Rural News 4 March 2014

ANIMAL HEALTH

MACHINERY

Farmers first-hand accounts a timely reminder of the affects of TB. PAGE 33

New quad concepts are due to hit the New Zealand market. PAGE 34

RURALNEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

MARCH 4, 2014: ISSUE 556

FEDS CONFERENCE New technology will drive further expansion in the dairy industry says Feds leader.

PAGE 8

www.ruralnews.co.nz

Final blow for calf culling?

P E TE R BU R K E

KILLING BOBBY calves with a hammer looks set to be outlawed, as the practice comes up for review by the National Animal Welfare Advisor Committee (NAWAC).

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has instructed NAWAC to consult on prohibiting this ‘blunt force’ to euthanase bobby calves on farms. This came to a head recently in public outrage over a video showing the practice on a New Zealand farm in Chile.

Two weeks ago the chair of NAWAC, Dr John Hellstrom, told Rural News he didn’t think using a heavy hammer was a “very desirable” way to kill bobby calves.

He pointed to captive-bolt shooting as “more acceptable”.

Guy says after speaking with industry leaders he’s asked NAWAC to consider an amendment to the Animal Welfare (Dairy Cattle) Code of Welfare 2010, to ban the practice except in emergencies.

“New Zealand’s animal welfare system is amongst the best in the world, but I believe the time has come to review the use of blunt force,” Guy told Rural News. “Industry groups do not recommend it as best practice for euthanasing calves, and as a humane society we have a responsibility to look after animals and avoid unnecessary suffering.

“The vast majority of farmers care about their animals and do a good

job looking after them. While I don’t believe this practice is widespread, I have real concerns about this and the damage it could do to our reputation.”

NAWAC will begin public consultation soon on the proposed amendment. A final decision will be made mid-year after getting advice.

Guy says if the practice is banned some limited provision in the welfare code will be made for farmers to use ‘blunt force’ in the form of a hammer when, for example, a farmer discovers a suffering animal in a remote location and has no better way to kill it.

Rural News understands the change would give farmers three options: cap-

GETTING A FEEL FOR THE LAND MPI director-general Martyn Dunne has made a point of getting out of his Wellington office to get a better understanding of the issues facing farmers.

At the instigation of Rural News he made a brief visit to Otaki last week where he met local dairy farmer Tim Wilson.

Tim and his wife Cynthia run 300 cows on a mix of their own and leased land and produce about 126,000kgMS, using technology to get the best out of their land. During his brief visit to the farm, Dunne asked about the farming systems and the issues facing the Wilsons.

Dunne has some dairy farming experience: his sister-in-law and her husband have a dairy farm at Waiuku, near Auckland. See more on the changes Dunne is making to MPI on page 7

tive bolt, firearm and lethal injection.

But under the animal welfare code, any use of blunt force, including captive bolt and firearm, must be followed by ‘bleeding out’ the animal.

Hellstrom had earlier told Rural News that blunt force is fine if done by someone knowledgable. But someone unskilled could cause suffering by misdirected blows.

He said the public perceives killing calves this way to have a big ‘yuck factor’. This and the Chile incident have sparked the sudden review.

The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill is currently before the select committee.

Drought looming?

A GLANCE at the pasture growth data for the Beef + Lamb New Zealand/Farmax project farms, and Dairy NZ pasture growth forecaster, shows how dry it is in some parts with little respite forecast.

In Northland, pasture growth on Daniel and Nicky Berger’s property had dropped below the 25th percentile by mid February while in western Waikato, Anna and Blair Nelson’s pasture growth has been well below the 10th percentile since early January.

In the South Island it’s South and North Canterbury that are suffering, growth at Warren and Andrea Leslie’s farm, near Cave, having dived through the bottom 10% line at the beginning of February. Meanwhile, Culverden farmers Mark and Jane Schwass’ pasture growth is also nearing rock bottom, though as the graph shows, zero growth in February and March in that part of the country isn’t unusual.

Regional predictions for the coming week offer little respite.

Farmax, which produces the forecasts for Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Dairy NZ, stressed to Rural News the forecasts are just “an awareness generation tool” and historic growth rates for the farm, advice from local advisors, climate outlook and intuition should be used to make more informed decisions.

The forecasts can be accessed through the Beef + Lamb and Dairy NZ websites respectively. – Andrew Swallow. More page 4

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

NEWS 3 ISSUE 556 Strong mandate required

www.ruralnews.co.nz

PA M T I PA A N DREW SWA LLOW andrews@ruralnews.co.nz

NEWS ������������������������������ 1-14 MARKETS ��������������������� 16-17 AGRIBUSINESS ������������ 18-19 HOUND, EDNA ������������������� 20 CONTACTS ������������������������� 20 OPINION ����������������������� 20-23 MANAGEMENT ����������� 26-29 ANIMAL HEALTH �������� 30-33 MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS ������������������ 34-38 RURAL TRADER ���������� 38-39 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 81,232 as at 31.12.2013

Record high

CONTRARY TO the Meat Industry Excellence group’s claim, its remit at the Beef + Lamb NZ annual meeting is non-binding, says BLNZ chairman Mike Petersen.

“That said, the board takes remits as something we should adhere to if there’s a strong response,” he told Rural News. “If it’s 50-50 then that makes it hard, but if it’s clear one way or the other then it would be risky for a board to go against that.”

Such a vote is quite different from MIE’s recent remit to Alliance Group that Fonterra director John Monaghan should be appointed to Alliance’s board as an independent director, says Petersen, as appointment of independent directors is not usually a matter shareholders would be consulted on.

“That is a one-off issue and frankly all the debate about it is eroding confidence in the sector.”

MIE needs to move on and be more specific on how it proposes to achieve industry reform, he believes. “There is

Mike Petersen

a need for reform, for change, no question about that… but we’ve still not seen a clear proposal from MIE on how it’s going to be achieved.”

Supporting the co-operatives and promoting a merger isn’t industry reform: it’s co-operative reform, he argues. Even with people on the boards of the co-operatives, achieving change isn’t easy “as MIAG found out,” he adds, harking back to the elections of Jason Miller and Mark Crawford onto Alli-

ance’s board, and Herstell Ulrich onto Silver Fern Farms’ in 2008.

Federated Farmers’ meat options paper similarly fails to grasp the difficulty of achieving change, Petersen says.

While the paper is still out for consultation with members, the proposal that processing and marketing should be separated is the one most farmers will vote for, he thinks.

“That’s great… but who is going to tell the Talley family and Affco that they’re not going to be marketing meat anymore? I don’t want to be a naysayer, but there are a lot of good people who have been working on this for a long time and we’ve still not got a solution.”

On the wool vote, Petersen points out there are a number of activities, such as the recording of wool traits in SIL and economic analysis of the wool trade, which have continued with funding from reserves but the money will run out next year.

“And there are no research projects on wool going on,” he adds. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Weather hits lamb kill PETER BU RKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

JANUARY’S LAMB kill nationwide is down 21% on the same month last year, says Beef + Lamb NZ’s economic service.

Director Rob Davison says the South Island is down 26%, while the North Island is down 15%. The reason is, simply, the weather. ‘”We had a cool early summer and January was also cool and not much sunshine particularly in Otago and other parts of the South land so lambs didn’t come forward quickly,” Davidson told Rural News. “I gather it’s corrected itself now, but that’s the reason for the low kill.”

Davison says it’s important to remember that exactly a year ago the North Island was in the throes of a drought and people were unloading lambs early. This year some farmers are holding back stock from the works to finish them better.

“Looking at lamb weights in the month of January, the North Island is still running at 0.3kg ahead of last year, which was more drought affected,” he explains.

“There are two things: fewer lambs around to finish because of the drought, and they are at higher weights. In our view, lamb weights are going to be better than last year without question.

However, during the early autumn kill period the lambs could be a bit lighter

but this will change assuming there is rain.”

Davison believes last year’s drought has heightened the overall awareness of the weather, but he points out that one of the challenges of farming is to manage climatic change.

“We are much better at making decisions about dry conditions than we were even five years ago. There is lots of good advice available to farmers and they are making better judgement calls.”

Davison says farmers should now be thinking about next year’s production.

“They shouldn’t be overstocked, which has the potential to compromise the breeding potential of stock for the following year.”

FONTERRA’S LIFT IN its forecast farmgate milk price to a record $8.65kg/ MS will give farmers added flexibility, says Shareholders’ Council chairman Ian Brown.

It will enable them to move forward with confidence, he says. But given the volatility of the market he urges farmers to use prudence in their financial planning.

Fonterra lifted the farmgate milk price 35 cents to a record level of $8.65/ kgMS – but it is still 70c below the price derived under the milk price manual.

Chairman John Wilson says the increase reflects continuing strong demand for milk powders globally.

Fonterra used its discretion keep the milk price 70c below that specified in the manual in the best interests of the cooperative. The increase, along with an estimated dividend of 10 cents per share, amounts to a forecast cash payout of $8.75/kgMS. Wilson says last December the board approved a forecast farmgate milk price 70c/kgMS below the farmgate milk price calculated in accordance with the milk price manual.

That position is being maintained with the latest forecast being 70c lower than the $9.35 milk price derived under the milk price manual.

“The board has the discretion to pay a lower farmgate milk price than that specified in the manual, if it is in the best interests of the cooperative,” says Wilson.

Fonterra’s interim results will be announced on March 26. The cooperative is required to consider its farmgate milk price every quarter as a condition of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA).

The Commerce Commission is reviewing Fonterra’s use of its discretion in deviating from the milk price manual calculation for the farmgate milk price. Its review is due out by September 15 this year. The commission is also required under DIRA legislation to review the milk price manual every season.

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4 NEWS

And the weather outlook is... dry GA RE T H G I LLAT T

WHILE THE summer is dire for some Northland farmers, the dairy payout and patchy rainfall may save other North Island farmers from a repeat of last season, say Rural Support Trust coordinators.

Soil moisture levels are lower than last season through parts of the Far North, and the west coast and southern areas of Northland; there is little prospect of rain through March.

Northland Rural Support Trust coordinator

Julie Jonker says the 2013-14 summer is the twelfth-worst season in the Dargaville west coast area in 100 years. Many farmers have had to partially dry off their herds early and some are looking at drying off completely.

Northland dairy farmer Craig Sanford has dried off his autumn and spring cows much earlier than his normal dry-off date because his palm kernel budget for the farm he owns and the farm on which he has a 50/50 sharemilking contract was reaching $20,000 a month.

“Most of the money

from this part of the season is going to pay for supplements to feed cows and we could see they were going to start crashing so we dried them off early.”

Sanford says he was lucky in being able to buy a lot of balage supplement; his harvests have been down on previous years due to the lack of good winter or spring rain.

Jonkers says many farmers with only 30-60 days of silage left will have to choose between getting stock off properties or buying in feed, neither of which will be easy.

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He says with limited grass onfarm, dairy farmers are also facing offfarm grazing for autumn and possibly spring calving cows.

Despite this Jonkers says production has held up relatively well.

Local Fonterra reps say Northland dairy farmers have produced the same amount of milk as at this time last season. But this is now dropping fast.

Jonkers says many sheep and beef farmers now feeding winter stored supplement will have to select between selling capital stock and buying in expensive feed.

Northland isn’t the only region to face a dry summer; Waikato farmers are also having to cope with drier than normal conditions.

While the Waikato received above normal rainfall in November,

Northland’s parched paddocks.

Waikato-HaurakiCoromandel Rural Support Trust chairman Neil Bateup says lower than normal rainfall currently means Waikato soil moisture levels are below February 2012 figures in some parts of

the region. “We haven’t really had much rain since Christmas day in our area.”

However, the kind winter and spring meant Waikato farmers were able to make more silage than normal and Bateup

expects farmers to continue milking to take advantage of high dairy prices.

“Obviously farmers are reassessing the situation week by week and might start dropping culls as the situation arises.”

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POINTERS TO drought are starting to appear in some regions.

MPI spokesman Stewart Anderson told Rural News it is monitoring the situation, especially in western Northland, Waikato, Central Plateau and Horowhenua.

“On the whole things are not too bad in terms of dryness, but there some pockets drier than they would normally be at this time of the year,” Anderson says.

“For those places it’s starting to move towards being as dry as last year.

The feedback we are getting is saying

‘yes it’s dry in some areas’ and in some cases this is not entirely unexpected given the time of year. But there are a few pockets sufficiently dry to be of concern and this is forcing farmers in those areas to take action.”

Anderson says Hawkes Bay is dry, but farmers are coping. Wairarapa is said to be having a good season. But in Horowhenua some dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and are looking at moving to once-a-day (OAD) milking to keep the milk flow going.

Anderson says the key message for farmers is to draw up a plan with milestones or decision points to guide their actions if the dryness persists.

Good stock management, strategic

use of supplements and producing a good budget are among the options farmers should develop.

Destocking in some cases could be an option and dairy farmers may need to consider OAD milking.

“If farmers feel they need support to deal with issues or talk through strategies, organisations like the Rural Support Trust are available.

They should also seek the advice of other rural professionals to help them manage their way through this or any other adverse event,” he says.

No region has been a declared a drought area, but in Horowhenua, for example, a ‘green drought’ is apparent.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

NEWS 5

Meat inspections new bone of contention PA M TI PA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

RECENT CLAIMS in an Auckland magazine about shoddy inspections in the meat industry show that New Zealand needs a separate food safety authority, says Labour Primary Industries spokesman Damien O’Connor.

The authority should be separate from MPI and “not be compromised by multiple objectives in the Ministry for Primary Industries,” he says.

O’Connor called on Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye to improve the system after an investigation by Metro claimed that seven meat consignments were refused entry to the US market because they did not meet the import requirement of zero faecal contamination.

The article also claimed that the change to self-regulation, using company-employed meat inspectors in several sites, had resulted failures in the system, including poorly trained inspectors unable to do the job properly and financial incentives not to slow down production.

O’Connor has copies of letters from Food and Water Watch to the US Department of Agriculture which refers mainly to Australian products, but also mentions New Zealand meat imports. The latest letter in January 2013 says the “number of imported meat rejections of New Zealand products has increased in recent months” and asks what New Zealand is doing about it.

“What concerns me is we have a senior person at MPI denying it, saying it’s a myth that any of these shipments have been locked out, then finally an admission. My concern is that MPI had their head in their sand over the whole situation,” O’Connor told Rural News.

A report by AsureQuality, who as a contractor trained the replacement meat inspectors, raised concerns during the trial process but these were glossed over, he says. “The continuation of it without major reform will inevitably lead to major risks of contamination in the meat industry.”

O’Connor says there’s an implication faecal contamination is not considered a food safety issue, which is of major concern. Faecal contamination should be clearly indicated as a food safety issue by the minister, he says.

The demarcation of processing-line responsibilities of company workers and AsureQuality vets needs to clarified.

“We need to be reassured there’s adequate inspection taking place regardless of the meat works or regardless of who is doing the inspection. MPI and the minister have to front up to the level of contamination identified by our different trading partners.”

Rural News asked Nikki Kaye’s office for comment, but was referred to Scott Gallacher, deputy director-general standards, Ministry for Primary Industries. He says the inspections are in line with interna-

tional Codex standards and domestic legislation.

“We are confident the alternative meat inspection system meets MPI’s strict requirements for ensuring meat is safe to consume.”

The alternative meat inspection programme follows successful trial results and acceptance by the United States of America (USA) and European Union (EU), Gallacher says.

Officials from the EU visited New Zealand in June 2013 to evaluate the system and it met their expectations.

The USDA’s food safety inspection service evaluated the system’s performance data in September 2013 and commented favourably.

Company inspectors are trained and assessed by AsureQuality and have an NZQA level-four qualification. MPI had been informed by the USDA’s food safety and inspection service of seven port of entry (border) issues between 2011 and 2012, where containers holding 38 tonnes of meat products failed to meet its zero tolerance standard. No further port of entry issues have been raised by the USDA food safety and inspection service since that time.

“Importantly, none of the port of entry rejections were associated with any of the meat supplied to that market under the alternative meat inspection system, since the inception of the system in 2011,” Gallacher says. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

6 NEWS MIE claims money and mandate THE MEAT Industry Excellence Group (MIE) is requesting $200,000 of farmer funds from Beef+Lamb NZ (BLNZ).

Chairman John McCarthy is asking farmers to get behind MIE and support its remit for funding from BLNZ. He claims the request is ‘not about a gravy train.’

“It’s simply about being able to continue the reform process, the majority of expenses have been carried by individual MIE members to date,” McCarthy says.

“We are asking for approximately $200,000 – based on last year’s figures will allow us to cover the costs relating to travel, accommodation, plus various meeting and advisory expenses.

He also point out that – unlike BLNZ – there is no provision for director fees.

This money is just for actuals.

Meanwhile last week the MIE executive met in Wellington to identify and shortlist potential candidates for elections. The executive also used the time to get around the traps and had meetings with all the political parties.

McCarthy told Rural News that meetings with the politicians were to get endorsement for their strategy for the red meat sector.

“We are probably a bit at odds with what a ruling National Party would like to portray in an election year and I can understand [the Minister for Primary Industry’s] hesitancy over not having total agreement about where we are coming from. I think he is still weighing up what he should do about this one,” McCarthy says.

“Labour’s really behind us…. The Greens are particularly worried about the

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environmental effects of the seemingly unstoppable dairy industry expansion and New Zealand First is pretty much in favour of what we are doing,” he claims.

