Rural News 01 November 2016 by Rural News Group

NEWS

CANTERBURY A&P

Irish university encourages its students to get work experience in NZ. PAGES 12-13

Show gets ready for its 154th event. PAGES 32-37

RURALNEWS

MANAGEMENT Wairarapa couple look to setting their farm up for the future.

PAGE 28

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

NOVEMBER 1, 2016: ISSUE 618

www.ruralnews.co.nz

Sheep, beef to aid dairy? PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

WILL SHEEP and beef farmers in future grow trees to sell offsets to dairy under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)? That could work in the event that agriculture is brought under the ETS, says Peter Weir, chair of the Farm Forestry Association’s environment committee. Beef + Lamb NZ has reported that emissions from sheep and beef are down 17% on 1990 levels, he says. “In theory, sheep and beef is in credit – they are certainly not on the hook for emissions; that is the dairy [effect],” Weir told Rural News. He says that will be a relief to struggling sheep and beef farmers. But dairy emissions are “through the roof ” and continuing with Fonterra’s growth agenda of 4% a year. “The growth in emissions has come from dairy but it is unrealistic to expect dairy farmers to plant highly productive Waikato or irrigated Canterbury dairy land. “Sheep and beef hill country cockies have the land to do the planting. But their emissions haven’t grown. So how do you make the sheep and beef cockies [plant trees]? “There is a bit of a conundrum there: the growth in emissions is from dairy and not from sheep and beef, but the sheep and beef farmers are in a position to [let land] revert.” He suggests sheep and beef farmers could plant trees to sell offsets to dairy under the ETS. Planting trees, especially on rolling

hill country, is also better than costneutral for a farmer, he says. Returns on harvesting logs are, over the long term, higher than hill country farming of sheep and cattle. However large areas of North Island hill country are not suitable because of erosion risk. Agriculture does not currently come under the ETS but Climate Change

Minister Paula Bennett told Rural News recently it will be considered as a mechanism to encourage the industry to cut emissions after the recent signing of the Paris agreement on climate change. Weir was commenting on the parliamentary commissioner for the environment’s (PCE) report on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. The PCE did not address the ETS.

However the commissioner did call for the planting of more trees. Immediate opportunities for reducing New Zealand’s emissions lie in new native and plantation forests, the commissioner says and she wants to see real progress in this area. “It might not be the whole solution, but one million hectares of trees would TO PAGE 5

Wet, wet, wet, wet!

Persistent rain during the last four months is causing serious problems for farmers in most regions, but especially in the North Island. Milk production is down because farmers have been unable to make full use of pasture. Federated Farmers Manawatu/Rangitikei president James Stewart is one of many dairy farmers badly hit, the wet being one of his biggest challenges in 20 years on his farm. – See more page 15

DAM BUSTED? PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE FUTURE of the controversial Ruataniwha water storage dam in central Hawkes Bay is in limbo, following the recent local body election. The promotor of the scheme, the Hawkes Bay Regional Council, has newly elected members opposed to the dam and another opponent as its new chairman, Rex Graham. The new council met for the first time last week, after which Graham told Rural News of a “change in sentiment” about the project. Two councillors are opposed to the dam, but favour water storage, and he described the rest as “sceptics”. “It’s too early to say if we would put a hold on the scheme and it’s also too early to speculate on what any outcome might be. The majority around the table are sceptics and I guess those of us who are elected are conscious of the fact that the public want to know more,” Graham says. “Some people are really anti the dam and we have to be conscious of and respect that. During our discussions the question was raised as to whether there ever was a mandate for project.” Graham says councillors recognise that the project is a long way down the track and the thought of going back to basics would be interesting. The councillors need to know the risks and benefits of the project TO PAGE 4

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

NEWS 3 ISSUE 618

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NEWS �� 1-16 MARKETS �� 18-19 AGRIBUSINESS �� 20-21 HOUND, EDNA �� 22 CONTACTS �� 22 OPINION ��22-24 WORLD �� 25 MANAGEMENT �� 26-28 ANIMAL HEALTH �� 29-31 CANTERBURY SHOW �� 32-37 MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS �� 38-42 RURAL TRADER �� 43 HEAD OFFICE Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Phone: 09-307 0399 Fax: 09-307 0122 POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 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 81,004 as at 31.03.2016

Brexit fears grip EU farmers PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

EUROPEAN FARMING leaders are truly concerned about Britain’s planned exit from the European Union, says Beef + Lamb NZ chairman James Parsons, just home from his annual visit to Europe. Parsons says he struggled to find anyone in the UK who voted for Brexit, although he suspected a few did. But none of the farming leaders he spoke to in either the UK or Europe could see many upsides to Brexit. Irish farmers are being hit by low prices due the weak pound, he says. Meanwhile, meat processors in Northern Ireland are deeply concerned about the prospect of a ‘hard’ border

between the north and south of Ireland; they process a lot stock from the south. Their biggest concern is to get some stability, especially in the sheep market. “Whilst they were not massively excited about NZ product coming in during their peak season, they acknowledge the importance of having lamb on the shelf 12 months of the year,” Parsons told Rural News. “I think there are opportunities for us, with the sheep producers in the northern hemisphere, to see how we can supply some markets in a counter-seasonal way. We had a much more mature conversation about this than I had experienced in the past.” Parsons says it’s too early to say what might happen to NZ as result of Brexit. Many big political issues must be sorted out first, such as whether

Beef + Lamb chair James Parsons.

the EU will play hardball with the UK when it triggers its exit next March. The French and German elections may also influence events. “We are quite narrowly focused on our existing trade, but it’s all the macro

things that are in play, so the sheepmeat market is just going to be a minnow in the scheme of things.” BLNZ, via its representative in Brussels, Ben O’Brien, will monitor the situation. BLNZ is keen for the NZ government to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU and to firm up an arrangement with the UK when it leaves the EU. This is some way off because negotiations can’t start until the UK has left the EU. Parsons notes a lot of interest in the UK about the way NZ has developed its markets over the years and become a free trading country. UK farmers are keen to do this, but old habits such as protectionism are alive and well there. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

SMILE, YOU’RE ON CANDID CAMERA! THAT’S THE message from Federated Farmers dairy section vice-chair Chris Lewis in the light of the latest video showing a new-born calf dragged along a paddock and calves being loaded into a truck. Lewis says he’s been putting this message out to dairy farmers since last year, when video showing mistreatment of dairy calves was first made public. This resulted in a big shakeup in the wider dairy industry, with new regulations taking effect and others coming in over the next 12 months. “Since then farmers have been paranoid about it and so has the industry because we don’t want to be caught out. Most people in the industry are frustrated by the release of the new footage and in particular by their colleagues not being up to speed,” he says. Lewis says the video of the farmer dragging the calf is unacceptable. “Most farmers I talk to just shake their heads and say ‘what is the guy doing?’ There is no logic to it. When I have to move a calf, I put my two arms

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underneath its belly and lift it. That’s the correct way of doing it. It’s just like lifting a baby or your kid, you cradle it and carry it. This is logical – after all the calves are just babies.”

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Lewis says he can’t say what is the right or wrong way to load calves onto a truck because he “hasn’t done it for a number of years”. It appears to be a hard job for workers, but next year this will change with new regulations requiring farmers to use a ramp so calves can be walked onto a truck. “Two years ago I installed a ramp on my farm, well ahead of the regulations, to show some leadership in this area. We spent about $3000 dollars on this and it works well. The truck just backs up to the pen where the calves are and they are loaded on via the ramp which is easy for everyone including the calves,” he says. Lewis is also urging farmers or their staff to be present when calves are loaded. They can help the truck driver and do a final check on the calves to see if they are fit to travel. Despite all the publicity about how to handle calves, the new regulations and MPI’s monitoring of the situation, Lewis says that, like all industries the dairy industry will have its share of “bad apples”. • See editorial page 22

EASY HANDLING

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

4 NEWS DAM BUSTED? FROM PAGE 1

before they make any further moves. “The only thing I can tell you is what was absolutely clear: a majority of councillors are cynical about the process and the dam, but where to from here nobody is sure.” Meanwhile, the local president of Federated Farmers, Will Foley, says he personally remains supportive of the dam project as necessary for the health of the Tukituki River and the economy of Central Hawkes Bay.

A lot of work has already been done and money spent on the project and he predicts it will take time for the new council to reach a decision. “The community is still very much behind it and is getting a bit frustrated with the delays. The one thing the new council will achieve will be to further delay it even it does go ahead,” he says. Foley says while the delays continue, the investors and construction firms are waiting to see what might happen.

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New restrictions on farming start now PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

NEW RESTRICTIONS on land use intensification in the Waikato and Waipa catchments have taken effect immediately, under a new 80-year plan to improve water quality. The plan, described as “ground breaking” by the Waikato Regional Council, is aimed at restoring and protecting the health of the Waikato and Waipa catchments. The Healthy Rivers Wai Ora Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1 – of which the land use intensification restrictions are the only part – will impose a number of requirements on farming activities in the catchments if all provisions go through to the final stage. But the plan is now subject to an extended four month submission period. Waikato Regional Council chief executive Vaughan Payne says from early on the collaborative stakeholder group developing the plan was concerned about land use conversion in the Waikato and Waipa catchments. “Without this land use change rule the reductions in contaminant discharges we’re seeking through this plan could be undone by changes in land use,” Payne says. “What’s proposed by the plan is a bold response to addressing the complex problem of water quality in our rivers. It aims to balance the social,

WRC chief executive Vaughn Payne.

economic, cultural and environmental needs of our region by adopting a phased approach to how we manage water quality over an 80-year period. This first plan change is the foundation decade for change.” Payne says modelling has suggested that during the foundation decade farmers profits could fall by around 4% ($40 million) per annum. “There will be cost associated with implementing what is proposed, but if we don’t act now the costs will be far greater in the future,” Payne claims. Proposed new rules will apply to landowners of more than 2ha within the Waikato River and Waipa River catchments. They will be in addition to existing rules in the Waikato Regional Plan. Under proposed new rules, all

rural properties of more than 2ha must by March 2019 inform the council about ownership, land use details, stocking rates, location of water bodies, fencing and crossing points. Farm environment plans will be required (including from commercial vegetable growers) to ensure industry-specific good management, and to identify additional mitigation actions to reduce discharges by specified dates, which will then be monitored. An accreditation system will be set up for people who will assist farmers to prepare their farm environment plans and to certify farm schemes. The public can now have a say on the proposed plan change. “Healthy Rivers Wai Ora is one of the biggest issues – if not the biggest – we are facing as a region,” says Payne. “A robust, informed submission process will ensure we reach workable solutions for everyone which in the long term will solve the complex problem of water quality in our rivers.” People can submit on any aspect of the plan, and can support, oppose or take a neutral stance on any point. Submission will close at 5pm, March 8, 2017. Once submissions close a summary will be made available and people can make further submissions, indicating whether or not they support what’s in the summary.

WESTLAND CHAIR TO STEP DOWN WESTLAND MILK Products’ chair Matt O’Regan will retire from the board next March. O’Regan, who has chaired the country’s second largest milk co-op for seven years, says he will stay until March to give the business continuity of governance while new

chief executive Toni Brendish establishes herself in the role. “It is vital that Toni has the support of the existing governance structure as she settles into her role,” he says. “By the end of March she will have a clear picture of the company and any major changes

she needs to implement to strengthen and grow Westland’s commercial success.” Westland directors have agreed to this, saying it represents the best interests of the co-op. “The strategy means a professional handover and will give the board

time to ascertain its new leadership. This will include [retaining] focus on high added-value products to provide improved returns to shareholders.” O’Regan says he will remain a shareholder/ supplier of Westland from his West Coast dairy farm.

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It’s not that simple PRIMARY INDUSTRIES Minister Nathan Guy says the PCE report highlights that this issue is not as simple as whether agriculture is in or out of the ETS. It requires a broader discussion than that, he says. “For example, planting the right trees, in the right place, at the right time can buy us time to find options to reduce biological emissions from agriculture.” The Government is supporting these efforts through the Afforestation Grant Scheme, the Erosion Control Funding Programme and the Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change research programme. “The Government is also investing $20 million a year in research into

NEWS 5 Sheep and beef sector to carry dairy industry? FROM PAGE 1

developing new mitigation options like a vaccine to reduce emissions from agriculture, which is a very promising long term option.” Guy says agricultural emissions make up 49% of New Zealand’s gross emissions. “Reducing them while growing our economy is

a difficult challenge, but it’s one we must solve. “For that reason we recently established the biological emissions reference group to work

with the sector to state an objective and agreed understanding of what can be done to reduce agricultural emissions.” – Pam Tipa

make a big difference, not to mention the added benefits for erosion and water quality,” the report says. Leveraging off the PCE report, Weir says farmers may have large areas they can allow to regenerate in natives or they could plant a longer-rotation crop like Douglas fir or redwood if the climate is suitable. Otherwise they could grow 27-year rotation pinus radiata if they want to maximise cashflow. “Logs are selling well, it is a good product. “But if you are taking a longer view and don’t want to get involved in the harvesting then grow something for 100 years. That points to redwoods or Douglas fir.”

Weir says farmers should get advice from forestry consultants on what to plant. The PCE report shows you can get away with planting about 5ha of radiata or let 50ha of natives revert, he says. “It is prohibitively expensive to plant natives. You would have to have a seed source. If you’ve got manuka and it’s spreading then you are probably away but if you are in the middle of Canterbury and there is no native source, there is nothing to revert.” Weir believes agriculture will have to come under the ETS and farmers will either have to pay for emissions or grown the offsets themselves. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

SFF CONFIRMS PLANT CLOSURES MEAT PROCESSOR and exporter Silver Fern Farms has confirmed it will close its Frasertown mutton processing plant at Wairoa and Mossburn venison plant in Southland. The company confirmed the plant closures late last month and says it is working on options to transfer affected workers to alternative sites in its network after the closures. “Employees at Mossburn are being given options to work at the company’s Waitane, Kennington or Finegand sites,” SFF said in a statement. “Wairoa Frasertown employees will have the option of transferring to Takapau or Pacific in Central Hawke’s Bay.” The meat company says it has set up resource centres at each site to assist staff through the transition. Some 110 jobs are impacted by the closures; the Wairoa plant employs 67 workers and Mossburn 43.

