Rural News 23 May 2017

MANAGEMENT

MACHINERY

NEWS

Simmentals show exceptional growth rates. PAGE 32-33

Tractors help build business.

Iran meat trade back on the table.

PAGE 7

PAGE 40

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS MAY 23, 2017: ISSUE 630 

www.ruralnews.co.nz

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MANAGEMENT

MACHINERY

NEWS

Simmentals show exceptional growth rates. PAGE 32-33

Tractors help build business.

Iran meat trade back on the table.

PAGE 7

PAGE 40

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS MAY 23, 2017: ISSUE 630

www.ruralnews.co.nz

Fairton gets the chop NIGEL MALTHUS

DECLINING SHEEP numbers are blamed for the decision to close Silver Fern Farms’ Fairton lamb processing works near Ashburton.

Silver Ferns chief executive Dean Hamilton last Wednesday laid out the numbers to a mass meeting of the 370 affected workers. He said the drop in lambs processed has been huge -down from one million to just 325,000 in the season just finished, the lowest tally ever.

It had also been the second short season in a row, six months instead of the usual 10 or 11. The short season meant the average wage for a process worker was down to $20,000, unsustainable and making it hard to retain staff.

Hamilton says the South Island sheep flock had fallen from 20 million ten years ago to 14 million, notable in the North Island but especially marked in Canterbury and Marlborough because of farm conversions to dairy, dairy support and grape vines.

“We laid that out to staff,” Hamilton said. “And they sense that. They drive around and see dairy farms where there used to be sheep farms.

They see pivot irrigators where there never were pivot irrigators.”

Silver Fern Farms would now process lambs at Pareora, near Timaru, which already handles sheep, beef, venison and bobby calves, the staggered demand giving a longer season with better wages and so less staff turnover, Hamilton says.

Pareora also had the freezer capacity, being where product already goes

Employees of Silver Ferns Farms’ Fairton freezing works emerge from last week’s meeting where they were told the plant would be closing.

to from Fairton and Belfast on the way to export through the port of Timaru.

Hamilton says he’s an optimist about sheep and beef and believes the rate of conversion has now slowed, although he does not expect anyone with a “million-dollar dairy shed” to go back.

“If you’ve got that as your new existence, we don’t need two large lamb plants servicing the Waitaki north in the South Island; we need one lamb plant.”

Rationally, Pareora is the plant to keep, he says.

Informed of the decision at a meet-

ing in an Ashburton church hall, many of the plant’s workers emerged grimfaced, but others were smiling, having had confirmation of something many had already guessed.

“Predictable,” was a frequent comment.

One man, who declined to give his name, said his job in the pelt house was secure “at the moment” but he feared even the pelting operation could be moved from the Fairton site in future.

However, Hamilton says the Fairton pelt house, which ‘pickles’ pelts as a first stage of turning them into leather, would continue to operate, employing 23 staff and processing all pelts from

Silver Fern Farms’ South Island plants.

He says it would not be easy to set up a pelting operation of that scale, with its skilled staff and site. The plant is adjacent to a Silver Fern-owned farm, which is border-dyke irrigated with waste water from the pelting operation.

“That farm needs that pelt house and the pelt house needs the farm; so they’re tied,” Hamilton says.

A resource centre would be set up to help affected staff, who would be offered redundancy and all the usual payments, while some may be able to take positions at Pareora, Belfast or further afield.

The decision ends an era for the main plant, some of which dates back nearly 120 years, albeit housing modern machinery.

“The issue is what we do with these massive big old buildings; we have to figure that out,” says Hamilton.”

The closure decision has been couched as a proposal, with a twoweek period of consultation. Hamilton wants people to make their views known.

“We think we’ve taken the right decision. It’s not something you wake up quickly and do. We’ve thought about this for a while, but we only took it to the board for a decision four weeks ago.

“If you work in any lamb plant in the South Island you’ve seen those numbers come down. It’s been dramatic here because of the rate of land conversion. They’ve seen shortened seasons, they’ve seen it go from multiple chains to a single chain,” Hamilton says.

DAIRY HATE CAMPAIGN HITS FARMERS’ KIDS PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

CHILDREN OF dairy farmers are being bullied at school, just because of the work their parents do.

This was revealed by DairyNZ director Ben Allomes, speaking at a dairy farmers’ forum in Manawatu recently.

Allomes says such behaviour is terrible, and it seems the campaign against dairying is being ramped up as the September election draws near.

Dairy farmers are becoming very sensitive to criticism and feel ‘got at’ by the mainstream media, he says.

“When we start hearing more of the negative media stories it impacts more on us and we are more critical of ourselves and more aware of the impact.

“When you read and hear nothing but negative media stories it brings you down and you are more sensitive to it.

“Farmers get out of bed to do their best for their family and the rest of their country but then get cut to pieces. It isn’t pleasant… especially for kids at school being bullied.”

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

NEWS 3

A $7 payout on the cards?

ISSUE 630 www.ruralnews.co.nz

SUDESH KISSUN

NEWS ������������������������������������� 1-22 MARKETS ������������������������� 24-25 AGRIBUSINESS ���������������26-27 HOUND, EDNA ���������������������� 28 CONTACTS ����������������������������� 28 OPINION ���������������������������� 28-31 MANAGEMENT ���������������32-36 ANIMAL HEALTH ������������37-39 MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS ����������������������40-44 RURAL TRADER ������������� 44-45

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 80,580 as at 31.09.2016

sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

AFTER FIVE consecutive increases in Global Dairy Price (GDT) auctions, a $7/kgMS opening forecast for the new 2017-18 season is feasible.

However, BNZ senior economist Doug Steel says farmers should not expect Fonterra to announce such a price this week.

With the season set to begin on June 1, it’s early days for predicting how dairy prices will play out during the next 12 months, Steel says.

BNZ does not issue an opening forecast; it is predicting the final payment for the season to be about $6/ kgMS. “With five straight price increases on GDT, a $6 payout for the new season now looks more certain,” he told Rural News.

“But it’s hard to forecast where prices will go; it also depends where prices are when most of our products are sold.”

Steel says BNZ does not forecast an opening price because “it’s hard to forecast what someone else (Fonterra)

BNZ’s Doug Steel says current prices and currency levels point to a $7-plus payout next season.

will forecast”.

“But with current prices and currency levels, a $7-plus payout is possible…. But I will be surprised if Fonterra’s forecast payout will be anywhere near that. It’s very early days and the season has not even started.”

The GDT price index rose 3.2% on the previous auction; a strong demand for fat products saw a big rise in butter and anhydrous milk fat prices.

Surprisingly, the price for Fon-

terra’s flagship product, whole milk powder, rose 1.3% over the previous auction, despite the market forecasting a 2% drop. The WMP price now sits at US$3312/tonne.

Westpac senior market strategist Imre Speizer says the rise in the GDT price index was led by fat products.

“WMP was more subdued, up 1.3%, which was slightly above futures prices which implied a 2% fall. The positive outcome has implications for analysts’ forecasts of the milk payout for the next season (2017-18),” he says.

Butter prices rose 11.2% to US$5479/t and AMF 8.2% to US$6631/t.

Steel agrees that demand for fat products remains strong; it also explains the price difference between WMP (US$3312/t) and skim milk powder (US$1998/t).

For the current season, Fonterra has set the milk price at $6/kgMS. Steel says compared to last season’s $3.90 payout it makes a world of difference to farmers.

Fonterra’s board meets on Wednesday and an announcement is expected on the new season’s opening forecast payout soon after the meeting.

Dairy kids victims of bullying FROM PAGE 1

Allomes says DairyNZ is trying to change attitudes to dairy farming and trying to help farmers deal with the pressure of the past two years.

He’s personally looking forward to the end of May and the start of a new season, he says.

“It’s been a wet, hard season and although milk prices are recovering there is almost a feeling of shell-shock or post-traumatic stress syndrome. We feel with milk prices having come up we should be happy but we are not as happy as we should be.”

Allomes says the past season’s wild fluctuating weather, with floods and drought, have combined with market uncertainty to stress many farmers.

He now rates morale in the dairy industry at 6 or 7, much higher than 12 or even six months ago.

JAPANESE MARKET BOOMS PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

ZESPRI GREW sales by 30% in its longstanding number one market of Japan over the past two seasons and it plans to keep growing sales of by 25% there over the next five years.

Zespri chief executive Lain Jager, who was on trade mission to Japan led by New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English last week, says Zespri sold a record 24 million trays of kiwifruit in Japan last season. “Japan sales earned around $500 million last season and accounted for 16% of our global sales,” Jager says.

“This is all the more remarkable as overall fruit sales in Japan declined by almost 10% over the past decade, against the backdrop of an economy with an ageing population and changing consumer behavior, with a growing preference for more convenient processed products.”

Last year saw Zespri’s Japan marketing become more product-centric, making Zespri Kiwifruit more relatable and engaging, and this will continue this season.

This new approach won the team in Japan a top design award last year, the Good Design Award, for the new campaign featuring two cartoon kiwifruit brothers talking about how and why kiwifruit is good for you.

Jager says Zespri welcomes the New Zealand Government’s decision to ratify the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

4 NEWS

Rust never sleeps!

PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

FARMERS IN the Kerikeri region have been asked to assist in the Ministry for Primary Industries myrtle rust response.

All New Zealanders need to be concerned that myrtle rust could spread, says Mark Bateman, MPI’s regional controller.

“If it spreads it could decimate native plants and affect the honey industry, the feijoa industry and export industry,” he says.

It is an ongoing threat that could affect the livelihoods of people in and around the area, Bateman told a farming event in the Kerikeri region.

He told farmers if they saw myrtle rust they should not touch it, but instead photograph and report it, and MPI will do what needs to be done.

“There is a large army of biosecurity officers on the ground -- that large army is you.”

Bateman says myrtle rust found at a nursery in Kerikeri was reported by the nursery owner because he had seen information about it.

“This disease has now set in on

Raoul Island and as a consequence we have teams working there; we had been anticipating potential airborne dispersion of the disease for some time,” he says.

“We don’t know if that is the pathway it has come through but we do know this nursery found some on its property so we sent a team in, iso-

lated the property and put a restricted movement notice on it, then mounted a search around the area.

“We searched within a 500m radius of that property and found another sample which has turned out positive. Consequently we extended the search area to 500m around that.

“People are naturally concerned; they are raising issues and we are responding to them. But we don’t want you to think the number of samples we are sending implies the number of findings we are making.

“What it means is we are trying to be vigilant and doing what we need to do to ensure we prevent this disease from spreading.”

Bateman says they had taken samples from hidden regions of the country that could be susceptible to the windborne disease and also were tracking back to people who had visited the nursery.

The MPI response number for myrtle rust is 0800 80 99 66.

Most likely from Australia WIND-BLOWN FROM Australia is the most likely means of entry for myrtle rust, even though the only finding so far is on the east coast at Kerikeri, says the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

“Given the propensity for the fungal spores to be wind-blown, and given the 20 weather events annually that could carry it here from Australia where it is widespread, it is likely to have been carried in by the wind from there,” an MPI spokesperson says, in response to questions from Rural News.

“Entry by wind from Raoul Island is also a possibility, but is considered less likely due to the limited number of infected trees there.

“MPI, Department of Conservation and a wide range of science researchers have been aware that an incursion of myrtle rust was a real possibility and have been preparing accordingly.”

However, the means of entry for myrtle rust to New Zealand – so far found in one nursery in Kerikeri and a

neighbouring property – has not been established.

“Often with biosecurity incursions there is no way of knowing exactly how an organism has arrived and it will likely be the case with myrtle rust.”

MPI says it is possible myrtle rust will be found further north, but no more has yet been found.

“The ministry has a large network of surveillance sites regarded as highrisk for the entry of myrtle rust and a range of other organisms.

“These are checked regularly and checking has been amplified during this response. To date, no sign of myrtle rust has been found anywhere other than the two affected properties (a nursery and neighbouring residential garden) in Kerikeri,” MPI said last week.

“MPI has carried out tests on samples from a range of locations where symptoms suggestive of myrtle rust have been observed. As above, all have been negative, other than the two properties mentioned.”

TARANAKI FIND A WARNING that the country may have to learn to live with fungal plant disease myrtle rust has been issued by the Ministry for Primary Industries after another infection has been found in Taranaki.

This adds to the recent find in a nursery and neighbouring property in Northland.

MPI’s myrtle rust response incident controller David Yard says finding the fungal disease in a new region could indicate that we will need to learn to live with it.

Myrtle rust infects plants in the myrtle family including pohutukawa, rata and manuka and some production species including feijoa and eucalypts.

The two main reasons the rust has appeared first in nurseries are, first, growing conditions there are ideal for the fungus, with many vulnerable young plants in sheltered, warm and damp environments; second, a lot of communication with the nursery industry has led to growers taking care to check their plants.

“While we are unlikely to ever know exactly how myrtle rust arrived in New Zealand, the most likely entry route remains carriage on the wind from Australia where the infection is widespread,” Yard says.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

NEWS 5

Water Accord - ‘business as usual’ PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE TARGETS in the Sustainable Dairying Water Accord are effectively becoming normal business practice for dairy farmers, says a DairyNZ director, Alister Body.

He made his comments at the release of a three year review of the accord, which covers a range of environmental targets dairy farmers are encouraged to achieve voluntarily. All dairy companies – except Westland which runs its own scheme -- support the targets, as do the regional councils, Federated Farmers and some other agrirelated organisations.

Body says the accord was agreed to and signed without a specific end date, but the signatories agreed to the three-year report on what has and has not been achieved.

On the plus side, the report states that 97% of dairy farms have

fenced waterways and nearly 100% of farms have bridges or culverts over streams where cows cross. It says dairy companies have assessed all dairy farms for effluent systems and a dairy effluent warrant of fit-

Overall the report is a mixed bag, but there is commitment from DairyNZ and the other parties to achieve the targets set out in the accord.

It is uncertain how this will be achieved.

Body says in the early

“In difficult country where streams flood regularly you can’t simply put up a permanent or semi-permanent fence.” ness scheme is available to farmers. The target of having new dairy farm conversions comply with environmental standards has been achieved on time.

However, a plan to exclude stock from wetlands has not been achieved and the target to have about half of dairy farms put in place a riparian management plan is only half achieved. Also not completed on time is a plan to have nutrient management data collected from all farms.

days some of the targets were seen as a stretch for farmers, but he reckons this has now changed.