McCarthy says the Wellington meeting was also for MIE to reaffirm its strategic goals and objectives. Now they are confident of what they stand for, he says.

“There is a huge amount of money to be gained by what we are advocating. If you take the dairy figures 12 years ago, the price of milksolids in England was at 55% of the UK farm price. We are now quoting above that thanks to a coordinated marketing approach by Fonterra.

“We are in a similar position now with our lamb, which is trading at about 55% of the UK price.

If you extrapolate that and say a committed supply and coordinated market

John McCarthy (front) and MIE team meeting in Wellington last week.

MPI’s meat numbers challenged P ET ER BUR K E

chain could deliver the same benefits as the dairy model, we are looking at a $6 billion increase – that is the size of the prize.”

McCarthy says MIE is going to “broaden its attack” and start communicating with a wider range of organisations and individuals. But their core support comes from farmers, he says.

“We are the only game

in town that can turn this thing around. Beef + Lamb NZ is hampered by its constitution and Federated Farmers has similar organisational constraints, while the meat companies have different agendas.

“We are the only outfit that can organise a meaningful change,” McCarthy concludes. – Peter Burke and Rural News Reporters

RECENT MPI figures predicting a huge lift in meat export receipts for the coming season are an aberration, says the Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) group.

Compared with the last MPI figures, meat exports in the present season are almost unchanged at just over $6.6 billion, but the ministry’s prediction for the coming season is for a whopping 22% increase.

MIE chair John McCarthy says MPI’s good-news prediction is the stuff of an election year – against the backdrop of the current good season and the rise-andrise of the China market.

“The figures are what could be expected in an election year when they want to concentrate on good news stories. We have spoken to thousands of farmers over the past 12 months and those figures would definitely not reflect most of the conditions felt by farmers in general.”

The MPI report also notes while the sheep flock continues to decline, lamb numbers continue to rise as do carcass weights. A message signaled by the Beef + Lamb NZ’s economic service. The MPI report effectively says the increase is due to supply and demand issues with the beef herd declining in the US due to drought and increased production in New Zealand.

MPI predicts dairy exports to the end of June 2014 will rise by 19% to $16.6 billion.

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

NEWS 7

Dunne deal on doing things differently P E TE R BU R K E peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE MINISTRY for Primary Industry (MPI) will look “quite different” as a result of an “alignment process” that started last week, says the new chief executive, Martyn Dunne.

Three months in his new role, he is ringing changes. For example, he has appointed deputy director-general Roger Smith to head MPI’s operation in China and is about to appoint two more staff there. He’s also adding staff to other key diplomatic posts in countries where market access is an issue.

Dunne told Rural News the “alignment process” is to meet the huge expectations and demands on his organisation. MPI and its previous incarnations have undergone almost constant restructuring for 25 years, but Dunne denies this is the case with the current moves.

“I don’t call it a restructuring and the staff don’t see it that way,” he says. “Normally restructuring is something driven by cost pressure and other demands and generally results in a downsizing.

“Out of this exercise we are increasing the head count in MPI by small

Ministry for Primary Industries new chief executive Martyn Dunne.

numbers and few people are seriously affected. What we aim to do is align the components of what we do and make sure we are getting the best value out of it given the pressure we now know the organisation has to face. As a result of this process there will be less ‘siloisation’ and better awareness of who we are.”

Dunne last week briefed staff about his plans and says this will continue for the next few weeks.

Since he took up his new role, Dunne has spent a fair amount of time out of his office in the capital – meeting staff and stakeholders and getting firsthand feedback on MPI. Apart from the obvious issues such as China, the feedback has generally been positive, he says.

The massive increase in primary exports has put extra pressure on MPI from stakeholders, especially in dealing with the many regulations MPI adminis-

ters – said to exceed those of any other government department.

“I have found people are very willing to engage and get beyond the WPC inquiry, the issues we had last year with meat and other matters. We are getting into a much better space and… there is willingness to take part into taking MPI forward.”

Dunne is planning to embed stakeholders in the organisation via a new ‘stakeholder advisory group’ (STAG) that will help set strategic direction of MPI. “The group will have five permanent members and another five that will rotate to give everyone an opportunity to be a part of it. The big strategic question we need answers on is ‘what is primary production going to look like in 2030?’. How are we going to tackle all the resource issues in a broad scope rather than focusing just on sector issues which will naturally enough become part of it?” Dunne says.

“We’ll have a range of people, but we haven’t settled yet on who will be in there. However, we will try and represent… everything from horticulture to the meat and dairy industries and other sectors.”

Dealing with issues TO ADDRESS problem types seen in the past, Dunne plans to centralise MPI’s training programme, having things done “very differently”.

He’s conscious of the corporate knowledge that has walked out the door of MPI, and before it MAF, and says “succession planning” is a priority.

“In the organisation you can’t afford to have areas where there are single points of expertise, because that obviously leads to single points of failure and we need to grow that expertise across the systems.

“So in biosecurity, primary production and food safety we need to ensure, as an organisation, that we have good succession planning and depth in the areas we operate in.”

In the roll-out of regional plans he has had work done to get a better handle on Maori agribusiness.

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8 NEWS

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NEW TECHNOLOGY will drive further expansion in the dairy industry, says Federated Farmers dairy section chair Willy Leferink.

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Willy Leferink addressing Fed’s dairy council last week.

Speaking to Rural News last week at Feds dairy council meeting in Wellington, Leferink predicted further expansion of the dairy industry and more intensification on farms.

Long term growth will come from doing things better onfarm and from dairy companies focusing on producing value added products, he says.

“New technology will provide us with new ways to feed our cows and produce better cows and better systems, and we’ll have smarter staff and all those factors will contribute to improved productivity.

“I am into precision irrigation and I know other farms using precision agriculture to spread fertiliser and they had a 35% reduction in the first year. There are new technologies

emerging [that will direct us] to put urea between effluent spots.”

Leferink says plenty of smart ways exist to improve onfarm profitability.

Every so often farmers need to take time out to review their operations and see if there are different or better ways to do things.

“Public perception is always a pressure in the background; it’s always been there and always will be.

At the moment it’s all about the environment, but it will slowly cross over to animal welfare.

“Three or four years ago effluent disposal was a huge issue, but we hardly talk about stock in water now; it is all about nutrient discharges. The field is changing, but the public pressure has always been there.”

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Leferink says farmers must get away from the ambulance-at-the-bottom-of-the-cliff approach to dealing with issues.

“We have to create headroom to get a space where we negotiate our own outcomes rather than somebody telling us what the outcomes should be for us.”

Leferink believes the industry is in good heart and is pleased with the way the collaborative processes are working. He hopes politicians, scientists and environmentalists will stop throwing rocks at dairy farmers and work positively with them.

And for critics who say milk powder is a low value product and easy to make he says “have a go at making some in your kitchen”.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

10 NEWS

Fonterra ready for Chinese audit SUD ES H K I SSU N sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FONTERRA IS confident of getting regulatory approvals from Chinese food safety inspectors who arrive this month for an industry audit.

The co-op is welcoming the opportunity to show the Chinese food

safety watchdog – general administration of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine (AQSIQ) – its world class plants.

Fonterra’s group director of food, safety and quality, Ian Palliser, says the visit is a positive opportunity for Fonterra and New Zealand.

“It allows us to showcase

our food safety and quality standards,” he told Rural News.

Accompanied by MPI, teams from AQSIQ will visit dairy farms, processing plants, warehouses and labs to certify each facility.

Regulatory changes introduced by the Chinese regime include

requiring foreign baby milk makers to register with the authorities in China from May 1 before exporting product to the country. Re-labelling of infant formula cans is also banned.

Palliser says while inspection dates and times have not been confirmed, he believes AQSIQ

will attend a maximum of three sites and the focus is wider than just infant formula sites.

He is confident that there will be no issue with any of its manufacturing sites. “At the end of the day this is nothing new.

We regularly host overseas regulators and customers who visit our factories to

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view our manufacturing processes,” he says.

New Zealand has at least 350 infant formula manufacturers, exporters and storage facilities and labs connected with the Chinese market. Not all facilities will be inspected but the inspectors are expected to visit the 18 sites used to make infant formula powders.

MPI deputy directorgeneral policy Deborah Roche says the audit is a ‘sample’ audit of New Zealand’s dairy production and regulatory system.

“Not all infant formula and general dairy manufacturers, stores, farms and laboratories will be audited. While some will be visited, it’s the system as a whole and the MPI’s management of the system that will be examined.”

MPI’s priority is to ensure the registration and audit process runs smoothly, so that New Zealand dairy and infant formula manufacturers producing for export to China, along with dairy cold and dry store operators in the export supply chain, are registered with Chinese authorities by May 1. This is important to ensure businesses can continue to export product to China, says Roche.

Some small infant formula exporters fear they could be forced out of business if the Chinese inspectors find their businesses too small to ade-

quately deal with food safety issues.

The regulatory changes introduced by the Chinese Government last year are intended to rebuild an industry that was decimated by the 2008 melamine crisis, when six babies died and hundreds of thousands more became sick after consuming dairy products tainted with the industrial chemical. Fonterra’s recent WPC80 scare hasn’t helped either.

MPI says the registration and audit process applies to all countries that export dairy products to China, not just New Zealand.

“The measures being taken by Chinese authorities are not related to the whey protein concentration incident. China’s food regulatory frameworks as a whole—not just those relating to dairy products—are undergoing significant change,” says Roche.

She says the Chinese authorities are taking steps to provide oversight of the infant formula market in China.

“It will mean that ‘over-stickering’ of labels in China will no longer be allowed and product exported from New Zealand will have to be labelled for the Chinese market prior to export.

This can help prevent fraudulent labelling and ensure New Zealand products can be clearly identified.”

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Rebuilding faith INFANT NUTRITION Council chief executive Jan Carey says the audits will be important to help rebuild Chinese markets’ faith in New Zealand products.

Carey says the industry should be ready to meet the Chinese regulations.

She says INC and its members are committed to the integrity of the industry and to the safety of our products.

“INC has high standards through our code of conduct that sets out the expectations for members relating to industry best practice in marketing and regulatory compliance for infant formula.”

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

NEWS 11

Rural services company in recovery mode PA M TI PA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

FARMING AND horticultural retail, real estate and seeds were among winners for PGG Wrightsons Ltd, says chief executive Mark Dewdney.

The company posted a profit of $13 million in the first half to December 31, up from $4.8m in the same period in the previous financial year. The operating earnings saw a 24% gain to $22.3m in the six months, up from $18m in the same period the previous year.

Dewdey, who started as chief executive in July last year, says they are happy with the result. “The profitability is up, the cashflow

is stronger, the balance sheet is strong and we are able to pay a dividend of 2c this year, fully imputed.

So our shareholders are rewarded, our staff are performing well, the markets are growing for us and we believe we are growing our market share in some key categories.

“Agriculture can be volatile and climate drives onfarm expenditure. It is dry in key parts of New Zealand and Australia so we are cautiously optimistic about the second half of the year. But we are realistic; we need to keep our feet on the ground, to make sure we keep doing the important things well, such as servicing our customers with good tech-

nical advice and good products.”

Relative to last year the retail and Fruitfed division – the farming and horticulture supply business – is up $500,000, real estate is up $2m and the seeds business is up.

Dewdney says the growth in dairy is contrib-

uting to improved performance and, pleasingly, so is horticulture. “It’s wonderful to see kiwifruit improving again after some horrible times with Psa.” In real estate, PGW brought in new management four or five months ago and that is paying divi-

More change coming DEWDNEY SAYS a wider review of PGW’s overall business strategy will be released in the next few months.

“While we have had a very strong start and are $4 million ahead of the same period last year, we have not changed our full year forecast.”

PGW’s board has declared a fully imputed dividend of 2 cents per share, payable to shareholders registered at the record date of March 12, 2014. The dividend will be paid on April 2.

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dends. The seed business is upgrading technology and products.

Stock sales are going to plan with sheep volumes down a little. “There’s been land use change and a reduction in capital stock numbers through last year’s drought which is offset by some growth in dairy numbers.”

Although PGW won’t be supplying cattle to China this financial year, it is now procuring for a contract which starts in July.

A “very good” contract to supply Vietnam with live exports, which ran for about three years, has now finished.

On the wool side, the domestic procurement business is down, reflect-

ing land use change and reduction in sheep numbers. The wool export business is up strongly but PGW is handling less bulk wool. “The combination of the two has seen some earnings drop in the first half compared to last year.”

PGW’s water business acquired Water Dynamics and Aquaspec during the period, and did an “unprecedented level” of repair work following the September wind storm in Canterbury. Ongoing demand for new irrigation installations remains strong.

Dewdney also says ‘One PGW,’ an internal initiative launched in October, is playing

Mark Dewdney

an important role in the results being achieved. “’One PGW’ is an inhouse programme that sharpens our focus on customers, and the value PGW can provide them from our whole range of products and services.

Business units are increasingly working together, rather than independently, which is historically how we tended to operate.”

Almost every business unit is ahead of last year.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

12 NEWS

Precision Ag needs to stick to KISS principle P E TE R BU R K E

SCIENTISTS NEED to simplify the way they present new technology to farmers, says Professor

Ian Yule, Massey University, an expert in precision agriculture.

In a keynote address to the annual Fertiliser and Lime Research work-

shop, Yule stressed that the greater the complexity in presentations to farmers, the less likely they will be to adopt new technology – it’s too hard for them

to understand.

“Another way to put it might be a ‘Lego’ set verses a jigsaw,” he explained. “Researchers have been too guilty to

form a jigsaw. But unless you get all the pieces in the right place it looks pretty awful, whereas with the construction set you can build your own model,

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integration of precision agriculture and say ‘yep that’s what I must do; I’ll do it all at once’,” Yule says.

“What they will do is say, ‘that’s the first brick in the wall, that’s the second and we’ll build it from there’. That’s what this ‘bricolage’ approach is all about.”

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which is more flexible and so on.

“One of the problems I see is the way researchers are required to develop proposals. It’s again like building a large complex jigsaw: we do a little too much of that [leading] to problems in adoption. We have to rethink some of those areas as well.”

Yule favours a system called ‘bricolage’, which involves a brick-by-brick or step-by-step approach to systems. Such an approach helps explain how systems work and what it means for technologists, researchers, regulators, government service providers and farmers.

“So a farmer doesn’t necessarily see the whole

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BEEF + LAMB New Zealand says it is struggling to find out what it did wrong at a recent Taranaki field day where some participants were photographed not wearing helmets on quads.

A spokesman from WorkSafe New Zealand has publicly attacked BLNZ over the matter and says it would have issued enforcement notices because the law requires farmers to wear helmets on quads.

But BLNZ’s Richard Wakelin, responsible for field days, says he’s talked to WorkSafe New Zealand and is still struggling to find out whether or not helmets are compulsory.

Wakelin claims regulations say visitors to farms should be “encouraged to wear helmets”, but he cannot find any reference to “compulsory”.

“I rang WorkSafe and asked them specifically what BLNZ could do to address the concerns they have raised,” he told Rural News.

“They said in March there is going to be a quad forum and they are looking for us to work with them, and other industry groups, to improve the messages to farmers about the use of helmets. But they certainly didn’t mention any legal requirement.”

Wakelin says BLNZ follows the guidelines, as set by WorkSafe NZ, to the letter.

“We have a no-helmet no-ride policy, which means our staff members are not allowed on a quad unless they have a helmet and they are not allowed to double up. That’s policy.

“If they are in a situation where they haven’t got a quad… then we hire a side-by-side machine for them; again that’s our policy.”

Wakelin says at the start of events where quads will be used, their extension staff read out their policy and make a point of encouraging people to wear helmets. This was done at the Taranaki event.

“We are actively trying to identify just what we should be doing. At the moment, we can’t see what else we can do to influence industry behavior. As an organisation we have tightened up on this whole thing in compliance and we are not going to deviate from that.” – Peter Burke

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

NEWS 13 With Dr Peter Sharples and Primary Industry Minister Nathan Guy are representatives of the finalists Kiriwaitingi Rei, Putauaki Trust – Himiona Farm, Dion Maaka Te Rua o Te Moko Ltd and Enid Ratahi-Pryor Ngati Awa Farms – Ngakauroa Farm

Pour On & Dip

Top Maori dairy farms prepare for finals PLANNING IS in full swing for three field days for the finalists in this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Maori dairy farm.

The first will be held on March 11 at the Putauaki Trust, Himiona Farm near Te Teko. On March 14, Te Rua o Te Moko Ltd, near Hawera, will stage its field day. Then on March 19 it will be back to Te Teko for Ngati Awa

Farms Ltd, for Ngakauroa Farms’ event.

The field days allow the public to see the three farms and to hear from staff and trustees how they have been selected as finalists for the competition. Also then the judges of the finalists visit the properties to select the ultimate winner.

This year the winner will be

announced at an awards dinner at Tauranga.

Recently about 80 guests were at Parliament for the announcement of the three finalists. That was the first time the Ahuwhenua Trophy had been showcased in Wellington.

The winners were announced by Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples.

US farm production grows ALAN HARMAN

DESPITE WIDESPREAD drought, US farm production rose 33% to US$394.6 billion in 2012, preliminary data from the farm census shows.

The US Department of Agriculture says the US$97.4-billion increase is despite a drop in the number of farms and land in farms.