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6 NEWS

Abolishing the burp not simple There is no simple solution to deal with the problems of greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand caused by agriculture. Peter Burke reports. THAT’S THE view of the parliamentary commissioner for the environment, Dr Jan Wright, in a 100-page report. It looks at the nature of the problem and the complex science challenges facing our scientists to find a viable solution. The problems are well known and relate to methane and nitrous oxide, Wright says. Methane produced in the rumen of cattle, sheep, goats and deer is expelled when they burp (not fart) and nitrous oxide is caused mainly by urine deposited in the soil by animals. Wright says her report sets out the scientific facts for all to see, but does not blame farmers or one sector of agriculture. “Pointing the finger or blaming one group is not helpful,” she says. Her report canvasses the various options being worked on to try to mitigate methane, in particular. These

include producing a vaccine to kill the methanogens that produce methane in the rumen of sheep, cattle, goats and deer. Other ideas include producing forages or grasses which may reduce the amount of methane from rumens. This includes work by AgResearch on producing genetically modified ryegrass. It also looks at the option of breeding animals that produce less methane. But Wright says, at this stage, besides planting more trees to reduce the carbon footprint and practical steps onfarm, such as installing feed pads to reduce nitrous oxide, there are no immediate solutions available. Other potential solutions flagged are planting more trees, a vaccine to deal with the methane-producing methanogens, breeding animals that produce less methane and forages/grasses that reduce methane and

nitrous oxide. However, Wright insists that none of these will individually solve the problem, and there is no guarantee that, apart from planting more trees, they will do so in the future. “In respect of breeding, they have got as far as passing a low-emission gene in sheep over several generations and getting it to stick and they are beginning work on cattle. The scientists are not at all sure it will work the same in cattle. “They think the reason is that the sheep have a smaller rumen so the plant material spends less time there; it’s as simple as that.” Wright believes if this could be done with dairy cattle the benefit in reducing agricultural emissions could come faster than with sheep. “Theoretically you could breed this into the cattle population (especially the dairy industry) quickly because of artificial insemination. But sheep and beef would take much longer because you’d have to get all the breeders around the country involved. The report notes work done on producing methane inhibitors. In some

There is a lot of work being undertaken by scientists at the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research consortium, along with the NZ agricultural Greenhouse gas research centre at Palmerston North, into reducing livestock greenhouse gas emissions.

countries, where animals are fed in a feedlot, these can work because they can be part of the feed given to animals. However, in NZ a slow-release bolus would have to be used. The vaccine, from a practical farming point of view, would suit the NZ farming system best, Wright says. “The vaccine would be brilliant if they could do it. They have the antibodies in the saliva of sheep, but that’s as far as they have got. They are now

trying to do it in cattle. The saliva is important because it is the transmission mechanism to get [the vaccine] into the rumen and these antibodies somehow have to fix onto the methanogens.” Wright says at this stage the scientists can’t make any promises. But she believes this a good time to profile the issue of greenhouse gas emissions, given changes taking place in NZ farming – especially dairy.

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Positive reaction to Wright’s report REACTION TO Wright’s report has been positive. Forest Owners Association chair Peter Weir says the report is timely and he backs her call to plant more trees. “Tree planting by farmers and small scale forest investors has declined in the past few years, and our log processing industry needs the extra tree planting Dr Wright is calling for,” Weir says. “Another positive is that planting trees, especially on rolling hill country, is better than cost-neutral for a farmer. Returns on harvesting logs are, over the long term, higher than hill country farming of sheep and cattle.” Forest and Bird’s Megan Hubscher also endorses the report, saying the

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idea of planting more trees is good and will have a range of environmental benefits, including providing better habitat for native bird species and better water quality. “The impacts on farm productivity are likely to be negligible, as farmers report that the costs of grazing marginal country often outweigh the profits, and native forest restoration potentially opens other business opportunities such as tourism and honey farming.” Federated Farmers spokesperson on climate change Anders Crofoot says Feds sees the report contributing to the discussion NZ needs to have to find ways to reduce agricultural emissions. He notes Wright observes that, while total emissions from agriculture during the last 25 years have increased 15%, at the same time emissions from road transport have increased by 71% and industrial processing by 45%. “To achieve the massive change required to reduce agricultural emissions, we must work together as a nation, and look for solutions based on new technologies, smart science and good research.” However, he says Feds does not support the inclusion of agricultural emissions in the ETS, because it would put NZ producers at a severe competitive disadvantage on international markets.

NEWS 7 Seaweed an answer? ABOUT 11 years ago Canadian farmer Joe Dorgan noticed that his cattle in a paddock by the sea were more productive than his other cows. Dorgan’s cattle were found to be eating storm-tossed seaweed. Canadian researchers Rob Kinley and Alan Fredeen have since discovered that seaweed not only helped improve the cows’ health and growth, but also reduced their methane production by about 20%. This led Kinley, who by now had moved to Australian research organisation CSIRO, to team up with other CSIRO scientists and marine algae specialists at James Cook University to test a range of seaweeds. They have now tested 20 seaweed species and found that they reduce methane production in test-tube samples from cow stomachs by anything from zero to 50%. However, when the researchers tested a particular type of seaweed collected from Queensland’s coastal waters, they thought their

instruments were broken and ran the tests again. It turned out that Asparagopsis taxiformis reduces methane production by at least 99% in the lab. And unlike other seaweeds, where the effect diminishes at low doses, this species works at doses of less than 2%. Asparagopsis produces a compound called bromoform, which prevents methane production by reacting with vitamin B12 at the last step. This disrupts the enzymes used by gut microbes that produce methane gas as waste during digestion. Cows and sheep produce methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Despite misconceptions, most cow methane comes from burps (90%) rather than farts (10%). CSIRO and James Cook University, with funding from Meat and Livestock Australia, are now experimenting further to examine how feeding seaweed to cattle affects production.

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8 NEWS

We need more trees – PCE PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

Parliamentary commissioner for the environment Jan Wright.

IMMEDIATE OPPORTUNITIES for reducing New Zealand’s

greenhouse gas emissions lie in new native and plantation forests says the parliamentary commissioner for the environment, Dr Jan

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Wright. She wants to see real progress in this area. For at least a decade, a number of false starts have occurred in dealing with agricultural greenhouse gases, and controversy has flared over their continuing omission from the emissions trading scheme (ETS), she says. “The debate over agricultural emissions and the ETS has been polarised for too long,” she says. “But the ETS is not the only way forward; there are other things that can be done.”

“It has been estimated that at least one million hectares of marginal land could be left to regenerate into native forest. This would offset about 17% of all the biological methane and nitrous oxide now emitted each year by agriculture for the indefinite future.” But there are many other options, for example, some farmers might plant fast-growing pine or eucalypts. A range of mitigation solutions are needed on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, rather than a single silver bullet,

“The debate over agricultural emissions and the ETS has been polarised for too long.” In her report she says a very different approach to dealing with biological emissions is to use trees to soak up and store carbon dioxide. “Forests can be used for offsetting – taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to compensate for the biological emissions entering the atmosphere. “Establishing carbon forests does not rely on technological breakthroughs. Carbon forests are already included in New Zealand’s ETS, but much more can be done. “For instance, a hill country sheep farmer might fence off higher altitude land and leave the manuka scrub to begin slow steady recovery into mature podocarp forest, with all the accompanying benefits of slowing erosion, keeping sediment out of waterways, ameliorating flooding and providing habitat for native birds and other creatures.” During investigation for the report, it was found that the biological emissions of 100 sheep could be offset indefinitely by about 6ha of marginal land left to regenerate into native forest. For 100 beef cattle, about 28ha would be required, and for 100 dairy cows, about 42ha.

says Harry Clark, director of the NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRS). The PCE report overviews the technologies and practices that could help reduce greenhouse gases from NZ’s pastoral sector. “The report covers breeding low methaneproducing animals, identifying low methane feeds, manipulating rumen microbial communities to reduce methane emissions, pathways for reducing nitrous oxide, and the use of trees to offset emissions,” Clark says. The governmentfunded NZAGRC, in partnership with industry, is coordinating and spending on research to allow these options to be developed, tested and adopted by NZ farmers. The PCE report not only presents technical options, but emphasises that any solution needs to be scrutinised for the actual reduction it can achieve on farms (and whether it reduces absolute emissions or, primarily, emissions per unit of product), its positive or negative sideeffects, cost-effectiveness, ability to be integrated into existing systems, and whether it makes sense from a national perspective.

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

NEWS 9

No houses on fertile land Auckland’s new deputy mayor and farmer Bill Cashmore.

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

AUCKLAND’S INCOMING deputymayor Bill Cashmore is ruling out turning over productive rural land for housing projects. The South Auckland sheep and beef farmer also confirms the city won’t slap arbitrary regulations and limits on farmers over water quality issues. Cashmore, appointed deputy-mayor last week, told Rural News that issues facing the rural community will be resolved by collaboration with property owners. Cashmore, who represents the Franklin district on the council, says it is inevitable some land will be lost to urban expansion. “But we must try to ensure our productive land does not get compromised. At the moment the elite soil on the western parts of Pukekohe is hard edged; there is no room for urban expansion there. “I believe the quality growing soils of Franklin should be part of that. Houses can be built on less productive land.”

Auckland Council’s unitary plan has Pukekohe fruit and vegetable growers worried. They have warned that if Auckland spreads its housing onto their fruit and vegetable production land, everyone will end up paying more for their food. Horticulture NZ chief executive Mike Chapman says it is reassuring to see that Auckland City leaders well understand the value of the productive horticultural land in the district.

Chapman says HortNZ understands Auckland City leaders must balance the need for suitable land for housing, access to water and regional economic drivers such as food production. “What we ask is that they are aware of the consequences of decisions they make on healthy and nutritious food supply at reasonable cost to New Zealand communities, and to employment in the area. “Pukekohe, Pukekawa, Tuakau,

Onewhero and Te Kohanga offer uniquely fertile volcanic soils and a climate that enables year-round production, particularly of fresh, leafy green vegetables. This cannot be achieved in other areas of New Zealand due to unsuitable soils or climates.” Providing more land for housing may not be the silver bullet. Cashmore pointed out that last year the council approved at least 12,000 sections for housing projects but only 7000 house were built. “We are providing more land, providing more intensification to the unitary plan, but the industry is struggling to deliver.” Cashmore is also concerned about “reverse sensitivity” derailing rural production. “You allow a whole bunch of people to go into a rural production area and they will often complain and get a business to slowly shut down, or they will make it so difficult that the landowner will say ‘it’s just too hard’, and they subdivide their property. “One tenets of the unitary plan is to keep rural land productive by reducing the incidences of reverse sensitivity.”

Cashmore says he will “try to protect rural production – full stop”. The council has a rural advisory panel that will meet bi-monthly; here councillors and senior staff discuss issues facing the rural community. There have been “open and frank twoway discussions” with real outcomes. “That’s why we haven’t seen a whole plethora of rural complaints against the unitary plan.” He is promising a similar approach to dealing with the health of waterways in the city. “We will work with rural communities to deliver the best outcome for rural and for settlements.” Auckland City’s water quality issues affect both urban and rural waterways. “We will work in all catchments to enable rural production to continue and clean up water quality to the best of our ability. “There’s no ambition to arbitrarily impose impractical things on the rural community that are horrendously expensive to deliver and alienate our rural population; we want them to retain their businesses and enterprise in these areas.”

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

10 NEWS

At least one new face for Fonterra SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FONTERRA WILL have at least one new director joining the board at its annual meeting in Darfield next month. The co-op has two vacancies on its board; two of the three directors retiring by rotation are

stepping down. As part of its new governance structure, the co-op is reducing the board size from 13 to 11; while three sitting directors retire every year, only two vacancies will be filled over the next two years. Sitting directors Malcolm Bailey and Ian Farrelly have told the board

they will retire at the coop’s annual meeting on December 8. A third retiring director, DairyNZ chairman Michael Spaans, is seeking re-election. Chairman John Wilson says Bailey and Farrelly are dedicated, experienced directors committed to cooperative principles and the busi-

ness’ strategy of converting more milk into higher-value products. “They brought to our board strong agri-business acumen and governance experience, and a passion for dairy farming; both are successful commercial farmers with farming interests in Waikato, the lower North

Island and Canterbury.” Bailey was elected to the board in 2004, after having been president of Federated Farmers. He chaired the board’s risk committee until May this year and is a member of the cooperative relations committee. He also chairs Dairy Companies Association of NZ (DCANZ).

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Farrelly was elected to the board in 2007, after 20 years in banking. He is a member of the board’s audit and finance committee and the people, culture and safety committee. He is also a director of the Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund, from which he will also retire in December. This year’s board election will be held under a new governance system, passed by Fonterra farmers last month. The candidates gaining nomination following the independent nomination process will be announced on November 4. The full list of candidates, including self-nominated candidates, will be announced on November 16. Nominated candidates will be vetted by an independent selection

committee and a report provided to the Fonterra board and Shareholders Council. The new selection process also includes the option for every eligible farmer in Fonterra to choose to stand outside the process and be considered alongside their fellow farmers who have been recommended by the independent selection panel. Farmers may then choose to follow the guidance of the independent selection panel or vote for any farmer who decides to stand outside this process. The panel will be chaired by Dame Alison Paterson and include board appointee, John Spencer and Shareholders Council appointee Sir John Anderson.

FIVE ELECTIONS NEEDED SEVEN Fonterra Shareholders Council members will walk unopposed into their roles next month. Elections will be held in five wards. Returning officer Warwick Lampp says one nomination was received in each of the seven wards so no election is required. Four of the seven councillors-elect are incumbents, elected unopposed. New councillors-elect are Susan Rhynd, Central Northland; Steve Hines, South Waikato; and Jessie Chan-Dorman, Rakaia. The formal declaration of these candidates as councillors will be made at the annual meeting.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

12 NEWS

Irish uni tells s Ireland’s largest university is encouraging its dairy business undergraduates to get work experience in New Zealand, and students say the event is a highlight of their four year degree course. Peter Burke reports. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Dublin (UCD) is described as Ireland’s global university and its School of Agriculture and

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MANY YOUNG people are choosing agri careers in Ireland because of the Walsh Fellowships scheme. Dr Michael Diskin, who heads the animal science programme at the Athenry campus of Teagasc, near Galway, says each year about 40 postgraduate students are awarded Walsh Fellowships. These have been offered for about 30 years, but in the last decade the Irish government has increased the funding for them. “This is basically a post-graduate programme with students located at Teagasc centres and registered at a university, either in Ireland or abroad. They complete post-graduate studies usually up to PhD level,” Diskin says. “It is a way of getting young people into Teagasc because once they complete their studies there is a chance they will find a career with us either as a researcher or farm advisor.” During Ireland’s tough times about

eight years ago, permanent researchers were able to get help with their research work by using the services of students, Diskin says. The objective is that each Walsh fellow will produce three or four peer-reviewed papers during their time at Teagasc, enhancing the total publications produced by the institute. Walsh fellows receive a $33,000 stipend, $2000 living expenses and a travel grant for overseas university study – perhaps in a NZ university -- for about six months. Diskin believes the Walsh Fellowships programme has helped Irish researchers develop new collaboration with colleagues in other countries. “It’s been a very good programme, which is now well established,” he says. “We are proud of the calibre of student and young people we produce through this scheme and with the skills they acquire they have no difficulty finding employment.”