“Dairy farmers are expected to do these things on a day to day basis,” he told Rural News. “If you look at the way regional councils and planning procedures are going, the movement is for each farm to have an environmental management plan.

“Those plans are all the things we are talking about such as fencing, bridges and nutrient

DairyNZ director Alister Body.

management; so really we think the future for this accord is going to be quite different.”

Body would prefer to see something more high level and strategic, and not applying only to dairy farmers, but to all farmers. One of the concerns he and others have raised is the need for accurate national data on significant non-compliance by

dairy farms. The problem is that regional councils have different systems that make it hard to get fair comparisons.

The report shows that of the major dairy regions, Taranaki has by

far the lowest incidence of significant non-compliance – a mere 0.8%.

Conversely, Waikato is 10% and Northland 14%.

Others such as Bay of Plenty and Canterbury are about 5% and the

West Coast just 2.5%.

While these results are likely to draw protest from some quarters, Body says it’s important to get accurate data so the industry knows where it stands. He says the good news is that, in general, farmers are moving towards good management practice and farm environmental plans and farmers will be audited on these.

On the issue of not all waterways being fenced, Body believes this is due to the terrain of some parts of farms and regular flooding.

“In difficult country where streams flood regularly you can’t simply put up a permanent or semi-permanent fence,” he explains. “There are places where Waratahs will get washed away in floods.”

MINISTER PRAISES EFFORT SPEAKING AT the release of the accord document, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy applauded the efforts of dairy farmers in improving environmental standards on their farms.

He noted the Water Accord was a voluntary project led by the industry to improve farming practices and water quality.

“A range of targets have been achieved, including stock exclusion from 26,197km of measured waterways – the equivalent of Auckland to

Chicago and back again,” Guy says.

“Dairy farmers deserve credit for the leadership they have shown in recent years. There has been a major reduction in pollution entering our lakes and rivers from dairy sheds, factories and town effluent systems.”

Guy believes new technology will help farmers deal with some of the challenges they now face. He says despite what some people say, dairy farmers are committed to achieving good environmental outcomes.

“I am a farmer myself and I want to

leave my land in a better state for my children and ultimately my grandchildren,” he says.

But Guy warned farmers that with new technology – such as smartphones – they are always in the spotlight and need to meet consumer expectations.

To get this point across, on the day the report was released, DairyNZ arranged to have four cameras set up on a dairy farm in the Waikato and this was streamed live on the internet.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

6 NEWS

Fert co-op boss urges farmers to use less and produce more SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

NOT MANY chief executives would happily advocate for sales of their products to go down, but Greg Campbell, head of the fertiliser co-op Ravensdown, wants just that.

“It’s very unusual for a chief executive to say that, but my passion would be for us to use less nitrogen, phosphorous and sulphur while maintaining or improving our productivity,” Campbell told Rural News.

“The challenge is to how to use less [of these] in our eco system and maintain or enhance productivity -- making sure that as a country we protect our real brand.

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“I see us very much fitting in that game; not many chief executives are happy to see their top line reduce because if [that happens] the cost to our customers and shareholders goes down -- they are not using much of our products.”

Campbell points out that Ravensdown, started 40 years by a group of South Island farmers, is no longer just an importer and seller of fertiliser; its business units include animal health, agri chemicals, seeds and its star performer -- environmental consultancy.

“The really big part of our business now is our environmental consultancy; we consult and protect the social licence to operate for farmers,”

Ravensdown chief executive Greg Campbell outside the company’s new office.

says Campbell.

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“If we become an input based system like Europe then there’s not really an opportunity for New Zealand farmers to innovate; everyone then gets put in the same box, everyone wants the same productivity outcomes.

“We know Kiwi farmers are innovative and they don’t want that.”

Campbell says the response from farmer shareholders to Ravensdown’s environmental consultancy has been fantastic. The consultants talk to regional councils on behalf of farmers and help them through regulatory challenges or consent requirements.

“Our farmers are saying to us, ‘we want your help here… collectively help us because

we can’t do this individually’,” Campbell says.

“Farming is now in a goldfish bowl.”

Fertiliser can been seen in two ways: if misused it can become a polluter but if used correctly with science it becomes an enabler.

“What we are really about, frankly, is our challenge as an organisation: we want to minimise the use of our products while optimising productivity; that’s our challenge.

Campbell is confident Ravensdown is leading the way in helping farmers tackle environmental issues.

“We now have the biggest environmental consultancy in agriculture in NZ; we are still recruiting and that’s our future.”

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

NEWS 7

Iran meat trade is back PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE FIRST New Zealand lamb to be sent to Iran in 25 years will be cut and packed into containers at the Wellington meat processing company of Taylor Preston later this week.

Company chief executive, Simon Gatenby told Rural News it had taken nearly a year to get the deal off the ground, but says the trial shipment of three containers (about 60 tonnes) may be the start of a long term relationship with the Iranian customer.

In the 1980s, Iran was a big importer of NZ meat, helping the country out of hole when sheepmeat access to the European Union was restricted. But over time the Iranian market faded. Now Taylor Preston’s hard work has breathed life back into a market that is a traditional consumer of sheepmeat.

“I have been in the meat industry something like 30 years and I remember processing a lot of our product for Iran,” Gatenby says.

“When China started taking a big

Taylor Preston’s Simon Gatenby.

volume it was important to look for something for a bit of a balance. We like China and we sell a lot there, but meat processing in NZ requires having access to all markets all the time because you never know in the

world of geopolitics whether you will be able to export to a market or not, for example Russia.”

Taylor Preston sells meat to at least 50 markets and Gatenby says adding Iran to the list helps reduce the risk

of becoming dependent on a single market.

He says while Iran is a good candidate for NZ lamb because it is a traditional sheepmeat eating country, it is logistically and operationally hard.

That’s why a lot of people have waited for it to get easier to secure an agreement to sell there.

Putting the deal together wasn’t easy and required a lot of patience, he says.

“The main sticking point was a standoff between the Iranians’ requirement that whilst you’re processing for them in NZ you must have two supervisors from Iran on your plant – a veterinary supervisor and a religious supervisor.

“They have that requirement for all countries that export to them. MPI and the Iranian Veterinarian Office spent a fair bit of time at an impasse on that issue.”

Eventually, MPI decided it would negotiate all aspects of the agreement but leave the supervision issue to be determined by the exporter and importer and that worked out.

The three containers in the trial shipment will be frozen carcases with an average weight of 17kg cut six ways into primals.

“It’s a nice easy specification to start with and we are pretty sure we will be doing more sophisticated specifications pretty soon,” Gatenby adds.

“Our customer has expressed an interest in chilled lamb and we are keen to discuss that when he is here this week when we are processing the meat.”

The three 40 foot containers are a good number for a first up arrangement, he says. Assuming the trial is successful the arrangement will be expanded.

Gatenby says Taylor Preston’s relative smallness means it can dedicate time to see through such a project. The disadvantage, he accepts, is that being small sometimes makes it hard to do large volumes.

“Taylor Preston was the first into Brazil with NZ lamb and mutton and now it’s first back into Iran,” he says. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

8 NEWS

Event manager carves out dairy career niche SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

THE FIRST solo woman winner of the Dairy Manager of the Year title, Hayley Hoogendyk, hopes to be a role model for others switching to a career in farming.

Hoogendyk (28) left her job as an events manager and took up dairy farming five years ago.

In March she won the Manawatu Dairy Manager of the Year competition; earlier this month she was crowned the national winner at the Dairy Industry Awards final in Auckland.

Hoogendyk told Rural News she had not expected to win.

“I had a good feeling about the regional finals but winning the national title was not on my mind. It proves that young people switching to a career in dairying can succeed; I hope I will be a good role model for other young people.”

Hoogendyk is the farm manager for Te Paratai Farms Ltd, on Roger

and Noelene Taylor and Nigel Taylors 220ha, 600 cow property in Rongotea.

Her aim is to progress to lower order sharemilking in June 2019 and continue to increase the size of her herd.

“Ultimately, I see myself overseeing multiple farms, and employing young people, to give them their first opportunity,” she says.

“I would also like to have first-time managers and contract milkers so I can support them and help them learn and embrace new opportunities. Human resources is an area I enjoy.”

The contest judges describe Hoogendyk as a “quiet achiever”.

“She has an all-round solid approach to the way she manages the farm she is working on. Her staff management was exceptional and her ability to set tasks and achieve targets were all linked to her people management skills,” the judges said.

“She’s a young woman managing a team of men and does well motivating them to perform at a very high

level. Her team hold her in high regard and there is a great team culture. She understands all the different personalities of her staff and how they fit with each other.”

The 2017 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year, Clay Paton, encouraged young people to join the industry. He says he will use his win as a stepping stone to bigger and better roles in the industry.

The judges described Paton as focused on his career goals and a passionate advocate for the industry.

He has a bright future ahead of him, says dairy trainee head judge Andrew Reid from DairyNZ. “He has a clear balance between his work priorities and life and family balance. He is very driven but has a strong community focus and an awareness of the issues the industry will be facing in years to come.

“Clay is family-orientated and wants a healthy and fun lifestyle for his young children. He sees the dairy industry as a way to progress his career

Hayley Hoogendyk

and reach his life goals, and his goals of farm ownership must be right for the family.”

Paton got a standing ovation at the awards night for a video he made with his friend about his entry into the dairy industry and his future plans.

“He had a strong interview with the judges and is very articulate. He had a good general knowledge as well

as applied farm knowledge,” says Reid.

“A standout about Clay was his passion for the dairy industry. He believes that to be successful you have to fall in love with your work, and Clay definitely loves his work.”

Christopher and Siobhan O’Malley, Canterbury, were named the 2017 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year (see story page 27).

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

NEWS 9

Fonterra facing Aussie backlash SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FONTERRA IS facing a backlash in Australia over its decision not to repay money clawed back from farmer suppliers this season.

An online petition calling for a boycott of Fonterra products is gaining momentum on the change.org website; by last Tuesday 18,198 people had signed.

The petition was launched by southwest Victorian farmer Karrinjeet Singh-Mahil, who says that in May last year Fonterra dropped its milk price by 70%; farmers who had already been paid higher advance rates had to pay back the co-op via a ‘support loans’ package.

Australia’s largest dairy processor Murray Goulburn also slashed its

payout and clawed back money via a ‘milk supply support package’. However, this month MG said it would repay money paid by existing and retiring suppliers under the clawback scheme, in a move to stem a massive fall in supply.

But Fonterra won’t follow suit, instead announcing a forecast 2017-18 milk price of A$5.30-$5.70/kgMS. It will also make an extra monthly payment of A40c/kgMS to all current, retired and recommencing suppliers affected by the clawback.

Singh-Mahil says in her online petition that Fonterra’s decision to slash the milk price had put many farmers out of business.

“Others had to sell cows to pay bills; many are still in terrible financial straits and cannot

afford to buy daily necessities such as food or fuel.

“Fonterra said recently it will take the money it stole from farmers in May and June 2016 to try

Butter, Anchor milk and cream, Perfect Italiano cheese, Mainland cheese and Woolworths homebrand milk.”

But the company rep-

dairy.

“We farmers need timely and clear price information to plan ahead. Fonterra is first to provide a closing fore-

Disgruntled Aussie farmers want consumers to boycott Fonterra products.

to bolster their milk price in 2017-18 so that they attract more farmers to supply them.”

She is urging consumers to “send them a clear message they need to pay everyone back”.

“Leave their products on the supermarket shelves: Western Star

resenting Fonterra milk suppliers in Australia is supporting the co-op.

Bonlac Supply Co chair Tony Marwood says the forecast closing price range, and the A40 cent payment, show Fonterra is listening to farmers and is trying to rebuild confidence in Australian

cast price range for next season and this… is helping us budget with certainty,” says Marwood.

“We have been working with Fonterra on what Murray Goulburn’s decision to forgive its milk supply support payment loan package means for Fonterra’s Austra-

lian suppliers, and the most appropriate way to respond.

“Fonterra will pay an extra A40c/kgMS on top of its milk price for next season to all current, retired and recommencing suppliers.

“The BSC knows we had to be fair and equitable for all our farmers, understanding that many farmers made different decisions at the end of last season to suit their businesses.

“With the additional payment being available on next season’s production it gives our farmers the opportunity to get more out of it if they wish to grow.

“It also puts money in farmers’ hands almost immediately to assist with cashflow.”

Bonlac is working with Fonterra on a more transparent milk price, and we

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look forward to communicating that soon, Marwood says.

“The last twelve months have been difficult for all farmers, and today’s announcement is a step towards helping restore confidence in our industry,” says Marwood.

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria says Fonterra’s decision not to reimburse farmers who switched processors during the upheaval last year is a worry.

“Fonterra… is taking steps to provide a more stable commercial environment for its farmers by providing an indicative forecast for the season’s milk price,” UDV president Adam Jenkins says. “But nothing has been done to address the heartache caused to many farmers who bore the burden of management decisions last year.”

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

10 NEWS

Disagreement over quad safety MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

THE ISSUE of death or serious injury from quad crashes never seems far from the headlines.

With four deaths in the farming sector so far this year -- two quadrelated fatalities in South Canterbury in the last two weeks -- WorkSafe New Zealand has recently spoken up about when it is acceptable to carry a passenger on such vehicles. Its statement -- referred to as a ‘clarification’ -- follows lengthy talks with Federated Farmers, Beef + Lamb NZ and Dairy NZ. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act of 2015, persons running a business such as a farm must identify and manage risks arising from that work as far as reasonably practicable.

Worksafe NZ’s document ‘Acceptable circumstance to carry passengers on quad bikes’ has raised the hackles of the Motor Industry Association (MIA), which believes the WorkSafe advice flies in the face of the industry code of practice as agreed by member companies in January 2016.

WorkSafe’s position is unchanged: it insists that single seat quads should not normally be used to carry passengers. Doing so increases the risk of accident by making the vehicle more unstable, harder to control and

more likely to roll over.

However, WorkSafe appears to have bowed to the industry’s lobbying which claims that the humble quad is the only ‘real’ means of getting people around a farm in many cases, as typified on a large-scale, high country property.