“The 2012 census was not conducted in a typical crop year, and drought had a major impact on US agriculture, affecting crop yields, production and prices,” national agricultural statistics service administrator Cynthia Clark says.

The figures show US agriculture is becoming more diverse with several historic changes in the value, including crop

sales of $212.4 billion exceeding livestock sales of US$182.2 billion for only the second time in history after 1974.

Between 2007 and 2012, the average value of sales per farm rose from US$134,807 to US$187,093, continuing a steady 30-year upward trend. The increase of $52,286 was the largest in census history dating back to 1840.

The census shows principal farm operators are becoming older and more diverse with the average age of a principal farm operator at 58.3 years, up 1.2 years since 2007 and continuing a 30-year trend of steady increase.

The US had 2.1 million farms, down 4.3% from the previous census in 2007. Between 2007

and 2012, the amount of land in farms continued a slow downward trend, declining from 922 million acres to 915 million. This is a fall of less than 1% and is the third smallest decline between censuses since 1950.

In terms of farm size, mid-sized properties got smaller, but the smallest and largest-size farms held steady.

Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack says the data provides a snapshot of a strong rural America that has remained stable during difficult economic times.

“We have slowed significantly the loss of farmland, which has totaled 72 million acres since 1982,” he says.

“New tools provided in the 2014 Farm Bill will

help to further slow and reverse this trend.”

Vilsack says the prolonged drought and lack of disaster assistance made it more difficult for livestock producers and mid-sized farms to survive, but a bright spot in the data is the slight increase in young farmers and the stable number of small farms and largescale farms.

“This reflects our work to grow local and regional food systems and exports, but we must do more for mid-sized operations,” he says.

“While the aging nature of the farming population is a concern, we are hopeful that as we attract and retain the next generation of talent into rural America, this trend can also be reversed.”

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

14 NEWS

Kiwifruit on the bounce back?

PA M TI PA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

A RESURGENT kiwifruit industry is attracting corporate, foreign and multicultural investment, says Zespri chairman Peter McBride.

That includes Maori investors, corporate farmers and even Indian con-

tractors who have been working in the orchards and are now buying them.

“We are a lot happier than we were a year or two ago,” says McBride as orchard prices surge and returns are good, despite the industry facing Psa devastation only a little more than a year ago.

While full produc-

tion in the new Gold variety is still some years away, McBride told Rural News he believes within 24 months investors will be growing the industry with new orchard development.

“It’s fantastic. I think a lot of what we will see is more corporate investment, Maori investment and large scale inves-

tors. We are going to see more foreign investment, more corporate activity again among farmers and Maori.”

Currently there is some consolidation with existing growers buying more orchards and getting bigger. “Also you are seeing some Indian contractors buying orchards.

That’s quite exciting to see; they are working in the industry and investing in the industry. Some of that money is coming from family offshore. Some of the smaller orchards – the 4-5ha orchards – are being bought by them.

“We are seeing orchard values at similar or higher levels than pre Psa in

Peter McBride

Green and we are seeing Gold orchards approach pretty high levels as well.”

McBride says the industry has “changed drastically quickly. If I am really honest, the capital value of orchards has recovered a lot quicker than I anticipated.”

Confidence that the industry can survive and progress in a Psa environment has made banks willing to lend. “In the next phase in the cycle you’ll see people starting to develop orchards again because the banks will back them.”

With little flat land left to plant in Te Puke, he says there’s likely to be regional development in areas such as the East Coast and Gisborne. “There’s a lot of good Maori land as well,”

he says. “There’s quite a bit of Maori development in Te Kaha and the Bay of Plenty already but I believe they are going to expand.”

Values of orchards are rising considerably and there’s an underlying confidence with the good growers buying the orchards. “They are backing themselves that they can manage it.”

McBride says the headwind Zespri faces is the foreign exchange rate, particularly in its goal to keep the Green orchard return rate above $5 a tray. Chile has got only half a crop so that will give some respite.

But in the medium term Zespri believes it can keep that $5 goal and also grow underlying profitability.

Higher goals for growers DESPITE HIS optimism, McBride says full production of the new Gold variety G3 is still several years away depending on how many licences they issue.

“That will be a growing number – it’s a moving feast really, he says.

Zespri expects this season production of G3 to be about nine million trays, up from about two million last season. But that is hard to predict as many orchards are only in their first year of production after grafting the new G3 variety to replace Hort16a which was devastated by Psa. Zespri last week released its February forecast for the 2013 season and Green growers were on track for highest-ever average per-hectare Green return to growers of $42,692 ($5.23 a tray).

The price for gold kiwifruit is also strong at $12.60 per tray, but it is on reduced volumes because of PSA. The 2014 season will be harvested soon.

The Zespri board has approved a revised net profit after tax range for Zespri of $13 million to $15 million for the financial year to March 31, 2014.

McBride says the main change from the previous forecast is in reduced fruit loss in Europe, the quality of the fruit and post-harvest performance.

He says they have introduced more supplier accountability to incentivise suppliers for better quality fruit and that is happening in New Zealand too.

“If you don’t reach the quality you also get bigger penalties. That is bringing a higher level of supplier accountability. A more commercial tension in there is driving performance as well.”

For the new G3 variety, known as SunGold in the market, Zespri must do a good job of delivering the right tasting fruit, McBride says. “For some growers, delivering the right taste will be a bigger challenge than Psa. There’s a natural tendency to load the vine because G3 is such a prolific cropper. That’s the challenge growers have to face and we have bought in higher taste standards to make sure they deliver the requisite quality.”

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

BEEF MARKET TRENDS

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M2 Bull - 300kg

Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year

4.40

4.40

3.95

4.45

n/c

4.45

3.90



 

5.56

4.41

n/c

5.58

5.58

4.43

3.50

3.50

3.25

PX - 19.0kg

n/c

5.60

5.60

4.45

3.40

3.10

PH - 22.0kg

n/c

5.61

5.61

4.46

Local Trade - 230kg

n/c

4.30

4.30

3.90

Mutton

MX1 - 21kg

n/c

3.45

3.45

2.53

P2 Steer - 300kg

-2

4.26

4.28

3.80

SI Lamb

YM - 13.5kg

n/c

5.58

5.58

4.34

M2 Bull - 300kg

-2

4.08

4.10

3.90

PM - 16.0kg

n/c

5.58

5.58

4.36

P2 Cow - 230kg

-2

3.13

3.15

3.00

PX - 19.0kg

n/c

5.58

5.58

4.38

M Cow - 200kg

-2

2.93

2.95

2.80

PH - 22.0kg

n/c

5.58

5.58

4.39

Local Trade - 230kg

n/c

4.28

4.28

3.92

n/c

3.26

3.26

2.53





5.56

PM - 16.0kg

3.40



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n/c

Last Year

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YM - 13.5kg

2 Wks Ago

n/c

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

NI Lamb

Last Week

M Cow - 200kg

Slaughter   

Change

c/kgCWT

P2 Cow - 230kg

SI



 

Change

P2 Steer - 300kg





LAMB PRICES

c/kgCWT



LAMB MARKET TRENDS

Mutton

MX1 - 21kg

Slaughter 



  

 









  





 

















   

 



 

 

























Change















2.21

1.85

NZ$/kg

-4

5.46

5.50

5.72

5.58



9.19

6.02

8.48

 



















Procurement Indicator

  

 

2Wks Ago

Last Year

5yr Ave

% Returned NI

+1%

80.6%

79.6%

69.92%

69.5%

% Returned SI

+1%

75.1%

74.5%

68.7%

65.9%





Change



2Wks Ago

3 Wks Ago





Last Year 5yr Ave

% Returned NI

-0%

65.7%

66.2%

63.9%

62.7%

% Returned SI

-0%

64.8%

65.0%

62.2%

63.7%

 3 Wks Ago

Change



Procurement Indicator







9.01

 

 

1.82

-18



2.05





1.50

NZ$/kg



2.07



Last Year 5yr Ave

2.10







2 Wks Ago



2.05

5yr Ave

+2

 

Last Week



-5

Last Year







UK Leg £/lb

2 Wks Ago







Export Market Demand

Last Week

95CL US$/lb







Export Market Demand





Change

 

  













 





       

 

















 











 













 



  



 

       

 















Venison Prices

 









 





Change



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

Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year 5yr Ave

NI Stag - 60kg

n/c

6.15

6.15

6.30

6.95

SI Stag - 60kg

n/c

6.25

6.25

6.48

7.30



Give them lifetime traceability

– register your cattle with NAIT

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

NEWS

PRICE WATCH



WOOL PRICE WATCH

BEEF

Change

20-Feb

13-Feb

Coarse Xbred Indic.

-1

4.84

4.85

3.80

Fine Xbred Indicator

n/c

5.02

5.02

4.78

Lamb Indicator

-4

5.28

5.32

5.17

Mid Micron Indic.

-

-

-

8.93

Cows begin to flow as dry conditions prevail

Indicators in NZ$

As some regions in the NI begin to dry out, the flow of cows is starting to hit the works. Pregnancy scanning is also underway, however there is a hot trade of young empties this year, so this will limit numbers killed. The bull kill is starting to decline. The SI is also starting to feel the dry and the flow of cattle to works has gained momentum. Prices in both islands are feeling some downwards prssure. 300kg cwt export steers averaged $4.40/kg in the North last week and $4.20-$4.25/kg in the South. Export bulls of similar weights averaged between $4.30-$4.35/kg in the North and $4.05$4.10/kg in the South.

Mixed outlook for US imported beef prices US domestic lean beef prices rose to a high of $2.50/lb last week; 14% higher than this time last year. While imported prices also improved last week with 90CL up to $2.04/lb and 95CL up to $2.11/lb, they are still trading at signficicant discount to in relation to domestic. This is expected at this time of year, however the differential is definately higher than usual as the winter storms have elevated retail demand (consumers stocking up to ensure they are not caught out), and depressed food service demand more than usual. A combination of increasing foodservice demand in April/May and a continued reduction in US cow slaughter numbers could result in significant increases in imported prices which will have a positive impact on farmgate prices in NZ. On the down side, however, spiking 50CL prices may be a limiting factor in any increase in demand from foodservice operators, particulary while inventories remain sufficient.



        



Export lamb prices from most companies have held steady through Feb as orders are filled for the chilled Easter trade. Some companies have chosen to remove part of the easter chilled premium, which has resulted in a fall in these company prices. All easter chilled premiums will come of by the beginning of March. In the NI a 16cwt lamb was between $5.65-$5.70/kg gross last week with the SI at $5.55-$5.60/kg gross. Mutton prices are at $3.45/kg gross in the North and $3.25/kg gross in the South.

DAIRY Russian demand underpins firm butter prices Whole milk powder prices (WMP) have fallen slightly at the higher end of their range as demand from China has dropped off significantly following the end of their New Year celebrations. Supplies of WMP have tightened as the strength of SMP, butter and cheese prices cause product to be diverted to production of these products.

Cheese prices rose significantly as manufacturers needed higher returns to justify production. Dairy products recorded their biggest drop since early Nov in the lastest GlobalTradeDairy auction, with milk protein concentrale and butter leading the decline.

Skim Milk Powder Whole Milk Powder Cheddar

Last 2 Wks

Prev. 2 Wks

Last Year

-42

5640

5683

4110

-142

5984

6127

4198

-176

6134

6311

4081

+279

6284

6004

4697



 

 







 













 









  

 





 











Overseas Price Indicators Indicators in US$/kg

20-Feb

13-Feb

-3

4.00

4.03

-2

4.15

4.17

3.99

-6

4.37

4.42

4.31

-

-

-

7.46

Mid Micron Indicator

 

3.17









Last 2 Wks

Prev. 2 Wks

n/c

5000

5000

3575

-25

5125

5150

3475

+350

5250

4900

4000

Change

Butter

+75

Skim Milk Powder Whole Milk Powder Cheddar

4713

Last Year

4638

3500

 

 



 







 















 

 

    











 

vs. NZ Dollar

Last Week 2 Wks Ago 4 Wks Ago Last Year



0.836

0.822

0.832

0.852

Euro

0.611

0.605

0.611

0.637

UK pound

0.502

0.504

0.509

0.550



Aus dollar

0.928

0.920

0.943

0.822

Japan yen

85.43

83.82

86.76

79.11

 

 





 Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr









 



US Dollar



US dollar

Euro

 

                

CURRENCY WATCH





Indicators in US$/T





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Overseas Price Indicators Last Year

Change

Coarse Xbred Indicator

Good store lamb demand in the NI, low in the SI Demand for store lambs has picked up in the NI, a reaction to mid Feb’s rain in eastern regions and also the expectation of tighter numbers later in the season. Prices in the paddock are around $2.65/kg for 28-30kg males and heavier types around $2.60/kg. Ewe lambs at 30kg are trading at the $2.50/kg mark. Some believe that the expectation of lower availability will see these prices go higher in the weeks ahead, particularly as winter traders come into the market around March. Others think that cashflow and drier conditions may prevent the market from going too much higher The store lamb market in the South Island remains a hit or miss affair with subdued demand in most regions as pastures continue to dry out. Most lambs traded at $2.30-2.40/kg in the paddock last week with a lesser proportion exchanging hands for $2.50/kg. Results have been similar at the sales. 28-37kg males and mixed sex lines took home $2.302.45/kg at both Temuka and Cant Park last week and the longer term options were a hard sell.

Butter

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Change

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Lamb Indicator

Easter trade lifts export lamb prices

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Indicators in NZ$/T

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Fine Xbred Indicator

LAMB

DAIRY PRICE WATCH Last Year

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UK Pound         

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

18 AGRIBUSINESS

Intriguing year ahead for dairy – bank PA M TI PA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THE YEAR IS shaping up to be “intriguing” for the global dairy market with China the “wildcard”, says Rabobank.

Exportable supply has been rising globally since September as producers respond to improved milk prices but demand from China is expected to keep growing in 2014.

“A strong Northern Hemisphere production season on the back of an exceptional season in the Southern Hemisphere (particularly in New Zealand) is expected to generate more than enough exportable supply to exceed [China’s] addi-

tional needs in the first half, 2014, loosening the market somewhat – eventually,” Rabobank’s monthly agribusiness report for New Zealand and Australia says.

Rabobank expects prices to hold at current highs before easing in the second half of the year. But China remains a “wildcard”. “If Chinese milk production continues to fall in 2014 (rather than stabilise), import growth is likely to again exceed market expectations, which would provide further support to global prices.”

In New Zealand the current season has been an unusual combination of record high farmgate milk

prices while climatic conditions have boosted milk flows. Full season production is likely to be up by about 8%.

“Existing and new processors are turning their attention to building new capacity. Powder drying, nutritional/IMF and UHT capacity is set to increase at multiple sites over the coming 12-18 months.”

In terms of the global beef market, everyone is looking to the skies in 2014 as much-awaited rain will determine how well it will perform, says Rabobank.

Demand for New Zealand and Australian beef is expected to be very strong in 2014. The US herd is still rebuilding after years of drought and

China is also predicted to be a strong buyer, Rabobank says. However reentry of the US and Brazil will increase competition, though the product is still already in the marketplace re the grey channel.

Sheepmeat supplies are forecast to contract in 2014 in Australia and New Zealand with lamb numbers likely to be back 2-2.5 million head. Farmgate prices should improve compared to 2013 towards the five-year average level.

“The challenging year continues to impact farmer confidence, with lacklustre ewe sales in New Zealand highlighting this,” says Rabobank.

The emergence of China as the largest

Rabobank is picking milk prices to hold at current levels, before easing back in the second half of the year.

export market for Australia and New Zealand was a bright spot in 2013, but consumer willingness to pay will be tested in 2014 as supplies tighten.

Export trade to EU and UK improved throughout last year. “Consumption and retail sales improved steadily throughout the year, with optimistic signals for 2014 suggesting this will strengthen,” the report says.

“Local processors in New Zealand have been

cautious to offer steady farmgate prices that can be passed on to consumers in the key overseas markets to avoid the issues of buyers [buying less], as we saw at the end of 2011 and the start of 2012.”

New Zealand’s wool exports for the 2012/13 financial year increased 15% but the total export value declined 13% or $100 million on the previous year because of subdued international demand, a firmer NZD and

strong volumes.

New Zealand wool production is forecast to decline by 2.3% in 2013/14. Tighter supply and good global demand for strong wool should see New Zealand wool prices improve in 2014, says Rabobank.

The Australian wool sector last year reduced its reliance on China, exporting more to the Czech Republic, India and Italy, this being predicted to continue in 2014.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

OPINION/AGRIBUSINESS 19

Could wool’s future be organic?

OORGANIC WOOL and organic lanolin are products that deserve and will eventually get greater recognition Following a recent tour of Bruce Woollen Mill, Wool Advancement Group (WAG) chairman Michael Mellon says there appears to be an opportunity in organic wool which was being largely ignored.

Lanolin is almost treated as a waste by-product. This is unfortunate as there are excellent topend organic markets for the product.

Lanolin is the ‘grease’ left behind after wool is scoured. The scouring equipment needed is in place at the mill though it could require some realignment of plant.

Mellon says the review of organic wool was undertaken by WAG. It identified niche opportunities that were being ignored because of issues such as the number of smaller lots, each with different specification.

However, none of these issues is insurmountable: the answer for smaller wool operators could be aggregation.

