situation compost applications proved profitable even after freight and spreading costs, but how profitable depended on rates and crop (see table). “The benefits were what you’d anticipate with importing organic matter,” report lead author and project co-ordinator Abie Horrocks, of Plant and Food Research, told Rural News.

Besides providing macro-nutrients phosphate, potash and nitrogen, and several micro-nutrients, the compost increases soilavailable water holding capacity, although at less than the maximum 100t/ ha rate used in the trials the differences were not statistically significant. “It was just a trend.”

The nutrient results were more marked, with compost boosting soil total N (t/ha) and available N (AMN) in the top 7.5cm strongly, typically by 40-50kgN/ha. Even a year or two after application there was a residual benefit of increased available nitrogen in the soils where compost had been added.

Similarly compost gave statistically significant increases in soil phosphorus, potash and cation exchange capacity, although increases in P and K from initial applications were not evident by the end of the threeyear trial.

In respect of pasture or crop responses, 50t/ ha of compost applied to pasture in the South Canterbury trial saw about

Application/ha 12t

Compost spreading on the South Canterbury trial site.

4.5tDM/ha grazed December to March in 2007/8 compared to about 1.5tDM/ha where the pasture had 18kg of phosphate as fertiliser applied. After reseeding the paddock due to grass grub damage, over 2tDM/ha more grass was grazed from the compost treated plots, a 14% increase.

“While this was lower than the initial benefits that were measured from the compost in the first sward it does highlight that up to three years following a single application of compost a grass pasture can still obtain benefits,” notes the report.

The report concludes that municipal compost can enhance production for at least two years following a single application in arable, pastoral and forage crop systems, with regular applications of 8-12t/ha every 1-2 years accompanied by a 33% cut in nitrogen fertiliser being the most financially viable scenario. In a three-year, one-off application scenario, 50t/ha was more financially viable than 25t/ ha.

Laboratory work showed compost-treated soils had higher microbial activity and higher mineral nitrogen, suggesting a short-term crop benefit would be seen. However, compost did not increase leaching.

The compost for the Albury trial came from Transpacific Industries which processes Timaru’s green waste; all the other sites were supplied by Living Earth which does the same at Christchurch, currently producing about 40,000t/year, nearly all of which is sold to farms.

“Our whole focus is on the rural market,” Living Earth’s Trevor Chatterton told Rural News.

Users include dairy, arable and sheep and beef farmers, though the to page 39

Time-frame 1 year**

Yield Increase*

Break-even Freight Rate***

13%

$14.60

50t

2 year

31%

$8.30

25t

2 year

12%

$3.10

100t

2 year

45%

$1.30

50t

1 year

48%

Not measured

*Yield over standard farm practice, no compost applied ** Fertiliser reduced to 60% of standard farm practice ***Compost costed at $12.50/t plus $6.50/ha spreading. Freight rates higher than the break-even would render application unprofitable.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

management 39

Savings in sheds worth having THERE ARE many ways to skin a cat, and so it is with energy saving on dairy farms, delegates at a Smaller Milk Supply Herds (SMASH) workshop in Waikato last week learned.

Energy consultant Jim Miller says in some cases the answer is to change to once-daily hot washing of the milking plant.

Alternatively, pre-heating water with heat recovered from refrigeration plants, or solar water heating, are viable options.

Addressing the workshop Miller urged farmers to work out the best option for their farm.

“A lot of opportunities are ‘either/or’ – if you recover heat from the refrigeration plant you erode the case for solar heating and vice versa.”

Miller, of Millbridge Consulting, managed the Dairy Electricity Advisory Programme, jointly commissioned by the Government and Fonterra. Energy consultants audited energy use on 150 dairy farms nationwide in 2009-10 and 2010-11. They found a typical farm producing 125,000kgMS will use about 75,000kWh/yr and spend about $17,500 on electricity.

Dairy farms use 2.5% of New Zealand’s electricity production but as Miller notes, energy isn’t a big component of farm costs.

Nonetheless, a 10% saving is worth having, he says.

The audits covered water heating, milk cool-

ing and vats, vacuum and milk pumps, lighting, irrigation and effluent systems. Water heating accounted for 24% of consumption, water pumping 22%, refrigeration 17% and vacuum pumps 15%.

Miller says at least 70% of savings could be in water heating, although how to achieve them would vary from farm to farm. First priority would be to minimise the hot water load by fixing leaks, ensuring water was no hotter than necessary, keeping cylinder insulation in good nick and jacketing older cylinders.

Virtually every farm could cost effectively recover heat from refrigeration to use in preheating water, he says.

“Which option is best depends on tariffs, how much hot water you use, and how much you are prepared to spend.”

Solar hot water, ground- or air-source heat pumps, and bottled LPG are also options.

Savings can also be achieved at refrigeration by keeping condensers clean and allowing free air movement around them.

Vat insulation, most suited to outdoor vats, costs $1000-$2500. Miller says this commonly achieves payback in about three years.

Effluent and water pumping suck up more electricity during milking and smaller, more efficient pumps for effluent can cut bills.

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Compost by the truck load from page 37

latter’s use tends to be on paddocks destined for winter feed for dairy stock. “One dairy farmer we supply used 15,000t over 18 months. He top-dressed it over 500ha.”

Users are generally within a 50-70km radius of Living Earth’s Bromley production plant, though cheaper freight rates to the Ashburton area as backloads for trucks after delivering goods such as grain to Christchurch make it viable there too.

Minimum sales volume is a truckload and a truck and trailer unit typically carries 28t. Standard price is $12/t but large orders are negotiated.

• Horrocks et al’s report can be downloaded from Sustainable Farming Fund area of MPI’s website, www.mpi.govt.nz , project no. 09/152.

motor set will cost about $1800 but will use $1200 of electricity per year or $12,000 over 10 years. It doesn’t pay to trade off too much efficiency for lower capital cost.”

Miller advises shopping around when looking for ways to save energy.

“Don’t jump at the first suggestion that sounds good. Take the time to work out the best option.”

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

40 management

Feed budget before mating Management of ewes and rams approaching and during mating sets the ceiling on next year’s production. Andrew Swallow gets a timely reminder from Southland-based consultant John Scandrett about the principles that will pay.

IF YOU haven’t already done it, it’s time to do a feed budget for your farm from now through to lambing. Doing so will lay the foundations for next season’s production, including the lamb drop you’re likely to get, says Southland-based consultant John Scandrett.

“I believe in taking a holistic approach: you can’t divorce one part of farm management from another. Doing a feed budget now will tell you

whether you’re going to have your target pasture covers when the ram goes out, and thereafter.”

In Southland typically 70-75% of winter feed demand needs to be on farm in the paddock as pasture or crop, or as supplement, at the end of the first tupping cycle.

“The rest can come from growth.”

Assessing how much is there now, and what stock are on farm — hence current feed demand – is the

next step, followed by looking at planned tupping date, and corresponding lambing date and the spring feed demand that will create. “If you’re driving for more multiples, you need to take that into account now.”

More lambs hitting the ground in spring may mean tupping needs to be moved back a few days or even a week to ensure pasture covers are adequate to feed ewes to their potential once

Online resource

Scandrett recommends www.farmingsheep.co.nz for further sheep management advice, including a feed budget template which is available on the bottom of the winter feeding page.

they’ve lambed.

Knowing ewe weights now, and crucially condition score, to accurately assess feed demand is also important. “Your flock

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should be averaging condition score 3.0, if not 3.25, and ideally there should be no animal below 2.5.”