First up, says Worksafe, farmers and landowners should select a vehicle that is safest to do the job. But it knows many users do carry passengers and now suggests they do so only after thoroughly assessing whether there is a practical alternative, considering availability of alternative vehicles, terrain and rider and passenger capabilities. The integrity of this assessment is likely to be critical in the event of any investigation should anything go wrong and result in serious injury or death, Worksafe says.

“We have modified our stance based on the 2014 regulations that say you must not,” says Al McCone, sector leader for agriculture. “The onus is now on the owner, manager or person in charge to make a considered decision based on the individual situation, and the risks likely to be encountered.

“We understand that the practice is happening on farms as we speak,

Worksafe NZ’s Al McCone.

and we need to create a cultural change that sees users thoroughly assessing risk [whereby] we will see [fewer] accidents” In contrast, the MIA, which represents the importers and distributors of quads, has thrown up its hands in dismay at the recent WorkSafe statement. Chief executive David Crawford says MIA believes there is never an acceptable time or situation when passengers should be carried on a machine designed and engineered to carry one person.

He claims it is irresponsible for a government department to contradict manufacturers on what is and is not acceptable use of the products they produce.

The industry group issued a code of practice applying to all quads and side-by-sides (SxS) sold in NZ by its members, which came into force in January 2016.

In a letter to the Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety, Michael

Recent changes to quad bike safety rules have bike makers and farming groups at odds.

Woodhouse, Crawford has urged the government to withdraw this advice immediately and revert to the previous

best practice guidelines, because not doing so materially increases the risk of injury.

He further com-

mented “the health and safety of users is far too important to be marginalised by shoddy government policy”.

No further information has been received from the minister’s department as Rural News goes to press.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

12 NEWS

Focus on the consumer – farmer PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

IN TEN years, red meat production will start with the consumer and we need to look now at what the consumer will be wanting, says the general manager of Whangara Farms, Richard Scholefield.

“There is a big push for grass-fed quality beef and lamb. That is what the consumer is wanting now…. It is just going to increase.

“They want that product, that beef and lamb, to be sustainably farmed…. You’ve got to look after your environment.”

Scholefield said this on a panel at a Northland Genetics Showcase Day at Landcorp Kapiro Station, near Kerikeri.

The panel was challenged with outlining where the sector would be in 2027.

He said news media content is today damaging not only dairy, but sheep and beef farming.

“We must be mindful of that; we must be environmentally conscious and environmentally aware how we farm and what we are producing.”

He says cow efficiency is important to Whangara Farms.

“Our cows have to be efficient to produce the product.”

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Profitability is the big thing. “If we are not profitable then we are not going to be able to make the changes to produce better product. The market has to reward us for what we produce.”

He forsees a lot more use of genomics for both sheep and beef.

Heifer selectors are

Background WHANGARA FARMS is a partnership between two Maori incorporations – Pakarae and Whangara B5.

This has created a substantial farming operation leading the way for Maori land-based businesses.

The partnership runs 75,000 stock units including 35,000 Romney/Coopworth ewes and 6000 cattle including 2000 Angus and Angus X breeding cows.

Richard Scholefield was appointed general manager in 2006 after 18 years working in agriculture in NZ, US and UK. During that time he managed sheep and beef farms for 14 years, seven of those with various Maori incorporations.

used overseas. “Wouldn’t it be amazing to take a DNA snip out of a heifer calf at calf marking then identify your best heifers. That is your tool… you can cull the rest and focus on [the best].”

Scholefield says he feels likes the squeaking wheel in respect of the DNA technology, which he has seen overseas and thinks New Zealand could use.

He forsees much more use of EBVs (estimated breeding values), which “can really increase productivity in sheep and cattle”.

Scholefield wants to see more movement towards niche marketing

rather than commodities.

“We are still commodity trading, still producing into the commodity market; whereas I see huge potential with our grass-fed story, our New Zealand story and NZ Inc.” He can see these feeding into niche markets and would “like to see a lot more collaboration, between breeds, between countries, all the industry”.

“We are fighting for the same markets amongst ourselves all the time and they are not very big; if there was more collaboration we could be a lot more profitable.”

TOUGH GETTING GOOD STAFF RICHARD SCHOLEFIELD sounds a warning about the present need to attract people into farming.

“We need to start making changes today so that in 10 years we have people here to run our farms.

“When you try to employ shepherds or others to work for you – there is a shortage out there,” he says.

“You don’t see people getting into the industry. Look at the average age of the farmer in New Zealand -- it is something like 58; in 10 years it will be 68 unless we start making changes today to get more people into the industry.”

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

14 NEWS

Top dairy woman says industry must ponder its future PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

A MAJOR issue facing the dairy industry is “how much to grow,” says the 2017 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year, Jessie Chan-Dorman.

“What is a sustainable growth aspiration for our industry? [We need to] actually put a stake in the ground about what sustainable growth looks like,” Chan-Dorman told Rural News.

“That conversation [is needed] not just among ourselves but – like it or not – with all the wider parties, the New Zealand public, who have an interest in where the dairy industry is heading.

“We talk about markets and, yes, we need to assure our markets that

Jessie Chan-Dorman

our products are safe and grown in an environmentally friendly and animal

welfare friendly way.

That’s true.

“But our bigger chal-

lenge at the moment is at home with the NZ public – having an open conversation about what our aspirations are and how we can get there for the good of the whole of NZ.” Chan-Dorman, a Fonterra shareholders’ councillor, won the coveted Dairy Woman of the Year title earlier this month.

She is director of Ashburton Trading Society and is a Fonterra shareholder representing farms in Rakaia. She is also on the Holstein Friesian NZ external affairs committee and a member of the Institute of Directors and New Zealand Asian Leaders.

She has always been broadly in the agriculture sector, but started in desk jobs. She grew up in Palmerston North and

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graduated in applied science (now called ag science) Massey University, majoring in ruminant nutrition.

Her first job out of school was at the Fonterra research institute (formerly Dairy Research Institute). Declining a suggestion to study food technology she instead chose the animal and biology side of agriculture.

After graduating she worked at the Ministry of

Agriculture and Fisheries and spent about 10 years in Wellington in desk jobs related to the ag sector such as policy or looking after R&D programmes.

Her first job there was in biosecurity with imports and exports of live animals.

She was the chair of the first-ever Wellington Young Farmers Club, there meeting her husband Hayden.

They took a sharemilking job in Canterbury eight

years ago, introducing her to actually living on a farm. They now lease that 420ha dairy farm in Dorie, near Rakaia, mid Canterbury.

They are both handson, running the farm business together, with just under 1000 pedigree Holstein Friesian cows, with split calving and winter milking.

“It is a good challenge for us.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

GIVING BACK IMPORTANT CHAN-DORMAN SAYS her involvement in many organisations is about giving back.

Arriving in Canterbury, she got her first leadership role -- policy manager for Federated Farmers. She was asked to join and be a delegate, becoming sharemilkers’ chair in Canterbury and sharemilkers’ national vice-chair. That led to Fed’s dairy chair for mid Canterbury then joining the national dairy executive.

“From there – this is the wonderful thing about the industry – I got a lot of upskilling and leadership training.” She took part in Kellogg’s Rural Leadership Course, travelling to China to look at their primary industries. She also went through the Fonterra governance development programme.

“There are great opportunities in the ag sector to upskill yourself and those upskilling opportunities led to other positions such as becoming a director of the Ashburton Trading Society and Ruralco which is the brand face of ATS.” She joined the Fonterra shareholders council recently. “It has been a journey; it always starts with a small seed and grows.”

She is open to where it takes her now.

Her son Adam is four so Chan-Dorman is conscious of needing to spend precious moments with him; but in this day and age it is possible to do both, she says.

Hayden and the Dorrie community are very supportive. She will step down from

Feds in June and continue with Ruralco and the ATS board.

She has spent eight years in Feds and “it is time to let someone else come up through the ranks”.

“We should grow ourselves and commit to serving in different positions but we must also be conscious that at some point we’ve got to step back to let others grow and come through.

“When I was in Wellington in a desk job I never imagined where I would be; I went from living in an apartment in Cuba St and walking to work on The Terrace to living in Dorie. I never imagined I would be living in Dorie and dairy farming with Hayden, but it has been a great part of the journey and there is still plenty to come.”

She hopes as Dairy Woman of the Year she will be able to help inspire other young leaders coming through and keep giving back and growing her knowledge. There is a great opportunity with the $20,000 scholarship prize to undertake a professional/business development programme.

“There is an old saying ‘the more you learn the more you realise how little you know’. I am always eager to learn more.”

Chan-Dorman is a member of the Institute of Directors and New Zealand Asian Leaders, and has been in DairyNZ, Environment Canterbury, the Land Use Futures Board, Land and Water Forum and Ballance AgriNutrients as a judge for its farm environment awards.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

NEWS 15

Report reviews dairy lineup’s revenues PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THE REVENUE range/ kgMS of New Zealand’s dairy companies is remarkably wide – from Tatua’s $18.58 to Fonterra’s commodity return of $5.81 – says a new report on the dairy industry.

‘New Zealand Dairy Companies Review’, published in April by TDB Advisory (TDB), reviews the performance of Fonterra’s milk processing competitors in NZ, the four that make their financial reports public – OCD, Synlait, Tatua and Westland. Each is a major company in its own right.

The revenue range reflects the differing strategies of the various companies, TDB says.

Among Fonterra’s competitors Tatua is recognised as having a strong focus on high-value ingredient products while Open Country Dairy (OCD) has a strong focus on commodity products, TDB says. In between are Synlait, with its specialty ingredient businessto-business strategy, and Westland which produces both commodity products and consumer products.

Tatua has invested more than any of the other companies to generate higher sales per kgMS, while OCD has invested the least, TDB says. However, revenue generated per kgMS is only part of the consideration and doesn’t reconcile with profitability.

TDB’s figures show OCD as the lowest-cost operator at $2.35/kgMS while Tatua is the highest at $11.26. Synlait’s operating costs are $4.51/kgMS and Westland’s $5.57.

The report says the industry and various commentators have for many years referred to the possibility of growing the value-added component of milk sales, but that might be difficult.

“Fonterra processes over 1.5 billion kgMS in NZ and if the co-op was to manufacture a similar product mix to Tatua, even if it could, it would require an extra investment of over $7b in fixed assets (to at least double its current investment in NZ plant and equipment).

“This would equate to

an additional investment of about $675,000 per farmer-shareholder, with no guarantee of success.

Operating costs will be lower for the commodity processors but there is not enough public information for us to make direct comparisons,” the report says.

While Fonterra remains the dominant processor in NZ, its share of ‘new’ milk is estimated to be two thirds, the report says.

“Their respective amounts of new committed processing investment and access to capital indicate the competing companies are likely to continue to grow faster than Fonterra.” Fonterra’s market share could fall from 84% to 79% over the next five years.

TDB estimates the combined value of the assets of Fonterra’s competitors is at least $2b and their revenue exceeds $2.5b.

With combined annual sales of about $2.3b (for 2016), the four companies collectively account for 90% (by milk volume) of the milk processed by Fonterra’s competitors in NZ. The report says Fonterra’s competitors have grown their milk volumes by about 10% on average over the last five years: OCD has growth of 10%, Synlait 7%, Westland 6%, Tatua 4%, Miraka an estimated 10% and Oceania an estimated 15%.

Other growth points to note include: • Synlait’s September 2016 capital raising and news of a $300m capital expansion project over three years • OCD’s recent news that it is preparing to build a new powder plant at Horotiu, Waikato, for the start of the 2018-19 dairy season. It will have capacity for 250m L of milk, an increase of 20% on 2016 volumes • Oceania’s intention to triple in size to 630m L by 2019. The report notes that its catchment area includes the Hunter Downs irrigation scheme, whose construction is expected to markedly increase milk volumes on farms • Westland’s current performance review indi-

cating a lower cost structure.

The report says if the annualised industry growth in milk volumes over the next five years is (as Fonterra and DairyNZ expects) in the 2-3% range and Fonterra’s competitors maintain their 10% growth rate, their market share will

increase from the current 16% to 21%.

Oceania, Yashili and Miraka were not covered in detail in the report.

It did not include Miraka because its financial statements are not public.

The report says Fonterra’s competitors have grown their milk volumes by an average of 10% over the last 5 years.

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

16 NEWS

Irrigation scheme still to proceed A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR irrigation scheme for South Canterbury will still go ahead despite falling short of its capitalraising target.

What form it will take is now being worked through with the contractor in a redesigned scheme to meet the demand from farmers who had committed through the share uptake, Hunter Downs Water (HDW) project manager Stacey Scott says.

The deadline for the uptake of water and development shares in the $195m scheme was on April 28, after its initial April 10 deadline was extended.

However, despite the shortfall in share uptake, HDW says it is committed to proceed with a redesigned scheme that will meet the demand.

“We are also engaging

last week’s meeting to register their interest so it could be taken into account for future planning.

A total 21,000 shares were available at one share/ha of irrigation, with a seasonal allowance of a maximum 2.65mm/ day through the season

from September to April or May. It was hoped that about 200 shareholders would subscribe to the scheme, designed for 161 water users with a maximum 214 offtakes.

Stage one construction was scheduled to start this month with a com-

missioning date of spring 2019. HDW proposed to use water from the Waitaki River to irrigate farmland between Timaru and Waimate.

The scheme received a $1.37m funding boost earlier in this year from Crown Irrigation Investments.

NZ farmers are ‘lovin’ it’ Andrew Fraser

to confirm the economic viability to reflect scale around the demand committed,” Scott says.

That, together with the next steps, was shared with the farmers who had backed the

scheme at a meeting planned last week.

HDW chairman Andrew Fraser says while the demand does not support the proposed 21,000ha scheme, there is strong support for an irri-

gation scheme that would further secure the future of farming and the economy of South Canterbury.

Farmers who had not yet committed, but who were still interested, were encouraged by HDW at

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It says it spent at least $150m on food with NZ businesses, many of which export to McDonald’s in other countries. In 2016, • 5.7 million kg of beef • 5.3m L dairy products $230m of NZ beef, (603,000kg Angus • 10.8m kg fries and cheese, fries and fish hash browns and 5.1m kg beef) was exported to other • 3.19m kg chicken • 19.7m kg potatoes McDonald’s markets.