Mellon says the traditionalists pointed out that there is morethan-adequate lanolin product available, in a natural state, from Russia or

superfine Merino through to 40 micron crossbred.

Mellon says reliable sources have indicated that costs are no higher than standard wool – even with the administration costs of certification.

One farmer claimed that wool growing costs were actually lower for

organic product. This is due to no costs for chemicals such as drenching, vaccinating, dipping, superphosphate and nitrogen.

There are, however, costs for the extra cleaning of the scours and clearing of cards to comply with Biogro/Assure regulation.

underdeveloped countries. However, this usually is from wild animals, and though it is free of fertiliser, drench and dip, the wool is irregular in quality and during transit often exposed to contaminants.

Mellon believes garment makers, and in time carpet makers, will require assured organic suppliers to meet their commitment to end users. He says consumers are prepared to pay a premium for assured organic product. This will be passed down through all stages of production to offset extra costs such as certification.

Availability in New Zealand of organic wool is not well known, as significant imports of organic wool from Germany continue.

Cavalier Wool Scourers have for several years been offering certified scouring using readily available biodegradable detergent.

Certification is offered to Bio-grow and Assure standards by Cavalier in South and North Island for

Aggregation of raw wool from small growers is essential to avoid extra surcharges at all levels of the supply chain. It’s anticipated such an aggregation could be initiated by local organic farming groups.

WAG research found the USA was not particularly organic-

minded when it came to wool, with a total output of 19,000kg organic wool. As USA sheep flocks are mainly strong wool breeds, in time the demand would grow. Baby clothes, knitting yarn and socks were the main organic uses.

Mellon says it’s disap-

pointing the traditional wool trade seems to do little to aid organic wool in its infancy.

But finding markets with potential garment makers should not be too difficult, as quality makers wishing to add a valuable selling point will be few and easy to identify.

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FMG0339

THE RIDDET Institute, at Massey University, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), India’s premier dairy research institute.

Riddet exists to do fundamental research into innovative foods for health and wellness. It has worked with NDRI on various projects over several years.

A project jointly funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment and DST (Department of Science & Technology, Government of India) has recently begun developing probiotics of Indian origin and suitable delivery formats for Asian countries.

The Riddet Institute also got funds from the NZ-India Research Institute at Victoria University.

Distinguished professor Harjinder Singh of the Riddet Institute says the MoU will help researchers to acquire new knowledge about food products for the Indian and Asian markets.

“It will also [lead to more] joint publications, third party funding applications, recruitment of post-graduate students and visits by Indian researchers and businesses,” says Singh.

Professor AK Srivastava, director and vice-chancellor of NDRI, says they have been involved with the Riddet Institute since 2009 when he and Professor Singh met on a fact-finding science trip to India. – Peter Burke

That’s what works out here.

FMG0339_Neighbour_28x5_RN.indd 1

25/02/14 3:55 PM

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

20 OPINION EDITORIAL

EDNA

Your money, your vote ‘WE NEED the resources to keep the drive for change moving.’ That’s the plea from meat industry reform lobby group MIE (Meat Industry Excellence) in asking farmers to support its remit for funding from Beef + Lamb NZ (BLNZ).

This and other remits will be voted on at BLNZ’s annual meeting in Feilding on March 14.

MIE is seeking $200,000, on top of the $40,000 it has already been given by BLNZ, to continue its work on “addressing procurement and marketing issues” in the sector. The funds are for travel expenses and the cost of meetings and other activities.

MIE chairman John McCarthy claims this is no gravy train, but a continuing push for reform.

Most of the expenses to date have been carried by individual MIE members.

He says MIE is the only group with the mandate and focus to drive meat industry reform, a bold claim, as is the request for $200,000 – you can bet your life it will grow – of red meat levy funds.

There is no doubt MIE and its proponents are passionate drivers of their proposed meat industry reforms, even managing to get aligned directors voted onto the boards of Alliance Group and Silver Fern Farms. But they draw a long bow in claiming an overwhelming mandate for support from red meat producers for their reforms and/ or open access to levy funds to further promote these. Such boasts and demands border on arrogant pride, a turn-off to farmers that has hampered past calls for industry reform.

MIE does itself few favours in this regard: notice its insistence that Fonterra director John Monaghan be appointed to the board of Alliance Group without going through the correct constitutional process demanded of other candidates.

It now rests with red meat producers to give MIE proponents the mandate and funds they claim for meat sector reform, or send them back to the farms they come from. Either way it needs to be a clear message. It is your money and your vote: exercise it!

SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND?

GOT SOMETHING on your mind about the latest issues affecting our farming industry? Put your pen to paper or your fingers to your keyboard, and let our readers know what you think.

Contact us by either post or email.

Don’t forget to put your name and address.

Note: Letters may be edited. post to: Letter to the Editor PO Box 3855, Auckland 1140. or Email: editor@ruralnews.co.nz

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“It’s part of my effluent management plan!”

THE HOUND Say what?

HOW TIMES have changed. Your old mate nearly made a puddle on a conference floor recently when he saw the dairy industry was introducing SMPs – ‘supplementary minimum prices’ to those of us who have been around a few years; a throwback to the Muldoon years. But now, thank heavens, it stands for ‘sustainable milk plan’.

Meanwhile a STAG is not something you shoot – or maybe you might – it’s a ‘stakeholder advisory group’. Not to mention GMP, FEP and MGM: ‘good management practice’, ‘farm environment plan’ and matrix of good management’.

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound?

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

What next?

THE HOUND hears that smokers at this year’s Golden Shears were under the watchful eye of smoking police during the four days of competition. Apparently the good folk from the Wairarapa District Health Board and the Golden Shears committee agreed to make this year’s event smokefree, including a zone outside the recreation centre which hosts the event. According to the DHB’s chief nicotine Nazi, smokefree co-ordinator Linda Spence, even though the stadium was already smokefree, smokers continue congregating outside the front of the complex.

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Get off the stage

Loud and proud?

Science funding

THEY SAY never give a sucker an even break or a politician a chance to speak or you will pay dearly. The Hound reckons the organisers of the recent NZ Dairy Products Symposium, held in Auckland last month, will have learnt this lesson. They assigned a 10-minute speaking slot to Trade Minister Tim Groser. The verbose minister (formerly a trade negotiator) took full advantage, treating attendees – producers of NZ dairy products for the Chinese consumer market – to a 25-minute dissertation.

THE HOUND sees that Labour’s primary industries spokesperson Damien O’Connor is now claiming that contaminated meat is leaving New Zealand processing plants, based on allegations in a Auckland’s magazine Metro. How intriguing that O’Connor, who once famously labelled his party as being dominated by a gaggle of gays, was reading Auckland’s magazine. Perhaps he was attracted to the 20-page feature on the city’s recent month-long ‘Pride Festival’ promoting and celebrating Auckland’s gay communities.

YOUR OLD mate says good on Alliance Group for investigating whether shearing boosts lamb growth. However if, as Alliance says, there’s been little research into this, it is a sorry reflection on the efficacy of our agricultural research system in recent years. Scientifically robust data on other similarly common farm practices such as crypting and docking/tailing is also scant, probably because there’s little or no commercial incentive for a company to fund it. The case for core Government funding, with no match-funding strings attached, is clear. MPI and Minister Guy take note.

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ABC audited circulation 81,232 as at 31.12.2013

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 // MARCH 4, 2014

OPINION 21

Hot air blows across Oz farmland

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, from the inland Queensland town of St George, and popular with the nation’s farmers, is preparing a drought aid submission for cabinet.

Joyce said even if drought-breaking rain fell soon, many farmers would take six to 12 months to start to earn any income, having heavily destocked or been unable to plant a crop.

Despite Prime Minister Tony Abbott declaring the drought package would be “fair and reasonable”, the final result will have been put through the wringer of a Federal cabinet at odds with each other on support measures.

The junior party of the Coalition, the Nationals, has come off second-best with several requests to its senior partner this year.

The Liberals throw around terms like “corporate welfare” and “culture of entitlement” and how they must be abolished.

When fruit processor SPC – owned by Coca Cola Amatil but a significant buyer of fruit and a major employer in the Shepparton region of northern Victoria – asked for $25m to secure its future, the Federal Government said no. It was taking a stand.

It tried then to explain why chocolate manufacturer Cadbury, located in a marginal seat in Tasmania, received $16 million to upgrade its factory, saying it wasn’t a business decision, but a tourism decision, as the money would be used to “re-establish

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the famous chocolate tour”. Confused? Join the head-scratchers of Shepparton.

Federal treasurer Joe Hockey has also been busy explaining why the Government is looking favourably on supporting national airline QANTAS, which has seen its credit rating plunge from invest-

ment grade to junk status.

The Government will provide a sovereign debt facility. This is not corporate welfare, Treasurer Joe Hockey said. Others disagree.

It’s one rule for some, another rule for others, and the farming community and the agricultural businesses that under-

pin rural economies are increasingly finding themselves out in the cold.

For years Federal Governments subsidised local car manufacturing by funding international companies Ford, Holden and Toyota. Those three alone received $4.5 billion in subsidies over the last 12 years.

attest to that.

So as farmers look to the skies, and contemplate assistance, they can only guess which stance the Government will take this time. Unfortunately, be it northerly winds, or the type that emanates from Canberra, they are becoming increasingly accustomed to a lot of hot air.

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PWS 1286

TEN YEARS ago I visited a fourth-generation wool grower in outback Queensland. He hadn’t seen rain on his property for four years.

The paddocks were barren. He spent most of his days carting water and feed to his flock. There was no income, so his debt grew.

I sat across the table from him having a cuppa.

He was one of the most positive blokes in the district, and a very good farmer, respected by all.

He was trying hard to maintain his positive outlook but he was tired; his eyes betrayed the slight smile on his face.

Ten years on, I still remember that look.

The good news is the rain returned and they’ve had more good seasons than bad. Droughts are part of the farming landscape in Australia, but more than two successive barren seasons can prove too much for finances and mental health.

Most of Queensland and NSW are currently looking to the heavens for rain. There has been little significant rainfall in 70% of Queensland and 60% of NSW over the last two years. Record heatwaves have also been posted.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott embarked on a “listening tour” last month, travelling to Bourke in outback NSW, and Longreach, in outback Queensland.

Phil and Di Ridge, who hosted the Prime Minister at their 40,000ha Bourke property, received 120mm of rain last year – down on their long-term average of 350mm – and none this year.

Ridge told the Prime Minister his sheep were weak, some had died, he was having to buy expensive hay to feed cattle and his wool harvest was down by one third.

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

22 OPINION

Little ‘joy’ in scientist’s water claims N O RM AT K I NS

THE ARTICLE on Dr Mike Joy (Rural News, Jan 21) illustrates why he has no credibility among informed farmers.

So the improvement and stability in waterways so far is just a big lie to Dr Joy. Is he suggesting that organisations like Horizons Regional Council and NIWA are inaccurate with their samplings and trying to hide evidence of pollution? You have to be kidding.

He claims 95% of pollution in the Manawatu River is caused by intensive dairying and 5% by the other negative impacts such as wastewater treatment plants. Let us explore the evidence of this. The Oroua River at AFFCO works had a recent median nitrate loading of 0.245g/m3 and has a Horizons rating of ‘good’. This is after draining an area holding tens of thousands of dairy cows stretching back beyond Apiti and a helluva lot of other livestock and cropping.

The Oroua at the Awahuri bridge had a recent median nitrate loading of 0.699g/m3 and a rating of ‘poor’. This is downstream of the Fielding sewage treatment plant and is presumably where Joy’s nieces got violently ill when

swimming. What a surprise!

At the Apiti Gorge bridge, the median nitrate loading is 0.06g/m3 and is rated ‘excellent’. Just downstream of a tributary drain, the Kimbolton sewage treatment plant (STP) has a median of 0.81g/ m3 with a high of a 3g/m3. This raises the Oroua to 0.136g/m3.

Many of us will remember when town/city sewage was largely untreated and meatworks such as the Fielding one spewed blood and other dubious material directly into rivers. Many dead sheep were found in waterways in the days when they numbered about 70 million. There was no shortage of long fin eels with this amount of food about – monsters that could pull under and swallow a fledgling duck. Eels struggle for food now.

Millions of dairy cows were milked through sheds, the waste water and effluent going directly into the nearest ditch or waterway. Similarly, dairy farms from the 1930s to the 1960s fed many more millions of pigs, their waste going into nearby ditches and creeks.

In most recognised dairying areas, for at least 50 years, cows were stocked at 2.5/ha and better. Also, hill country erosion was worse because of the amount

of generated scrub being cleared.

Oxidation ponds, when they came, also discharged into nearby waterways.

In short, it doesn’t pay to get too nostalgic about water quality. There has been a massive improvement in water quality as it appears to people of my generation who did not have blinkers on. But we can do a bit better yet.

Closer to home, the Dec 2013 flow in the Upper Manawatu River at Te Uri Rd was 0.38g/m3 after draining most of the dairy farms in the Norsewood area.

The Manawatu River at Weber Rd, immediately east of Dannevirke, had a recent median of 0.47g/m3, rated ‘fair’.

The tributary Mangatera, which drains dairying, lifestyle and cropping country north of Dannevirke, has a median of 0.58g/m3 at Dannevirke – rated ‘fair’.

Where it joins the Manawatu River immediately after passing the Dannevirke STP it rises to a median of 1.36g/m3.

This has the effect of raising the Manawatu River so that at Hopelands it still has a median of 0.75g/m3. To be fair, on the way down it takes in two tributaries that drain the intensive dairying areas south of Dannevirke: the Tamaki with a median of 0.66g/m3, rated ‘poor’, and the little Kemeti with a median of

0.54g/m3 rated ‘very poor’.

The Mangatoro tributary at the Mangahei Road has a median of 0.61g/m3 and a rating of ‘very poor’. This drains no dairy farms and starts up in the steep limestone slopes of Waewaepa Range, coming down the prime sheep and beef country of the Waitohoro Valley.

About five years ago Fish and Game did a drift dive survey of the upper (above Dannevirke) and middle reaches (Gorge to Dannevirke) of the Mike Joy Manawatu River and gave it a high rating for trout numbers. This was when the Cawthron Institute rated the water sampled at Hopelands as the most oxygen-depleted in the western world. Go figure!

You do not need a PhD in ecology to realise you are not going to get too many native fish where there are trout around. Plenty of bully bully in our little stream, the Makotuku, where size and culverts stop trout (but not eel).

Joy expounds the theory that Fonterra and Dairy NZ are together in a conspiracy to get the environmental vandal,

the dairy farmer, off the hook over water quality. Another delusion.

No one is pretending that cows and dairy farms are not potential polluters and that we cannot improve systems to further reduce nitrogen wastage. But let’s not pretend we are saving the country by telling the world that the only way we can save our so-called ‘seriously degraded’ waterways is to stop dairying growth and get the cows off the paddocks. Or by telling the world that our clean green image is a myth.

Some of us have travelled overseas and have seen a lot of waterways and farming systems. Consequently we know that our clean green image is not a myth. It is easier [for urban dwellers and other critics] to pretend, while flushing toilets, taking showers and turning on dishwashers, that they are innocent of pollution and that it’s all the fault of dairy farmers with their methane belching, urine poisoning cows.

• Norm Atkins is a farmer at Makotutu, southern Hawkes Bay.

POWER CUTS

TO FARMERS THEY’RE MORE THAN JUST AN INCONVENIENCE If you are not prepared for power cuts, they can affect the bottom line – your livelihood.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

OPINION 23 PARLIAMENTARY COMMISIONER WRONG ON 1080 YOUR NEWS item (Rural News, Jan 21) on the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s (PCE) panic over the flowering of beech trees and assumed explosion of the rat population prompts me to send this photo of dead birds picked up after a 1080 poison drop.

It includes 16 tomtits, four brown creepers, a grey warbler and exotic species which DOC says don’t matter.

The public, the PCE and Nick Smith are supposed to believe robust scientific studies show that the use of 1080 poison benefits our flora and fauna. But the above-mentioned birds were picked up three days after a poison operation known as Mt Stalker.

Apparently a three-year scientific study was carried out by Dr Billy Hamilton on 1080 poison’s effects on tomtits. His study found no dead birds in the area and at the end of three years

“no conclusions could be reached and further studies were needed” and no more studies were carried out.

When extrapolated, bird deaths in the study area would have been in their thousands. Is this the kind of science that is fed to the PCE? Her qualifications are in physics. It prompts the question, why wouldn’t someone long associated with our precious native

environment, and in tune with its moods – such as a long time farmer/hunter or a hunter – be appointed to the position of PCE? The PCE’s fears of a rat plague have no basis.

[This beech phenomenon has] been happening for millions of years. One species of rat was introduced by Maori about 800 years ago and two other species about 200 years ago. Why would there be

POINTS FOR THE HOUND, BUT NOT OSPRI

a rat plague only in recent years?

Research has shown that after 1080 poison drops, fast-breeding species like rats can explode almost 300% in under two years. Rats have three litters a year (10 per litter). Possums have one joey a year.

Lewis Hore DRD Oamaru (Abridged. Ed.)

HOW DO YOU SAY ‘KILL’ NICELY? IN THE discussion over the euthanasia of calves, the verbs euthanise and euthanase are both used (Rural News, Feb 18). What are the criteria for using one or the other?

If the noun is euthanasia then the verb derived ought to be euthanase. However, as the verb euthanise appears to be used more commonly, then that would suggest the noun should be euthanisia. I have yet to read the term euthanisia.