Splitting flocks so that low-condition ewes can be preferentially fed ready for mating should be considered. If ewes are in good condition approaching mating, the need for, and indeed response to, flushing is much reduced, he points out.

A common trap in a growthy season is lack of good quality pasture coming into tupping so mob grazing a few paddocks a month or so before mating to clean out low quality grass is a good idea. “You need a minimum of about 500 ewes/ ha so you can graze them down in 1-2 days and move them on. It’s better for the sheep and the pastures.”

If cattle are available, they can be used to help

Ewes should be condition score three or better, says consultant John Scandrett.

do the job. “It’s been suggested cattle on a sheep farm can lead to a 50g/day increase in lamb growth rate.”

Whether to flush or not will depend on ewe condition.

“With heavy ewes, condition 3.5 or over, you shouldn’t expect a response. But if you’ve got light ewes it is worthwhile flushing.” However, if flushing risks leaving the farm short of feed it’s better to save the pasture for later and use it to try to maintain ewe condition score through to lambing.

“In our No More Bearings project we found losing half a condition score more in ewe condition from tupping to lambing led to a 30g/day reduction in lamb growth rate from birth to weaning… That’s 6kg or so less lamb at weaning from a twin bearing ewe so there’s a lot of merit in making sure you’ve got the

feed to maintain ewe condition as much as possible during pregnancy.”

Other checks to run through pre-mating are the potential for animal health issues such mineral deficiencies, and parasites. “Adult ewes, well fed, shouldn’t have a worm burden but two-tooths can so it can be worth doing a faecal egg count on them to check what’s going on.”

If ewes have to be handled in the week or two prior to tupping extra care should be taken, he adds.

“And don’t forget the other half of the equation – the rams.” They should been palpated and be in clean, dry paddocks that won’t cause foot problems. Any sign that rams are off-colour should ring alarm bells. “Anything that raises a ram’s temperature can cause temporary infertility for a number of weeks.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

management 41

Post-em maize herbicide hopes andrew swallow

MAIZE GROWERS, and indeed their customers, could have a solution to a growing weed control problem come next spring’s sowings.

Agrichemical manufacturer BASF has applied to get herbicide active ingredient topramezone registered here as Arietta for use post-emergence in silage and grain crops.

“It’s an HPPD inhibitor which basically affects the production of carotinoids in the leaf, ie chlorophyll production,” explains BASF’s Waikato-based agronomist John Haliday.

While there’s already one HPPD on the market for use in maize – mesotrione-based Callisto – uniquely topramezone promises to control grassweeds, including problem species yellow bristle grass.

“There are a number of post-emergence products available but none of them deal with grasses particularly well,” notes Halliday. “ They only work if the grass is very, very small

and the problem with that is if you spray them then, you often get a second flush coming through.

With topramezone you can let the grass get quite high and just hit it the once.”

A good range of broadleaved weeds are controlled too so the need for a tank-mix with the suspension concentrate formulation is unlikely, he adds.

However, it can be coapplied if necessary with other products, one possible scenario being addition of dicamba to boost control of convolvulus.

Where growers have sown maize year after year, the new active promises to take out problem weeds which are increasingly evading traditional preemergence controls such as Atrazine or Acetochlor.

For those growing in an arable rotation, cereal volunteers are taken out too.

Controlling weeds such as yellow bristle grass not only promises to benefit the maize crop, reducing competition, but possibly more importantly

takes out the potential for seed contamination of silage leading to such species establishing in pasture when the maize silage is fed.

“Agresearch is particularly interested in topramezone for its action on yellow bristle grass as nothing else seems to deal with it very well, even two

applications of nicosulfuron.”

As an ALS-inhibitor, repeat applications of the sulfonyl-urea nicosulfuron wouldn’t be ideal from a resistant weed management point of view in any case, he notes.

As for the resistance risk with HPPDs, users always need to be aware

of such issues but with one hit of topramezone doing the job, and a range of alternative modes of action available to use in sequence or rotation, it shouldn’t become a problem, he believes.

BASF’s John Haliday checks out weed control in a crop.

Correction Contrary to Rural News February 5, p22, spray adjuvant Cadet is not a trade name product of BASF, nor does it include the active topramezone. Topramezone is the active ingredient in a yet to be approved grass and broadleaf weed post-emergence herbicide from BASF. It was used as a standalone treatment in the FAR trials, without the addition of Cadet. BASF plans to launch topramezone for the spring 2013 maize growing season under the trade name Arietta. Arietta is sold as Armezon in the USA. It comes into the postemergence maize market after growers had experienced variable results with the traditional herbicide options available (see main story). BASF says it looks to have good activity on new problem weed, broom corn millet.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

42 animal health

Good bugs for pigs, calves next? alan harman

FEEDING BACTERIA to young pigs may become standard after American research found it appears to help them fight infections and stay healthy during weaning.

Mississippi State University

researcher Janet Donaldson says a study of 36 weanling-age pigs found lipid-producing Rhodococcus opacus bacteria increased circulating triglycerides, a crucial source of energy for the immune system.

“We could potentially strengthen the immune system by providing this bac-

terium to animals at a stage when they are in need of additional energy,” she says.

“By providing an alternative energy source, the pigs are most likely going to be able to fight off infections more efficiently.”

GP toxo awareness wanting Andrew Swallow’s article about Toxoplasmosis as a human health issue (Rural News Feb 5) illustrates how little the medical types understand about this disease.

I accidentally injected myself with Toxovax a few years ago. What to do?

The National Poisons Centre was useless: they thought the danger was infection from the dirty needle.

Eventually I made my way to Accident and Emergency, armed with information from my vet detailing the treatment required to prevent a toxo infection.

Unfortunately I saw a doctor who fancies himself as an organic farmer and has no respect for vets.

He refused to even look at the information from the vet, said the vaccine couldn’t cause infection, rubbed the wound with alcohol, and sent me home.

Two weeks later I thought I was getting the ‘flu, with headaches and joint pain from hell, fatigue and confusion. This went on for about a month, before I discovered a huge lymph node above the injection site.

A subsequent blood test

confirmed toxo. I believe that the actions required after accidental injection should be detailed in a leaflet in the box of Toxovax.

I also believe that the National Poisons Centre should be better informed given that the Toxovax packet says to contact them in case of injection. As for vaccination of sheep, my experience convinced me it should be done well before mating to give them time to get over the infection. It sure as hell took my mind off sex!

Julian Price, Oamaru

Researchers found piglets better able to cope with weaning.

Donaldson and other researchers tested R. opacus because the bacterium naturally makes large amounts of triglycerides. Normally, R. opacus would use the triglycerides for its own energy, but a pig can use the triglycerides too.

US Agricultural Research Service livestock issues research leader Jeff Carroll says R. opacus could be used like an energy producing probiotic.

Weanling pigs are more susceptible to pathogens and stress because they have to adjust to a new diet and a new environment. To add to the risk, weaning comes at a time when a pig’s immune system is immature. The stress of weaning can lead to reduced feed intake, less available energy and an increased risk of infection.

The researchers say that with an oral

supplement of live R. opacus, weanling pigs would have an alternative source of energy. Even if pigs ate less feed, they would still have access to the triglycerides produced by the bacteria.

No negative side effects were seen in the pigs given R. opacus and Donaldson says the findings could someday see pig producers using R. opacus on-farm, supplied to pigs through water systems.

The next step is to test how pigs given R. opacus react to an immune challenge such as Salmonella. Carroll says he’s also curious to see if R. opacus can help calves stay healthy during transport.