• 805,000kg lettuce • 1.46m kg cheese “Most of the ingredi• 288,000kg tomatoes • 13.06m eggs ents we use in our menu • 99m buns, rolls, • 315,000kg hoki fish come from NZ,” says bagels and muffins • 100,000kg chicken. the NZ managing direc• 2.72m L fresh milk tor, Dave Howse.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

NEWS 17

Farming will cop environmental tsunami PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS is a “tsunami coming down on us,” says the sheep breeding programme manager for Focus Genetics, Richard Lee. Lee told a recent Northland Genetics Showcase Day at Landcorp’s Kapiro Station that he chose to hear an environmental talk at a recent conference – something he wouldn’t normally do – and “man, did I get a shake-up.”

He stressed that everything sheep and beef farmers do must take animal welfare into account. “This is a ship on the radar that is much closer than you think – particularly in connection with what we do onfarm.”

Beef + Lamb NZ chairman James Parsons told the audience that the environment is something the board spends a huge amount of time talking about.

“How do we stay on the front foot with this stuff? Our colleagues in

the dairy sector have been given a hard time and it is spilling over onto sheep and beef farmers as well.

“We have our issues we have got to work with; nitrates, thankfully, isn’t one of them. But E.coli, phosphates, sediment -we need to own those issues and do the right thing.

“One of the challenges we have in the environment space is our not being able to measure things easily at farm scale level.”

At catchment level we might know what we are doing, but it is not as clear what to do at farm level to make a big difference, Parsons says.

At farm level there needs to be methods of affordable monitoring in the same way we monitor liveweight gain in animals and get regular feedback loops. That is needed for water quality as well, “and then we can tell the story”.

With niche marketing, Parsons sees a need for emotional connection with consumers, to be able to tell farming’s story

SHEEP NUMBERS FALL DESPITE PRICE RISE SHEEP FARMING needs to become more competitive and there is “no silver bullet” for that, says Beef + Lamb NZ chairman James Parsons.

Some of the sheep loss had to happen, he told a Northland Genetics Showcase Day at Landcorp Kapiro Station, near Kerikeri.

“In the subsidy days we had 60 million sheep; we just couldn’t support that number,” he said in answer to a question on how to arrest the fall in sheep numbers.

“We need to make the industry more competitive and there is no silver bullet for that,” he says.

“We have done a lot of analysis of what has changed over the last few years. The data show prices have gone up over the last 10 years but it is volatile and has come off from four or five years ago.”

The 10 year trend price has gone up, so why are farmers not feeling more profitable?

“Productivity has peaked then dropped off because we have had more weather volatility, more adverse seasons,” he says.

“On top of that our costs have been going up faster than the price we have been getting. That has been eating away our returns.”

Three core things of profitability are basically how many kilos you produce, the price you get and the cost of producing those kilos. – Pam Tipa

in an authentic way.

“Become an industry of story tellers but have integrity behind our claims, which says ‘we are doing the right thing by the environment’.

“No one expects us to

be perfect. The NZ public and we ourselves are our own worst critics in a way; [we need to ensure] we are on a journey and that we are improving.

“If we can show we are getting our house

in order then they will respect that. If we sit there denying we have issues, that is not a great place to be.

“We just can’t have our heads in the sand,” Parsons concluded.

Richard Lee

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

18 NEWS

Pinpointing wilding pines paying off NIGEL MALTHUS

DEPARTMENT OF Conservation scientists are getting promising results from a pilot study aimed at pinpointing wilding pines from the air.

The method involves overflying an infested area in a fixed-wing plane carrying two cameras -one multi-spectral and one standard high-resolution. Computer analysis of the combined

images can then identify the pines by their spectral values.

It could lead to precision spraying of wilding pines from GPS-enabled helicopters.

DoC scientific offi-

cer Terry Greene says the project came out of his own long-time interest in aerial sensing, and it was “about time” the department took the plunge.

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DoC scientific officer Terry Greene (right), and geospatial analyst Ann De Schutter with a false-colour image of the area near Pukaki where their pilot study has been aimed at identifying wilding pines from the air. The monitor shows an area about 1.5km wide, with live pines in red and dead pine foliage in yellow. RURAL NEWS GROUP

other countries and other organisations.”

The study was done on a 332ha rectangular block on a farm near Pukaki in the Mackenzie Basin.

Greene says it’s believed to be the first time the method has been used in New Zealand and the results look extremely promising. “We can find very small pine trees, in that sort of environment, at least.”

The project grew out of work Greene did with Hugh Robinson of Canterbury Aviation, who operates a Cessna aircraft with a vertical photography port in the rear fuselage. They successfully assessed wild bird populations using a standard high-resolution digital SLR camera.

For the wilding pines project, the plane was modified with a second port and a second camera supplied by a West Australian company specialising in multi-spectral photography for precision agriculture. That camera uses a system of filters to record at four discrete wavelengths.

Flying a computer-calculated flight plan over the ground, the cameras automatically record an overlapping mosaic of images which are later combined.

Showing off the resulting 3GB files, DoC geospatial analyst Ann De Schutter demonstrated how the pines could be detected by their spectral characteristics. Falsecolour representations showed live pines in red

and dead pine foliage in yellow, both standing out from a monochrome background.

Greene says the project sought to answer two questions, “Are we identifying pines and not a whole heap of other stuff like briar and grass and everything else? And what is the smallest size we can detect for a given altitude?

“Obviously, we pleased there’s such a difference between living pines and dead ones. When you image it like that, it sticks out.

“The end game for all this is that we devise a tool such that this spatial information is plugged into a GPS onboard a helicopter with a boom spray apparatus. They fly directly to these trees, they spray them, the action of hitting the spray trigger changes the colour of those pixels to something to show they’re done, then it’s on to the next one -- instead of just randomly wandering across the landscape chewing up a lot of money on helicopters trying to find things.”

Greene says it could be very valuable in areas where the “infection front” of wilding pines is advancing, with a few very small trees scattered widely.

“We can direct them to places with very low densities of small trees that can turn into problems later.”

Greene reports interest from MPI, ECan and LINZ.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

NEWS 21

Top Maori farmers centre stage Later this week, the winner of the Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Maori sheep and beef farm will be named at a gala awards dinner in Whangarei.

Each of the three finalists has showcased their properties at field days.

Peter Burke reports on the last two, one in Wairarapa, the other in the central North Island.

THE FIELD day at Puketawa Station, owned by Ron and Justine (Buzz) King, near Eketahuna, in northern Wairarapa, drew about 150 people.

The couple bought the 1108ha (917 eff.) sheep and beef farm in 2013 and have since progressively upgraded the infrastructure and improved the pastures and stock genetics.

The farm runs 4369 sheep, which includes 2585 mixed age ewes and 845 two-tooths; cattle numbers stand at 1740.

The Kings were able to buy the farm as a result of Ron and his three siblings -- all accomplished shearers -- pooling their financial resources in 2001 and buying Mangaroa Station, near Wairoa.

As a result of upgrading this farm, working hard and saving money, all now own their own farms.

Ron’s sister Nukuhia and her husband Bart

Hadfield, who now own Mangaroa Station, won the Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top sheep and beef farm in 2015.

Buzz King admits she was nervous at the start of the day, having to speak in front of a large

whenua trophy contest,” she told Rural News.

Ron says the strong work ethic and a disciplined approach has got them and their whanau where they are today.

“We had the same goal: all of us owning our

Ron’s sister Nukuhia and her husband Bart Hadfield, who now own Mangaroa Station, won the Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top sheep and beef farm in 2015. group, but in the end it wasn’t as bad as she expected. She says the key to their success is a strong work ethic, something she tries to instil in young people who come to work on the farm.

“Even if we don’t win we’ve learnt a lot and the amount of feedback we have had has been tremendous. You can’t image how humbling it is to be a part of the Ahu-

own farms; that’s a big part of our story. And we don’t do things for the ‘now’, we do things looking forward to the future because we want a sustainable business future generations of our whanau.”

The judges selected Ron and Buzz as finalists, praising their clear vision, commitment to repay debt, and business approach primar-

ily focused on increasing stock units by improving productivity. They noted the strong supportive whānau and the couple’s commitment to the local community.

The final field day saw another 150 people turn up to Pukepoto Farm Trust, near the tiny settlement of Ongarue, about 20 minutes north of Taumarunui. Most people understand Pukepoto to mean ‘little hill’, but in this case it means blue clay.

The farm is a typical hill country farm with high steep hills and gullies that drop down to feed the Ongarue and Ohura Rivers and ultimately the Whanganui River.

The property consists of 1400ha of which just over 1000ha are farmed.

About 100ha are covenanted under the Ngā Whenua Rāhui scheme.

Currently the property winters 6000 Romney

Puketawa Station’s Ron King speaking at the recent field day.

ewes and 300 mainly Angus cattle.

One trustee of Pukepoto, Weo Maag, says they were pleased with the turnout to the field day and he was chuffed at their positive feedback.

“There were excellent comments from people who know this farm and who know about farming; to get this sort of response is encouraging.

It’s been a busy time for us and our staff and we’re satisfied we gave it our best shot.”

The judges who

selected Pukepoto Farm Trust as a finalist say they were impressed with its collaborative approach to governance and its use of a mix of skills to full advantage. They also praised its financial management, setting of clear and simple key performance indicators and commitment to improving animal performance.

Ahuwhenua Trophy committee chairman Kingi Smiler says all three field days were professionally run and they applaud this effort. This

you would expect from three top-performing Māori sheep and beef farmers, he says. Now the judges have much to ponder as the awards dinner draws near (May 26).

Nearly 800 people are expected to attend the function – leading figures in national and local politics, Maori, agribusiness and whanau of the finalists. The Young Maori Farmer of the year will also be named. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

22 NEWS

Better genetics key to greater industry confidence – Parsons PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

CONFIDENCE PRECEDES investment, so if farmers are confident in the future and the information they are getting, they will invest, says Beef

The big question is how to increase that confidence?

“How do we have the right tools and get the information out to farmers so they are more confident to make those sorts of decisions?”

+ Lamb NZ chairman James Parsons.

“If we as farmers go to buy rams or bulls, if we are confident those numbers are real and we will get a return, we will be happy to pay more for those genetics,” he says.

Parsons was asked at the recent Northland Genetics Showcase Day, at Landcorp Kapiro Station, to look at where the industry would be in 10 years.

Parsons said he had sat on the BLNZ Genetics

board since it started. It is fully owned by farmers through BLNZ. “What exercises their minds a lot is what the future looks like and who are the guardians of the vision of where we are going in terms of genetics James Parsons

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in the country. We take that seriously.”

He said Romney breeder Gordon Levet had given a great presentation, talking about the balance between the numbers and structural soundness.

“There is no question we have flocks or individual rams that might have the numbers…. But they don’t have conformation.

“That can erode the confidence of farmers when they see something with great indexes but they wouldn’t want to breed from it because of the conformation aspects.”

Parsons says his vision would be to have indexes that not only cater for productivity traits, but also for things like structural soundness -- looking at conformation of feet, mouths and other faults.

He says in stud breeding, currently, you might use a two tooth ram that looks great, but in a year or two you regret using that animal across the flock.

“Longevity is another one... My view is that in 10 years we will have made big gains in that.

There is always a tension in trying to get genetic gain; you go with your youngest animal because it has high genetic merit.

But how do you know they will actually last?

You don’t until they have been around for a few years and had a few daughters.

“At the moment we have quite crude tools to understand that, depending on whether the ram or daughters are still around further down the track; but you made those important decisions much earlier.

“We have genomic predictors…. It would be great to have some tools

for longevity.”

When you buy animals now as commercial farmers you generally base it on condition and what they look like, Parsons said. If you have done your homework you might look at the genetic background on the stud breeder but there is still variation within a stud flock.

How do you know the genetic merit of those animals?

“A lot of stock are sold through saleyards and even in paddock sales, and there is little knowledge about their genetic make-up.”

His vision is to have a breeding worth for commercial animals; so for instance you may pay for a line of two tooth ewes which may look a bit harsh because of the environment they came out of, but will give a greater return.

The farmer will be rewarded for having made those genetics decisions.

“That spans not only sheep but also cattle and I think there is a real opportunity. It comes back to confidence: if we have confidence in the data and we get more information on some of those structure things, we can make big strides as an industry.

“All this takes infrastructure and that is what BLNZ Genetics is about. BLNZ Genetics doesn’t own genetics or sell genetics; all it does is create an infrastructure by which people can make genetics decisions.

“BLNZ Genetics looks at how to take loads of data and turn it into information so farmers can make wise decisions.