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

NEWS 13

s students to work down under Third-year students in the dairy business degree course are urged in the advertising and promotion material to spend time in New Zealand to gain professional work experience. Visit between July and December, at the height of the NZ dairy season, the brochures say. For their part, undergraduates who have visited NZ are fulsome in their praise. Aisling Claffey says a big attraction of the degree course was the opportunity to visit NZ. She gained valuable knowledge and experience working on a large scale dairy farm. Paul Murphy says a six-month NZ work placement “was without doubt the highlight of my university experience. I was exposed to a

range of techniques, methodologies and a way of life I had never seen before and it was truly an eye opening and unforgettable experience.” UCD’s marketing manager Damien Dempsey says in Ireland now young people have huge interest in pursuing degrees in agriculture, food science and human nutrition. UCD works with secondary schools to highlight the range of subjects taken in the university’s degree courses. The uni attends big events such as the National Ploughing Championships to talk to prospective students and their parents. “We also highlight the types of roles graduates occupy when they complete their degrees. There is often some

confusion about the types of employment roles graduates find,” Dempsey told Rural News. “There is a huge breadth of opportunity – consultancy, business, banking, agri food or journalism. Employers are recognising the many transferable skills

And the Veterinary School also has good student uptake. “We have a lot more students who are not necessarily from a farming background,” he says. “But they understand the importance of agriculture as a subject

internationally and its links to such global issues as climate change and feeding the world’s growing population. They choose agriculture and agricultural and food science degrees because of the opportunity and interest and relevance they offer.”

The university partners with Teagasc, Ireland’s agricultural research and advisory service organisation, in agricultural innovation, research and education. Students spend time at various Teagasc establishments around Ireland.

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INNOVATION THE WAY OF FUTURE IRELAND’S MINISTER for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, says Ireland intends to become a leader in the global economy by innovation and is spending heavily to encourage Mary Mitchell O’Connor. young people to help achieve this. Ireland places great importance on innovation as a means of achieving economic growth and has set up programmes in schools to promote agricultural careers. “Agriculture has always really been important in Ireland and so have our agritech industries,” she told Rural News. “We have a fundamental love of the land and I, as a farmer’s daughter, understand that completely. It’s a love of the country and rural life, but within the context of a modern society and economy where science and innovation are critical to our success as a nation.” She says excellent examples of Irish innovation and technology were on display recently at the annual National Ploughing Championships, which doubles as a massive agricultural trade show similar to NZ National Fieldays. Like NZ, Ireland’s economy depends on its ability to export quality goods and this involves working with Britain and other EU member states. Meanwhile, Mitchell O’Connor has a soft spot for NZ. “We have always been very close to NZ, many of our young people travel there and NZ people travel here, and we have a great affinity for NZ. So let’s work together, not against each other.”

graduates have, so by shining a torch on the range of opportunities available, students have a better sense of their future.” The uni takes about 350 new students each year into the School of Agriculture, Food Science and Human Nutrition.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

14 NEWS

Sun Gold kiwifruit a winner! ZESPRI SUNGOLD kiwifruit have won two awards in the NZ Innovation Awards for Sustained Innovation Excellence and Export Innovator of the Year. The company’s new

cultivar development manager Bryan Parkes says SunGold kiwifruit has been the cornerstone of the industry’s Psa recovery, its volumes growing strongly to great reception from custom-

ers and consumers worldwide. It is a huge commercial success built on sustained innovation excellence, he says. “SunGold was developed in the Zespri-Plant &

Food Research new cultivar breeding programme with the support of the NZ government and it’s been a game-changer for the industry. “It has a high yield in orchards, tolerates Psa,

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taste and high levels of vitamin C make it a hit in the markets,” he says. Parkes says the success of SunGold is critical to Zespri achieving its goal of at least doubling sales revenue to $4.5 billion by 2025. The new fruit has created 6800 jobs so far and is on track to account for a total of at least 14,000 extra jobs by 2025. It has had a great reception worldwide, driving up demand, earning premium prices and generating value for growers. “With such strong, positive feedback from the markets, Zespri has allocated another 400ha of SunGold licence this year and provision for another 400ha each year for the next three years. There are about 5300ha of it licensed in NZ and about another 3000ha licenced worldwide to provide 12-month supply to Zespri

customers and keep a year-round presence on shop shelves.” Parkes says Zespri, Plant & Food Research and the government spend $20 million a year on the breeding programme, which has been running since the 1980s, putting it among the largest new cultivar breeding programmes in the world. He says Zespri SunGold was fast-tracked to commercialisation in a crisis – the incursion of the vine killing bacteria Psa in 2010 that destroyed the highly successful Zespri Gold kiwifruit variety Hort16a. “It’s takes a long time to commercialise a new cultivar: SunGold was commercialised in 2010 and has almost entirely replaced the previous gold cultivar Zespri Gold (Hort16A), which was very susceptible to Psa,” says Parkes.

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THE INLAND Revenue Department wants to change tax deduction rules on farm home and phone expenses. “The IRD had issued a draft interpretation on how some costs relating to the farmhouse, such as rates, insurance and repairs and maintenance, should now be treated,” Fed Farmers says. “The practice of ‘full-time’ farmers deducting 25% of farmhouse expenses without needing to provide evidence of business use is in IRD’s view resulting in some farmers claiming deductions for private spending.” Polson Higgs tax partner Michael Turner says the IRD, having prescribed the practice for farmers’ farmhouse expenses since the 1960s, “has decided in 2016 to rewrite the rules on the tax deductibility of these costs”. “A lot happens in the home for farmers. You feed your bank manager at the kitchen table, or talk to him in the lounge. Even workers wanting to go to the loo have to use the bathroom. And IRD has also slipped in a change to farmers’ ability to claim 100% of home phone – cutting this to 50%.” IRD’s existing rules state that interest and rates may be assigned only to the farm, and farmers may claim 25% of house expenses as tax-deductible. Rates would need to be apportioned to the farmhouse if the proposals were adopted. IRD is seeking comments by December 22, and the policy will take effect in the 2017-18 tax year. Federated Farmers will submit its views to IRD and has asked farmers for their feedback.

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

NEWS 15

Rain flattens milk production PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE PERSISTENT rain of the last four months is causing serious problems for dairy farmers in most regions of the North Island. Milk production is down because farmers have been unable to make full use of pasture. Federated Farmers Manawatu/Rangitikei president James Stewart is one of many dairy farmers badly hit, the rain being among his biggest challenges in 20 years on his farm. Stewart farms on heavy clay soil so he expects a challenge at this time of the year, but this is as bad as he’s seen. The wet has put a lot of pressure on feed levels -- a long, miserable time. “Utilisation has been harder and we have lost a lot of the value out of the pasture because of pugging damage. The guts of the grass hasn’t been as good either because of the wet,” Stewart told Rural News. “The cows are not getting the same value out of the grass. A neighbour did some pasture analysis tests and the results weren’t as good as last year.

This is partly due to the lack of sunshine because we have had a lot of cloudy days.” The soil got saturated and has remained saturated most of the time, he says. The big downpours included one day when 13mm fell in 30 minutes. “It’s not constant rain, but the shear amount of it saturates the soil.” Stewart says the “kind” winter they hoped for hasn’t happened, pressuring his operation at a crucial time of year – mating. “We are focusing on keeping the cows in good condition but they are lighter. We used a lot of supplementary feed in the dry summer so we got a bit tight with feed as well; we’ve been relying a bit more on PKE to keep the cows in condition. “The lower payout from last year has meant we weren’t enthusiastic about stocking up with too much supplement.” Stewart grew less maize last season and the wet winter has prevented him building up any surplus feed. Now time is against him; he had hoped to grow maize, but it’s too wet to get a tractor on the ground.

James Stewart

For Stewart and others the season is running about a month later than normal. DairyNZ’s Andrew Reid says the problem of wet weather extends from Northland to Waikato, Manawatu, Taranaki and Bay of Plenty. Even the pumice country in the central North

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The problem in the North Island is pasture utilisation: farmers simply cannot get enough pasture into cows. “In the North Island, pasture residuals have been higher than ideal because they can’t physically graze low enough to get feed into the stock, and supplement use has been justified even though we have passed balance date on most farms,” Reid told Rural News. “Milk production is down for that reason and many farmers have reduced cow numbers based on what the milk price was doing last season, so it’s a combination of both.” The increase in the forecast milk price has lifted some farmers’ confidence to use supplementary feed as an option. But the sector is not out of the woods yet. “DairyNZ has been focusing on the pasture-first message and encouraging farmers to use pasture the best way they can. That has been challenging given the mud lying around paddocks, and then of course there is the need to watch the cost of production.” It doesn’t help when farmers are forced to buy supplement, Reid says, but hopefully this is a short-term issue.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

16 NEWS

So far so good this spring for Psa PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

DESPITE THE wet weather, kiwifruit vine killing bacteria Psa has surprisingly been less active so far this spring.

Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) chief executive Barry O’Neil says while they have seen some Psa it certainly isn’t at the levels of previous years in most orchards. “Obviously there are

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some exceptions and we have visited some properties where Psa is showing quite significant presence,” he says. “But in general we are seeing less than last year and to some extent that’s a surprise because we would have expected the wet spring to support Psa disease symptoms. “We are wondering whether the mild winter, when we had less frosts, may have resulted in less disease.” The frost seems to cause damage to the plant, he says. Sometimes a hard frost will crack the vine and Psa takes advantage of the damage. “That is one possibility,” he says. “The other possibility is that as growers we are becoming much better at managing Psa so it has become more routine for growers to do the right thing in their management of Psa, whether it’s the spray

protection being used, how they manage their vines, etc. “All in all I think at this stage it is a good-news story. “In previous years we have seen that, after Labour Weekend, if we had a storm we have often seen significant leaf spotting in the green varieties and that sometimes results in flower infection. “So it is still early days in what could happen this spring and we obviously still want growers to be active with their management of Psa risk.” The properties where Psa is showing significant presence are often those more “challenged”. “It could be very low lying areas, it could be wetter areas; so the properties where it has been bad are where we have seen significant Psa in previous years.”

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

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3.95

4.00

4.40

Lo cal Trade - 230kg

n/c

5.55

6.00

P 2 Steer - 300kg

-5

5.45

5.50

5.90

M 2 B ull - 300kg

-5

4.85

4.90

5.20

P 2 Co w - 230kg

-5

3.95

4.00

M Co w - 200kg

-5

3.95

4.00

3.95

Lo cal Trade - 230kg

n/c

5.50

5.90

$6.5

Change

Last Week

M 2 B ull - 300kg

P 2 Steer - 300kg

No rth Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price

$5.5

5yr Av e 31-Aug

30-Sep

Last Year 31-Oct

31-Dec

5.86

6.11

5.88

6.13

P X - 19.0kg

n/c

5.90

6.15

P H - 22.0kg

n/c

5.91

6.16

M X1 - 21kg

n/c

2.85

3.40

YM - 13.5kg

M utto n

n/c

5.73

5.96

P M - 16.0kg

n/c

5.73

5.98

P X - 19.0kg

n/c

5.73

6.00

P H - 22.0kg

n/c

5.73

6.01

n/c

2.73

3.00

M X1- 21kg

N ort h Island Weekly Lamb Kill

100k

20k 10k

5yr Ave

k 10-Aug

Last Year

10-Sep

10-Oct

10-Nov

5yr Ave

k 10 Aug

This Y ear

10-Dec

S outh Island Weekly Lamb Kill

100k 5yr Ave

31-Aug

30-Sep

Last Year

31-Oct

This Y ear

30-Nov

10k

50k

31-Dec

k 10 Aug

No rth Island 300kg Bull Price

5yr Ave

k 10-Aug

$6 .0

Last Year

10-Sep

This Year

10-Oct

10 Sep

Export Market Demand

$5 .0 $4 .5 5yr Ave

31 -Aug

30 -Sep

Last Year

31 -O ct

This Year

30 -No v

31 -Dec

S outh Island 300kg Steer Price

Change

Last Week

95CL US$ /lb

2.01

NZ$ /kg

+14

6.18

$2.50

$5 .0

$2.00

$4 .5 5yr Ave

$4 .0 31 -Jul

31 -Aug

30 -Sep

Last Year

31 -O ct

This Year

30 -No v

Last Year

5yr A ve

1.95

2.10

2.25

6.04

6.78

6.28

D e mand Indicator - US 95CL B eef

$3.00

$5 .5

2 Wks A go

Change

Last Week

2 Wks A go

Last Year

5yr A ve

UK Leg £/lb

n/c

1.88

1.55

1.84

NZ$ /kg

n/c

8.35

9.18

9.11

$7 .5

$1.50 31-Jul

5yr Av e Last Year This Year

$7 .0 $6 .5 $6 .0 31 -Jul $9 .5

31 -Aug

30 -Sep

31 -O ct

30 -No v

31 -Dec

S outh Island 60kg Stag Price

31-Aug

30-Sep

31-Oct

30-Nov

31-Aug 30-Sep

31-Oct 30-Nov

31-Dec

Change

2Wks A go

3 Wks A go

Last Year

% Returned NI

0.0%

71.9%

68.1%

71.9%

% Returned SI

0 .6 %

68.9%

68.3%

66.4%

69.5%

31-Dec

2Wks A go

3 Wks A go

Last Year

5yr A ve

% Returned NI

-4%

82.5%

86.1%

84.09%

77.7%

% Returned SI

-2%

79.3%

81.1%

78.2%

71.7%

P rocu rement Indicator - North I.

70%

50% 11-Aug

Last Year This Y ear

31-Aug

30-Sep

31-Oct

30-Nov

31-Dec

5yr A ve

80%

60%

P rocu rement Indicator - North I.

$9 .0

Last Year

11-Sep

11-Oct

This Year

11-Nov

11-Dec

11-Jan

P rocu rement Indicator - South I.

80% 70% 60%

$8 .5 $8 .0 $7 .5

5yr Ave

$7 .0

Last Year

$6 .5 31 -Jul

This Year

Change

90% 85% 80% 75% 70% 65% 60% 31-Jul

Last Year

£2.00

Procurement Indicator Last Year

No rth Island 60kg S tag Price

$8 .0

D e mand Indicator - UK Leg Price

£2.50

£1.00 31-Jul

31 -Dec

$8 .5

10 Nov

£1.50

Procurement Indicator $9 .0

10 Oct

Export Market Demand

10-Nov

$5 .5

$6 .0

10 Nov

150k

$5 .0

$4 .0 31 -Jul

This Y ear

10 Oct

200k

S outh Island Weekly Cattle Kill

15k

Last Year

10 Sep

250k

$5 .5

$4 .5 31-Jul

5.86

150k

$6 .5

$6 .0

Last Year

n/c

50k

S outh Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price

2 Wks A go

200k

30k

This Year 30-Nov

Last Week

n/c

M utto n SI Lamb

Change

P M - 16.0kg

250k

N ort h Island Weekly Cattle Kill

40k

$5.0

c/kgCWT NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg

Slaughter

$6.0

$4.5 31-Jul

LAMB MARKET TRENDS

This Year

31 -Aug

30 -Sep

31 -O ct

30 -No v

31 -Dec

85% 80% 75% 70% 65% 60% 55% 31-Jul

P rocu rement Indicator - South I.