The project is the 2013 recipient of the National Pork Board Swine Industry Award for Innovation.

Notice of Clarification Fine Particle Lime vs Ag-lime Contrary to comments being made by some prominent New Zealand Soil Scientists, testing carried out by the Australian Agricultural Research Institute, clearly shows that lime’s efficiency increases exponentially as particle sizes are reduced.

In the Australian Journal of Agricultural , Mark Whittens summarises the test results as follows :- “The greater increases in pH with finer lime lasted for at least 3 years and were highlighted by increased yields. Coarse fractions were relatively ineffective, demonstrating the fallacy of a commonly held belief that the larger lime particles impart a longer benefit because they dissolve more slowly.”

Further references to the proven benefits of fine particle lime, can be found in publications by Penn State University, University of Nebraska, University of South Dakota and the North Carolina State University to name a few.

Soil scientists who continue to denounce the efficiency of Fine Particle Lime, (perhaps based on Lime tests dating back to 1923), are doing so despite overwhelming scientific evidence, that when it comes to lime, “The finer the grind the better the results” and “It’s not the tons to the ha that raises pH - It’s the available surface area of Calcium carbonate that counts.”

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

animal health 43

Sheep vets flock to Rotorua a n d rew swa llow

HUNDREDS OF vets from around the world will this week be in Rotorua pooling their knowledge of ovine animal health issues.

The event is the eighth International Sheep Veterinary Congress (ISVC) and the second time New Zealand has hosted the fouryearly forum.

The four-day programme has a plenary session each day, then three concurrent timetables of technical papers.

Among the plenary speakers are BLNZ chairman Mike Petersen and Agresearch parasite specialist, Dave Leathwick.

“David’s really leading the world in some of his research,” event convening committee chairman John Smart, Clutha Vets, told Rural News. “The New Zealanders will probably be quite up to date with his work but some of the delegates from other countries will find his stuff is really advanced and hopefully it will challenge their thinking. In some countries they’re still reluctant to even adopt combination drenches.”

Registrations for the four-day event hit 458 last week. “We targeted a range from the lower 300s to an upper figure of 450 so we’ve just exceeded our most optimistic forecast.”

Smart’s a veteran of all but the first ISVC and has first-hand experience of how the networking and the contacts vets gain

from the events can benefit farm practice. “A very good example is abomasal bloat that can hit handreared lambs at about four-weeks of age… The iron injection remedy that a lot of farmers now use is a direct result of these congresses.”

Overall farmers should find vets who attend the congress more up to date and aware of what’s going on in the sheep industry and the associated animal health issues worldwide, he adds – issues such as the fly-transmitted Schmallenberg virus which has swept across Europe causing lamb birth defects.

“The papers and roundtable on Schmallenberg virus will be of real interest to us in New Zealand.”

Connecting Sheep and Science is the event theme, with a focus on productivity and quality, which reflects vets’ growing role providing proactive advice on flock health and welfare, production limiting factors, optimal feed regimes and farm management, says NZ Veterinary Association chief executive, Julie Hood.

“New Zealand is still dependent on export income from sheep products, and given volatile prices over the years, farmers look to veterinarians and scientists to help hold costs while producing better quality meat.

“Today’s veterinarians are more likely to be seen as partners in production,

rather than solely caring for sick and injured animals.”

Among the scores of papers to be presented are ones on increasing weight of lambs weaned per ewe lifetime, Johne’s in sheep, human health issues related to sheep, potential for positive “triple bottom

line” outcomes from bigger merinos, sustainable worm control, anthelmintic resistance, selenium toxicosis, scrapie surveillance, footrot control, copper deficiency and development of sheep welfare standards for pastoral systems. There are also sessions on veterinary

practice and education.

A 12-day pre-conference tour saw some delegates mix sight-seeing with sheep farm and station visits in the southern half of the South Island, as well as calling in at a working clinic, a 900-cow dairy farm and a leading deer unit.

Conference convening committee chair John Smart.

Jail sentence for welfare offences A WAIKATO dairy farmer was on February 7 sentenced to two years and one month imprisonment for animal welfare offences described by case judge Justice Priestly as “wilful, intentional and repetitive”.

Waikato/ Bay of Plenty District compliance manager Brendon Mikkelsen says the offending by Lourens Barend Erasmus was the worst type of animal welfare cruelty dealt with in his district, and likely nationally through the courts.

An MPI investigation found Erasmus had been breaking his cows tails, and hitting them on the hind legs with a stainless steel pipe and milking cups at the shed.

MPI says it believes the sentencing reflects the seriousness of the offending and “sends a strong message that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.”

MPI adds its animal welfare team cannot be everywhere so it is vital farmers, the industry, on-farm service providers and the public maintain vigilance and report animal welfare breaches on 0800 008333. Calls can be treated in confidence if necessary.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

44 animal health

Healthier milk from flaxseed ALAN HARMAN

FEEDING COWS flaxseed will produce more nutritious milk, containing additional omega-3 fatty acids and less saturated fat, US research shows.

Oregon State University scientists fed

10 pregnant cows up to 7% of their daily diet as flaxseed to identify what would maximise omega-3 in milk produced without negatively affecting dairy product manufacture and texture.

“We were looking for a sweet spot,” says lead scientist Gerd Bobe, an

“Many consumers already show a willingness to pay extra for value-added foods, like omega-3 enriched milk.” expert in human and animal nutrition.

“Too much of a good

thing can be bad.”

Diets high in saturated fat can increase

cholesterol and cause heart disease, but those rich in omega-3 and other polyunsaturated fatty acids may reduce the risk of heart disease, he explains.

Traditional US feed mixtures of corn, grains, alfalfa hay and grass silage result in dairy products

Dairy cows fed flaxseed produced milk with less saturated fat and more Omega-3 fatty acids.

Photo by Lynn Ketchum

I WANT TO MAKE SURE NONE OF OUR HARD WORK IS WASTED

with low concentrations of omega-3 and other polyunsaturated fats.

Milk produced during the research was turned into butter and fresh cheese that were tested for texture and nutritional composition.

The researchers found that feeding cows up to six pounds of extruded flaxseed improved the fat profile without negatively affecting the production and texture of the milk and other dairy products, such that saturated fatty acids in whole milk fat dropped 18%, poly-unsaturated fatty acids increased 82% and omega-3 levels rose 70% compared to milk from cows fed no flaxseed.

Similar improvements were observed in butter and cheese, with fewer saturated fatty acids

To get better lamb numbers, focus on the factors you can easily control – the diseases that can cause major losses like toxoplasma, campylobacter, and salmonella.

Vaccination helps you to both protect your ewes and increase the number of lambs born.

A sheep performance vaccine plan for your farm will ensure you get the most benefit and most peace of mind.

ELE-00562-RNb

Talk to your vet now about a sheep performance vaccination plan for your farm. For more information visit www.sheepvax.co.nz AVAILABLE ONLY UNDER VETERINARY AUTHORISATION. ® Registered trademark. MSD Animal Health Phone: 0800 800 543. SPV-414-2012.

making refrigerated butter softer and less adhesive.

However, saturated fats still accounted for more than half of the fatty acids while the increase in polyunsaturated fats was no more than 9% of the total.

Although flaxseed costs more than traditional cattle feeds, Bobe hopes it still could be an affordable feed supplement for cows because products enriched with omega-3 can sell for a premium.

“Many consumers already show a willingness to pay extra for valueadded foods, like omega-3 enriched milk.”