That’s for the breeding community as well as their commercial clients.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

24 MARKETS & TRENDS L amb - PM 16.0kg

BEEF PRICES

LAMB PRICES n/c

Last Week 5.65

M 2 B ull - 300kg

n/c

5.55

5.55

5.40

Change

c/kgCWT NI

P 2 Steer - 300kg

2 Wks A go 5.65

Last Year 5.40

S te e r - P2 300kg

n/c

5 .6 5

n/c

5 .5 0

P 2 Co w - 230kg

n/c

4.30

4.30

4.40

B u ll - M2 300kg

n/c

5 .5 5

n/c

5 .1 5

M Co w - 200kg

n/c

4.25

4.25

4.30

Ve n is o n - AP 60kg

n/c

8 .4 0

n/c

8 .6 0

Lo cal Trade - 230kg

n/c

5.60

5.60

5.30

n/c

5.50

5.50

5.20

M 2 B ull - 300kg

n/c

5.15

5.15

4.90

P 2 Co w - 230kg

n/c

3.95

3.95

3.75

M Co w - 200kg

n/c

3.95

3.95

3.65

Lo cal Trade - 230kg

n/c

5.50

5.50

5.25

P 2 Steer - 300kg

5.5

Slaughter

5.0

6.5

10-A pr

10-Jun

10-A ug

South Island 16kg M lamb price

$/kg

5.0

5yr Ave 6.0

10-Jun

10-A ug

Last Ye ar

This Ye ar

North Island 300kg bull price

$/kg

5yr Ave

South Island Weekly Cattle Kill

10-Jun

10-A ug

South Island 300kg steer price

5yr Ave

10-A ug This Ye ar

10-Jun

10-A ug

South Island 60kg stag price

Last Year 212 684

5yr A ve 202 624

8.0 7.5 7.0 10-A pr 5yr Ave

10-Jun Last Ye ar

This Ye ar

10-A ug

700

10 Nov

14 Jul This Ye ar

n/c

2 Wks A go 6

Last Year 5

-0

9

9

9

5yr A ve 6 9

Export demand indicator - UK CKT leg

500

13 Apr

13 Jun

13 Aug

Procurement Indicator

150 $1.50 13-Feb 13-A pr 13-Jun 13-A ug 5-Jun 12-Jun 19-Jun 26-Jun 3-Jul 10-Jul 17-Jul 24-Jul 31-Jul 7-Aug 14-Aug 21-Aug 28-Aug 4-Sep 11-Sep 18-Sep 25-Sep 9-Oct 16-Oct 23-Oct 30-Oct 6-Nov 13-Nov 20-Nov 5yr ave Last Ye ar This Ye ar

Procurement Indicator -0 +0

2Wks A go 74.3 69.0

% Returned NI

0.0

2Wks A go 75.8

% Returned SI

0.0

73.3

Change

This Year

3 Wks A go 74.6 68.6

Last Year 77.1 69.9

5yr A ve 74.9 68.3

P rocu rement Indicator Procurement Indicator -- North North I.Island 95 90% 85% 80% 75 75% Last Year 70% This Year 65% 60% 55 0…

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2…

3…

3…

10-Feb 10-A pr 10-Jun 10-A ug

Procurement Indicator - South Island

8.5

$/kg

3 Wks A go 234 750

14 May Last Ye ar

Last Week 6

NZc/kg

% of export returns

$/kg $/kg

7.0

6.5 10-Feb

2 Wks A go 237 762

10 Oct

14 Mar

Change

300 13 Feb

% Returned NI % Returned SI

7.5

10 Sep

5yr Ave

UK Leg p/kg

Export indicator - US 95CL D edemand mand Indicator - US 95CL Beefbeef

Change

8.0

9.0

+3 +12

North Island 60kg stag price

10-A pr

k 10 0Aug

Export Market Demand

This Year

USc/lb 10-Jun Last Ye ar

S outh Island Weekly Lamb Kill

400 200k

10-Oct14-May10-Nov 14-Jul Last Ye ar This Ye ar

Last Year

8.5

6.5 10-Feb

Last Year

14-Mar 10-Sep 5yr Ave

$2.00

10-A pr 5yr Ave

10 Nov14 Jul

South Island w eekly lamb kill

500 250k

14 Jan

$2.50 200

4.5

This Year

10 Oct 14 May

50k 100

95CL USc/lb NZc/kg 250 $3.00

Last Year

10 14 SepMar

100k 200

Change

10-A pr

5yr Ave

k 0 10 14 Aug Jan

300 150k

Export Market Demand

5.0

9.0

10-Dec 14-Jul

S outh Island Weekly Cattle Kill

0 k 14-Jan 10-Aug

5.5

4.0 10-Feb

This Year

90 P rocu rement Indicator - South I. 85% 80% 75% 70 70% 65% Last Year 60% This Year 50 10-Feb 10-A pr 10-Jun 10-A ug 55% 19-Jun 26-Jun 3-Jul 10-Jul 17-Jul 24-Jul 31-Jul 7-Aug 14-Aug 21-Aug 28-Aug 4-Sep 11-Sep 18-Sep 25-Sep 16-Oct 23-Oct 30-Oct 6-Nov 13-Nov 20-Nov 0-Jan 5yr ave Last Ye ar 9-Oct This Ye ar

% of export returns

6.0

Last Year

10-Sep 10-Oct 10-Nov 14-Mar 14-May

4.5 4.0 10-Feb

200

5k

5.0

North eekly lamb N ort hIsland Islandw Weekly Lambkill Kill

50k

20

10k 20

5.5

Last Year 5.01 5.03 5.05 5.06 2.40 4.93 4.93 4.93 4.93 2.30

100k

15k40

10-A pr

2 Wks A go 5.96 5.98 6.00 6.01 3.70 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 3.75

150k

k 0 10-Aug 14-Jan

5.5

n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c

Last Week 5.96 5.98 6.00 6.01 3.70 5.88 5.88 5.88 5.88 3.75

200k

40 20k

6.0

4.5 10-Feb

North N ort hIsland IslandWeekly Weekly Cattle Cattle Kill Kill

40k60

Thousand head

4.5 10-Feb

Change

Slaughter 250k 400

Thousand head

$/kg

6.0

Thousand head

6.5

North Island 16kg M lamb price

SI

c/kgCWT NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg P M - 16.0kg P X - 19.0kg P H - 22.0kg M utto n M X1 - 21kg SI Lamb YM - 13.5kg P M - 16.0kg P X - 19.0kg P H - 22.0kg M utto n M X1- 21kg

UKp/kg

c /kgCWT

S o u th Is lan d C h an g e L as t c /kg We e k n/c 5 .8 8

85 80%

3 Wks A go 75.8

Last Year 68.9

73.3

66.2

5yr A ve 70.4 67.0

Procurement P rocu rementindicator Indicator-- North North Island I.

% of export returns

No rth Is lan d C h an g e L as t c /kg We e k n/c 5 .9 8

LAMB MARKET TRENDS

75 70% 65 60%

Last Year

This Year

50% 55 11-Aug 10-Feb 11-Sep 11-Oct 10-A pr 11-Nov 11-Dec 10-Jun 11-Jan 11-Feb 10-A ug 75 80%

% of export returns

Me at

BEEF MARKET TRENDS

Thousand head

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Procurement indicator - South Island P rocu rement Indicator - South I.

70% 65 60% Last Y ear

This Year

50% 55 11-Aug 10-Feb 11-Sep 11-Oct 10-A pr 11-Nov 11-Dec 10-Jun 11-Jan 11-Feb 10-A ug 5yr ave Last Ye ar This Ye ar

Venison Prices NI Stag - 60kg

n/c

Last Week 8.40

SI Stag - 60kg

n/c

8.60

Change

2 Wks A go 8.40

Last Year 7.50

8.60

7.45

5yr A ve

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

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

MARKETS & TRENDS 25 PRICE WATCH

INTERNATIONAL BEEF: The lift in

cow kill has not yet resulted in a significant increase in cow meat offered to the US market. Low production to date has many processors packing to forward orders, but also with volumes of product not significant yet, processors appear to be biding their time before entering the

SHEEP: The lamb slaughter has

largely kept on the same path as recent weeks. There have been a few more lambs coming out of the woodwork, mostly bought about by the change in the weather. Competitive pressure is holding in the market and no-one is picking it to ease any time in the next few weeks unless winter arrives early and with a bang. Some shine is beginning to come off the North Island store lamb market. It's becoming more difficult for sellers to find new homes for their lambs, and they've had to decrease their price expectations to match this change. The South Island is more stable, though lighter types are losing a little appeal, common for this point in the season. There are very positive signals in the early in-lamb ewe sales. Some SIL ewes were making $160 in the Hawke’s Bay and RWR lines were making at least $120 through the South Island.

WOOL PRICE WATCH Indicators in NZc/kg

Overseas Wool Price Indicators

Change

11-May

04-May

Last Year

+2

367

365

569

Coarse Xbred

n/c

251

251

387

-2

269

271

396

+3

270

268

431

-

-

-

-

Coarse Xbred

Indicators in USc/kg

Fine Xbred

n/c

394

394

582

Fine Xbred

Lamb

+6

395

389

634

Lamb

-

-

-

-

Mid Micron

Wool indicator trends Wool Indicator Trends

850 700

Change

Mid Micron

11-May 04-May

Last Year

Fine crossbred indicator

700 CXI

750

FXI

LI

650 500

c/kg

market. The volume of cow meat offered will increase at some point. However with both domestic and imported supply expected to be tight in the short term and domestic demand exceptionally good, the amount of downside in the imported 90CL price may well be limited.

500

550 450 300 12-May 12-Jul 12-Sep 12-Nov 12-Jan 12-Mar WeekNo 42110 42124 42138 42152 42166 42180 42194 42208 42222 42236 42250 42264 42278 42292 42306 42320 42334 42348 42376 42390 42404 42418 42432 42446 42459

CXI

650700

FXI

300 9-Feb

LI

Coarse crossbred indicator Coarse Xbred Indicator Last Year

600

5yr ave

9-Apr

9-Jun Last Year

9-Aug This Year

Lamb wool indicator

800

This Year

600

550500

c/kg

inundated with cow right now. Backlogs are stretching back at least a week but more often than not exceed 10 days.

The central North Island is a little more booked up than the lower North Island.

South Island processors are also full with cows. Prime and local trade are largely tracking sideways. A bit of apprehension from the buying side of the market has taken the edge off store prices in the North Island. There is still a core of buyers that, while still seeking store cattle, are content to wait until the market cools to a more reasonable level for their budgets. Resistance is particularly evident in the weaner market, though more so for heavier types. The South Island store market is still ticking along nicely. Quite a few dairy cattle have been moving lately, with Friesian bulls finding good interest. Incalf cows have sold very well too.

c/kg

BEEF: North Island processors are

c/kg

NEWS

500 4503009-Feb Oct Dec

5yr ave

9-Apr Feb

Apr 9-Jun Jun Last Year

Aug 9-Aug This Year

400 200 9-Feb

9-Mar 5yr ave

9-Apr 9-May Last Year

9-Jun This Year

OUR INSIGHT. YOUR EDGE.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

26 AGRIBUSINESS

Tool to measure water nitrates LINCOLN AGRITECH has unveiled an advanced optical nitrate sensor for groundwater which it says will bring a paradigm shift in New Zealand’s

groundwater management.

The slim stainless steel device is designed to give real-time data while being cheap and simple enough for widespread deployment. Now at the

beta-testing stage, it is hoped to be commercially available by the end of the year.

The Lincoln University-owned R&D company says that, as NZ moves to adopt caps for nitro-

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gen losses to waterways, it “remains unclear” how levels would be reliably measured. Current approaches are based on modelling rather than direct measurement, largely because present

Lincoln Agritech group manager environmental research, Blair Miller, holds a prototype of Agritech’s real-time optical nitrate sensor beside the sampling bores at the Lincoln University Dairy Farm that have been used in the device’s development.

RURAL NEWS GROUP

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NIGEL MALTHUS

16/05/17 10:09 AM

real-time sensors are too expensive.

But Lincoln says its sensor should retail for no more than $US5000 and deliver data with accuracy and calibration consistency similar to high-end sensors retailing for $US15,000 $US30,000 each.

The sensor is housed in a slim cylinder with a single hole through the middle; water flowing through the hole is analysed by shining various wavelengths of light across the flow.

Agritech’s group manager environmental research, Blair Miller, says the device works by measuring the transference of UV light at 220 nanometres wavelength, which is absorbed by nitrates.

Other wavelengths detect and correct for factors such as dissolved organic carbon and turbidity from silt.

He says other, more expensive, optical sensors are designed primarily for the wastewater industry and are more complex, having to measure a far greater range of targets and contaminants.

“We’ll never sell this as a wastewater sensor; but this will go down a dairy farm well anywhere in NZ, within reason,” says Miller.

The other devices are also “much fatter”, while theirs is specifically designed to fit in a 50mm bore, which can be directdriven rather than expensively drilled.

The included electronics allow for easy connection by landline, wireless or cell network, which will also help keep deployment costs down.

Agritech hydro-geologist Jens Rekker says prototypes of the sensor have performed well in monitoring the Hinds/Hekeao managed aquifer recharge project, south of Ashburton.

The year-old pilot project is aimed at recharging shallow aquifers in the district by taking clean alpine water from the Rangitata and letting it seep in from a purpose-built ‘leaky’ pond.

Rekker’s data shows that both the MAR and the new sensor are working as planned. Nitrate concentrations in downstream groundwater are markedly lower, and the sensors’ continuous data correlates well with the nitrate measurements from conventional sampling.

Rekker says the ‘utes and boots’ practice of having a person physically drive out to take a sample which then must be analysed in a lab to get a paper report three weeks later, is “an expensive snap-shotty way of collecting data”. “We know, especially in the flow field, how much richness that automated data collection provides for us.”

Lincoln Agritech chief executive Peter Barrowclough says the sensor’s ability to vastly increase the amount of data available for decision-making in the whole community will be “huge”.

“We don’t know exactly, yet, how it’ll be used in all circumstances.

But we’ve got science programmes running alongside it.

“We’ll sell this to people like DairyNZ, regional councils and NIWA. So they’ll all learn from having more data, so over time we’ll have a much richer data set from which to make betterquality decisions.”

Miller says Overseer “finishes” at the bottom of the root zone but a lot of farmers would have natural assimilative capacity for denitrification below that, which the sensors could demonstrate.

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

AGRIBUSINESS 27

Rising early to biggest challenge NIGEL MALTHUS

A MID-CANTERBURY couple in only their second season milking their own herd have won top Share Farmers of the Year 2017.

City-raised in Christchurch and with backgrounds in tourism and teaching, Christopher and Siobhan O’Malley are latecomers to farming, although there is dairying in Christopher’s family, his grandfather having farmed on the West Coast.

For them, the journey started when they returned in search of a career change after two years managing a tourism business in Ireland and began working on a farm near Darfield.

Liking what they found, they began lower-order sharemilking in 2011, moving to North Otago, then the West Coast, and North Otago again. Trading as Pukeko Pastures, the O’Malleys and their three children, Finnian (5), Aisling (3), and Ruairi (10 months), are now 50:50 sharemilking on a farm near Lauriston, inland from Rakaia, in MidCanterbury.

The couple like a challenge. “We like to stretch ourselves,” says Christopher.

The 2017 Share Farmers of the Year, Christopher and Siobhan O’Malley, with Finnian (5), Aisling (3), and Ruairi (10 months), on their farm near Lauriston in Mid-Canterbury.

RURAL NEWS GROUP.

Stepping up from lower order sharemilking to 50:50 meant taking on a huge debt to buy the cows at a time when the milk price was low.

“That could have been stressful, but we found it exciting,” Siobhan adds.

They are milking 515 cows and hope

to increase that to 630 next season.

The property is 138ha effective, and mainly pivot-irrigated. They employ two staff.

This was their third time entered in the Dairy Industry Awards, but only their first with their own herd.

Siobhan says the main reason to enter such competitions was to network with other like-minded people.