Hopefully, the Greek scholars in your editorial team can clarify.

Robert A. Bruce MRCVS RD 3 Palmerston North

A n e w a p p r oac h to productivit y

I FOUND the letter by OSPRI’s John Deal (‘Sorry; no conspiracy on TB numbers’, Rural News, Feb 18) rather amusing.

That he should single me out, but not mention Rural News’ own sleuth, The Hound, who initially pointed out the blunder made in the OSPRI/NAIT ASD animal movement forms, shows a lack of balance in his writing. OSPRI/NAIT soon jumped and sorted out that mess. Well done The Hound.

I do not make insinuations Mr Deal. I simply collate OSPRI/TBFree information from various publications and pass it on through letters to editors.

It is not my fault OSPRI/TBFree luminaries give out all sorts of different figures. If they are unable to communicate exact figures amongst themselves then that’s an OSPRI management problem.

The photo of the TB-infected possum accompanying Mr Deal’s letter also shows a lack of balance. He is representing OSPRI/TBFree NZ/ NAIT, a publicly funded government department, and should relate all relative information.

Why is the possum always the villain when there are other significant TB vectors?

Considering herd movement has been such an integral part of TB infection in New Zealand dairy herds (24 herds between August 3, 2009 and February 13, 2014, collated from OSPRI info), should there not also be a photo of a stock truck with a large sign stuck on it saying ‘TB in transit’ alongside the photo of the possum? Stock movement not only moves TB around the country, it has also moved the West Coast strain of it all over the country as well.

That’s more than the poor old possum, or any other vector, could ever manage to do, unless it is capable of swimming Cook Strait. OSPRI/ TBFree now classifies the herbiverous possum as a scavenger of TB-infected wild pig remains.

I guess they could also confer on it the ability to swim Cook Strait.

Ron Eddy Wairau Saddle RD2 Nelson (Editor’s note; the photograph of the possum was actually placed on the page by Rural News – not OSPRI – to help illustrate the content of the letter.)

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

26 MANAGEMENT

Precision farmers feature of Precision farming was a key topic at last month’s annual Fertiliser and Lime workshop at Massey University. Peter Burke reports.

THE WORD improvisation can conjure images of ad hoc solutions and a slightly less than professional approach, but when it comes to precision agriculture, it’s not a dirty word: in fact, it’s exactly what’s needed, says one of New Zealand’s leading academics on the subject.

Out of necessity, New Zealand farmers have become inherently good at improvising over the years and that background will stand them in good stead with the growing array of precision farming techniques becoming available, says Professor of Precision Agriculture at Massey University Ian Yule.

Yule was among several

precision agriculture speakers at the recent Fertiliser and Lime Research Workshop at Massey University and he highlighted three well-known farmers adopting and adapting the technologies to meet their specific needs.

Hayden Laurence, Taranaki, helped invent the C-Dax pasture meter and uses precision techniques to measure and manage feed for his cows and fertiliser applications.

Craig McKenzie, Mid Canterbury, uses soil and crop sensors to variably apply inputs across paddocks, including irrigation, to optimise spot rates. He also uses crop models to

verify his thinking.

Meanwhile Hew Dalrymple, Bulls, is using related technologies to assist with drainage and soil contour issues, and has ‘auto steer’ machinery.

“All three farmers have a very strong knowledge base in a scientific sense and they also have an excellent understanding of their own farming systems.”

As farm systems become more complex it’s up to scientists to ensure farmers understand the technology available, says Yule.

“The problem isn’t that we need more technology; it’s what we do with existing technology to make it

more usable…”

What sensor to use will depend on the information required, and it has to be made cost effective.

“I guess for me that is the big challenge,” he says.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – not drones – have been around for some time and Yule says a lot of projects are looking at issues such as measuring urine spots in paddocks.

“I think precision agriculture is going to be very fast moving - iteratively so there is going to be a lot of small steps made. We are not going to make huge leaps, but there’s going to be some very rapid steps.

Some will going down an ally that is a dead end and some will continue.

There are lots of possibilities but no single answer in other words a bricolage approach.”

Better use of existing technology is key, says Massey’s Professor Ian Yule.

Corporate farming a concern MASSEY UNIVERSITY precision agriculture expert Professor Ian Yule is concerned increasingly corporate farming structures may stymie implementation and adaptation of technology on farm.

Currently hands-on owner operators are pioneering precision approaches but the trend in farm ownership is to more and more corporate structures, he notes.

“I question whether we are we going to have these people who really understand their own system’s and I suspect not,” he told the workshop.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

MANAGEMENT 27

Fert and Lime Conference Data revolution needs rethink AGRICULTURE IS going through a ‘data revolution’, Assistant Professor John Fulton of Auburn University in Alabama USA, told the Massey workshop.

Fulton is an expert in developing extension programmes for farmers and suggests some clever ways to entice farmers take up new technologies.

“We found early on that if we do straight presentations they walk out the door and forget everything

you said. So what we try to do in workshops is to make sure these are interactive and hands on and get them to be involved in decision making.”

Case studies are presented and they work with farmers in small groups initially. If an idea works they’ll expand to larger groups.

“We’ll focus our efforts on certain farmers that maybe haven’t adopted a certain practice or technology, but we know that

Trans-Tasman irrigation flow UNIVERSITY OF Southern Queensland Professor Steven Raine and colleagues are working on ways to improve farm irrigation with better and more farmerfriendly automated systems that take the guess work out of what to put on, when and how.

Across a paddock there may be significant variation in plant growth, but that may be for a whole lot of reasons, not just water availability, he explains.

“What we are looking at is not just the ability to vary the application but how do you make the decisions about what response you put on – that’s University of Southern the control algorithm Queensland professor component of the Stephen Raine. challenge if you like.”

In the cotton industry, for example, they’ve developed plant sensors which model crop response.

“This work has applications to any crop you are growing…. We’ve done some previous work in the dairy industry and it’s an area we’d like to do more work in as part of a collaboration with Landcare here in New Zealand.”

That collaboration’s seen USQ developed technology applied as part of a six-year Landcare project on irrigation efficiency. Raine says the objective is to develop rigorous control systems that make it easier for the farmer.

“It’s a bit like driving car. You get into your car these days and switch the ignition on and put your foot on the accelerator and drive. All you are doing is using the steering wheel and the accelerator. But there is a ‘helluva’ lot of electronics and computations going on the engine… managing the fuel, managing the airflow, managing the sparks.”

The aim is to allow growers with irrigation systems like centre pivots to key in how much water they will have for the season, the crop they are growing and a few other parameters, then push a button so the machine does the rest.

they are interested and are leaders in their community. We’ll work with them very closely and help them and we may even lend them the technology for a period of time to allow them to see the true

benefits.

“A lot of the time they are a bit skeptical or maybe not comfortable yet with it, but we take them through the process and like any human we kind of get what’s involved and

that’s something that’s really going to work for us.

“You can’t tell people what to do and we take that strategy of showing and allowing them to learn with us. We try to empower them and enable

them to take advantage of what we have available.”

Fulton says all large farm machinery in the US, such as harvesters, tractors and sprayers, can instantly transfer data from machine to farm

databases these days and he estimates 70% of farmers use some form of technology on their farms.

Auburn University has about a dozen staff involved in farm extension programmes.

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

28 MANAGEMENT

Change aplenty on FarmIQ The first of a season of FarmIQ field days was held, late last month, at White Rock Mains, North Canterbury. Andrew Swallow reports BEEF COWS are out, dairy grazers in and ewe condition a priority on the first FarmIQ demonstration farm to hold a field day this autumn.

“Historically a lot of emphasis went on fattening lambs,” Duncan Mackintosh of White Rock Mains told a field day audience of about 30 farmers and industry representatives late last month.

With hindsight, some of that was at the expense of ewe condition. Now, they routinely condition score the flock when yarded for other operations.

“Instead of thinking of it as a huge job we’re real-

ising it’s not that big a job and can be of huge benefit to us.”

After “calibrating” their scoring with the first race or two of ewes, they generally split mobs three ways: needs a feed; on target; can go onto clean up duties (ie too fat).

“You can get too hung up on whether it’s a 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 or 4.0.”

The aim is 150% lambing across the flock. To that end a Lamb Supreme terminal base to the ewe flock is being replaced with Landcorp’s maternal Landmark line.

“We looked at all the data and found there was a huge difference in scan-

FARM DETAIL: WHITE ROCK MAINS ❱❱ Location: Canterbury foothills, inland of Rangiora ❱❱ Area: 1056ha (750ha effective) plus 200ha leased next door. ❱❱ Contour: flat to steep. ❱❱ Rain: 900-1000mm/year. ❱❱ Stock: 3300 ewes plus lambs; dairy grazers replacing beef cattle; 7000su wintered

ning percentage between the Landmark and the [Landmark] cross with the Lamb Supreme.”

Single-born cross ewelambs were scanning 60%, and twin-born ewe-lambs 75% while the straight Landmark ewe lambs born as singles scanned 89%, and their twin counterparts, despite being slightly lighter, 99%.

“EID really nailed it for us that this line of sheep was going to help us get all our ewe lambs in lamb.”

To maximise the rate of genetic gain new rams are put to ewe hoggets to lamb as two-tooths, while a Southdown is used over the ewe-lambs that will lamb as hoggets.

“We’ve found the Southdown pretty effective, not only in birthing but in those early growth rates.”

Growing out their replacement stock is another area that’s been highlighted as offering room for improvement.

“We were producing good lambs that killed well but where we fell over was in our two-tooth and ewe hogget scanning results,” noted Tina Mackintosh.

See our top Ma¯ori dairy farmers in operation

Target mating weight for ewe lambs now is 46kg aiming for 120% scanning.

Tracking growth rates with EID means they have a much closer handle on progress. Different cutoff weights for singles and twin lambs are used to draft ewe lambs to go in a replacement mob.

“If we hadn’t we’d have dropped quite a few twin ewes out of two-tooths,” noted Duncan.

With EID such detailed drafting was no problem,

he adds.

“We just plugged the weights we wanted for each class of lamb into the yellow box and they went through and it did its job.”

A draft of tail-enders is used to remove mob pressure and allow preferential feeding of under performers. In the run up to mating weights etc are taken in the corner of the paddock rather than yarding mobs.

Teasers have been used from 17 days prior to

mating to get ewe lambs cycling in the past but that was debated at the field day, one farmer present suggesting running rams with the mobs for 48 hours 34 days (ie two cycles) prior to mating date would be as effective, and save the cost of teasers.

However, as another farmer noted later, that can have the effect of synchronising ewes, causing problems come lambing.

Improved forages are another part of the drive

to improve productivity, with forage rape, lucerne, lupins and oats all being trialled alongside and as entries to ryegrass and other pastures.

An advantage with lupins and oats is their ability to handle lower pH, hence their use in blocks previously infested with gorse so dense the lime truck – or rather tractor on White Rock’s steeper ground – couldn’t get round.

This summer areas

Ewe lamb targets Date

Target wt

Activity

March 15

38.5kg

Weigh, drench, vaccinate – toxo & campy

April 15

43kg

Weigh, drench, campy, Flexidine (ie iodine)

May 5

46kg

Rams in

Nerve centre: the scales and data logger.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

MANAGEMENT 29

demonstration farm of lupins, sown at 170kg/ ha, and oats at 120kg/ha, have gone in on a pH 5.4 block with the aim of getting a handle on which will be the best option in future. In feed value terms lupins have already proven a winner with lambs on them last autumn doing 310g/day, compared to about 280g/day on rape and 250g/day off lucerne, Mackintosh told Rural News.

However, dry weather this season’s caused slow to non-existent emergence of both crops while spring sown rape, which

it had been hoped would provide a late summer feed before reseeding with grass, is also struggling.

Extra nitrogen went on the rape in early February ahead of forecast rain but the moisture didn’t eventuate.

As the forage work suggests, the focus on ewe condition hasn’t detracted from efforts to maximise lamb growth and the electronic identification (EID) tags introduced as part of the FarmIQ programme helps keep a close track of weight gains.

That’s allowing them

to plan marketing further ahead and lock into contracts, a point noted by field day facilitator Jansen Travis.

“Gone are the days of getting the lambs in the yard and having an argument with the drafter about what’s ready and what’s not.”

Field day visitors share their thoughts on a thirsty crop of forage rape.

Iodine interest A trial last year with injectable iodine Flexidine was enough to “spark interest” in extending use of the product across more of the flock, most likely targeting lighter ewes.

While blood-testing to determine the need for the jabs is an option (see p31), a vet at the White Rock field day said it wasn’t reliable.

“The only real way to find out (if ewes are deficient) is to post-mortem lambs,” commented Vetlife’s Chris Macfarlane.

Looking for lupins: Duncan Mackintosh in a grubbed out gorse and browntop block.

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THERE SEEMS to be some confusion out there reading dog body language.

A couple of people who had watched a DVD about dog training remarked to me that the dogs looked scared of the trainer. I hadn’t seen it so couldn’t comment however I have since seen the DVD and I don’t think the dogs are scared.

Also, at my training days, I have had people remark that the dogs I am demonstrating with have their tails between their legs. It seems to concern the person more than the dog. Why? The people making the comments aren’t reading the dogs’ postures and the situations correctly, and they don’t understand dog behaviour fully.

People assume that if a dog has its tail between its legs that it is scared or terrified. This isn’t the case.

Let me explain: if you watch a small pup approach a mature dog you will see that it appears uncertain, a little nervous and very cautious. The head is lowered, the ears are lowered, the eyes are wary, the body is lowered – sometimes to the extent of a crawl -

and the tail is tucked between the legs.

The pup is uncertain, but not terrified.

Dogs, and other animals, do not approach something they are terrified of, they hide or flee.

As the pup matures the behaviour is less extreme but it still approaches older more dominant pack members with submission; yes the tail indicates emotions but so too does body posture and facial expression – it’s a package.

Cocky, arrogant, challenging or playful stances all look somewhat similar but have subtle differences; nevertheless the head is carried high, the ears appear higher, the eyes are bright and challenging and the tail is held high, often curving over the back.

A happy relaxed dog looks just that: his head is neither too high, nor low; the ears are in a comfortable position; the eyes are relaxed; the body is without tension; the tail either hanging down or held gently out; the dog looks comfortable and at ease.

If you are training a dog and it is running loose with sheep you will

notice from its body language how it is feeling; it may be relaxed and confident, nervous and unsure, playful or aggressive.

I do a lot of training initially with dogs on a rope, and I have a training stick. The rope is to control the dog and have contact with it. The stick is used to praise (by stroking) and guide the dog when teaching commands.

The stick never punishes; the most it does is tap the dog.

In the early stages of training I want to see the dog looking uncertain: it means respect and submission. If the dog’s head was up, the eyes bright and playful, or challenging, and the tail held in a cocky position I’d have trouble on my hands.

Training isn’t a game, nor am I to be challenged.

As each lesson progresses the dog begins to understand, and the tail will relax along with facial expression.

If you are training a dog and the tail is high and the eyes are bright, it is all a game to the dog. You’re probably not respected, or in control.

• Anna Holland is teaching people dog training. For more information www. annaholland.co.nz or ph 07-217 0101 or annaholland@xtra

Initial uncertainty (left) at training should gradually give way to confidence (right).

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ANIMAL HEALTH 31

New case clouds TB clearances A N D REW SWA LLOW andrews@ruralnews.co.nz

TBFREE NEW Zealand says its swift response to last year’s six herd breakdowns in Taranaki means three are now cleared of bovine tuberculosis (TB), however a new herd has recently tested positive in the region.

No TB was found in wild animal populations tested as a result of the original clusters of cases and quick and accurate information on livestock movements minimised impact on the wider farming community, a spokesman told Rural News..

“NAIT data was vital in helping to rapidly trace movements of animals from the original infected herds, ensuring properties were put on a strict testing programme. No further TB-infected animals were found on farms that had purchased stock from these herds.

“The co-operation of farmers and landowners in allowing TB testing and wild animal control contractors’ access to their properties to check for the presence of the disease was appreciated.”

A beef breeding herd in

central Taranaki has “very recently” tested positive and TBfree says it’s tracing the source of infection.

The case is “an important reminder” to register and record all stock movements with NAIT, it adds.

Meanwhile in Waikato, four herds near Waiuku are infected, and one in south Waikato. An extensive wild animal survey is underway.

At Rangitata, South Canterbury, where two herds were infected last year, a strict TB testing programme continues. One herd has had one clear test, the other is “working through a testing programme.”

To be declared clear of the disease, an infected herd must achieve two whole-herd clear skin tests, no less than six months apart, and a clear blood test.

In Northland only one of seven herds classified as infected last year remains infected and even that is on the verge of being cleared of the disease, says TBFree. The six other herds were linked by stock movements made before the disease was diagnosed.

TBfree Northland committee chairman Neil MacMillan acknowledges the

impact on the farms concerned but says quick and accurate information on livestock movements minimised the effect on the wider farming community.

“While these cleared herds show the value and expertise of those involved in the TB control programme, it is a cautionary tale for herdowners

that the disease is still a threat,” says MacMillan.

“You must follow the correct requirements, or risk placing your livelihood in danger through the possible spread of the disease.”

If in any doubt about a herd’s TB risk status, TBfree says call 0800 482 4636 for a testing history.