Last Year

50% 11-Aug

11-Sep

11-Oct

This Year

11-Nov

11-Dec

11-Jan

Venison Prices Last Year

Change

Last Week

2 Wks A go

Last Year

5yr A ve

NI Stag - 60kg

n/c

8.70

8.45

7.95

SI Stag - 60kg

n/c

8.90

8.70

8.36

This Year

31-Aug

30-Sep

31-Oct

30-Nov

31-Dec

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

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

MARKETS & TRENDS 19 NEWS

PRICE WATCH

BEEF: The number of cattle coming out for slaughter in the North Island lifted recently, but is not expected to stay strong in the coming weeks. Processing space is harder to get in the South Island, but this is more related to capacity and demand as opposed to any great rush in numbers. Manufacturing prices continued to be highly variable, especially among bull, were spot premiums have been frequently offered for good quality lines. Processors are continuing to express a desire to improve margins in manufacturing cattle, so more downside is likely. Evidence of good spring growth in many regions are keeping store cattle prices red hot this spring. As it has throughout the year, demand continues to far outstrip supply. Many are waiting for some correction in this market, but eith the current grass levels around, this may not come for a while. INTERNATIONAL BEEF: US imported beef prices rose recently, contrary to the expectations of market participants. Underpinning the lift is the shortage of imported product. Australia has recently released projections on their beef supply going forward, and with all signals pointing to little increase from this market in the short term, US

end-users have been more eager to increase bids on NZ product. There is also some awareness in the US market that supply from NZ is expected to be slightly lower for the remainder of 2016, than typical for the time of year. It is unknown whether this rally will continue in coming weeks. Consecutive weeks of firm prices will be needed to erase all the negative reports of recent weeks.

SHEEP: It is near the end of the

Christmas chilled production period. Slaughter prices typically fall from this point, depending on how much product needs to be airfreighted to meet orders. New season lambs are still few and far between at the processors. Decent numbers of these are not expected until November. This is especially true through the central and eastern North Island, where many lambs are 2-3 weeks behind where they normally would be. Lamb is enjoying a steady spell in terms of slaughter prices in the North Island. Nearly all processors are paying very similar prices. Old season lamb numbers continue to rush in the South Island, and space is hard to get, which is putting the pressure on for teeth. There is a wide range of prices on offer, depending on a variety of factors.

WOOL PRICE WATCH

Overseas Wool Price Indicators

Change

20-Oct

06-Oct

Last Year

Indicato rs in US$ /kg

Co arse Xbred

4.56

4.54

4.78

Fine Xbred

4.66

4.63

-43

7.87

Indicato rs in NZ$

Lamb M id M icro n

Change

20-Oct

06-Oct

Last Year

Co arse Xbred

-6

3.26

3.32

3.97

5.26

Fine Xbred

- 10

3.32

3.42

4.25

6.25

Lamb

8.30

9.39

M id M icro n

5.96

6.24

Wo ol Indicator Trends

850 750

FXI LI

650

CXI

500

FXI

450

400

550 450

Wo ol Indicator Trends

550 CXI

350

Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

300

Aug

Last Year

600

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

C o arse Xbred Indictor in US$

C o arse Xbred Indicator

650

Oct

450 This Year

400

550 350

500 450

Last Year

Oct

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Feb

Apr

Jun

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Aug

Oct

Dec

Feb

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This Year

Jun

Aug

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

20 AGRIBUSINESS

Fonterra champions sustainable water use ALL FONTERRA factories are aiming to treat wastewater to best global industry standards within 10 years, says spokeswoman Jacqueline

Chow. Speaking as the co-op’s chief operating officer global consumer & foodservice, Chow last month told an

international dairy meeting in the Netherlands that as the co-op builds or upgrades factories it installs resource-efficient

plant. For example, at its upgraded Pahiatua site it recovers and recycles 90% of condensate from powder processing and irrigates it to nearby

Fonterra’s Jacqueline Chow.

farmland. Chow was addressing the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit in Rotterdam; she spoke about Fonterra

Backing the future of dairy improving water quality and access. The co-op recycles about 6% of the 45 million cubic metres of the process water it uses annually in New Zealand. Chow told a panel discussion on water use, “the issue we face is degradation of water quality through land use intensification and increasingly access to fresh water for competing interests, so we are working with our farmers… to bring about change”.

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“Every one of the streams on farms owned by Fonterra farmers is captured on GIS maps and we have a target of all farmers having documented riparian management plans by 2020 which will detail how planting and other protections will help improve water quality.” She showcased the Fonterra/Department of Conservation Living Water partnership working in five dairying regions, involving conservation and farming

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“Work includes transforming farm drains into living waterways.” She said Fonterra has led industry change, notably in 2003 when it joined the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord with the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and regional councils. Its aim was to reduce the impact of dairying on water quality by organising to exclude stock from rivers and lakes and by adopting nutrient management plans. Chow reported that animals were excluded from 97% of 24,000km of waterways on farms and Fonterra farmers had spent $1 billion on environmental work including upgrading effluent systems. Now farmers are recording nutrient use on farms, 86% of them receiving nutrient management reports which enable them to mitigate leaching.

expertise, scientists and local communities. “Work includes transforming farm drains into living waterways, biodiversity assessments identifying unique habitats on farms and protecting and reconnecting wetlands.” Chow also detailed other Fonterra programmes aligned to the UN’s sustainable development goals including its dairy development initiative enabling farmers in Indonesia and Sri Lanka to improve dairy production and income from typically small farms and to improve nutrition through dairy as an energy-dense food. The initiative includes scholarships to train local farmers, and dairy extension officers who provide onfarm training and support.

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

AGRIBUSINESS 21

Rural banking beckons top student PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THIS YEAR’S top Massey University agri student, Jack van Bussel (20) is planning a future in rural banking. The award was made at the recent agri students’ annual graduation dinner, attended by 250 students, industry people and sponsors – among them Rural News. Van Bussel won for having made the largest contribution to the wellbeing and reputation of fellow agricultural students. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “When they started describing who the winner was I thought ‘that sounds like me,’ but I never thought it could be. I am so honoured. I still can’t believe it and I really appreciate it.” Van Bussel grew up

on a lifestyle block near Whanganui, growing up out on farms and enjoying that life. At school he enjoyed accounting and economics, so a degree

I wasn’t focused on one industry; I could experiment with a lot of industries and find a lot of knowledge in the different sectors.”

“Going into an agri degree it sort-of meant I wasn’t focused on one industry; I could experiment with a lot of industries and find a lot of knowledge in the different sectors.”

need to be addressed, he says. Other winners on the night included: Cameron Walker, William Gerrish Memorial prize for farm management; and Con Williams, ANZ Bank, inaugural alumni award for a Massey graduate successful in agribusiness.

Bussel thanks the industry for three years of support -- “help with course fees, career days, meet-andgreet events and career development. It’s been invaluable”. He would like to see agriculture promoted more as a career because of its importance to the NZ economy. Many misconceptions about agriculture in the community

@rural_news

Jack van Bussel

facebook.com/ruralnews

6th in ag commerce was the obvious option for him. “I didn’t have the farming experience of many of the people coming in. Coming from a lifestyle block definitely gave me a start, and it gave me an open mind. “Going into an agri degree it sort-of meant

Van Bussel loved university life – the academic side, making friends and grabbing other opportunities Massey had to offer. He gained a wealth of knowledge that will equip him for his new role as a rural banker with Westpac in Hastings. A DairyNZ scholar, van

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AG TOPS FASHION STAKES AGRICULTURE IS back in fashion, says the head of Massey University’s Institute of Agriculture & Environment, Professor Peter Kemp. He says although agriculture was never really out of fashion it is now definitely back in its rightful place with good student numbers at the university and great support from industry. “This is a brilliant Peter Kemp evening -- a great event where students, staff and industry celebrate the success of top students. It’s amazing compared with those at many universities…. Usually it’s just shake hands and give out a certificate, whereas having the industry involved adds a whole different dimension to it.” Kemp says it is now widely recognised that there are good jobs out there for ag graduates. Despite the

GFC and other ups and downs in the primary sector, people realise agriculture is a lot more stable than some thought it was. The awards event grows yearly with more sponsors and more awards. A notable award was for the best video promoting Massey to new students, sponsored by Rural News Group and won by Sam Tipping. He shot video over a year, including sporting events, field trips and activities the ag students take part in. The award was presented by Rural News Group reporter Peter Burke, who said the video gives a great insight into life at Massey and will encourage students to take up ag related courses. The video was played at the awards dinner and drew a lot of laughs and positive feedback.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

22 OPINION EDITORIAL

EDNA

You’re on camera ALL BLACK halfback Aaron Smith’s infamous ‘disabled toilet dalliance’ should have been an instance all farmers can take a lesson from. Not so much the ‘activity’ Smith was exposed for, but the fact it was caught on camera and immediately sent around various social and other media outlets for the whole world to see. News that anti-farming activist group Farmwatch is again shopping around undercover videos of supposed poor treatment of bobby calves reinforces the message that nothing can be done onfarm these days that will not be seen by a worldwide audience. Undoubtedly, Farmwatch’s actions are underhand, calculated and aimed at doing the most damage possible to farming as this group’s political agenda dictates. However, this does not mitigate the fact that any type of mistreatment or cruelty to animals is unacceptable and has no place in today’s farming world. We all know that the vast majority of farmers care about their animals and are committed to farming to very high standards. But a minority rogue element exists in both the farming and support sectors who are letting the whole industry down. Last year, Farmwatch released video of abhorrent treatment and cruelty to calves at a petfood processing plant. This led to a great deal of work within the wider industry on the management of bobby calves, including the transport sector, meat processors and dairy companies, as well as Federated Farmers and MPI. Already there is anecdotal evidence of great improvement over the past season; more calves are being collected fit for transport, showing how much work farmers and others in the industry have done, and are doing, to lift the game. However, there will always be some who let the industry down in their treatment of animals. All of us in farming and related sectors must let these cowboys know their behaviour is unacceptable and damaging to us all. If we don’t, unethical groups such as Farmwatch and Safe will keep using these underhand, covert video tactics to portray the entire farming sector as culpable. Clearly the hidden cameras found recently on farms are there to further these anti-farming groups’ plans to discredit and undermine the entire industry. Their agenda is clear: they want livestock farming shut down. We can’t let them win. So while we may shake our heads at the unscrupulous way these groups gain their videos, the fact remains that if farmers were doing things right the film makers would have nothing to show.

RURAL NEWS HEAD OFFICE POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 PUBLISHER: Brian Hight .............................................. Ph 09 307 0399 GENERAL MANAGER: Adam Fricker ........................................... Ph 09 913 9632 CONSULTING EDITOR: David Anderson .......................................Ph 09 307 0399 davida@ruralnews.co.nz

THE HOUND Crazy YOUR OLD mate notes that the EU is up to its old trick of subsidising farmers to do nothing. The latest EU scam sees it attempting to rein in milk production by paying its 52,000 dairy farmers not to produce milk. And surprise, surprise, while the farmers have rushed to take up the free handout, its success will not be known until early next year. Apparently the 150 million Euro scheme – at least NZ$233 million – has been fully subscribed, with EU agricultural commissioner Phil Hogan predicting the move may lead to a fall in production after four years of continuous increase. The EU now pays subsidies to its farmers to go dairying and then another lot of subsidies for them not to go dairying. No wonder the Poms voted for Brexit.

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound? Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz

Trumping Trump THE HOUND sees that his good mates at failed ginger group MIE have finally packed up their bat and ball and gone home. The way the group announced its public demise – via a petty, rambling, whiny press release – one wag suggested, “could’ve been stolen direct from Donald Trump’s upcoming presidential election night concession speech”. Here’s a taste of what MIE said: “Patch protection, farmer apathy and the rural media campaign against MIE has led to the executive decision to go into recess.” Blah, blah, blah… cry me a river. And these clowns wonder why no one ever took them seriously. Maybe MIE missed a trick in not proposing to build a wall around the NZ meat industry to keep all those nasty foreigners out.

Another one bites Non-PC possumer YOUR CANINE crusader reckons the dust YOUR OLD mate reckons that the PR shiny suits at Fonterra switch more regularly than its directors change their underpants. Over the past year or so the dairy giant has watched the revolving door in its PR department. First, top spin doctor Kerry Underhill took a walk, then GJ Thompson exited stage left and now the latest to depart is Michael Burgess who has left the dairy giant to become the new mayor of Auckland Phil Goff’s chief spin merchant. Your old mate suggests Burgess might have thought he had a tough time spinning things for Fonterra, but reckons the challenge of making Goff and Auckland look good would make working at the dairy co-op a walk in the park.

Otago pest controller Duane Trafford has placed one of the most honest job adverts he has seen in a long time. Trafford, who runs Mosgiel pest control company Predator Contracting Ltd, says he needs more staff to run the company and has spelled out clearly the type of person he wants to employ. “I am looking for possumers... Now, by ‘possumers’ I mean people who can work as part of a team, come back to accommodation at night and NOT WHINGE!!!! Who can start the day with a positive attitude and not WHINGE!!! I don’t want s***-stirring whingers!!!” Speaking of pests, your old mate is waiting for some do-gooders at the Human Rights Commission to take umbrage at the advert and file a complaint.