One thing is for sure, he adds: there’s no problem trouble convincing cows to eat flaxseed. “They loved it… ate it like candy!”

Deer drench correction SECURE LAMB NUMBERS. SECURE YOUR GAINS.

Contrary to Rural News’ report p27, February 5, levamisole is moderately effective against ostertagia but not against lungworm in deer, points out AgResearch vet Colin Mackintosh, hence the advice to use an injection of moxidectin to take out lungworm in combination with an oral targeting ostertagia.

“Ideally an oral white drench, or a combination product including a white drench plus levamisole.”

There is some data to suggest that of the white drenches oxfendazole is the most effective in deer, he adds.

Rural News // february 19, 2013

animal health 45

SECURE YOUR LAMB NUMBERS. SECURE YOUR GAINS.

ELE-00544-RNb

How to plan for a successful season.

EVERY FARMER KNOWS THEY HAVE TO VACCINATE AGAINST TOXO. BUT ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW WHY?

Vet-only call prompts drench sale debate WOULD MAKING drenches prescription only in New Zealand be a good thing?

In the UK, where arguably drench resistance issues are even more severe than here, the British Veterinary Association is calling for just such a move.

“We know that resistance to anthelmintics is a major problem that must be addressed vigorously if the livestock industry is to avoid a potentially disastrous situation of being unable to tackle parasites in grazing animals,” says BVA president Peter Jones.

The BVA is also supporting a Federation of Veterinarians of Europe lobby to the European Commission to get tighter rules on access to anthelmintics in all European Union member states.

Feds’ meat and fibre chair, Jeanette Maxwell

“The UK must be brought in line with the rest of Europe and we need Europe-wide legislation to better control access to anthelmintics in order to safeguard the efficacy of these products in the future,” he says.

Federated Farmers meat and fibre chair, Jeanette Maxwell, is against any such moves here, but others believe changes will be necessary long-term, albeit with adaptations to the way the supply system operates.

“The question has to be asked why is this occurring in Europe?” Greg Mirams, director of animal health diagnostic specialist, Techion, told Rural News.

He believes a “doctor and chemist” supply system for anthelmintics will evolve to help combat not only the burgeoning resistance problems, but environmental and food residue concerns.

“At the moment you can walk off the street and buy hundreds of litres of drench and tip it down a sheep’s throat, with no questions asked.

That’s how loose we are and that’s how loose they are in the UK. Other parts of the EU are already moving to the doctor and chemist model.”

Such a model gets

Toxoplasma occurs everywhere in New Zealand.

Because of its hidden nature, farmers may not be aware it exists on their farm. Ewe hoggets and two-tooths are at most risk, and if they contract Toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, they are at risk of aborting or giving birth to weak non-viable lambs.

Your view?

Prescription only drenches: good or bad for the New Zealand meat industry? E-mail andrews@ruralnews.co.nz away from the conflict of interest – real or perceived – where prescription and dispensing of remedies are part of the same business. At present, while 65-70% of drenches are sold by veterinary clinics here, little of that volume is bought by users who’ve taken veterinary advice, he says.

“In the EU only a few percent of drenches are sold through veterinary practices. Australia’s the same.”

Mirams acknowledges many vets want to assist with planning and management of farm animal health issues, but says evolution and amalgamations of veterinary practices into businesses with multiple clinics and vets is working against that.

“You’re less likely to get the local vet who knows the client… you get a vet, but it’s not your vet.”

Such amalgamated veterinary businesses are employing retail managers to drive sales of products, including drenches, meanwhile some rural retailers are employing vets to provide advice with their

off-the-shelf animal health sales, he notes.

“The industry is very adaptive… but we mustn’t lose sight of what is driving all this. We’re out of synch with the rest of the world. We can drench an animal five or six times.

Is it okay to have residues in faecal material and in meat?”

Maxwell believes with 65-70% of livestock now sold on supply contracts, those contracts will ensure responsible farm use of drenches, without the need for regulation.

“There are massively strict criteria around that stuff. Even if you sell through the saleyards you have to sign a declaration on your drench use.”

The doctor and chemist model is already available, and the approach smart farmers are taking to managing their parasite problems because it helps them stay ahead, she adds.

“These sort of things are self-regulating… Even in a regulated system there will be rogues who rattle the cage. I don’t think the current system is that bad.”

Toxovax helps protect breeding ewes against the ill effects of Toxoplasmosis. Toxovax is given to maiden ewes 4 weeks before mating, and because it’s a live vaccine that must be used within 10 days of manufacture - it’s made to order for your farm.

Ask your vet for more information or visit www.sheepvax.co.nz

AVAILABLE ONLY UNDER VETERINARY AUTHORISATION. ®Registered trademark. MSD Animal Health. Phone 0800 800 543. SPV-415-2012

ANDREW SWALLOW

Vaccinating for toxo is one of those ‘must-do’s’ on the farm – and there is a very good reason why.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

46 animal health

Flystrike.

It’ll ruin everyone’s day.

Now its payback time. Cyrex is a new combination of two powerful active ingredients acting together to combat flystrike for up to 12 weeks, with rapid kill of maggots and lice. Cyrex Liquid is an ideal flystrike treatment product that will treat existing strike and provide lasting protection for both whole flock use, or treatment of individually struck sheep.

With two of the safest lice and fly compounds available, Cyrex is easy on animals and operator.

Cyrex dipwash has no smell and is gentle on wounds.

Inductions down again ANDREW SWALLOW

WHILE FINAL figures on dairy cow inductions last spring are still to be released, it appears they were below 100,000 for the first time with few farms or vets breaching the maximum 4% limit.

“We’re very pleased with the results and they’re a credit to the industry,” Wayne Ricketts of the New Zealand Veterinary Association told Rural News’ sister paper, Dairy News.

“We think it’s a great result.”

Nationally there was a 36% reduction in cows induced, though the proportion of herds using the practice - about 30% - is little changed, he adds.

“Within herds there’s been quite a dramatic reduction which is very,

very pleasing.”

The results of a Ministry for Primary Industry audit of the practice and the four-way memorandum of understanding on its management are expected later this month. Ricketts says representatives from the MOU signatories – Federated Farmers, DCANZ, NZVA, and Dairy NZ – will reconvene in June.

While Ricketts didn’t reveal exact figures for 2012 inductions, in 2011 there were 132,778 inductions. A 36% reduction suggests 85,000 cows were induced in 2012.

The within herd limit has been held at 4% for calving 2013. Within that inductions must be planned with your vet to comply with the code of

practice (see panel).

Dispensation to exceed that 4% limit may be permitted where situations beyond a farmer’s control, such as an AB failure or disease outbreak, caused more late calvers.

the rules • Recorded conception dates proofed with pregnancy-tests.

• A plan for managing induced cows.

• Herd records to show % to be induced.

• Planned with vet at least 60-days pre-induction date.

• At induction cows should be 8-12 weeks from calving, BCS 4.5-6.5, 3-8 years and healthy.

Available in 5 or 10 litre packs to treat the whole flock, or pull out the convenient 250ml Flystrike Dressing pack for situations that demand immediate attention, and ask those maggots the question… do you feel lucky?

For more details talk to your animal health stockist, call Elanco on 0800 ELANCO (0800 352 626) or visit us at www.elanco.co.nz

Fly, Maggot and Lice Eliminator Spinosad is the same active ingredient found in Extinosad® Liquid. Cyromazine is the same active found in Vetrazin®. The 5L pack of Cyrex makes 2500 litres of dipwash; 10L makes 5000 litres and 250ml bottle makes 125 litres of dressing fluid. Extinosad and Cyrex are registered trademarks of Eli Lilly and Company Ltd. Vetrazin is a registered trademark of Novartis. Cyrex is registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997, No. A09917.