Genetic advance SCOTTISH RESEARCH has identified genetic traits that may allow livestock with increased resistance to bovine tuberculosis (TB) to be bred.

University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute compared the genetic code of TB-infected Holstein-Friesians with that of disease-free cows and found a number of genetic signatures associ-

ated with TB resistance in those that remained unaffected.

Lead researcher Professor Liz Glass says the next step in the research is to refine genomic predictors of resistance.

“If we can choose animals with better genotypes for TB resistance, then we can apply this information in new breeding programmes.” – Alan Harman

ARE YOU planning to pre-tup inject ewes with iodine this year?

If so it might pay to check blood serum levels, judging by the latest Decision Made electronic update from the PGP-funded FarmIQ programme.

Historically Mangarata Farm, a 518ha Wairarapa hill country sheep and beef unit, routinely injected ewes with Flexidine, a vet only organically bound 26% iodine oil, but serum tests on ewes and thyroid checks on lamb fatalities prompted a rethink of that policy.

In March 2012 blood serum tests on groups of 10 two-tooth ewes found 20ug/L of iodine pre-injection, rising to 29ug/L after treatment, compared to 22ug/L in untreated.

However, there was no significant impact on scanning, treated ewes scanning 185% to the untreated mob’s 188%. Lamb survival was similarly unaffected, with 152% of lambs from treated ewes reaching docking/tailing, to 155% untreated. That was despite a slight increase in thyroid size in lambs from untreated ewes.

Farm IQ says the project highlights the importance of revisiting the reasons for management practices.

“In this case, Flexidine will no longer be administered to all Mangarata ewes every year without first finding out iodine levels through pre-mating blood testing.

“The trial also highlighted the need for more research… so that more specific advice can be given about treatment options.”

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

32 ANIMAL HEALTH

TB accounts timely reminder Bovine tuberculosis (TB) disease control area changes take effect March 5, as detailed in the pull-out supplement in this issue of Rural News. To highlight how important heeding the disease control measures can be, TB Free and NAIT parent body OSPRI relays first-hand accounts from farms affected by the disease.

NORTH CANTERBURY deer and beef farmer Dugald Rutherford knows first-hand how emotionally and financially damaging an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis (TB) can be.

In 1989, a neighbouring property became infected with the disease due to contact with TB infected

ferrets and then in 1991, TB was found on his farm.

As a result, his deer herd spent 11 years plagued by the disease. It’s a time he remembers vividly.

“I remember our worst day was when we were testing our herds and had 30 per cent of the animals react to the test. We

These days the farm dogs never see a possum, says North Canterbury farmer Dugald Rutherford.

couldn’t move any of the other stock away as they were too heavily pregnant.”

Rutherford says it’s “challenging” to have TB in a herd. “As a farmer, you’re trying to do the best for your stock and, of course, your family, too.”

But times have changed. At 64 years of age, he’s now in threeway partnership on the farm with his wife and son Andrew. TB in the area has become a rarity and as of this month, it will no longer be a Movement Control Area (MCA).

Rutherford says there are sheep dogs on the farm now that “have never spotted a possum before” but he stresses to Andrew to remain vigilant of TB, always meeting testing obligations and making

wise stock purchasing decisions.

“While under movement control, there are a lot of implications. Now we no longer have to premovement test our animals and just test once a year. I’m looking forward to the day when the property is on an even lower testing schedule… Once TB has been eradicated from wild animals and herds, it will be a day to celebrate.”

He says it was “a bit of a bugbear” having to get TB testers in before moving stock, but the way he looked at it, everybody had to play by the rules.

“The past has shown that when you think the disease is under control and you take your foot off the pedal, it gets out of control again.”

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WHEN IAN Ford moved to Hawarden, North Canterbury, eight years ago, he shifted from one Movement Control Area (MCA) to another, a move which some questioned.

“I simply told people that I had every confidence in the ability of the the TBfree New Zealand programme and its work to make sure the area wouldn’t be a ‘hot spot’ for TB for much longer,” he says.

The North Canterbury MCA where he now farms has gradually reduced in size, due to pest control, pre-movement herd testing and tight stock movement controls. “Now, it’s the beginning of 2014, and my confidence in the TB control programme was wellplaced. We’re now out of the MCA, which gives us the massive advantage of not having to arrange a premovement test each time we move our livestock.”

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

ANIMAL HEALTH 33

as control areas contract Wairarapa farmer welcomes changes NEWLY ELECTED Beef + Lamb New Zealand director George Tatham has something other than his directorship to celebrate this month.

His farm near Masterton is no longer in a Movement Control Area (MCA), highlighting the progress made in managing bovine TB in Wairarapa, historically a hotbed for the disease.

“This is a great thing for our farming system, as we sell a lot of store cattle, graze dairy heifers and have multiple properties so not having to test stock prior to moving will be a huge time saver for us,” says Tatham.

His property has been on movement control restrictions due to TB risk from wild animals since he took it over from his father in 2002.

Extensive groundbased vector control work, supported by periodic aerial operations, has gone a long way towards George Tatham reducing the size of the Southern North Island MCA. Possums remain the main cause of the disease in cattle and deer in TB risk areas. Since the mid-1990s, the number of infected herds has dropped from nearly 1700 to fewer than 100. In the Wairarapa, infected herds peaked at about 300.

A successful government-industry partnership approach is at the heart of the current national TB control plan, which aims to eradicate the disease by 2026 from wild

animals across at least 2.5mha where infection in wildlife has been identified.

OSPRI says farmers will benefit from reductions in TB testing requirements and the relaxation of movement restrictions as TBfree New Zealand pursues its goal of eradicating the disease.

Tatham says wild animal control is “definitely” important in keeping on top of TB.

Peter Gaskin chairs TBfree’s Wellington Region Committee.

14 years clear “I hope the pest control will continue, because without it the risk of TB spreading again is very real.”

He’s no stranger to the disease, having had a heifer in his herd test positive in 2003.

“While we had the herd infection, it made it very difficult with trading cattle.

When we were cleared of TB, I think it took about a year to get fully back to having a C1 herd status again.”

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WAIRARAPA FARMER Peter Gaskin names pest control and movement restrictions as the “key plank” of the bovine tuberculosis (TB) control programme.

“We were continuously infected with TB for the first 20 years of my farming career,” he recalls.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

34 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

New quad concepts to hit NZ market A DA M F R I C K E R

AMID A wave of 10 new quad and sideby-side releases by Polaris in Australia recently, two in particular are likely to attract attention in the New Zealand market – the UTE 570 HD and the Sportsman Ace. To create the first of these – the UTE 570 HD – Polaris engineers in the US worked with their teams in Australia and New Zealand, consulted with farmers and tested prototypes on local farms, to come up with a product they

say will cope with the remarkable abuse our farmers dish out to quads.

The UTE 570 HD has some key features not found on the Polaris quads sold to the huge North American recreational quad market – notably sealed driveshaft splines, greasable sealed ball joints and sealed suspension bushings; ‘HD’ features that will prolong the life of a machine likely to spend most of its life coated in mud and cow manure.

There are some obvious visual differences with the UTE, such as the seat backrest, the tipping tray with 180kg

New concept: the Polaris Sportsman Ace.

capacity and the mirrors, indicators and horn. These are all features farmers apparently told Polaris they wanted.

The UTE 570 HD shares many of its working parts with the new Sportsman 570 HD ATV, also due here soon.

The new 567cc EFI engine, for example, which is up on power from the old Polaris 500. The new engine has heaps more poke and is more tractable up and down the rev range. It gives the UTE and Sportsman towing capacity of 556kg.

The two machines also share single lever braking, the ‘HD’ features mentioned above, the sealed front storage and racks, and the narrow seat and wide floor boards. The latter two are design features that reduce rider fatigue by reducing the angle of leg splay. A simple but effective consideration.

One feature the UTE has to itself, for now, is descent control, which gives far more control and engine braking than the average quad, engaging automatically when riding down slopes off the throttle. This and other features developed specifically for the UTE will eventually be rolled out to more Polaris products in regions other than Australasia.

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The Ace is a single-seat off-roader that you sit in, not on. It has a flat floor, which makes getting in and out of easy, a low-slung seat, foot pedals and a steering wheel. With the seatbelt on and the ROPS (roll-over protection structure) around you, the safety box is ticked.

On the move, you can’t actively ride the Ace like you would an quad, but you don’t need to. The low centre of gravity gives reassuring stability, even over rough ground.

Despite looking like something designed for fun rather than work, it has the same DNA as the Sportsman and is

The Polaris UTE 570 HD.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 35

Cloud takes farm data to new heights ONLINE ACCOUNTING software company Xero will launch its ‘Farming in the Cloud’ mid-year, offering farmers and their advisors real-time, single ledger reporting.

This will enable farmers and their accountants, banks and rural service companies to work together from the same set

fer data, everyone’s focus is on adding value rather than gathering information,” says Duncan Anderson, project director.

“Just as you don’t need a tractor for every implement in the shed, Figured means you no longer need separate ‘engines’ for financial management. It can now all be done using

management software is now being integrated with Farming in the Cloud.

“This product allows greater oversight of cashflow management and

makes forecasting simpler,” Richmond says.

“It also allows for greater collaboration with such as accountants and banks, so they can act as

true rural advisors – monitoring farm performance, providing relevant, realtime financial advice and working together for best results.”

Xero is working with Vodafone to launch Farming in the Cloud. Vodafone is the contractor for the Government’s five year Rural Broadband Initiative

(RBI), giving greater coverage and better speeds in rural areas. Three years on, the RBI has covered 180,000 of the 250,000 targeted addresses.

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“Ultimately, this means better teamwork between farmer and accountant, better organisation, better decision-making and better farming.”

PGG Wrightson is also involved, says Shannon Galloway, PGG general manager marketing.

“Our relationship with Xero provides opportunities to help simplify and speed up the monthly accounting process.”

Other farming software partners include iAgri and Aghub whose online farm

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

36 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Combine maize header speeds harvest NEW HOLLAND has launched a redesigned combine maize header that

speeds crop gathering and feeding, accelerating the whole harvesting task.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE ❱❱ Roto-moulded row hoods retain more cobs ❱❱ Best-in-class stalk chopping ❱❱ Ultimate harvesting efficiency in crops ❱❱ Redesigned fenders increase harvesting productivity ❱❱ Flip-up and rigid versions deliver operating flexibility ❱❱ Flip-up divider points with gas struts and new latches for safer, more efficient servicing ❱❱ Row guidance to enhance harvesting precision ❱❱ Innovative Cornrower: one-pass swathing reduces operating costs and improves bale density by up to 15%

Available in five-, sixand eight-row flip-up versions and a 12-row rigid version, all headers can be fitted with the maker’s award-winning Cornrower system.

“These headers have been completely redesigned… and have undergone rigorous field testing,” says Kyle Baxter, New Holland NZ operations manager. They match the productivity and capacity of New Holland’s flagship CR and CX Elevation combine ranges, and also produce outstanding results when fitted to the CX5000 and CX6000 and ranges.”

The dividers are made entirely of polyethylene, so that during “aggres-

sive” harvesting they always return to their original shape. They absorb the impact of falling ears and retain them, reducing ‘bounce-out’ losses.

Also, their grooved design directs loose kernels to the feeder and the replaceable wear strips extend their operating lifespan.

Baxter says the shorter header points better follow ground contours to prevent ‘run-down’ of crops, useful when working in terraces or in fields where turns may be tight.

Optional, heavy duty integrated stalk choppers can be fitted for superfine chopping and spreading of mulched material, said to beperfect for minimum or no-till operations.

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The cutting blade is situated beneath the header and operators can engage each row unit individually to enhance operating efficiency.

Baxter says if the weather necessitates harvesting laid maize crops, “In order to maintain forward speed for efficient harvesting, the header’s front profile has been redesigned to expose the gathering chains. This system actively ratchets in the laid stalks.”

Meanwhile, the powered auger divider has been relocated to the outside of the side shields which reduces losses in standing maize, as all stalks are safely gathered and do not fall over the edge. When operating without the powered dividers, the concave shape of the side shields will catch any falling ears and transfer them into the header for processing. This reduces losses and lifts operating profitability.

Maize headers are available in rigid and flip-up configurations.

The twelve-row rigid header has 70-75cm row spacing and so suits intensive maize operations. The flip-up five-, six- and eightrow variants have been designed for transport intensive businesses which need to minimise productivity-impacting transport time. When folded, all flipup headers measure no more than 3.5m for transport.

All header points and dividers are raised by gas struts, as are the side shields. The dividers can easily be removed without tools.

The machine’s row guidance gear uses a sensor which detects perpendicular entry of stalks into the header; it works with the combine’s autoguidance system for even more efficient harvesting.

The award-winning Cornrower header system can be fitted to all maize headers and offers onepass chopping and swathing. The maize stalks are fed into a bank of knives which deliver a super-fine chop. This chopped stover dries much quicker and can be used to make bales up to 15% denser.

Tel. 06 356 4920 www.newhollandclub. co.nz

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 37

Silage wrap recycling trending upward SILAGE WRAP recycling is gaining pace, to handle all the farmers who were using says Plasback, which recently achieved Agrecovery. In fact, as our scheme grows, 3000 tonnes and expects to add 1000 it becomes more effective because our collectors can make more frequent tonne to its total this year.

Manager Chris Hartshorne says the pickups.”

Plasback liners are now in all rural scheme, in its eighth year, is attracting stores that formerly more farmers. sold Agrecovery “The year we set “Recycling is not a up the scheme we flash-in-the-pan fad…. liners.

Environment collected just nine Canterbury’s January tonnes of waste We have a network 1-onwards ban on plastic wrap. Over the of professional polyethylene past four years the contractors to collect burning silage and bale wrap rate of collection has – backed by a fine increased steadily. silage wrap and a of $300 for a first We have now collected range of other plastic offence and up to 3000 tonnes, and we $1050 for repeat expect to collect 1000 waste from farms, offences – comes tonnes in the next year and we are looking with encouragement alone. to recycle instead.

“Recycling is not a at acquiring more EC has moved flash-in-the-pan fad…. balers to handle our early to ban burning, We have a network increased volumes.” but other regional of professional contractors to collect silage wrap and a councils have bans pending and others range of other plastic waste from farms, are researching waste volumes on farms, and we are looking at acquiring more balers Hartshorne says.

Voluntary, user-pays recycling is more to handle our increased volumes.”

Hartshorne says Agrecovery quitting effective than government mandated farm plastic recycling recently will not systems based on levies, he says. “We know reduce the national quantity collected, but voluntary recycling programmes, such as Plasback, are cheaper to run and more should instead raise efficiency.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

38 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS /RURAL TRADER

Baler-wrapper ‘faultless’ on hills A NEW variable-chamber baler-wrapper from McHale – the Fusion 3 Vario – uses a special bale transfer system that accommodates the variable chamber and quickly moves the bale to the wrapping system.

Notably, the new machine is “faultless on hills,” says Graeme Leigh, general manager of distributor Power Farming’s machinery division.

To create the Fusion Vario, McHale combined technology from its fixedchamber Fusion baler-wrappers and its V660 Vario round balers, Leigh says.

The Fusion Vario produces straw bales of 0.7m to 1.7m diameter and silage bales of 1.1m to 1.45m diameter.

The Fusion Vario is said to offer contractors and farmers more versatility in the type of crops they can bale and wrap and the size of bales they can produce.

“The Fusion Vario was trialled in New Zealand while it was under development. It has proven to be a consistent performer and its netwrap system is fast and reliable,” Leigh says.

“Some patented features give the McHale Fusion Vario speed and sophistication…. They include the high speed transfer system that has reduced the vertical distance the bale has to move to get to the wrapper. The transfer system

is faultless on hills, which makes it ideal for New Zealand conditions.”

Former Cambridge contractor Frank Williams took part in testing by McHale engineers on the prototype of the Fusion Vario. His company at the time, Langsford Contracting, used the new concept baler for a season as the engineers perfected it.

“A big part of the testing was transfer on hills. Initially we had a bit of an issue on hills during a transfer but the McHale representatives made a number of modifications and fixed it to where it was very reliable,” Frank Williams says.

“The only other real issue we had was the netting system. They made a number of changes during the season and came up with a system we were happy with. It worked every time.” The new Vario is compact, reliable and easy to operate, he says.

Among its patented features is its tip roller, designed to handle the wide range bale sizes the Fusion Vario produces.

The wrapping ring can apply four layers of film to a 1.25m bale in 20 second and six layers in 30 seconds. In normal conditions, wrapping is faster than baling so the wrapping platform is always ready to accept the next bale.

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The maker’s iTouch control system uses touch-screen controls and shows images from cameras that show how the

bale is being transferred and tipped. The operator can choose to use the iTouch console in combination with a load sensing valve to make baling and wrapping fully automatic.

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RURALNEWS

Central Districts Field Days

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

MARCH 4, 2014: ISSUE 556

www.ruralnews.co.nz

FEILDING MARCH 13-15

Flying displays to mark major milestone MARKING THE Central Field Days’ 21st anniversary will be a flying display by the RNZAF and a vintage loader used in 1949 to load the first Tiger Moth topdressing place flown over New Zealand.

The loader is a true classic: a 1924 Hupmobile car converted to a truck.

Griffin Ag-Air Ltd will mount this display.

Many popular displays and events are returning says event manager Cheryl Riddell.