PRODUCTION: Dave Ferguson ........................Ph 09 913 9633 Becky Williams ........................Ph 09 913 9634

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

WELLINGTON SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Ron Mackay ......... Ph 04 234 6239/021 453 914 ronm@ruralnews.co.nz

REPORTERS: Sudesh Kissun ....................... Ph 09 913 9627 Pamela Tipa ............................ Ph 09 913 9630 Peter Burke .............................Ph 06 362 6319 Tony Hopkinson ......................Ph 07 579 1010 Nigel Malthus ...................... Ph 021 164 4258

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

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

MACHINERY EDITOR: Mark Daniel .............................Ph 021-906 723 or 07-824 1190 SUB-EDITOR: Neil Keating ............................Ph 09 913 9628

ABC audited circulation 81,004 as at 31/03/2016

WEBSITE PRODUCER: Jessica Wilson ........................ Ph 09 913 9621

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 // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

OPINION 23

Be careful of jumping to conclusions TIM MACKLE

CRUEL AND illegal practices are in no way condoned or accepted by the dairy industry as part of farming. The vast majority of farmers care about their animals and are committed to farming to very high standards. DairyNZ works closely with the wider industry in the management of bobby calves, including the transport sector, meat proces-

sors and dairy companies, and with Federated Farmers and MPI. The recent video released by Farmwatch shows transport companies and their workers, and farmers, dragging calves. Last year we all saw the video of abhorrent treatment and cruelty of calves at a pet food processing plant. This most recent video of calves being passed and loaded onto trucks is nothing like last year’s recording and

cannot and should not be compared. While some of the handling is rougher than we would like, the workers appear to be following the accepted practice of loading calves by rolling them rear end first. Despite perceptions, this is the best way to prevent calves from stepping back out of the

truck and causing themselves harm. New regulations coming into effect in August 2017 will address this problem by requiring farmers to have loading platforms and so reduce the need to lift. Many farmers have already taken steps to put loading facilities in place well ahead of

the regulations. Incidentally, while formal figures are not yet available there is anecdotal evidence of marked improvement over the past season in the numbers of calves picked up fit for transport. This can be put down to the work the industry – especially farmers – has done to ensure

ity design Producing new bobby calf handling resources. While there is still work to do by a minority of farmers, remember that the vast majority of our dairy farmers are treating their animals with care and respect. • Tim Mackle is the chief executive of DairyNZ.

improvements. In the past year alone, DairyNZ – as part of the wider group – has focussed on supporting farmers by: ■■ Bobby calf focus events and training, attended by 2300 farmers ■■ Updated resources and posters for ensuring calves are fit for transport and loading facil-

■■

The evolution is complete

ag twits Rural News’ irreverent and hypothetical look at what’s happening in the farming world Top Bleats view all dmcgaverstonmie@jmccarthymie: We have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, we have kept the faith but we’ve been screwed over by everyone. #endofmie #itisallover #farewell jmccarthymie@dmcgaverstonmie: There is in store for us the crown of righteousness, which the Lord (Donald J Trump), the righteous Judge, will award to us on that day – and not only to us, but also to all who have longed for the victory of MIE’s cause. #ungracious #insolent #bastards dmcgaverstonmie@jparsonsblnz: Sadly, your anti-reform campaign – not just within farmers’ very own elected organisation – has prevailed throughout the underbelly of vested interest groups that dominate the sector. Yeah, that’s you and your mates Parsons! #scumbag dmcgaverstonmie @drbillfeds: How disheartening that your organisation which farmers trust to show leadership and direction has fought to stifle all MIE’s efforts to create a bright future for NZ meat farmers. Up yours Rolleston. #loser

FLEXI FINANCE

dmcgaverstonmie @winstonfirstandlast: Sir Winston, as the sun sets on MIE, we wish to thank you for supporting our campaign and we assure you that all dad’s army – I mean MIE – will be lining up for NZ First at the next election. #ouronegreatpoliticalhope

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dmcgaverstonmie@anybodylistening: It is not our fault MIE failed; we blame patch protection, farmer apathy, a rural media campaign, vested interests, turncoats, foxes in the henhouse, the man on the moon, the tooth fairy…. #blahblahblah

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

24 OPINION

Putting the ‘service’ back in service provider PENNY HARTILL

I ONCE waited four hours and 26 minutes for a call back from my ‘service’ provider to fix a technical glitch that rendered my internet as good as dead. Sound familiar? Turns out I’m not alone (surprise!). Consumer NZ surveyed 8500 internet users in February and found 65% endured lengthy waits. Consider the helpless feeling you endure at the hands of an internet provider; they’re the only ones able to fix the bug, broken line, or whatever, to reinstate your business communications, milking shed live feed or schooling. Otherwise it’s frustrating, wasting

money and time, and perhaps putting lives at risk. It’s an irony that the very componentry giving you so much potential and freedom, chains you to a provider that brings all that to a grinding halt if you’re kept waiting or if their customer service staff lack the right skills. This said, it may come as a surprise to find that Consumer NZ’s February survey found 60% of respondents had been with the same provider for five years or more. The primary reason found for not switching was the difficulty in comparing providers. The good news is, that’s getting easier. You don’t and shouldn’t have to put up with poor service. Most oper-

ators will offer deals outside of fixed terms so you won’t get stung if you make the move. Some of them offer sweeteners, and may even absorb the break fee if you are locked into a contract. There are dozens of smaller providers out there keen for your business and they will often go the extra mile to keep your connection robust. You’ll need to do your homework on providers’ coverage zones, and their pricing and plans of course, but don’t overlook asking them for data on their average customer response times and any customer satisfaction surveys they may have. Wireless Nation, a Kiwi-owned internet provider specialising in rural broadband, reports the following cus-

tomer wait times: new customer enquiries – 40 seconds; customer support – one minute 11 seconds; account enquiries – 26 seconds. And on the matter of independence, here’s something good: Wireless Nation has just designed a bespoke wireless system for the NZ Motorhome and Caravan Association (NZMCA), whereby all 65,000 members can have wireless internet on the road, within coverage zones, 24/7. One user of the new NZMCA wifi service drives the length of the country offering survey and pre-purchase inspection for rural and marine industries. “It has revolutionised my life,” he

says. “Signal strength is great. Now I get to do my work and not worry about anything.” Another user says, “After selling our house and starting to live full-time in the motorhome, it’s great to be able to stay in touch with family and friends and do internet banking.” So if you value independence and you’re out of patience with your current provider, don’t hang around with it. Check out some of the many providers out there, and make sure one of the first things you ask about when selecting a new one is their customer satisfaction record. • Penny Hartill is a communications adviser for Wireless Nation.

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

WORLD 25

Battle for Aussie mega farm heats up SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

THE BATTLE for Australia’s largest farm holding is heating up. A group of wealthy Australian cattle ranching families has bid A$386m for the Kidman estate, topping a bid by Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart and her Chinese partners. The new offer was filed by the BBHO consortium comprising the Brinkworth, Buntine, Harris and Oldfield families. The A$365m bid filed in early October by Rinehart and the Chinese developer CRED Real Estate had been accepted by the Kidman estate but had still to be approved by the country’s foreign investment board. The Kidman estate board is required to consider any higher offer. Critically, the all-Australian BBHO bid does not need approval from the country’s foreign investment board. S Kidman and Co,

founded in 1899, is Australia’s largest private landholder with properties covering 101,000 square kilometres in three states and the Northern Territory; it owns at least 1% of Australia’s landmass, an area bigger than Ireland. It was put up for sale in 2015. Two previous bids by a Chinese consortium were blocked by the Federal Government, in part due to national security concerns. The BBHO bid is backed by key politicians. South Australian senator Nick Xenophon, whose party controls a key voting bloc in the senate, says BBHO should be the successful bidder. He says the BBHO bid came from “families with great depth of experience and commercial acumen in running cattle empires and they have a plan to grow Kidman”. “Where there is a credible, 100% Australian bid, then it would be unforgivable for the Federal Government not

“Where there is a credible, 100% Australian bid, then it would be unforgivable for the Federal Government not to approve it.” – Nick Xenophon to approve it,” Xenophon says. BBHO has confirmed it would divide most of the

Kidman land between the four families in the deal. It is spearheaded by Sterling Buntine, Tom Brinkworth,

Malcolm Harris and Viv Oldfield. Buntine says if BBHO’s bid were successful the S Kidman brand would continue, with its herd of 150,000 cattle jumping to 550,000, but some of the land would be split. “Some of the properties would be kept in S Kidman

and Co, and [some] properties… would go into the marketing and distribution business,” Buntine told the ABC. “But the other properties – 80-90% – would drop into the syndicate families’ individual companies.” Buntine said he did not consider the breakup

of land among the four families to be a problem, since they are Australian grazing families. The A$386m BBHO offer also includes the Anna Creek station, 26,000ha adjacent to the Woomerra weapons testing range. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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GRAZIERS BEHIND THE BID STERLING BUNTINE The West Australian farmer was worth $270 million and appeared in the top 200 of BRW’s Rich List in 2012. He owns two cattle stations in the Northern Territory – Alroy Downs and Dalmore Downs – side by side east of Tennant Creek. TOM BRINKWORTH Brinkworth controls 400,000ha and does not speak often about his business dealings. He owns 100 rural properties across the country, where he keeps sheep and cattle. In 2013 he bought 18,000 cattle from the Gulf of Carpentaria. VIV OLDFIELD His cattle properties extend across the Northern Territory and South Australia, and take in his co-managed stations Andado, Horsehoe Bend and New Crown. Oldfield is a well-known racehorse trainer who has won $2.2m since 2000. He also runs transport company Tanami Transport, which counts S Kidman and Co as a customer. MALCOLM HARRIS Harris and his family run Gogo Station in Western Australia and Benmarra Station and Rockhampton Downs in the Northern Territory.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

26 MANAGEMENT

Breeding rain-tolerant grasses a key aim While New Zealand scientists have for years tried to breed drought-resistant grass species, Irish scientists are trying to breed grasses resistant to the heavy rains that often plague the Emerald Isle. Peter Burke, recently in Ireland, reports. IN IRELAND a wet summer has coincided with the soaking wet endured by many regions of New Zealand. Farmers in both countries have suffered: cereal crops were ruined in Ireland and pas-

tures in NZ. For some time, Irish scientists have worked to create grasses and cereal crops that will handle the wet better. Ireland is sometimes unfairly said to have high rainfall – much

like the West Coast of the South Island. Ireland, like the West Coast, is in the path of westerly winds that bring rain and dump it in fair quantities. John Spink, head of crop science at Ireland’s

Teagasc Research Institute, Carlow, says Ireland with its high rainfall and climate change often loses a lot of winter sown cereals due to waterlogging. So they are doing genetic research to breed new spe-

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have done some screening in the glasshouse and we are starting this autumn in the field where we will be irrigating during the winter,” he told Rural News. “It’s to look at genetic material and see how much variation is available. Another strand is working with people at Maynooth University, near Dublin, whose work on Arabidopsis has discovered pathways to waterlogging tolerance. “They are seeing if they can find the same thing in grasses as well.” Spink says waterlogging has a similar outcome to drought because it has long term impact. Waterlogging in ryegrass over winter won’t kill the plant but it has the effect of reducing the size of the

grass canopy, he says. “That delays spring growth, so it’s not about being able to graze over the winter, but being able to get better shoulder growth in spring – more early season growth, which is very valuable grass.” Spink believes Ireland seems to be getting more extremes of weather. Mean weather data of the past 30 years shows an increase of 90mm of rain. Ireland doesn’t have the heavy clay soils found in NZ but it seriously lacks sunshine, “so the water use of our crops in summer would only be about 3mm, compared to NZ’s 9mm”. “We require a lot less water for crop growth because we don’t have the high intensity of radiation or the wind you get that dries out the ground.”

DATA FROM OUTER SPACE ANALYSIS OF data from drones and satellites is an important aspect of Teagasc’s research, says John Spink. Its aim is to improve crop yield and lower input costs to help raise profit. Spink says the masses of data generated by new technology raise a problem: getting it in a format that lends itself to helping farmers make better decisions. There is potential for farmers to receive mixed messages. For example, a certain part of a crop may appear to be doing better than the rest of a paddock. The farmer wants to know whether this is because that patch of land has more water or nutrients, and they want to see a solution. “Interpreting those images and giving correct advice is where we need to do more work,” Spink says. “The technology has improved dramatically, but we don’t necessarily have the knowledge to interpret the masses of data we can now gather so that we can translate it into the correct advice.” The UK and Europe are working at this; some European countries have spent a lot on these technologies. But much of it is sitting in sheds unused, because of the interpretation issues, Spink says. “People have tried it and haven’t seen the benefit.” Precision technologies which ensure paddocks are sown and sprayed ideally are good and offer benefits, but technologies which target crop yield offer more benefit, he says.

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

MANAGEMENT 27

Profit expected at Lincoln’s dairy farm NIGEL MALTHUS

GOOD SPRING grass growth has the Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) heading for another operating profit. Detailed figures on the farm’s performance were released for last week’s spring open day. They show the farm running 3% under budget on expenses, having been able to avoid feeding any supplements so far this season. Ron Pellow, execu-

or thereabouts, and we’ve incurred some of the big costs already, and come in under budget on some of those. “Some of those things are gains we will take all the way through the season.” About 220 people attended the open day, one of three seasonal events held at the farm each year. (The winter event takes the form of a road trip around the wider Canterbury region.) The event included a

farmers are trying to do. LUDF has added some voluntary operating restraints on top of that because it is already trying to meet Ecan’s proposed 2022 environmental rules

for farms in the Selwyn Waihora zone. In its third season of working to the 2022 standards, the farm is continuing to perform well despite the weather in the

past year. “We’re achieving phenomenal performance relative to inputs,” said Pellow. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Ron Pellow

“As with others around us we’ve had a season that’s given us good growth in SeptemberOctober, so we’ve been able to capitalise on that, as have others. That’s enabled us, in our situation, to come through the season feeding no supplements to date.” tive director of the South Island Dairying Development Centre, which runs the farm, says it recorded much higher growth than normally seen in August and September. “As with others around us we’ve had a season that’s given us good growth in SeptemberOctober, so we’ve been able to capitalise on that, as have others. That’s enabled us, in our situation, to come through the season feeding no supplements to date. “A lot of people have fed less than they planned to, which is all positive. They’ve been able to utilise the pasture they’ve grown and adjust their feeding process accordingly.” The figures also showed the costs of production running about 3% under budget. “We have a budget of $3.85 (farm working expenses/kgMS) and on current forecasts we’re sitting on $3.72/kgMS so that’s attractive because it’s nice to be under. “Early days of course; we are about a third of the way through the season

detailed statistical breakdown of all aspects of the farm’s performance. Pellow said that as a demonstration farm it has an obligation to show what can be done, and to provide as much detail as possible since some farmers would be more interested in some aspects of the farm’s operation than others. The farm, which supplies Fonterra, appears on track to make a profit, given payout expectations. “Operating profit is where we should be focussed for the vast majority of us, but that’s not an easy measure to get a good metric on. The difficulty is that it’s built up on a number of things.... So you might report your operating profit and I report mine and without knowing the assumptions that go into both of them we may not be on the same basis. But nevertheless if you want to know viability, that’s a pretty good measure of how you’re going.” Pellow says maximising sustainable profit in essence was what most

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28 MANAGEMENT

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“It’s all very well recording farm information, but if it’s in 15 different places and difficult to access it’s not a lot of use. Getting timely information is important when you need to make a decision. This software brings together the land, stock and cropping information, as well as a calendar and other tools. “A couple of young staff immediately got it going with no training – they don’t need it. They are recording animal health treatments and stock movements. At dock-

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ing we plan to record the births in each paddock so we’ll keep track of lambing percentages in real time. “The guy who does the cropping is excited about recording current information and being able to put past information in. He’s coming to us with ideas for using the system to make comparisons of how the paddocks are performing. “My husband... had no computing skills and now he’s recording rainfall and animal health treatments on his phone. “We’ve done a lot of work with the mapping function too, to get accurate areas and for planning developments, for example fencing off waterways.” It’s great for doing quick little calculations, she says.