Hot dog risk reminder AUCKLAND CITY council is reminding dog owners not to leave animals in vehicles over summer. Even in the shade on a 20 deg C day the car or ute cab can reach 32 deg C and if parked in the sun soar to 70-90 deg C. “The risks for animals in hot vehicles, most commonly dogs, should not be under-estimated,” says licensing and compliance manager Graham Bodman.

Signs of heat exhaustion include restlessness, excessive thirst, heavy panting, lethargy, dark tongue, rapid pulse, fever, vomiting, glazed eyes, dizziness, or lack of coordination.

To lower body temperature gradually, give the animal water to drink, place a cold towel or ice pack on the head, neck and chest, and/or immerse the dog in cool (not cold) water.

Rolling down a window partly or parking in the shade is inadequate as car temperatures can still climb to danger levels.

nzva pro cat cull IN THE wake of the Gareth Morgan cat cull controversy, the New Zealand Veterinary Association says it supports eradication of wild, feral and stray cats.

“Stray, feral and domesticated cats are a major threat to many endangered species and more work needs to be done by ‘everyone’ to protect biodiversity”, says NZVA spokeswoman on the issue, Catherine Watson.

Eradication of true feral cat populations would not only protect native wildlife, but also help combat disease. The NZVA says a good example of the problems caused by feral cats is the highly endangered birdlife of Central Otago, which the Department of Conservation has developed a programme to protect. The main threat to these bird colonies is feral cats, DOC data shows.

NZVA says cat owners, rural and urban, must do their bit to support our native species. Some simple measures include keeping cats indoors at night, attaching a collar and bell, ensuring cats are microchipped and neutering.

Watson says regular health checks, adequate feeding, and access to fresh water, will go a long way to keeping cats at home and out of trouble.

Rural News // february 19, 2013

animal health 47

Pour-ons still have a place DESPITE RECENT research published by Agresearch showing low efficacy of moxidectin as a pour-on and injection against Cooperia species, manufacturer Merial says the products still have a place.

“This research hasn’t told us anything new,” Merial Dave Leathwick technical services veterinarian Brendan Hickman told Rural News.

“We already knew ML drenches are not great against Cooperia.”

The research was done in summer and autumn 2010/11 on 14 commercial farms, mostly in the lower North Island, with a mix of beef and dairy breed calves. Faecal egg reduction tests found moxidectin injections to be only marginally better than the pour-on formulation (see table).

But Hickman says even the 91% control of the oral product isn’t good enough, which is why best practice is to use a triple combination such as Matrix (abamectin + levamisole + ofendazole) to boost cooperia control in younger stock.

“What we’re saying is that in any cattle under 15 months of age you certainly need to use a combination product that includes levamisole, which is very efficacious against cooperia.”

Merial’s dual-action pour-on Eclipse (abamectin + levamisole) fits the bill where using an oral combination isn’t practical.

The flip-side of the Agresearch work is the control achieved on ostertagia, where that species was also present.

“All three delivery methods worked really well versus ostertagia,” points out Hickman.

The Agresearch work, now published in the Journal of Veterinary Parasitology, was trailed by the

CRI in a media release in November. In that, lead author Dave Leathwick said the results probably reflect how drugs reach target worms. Injections or pour-ons have to be absorbed into an animal’s bloodstream, circulated round the body and released into the gut tissue where the worms live. That’s easier for an injectable than for a pouron as the latter has to get through a hide, which has evolved to keep things out.

Measurement of drug in the bloodstream found levels were far higher in animals given injections than in those treated with either pour-on or oral.

Overseas work suggests the reason the oral was more effective is because the drug doesn’t rely on absorption and transport around the body to reach worms living in the gut.

“Instead, the drug gets bound to material in the gut and passes directly to the organs where the worms live. It appears that this results in higher overall levels of drug reaching the target worms, hence higher efficacy.

“What we have already proven is that using drugs with higher efficacy against worms lifts animal productivity, while killing more worms by using an effective drench reduces the selection pressure for resistance to develop, promoting the sustainability of worm control.”

Leathwick says followup studies confirm the findings are not unique to moxidectin and that other pour-on and injectable products are no more effective.

“The next steps are to repeat the study against different worm species and also develop techniques to measure drug concentrations in the tissues where the worms live.”

It will take four to five years research to determine whether findings apply equally to all worm species, and to assess likely outcomes should farmers continue to use pour-on or injectable products, he adds.

Delivery method

Mean % cooperia control*

Oral

91%

Injection

55.5%

Pour-on

51.3%

Under 15-months is too young for singleactive pour-ons, says Merial.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

48 machinery & products

Family sold on German make there isn’t really a price difference.”

Frank says the Fendts’ fuel economy is noticeable at 2-3L less per hectare on cultivation than others.

Meanwhile, Peter and Julia Spreeuwenberg milk 560 cows on 233ha, with two additional run-offs: one 65ha and another 57ha.

They started the contracting business, Hauraki Agri Ltd, 25 years ago – but kept it as a part-time, lowlevel business, until about three years ago, when Frank took it on. Con-

out of it. I had to buy one.

The Fendts make us stand out as contractors as there are few others on the Hauraki Plains.

“I like the way they drive – the whole operation. They’re quiet and comfortable. They have good suspension, good fuel economy and a short wheel base, which we need around here with the tight gateways.

“The Fendts come fully specced, and if you price out other tractors to include everything the Fendts come with, such as the front linkage and PTO,

From left: Frank Spreeuwenberg, Waikato Tractors salesperson Glenn Greay, and Peter Spreeuwenberg.

tracting services include baling, pit and stack grass silage, cultivation, undersowing and regrassing, maize harvest, spraying and truck work.

Frank Spreeuwenberg takes after his father in his machinery obsession. He was driving at nine years and by the time he started contracting at 18 he was already an old hand.

The first Fendt the family bought was a 718.

They bought two more last September (a Fendt

Correction IN THE February 5 issue of Rural News an advertisement for McKee Plastics was published with out-of-date pricing.

The products were mobile feed troughs. The correct 2013 pricing can be viewed in the McKee Plastics advertisement in the Rural Trader section (p54) in this issue of Rural News.

See us at site S53 Central Districts

Field Days

At first it was used to replace the foam markers when spraying, but GPS is one of those gadgets you keep finding more uses for. So it’s also used for fertiliser spreading

The Spreeuwenbergs’ tractors all came from AGCO dealer Waikato Tractors, where in Frank’s words: “They give bloody good service.”

Peter says they use most of their tractors during the maize season.

This season Frank and Peter contract planted 250ha of maize and are going to harvest 350ha.

The Fendts generally get the heavy jobs.

The two big tractors have duals for stack work and to spread the weight in the peat soils. The 820 carries a buck rake for stack work.

One is set up with GPS.

and drilling.

The Fendt 415 carries a front loader. If you’re ambling along over bumpy ground with a bale raised in the front, the tractor can jerk around. The Fendt has built in shock absorbers to prevent that.

All the Fendts have Vario transmissions so the tractor picks the best revs for the job, unless overridden – one less thing for the driver to deal with.

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JFM

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Frank Spreeuwenberg says the Fendts’ computer screen is easy to use and controls critical features including cruise control, engine speed, ground speed, and hydraulic flow rate and arm height. An electric joystick controls the loaders. It’s all positioned for minimal arm movement and to minimise driver fatigue.