“This year marks our 21st anniversary so it is a special occasion. We have a fantastic line-up of regulars returning along with some new attractions certain to provide plenty of entertainment.”

Also returning is the Taste of Central Districts marquee with a variety of food and beverages, chainsaw carving, national excavator competition and the Central Districts double power fencing competition.

“We have a number of exhibitors who have been coming to CDFD since the first year,” Riddell says. “Many have stories to tell of the early years.”

One such exhibitor was tractor and machinery firm Detmar and Morrison Co Ltd, one of the first to come on board.

“Everyone was nervous about taking a site at the first field days but we took the plunge and booked a site,” direc-

tor Peter Detmar explained. “Others then followed when they saw people and companies start committing and it grew from there.”

He says although CDFD has grown in size it has stayed true to its roots.

“The first field days were nowhere near as big as they are now. Back then, it was more focused on farm machinery and tractors and this is still a large part of what the CDFD is about. At the same time, there have been great new additions to the event.”

Detmar and Morrison Co 21 years ago was only a small company but it found exhibiting at CDFD beneficial.

“It helped us get our name out there

This year’s event marks the Central Districts field days 21st anniversary.

and meet with old clients and meet new ones. You have a captive audience and though it was expensive to get our

machinery out to Feilding and took three days to set up, we did well and enjoyed it.”

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

2 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

Twenty-one years old and still going strong FROM SMALL beginnings the Central Districts Field Days, which this year celebrate its 21st birthday, has grown into the largest regional field days in New Zealand.

The three-day event, first called Southern Region Agribusiness Field Days, was held in April says event manager Cheryl Riddell. “It began in 1984, but for some years was not held. In 1993, the event returned permanently.”

Much has changed over the years including permanent infrastructure such as roads, power and water. “In the early years, there was no permanent infrastructure; we had to dig and lay hundreds of metres of power cables in every year.”

Exhibitor and visitor numbers have steadily increased, some exhibitors, such as

Tumu Timbers, returning every year. “We were approached to be a part of the first field days and we have never looked back,” timber manager Kevan Todd says.

“We put up a small pole shed and scattered a few things around. We also took over a caravan and stayed on site and had a blast. Since then we have doubled the size of our site and we put up a shed which is six times the size of the first one which takes a team of builders four days to erect.”

Todd says the field days is now the only event they exhibit at and although costly to get their products to the site, it is well worth it. “We get a lot of mileage out of the field days. It is one thing to just hand out brochures but being there with our products on display is a huge market-

Fix or float?

HAY D EN D I L LON of a broad economic expansion SINCE THE global financial crisis in the New Zealand economy, in 2008 floating interest rates have limited spare capacity to absorb that, house price appreciation been at historic lows.

But with talk of New Zealand’s continuing with little abatement, ‘rock star” economy, limited capac- the Christchurch rebuild spillity within our economy to increase ing over into inflation pressure, output, and an improving global and a potential NZD/USD decline outlook, many are asking, “should greater than that expected.

Success demands that you I fix and if so for how long?”

Let’s first look at the market. understand the impact any The NZ curve is already pricing changes will have on your business. in a rise in the official cash rate A change in the pay-out/sheep(OCR) of about 2% over the next beef schedule, changes in productwo years. The current five-year tion driven by climactic issues, and swap is about 4.6%, almost in line changes in interest rates are the with forecasters’ expectations of usual areas of focus.

Because few businesses remain the OCR peaking at 5.25% in the stagnant and, importantly, the second half of 2017.

This is creating a steep rate market never remains stagnant, curve that does not look attractive having a strategy for what you are when compared with the floating trying to achieve is the first and rate. But remember our current most important step – no matter OCR is at an historic low of 2.5% what your personal position is. and neutral is seen as being about You should be creating this strat4.2%. Inflation has been benign, egy with an independent advisor – but data during the last few weeks ie not your banker. showed an unexpected jump of • Haydon Dillon represents Crowe Horwath New Zealand, a provider 0.1% over the last three months.

The current ‘high side’ infla- of accounting, audit, tax and business Advert for Ruraladvice News with 20 New Zealand offices. tion scenarios are: a continuation

Central Districts Field Days event manager Cheryl Riddell.

ing and networking opportunity.”

And the networking and marketing isn’t restricted to the site. “One year, Ken Laken our rural salesman and I were sitting in the beer tent when Ken leaned back in his chair and bumped the guy behind him. He turned around and said ‘you look like a man who

needs a shed.’ Well, he ended up buying the biggest shed we make.”

Exhibiting is tiring work says Todd. “After three days of talking to people – any exhibitor will tell you the same – all you want to do is go home and sleep for three days. But we love it and will keep returning.”

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 3

Weed-kill machines economical with pesticides TO N Y H O P K I NSO N

ROTOWIPER WILL display some of its range of weed control machines that kill only targeted weeds.

“This reduces herbicide use and results in cost savings,” says managing director Dougal Lamont.

Rotowipers have carpeted drums that rotate in the direction opposite to the machine’s travel.

The carpet is soaked in herbicide pumped from a tank on the machine.

The size of the weed dictates how much chemical is applied, larger

plants drawing more herbicide than smaller ones.

Rotowipers come in working widths 1.8-4.5m.

They can be towed by quads, utility vehicles and small tractors.

Two models have end tow kits for travel between paddocks through standard gateways. Special models can be supplied to order.

The machine pictured working for a Balclutha contractor has a working width of 12m comprising 5 x 2.4m sections and has excellent contour following ability. It folds to

Chocka with chook gear TO NY H O P K I N SO N

STREAMLINE FEEDING Systems at the field days will show a range of equipment for people rearing poultry for egg production. This includes feeders and watering systems.

Streamline can supply equipment for home and small block holders as well as commercial operators.

Also on site for sale will be on-the-lay pullets.

“Take some home from the show and you will immediately have fresh free-range eggs,” says Streamline owner John Turner.

Turner is an expert on poultry rearing from day-old chickens for smaller farmers to supplying commercial egg laying operations. Ask his advice on any aspect of rearing poultry and egg production.

“If there are any commercial operators at the show I would be happy to talk to them about sourcing their ready-to-lay birds from our freerange rearing facilities at Hamilton.”

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

4 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS Visit RX Plastics at Central Districts field day site F18-F21

Sponsorship vital SPONSORING COMPANIES are highly valued by the Central Districts Field Days organisers, says event manager Cheryl Riddell.

“We are grateful these people come on board to sponsor the various pavilions and activities.

Without their support we would not be able to run the field days in its current format.”

Zealand attends the Central Districts Field Days and being there and being seen helps us connect with new clients and showcase properties.”

Tractor pull sponsor Norwood Farm Machinery Centre contributes to a popular crowd pleaser, says Vaughan Coy, chairman of Tractor Pull New Zealand.

“We will be coming to Central Dis-

“We are delighted to be back on board as a sponsor and once again we will be showcasing research underway to test and get evidence for new farming systems and technologies.” – Iona Condie.

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Bayleys Coast to Coast is a first time sponsor of the Bayleys Rural Lifestyle Pavilion and rural salesperson Dean File says they are delighted to be a part of the field days.

“The last time we attended the Central Districts Field Days, a few of us thought it would be good to get involved and be a part of such a fantastic event.”

Bayleys Coast to Coast, which includes the Manawatu-Wanganui, Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay, already has a good rural presence but, File says, it is beneficial to be seen out and about more.”

“This is a good opportunity to interact with the rural community. We already have good connections with them but a fair chunk of rural New

trict Field Days fresh from the South Island and we are hoping to attract a great field of competitors.”

Also returning is Massey University as sponsors of the Massey University Agriculture Pavilion.

“We are delighted to be back on board as a sponsor and once again we will be showcasing research underway to test and get evidence for new farming systems and technologies,” says Massey University external relations sciences account manager Iona Condie.

“Agriculture is changing and getting smarter and Massey is keen to hear from farmers and to work alongside them in research and bring the latest thinking from international colleagues to New Zealand.”

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 5

Plug your farm into Massey’s computer app TWO DAIRY research programmes will feature on the Massey University stand at Central Districts Field Days.

The university, with industry partners, is testing the latest thinking and new developments in dairying at the No 1 Dairy Farm on the banks of the Manawatu River.

The farm is seen from Palmerston North’s bridge across the river.

Research began last year to test innovations and find what works in a sensitive river catchment.

The farm has switched to once-a-day milking and the genetics of the herd have been assessed.

A low input precision agricultural system is being implemented and changes are likely to include plantings alongside the waterways.

And at Massey’s No 4 Dairy Farm, standing cows off pasture is reducing treading damage to pastures and it can reduce losses of nutrients in surface water runoff and drainage.

Massey researchers

have looked at free-stall barn options and are testing them for cow comfort, wellbeing and productivity.

They have also been evaluating effluent management systems including storage and land application systems.

A decision support tool has been developed to help farmers decide what storage and which systems will best suit their operations.

A computer app is under development.

Visitors to the field days can explore the application, put in information about their

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

6 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

Volunteers pitch in for show’s success VOLUNTEERS MAKE the show go round – and round, and round, says Central Districts Field Days event manager Cheryl Riddell. For 18

years she had organised exhibitors, sites, competitions and everything inbetween.

Integral to the event’s success is a small, ded-

icated team of volunteers and staff. Volunteers attend to a myriad jobs – picking up rubbish, marking out sites, driving forklifts, manning the

office, making deliveries, etc. Sometimes they help a visitor carry a purchase to the carpark.

“W may be the only field days offering this ser-

vice. I know our exhibitors are grateful for this.

It can help them make a sale.”

Among the volunteers, Palmerston North

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couple Noel and Eleanor Mortimer happily give up their time to help. “Noel is handy with the tools and knows what has to be done and does it.”

Mortimers have been involved in CDFD for 21 years after son-in-law Don Eade started the event back in 1993. Lots of changes have happened.

“The event has snowballed from 1983 when it was a small event with 50 sites in the middle of the paddock,” Noel Mortimer says. “I used to work at my day job and then go straight to Manfeild afterwards and help with setting up, maintenance and driving the forklifts, helping the exhibitors load and unload their products, roll out power cables and anything else which needed to be done.”

He also helped with digging and laying the power cables and water pipes and lights which now make up the permanent infrastructure of the CDFD. In the early years, he also helped mark out the exhibitor sites. “It is all

done with a laser tape now so the site sizes are more accurate which helps everything fit. It used to be done with a 100m tape and we would go along and measure the sites out.

That was always an interesting exercise when it was windy. Some sites got extra space while others got less.”

Meanwhile Eleanor was in a kitchen tent baking batch after batch of scones… “a variety of scones all day; and some days I would make 12-15 batches. As soon as they came out of the oven, they disappeared.”

Mortimers are still at it. Though Eleanor has hung up her apron, she still attends CDFD to keep an eye on things, and Noel spends hours making pegs and picket fences for various sites.

And not only the volunteers and staff pitch in; the exhibitors do too, Riddell says. “We have exhibitors who help out by providing motorbikes, trailers, cranes and other equipment. The help I get from a lot of contacts is amazing.”

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 7

Digger contest will stand finalists on their heads GARE TH GIL L ATT

Top fencers to contest fiercely WITH AT least 450 exhibitors lined up and a good number of contests to watch, field days visitors will have no trouble staying engaged.

Competitions will include the Norwood Farm Machinery Centre tractor pull, Husqvarna woodchopping and the National Excavator Championships.

A real crowd pleaser will be the lineup of New Zealand’s top fencing contractors contesting the Goldpine Doubles power fencing competition on Friday, March 14.

This requires fencers to hone their skills and display their abilities in front of a captive audience. Top prize is the Gallagher Shield. Current title holders Paul and Jason Van Beers from Central Hawke’s Bay will defend their title.

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“When operating a machine things may go wrong yet these top operators react instinctively with the machine becoming an extension of their hands and feet.”

Watching top operators can be a thing of beauty says Abernethy.

“Watching a good operator is a pleasure with some of our competitors making the Hitachi machines sing.”

Some of our previous winners are returning this year to celebrate the competitions success.

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The remaining 20% comes from worksite management, safety compliance, worksite planning, checks and maintenance of machinery which Abernethy says makes it a good tool to showcase the caliber of contractors.

While the 2013 champion, Bay of Plenty contractor James Lux, has been given an automatic entry to defend his title he will be joined by three-four other competitors who have made it to the finals before with first time finalists from across the country. “We have 12 finalists this year and we’re after the best operator in the country.”

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hung and latched at the stay end, and an electric tape gate on the other.

The site is opposite CDFD headquarters; the prizegiving is scheduled for 3pm at the Goldpine site (N21-N23).

FINALISTS in the 20th National Excavator Competition can expect the challenges to be turned on their ear and turned up a notch says New Zealand Contractors Federation executive officer Malcolm Abernethy.

Set up by Manuwatu contractors in 1994, the event quickly went nationwide. About 165 competitors have competed in heats at, for example, National Fieldays, the Big Boys Toys expo in Auckland and the Wellington Summer Carnival The final, held each year at Central Districts Field Days, has always featured something different and Abernethy says organisers plan to turn the entire final on its head. How, exactly, he won’t say. But they won’t have seen any of it before.

The competition starts on Thursday night when operators meet the judges, and get the programme and brief notes for a ‘one-day-job’ contract. Then two finalists at a time race the clock and each other to complete a specific task in new 12 tonne and 6.5 tonne Hitachi machines supplied by Cable Price.

Abernethy says 80% of competitors’ marks come from how well they control their machine.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

8 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

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A MASTERTON sheep and beef farmer who uses the assistance method of supplement feeding will answer show visitors’ questions on the Advantage Feeders site.

Matt Wyeth farms 600 beef stock and 10,000 sheep on 1000ha, seeing impressive weight and reproductive gains from using supplements.

A local stockfood company and its nutritionist to come up with different blends for ewes, weaned lambs, and weaned-to-R1 beef

stock. Samples are taken from crops and pastures animals are on, to make sure supplement blends complement what the animals are getting.

The different blends are chosne because he has different aims for different stock classes.

“When I’m weaning the beef calves I supply them with magnesium to alleviate the stress of weaning. I also lace the grain with molasses to ensure they will take to the supplement quicker.”

The result is an average 280g weight gain for lambs and 283% lambing

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percentage.

Wyeth says limited amounts of specially balanced pelletised grains enable stock to get more results from their main energy source. Beef cattle gain 1.5kgLW/day when eating grains and crop when compared to 1kgLW/ Day on a straight crop diet. “All we’re trying to do is to increase ruminant efficiency.”

“Farmers need to realise you’re not farming sheep you’re farming ruminant.”

Wyeth uses Advantage Feeders’ NGF 1800 feeders to ensure stock only get the 100g they need to maximise their performance off crops or pasture and says he wouldn’t have been able to achieve the production gains without them.

With three different stock classes using the farm’s five skid-mounted NGF 1800 feeders and one wheel-mounted MGF 1800, the feeders are rarely empty, says Wyeth. These can be used unaltered to feed many different animals.

Wyeth often shifts feeders to serve different stock types or when stock are shifted onto new breaks. He thinks a boat trailer may help speed up this task by carrying a bunch of feeders.

Wyeth will be on the Advantage Feeder site on Friday from 12 to 4.30 to answer questions.

Tel: 09 431 7276 www.advantagefeeders. co.nz

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 9

Artists only limited by log size A FAMILY notable in the world of wood chopping is now carving a niche with chainsaws.

Brothers Rex, Wayne and Lance Trow will again amaze Central Districts crowds with their wood sculptures.

The family began chainsaw carving in 1984 when dad Brian saw it in the United States and got

the urge. “We’ve been mucking around with it ever since,” Rex says. “We started off with small things and gradually built up to more complex things,” Rex says.

The log size sets a certain limit, but they can carve almost anything, eg birds, horses, outdoor furniture and even crocodiles. The hardest sculp-

ture Rex has carved was a spider sitting on top of a web.

“We compete at a couple of events around the country and these can be quite difficult because often there is a theme you have to carve to.”

Creating a sculpture out of a log is neither quick nor easy and it’s hard

work, demanding thought and planning before they even pick up a chainsaw.

When they are doing a carving for the first time, Wayne often draws the sculpture and works out dimensions while Rex prefers to work from a picture.

“You can’t just pick up a chainsaw and start hack-

ing away. Chainsaw carving is three dimensional and you have to think that way too.

“Once you cut something off, you can’t put it back on.

“You have to plan it and work to suit the log. If the log has knots or twists then often we incorporate these into the sculpture.”

Chainsaw carving is growing in popularity and is always a crowd pleaser.

“We started out doing small demonstrations mainly as entertainment during breaks at wood chopping events. People enjoyed it and it has grown from there.

“We always enjoy going to events like Central Dis-

tricts. We try to knock out a carving in an hour or less so people can watch from start to finish.”

Chainsaw carving demonstrations will be held throughout the three days and will be located near public entrance three from Kawakawa Road next to the tractor pull competition area.

Pumps save time and money TO NY H O P K I N SO N

GROWING NUMBERS of dairy farmers are installing lobe pumps and Varivacs immediately rather than waiting until later in the season,” says the sales manager for Corkill Systems, Vern Coxhead.

He says the lobe pumps are well established in the industry and more farmers are hearing about the benefits these pumps can give. The positivedisplacement pumps shift milk without causing damage, so increasing yield at the tanker.

A safety feature built into the pumps ensures there is no damage to the cooler if there is a major blockage or breakdown.