“For example, if farm staff look at the pasture covers, know how many and what weights of stock are going on and what they want to achieve then with this software they can quickly figure out how long stock should be in that paddock. Another example is they can use it to calculate the supplements needed to get a mob to a certain weight in 60 days.” Tatham says when they need help with the software there is “fantastic” support on the end of a phone.

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software really compares.” The Tathams farm 1700ha effective (2400ha total), having recently brought together two blocks – Kaiwhata and Homewood – that have been in the family for four generations. They usually run about 17,500 stock units, mainly sheep. “We have young people working for us and we want them to use things that will take them into the future. This software works on phones with an app. It means our staff can do recording while they are out on the job and not have to do it on a computer later. We’re seeing the difference 20-fold.” Tatham says the software brings everything together in one place and the information is easily shared.

“We have young people working for us and we want them to use things that will take them into the future. This software works on phones with an app. It means our staff can do recording while they are out on the job and not have to do it on a computer later. We’re seeing the difference 20-fold.”

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of features and easy to use. “There were a couple of things we wanted that it can’t do – but they are working on it all the time. And it does a lot; no other

“We wrote a list of what we wanted,” Jan Tatham explains. After a look at what is available, they selected a software pack with a range

WAIRARAPA FARMERS Jan and Andy Tatham decided to start using Farm IQs farm software to set their farm business up for the future.

Check out the latest market data at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/markets

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

ANIMAL HEALTH 29

NZ ready for foot and mouth - MPI THE MINISTRY for Primary Industries (MPI) says a recent farm exercise shows New Zealand is well prepared to manage the biosecurity aspects of a foot-andmouth disease (FMD) outbreak. Spokesman John Sanson says the one-day event at a dairy farm at Te Rapa last month simulated events on such a farm about a week into a FMD outbreak. It began with an incident controller arriving at the farm and taking over from a surveillance veterinarian. About 30 people, including observers, took part. No animals were involved. “In a real outbreak, a property with even one infected animal would have to have all their FMD- susceptible stock humanely destroyed

antining a property, and disinfecting vehicles and equipment.” As part of the exercise, a control unit was set up at the farm gate, for people to disinfect gear as they left the farm. A truck was disinfected with water and detergent. “The plans worked well. We had people in within 24 hours,” Sanson says. This would include all cattle, sheep, deer, pigs and goats. National movement restrictions would be imposed immediately when the disease was confirmed, to reduce the risk of it being moved around the country by infected livestock. “We wanted to test how our operational plans would work together -- for destroying animals, disposing of carcasses, quar-

full personal protective gear with two pairs of gloves managing to use iPads. That allowed them to locate the best disposal sites and work with a simulated regional centre,” Sanson says. “Personnel took 30 minutes to set up the gate control unit in accordance with the instructions in

the disinfection plan.” Sanson says the FMD plans have been developed over three years, in partnership with the livestock industries and local government and with overseas input. People in the exercise included staff from MPI, AsureQuality, industry and Australian observers from state gov-

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ernments. “NZ’s strict border controls mean that the likelihood of FMD or any other exotic animal disease entering the country is very low, but we tested our plans to make sure they will work for the people who will be using them. And we identified a few gaps to work on.”

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

30 ANIMAL HEALTH

Drench resistance is real and growing DRENCH RESISTANCE is real, already widespread on sheep farms and heading in the same direction wherever cattle are farmed, says Beef and Lamb NZ. It is embarking on an online campaign to help farmers deal with drench resistance and is providing advice on worm management and how to breed for resistance. Drench resistance is when worm populations in an animal survive after a correctly applied dose of drench. The resistant worms then breed, passing their resistant genes on to their offspring. Over time – if practices remain the same – resistant worms make up an increasing proportion of the farm’s worm population, and then farmers have a problem. As that proportion increases, so

does the cost to animal health, productivity and profit. BLNZ says drench resistance costs money and creates an unfair legacy for future generations. It advises that it makes sense to keep older, lowcost drugs working as long as possible, because they are much cheaper: For example, dual-acting drench amounts to 7c-14c/lamb drench, triple-acting drench 20c-35c/ lamb drench and Zolvix or Startect, 60c/lamb drench. “More costly, however, is the effect of continuing to use a drench that is not fully effective. You are wasting time, effort and money. “The next generation of farmers must be left with drench choices that work.” BLNZ says most farm-

For internal parasite control in sheep and cattle there are essentially two options: the easy approach or the responsible approach.

ers will have resistance on farms long before they start to see a problem. And then it will often be a major event that makes resistance obvious. For example, a cluster of lamb or calf deaths in late autumn, or a hefty prob-

lem with worms in young lambs mid to late lactation. BLNZ says resistance is widespread in sheep and increasingly widespread in cattle. A 2006 farm-based survey of 62 North Island

beef properties revealed 94% of farms were resistant to at least one drench family. On those farms there was 92% resistance to ivermectin (‘mectin’ drenches), 76% resistance to albendazole (white drenches) and 8% resis-

tance to levamisole (clear drenches). The survey also found that about 20% of farms showed resistance in at least two worm species; cooperia (intestinal worms) were commonly resistant to ivermectin and albendazole and Ostertagia (brown stomach worm) resistance to ivermectin and levamisole was an emerging issue. A 2006 survey of 112 NZ sheep farms revealed high levels of drench resistance to all drug families and 25% of farms showed resistance to ivermectin, 24% to levamisole (clear), 41% to albendazole (white) and 8% to a combination drench of albendazole and levamisole. Specific problems identified were: Ostertagia resistance to all drench treatment options, Cooperia resistance to

mectin drenches and Trichostrongylus (black scour worm) resistance to levamisole. All worm species showing a resistance to albendazole. “In the 10 years since the 2006 survey we haven’t known much about what has happened in sheep,” BLNZ adds. “However, the cattle situation has got worse and we are now seeing resistance in the particularly nasty worm Ostertagia.” It urges farmers to deal with facts; ideally, in the January-to-May period (when the most worm species are present in lambs), run a faecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) alongside a larval culture. “That will tell you how effective your current drench is. Your vet or farm consultant will be able to help you do this,” says BLNZ.

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ANIMAL HEALTH 31

New app to help manage mastitis A NEW app from LIC Automation helps those with CellSense in-line sensors to more easily manage mastitis in their herds. CellSense is an automated in-line sensor providing farmers with a live somatic cell count (SCC) result within two minutes of cupping the cow. The new CellSense Connected app sends the SCC results straight to farmers’ smart devices (phones and tablets). Data is presented in an easy-touse format on the farmers’ devices, allowing them to assign a SCC result to a cow during milking. This enables farmers to view reports at their

convenience and use them to aid dry-off decisions. A flashing light system in the milking shed is an optional extra that alerts farmers to which cows have a high SCC. Paul Whiston, LIC Automation’s chief executive, says farmers have asked for an affordable way to better manage mastitis. “Until now, a herd identification system had to be fitted in the shed so the data from the sensors could be stored. CellSense Connected means no herd identification system is needed. It puts the farmer in control of what is and isn’t recorded.” CellSense Connected integrates to LIC

Automation’s Protrack, allowing farmers to schedule drafts from the app. It suits herringbone and rotary sheds and connects to other LIC Automation products.

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THE SHORTAGE of milk powder for calves has prompted Beef + Lamb NZ to offer farmers advice on coping with the problem. Fonterra said last month that the shortage may last a few weeks because of much greater demand this season. Such shortages tend to occur when less powder is downgraded to feed quality. The problem will be sorted soon, says Fonterra chairman John Wilson. Meanwhile BLNZ offers this advice: ■■ Note what product you have on hand; look at what you’re going to need in the next 10 days. ■■ Contact your local merchant or supplier; ask what stock is available in-store or through their network. ■■ Place an order without delay, because once product comes online it will likely be despatched promptly to fill pre-existing orders. ■■ Ask your merchants if any local farmers have been supplied a pallet, to see if you can share their product in the short term. ■■ Approach local dairy farmers to see if you can buy whole milk off them in the short term; you need to consider storage of this to maintain quality. Nonrefrigerated is best used within 48 hours. To switch from milk powder to whole milk is best done over three-four days. ■■ Weigh calves and look to increase their meal intake. You may be able to reduce the milk intake for larger calves (it is best to seek vet’s advice to ensure your calves will cope with this). To begin reducing milk, calves should be eating a minimum of 1kg/head/day of a quality calf meal and ideally be 85kg LW or better. ■■ If heavier calves (over 85kg LW) have unrestricted access to a quality calf meal and are consuming more than 1kg/head/day of meal, weaning completely is an option.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

32 CANTERBURY A&P SHOW

Long-time show supporter now the boss THIS YEAR’S Canterbury A&P Show is in the hands of a man who has been showing and volunteering at A&P events since he was a schoolboy. Sheep and beef farmer Warrick James was elected president of the Canterbury A&P Association at its annual meeting in late March. James began showing cattle as a schoolboy, and joined the Malvern A&P Association Committee at the age of 18. In 2001 he became Malvern association president and in the same year joined the general committee of the Canterbury A&P Association as the youth section convenor. “It means a lot to be president of the Canterbury A&P Association,” says James. “We host the largest and most prestigious show in the country; it really is the pinnacle of the A&P movement. Having been involved from a young age with my family and seeing my own children take part over the years just makes this even more special.” James, with his wife Cece and adult children Phoebe, Duncan and Bridget, run 2500 Perendale ewes and 280 Limousin beef cattle on their 1300ha farm Flagpole, at Whitecliffs in the Canter-

Canterbury A&P Association president Warrick James. Duncan James, son of Canterbury A&P Association president Warrick James, with a pen of Limousin yearling cattle the family intend showing at this year’s show.

bury foothills, near Glentunnel. 500ha is planted in a carbon forest of pinus radiata and douglas fir. The stud is named Ben More after the station at Springfield where James grew up. The family has been at Flagpole, named after the peak at the back of the property, since 2010. The lower reaches are green, easy rolling country and a

recently sown field of peas and barley for baleage is showing pleasing early growth. “It’s the best spring we’ve had since we’ve been here,” he says. With his Limousin cattle being this year’s featured breed, James will be showing what he calls his “show team” of yearlings. On the day Rural News visited,

Duncan James was in charge of drenching the show animals. “I’m very lucky to have the support of my wife and children who are ready and willing to take on extra duties at the show and on the farm to help with the workload over the coming year.” Continuing to grow youth sections and finding ways to involve commercial farmers in the show are the priorities

for his year as president. “The RAS Youth Steer Competition was introduced in 2015 and is a great way to involve young people who are not part of a stud,” he explains. “Looking to the future, we hope to extend this even further as we investigate ways to incorporate commercial farming exhibits in the sheep and cattle sections at the show.” James believes the association must evolve with the industry and find ways to get rural people involved and engaged with the show.

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CANTERBURY A&P SHOW 33

A bumper event on the cards

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Glentunnel sheep and beef farmer Warrick James was elected president of the 2016 Canterbury A&P Show at the association’s annual meeting on March 30. He is pictured with outgoing president Nicky Hutchinson (left) and wife CeCe.

AP R

ising a new layout for the cattle judging ring. Volunteers including James’ wife Cece and the show’s immediate past president, Nicky Hutchinson, were polishing the 300-odd trophies – many of them decadesold records of the show’s proud history. With 7000 entries in 2500 individual competitions, and over 500 trade exhibitors, the show is the flagship event for Geoff Bone’s Tenth Dot Management events company, but he emphasises that it would not be possible without the 500 volunteers who turn out year after year. “We create the structure, make sure they follow the rules, put the prize money together, send out all the communications, give everyone their tickets, take all their entries, then allow all the volunteers to run the show.” An example is the endurocross event – motorcycle racing on a short dirt course full of spectacular jumps – which will return after running for the first time last year. Bone says the track, to be built by a group of volunteer endurocross enthusiasts, will cost about $5000 – versus “tens of thousands” if done commercially. “It’s the volunteer aspect that allows it to happen,” says Bone. “They provide their knowhow, we provide them with diggers and dirt, and they build the track.” He says endurocross fills entire stadiums overseas. “There’ll be 70 riders from around New Zea-

much a family affair. Committee member Chris Herbert, who runs the country’s only Blonde D’Aquitaine cattle stud in

B FE

The country’s biggest annual A&P show returns to the association’s base at the Canterbury Agricultural Park, Wigram, from November 9 to 11. With online ticket presales now “a long way ahead” of previous years, event director Geoff Bone expects at least 100,000 people through the gates. That compares with a high of 115,000 for the 150th anniversary show in 2012 and last year’s rainaffected 96,000 crowd. Show president Warrick James says the challenge each year is maintaining livestock entries; but along with everyone else involved he is pleased and surprised to see dairy entries up this year despite the dairy price squeeze of the past few seasons. “It affects things like the shows. It affects everyone in the provinces.” James is also pleased to see sheep entries holding after declining in recent years because of the rise of dairying on the Canterbury plains. “That’s really satisfying, with dairying coming into Canterbury a lot of studs are disappearing now, and the need for rams is disappearing.” Overall cattle numbers are up to 738, from 717 last year. Alpaca entries have shown a big rise, up to 314 from 216 last year. On the day Rural News visited the site, three weeks before opening day, the bulk of the transformation was yet to start. However, the whole show committee was gathered to nut out the details and operations manager Dugald Thomas was final-

land coming to the event. It’ll be the biggest short course enduro event in the country and it’s being created out of nothing.” The show is also very

Y MA

A little co-operation from the weather may be all the Canterbury A&P Association needs for its 154th Canterbury Show to be a bumper event, Nigel Malthus reports.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

34 CANTERBURY A&P SHOW

A bumper event planned FROM PAGE 33

North Canterbury, says he stopped showing in 2008, but the family is taking up the challenge. “Now our boys (13 and 11) have got to the stage where they’re starting to take things over. So I just back the truck up and unload the cattle and leave them to it. It’s still under my name but

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they’re doing all the work. I don’t have to worry about it.” Herbert is another who welcomes the return of dairy entries. “Normally the first thing you’d cut in a downturn is showing expenses.” James says beef cattle is a royal event this year, under the auspices of the Royal Agricultural Soci-

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A former show president, Mark Fleming (left) and Canterbury Agricultural Park operations manager Dugald Thomas.

ety of New Zealand. This year’s feature breed is Limousin, in which James will be competing himself with yearlings from his Ben More Limousin stud near Glentunnel in North Canterbury. James says the events on the Friday – Canterbury’s public holiday show day – will be dedicated to the youth section, which the association had been building up over recent years. Competitors as young as primary school age will be judged on their abilities including stock judging, dairy handling, parading and interviewing; the winner will go on to compete in the Canberra Show. “There are a lot of kids wanting to get involved, even from the city.” James says a yearling steer class was run for the first time last year. Those

animals are now in a twoyear-old prime steer class and will be sold in a live auction as part of a young auctioneers’ competition. The annual crowdpleasers will also be back, including dog-trialling, equestrian and woodchopping, for which preparation and de-barking of 1200 blocks of wood is another big task for the volunteers. The shearing will be a qualifying event for the world shearing championships to be held in Invercargill in March. Another favourite, especially for city visitors, will be the farmyard. “We keep calves, lambs, sheep, working dogs, hens and guinea pigs – all sorts of things,” says James. “It’s an opportunity for city kids to get up close. It’s an important part of our show.”