The Fendt 312 does 40km/h on the road but the other three can go about 53km/h with their full suspension.

The Spreeuwenbergs’ tractors all came from AGCO dealer Waikato Tractors, where in Frank’s words: “They give bloody good service.”

Frank expects to trade his Fendts in when they approach seven years old.

“They won’t get a lot of hours on them, so they’ll only be 3000-4000 hours and we’ll get a good trade in.”

Tel. 0272 708 027 www.fendt.com.au

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312 and Fendt 415), and then a Fendt 820 in October. All were bought new, as Peter and Frank would rather have the warranty and know what they’re dealing with.

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BETWEEN THEIR dairy farm and contracting business, the Spreeuwenberg family runs 13 tractors – ranging in age from one year old to 35 years old and many brands. But nowadays when they add a new one it is a Fendt, reports distributor AGCO. Peter and Julia Spreeuwenberg and their adult children Frank and Belinda are based at Turua on the Hauraki Plains.

Frank, who looks after the contracting business, says he first tried a Fendt in November 2011.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

machinery & products 49

Livestock information on the move TRU-TEST GROUP has launched its first Android app, which it says allows farmers, stock agents and transporters to transfer session data captured from Tru-Test Bluetoothenabled EID stick readers and weigh scales directly to NAIT from the yard or to an email address.

It is the first mobile phone application in the market that allows data to be pushed directly to NAIT. The app also allows session data to be moved around by email using the Tru-Test reader or weigh scale file format, enabling data transfer to NAIT or others as and when required. Cellphone Wi-Fi coverage isn’t a problem

as the app will upload and email the data once you next have reception coverage.

The app is free and available for download from the Google Play store.

Tru-Test Group product manager Shane Dooley says the development is a natural ‘enabler’ of the company’s existing technology and will make data transfer much easier.

“The days of taking a device back to a PC are severely numbered, and everything that makes transporting data simpler will increase uptake and use among farmers, transporters and stock agents.”

Installation is easy, requiring simply tapping

The days of taking a device back to a PC are numbered.

‘install’ once it is downloaded from the Google Play store.

The app is compatible with the XRS EID stick reader and the XR3000 Bluetooth, ID3000 Bluetooth and EziWeigh7

weigh scales. It is also compatible with any TruTest weigh scale using a Tru-Test Bluetooth dongle.

The application has been tested in New Zealand and South America

during the past three months, and Dooley says the feedback has been positive. It is New Zealand-specific but the company is looking at developing versions for other markets. “It’s a classic case of doing what it says on the tin – it is reliable, quick and easy to operate,” Dooley says.

Tru-Test northern South Island sales manager Jamie Waghorn has worked with several farmers in the testing phase.

“They have found it simple to use, quick and easy for sending files off our XR3000 scales indica-

tor direct to multiple email addresses. They also like the fact you can choose a particular animal while in the app and look at its weight and other stats.”

For stock agents and transporters it provides an audit trail and the confidence that data is accurate and correct. Stock agents who weigh at the same time as scanning can also send a weigh and EID file to the farmer and to their head office.

Silver Fern Farms is said to be stipulating that stock on its dairy bull beef programme must be scanned on and off trucks, and this will be extended to its prime beef programme. Using the app

means that transporters no longer need to take a wand back to their headquarters to email off a file, a development set to revolutionise animal tracking, billing and NAIT compliance.

The app will work on any Android phone running Android version 2.2 (Froyo) or later. While there are some manufacturer variations on some phones and it can’t be guaranteed to work on every phone, it has been tested on the current, most commonly available handsets. The use of Android phones is increasing; manufacturers say about half the phones sold today are on this platform.

Tru-Test Group expands further TRU-TEST GROUP has further increased its footprint in the dairy industry by buying Dairy Technology Services from NDA. This follows its January 13 purchase of Radian Technology (MilkHub).

Dairy Technology Services (DTS) makes milk storage and cooling systems for the dairy industry. It employs 80 staff at its Normanby factory and has its sales, installation, repairs and maintenance and customer service operation at Hamilton.

The deal is said to reflect NDA’s desire to focus on its engineering activities in dairy processing and transport, chemicals and refining, wine and resources industries.

NDA’s chief executive Mark Eglinton says it is a logical move and a “positive step for both parties. We believe DTS is a natural fit for Tru-Test and the sale gives NDA greater capacity to deliver our growth strategies for our core engineering business in New Zealand, Australia and North America.”

Tru-Test Group chief executive Greg Muir says the DTS move is part of a strategy of new levels of integrated support for dairy farmers.

“The dairy industry will increasingly need to integrate new technologies and services to achieve the sustainable growth it seeks. Having DTS and MilkHub within Tru-Test Group is an example of this sort of integration in practice.

“Tru-Test Group’s [expertise] is on-farm and our product development is a result of working with farmers every day. We know they want stronger levels of support on farm…. They want more than having products ‘dropped off at the gate’. They want support… in [technology] planning, installation, start up, training, monitoring and maintenance.”

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

50 machinery & products

The legend behind the Giltrap name ton y hop k i n so n

THE WORD legend is bandied about, risking losing its impact. But one person deserves the title: Wilfred Giltrap, formerly of Otorohanga, where 43 years ago he founded Giltrap Farm Machinery and on the same site Giltrap Engineering.

He and his wife Shirley now live in semi-retirement overlooking Lake Karapiro and the start-line of the rowing course for the recent world and New Zealand championships.

Wilf still attends the

National Fieldays and keeps himself busy with his collection of vintage tractors and an occasional visit to his old haunts in Otorohanga.

He started work in 1959 at Maihihi, between Te Awamutu and Otorohanga, making and welding gates and doing general engineering and repairs. Then he began making hydraulic tip trailers, still a staple in the business today. “I was also constructing farm buildings and got in early building what was then new-fangled herringbone

farm dairies.”

In 1969 he set up business in Otorohanga where the factory still operates.

His bread and butter was his expanding range of tip trailers and an agency for New Holland. He also sold Fiat tractors and imported machines for feeding out silage. “In those early days I only sold two machines in one year between Pio Pio and Auckland.”

A local farmer, John Oliver, began asking about a machine to feed out grass silage. Oliver had 5000 cattle plus “a large number of sheep” on

Vintage tractors day and night WILF GILTRAP in semi-retirement continues his lifelong interest in machinery by collecting and restoring vintage tractors.

His collection has grown to 13 machines all in working order. “I rebuilt 12 of them and believe me some of them arrived in a bad state of repair.”

They have been sourced from as far away as Christchurch and Auckland.

He has a Fiat 411R, one of only 12 brought to New Zealand; a Fiat 215 Montagna (Italian for mountain) which is 4WD, and a 21hp four-wheel-steer made in 1963, one of 10 in New Zealand. He also has a 2WD Fiat 215.

He owns five David Browns including one Super Cropmaster which he believes is rare in New Zealand and a David Brown bulldozer model 30T, 40hp built in 1952.

The collection is rounded out by two Nuffield and a 1952 Case DC3, 40hp, and a Case VA.

Wilf Giltrap still likes to keep himself busy with his collection of vintage tractors.

steeper hill country.

This coincided with the growing use of silarators to make and store silage and none of the imported machines could handle the long grass.

Giltrap made his first silage wagon in 1973 and sold 15 in the first year.

“They were built for New Zealand conditions and could handle the long grass.”

At the National Fieldays in 1974 he realised

he was onto something.