“It tends to be people who are pushing themselves, people reaching for big goals, who go for it. Another reason is to benchmark ourselves against those people to see how our business is stacking up against them. “[Entering] makes you do all those things you think will be good. It gives you a deadline, it gives you a push to finish all the little bits of analysis or data inputting. All that stuff that would nice to look at in detail -- it forces you to do it.”

Siobhan says they like to live by a quote from the American poet Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”

“So when we find better way of doing something we don’t just say, ‘Oh, we could do it that way, but it might be a bit hard’. We do it. That might be a better system, a better product or a better method of doing something on the farm.”

An example was their move to GPS plotting of their break fences to manage exactly how much feed the

cows are getting, and allowing the herd two breaks into the fodder beet field when they realised one line was not giving each cow its recommended shoulder room.

In winning the Canterbury regional title, the O’Malleys won the Financial and Business Merit award – the single most important of the 11 judging criteria, weighted at 21% of the total score -- and the Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award.

Christopher says winning the financial section required “a clear understanding of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. And both of us know exactly that”.

Of the hygiene award, he said it was due to attention to detail. “Everything starts at the cowshed. If you keep that clean and tidy and orderly, then other things in the business and staffing should flow from there.”

The O’Malleys were up against the regional winners from the other 10 regions, in the national finals. The national winner, and the national Dairy Trainee of the Year and the national Dairy Manager of the Year were announced at a gala evening in Auckland on May 6.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

28 OPINION EDITORIAL

EDNA

Will the naysayers ever stop?

THE RECENT release of the progress report on the last three years of the Sustainable Dairying Water Accord has sparked all the naysayers of the dairy industry into another series of spiteful attacks on farmers.

Granted, the report does highlight things that haven’t yet been achieved, but to be fair it doesn’t attempt to make excuses either.

The reality is that dairy farmers have had to retreat into survival mode during the past two seasons as, firstly, prices dropped dramatically, then nature weighed in with tough weather events. So fencing off wetlands probably wasn’t at the top of farmers’ priority lists.

And with the drop in payout has come retrenchment, with farm owners being compelled to operate with fewer staff and work longer and harder just to keep the banks at bay.

Amazingly, farmers have achieved much in mitigating harmful environmental effects on their properties. For example, those in the Horizons region have done this in the midst of a crisis about planning rules and policies, which have now turned to custard with the virtual collapse of the infamous One Plan.

Not even the farmers are saying everything is right, and they willingly acknowledge they have to do more to meet new standards. Sadly, they are not helped by some of their own who take a ‘she’ll be right’ or arrogant approach to environmental standards.

But let’s not forget there are rogue scientists, NGO advocates and others who are just as feral as the occasional farmer. Free speech is fine and no one disputes the right for everyone to have their say. But has this basic tenet of democracy been taken a step too far?

We are now hearing that dairy farmers’ children are being bullied at school. It seems the rhetoric of the anti-dairy lobby has found its way into influencing the behaviour of young people. This is disgusting, and likely prompted by the extreme views and sound bites.

All this goes to show that extreme language can have consequences that go way beyond reason. The anti-dairy lobbyists need to tone down their messages, or is that a mission impossible for them?

RURALNEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

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

“Edna says, according to new research, expletives can help!”

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound?

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

THE HOUND Fake news

No farmer

The good doctor

Tick tock

YOUR OLD mate notes that the first part of the inquiry into the Havelock North water contamination is out, and it points out that the campylobacter outbreak was not caused by dairy cows. But despite this undisputed finding, we are still to hear an apology or retraction from the myriad of anti-dairying types – Greenpeace, the Green Party and Massey Uni’s ‘rent a quote’ academic Mike Joy – who all claimed or blamed dairying as the source when the contamination was first announced. In fact, Greenpeace was called and caught out by Fed Farmer’s Chris Lewis who asked for an apology from Greenpeace for its erroneous statements. When the lobby group claimed it never made ‘wrongful statements’, Lewis reproduced a statement from Greenpeace in which it blamed “industrial dairying and irrigation” for the contamination.

A MATE of your canine crusader reckons media and others need to do a little more research on the Green Party’s supposed farmer, agriculture spokesman and likely MP John Hart. Apparently, Hart claims to be an organic sheep and beef farmer in Wairarapa, which he thinks gives him licence to lecture farmers on how they should be doing things. In reality he has only 20ha and works off-farm as an IT consultant. As the Hound’s mate points out, “The average sheep and beef farmer would have a vegie patch bigger than 20ha so this guy is a glorified lifestyle-blocker not a real farmer.”

THE HOUND hears that this year’s share farmer dairy award winners Christopher and Siobhan O’Malley’s night was a mixed blessing: Christopher’s father was rushed to hospital during the evening after he collapsed at their table during the awards function at Auckland’s Sky City Convention Centre earlier this month. Luckily, when the medical emergency arose, prompting the time-honoured call ‘Is there a doctor in the house’, up stepped Federated Farmers national president Dr William Rolleston to give first aid until emergency medical staff arrived. Everything turned out fine and O’Malley senior was able to watch his son and daughter-in-law’s award from the hospital bed. So your old mate reckons that, given the shortage of rural GPs, Rolleston will have no problem getting job offers when he stands down as Feds president next month.

THE FATE of more than 300 workers’ jobs at the Silver Fern Farms Fairton plant, near Ashburton, has been decided.

News that the plant will close due to the fall-off in sheep supply around the South Island is no surprise.

No need to be a genius to see a problem in there being fewer sheep available for slaughter and doubts about whether SFF – and other meat companies – have the correct number of plants for the stock they now process. This didn’t stop self-proclaimed genius and meat industry expert Winston Peters from dancing on the graves of Fairton’s workers’ careers, claiming he’d warned everybody about the closure last year when Shanghai Maling bought into SFF. As a mate of the Hound’s opined, “Winny shouldn’t crow too much about how clever he is; even a broken clock is right twice a day”.

PRODUCTION: Dave Ferguson ........................Ph 09 913 9633 davef@ruralnews.co.nz Becky Williams ........................Ph 09 913 9634 beckyw@ruralnews.co.nz REPORTERS: Sudesh Kissun ....................... Ph 09 913 9627 Pamela Tipa ............................. Ph 09 620 7811 Peter Burke .............................Ph 06 362 6319 Nigel Malthus ...................... Ph 021 164 4258 MACHINERY EDITOR: Mark Daniel ............................. Ph 021 906 723 or 07 824 1190 SUB-EDITOR: Neil Keating ............................Ph 09 913 9628

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

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

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

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

ABC audited circulation 80,580 as at 30/09/2016

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 // MAY 23, 2017

OPINION 29 LETTER TO THE EDITOR AGE IMPACTS ON TAINT THE RESEARCH on lamb eating quality does not mention the age of the lambs involved. I remember my uncle sending two-tooth rams to us because he thought they would be fine to eat as mutton. They were not.

Clearly two-year-old rams have issues with ram taint. I imagine there is no issue with rams under six months. The question is whether there is an issue with old-season lambs in the spring (lambs aged 12-14 months). Did the research cover these animals? If the research did not cover 12-month old lambs, it is possible that the Alliance is correct in their concerns about ram taint in old-season lambs.

Chas Todhunter, Mid Canterbury

MEAT CO’S RESPONSE LEAVES BAD TASTE IN RESPONSE to your editorial of May 2, farmers have known for generations that sexually active ram lambs, ram hoggets and rams, generally, are unsuitable to be killed as meat for human consumption.

In the case of ram lambs, it’s due to toughness and, at times, taint; and adult rams of all ages have a strong taint and toughness.

It is pleasing to note that Alliance Group agrees with the concerns raised and the importance of maintaining NZ lamb as number-one in the world for taste and

quality.

On the other hand, producers should be alarmed at the stance taken by Silver Fern Farms and Anzco in this matter. Their dismissal of the opinion and experience of world connoisseurs of quality lamb and mutton – families living on the land – is appalling.

It is little wonder that NZ farmers are changing their land use away from sheep farming.

JD Anderson South Canterbury

HOUND IS A VERY BAD DOG I AM disappointed at how the Hound described a Federated Farmers branch meeting held recently in Waimate.

NZ First’s Richard Prosser and the Greens Eugenie Sage, both invited guests, gave a spirited defence of some of their views on agriculture. For many farmers in the room there would have been no meeting of minds, but the atmosphere was cordial and respectful.

According to the Hound’s version of events, “both were out of their depth, out of touch and a case of Dumb and Dumber

on display”. This was simply not the case. Differing views are not a measure of competency. Describing invited guests who have engaged and presented in good faith as ‘Dumb and Dumber’ is insulting, disrespectful and poor form.

We are in an election year and the industry needs to be building bridges to people with whom we differ, not insulting them. I enjoy the Hound and regularly his read his columns, but in this case he is simply wrong.

Mark Adams Provincial president, South Canterbury Federated Farmers

You can’t manage, what you can’t measure.

ag twits Rural News’ irreverent and hypothetical look at what’s happening in the farming world Top Bleats view all @nzdairywards: Hey @drbillfeds, thanks for administering medical attention to the father of our share farmers of the year winners at our recent awards ceremony. Pity you could not have done the same for the Feds membership during your presidency. #kissoflife @drbillfeds: No problem @nzdairywards.

To be fair, I have taken the scalpel to income and staff numbers since I’ve been in charge. #thedrisinthehouse @winstonfirstandlast: NZ First has it on good authority that myrtle rust was brought into NZ by the Chinese owners of Silver Fern Farms; so it can close the Fairton plant and take over 100% of the company at a discounted share price. You heard it here first. #jointhedots @greenpeacenz: There is no doubt that industrial dairying and irrigation were to blame for the Havelock North campylobacter outbreak, despite the fact sheep faeces and flooding were found to be the cause. #wejustkeepmakingitup @mikejoymassey: Sorry but a mere 97% of waterways fenced off by the dairy industry is a disgrace. People keep asking me: ‘Dr Mike what do you think?’ And I tell them: ‘I think it is a disgrace’. 97% of my students think it is a disgrace and 97% of Greenpeace think it’s a disgrace. #disgraceful @gharrisonanzco: Ram taint? What ram taint? There’s no such thing as ram taint; it is merely an acquired taste similar to boot leather and halitosis that is very popular in the Japanese market. #nothingtoseehere @jwilsonfonterra: So we’ve now had five GDTs in a row on the rise. I wonder if the commentators and ‘experts’ can now call an official end to the ‘dairy crisis’ – which most of us in the dairy sector seemed to have missed. #whitegoldagain

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

30 OPINION

Barking mad at barking dogs NOTHING ANNOYS me more than dogs barking nonstop in kennels.

Some people don’t seem to hear it, or they don’t care, or they have just given up. Excessive kennel barking has ruined many a Huntaway’s noise.

I tolerate the odd woof and I encourage my dogs to bark at strangers or something out of the ordinary. But nonstop barking is not tolerated here.

What causes it? Boredom, pent up energy, frustration, keenness, bad manners, along with cold and hunger – all contribute. Solving the problem is often easier said than done.

Young energetic pups are often left at home, and there are times when not much is happening and fit dogs are bored.

Discomfort can usually

be rectified.

Manners need to be taught. If I’m angry and walk towards my kennels the guilty party shoots inside and cringes – they know. Most of the time that is all it takes, but for that to happen there were consequences prior.

What are my consequences? Sometimes I will squirt offenders with the hose – but not a full pressure drench. I will hit the iron on top of the run or kennel with alkathene pipe; for those of you who don’t want to

damage anything, wire on an old piece of corrugated iron and hit that (dogs hate the loud bang)

and always shout or whistle your ‘stop barking’ command.

There are devices

on the market that you attach above the kennel to distract barking; they often do the trick but don’t work on every dog, but they are relatively cheap and well worth trying. Check my website for information about them.

There are electric ‘no bark’ collars. Some people swear by them.

However, I am not a fan.

I’ve found them to be inconsistent – not working because they have slipped off-centre therefore the vibration isn’t enough to trigger them, or they shock the dog for no reason.

I prefer to use an ordinary electric collar; the dog gets more than a tickle; it needs to be uncomfortable, but not barbaric.

Consistency is vital for learning especially when

it involves annoying barking: there must be consequences every time, for as long as it takes; don’t start if you can’t be bothered. There is a very fine line between solving the problem and ruining a dog. Be warned.

Donkeys years ago I was visiting a large Wairarapa sheep station and noticed the runs on the kennels were all boarded up between each dog, each end of the line of kennels and the doors.

The only thing the dogs could see was their own kennel, run and the sky – no sheep, horses, other dogs, nothing. When I asked why, the shepherd replied it was to stop barking. It worked.

I had a partner whose dogs drove me mad: they used to stand roaring their heads off at each other, and not stop. I sug-

gested he get some ply, cut it perfectly to size and wire it up between every other run.

By placing young dogs next to quiet calm dogs, and trouble makers not being able to see each other, the problem was solved immediately.

The peace and quiet was glorious. Something so simple was incredibly effective.

It is rare for a tired, comfortable, well fed dog to bark in its kennel for no reason, but there will be times when bored or enthusiastic dogs bark.

If you don’t deal with it, it will make your life and those within earshot miserable.

• Anna Holland is teaching people dog training. For more information www. annaholland.co.nz or Ph. 027 28 44 639 or annaholland@xtra.co.nz

GHG: what’s NZ doing!

THE TIME is coming when greenhouse gases won’t be just “out there as something to worry about later”.

New Zealand scientists are said to be making steady progress on strategies to reduce the rural sector’s emissions.

To help understand the complexities of reducing NZ’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) and NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) have developed a series of fact sheets.

Farmers support the work of the PGgRc through their farmer levies.

One of the fact sheets is entitled ‘What we are doing: introducing the greenhouse gas mitigation work being undertaken in New Zealand’. It outlines the various approaches being pursued and their estimated completion timeframes.

Solutions that could be two-five years away: • Breeding low-emitting sheep and cattle: some animals emit less methane than others and this trait is genetic.

• Low methane feeds and feed additives: certain feeds reduce methane emissions significantly. However, there are flow-on effects that need to be worked through.

• Low-nitrogen feeds and enhanced

plant growth at lower nitrogen levels: short-term trials indicate that the natural plant hormone gibberellin could maintain herbage production, in lieu of nitrogen fertiliser.