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CANTERBURY A&P SHOW 35

Seminars aim to help farmers FREE INFORMATION seminars to be held across the Canterbury region this month are aimed at giving beef, deer and sheep farmers an insight into the latest systems and technologies that could raise their profit. Advantage Feeders has teamed with industry experts to host events in Geraldine, Greta Valley and Coalgate on November 14, 15 and 16. “As a global leader in controlled ration feeders, Advantage Feeders has a passion for educating farmers about the latest innovations in farming,” says managing director Gerard Roney. The seminars will provide farmers with a lot of information

to help them make informed decisions and will offer new systems. “For instance, we’ll look at ways to reduce pasture consumption during the feed gap, reduce supplement feed and better match pasture consumption with stock rates,” Roney says. “These strategies, combined with creep feeding young stock, can help increase stock growth and increase production per hectare, also helping to turn them off earlier at higher prices.” Hamish Dickson, the principal livestock consultant for AgriPartner Consulting, South Australia, will speak about feedlot and containment lot design and operation. Dickson coauthored the Australian

Guidelines for Intensive Sheep and Lamb Feeding Systems (Meat & Livestock Australia). He will speak about calculating income, costs, profit and return on investment from feedlotting. “Feedlotting presents an opportunity to grow store stock until they reach marketable weight and higher prices. In addition, maternal stock can be confined to increase maternal numbers and increase pasture production,” he says. Also attending is Alun Faulkner, Nutritech’s national technical manager, who will cover how to balance nutrients in pasture fed animals and how productivity gains are achieved through

balanced nutrition. “This is an opportunity for farmers to listen to speakers they haven’t heard from before,”

Roney says. The sessions at Geraldine on November 14 and Greta Valley on November 15 will run

from 1.45pm to 5pm; the Coalgate session on November 16 will run from 11am to 2.15pm. All sessions will include

lunch or afternoon tea and refreshments. • For more information: sales@advantagefeeders. co.nz or ph 027 353 7274.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

36 CANTERBURY A&P SHOW

Winning wines on display at show A FORMER New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year has won the title of NZ Winemaker of the Year. Four international wine judges picked Pat-

rick Newton of Mudbrick Vineyard as the inaugural winner on October 15. The competition replaces the New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year as part of the New Zealand

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Aromatic Wine Competition, administered by the Canterbury A&P Show. The Waiheke Island winemaker describes the award as “quite an honour”. “Every young winemaker starts out with a goal to win these major awards. To do it at age 34 is fantastic; it’s my best professional achievement to date.” Newton entered the competition with the 2015 Mudbrick Reserve Chardonnay, 2013 Mudbrick Reserve Syrah and the 2013 Mudbrick Velvet, a Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot/Malbec blend. Chairman of judges Terry Copeland agreed that the winemaking style was evident in the wines on show. “The chardonnay was the standout wine in that selection – well-crafted yet restrained. He allowed

NZ Winemaker of the Year, Patrick Newton.

the fruit to shine through. All three wines presented by Patrick were full

bodied, incredibly seductive and very drinkable.” Judging for the New

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Zealand Aromatic Wine Competition also took place on October 15 and 16. The Supreme Champion Wine in Show trophy was awarded to the 2016 Hunters Gewürztraminer. “It was good to see a strongly aromatic style like gewürztraminer showing through when the standard of gold medals across the board was so high. It was the most complete wine across the table -- aromatic with great structure and texture.” Copeland says that from 316 entries, 27 gold medals were awarded and judges were impressed with the diversity of the wines. Other trophy winners were: Champion Riesling – TOHU Single Vineyard Riesling 2015, Champion

Canterbury Wine – Waipara River Estate Riesling SVR 2012, Champion Sauvignon Blanc – Villa Maria Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Champion Pinot Gris – Baby Doll Pinot Gris 2016, Champion Gewürztraminer – 2016 Hunters Gewürztraminer, Champion Rosé – Matawhero Pinot Rosé 2016 and Champion Other Aromatic – Saint Clair Marlborough Premium Gruner Vetliner 2015. Twenty-seven gold, 73 silver and 123 bronze medals were awarded. All winning wines will be on display in the new Food and Wine Village at the 2016 Canterbury A&P Show from November 9 -11 at ASB Agricultural Park. www.aromaticwine.co.nz

SHOW TIME! THE CANTERBURY A&P Show is a three day annual event running from Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 November. The Friday of the show is ‘Showday’ and is also Canterbury Anniversary Day, which falls on the second Friday after the first Tuesday in November. The show will be open from 8.00am to 5.30pm each day.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

CANTERBURY A&P SHOW 37

A right, Royal affair! THIS YEAR’S Canterbury A&P Show is hosting a royal A&P beef cattle event, giving South Island competitors the rare chance to win prestigious royal ribbons and medals. A&P Association president Warrick James, long involved with the show’s cattle section, is looking forward to hosting a royal event during his tenure as president. “It’s fantastic to be able to offer our exhibitors the chance to compete at royal level. A royal event attracts the best stock from around the country and top judges from around the world, so winning a royal medal is the highest honour in the showing movement. “My family is looking forward to showing our Limousin cattle and catching up with old friends and regular exhibitors. We also hope that with the royal event we’ll be meeting some new exhibitors too.” Event director Geoff Bone says that despite recent challenges in the agricultural industry the cattle section has been going from strength to strength. “Last year we grew our cattle numbers at the show by 15%; we expect that royal event status will attract even more exhibitors and we hope to see this number rise again,” he says. “Royal events attract competitors from all over the country and it’s a rare opportunity for South Island and Canterbury competitors to have one so close to home.” Bone says overseas travel prizes for the youth sections and a burgeoning led-steer competition are also sure to bolster cattle entries. The Canterbury A&P Show also hosts the largest equestrian event in the South Island: around 3500 entries are expected again this year. Other sections include shearing and wool handling, woodchopping, dog trials, goats, dairy cattle, alpaca, llama, pig, sheep, endurocross (motorcycle competition), wool, poultry and vintage machinery.

This year’s show is hosting a royal beef showing event.

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38 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Fastrac 8000 gets more go! MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

to software help it deliver 70km/h using various driving modes – including the ‘virtual step function’ which mimics a traditional powershift – and should suit more traditional operators. As always, suspension plays an important part: coils and dampers at the front and hydropneumatic rams at the rear for their load compensating effect. A new cabin unit, as seen on the 4000 series Fastrac, will be welcomed, its slightly forward driving position offering better visibility and an increased rear load space. Plenty of glass gives a light airy feel, and the raked A post and vertical windscreen

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HAVING RECENTLY celebrated 25 years of its iconic Fastrac, JCB has also now pulled the wraps off the new 8000 series, to replace the current high horsepower offerings. Described as ‘evolutionary’ rather than ‘revolutionary’, the refresh of the 8000 series includes changes to engine, steering and cabin to bring it bang up to date. It was launched in 2005, starting life with a Cummins 250hp engine; an upgrade in 2011 saw a tie-up with AGCO which resulted in a SISU engine and a CVT transmission

sourced from Fendt. That same 8.4L power plant forms the basis of the new models, now rated at Euro Tier 4 and offering rated power of 280hp and 335hp in the 8290 and 8330 models, respectively. These outputs represent a power increase of 14% and torque rise of 10% over the outgoing units, and go on to peak at 306hp and 348hp as the revs drop. These increases are brought about by revised fuelling and the fitting of twin in-line turbos, which spin up quickly and make the engine more responsive. The CVT transmission remains the same, although upgrades

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help improve headroom for taller drivers. Comfort and functionality gain from climate air conditioning as standard; a new seat design allows 50 degrees of swivel to the right and 20 degrees to the left. Upgrades to the steering see the old mechanical powerassisted system replaced by dual hydrostatic units, said to improve feel and reduce effort particularly at slower speeds. A new Rapid Steer option can be specified to reduce the number of turns from lock to lock from four to two, and a failsafe mechanism allows steering even if the engine fails. The tractors are said to be GPS ready, although the in-cab screen has yet to support ISOBUS and

this is said to be a little while away. Capacities remain unchanged at a useful 10 tonnes at the rear and 3.5 tonnes up front; power is supplied by the standard 137L/min, or optional 178L/min, closed centre system. Weighing a touch over 11 tonnes and capable of 780km/h demands proper stopping power -taken care of by external disc brakes on all wheels, with twin callipers and ABS. Also available for the first time, and likely to interest our Aussie cousins, is a 3.0m track capability option which will be welcomed by operators using Controlled Traffic scenarios.

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MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 39 V & N RE-EMERGES

Quality gear gives quality product MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

WOLLAND CONTRACTING, of Paihiatua, have long used the Pottinger brand, running mowers and rakes. Of their current range, the three Pottinger TOP rakes impress them the most. Wolland says its two smaller TOP 762C twin rotor rakes and large 4-rotor TOP 1252C produce such a clean raking job, with no soil contamination of the crop, that their customers are hugely impressed. The major benefit of the Pottinger rakes for Wolland Contracting is the avoidance of tine breakage, saving downtime and overall cost of ownership. The perfect swath finish the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customers have got used to is achieved without burying the tines in the ground. This averts tine breakage and soil contamination. The tines are straight, directly under the tine arm, without any need for a

steep offset angle. The reason this is so successful is when the forage hits the tine the tines flex back slightly but do not rise upwards, so achieving a smooth clean finish. For New Zealand conditions, the key feature on the Pottinger rakes is the Multitast wheel. This is a jockey wheel which sits in front of each rotor and ensures smooth running of the rotors. This provides the ideal gap between the tines and the ground and is constantly maintained. Clean forage is guaranteed, with no soil contamination, resulting in higher quality silage. The often undulating contour of NZ paddocks is no match for the Multitast wheel, which guides the rotor up quickly over knobs and stops the rotor from bottoming-out in hollows. Due to the tines just touching the grass, considerably less stress is placed back through the tine arms, rotor and camtrack. www.originagroup.co.nz

LONG-TIME PLOUGH specialist Vogel and Noot, who in a sign of the tough times in farm machinery was declared bankrupt in August, has recently announced the sale of some of its key businesses. German machinery giant Amazone has bought the V&N plough production facility based in Hungary, which suggests the acquisition will allow this company to broaden its range from five- and six-furrow models to one to handle two-twelve furrows. The new owner says the V&N products will form an integrated part of its range. Amazone believes it can incorporate features from the existing Cayron ploughs into its new offering. It is expected the launch of the new product range will be in time for the European spring of 2017.

Amazone assures existing Vogel and Noot users of continuity of spare parts and service support with immediate effect. Meanwhile, the remaining product groups in the V&N portfolio -cultivators, drills and sprayers -- has been bought by Belgian sprayer man-

ufacturer Beyne. This deal includes the grounds, factory and spare parts inventory of the V&N factory at Wartberg, Austria, and the importer in Romania, called Agrorom, which the Belgian company hopes will help strengthen its product distribution in Eastern Europe.

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CLAAS CARGOS 700 forage transport wagons are now available with the popular Comfort specification that allows finger-tip control of all functions for easy operation. The package includes in-cabin control, an articulated drawbar, electro-hydraulic steering system, a loading bay cover and enhanced lighting. Models can be operated using the tabletbased Claas Easy app or any ISOBUS-compatible terminal to control key functions such as the hydraulic articulated drawbar, which can be assigned to the tractor function keys. In operation, the drawbar can automatically move into one of four settings at the push of a button to provide optimum alignment of the wagon during transport, chopping, unloading and field operations. The electro-hydraulic positive steering fea-

INCLUDES

• Terminator Base 900mm Side Shift • Top Link Ram & Angle Adjustment • 4m 180UB Mast • 4 Bank Valve • 227kg Hammer • Adjustable Legs

SPECIAL PRICE

RRP $17,340 +GS

$ 14,800+GST SERIES 2 ROCK SPIKE SPECIAL INCLUDES

• 4 bank valve hydraulic top link & angle adjustment • Rock Spike kitset incudes 90mm Spike and Rock Spike cap • 4.25m 150uc beam • 270 kg hammer • Adjustable legs

SPECIAL PRICE

FRENCH MACHINERY giant Kuhn recently added to its highpower offerings two new power harrows and a rotary cultivator. The 6m HR 6040R and 8m HR8040R folding power harrows are said to be for contractors or large scale operators and have the capacity to cultivate 100ha per day. Standard fitment includes an ‘intelligent’ monitoring system which looks at torque loadings and operating temperatures, telling the operator that the machine is operating to its full potential.