He demonstrated his new machine, down in the area now used for helicopters, fencing contests and motor cycle displays.

“The bank was packed and I could not get out of the paddock. I was astounded at the interest; I had to talk to 100 farmers at a time to answer all the questions.”

Herd sizes were then increasing, he says; farmers were moving on from the 65-100 cow herd, and were using herringbone sheds to milk more cows.

His most popular machine was at first a 3.5

cubic metres model; now they have reached 25 cubic metres with side delivery. He started exporting to Australia in 1979 where the machines were well received.

“In 1985 our ‘Super System’ using twin hydraulic drive motors with special valve sensors was a breakthrough in silage wagons and now almost all makes of wagons in Australia and New Zealand use a version of this system.”

The firm today also makes tip trailers up to 18t, rotary toppers, round

and square bale feeders, top dressers and hydraulic wood splitters.

“For a time we were making a combination Gallagher Silarators and our large trailers with cages and we were selling 70 a year until Gallagher’s ceased manufacturing Silarators.”

Giltrap says he came from the era of buck rakes and early Silarators and it is that experience that helped him focus on what farmers needed. “I had no formal qualifications, only a QBE – ‘Qualified By Experience’.”

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• Easy Adjustments and Operating - All the planter functions operate from the tractor cab using a function selector.

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

machinery & products 51

Farming the future for drones?

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detailing who’s been cleared to operate drones in US airspace. It found that local, state and federal police and homeland security agencies had received 17 certificates of

authorisation for flying drones. And 21 universities had also received clearance. “All those universities are focused on agriculture,” Mailey told the website.

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of the domestic (US), non-military market for drones.

Meanwhile www.wired. com says there’s already data to support Mailey’s claims: “Precision farmers love using data tools to increase crop yields,” it reports.

“In 2009 an Idaho farmer homebrewed his own drone, slapped a commercial digital camera on it, and began extracting data on soil patterns to help his business expand. Companies such as CropCam build lightweight, modular, GPS-driven gliders to give farmers an aerial view of their fields without requiring pilot training or the expense of buying a small manned plane. Of course, this is all dependent on drone manufacturers pricing their robots cheap enough for farmers who also have to buy a lot of other expensive equipment to ply their trade.”

It also adds that Japan also points to potential demand for drones by farmers. “Yamaha introduced its RMAX unmanned helicopter for crop spraying in 1990.

By 2010, the drone ‘copter and its robotic competitors — some 2300 of them — sprayed 30% of Japanese rice fields with pesticides, said Yamaha recently. Japanese land area sprayed by manned helicopters dropped from 1328 in 1995 to 57 in 2011, as unmanned helicopter spraying rose to 1000 hectares that year.”

Meanwhile, in the US last year, the Electronic Frontier Foundation obtained data from the Federal Aviation Administration

YOU

ACCORDING TO www.wired.com, when those flying robots (aka drones) which operate in Afghanistan’s and Yemen’s airspace come back home to the US, they won’t just be headed for the local police station.

“They might prefer a pastoral existence spraying crops and scanning soil patterns and other features of America’s farms,” says a report from wired.com’s Dangeroom website.

It quotes Chris Mailey, vice president of the drone promotion organisation known as AUVSI, saying, “Agriculture is gonna be the big market.” It’s a question of where the growth opportunities are, he said.

“Military drone purchases are plateauing, even as the drones become increasingly central to US counterterrorism.

And there are limits, financial and otherwise, to the ability of police departments to purchase drones.”

Mailey believes farming looks like a drone market with fewer impediments and bigger incentives for early technological adoption.

“A manned crop sprayer is flying 10 feet above his crops — how accurate is it? Any crop you spray that isn’t on your farm you have to pay for and a remotecontrolled ‘copter can be very precise. Spraying, watering — there’s a whole market for precision agriculture, and when you put that costbenefit together, farmers will buy [drones].”

AUVSI intends to publish a study anticipating the scope

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Rural News // february 19, 2013

52 machinery & products

Grain feeders great for fertility ga re t h gi llatt

SMART USE of Advantage grain feeders is allowing a Fielding mixed-species farmer to keep breeding and replacement stock in

top condition at key times of the year.

Semi-retired farmer Ossie Latham has 10 breeding cows and their calves, 250 Coopworth x Texel ewes, with all the

lambs fattened and 50 Kikonui breeding goats and their progeny on his 55ef/ha property at Mt Biggs, northwest of Fielding. Some trading is done subject to weather and

prices. The region occasionally suffers a feed pinch in late spring-summer, Latham says. So keeping condition on the nannies at kidding time in the spring and the replace-

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ment ewe hoggets in the late summer-autumn can be difficult, especially in drought conditions similar to those seen this season. And it’s essential if you want stock to remain in your flocks for a long time, Latham points out. “Too many hoggets come out of lambing too skinny, have a hard time of it and then they get to two-tooth stage and they don’t get into lamb again.”

Latham does not summer crop on his farm so replacement ewe hoggets are offered whole grain maize or barley on a rationed basis depending on weather.

Latham at first fed grain in troughs but wasn’t happy with the lack of control and level of waste. “Some animals would get more, some less, and it would get wet. There was definitely wastage because of the

weather.”

Latham bought two NGF800 grain feeders and immediately saw benefits, especially less waste. Now almost all of the 500kg bags of grain is getting to the stock, he says. And the feeders stay where they are put. “The wind hasn’t blown one over yet, not even empty.”

Feed control is good, Latham says. Before the feeders there was no guarantee all stock were getting grain; now it is possible to have cows, goats and hoggets in the same paddock and offer feed to just the goats and hoggets. “The creep panels stop the cows and calves getting into the food” “Advantage Feeders are brilliant; you can control feed intakes closely.”

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SAFETY AND user-friendliness are paramount in the new range of Bargam linkage sprayers marketed by Croplands.

The company says the 1200L capacity MEC unit has a strong frame with a clever, integrated hydraulic boom height adjustment. Other features are highcapacity pumps, electric controls, flushing tanks, clothes/tool holder, tank agitators and a range of hydraulic folding booms.

The larger Super model has a 1600L tank capacity and a class-leading frame designed to support either forward-folding or the new vertical-folding boom of up to 30m.

Standard equipment includes electric or auto rate controllers, hydraulic height adjuster, flushing tanks, chemical induction hopper, integrated user-friendly plumbing controls and an A-frame quick hitch.

Options for all models include the Raven Envisiopro GPS integrated rate controller with auto section control, 1100L front mounted tanks for additional capacity, continuous boom circulation and auto boom height.

Croplands says the range of linkage sprayers are priced to surprise, even impress, New Zealand farmers.

Tel. 0800 106 898 www.croplands.com.au

Rural News // february 19, 2013

machinery & products 53 BARBER’S POLE worm (Haemonchus contortus) is one of the most production limiting if not deadly worms found in lambs and adult sheep throughout the North Island.

Barber’s pole worm has three distinctive attributes which sets it apart from other common worms and if not recognised or planned for will make it one of the most deadly. First, high worm burdens can emerge very rapidly after a change in the weather. Second, it has the ability to increase its numbers rapidly. Third, it is a bloodsucker.

It is called Barber’s pole because of its distinctive appearance when seen in the abomasum of sheep, the worms spiraling red gut which looks similar to the striped pole outside a barbers’ shop.

Barber’s pole can be found in sheep most of the year but is most prevalent during the summer and autumn season, in particular warm, moist conditions. Eggs are resistant to dry, hot conditions and their development into larvae is inhibited, as a result large numbers of eggs can build up in the pasture.