Solutions that are at least five years away: Methane inhibitors suitable for grazing systems: While inhibitors suitable for feedlot animals are well progressed, the commercial availability of an inhibitor suitable for NZ grazing conditions is at least seven years away.

• Methane vaccines: NZ scientists are working on a vaccine that stimulates the animal to produce antibodies that suppress key methane-generating microbes in the rumen of livestock.

The future outlook: If widely adopted, an effective vaccine/inhibitor package could reduce emissions by at least 20%, substantially more than all other mitigation options combined.

If successful, such a package will help NZ farmers ‘get ahead’, as opposed to the current situation where even best-practice efforts to reduce emissions intensity are not enough to reduce total emissions from agriculture.

• Visit the PGgRC website to download a pdf of the fact sheet: http://www.pggrc. co.nz/FactSheets/tabid/105/Default.aspx

LATEST STORIES EVERY DAY Get up-to-date news at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

OPINION 31

We need to talk more about health, safety LAST MONTH marked the one year anniversary since the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 was enacted.

In that time, companies have done much to improve their health and safety performance.

Much of this activity has been at the senior management or board level as directors and chief executives (CEOs) get to understand their officer duties under the act. There has been an increase in the quantity and quality of information boards have been receiving and this has generated a lot of positive discussion at board level.

Companies (PCBUs) have also been reviewing their health and safety systems and processes to ensure they reflect the new requirements under the act. This has resulted in changes in approach, talking about ‘risk’ rather than just ‘hazards’ and reviewing the level of worker participation and engagement in their health and safety processes.

Despite this good work by many companies, the results of the recent H&S Leadership Forum survey of CEOs highlighted that safety culture and worker attitudes are still their main challenges.

The Deloitte survey showed progress was made in 2016, based on commitment from the top and having a plan for improvement. However, CEOs identified culture and worker attitude as one of the main barriers to improving health and safety performance in their workplaces.

Other challenges were contractor management, worker engagement and risk management, but culture and worker attitudes stood out for these CEOs. I believe there’s a strong connection between the two issues, as the culture of an organisation strongly influences the attitude and behaviour of its workers and therefore their level of engagement. Research tells us a

highly engaged workforce not only supports and enhances the health and safety performance and culture of a company but also has a positive impact on the bottom line from the additional discretionary effort this brings.

One way leaders can achieve a positive health and safety culture is by engaging with the workforce directly and having conversations with workers about health and safety. These conversations should be to listen to workers, rather than telling them about safety.

Mindful leaders should go and find out for themselves from their workers on site or at the farm gate about what’s going on.

The aim is to listen and learn and not just talk.

This sounds easier said than done and, in my experience, some leaders struggle with this as they feel the conversation is ‘forced’ and not ‘authentic.’ This is quite natural, especially when starting off, and if the leader feels awkward there’s no doubt the worker will be feeling uncomfortable as well. But leaders need to take the initiative to build the relationship between them and their workers so the conversation comes across as easily as if they were talking about the latest All Blacks selection.

By going to the source, leaders will learn more about the health and safety issue facing workers rather than reading reports or relying on audits. They need to be persistent and consistent in their approach.

Unplanned sessions with random workers and OH&S representatives are the most effective.

Visit singly so as not to overwhelm workers and remember the purpose of the conversation is to get information, not to give them a lesson in safety.

The emphasis must be on what we (as management) can do better, and not what you (as workers) are doing wrong.

The message these conversations send to workers is that health and safety is important to the

leader and that everyone has responsibility for health and safety within the business.

Improving culture isn’t easy and takes time, but to improve health and safety performance

in New Zealand we are going to have to start having these conversations.

• John O’Rourke is a health and safety specialist with national law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

32 MANAGEMENT

Simmentals beef up growth r Strong performance of the Simmental breed early in the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics (BLNZ Genetics) beef progeny test confirms explosive growth rates in cross-bred Simmental weaners and at 400 days. Juliet Young reports

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THE TEST is being run on five large commercial properties, involving about 2200 cows and heifers a year.

Started in 2014, it aims to determine how bulls of different breeds perform under comparable commercial conditions and capture the worth of superior genetics from breeding cow performance and finishing stock’s carcase attributes.

Initial weight-based results show Simmental performing at the top of the breeds, and confirm what was suspected regarding estimated breeding values (EBVs), says BLNZ Genetics general manager Graham Alder.

“The key message to come out of the test so far is that EBVs work.

The sires’ EBV figures are matching the calves’ performance closely. The figures show 90% of the expected yearling weight advantage predicted by a bull’s EBV figure was being realised in the commercial test setting.

“So farmers can look at the EBV figures relevant to them and select bulls from that. For example, if they want early finishing they can look at the EBV for 400and 600-day weights,

choose their bulls from that and know the bull will produce calves that meet their requirements.”

Simmental bulls produced progeny with a 6kg higher average weaning and 20kg higher yearling weight. The actual yearling weights for Simmental ranged between 310-340kg versus 285315kg for Angus and 280310kg for Hereford.

Simmental NZ says it’s been known for some time that Simmental have the ability to pack on weight fast over a short time.

“However, it is exciting to see that what some would consider anecdotal evidence is proven in a professionally constructed, large scale, impartial beef progeny test,” says president Sarah Hammond.

“For commercial farmers this is compelling evidence that if they don’t now use a terminal sire, they should consider it. Those who choose to embrace the outcomes of this trial will be able to increase their profit margin and reduce their exposure to financial risk at the same time.”

The first heifers from the progeny test went through the works late in May and Simmental NZ and others are awaiting

the carcase reports.

Kerrah Simmentals, near Wairoa, runs the breeding programme with NZ’s largest gene pool of fully recorded Simmentals. Owner Jon Knauf says the most useful information for farmers from the progeny test is that EBVs work and it shows that for different breeds different traits

excel.

“The advantage of the test is that it validates claims or counter-claims of breeds and breeders about perceived advantages,” Knauf says. He sees growing recognition of the breed and has seen demand grow over the last couple of years, driven by a desire for TO PAGE 33

Above and right: Beef Progeny Test results - Source: Beef + Lamb NZ Genetics.

Beef + Lamb NZ Genetics general manager Graham Alder says the key message from the progeny test is that EBVs work.

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

MANAGEMENT 33

h rates in progeny testing

FROM PAGE 32

increased growth rates and higher performance.

“The future is bright for Simmental for the group of breeders concentrating on improving commercial performance and docility, which has historically been the

Achilles heel of the breed.”

James Brownlie farms at 600m altitude on the eastern boundary of Te Urewera National Park.

He says of the three breeds he runs, Simmental are the quietest, “a good hard working sta-

tion cow -- reasonably robust, produce a good calf and are quiet to handle”.

He moved from Angus-Hereford to using South Devon 30 years ago. “At that stage Simmental had the reputation of being quite

Simmental bull progeny showed explosive growth rates in the early results of the Beef + Lamb NZ Genetics progeny test.

stroppy.” Recently he’s moved to using Simmental -- now 60% of the herd -- and crossbreeds “to get hybrid vigour”.

Brownlie hasn’t fol-

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Simmental NZ president Sarah Hammond says the progeny test results provide compelling evidence for commercial farmers.

lowed the progeny test closely, but has noticed strong Simmental prices at the sales and their success in the Steak of Origin competition, where Simmental steaks have won the European Best of Breed section for the last four years.

“Achieving quality meat is number one; that’s what we are here for, so it’s important that they have done well in the Steak of Origin.”

BLNZ Genetics says the progeny test is to give farmers confidence to make changes to improve their outcomes.

“It depends which traits a particular farmer wants, as to which EBVs they concentrate on.

A farmer who keeps replacement heifers will want to place some

emphasis on maternal traits also, such as days to calving and pregnancy success,” says Alder.

Jon Knauf agrees: “Simmental is good as either a maternal or a terminal, but the farmer needs to look at the traits required in selecting the right bull for the purpose.” He recommends the BLNZ Genetics Better Beef Breeding workshops for help in those decisions.

The progeny test results follow strong sales prices for Simmental.

Simmental weaners were consistently among the top-priced calves at the 2016 sales and in the 2017 weaner fairs.

Pip Bevege farms a small herd of Simmentalcross cattle at Piopio and moved into the breed six

years ago, after seeing her neighbour achieving good growth rates and observing a good temperament in the breed.

This year she topped the March Te Kuiti weaner sale, her biggest weaners weighing 317kg and fetching $1200.

Bevege handles the herd herself most of the time so it was important the cattle she chose were manageable.

“For me their nature is really important. It’s no good having good growth rates if you can’t manage them and be safe. I can go amongst them and that is important; they behave beautifully.”

• For more information on the Beef Progeny Test see Simmental New Zealand and Beef & Lamb New Zealand Genetics

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

34 MANAGEMENT

Northland growers show how it’s done In two weeks the supreme winner of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards will be named at a ceremony in Invercargill. Among those contesting this award are horticulturalists Alan and Helen Thompson, who live 1875.6km distant from the Deep South in the winterless north town of Kerikeri. Peter Burke caught up with them.

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ALAN AND Helen Thompson met at Massey University in the mid 1970s and have since created a huge legacy of excellence in their horticultural enterprise, notably turning a weedinfested gully into a beautiful eco walkway.

At Massey, Alan graduated in ag science and Helen in microbiology, after which he joined the Rural Bank. The couple then went into partnership on a Kerikeri dairy farm owned by his parents. The lure of kiwifruit, which was just coming into its own, was great and they joined forces with another grower.

“In partnership with another young couple we started growing melons which we exported to Japan for 15 years,” Alan told Rural News. “During that time we started a business growing lemons so we had lemons, kiwifruit, melons and satsuma mandarins; it all worked under the banner of a company which grew into Kerifresh Ltd.” This business – large

by Northland horticulture

standards, with 300ha in production – was sold in 2008 to Turners & Growers.

They talked about retirement, but not for long, Alan says, deciding that horticulture was what they loved and knew; so with the interest they still had in two kiwifruit orchards they decided to start over again.

They set up a packhouse for the kiwifruit and again grew lemons and satsuma mandarins.

Then they went a stage further, setting up a vineyard, Kainui Road, on the home block where they have lived for 27 years.

The grapes are planted around and below the beautiful home and from these vines they pro-

duce Chardonnay, Gerwurtztraminer, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Tempranillo and Syrah wines.

The sprawling site had a natural amphitheatre where they built a stage for concerts and other functions.

Their son-in-law Gary makes craft beer which is sold at the Cellar Door, adding another dimension to their business.

In 2012, the Thompsons and their Hawkes Bay partner sold part of their interests in their export business Te Mata Exports to Market Gardeners Ltd, and two of their children now work for that company, exporting fruit.

Another daughter and her partner have

just bought a mandarin orchard which they plan to convert to kiwifruit.

Effectively the Thompsons’ business interests have gone full cycle, but they show no signs of stopping.

They are big local employers with a permanent workforce of about 30 and 100 seasonal staff, many of them working in the packhouse.

Alan and Helen Thompson say they are conscious of preserving and enhancing the environment.

Kiwifruit remains the mainstay of their business with 14ha in the new

melons (4ha) in summer, and are developing their lemon orchard.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION

ALAN AND Helen Thompson have a lifelong commitment to the environment that has led to them winning the Northland regional final of the Ballance Environment awards.

In particular, Helen says, this pertains to the land below their house.

“We had a wetland, a horrible mess filled with wild ginger and every other weed under the sun. We embarked on regenerating that wetland area, planting about 10,000 Like many employers in the Far North, the Thompsons say native plants. As part getting good employees can be a challenge. of this project we have “Trying to convince people there is a future in agriculture and developed a walkway horticulture is difficult,” Alan says. “People see only the physwhich people who visit ical side of harvesting and packing and they don’t see the techthe vineyard are free to nical work that goes into growing the crops, and the processing, enjoy. This goes across the distribution and marketing.”

Employment challenge

Sungold and 6ha still in green. They also grow satsuma mandarins and

wetland and winds through the bush to a picturesque waterfall.”

Now they are repeating this on another property near Kerikeri, Alan says.

“The stream flowing through this property connects up with another running into the river near the Stone Store, so the aim is to restore the wetland here. It’s important that the water from here, which goes down to the Bay of Islands, is as good as we can get it.

“We fish in the Bay of Islands and we see that after some of the deluges the water can be pretty murky. So any small things we can do to improve water quality will be good for the fish and us” Helen says with children and

grandchildren living in Kerikeri, they are conscious of the need to preserve and enhance the environment for future generations. In horticulture, now and in the future, she says, caring more for the environment will be an integral part of how the land is farmed.

Alan agrees, observing the media pressure on the dairy industry because of its economic need to intensify, caused not least by farmers’ indebtedness.

He notes the widening gap between town and country, this needing more effort to close.

Helen says there are people living around most of their orchards, who need to be informed about the orchard operations.

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

MANAGEMENT 35

Commonsense farming good for all In long-term water management, Canterbury cropping farmer David Birkett sees a role for urban dwellers and farmers to work together. And he believes farmers should be positive towards new environmental requirements because they may result in marketing opportunities.

GOOD MANAGEMENT practice is common sense, not something to be feared, says farmer David Birkett.

The Ellesmere cropping farmer was one of a team behind the Good Management Practice (GMP) Matrix that set out what Canterbury farmers should be doing to meet environmental expectations.

“I’ve been lucky to have been on the inside being part of the group developing [the practices]. But I know it’s a lot to take in,” Birkett explains. “To me the key point about GMP is that they are actually beneficial for the environment and business.”

He thinks a lot of people believe GMP will cost money, make a lot more work and erode profits.

“I don’t think that’s the case. A lot of the requirements will save them money. What I found, when we were setting up the GMPs, is that we were already doing them on our farm. We have always tried to be efficient with our crop inputs and how we go about things.”

Birkett says to meet GMP on his farm he had to move to more efficient watering. “We’ve replaced some of our irrigation systems with more efficient ones. We’re now running a lateral irrigator on one block which enables us to put water on precisely.”

It may surprise people to learn that Birkett’s farm, like many others in his area, is using less water than consented. “We’re probably only using 30-40% of our allocation due to our heavy soil types, and the unused water is my environmental contribution.”