RRP $27,540 +GST

Terminator Beam TT Terminator Base INCLUDES • Terminator Base 900mm Side Shift • 4.25m (150UC) Beam • 270kg Hammer • 6 Bank Valve • Hydraulic Hinge • 250mm Mast Shift

HOOPER CUTTING EDGE CULTIVATION

SPECIAL PRICE

RRP $36,640 +GST

2500 $ 32,900+GST INCLUDES

• 660mm Blades • 3.1m Width • 2950kg Total Weight • 114kg Per Blade

All componentry, in particular the central and lateral gearboxes, rotor drives and transmission units, are designed to withstand up to 460hp in the case of the 6040R and a massive 500hp in the 8040R. Rotor spacing on both machines is 3.5 rotors per metre which allows optimum efficiency, and a maximum rotor speed of 500 rpm. Ease of operation is ensured by in-cab adjustment of the working depth and the levelling bar via hydraulics, and options available

include a choice of rear rollers and wheel track eradicators. For those preferring rotary cultivation, perhaps because of stony conditions, the Kuhn EL402 folding power tiller has a working width of 6m and the ability to handle up to 400hp. A 550mm diameter rotor carrying 144 carbide coated blades is said to produce a fine tilth suitable for specialised cropping or general agricultural work. Over-width rollers help eliminate ridges between subsequent

CUTTING EDGE CULTIVATION

E SPECIAL PRIC

RRP $17,250 +G

$ 15,500+GST INCLUDES • 6m wide • Levelling Wheels standard • Galvanised frame • Overlapping rollers • 2.5m transport width

NEW GENERATION 2 MODELS ARRIVED NOW

New: • Four wheel disc brake system uses 14mm thick disc and 8mm pads – exactly as used on a car • Bigger radiator with bigger electric fan • Wiring loom with fuse relay box and European sealed plus • Bigger better sealed wheel bearings And still with: • Power steering • Bench seat for 3 people • Quietist machine on the market • Available with stock galvanised flatdeck • Fully independent diff locks – front and rear

TWO MODEL OPTIONS

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

passes, and an offset ensures a clean level finish down the machine’s centre line. As with the power harrows, build quality is centred on reliability with the inclusion of reinforced drive shafts, cut-out clutches and an in-built oil circulation system to ensure a long service life. The machine folds to 3m for transport and has a support wheel assembly for easy field-to-field moves. www.kuhn.co.nz

PURPOSE BUILT FOR RURAL CONDITIONS After 3.5 years of in-field New Zealand experience a new and improved model range has been developed resulting in the increased use of heavier automotive based components.

HOOPER Tri Flex Cultivator

www.claasharvestcentre.co.nz

PUTTING POWER INTO POWER HARROWS

$ 23,850+GST

Offset Disc harrow

ture makes the driver’s job even easier; a steering angle sensor on the drawbar measures steering angles and then automatically adjusts the axles to achieve the best balance of manoeuvrability and stability in every situation. The system can be overridden to allow manual adjustment, such as crab steering function to minimise ground

damage in wet conditions if required. A hydraulically operated load cover ensures safe transport on the road, even with a fully-loaded wagon; this comprises two sections that fold out over the wagon from both left and right. Eleven LED lights clearly light all work areas and scenarios such as transport or in field loading. The Cargos 760, 750 and 740 models have capacities of 48.5, 42.5 and 36.5 cubic metres, respectively, with the option of an extension set to increase this by 2.5 cubic metres. All models can be specified with a wide choice of tyres, from 22.5 to 30.5 inches, axle configurations including tandem and tridem layouts of 18-30 tonne capacity and mechanical or hydraulic suspension.

Galvanised

chassis and ❱❱ 62hp diesel engine and manual transmission A arms suspension ❱❱ 800cc 60hp petrol with CVT transmission with full engine braking for full specifications visit

www.avatar-products.com

or phone Hamish 022-543 4704 or Corran 021-483 823

– Mark Daniel

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 41

Fertiliser feeds the world! THURSDAY OCTOBER 13 has come and gone without too much fuss (the birthday of Grantham girl Margaret Thatcher, the UK’s first female prime minister); for farming folk this date was more importantly Global Fertiliser Day. Fertiliser, applied the world over to increase productivity, typically replaces elements such as nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and a number of trace elements. It’s easy to get dragged along with all the negativity about fertiliser, largely that of nitrate leaching. However, fertiliser will continue to be increasingly important for everyone’s future. Fertilisers became commercially available at the turn of the century, when Yara – later Norsk Hydro – produced the world’s first nitrogenous fertiliser in 1905.

says the world is losing 4ha farmland every 10 minutes, meaning less land has to feed more people. Over the next 50 years, it is claimed, farmers will need to grow more food than has been grown in total over the last 10,000 years to feed a population that will approach 9 billion. Looking at it from another angle, in 1960 one hectare of land fed two people. However, by 2025 that same hectare of land will need to support five people. So it looks like fertiliser is here to stay, much to the chagrin of

Improving yields by strategic use of fertiliser helps promote biodiversity, encourages birds and insects and actually helps prevent the world’s natural habitats and forests being converted into farmland. The October 13 date was chosen because it marks the anniversary of the discovery of ammonia synthesis by German chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch in 1908; which led the way for the manufacture of fertilisers as we know them today. The importance of fertilisers to modern day agriculture is confirmed by the fact that 50% of global food production for animals and humans can be attributed to its judicious use. In fact, statistics show that when applied at optimum rates, 1kg of nitrogen will result in an extra 22kg of grain in most cereal crops. That importance is further emphasised by an alarming statistic which

greenies and tree huggers who would have us survive on five portions of tofu per day (this incidentally is made from soy milk, extracted from soya beans, which must be grown commercially). As one old sage summed it up, improving yields by strategic use of fertiliser helps promote biodiversity, encourages birds and insects and actually helps prevent the world’s natural habitats and forests being converted into farmland. Now there’s an interesting thought; I think I’ll mull that over while downing a beverage made from commercially grown barley blended with commercially grown hops and a little yeast.

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RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

42 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS AN OX WITH AN IN-BUILT CART WITH NEW Zealand being the land of the long white ute, one might wonder if a recent new release in London will make it to our shores. When a popstar, an automobile engineer and a philanthropist got together, the result was always going to be a little different. They saw that around 20% of the world’s population had no transport and decided to do something about it. Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, auto engineer and designer of the McClaren F1 Gordon Murray and Sir Torquil Norman wanted to make a vehicle to bring mobility to the planet’s remotest areas; the result is a vehicle called the GVT-OX. Designed to be low cost, all terraincapable, lightweight and easy to maintain, it differs from the crowd in its looks and in that it can be flat-packed six units to a 40 foot container. On delivery, three men can assemble it in three days with little more than three spanners. Power is provided by a 2.4L, 4-cylin-

der, 100hp Ford diesel engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Weighing around 1600kg kerb-weight and with a load capacity of 1900kg, the oversized Meccano set has high ground clearance, 750mm wading depth and can carry people or freight. Three passengers can be seated on the cab’s full width seat, the driver sitting central. In the rear, the 7cu.m load space will hold a further 10 passengers or eight 205L oil drums. Novel features include a rear tailgate that swivels to become a loading ramp, and the rear seats can be removed and used as ‘sand ladders’. Those with grey hair might remember a similar concept, the plywood bodied Africar, which failed due to financial irregularities in the 1980s. Perhaps the timing is right for the OX -- even in Remuera (Auckland); one thinks not. But with Auckland house prices averaging $1 million and the OX costing only $20k it might be all the good burghers can afford .– Mark Daniel

DAYTECH

WOOD SPLITTERS

The Soilmax Gold Digger installs plastic dainage pipe at targeted depths.

Drainage made easy MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

Built strong with a double-skinned main beam, 50mm back plate and dished wedge.

❱❱ 2 stage hydraulic pump coupled to a 9.5hp Kola motor ❱❱ Motor will do the best part of a day’s work on a full tank of petrol ❱❱ Wedge has a hardened sharpened leading edge ❱❱ Filtered hydraulics system fully fitted ❱❱ Sprung axle 13” wheels make road-towing comfortable

Ph 06-370 1329 • Stuart 0274-387 528 124 Lincoln Road, Masterton E: daytech@wise.net.nz W: www.daytech.co.nz LEADERS ON FARM MACHINERY DESIGN

DRAINAGE HAS for many hundreds of years has sorted out the problem of too much water in paddocks. Traditionally drains are installed by backhoes or trenching machines, both relatively slow and expensive, so a system new to New Zealand, but used in the US for around 20 years, might be worth a closer look. Soilmax Gold Digger drain ploughs, imported by the Law family in Taihape, look like oversized subsoilers, using a curved-profile leg to install plastic drainage pipe at the target depth. Made from military grade T1 steel, the plough is lighter and slimmer than machines made from more traditional steels and is said to be easier to pull. At the base of the leg a replaceable shoe creates a curved profile to support the drainage pipe, while the

Culvert Pipes New Zealand’s CHEAPEST Culvert Pipes! FREE joiners supplied on request. ONE STOP WATER SHOP 300mm x 6 metre ................................ $410 400mm x 6 metre ................................ $515 500mm x 6 metre ................................ $690 600mm x 6 metre ................................ $925 800mm x 6 metre .............................. $1399 1000mm x 6 metre ............................ $2175 1200mm x 6 metre ............................ $3475 ALL PRICES INCLUDE G.S.T.

• Lightweight, easy to install • Made from polyethylene

McKee Plastics Mahinui Street, Feilding Ph 06 323 4181 Fax 06 323 4183

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leg serves to break up the topsoil to provide a porous layer for rapid water reticulation. On the top of the machine, a locally sourced pipe reel holds the 100m drainage coils typically found in NZ. Gradient control is achieved using a simple water level and depth chain on slopes, and an optional laser or GPS can be fitted for work on the flat or for operators requiring greater accuracy. It’s said to be extremely fast, with reports of 100m being ‘pulled in’ in 5-6 minutes depending on soil conditions; the standard machine is capable of working to depths of 1.7m. Power requirement depends on terrain, soil type and topography; the distributor notes that weight and traction is more relevant and recommends a tractor weighing a minimum of 10 tonnes and a rear lift capacity of around 2t. Key to installation success is a

tractor equipped with a creep box or a CVT style transmission that can achieve slow, constant speeds, which then gives the machine time to lift the ground and create some shatter as the pipe is installed. Pipe breakages are said to be minimal, because traction is normally lost before anything breaks. Asked whether backfill is placed over the pipe, Soilmax NZ points to US research suggesting this practice is unnecessary; over two-three years the airgaps between the stones fill with silt, removing any benefit; using the topsoil already there tends to promote a permanent drainage channel over the pipe. After installation the paddock will show some signs of ‘heave’ along the drain line, but reports suggest this be left to settle naturally over the following months rather than re-compressing the column of topsoil. www.soilmaxnz.co.nz

Phone

0800 625 826

for your nearest stockist

Joiners supplied FREE with culvert pipes

RURAL NEWS // NOVEMBER 1, 2016

RURAL TRADER 43 General Manager Farming Gisborne

The Opportunity Reporting to the Managing Director this position will enable and drive financial and physical performance of the NZ farming operation including; • Alignment and co-ordination of operational plans with strategic priorities; • Oversee operations to ensure production efficiency, safety, quality, services and cost effective management of resources • Oversight and supervision of Farm Managers focused primarily on optimal livestock, pasture and people performance • Management analysis, planning and reporting • Management and co-ordination of key partnerships; • Leading operational, performance and safety improvement initiatives

❱❱

The Integrated Foods Group is a well-established vertically integrated agribusiness with a large scale farming base in the Gisborne region and a boutique lamb processing and sales operation in Napier. The farming operation is focused on the supply requirements of sheep products for both domestic and export markets and to optimize the pastoral livestock business. Due to relocation we are seeking a General Manager to lead NZ based farming operations consisting of 16,500 ha productive and 150,000 stock units.

YOUR ADVERT HERE For details contact: JULIE BEECH Ph 09-307 0399 •

PO Box 73 Tel: Stainless Structure PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tu construction Fax: Industries Ltd PLEASE CALL 0800 446 332 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09 1,000 + Email: sheep/hr PPP.LT QUOTE: CODE 18 Fax: (09) 236 Fax: 9321(09 Fantastic Industries Industries Ltd LtdEmail: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz www.countrycompanionship.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@ Penetration ROBYN – A down to earth lady who has grown up on the land, loves the farming lifestyle. With silky blonde hair, blue eyes. Robyn loves animals, camping, sports, fishing, spending time with friends/family. She would like to meet a genuine gentleman to share her life with.

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PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Fax: (09) 236 9321 Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz

PO Box 73 Featuring... Tel: Dairy • Incredible chemical economy PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tu Fax: • Amazing ease 1500+ per hour Free Range & Barn Eggs Feed Systems • Unique self adjusting sides Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09 Dairy Dairy Dairy Email: PPP.LT • Environmentally and user friendly Feed Systems SUPPLIERS OF: (09) 236 Fax: • Automatically activated Fax: 9321(09 • ProvenSystems effective on lice as well as fly Systems • Nest boxes - manual or Feed Feed • Compatible with all dip chemicals Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@ automated

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on Duals for more traction, stability, flotation, towing power, versatility.

Clic Wheel Systems Ltd, ROTORUA

Phone/Fax 07 347 2292

www.clicdualwheels.co.nz

SINGLE DOG BOX

Phone: 0800 80 8570

POLY SILOS

With Davey Pump & Honda Motor

Quality construction and options • Get the contractors choice

• ATV Carrier Mats • Exit/Entry Areas • Calf Trailers • Horse Floats & Trucks • Weigh Platforms • Bale Mats • Comfort Mats for Wet & Dry Areas • Utility Deck Matting www.burgessmatting.co.nz

$7,500 plus GST

The magic eye sheepjetter since 1989

Your commitment to coaching and enabling people will be key to engendering the support of your team of direct reports and to nurture a culture of continuous improvement. This is an exciting opportunity to drive a large scale integrated market led pastoral farming business.

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Ideal candidates will have: ✔ Proven experience in agribusiness management; ✔ Tertiary qualification in agribusiness or related field; ✔ Sound commercial and financial acumen; ✔ Knowledge of modern farming practice; ✔ Strong leadership, analytical and decision-making ability; ✔ Results focused; ✔ Excellent communication skills.

If you want to find out more about this opportunity please contact Debbie Viljoen on (06) 869 1330 or (027) 512 0793 or email d.viljoen@integratedfoods.co.nz

Automatic Super Jetter

KEEP YOUR WORKING DOGS ON THE JOB Up to 6 rechargeable waterproof collar units & remotes • Model SD-1825 – 1.6 Kms range (1 mile) • Model SD-1225 – 1.2 Kms range • Model SD-825 – 800 Metre range All with Tone & Vibration options 24 levels of correction – 3 year warranty

GREAT VALUE SD-1825 with 1 collar ................$695.00 SD-1225 with 1 collar ................ $595.00 SD-825 with 1 collar ..................$495.00 Extra collars $375.00 – PRICES INCLUDE GST

$525

incl GST

TOP DOG BOX Accommodates up to 4 dogs 6 individual air vents Removable centre board 2 lockable galvanised gates In-house drainage Tie down lugs on each side Fits all wellside & flatdeck utes (2 models) ❱❱ Raised floor for insulation ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱

$745 Phone 0800 625 826 www.mckeeplastics.co.nz

incl GST

Arietta

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You’ve got enough to do without worrying about what stage of weed development you should be spraying. Arietta® gives you a more flexible timeframe for post-emergence spraying and better knockdown of problem grasses and broadleaf weeds.

So what’s the best time to put Arietta® to work? Anytime you like. Visit agro.basf.co.nz for more details or visit your local distributor.

WEL545676 09/16