The onset of rain together with warmth resumes their development and as a result all the eggs accumulated over this period will be ready to develop into infective larvae and infect their host, all at the same time. This is further compounded by it being a prolific egg producer. A single female worm can lay up to 10,000 eggs in a day and in ideal conditions these eggs can become infective larvae within just one week.

Barber’s pole worms suck blood from sheep, causing anaemia which can result in sudden death due to acute blood loss. Unfortunately the normal methods of diagnosing worm burdens by faecal egg counts (FEC) can be unreliable when trying to identify Barber’s pole.

Immature worms also causing a similar clinical condition before a FEC can become a good indicator of the problem. Unlike other worms, sheep affected by Barber’s pole are difficult to recognise; sheep do not scour, while lambs can be dying from blood loss even though their faeces look completely normal. It is best to be vigilant and proactive and follow a comprehensive drench management programme to avoid productivity losses through Barber’s pole infection.

Many drenches can kill Barber’s pole worm, but most are short acting drenches which will only provide temporary relief. Moxam, a product recently launched by Bayer, provides a persistent kill of Barber’s pole for 35 days and prevents reinfection with Ostertagia circumcincta (brown stomach worm) for at least 21 days when no drench resistance exists. Meat withholding period is 10 days.

Moxam has a dose rate of 1mL/10kg, available in plain and selenised versions. It is sold exclusively by Farmlands and CRT. Customers who buy 10L in selenised or plain will get a free 8ml drench gun.

Colorado 7 – tough enough adam f ric ker

IT’S GETTING hard to find a family-friendly 7-seater 4WD with real off-road ability for under $70,000.

If you’ve only got a couple of kids, a 4WD double-cab ute might fill the bill, but if you need to cart more than three kids plus their stuff, you’re limited to the ‘soft roader’ category – if your budget is $50-$65,000. And you won’t be doing serious mud-plugging in a Territory/Sorento/Captiva.

Enter the Holden Colorado: a 7-seater SUV in the traditional mould, with ladder-frame chassis, low range gearbox and proper ground clearance. It’s based on the same platform used for the

Colorado ute, but without the cartsprung rear axle, so inherits the toughness of the truck.

Powered by a 2.8L Duramax turbo diesel engine that makes peak power of 132kW @ 3800rpm and torque of 470Nm @ 2000rpm the Colorado 7 has plenty of grunt for going and towing, and can tick along nicely in the low-range rough stuff if off-roading is your thing. The engine is not particularly refined and clatters a bit, but progress is effortless, ably assisted by the 6-speed automatic.

The decent ground clearance

helps off road, but because the car sits high it moves around on unsettled road surfaces – another truck trait inherited from the donor platform. It is not uncomfortable, but not as sophisticated in the ride and handling department as the aforementioned soft

roaders that sell at this price ($62,900 for the LT and $66,900 for the LTZ).

Specification levels are excellent.

Overall, a strong contender for the family that needs seven seats, tows a boat and goes bush. To achieve this level of specification and ability at the price, the only comparable truck is the Mitsubishi Challenger.

MS1406

Barber’s Pole control vital

arcusin.co.nz

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For fast, effective bale handling Collects and packs conventional bales into packs of 8, 10, 12 or 14 bales (hay, straw and haylage) before releasing them as one combined bale.

The new C-14 has an improved bale pickup system. Eliminate the high costs of man handling bales but retain their benefits and versatility.

Run out model multi pack B-14 one only

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16 ALBERT ST, CAMBRIDGE YOUR ARCUSIN NZ REP

Greig Singer 027 266 7897,

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Auto-Stack Bale Loader

Rural News // february 19, 2013

54 rural trader FLY OR LICE PROBLEM?

WANTED

Visit us at Central Districts Field Days site 086

Large Farm to Lease Our Dairy business requires a farm to service our dairy farms in the Manawatu & Waimarino Districts.

The ideal farm would: • Be capable of growing 350-500 wiener calves & 350-500 rising 2 year old • Winter a minimum of 500 dairy cow • Have substantial area available to be mowed for storage of feed for wintering and/or cropping Top rates paid for the right property

Phone Charlie Pedersen 0274-463 480 • 06-329 9896 charlie@toam.co.nz

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Rubber Safety Matting • ATV Carrier Mats • Exit/Entry Areas • Calf Trailers • Horse Floats & Trucks • Weigh Platforms • Bale Mats • Comfort Mats for Wet & Dry Areas • Utility Deck Matting

Phone: 0800 80 8570 www.burgessmatting.co.nz

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FARMER BOOTS Lastrite’s Farmer boots are made

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It has a leather insole and midsole that is stitched and screwed construction with a rubber, replaceable sole, that is glued and screwed. Update your old boots now and you will never look back.

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• Cost Effective • Complete Package • Unbeatable pricing • Performance Guaranteed

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incl

Rural News // february 19, 2013

rural trader 55 ❤ COUNTRY & CITY

contacts (N.Z. LIMITED)

Join our successful & confidential service

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70 Rimu Street, New Lynn, Auckland 0600. Tel. 09 833 1931 Pest Free Commercial (cell 021 230 1863); email keating@orcon.net.nz for dairy TWO WAYS TO ORDER/PAY: sheds, 1) POST: cheque to N. Keating telling us the product(s) you want, grain mills, plus your name, address and telephone number.

2) INTERNET: direct credit ASB 12 3039 0893559 00 factories, (your surname as reference) PLUS telephone or email us, etc – $1800 saying which product(s) you want. incl. GST + post.

FLEXISKIN RAINWEAR SALE! 40% OFF OFFER AVAILABLE 2 WEEKS ONLY! NEW! WATERPROOF, BREATHABLE & LIGHTWEIGHT $80 valued at $200 $70 valued at $140 Please add $10 Freight per order

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Bump up productivity and WIN! ChoiCe! WIN our ultimate draw in March and choose the ultimate prize for your farm Honda Big Red® MUV700

Buy COOPERS this summer and be in to win hardworking farm gear from Honda, Gallagher, STiHL and COOPERS. Every eligible purchase gives you multiple chances to win.

So get started today – with over $75,000 worth of prizes, it’s going to be a bumper season.

ThiS oR ThiS

PLUS in all three draws between November and February you could win: a GALLAGHER Weigh Scale and Data Collector – TSi with 600mm Loadbars and SmartReader Electronic Tag Reader

a HONDA XR125 Duster® Farm Bike

a HONDA WB20 Water Pump

ELE-00529-RN

a STiHL MS391 Chainsaw with safety chaps

$3 from every drum sold goes to supporting the Federated Farmers Adverse Events Network.

GALLAGHER® Sheep Auto Drafter with TSi Weigh Scale and Electronic Tag Reader

1 of 30 COOPERS Drench Promo Packs

www.bumperseason.co.nz

• Participating products are ALLIANCE 5L & 10L, CONVERGE 5L and 10L, SCANDA Plain 10L, SCANDA Selenised 10L and 20L, MAGNUM 20L, BLAZE 5L, ZENITH Concentrate 5L and 10L, VANQUISH 10L and WIPE-OUT 11L. • Receive one entry per participating product purchased during promotion period. • COOPERS will donate $3 to Federated Farmers for every drum of participating product sold into COOPERS reseller during the promotion period.• Go to www.bumperseason.co.nz for full terms and conditions. • ®Registered trademarks. COOPERS is a divison of MSD Animal Health. BUMPER-349-2012.