A recent EECA (Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority) trial showed that installing a Varivac vacuum pump controller can greatly reduce electricity costs and somatic cell count numbers.

Tel. 06 761 7531 www.corkillsystems.co.nz

See the full range at the Hydroflow stand H12 & H13

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

10 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

Hi-tech tractor makes learning easy and work faster GA RE T H G I LLAT T

A NEW Fendt tractor is allowing a Northland farmer to work faster and easier, and its technology is not ‘doing his head in’.

Nick Vinac, his partner

Stephanie, his father Velko and uncle Boris Vinac milk 220 cows on 91ha near Kaitaia.

With a heavy cropping regime of a winter crop and summer crop, and a soil structure of peat and

offered a Fendt 512, a tractor in a range not seen before in New Zealand or Australia. One in the 125165hp Fendt 500 range launched at the Northland Field Days, Vinac’s tractor was the first sold in

marine clay, Vinac says the operation needs to replace tractors after 3000 hours for best resale value and less repairs and maintenance.

Long an AGCO tractor fan, Vinac says he was

Australasia.

Until then he had owned Massey Ferguson and John Deere, but he decided to try Fendt because of its reputation for hardiness and performance.

. . . c a v i r Va another winner !

Northland farmer Nick Vinac is impressed with his new Fendt machine.

And though he had heard the ‘learning curve’ was prohibitive in driving Fendt tractors, he was pleasantly surprised. “I heard Fendt was hard to get used to – people saying it was full of buttons.” But it turned out to be easier than his John Deere, he says.

“We had high SCC (somatic cell count) and needed to fix the problem.

With Varivac, our situation has changed - so much so that we were recently delighted to win second prize in a major competition that our local dairy co-op ran for the quality of our milk.

“Headland management with the touch screen is straightforward.”

To get a trophy for farm excellence and milk quality was just marvellous.”

- Oubaas and Renee Pretorius

www.corkillsystems.co.nz

See us at Site V67

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With all controls mounted in the right armrest and a 7 inch Vario terminal, Vinac says cultivation work is easy.

“Headland management with the touch screen is straightforward.”

The farm grows two crops a year on marine clay and peat, so a cultiva-

handy working up paddocks for a winter turnip crop.

The Fendt’s front loader, built specifically for the 500 series, has proven easy to use, Vinac says. It has valves and dampers built into the loader frame. www.fendt.com.au

Plunket on hand SMALL CHILDREN and their parents will be catered for at the field days by Central Districts Plunket, supported by CB Norwood Distributors.

The CB Norwood Plunket Family Zone (site L37) will offer a kids’ play area and other activities, a baby changing and feeding area, car seat services (advice, information and a car seat installation competition) and information about Plunket’s free parenting education courses.

And because March is the month of Plunket’s annual appeal, to help raise funds it will run a ‘Human Pedal Pull’ fundraiser event on Saturday March 15.

With the support of businesses including MR Curd Accountants, Molesworth Tours, Programmed Property Services and Bromley Dairy and Pumps, competitors young and old will be able to use their leg power to pull a sled the length of the course, racing against the clock using either a child’s ride-on pedal tractor or a youth/adult trike.

Category winners will get fabulous prizes and bragging rights!

Tickets will also be on sale for the Plunket Central Districts monster family raffle – heaps of prizes including 10 family prize packs.

Funds raised will support Plunket Manawatu and Wanganui community services such as parent support groups, playgroups, car seat services, parenting education and toy libraries.

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 11

Big tractors sidelined for feeding out GA RE T H G I LLAT T

A TRAILED, self-powered two-bale feeder, towed by a UTV or a small tractor, sidelines a Manawatu dairy farmer’s large tractor at supplement feedingout time.

The feeder is a Reese Agrispread Balebug, launched last year at National Fieldays.

The farmer, Wayne Rider, owns a 400-cow operation at Linton, Manawatu, and a 300-cow operation at Shannon, Horowhenua.

As the farms can get especially wet during winter, he didn’t want to damage races or pastures.

“I’ve gone through four seasons on the farm and I

have never had a pothole [since sidelining his big tractor].”

The Shannon operation has a 900cc Kubota UTV, the Linton farm a 35hp 4WD Kioti utility tractor.

By using UTVs and smaller tractors Rider saves money, investing it

instead on the farm.

“The farm at Linton has big bunkers for silage; I wouldn’t touch them, they’re too much hassle.”

Instead, he prepares individually doublewrapped balage in rows and stores them in the open.

By using this method of storage, feeding out simply involves backing into a bale, cutting away wrap and lifting it on with the trailed feeder’s hydraulic forks. “It’s quick, you don’t need to lift the bale down; you just back it in, bang the bale on and

away you go.

“The unit’s remote control and independently powered hydraulic system mean the implement is flexible and can go behind almost any farm vehicle.”

Rider has towed the laden Balebug with his UTVs, 4WD utes and the utility tractor. It doesn’t get stuck, even when fully loaded, he says. “It can get real muddy on the farm but the UTVs are able to pull it through the paddocks.”

Power comes from a 12hp Kohler motor. The conveyor chain has a 5 tonne breaking strain.

The machine feeds out from either side, controlled by wireless remote.

Rider helped develop the Balebug. “We used to own a Ewing bale feeder, a precursor to the Agrispred Balebug, feeding out 4000 bales over four seasons on the Shannon farm.

Reese Agri engineers have modernised and improved

the concept.”

Rider bought one of the new units for his Linton farm and has ordered another to replace his Shannon unit, plus one for his brother farming in Waikato.

“The Balebug is superbly balanced, is made from better materials and has a galvanised frame.

They have put in a lot of time and effort into making these.”

Tel: 06 357 9323 www.reeseagri.com

The trailed, self-powered twobale feeder can be towed by a UTV or small tractor.

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

12 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

New seed and feed gear on show PRODUCTS NEW to New Zealand from Europe will feature on Tulloch Farm Machines’ site, alongside machines from the company’s established suppliers.

Tulloch recently assembled the largest

Supreme imported into New Zealand, for a customer in Manawatu.

The Supreme 1200T, as with all Supreme feed processors, has the maker’s patented auger system for blending of total mixed

rations.

The design is tried and proven for mixing commodities including large volumes of straw in record time. Other features: fewer service points, extended service intervals,

the best warranty and only money back guarantee, Tulloch says.

In grass handling, new Krone EasyCut R series and F series mowers (right) will complement the existing AM and Easy-

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Transpread • Uniquely shaped hydraulic twin spinner discs provide controlled accurate spread • Digital tachometer accurately reads spinner speed from tractor • Chain feed provides reliable constant feed to spinners • Stainless steel Hoppers, single and tandem wheel options available, floatation tyres, Hydraulic wheel drive and 3 speed gearboxes • Bin extensions & roll top covers

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Cut series. The new series models are prefixed ‘F’ for front mount and ‘R’ for rear mount.

They all have a new cutter bar that cuts cleaner when mowing short grass, a new headstock/frame design and a revised breakaway system.

This new series still uses the maker’s SafeCut disc breakaway system.

The R 360 model folds over to 124° providing a good balance and adequate transport height of about 4m. Because Krone cutterbars are painted by full immersion prior to assembly, they can be stored upright (using an optional stand), saving space.

Meanwhile, in its new offer, Tulloch says though the Apiesse Rotopress bagger has been around for some years, like some other such machines it lacks capacity when bagging grass. To tackle this, for three years Tulloch has been testing, modifying and re-testing a twin-rotor Rotopress bought from Apiesse as a base unit.

The modifications are aimed at getting acceptable capacity in grass, ie so that the total cost to the customer of the end product would not exceed that using traditional stack silage. This has been achieved, Tulloch says: no more car tyre ‘ballast’, the stack face is smaller, and the bagging process

reduces contamination, and ensures good compaction and airtightness.

Also new in Tulloch’s lineup is Sky Agriculture, with two drills on offer.

The Easy Drill, a direct drill, is designed to allow weight to be moved hydraulically from the front press wheels back toward the drilling discs or further back to the rear consolidation wheels.

In wet conditions front press wheel weight is increased to provide a firm medium to drill seed into.

In dry conditions more weight is needed on the drilling discs.

The Easy Drill can apply 250kg per seeding disc and can be configured with or without fertiliser.

It comes in 3m, 4m and 6m models, all 3m transport width and with a separate transport axle with appropriate tyres.

The Maxi Drill is a general purpose drill in the same working widths as the Easy Drill, same independent axle and with the option to configure with or without fertiliser. This drill can put down up to 120kg per seeding disc.

Also new to Tulloch is the Baertschi brand with its Oekosem rotor strip tiller (below) for direct planting maize. Its particular advantage is its facility for mounting a planter directly behind to allow planting in one pass.

Tel. 06 370 0390 www.tulloch.co.nz

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

14 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

In-shed feed system helps even out season’s ebbs and flows GA RE TH G I LLAT T

A PPP Industries in-shed feed system has helped Southland farmer Carl North even out a patchy season this year.

North and wife Rachel milk 420 cows on a 153ha property, two hours northwest of Invercargill.

On a property which often faces cold challenging conditions, North says he often supplies stock with a supplement in the form of straw, silage, palm kernel (PKE) and/or grains in the form of crushed barley. Straw is fed in a bail trailer feeder twice a day at 3kg/day to balance the pH in cows’ rumens. PKE is added to crushed barley when cow condition needs lifting. The silage is fed in

the autumn to extend lactation without the use of urea, which has not been used at all for four years.

North was feeding PKE and molasses out of a trailer but says this was labour intensive and the production response was barely enough to pay for the feed so the mix was fed only to manage cow condition or energy levels during mating.

To feed grain safely North approached PPP Industries and asked them to install a feed system in the 32-side herringbone cowshed.

He poured pads in place for the feed system prior to technicians coming down, and he says the installation process was incredibly fast. “They

managed to get the system installed in about a week.”

North changed his milking start from 3pm to 4pm, and the installers made sure milking areas were clear of obstructions during milking times.

“They did a fast, efficient, quality install. I appreciated their advice on how to get the cows to come into the shed the first time after feeding troughs were installed which meant the milkings were not difficult or messy.”

Once the silos were installed, North started feeding grain to stock and continued feeding animals throughout spring and summer, getting good results with reproduction almost immediately. “The early submission rates

were pretty good. The first three weeks were much better than the previous year.”

Not only has the cow condition improved over the four months the system has been in the shed, but production rose during the wet cold spring.

“The cows’ production didn’t fluctuate with the weather. Invercargill had huge squally cold patches coming up from Antarctica in October-November, but it hardly phased the cows. We were 7% up on last season. If we had the year we had in 2012 we would be well ahead.”

North fed the crushed barley for this season but intends to move to a higher value pelletised mix next year – a combination

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of barley, wheat, peas, soy and magnesium supplements for a more balanced diet.

While the barley dramatically improved protein levels in the milk, adding the extra elements will allow them to cut back on feed levels while also improving cow condition. “The barley gives us a lift in our protein, which effectively amplifies how much milksolids we produce and we get paid more for protein than we do for fat.

“We were feeding 3kg per head of crushed barley, which worked out to be $1.35/cow. The combination feed is likely to cost $1.48 for 2.5kg but we should be able to cut down meal allocation to 2.5kg because it’s a higher value

feed.

“This should also mean we can do away with the waterline mineral dispenser and dusting paddocks which will pay for the increased price and result in a reduced workload over calving and mating.”

Supplementary feed requirements are worked out before the start of the season and are locked in through a contract to guarantee certainty in feed budgeting for the season.

North makes sure cows have access to straw while being fed grain, but even then he says he was careful about how he introduced the feed to stock. To make sure stock would know how to react to the feed, he gathered remnants of grains from the bins in

grass seed bags and then dusted them between the breaks in paddocks.

He says that by making it available when stock would be hungrier they would be more eager to try it, and having tried it once they would be more willing to try it in the shed.

North says ongoing use of the grain also needs to be carefully managed. The level of feed given to stock each day is carefully calculated, and he is careful to place an order for the next truckload two or three days before the previous order has run out. “I tend to go through 1.2 tonnes a day. So it’s fairly simple to work out from truck weight dockets how long each load will last.”

Tel. 0800 901 902 www.pppindustries.co.nz

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RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS 15

New tractor pull format gets thumbs up GA RE T H G I LLAT T

A TRACTOR pull contest format trialled at last year’s field days will return this year to Central District Field Days, the event organiser says.

Instead of running the main competition on three days it will be held on the Saturday, following two week days of practice sessions for the main classes and the business house competition.

Tractorpull New Zealand Inc chairman Vaughan Coy says they have changed the format to make it less time consuming for competitors and make it easier for contractors to take part. The contractors approve, Coy says. “Last year we spoke to several contractors who said they would not have attended had it been all three days.”

Coy expects to get

30-40 competitors at the event and says visitors will see tractors from as far afield as Puhoi and Reporoa. “Modified tractors are coming from Reporoa, Puhoi and of course the local machine (Henry) from Norwood Farm Distributors’ Palmerston North branch.”

On the Wednesday various brands of tractors will face off in the battle of the brands competition.

Most tractor brands place entries. “We are hoping the single day event format will encourage even more entries than last year.”

With a sled leased from the National Fieldays Society, Coy takes the event to locations all over New Zealand. A mobile office built into the club’s 43-foot semi trailer, allows Coy and his team to use the computer system

that controls the sled to provide the audience with a running commentary on what a competitor is pulling, speed, distance and more.

He says it will be good to get back to the North

Island after an extended stint in the South Island.”After a full-on southern trip (Edendale crank up and Southern Field Days) we are looking forward to being a little closer to home.”

PPP Feed Systems are specifically designed to handle PKE - guaranteed PPP have Installation Agents from Northland to Southland offering a full back up service Silos Grain silos from 6 tonne to 250 tonnes PKE vibrators – money back guarantee to work!

Suitable for PKE, dairy meals and grain Mineral & liquid additive system Utility Augers

Herringbone Feed Systems Stainless steel ensures hygiene is excellent One dispenser per cow, clear dispenser allows plenty of light in shed Non-breakable drop tubes with no blockages in drop tube Sheds from 10 aside to 73 aside, using PKE to dairy rations Feed rates as low as 0.5 kg upwards

Rotary Feed Systems Stainless trays, anti-robbing bars Single or multiple auger lines Liquid injection Mineral additive line suitable for EID systems

Press Screw Separators A simple solution PPP installed NZs first separator in 2002 Clarifiers available for extra screening down to 80 microns

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Check out our website: www.pppindustries.co.nz

RURAL NEWS // MARCH 4, 2014

16 CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

Animal records all in the palm of your hand GALLAGHER SAYS its new HR5 handheld EID tag reader and data collector is an extremely powerful animal management tool that gives users the ability to record, edit and customise livestock data on the spot.

“The HR5 is big brother to the award-winning HR4 EID tag reader and data collector,” says Gallagher marketing manager Mark Harris.

“Just like the HR4, the HR5 can record and display detailed information on an animal, including breed, sex, condition score and

pregnancy status.

“But, uniquely, the HR5 also features an alphanumeric keypad that

enables the user to immediately enter or edit data without having to return to a PC or weigh scale.”

Harris believes this feature makes the HR5 a remarkably powerful data collection device. “There

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is nothing close to it on the market. It’s a massive leap forward for EIDbased technology because it enables farmers to easily collect and record virtually limitless amounts of information on their animals.”

He says the ability to enter or edit data on-thespot saves a lot of time and hassle. The user doesn’t even have to be within tag-scanning range of an animal to record and display data.

“If you can read the visual tag number you can enter it straight into the HR5 and all the information previously recorded on that animal will become immediately available to you.”

Harris anticipates huge interest in the product, in New Zealand and worldwide.

“It’s a great tool for assisting farmers to make quick and well-informed animal management decisions, and also for helping them to meet NAIT requirements.

“For example, if you have lots of animal movements on and off the farm, this device makes it easy to record the NAIT information and buyer/seller’s details when the stock are sold or purchased.”

In the case of a lost

EID tag, the user can simply type the visual ID number straight into the HR5, insert the new eartag and scan the new EID number.

The animal’s history will then be transferred to the new Gallagher marketing EID number. manager Mark Harris.

Harris believes the user-friendliness session names to make it of the HR5 is another key easy to identify sessions point of difference. once they are uploaded “Our designers have simple icons for the menu into the APS software. Predefined colour-coded lists system smartphone-style allow the quick and simple which makes the HR5 sorting of animals on-thestraightforward to opergo, again without the need ate, even for people who to be at the weigh site. aren’t computer savvy.”

And mothers can be The HR5 also shares linked to their offspring the HR4’s 2.8-inch backlit as soon as their EID tag is colour screen – a popular feature with users because entered. Birthing details it is easy to read in all con- can also be added to these records. Numeric text, ditions, inside and out.

Both models utilise animal date and pick-list type traits enable the user to performance software record observations on (APS standard) to interindividual animals, and face with all Gallagher animal notes can be set readers and weigh scales. to appear automatically Harris says this softwhen the animal is next ware makes it easy to scanned. transfer data between Bluetooth-enabled, the devices and to analyse HR5 and HR4 are supplied all animal information in with a standard USB cable one place. Valued at $199 for direct, simple and easy (plus GST) this software connection to a PC. They is included free with HR4 can also be charged via a and HR5 readers. car charger which comes The HR5 also enables in a convenient carry-case. the user to add and edit

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