Heavier soils hold moisture better

than lighter soils, so Birkett uses soil moisture monitoring technology to guarantee water is only applied when needed. “The public may think we’re all using all of our allocated water, but in this area with its heavier soils that’s not often the case.”

He adds that harvest creates another two-three month window when little water is used. “There is a thought process behind applying water. We use soil moisture monitoring and we know the growth stage of our crops so know exactly when they need water and when to put it on,” Birkett explains.

“The planning and scheduling creates quite a tight process for how we apply water. There’s definitely a science behind it.

“When we moved to a lateral irrigator, water efficiency was less of a driver for us than tackling the variation in our yields. We wanted to reduce the wind factor that came with gun irrigators.”

Birkett also taps into science in managing nutrients, the key to meeting GMP today.

“As an arable farmer, we’re lucky to have the Foundation of Arable Research which does a lot of research.

They’ve highlighted the most efficient way to grow crops, especially relating to nutrients, initially to get the most economic gain but the biggest gain has been environmental. Almost by default, we’re now looking at environmental gains as a given.”

As well as addressing the problem of nitrate leaching, researchers have examined the effectiveness of riparian margins and Birkett says the results are

David Birkett believes farmers will benefit long term from becoming compliant and addressing environmental concerns.

NEED FOR CO-OPERATION FARMERS AND townies will need to work together to ensure water resources in the Selwyn-Waihora zone are managed with everyone’s interests in mind.

So says David Birkett, chairperson of FAR, and an Ellesmere cropping farmer.

The third generation farmer grows 10-12 crops a year on the family farm south of Leeston. With his family’s 85 years experience managing this land, and records showing cropping on the property stretching back 150 years, Birkett offers a long-term perspective on what’s happening with water in this area. The climate has definitely got

startling.

“A lot of farmers are scared by riparian planting requirements as they can take quite a chunk of land and there’s a cost associated with it. But it’s the actual management practices in the paddock that are more important than what you do on the border of a waterway.

“Up to 90% of the nutrients will be removed by the first 600mm of the border. So yes there needs to be a margin, but it doesn’t need to take up

drier, he says.

“We’ve had to deepen and move wells away from the creeks into deeper aquifers. Last season this farm was as dry as Cromwell with a lot of pressure coming on the Selwyn and Coes Ford.

It looks green but it’s as dry as it’s ever been.”

He attributes the changes to a lack of winter recharge.

“Yes we’ve had rain but not enough to saturate the ground and go through to the groundwater. Common sense would be to augment our local waterways with stored water from the Rakaia.

We know if you put water in the Selwyn

a whole lot of land.”

He cites companion and cover plantings as other strategies that reduce leaching. “Some of the best nutrient control is by way of companion planted crops that remove a lot more nutrients.”

Birkett has been trialing these plantings on his property over three years and has found some beneficial.

“There’s no point in having a really nice riparian planting if the management in the paddocks isn’t up to

River it goes underground and feeds into the aquifers. If we can manage that you will also help the lowland streams.

“We have the potential to manage water now flowing out to sea. It will take years to understand the timeframe and range of it but we need to truly manage it to benefit everyone.”

He acknowledges irrigation draws down water supplies and the move towards more efficient irrigation systems has exacerbated this trend.

With the introduction of farm environment plans, the public can be assured there is accountability in the system.

scratch. Many of the best things farmers are doing aren’t visual. The low hanging fruit are improvements in soil health, nutrient reductions and farmers who look after their soil quality; we all benefit from this. The biggest changes are likely to come from things that are non-visual.”

Birkett says he understands the fear and confusion that exists in the community, but farmers will benefit long term from becoming compliant and addressing environmental concerns.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

36 MANAGEMENT

Deer farmers need a plan HAVING A farm environment plan (FEP) is probably the most effective way deer farmers can show they are farming in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner, says Deer Industry (DINZ) environmental policy manager Lindsay Fung.

Livestock farmers in Canterbury and parts of Hawkes Bay are familiar with them and they’re now on the horizon in Waikato, Gisborne, Marlborough and Southland.

“Sure, they mean extra time and effort for almost all farmers. But regulators and the general public are looking for proof that farmers are looking after the environment, so it makes sense to read the winds of change and take control of your own destiny.”

Known variously as farm environment plans, farm environment management plans or land and environment plans, they are based on the principle that individual farmers best understand their own farms.

“You know what the environmental risks are on your property. So your FEP would prioritise actions to reduce those risks. Typically on a deer farm the focus will be on preventing or

A farm environment plan (FEP) is probably the most effective way deer farmers can show they are farming in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner.

managing contamination from wallows, fence-pacing, run-off from selffed silage stacks and break-fed crops and effluent from the deer shed,” Fung says.

“When used in the context of the water quality issues in the whole catchment an FEP can deliver great improvements for least cost.”

Some bottom-line rules apply to all farms regardless of whether they have

an FEP or not: regional and district council plan rules and national regulations such as those that will exclude stock from water bodies on flat or gentle terrain.

Fung says deer farmers wanting to do a FEP have no deer-specific template to work from; and few consultants are familiar with deer farming.

The Beef + Lamb NZ Land and Environment Plan gets much praise

from Canterbury farm environmental consultant James Hoban and others.

It was developed for beef and sheep farmers in consultation with the deer industry so should be suitable for many deer farms, says Fung.

“However deer farms cover a wide range of land uses and livestock species and classes, so it is hard to make one size fit all.

“To address this, environmental stewardship has been included under the umbrella of Passion2Profit, a Primary Growth Partnership between DINZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries.

“Our first priority is to repackage the Deer Industry Landcare Manual into an Environmental Code of Practice (ECoP) for which we will seek regional council recognition,” says Fung.

The ECoP will guide deer farmers who want to develop a FEP for their farm, based on their individual circumstances, applying recognised mitigation techniques to address any issues.

In the meantime, Fung encourages deer farmers to become familiar with the BLNZ LEP toolkits and re-acquaint

themselves with the 2012 Deer Industry Landcare Manual.

“At present FEPs are required only in Canterbury and in the Tukituki catchment in Hawkes Bay, where they are known as farm environment management plans (FEMPs),” says Fung.

“But where other councils have catchments with water quality issues, they are likely to focus on those farmers who don’t have FEPs in place.

Regions where a requirement for some form of FEP is being considered are Southland, Marlborough, Greater Wellington, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Northland.

“Front-footing with the deer industry’s own ECoP and FEP is in my personal opinion by far the best option.

It’s better than being forced to comply with rules laid down by regulators that may not achieve good environmental outcomes but will add cost and bureaucracy.

“It is what the deer industry has done in the past with Tb control, DeerQA for transport, the certification of velveters and the landcare manual.

It’s a strategy that has stood the industry in good stead over the years.”

Ready to get your land use consent to farm?

Not sure, have questions?

No worries. We’ll help you get started, so you can get sorted this year.

www.canterburywater.farm

This year there are new requirements under the Land and Water Regional Plan to control the effects of farming on water quality.

There is a lot to figure out – Consents, Farm Environment Plans, Nutrient Budgets and Audits.

Farmers now have a responsibility to farm within water quality limits, to improve local results. This means many farmers will need to apply for a land use consent to farm.

Visit www.canterburywater.farm/events to find an information session in your local area.

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

ANIMAL HEALTH 37

Managing hoggets during pregnancy May is traditionally the month for breeding ewe hoggets by many farmers in New Zealand. Hogget breeding can increase the number of lambs weaned on a farm each year and increase the lifetime performance of the ewe, but only if done correctly.

It is a mistake to think the ‘game has been won’ by achieving minimum breeding targets. In fact, the job has only just begun, say Professor Paul Kenyon and Dr Rene Corner-Thomas from Massey University.

IT IS widely accepted that the minimum breeding weight for Romney type hoggets is 40kg.

Alternatively, a minimum of 65% of mature weight can be used as a guideline; also a minimum body condition score of 2.5 should be targeted.

Farmers need to continue to weigh at least a subset of their ewe hoggets monthly – from the end of breeding – to ensure appropriate liveweight gains are being achieved. Knowing how they are tracking and having plans in place if they fall behind target is the best management approach.

The average hhogget needs to gain about 20kg in total weight in

pregnancy (including the weight of the placenta, foetus and associated fluids), which requires an average daily gain of about 130g/day throughout the breeding period and in pregnancy.

This allows for the hogget herself to grow and for the foetus(es) to achieve appropriate levels of development. This might seem excessive, but the day after a ewe hogget gives birth she will lose about 10kg in total weight (i.e. the lamb, placenta and fluids associated with the pregnancy) in comparison to the day before she lambed.

In other words, if she weighed 60kg just prior to lambing she will weigh 50kg the day

after she lambs. This means she has to gain at least a further 10kg to achieve a suitable twotooth breeding weight that exceeds 60kg. This liveweight gain post lambing needs to occur during a period when she is lactating and then during a summer period when suitable feeding levels cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, ensuring she is gaining her ‘own’ liveweight from early pregnancy is vitally important so the animal is as heavy as possible the day after she lambs.

If a ewe hogget is only fed well in late pregnancy, most of that nutrition will be partitioned towards foetal growth and the hogget

It is a mistake to thnk the ‘game has been won’ by achieving minimum breeding targets, says Professor Paul Kenyon.

will not grow. This is very likely to result in increased rates of birthing difficulties (as the hogget will still have a small frame) and she will be lighter than hoped for at weaning, which may impede two-tooth performance.

Therefore, farmers need to have a plan for feeding their ewe hoggets appropriately throughout pregnancy.

In the first 70 or so days of pregnancy, most of the total liveweight gain a hogget achieves will be

her growth. Therefore, it is important she is well fed during this period to ensure she grows at 130g/ day or more.

Many farmers are concerned about ‘over feeding’ resulting in more lamb dystocia issues.

Much research funded

by Beef +Lamb NZ has shown that feeding a hogget well throughout pregnancy will not significantly increase the birth size or weight of the lamb at birth in comparison to a ewe hogget only fed well in

late pregnancy. But the advantage of feeding her well throughout pregnancy is that she is structurally larger and better able to expel the lamb without difficulty.

However, feeding her well only in the last third of pregnancy sets her up to more likely have a birthing difficulty as she would not have grown enough in early and midpregnancy. It should be noted that lamb birth size and weight is primarily under genetic not nutritional control.

How a farmer achieves the suitable liveweight gains will vary depending on farming system and environment. A significant amount of extra feed is required over and above that of a traditional non-bred hogget.

On a ryegrass/white clover-based pasture that means not grazing below 1000kg DM/ha in early pregnancy and moving up to a minimum pasture cover of 1200kg DM/ ha in the later stages of mid pregnancy and late pregnancy.

There are also several good crop options but they require care in respect of how bulky the feed type is and whether young teeth can utilise some of the brassica options.

One option might also be to sell a few in-lamb mature ewes to ensure total farm feed demand is not increased.

The real trick though is continual monitoring of total liveweight gains and ensuring plans are in place if hoggets fall behind targets. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

38 ANIMAL HEALTH

Boss makes an impression KEEPING ONE step ahead of parasite resistance is not an issue most cattle farmers think about every day.

But it continually occupies the founders of local animal health company Alleva, says general manager Blair Loveridge.

“With resistance surveys reporting alarming levels of resistance in cattle it is important that we keep pushing the message that farmers must use the drench tools they have wisely,” Loveridge says.

“I’m not sure that in

all cases they think about a planned approach to parasite control, rather than simply basing treatment on eye appraisal.”

Veterinarian Dallas Nelley says farmers often take ad hoc approaches to parasite control that may not be best in respect of cost or productivity.

“Good parasite control isn’t just about the product. It requires sound planning, implementation and monitoring. It also requires consideration of whole farm system factors such as infrastructure and resourcing

constraints and grazing management policies.

“Farmers should consider parasite control as seriously as they would other animal health issues such as mastitis; and we advise that for young stock it is imperative that farmers only treat using combination drench treatments.”

Loveridge says Alleva “continues to emphasise combination treatments in its product development strategy,” notably the company’s development of Boss Pour-on and Injection, “arguably

the most advanced combination cattle treatments available”.

“Both products are pioneering,” Loveridge says. “They deliver performance older combinations can’t match” Taranaki farmer Brett Honeyfield took part in a field trial run by vet Dallas Nelley. It compared the efficacy of single active and combination treatments on his heifer grazing block.

The trial showed that the combination product was more effective than the single active and

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Taranaki farmer Brett Honeyfield says his heifers have responsded well to Boss pour-on.

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“The heifers have responded well to Boss pour-on.... The fact that the product is rain resistant is a big plus for us.

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Better welfare ring – fences vegetarians PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

“THEY ARE trying to prevent vegetarianism.”

That was Kaukapakapa Romney breeder Jenny Savannah’s response to a friend’s questions about a recent audit by her processing company, she told a recent gathering at Landcorp’s Kapiro Station in Northland.

The friend asked why the company had not sent a farming person to audit the Savannah’s farm, and said it was ridiculous that the auditor even asked if their dogs had hay in their kennels for warmth at night.

But the half-serious joke about vegetarianism was Savannah’s response because “the person eating steak or a lamb roast wants to know [the animal’s] every step in the journey from its birth, or prior to its birth, right up to its being on the plate: that it has been produced ethically, sustainably; that there is no issue at farm level, so the person is actually ok about eating that meat.”

She was emphasising that the new expectations of transparency over animal health issues are here to stay.

Beef + Lamb NZ chairman James

Parsons said in the panel discussion that in 10 years bobby calves may be a thing of the past. “We will have much greater integration, with good genetics and their use across the dairy industry.”

At the showcase event, Richard Lee, veterinarian and sheep programme manager at Focus Genetics told the red meat industry attendees, “don’t deny but compete”.

In 10 years the age group which is now 10-20 year olds will be 20-30 year olds, Lee said. They will be 15% of a world population of 8.3 billion. They will be the decision makers.

“The opinion of my demographic – the 60-70 year olds who in 10 years will comprise 3% of the world population -is irrelevant.”

The threat to the red meat industry worldwide is ‘clean meat’ – meat produced without animal slaughter. But of the world population of 8.3b in 2027, just 1% represents 83 million people – a market that is “a bloody good niche”.

Briefly outlining its animal health plan, Landcorp’s Kapiro Station says combining an existing animal health plan into a software based plan with a local vet has given specific advantages to its team.

RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

ANIMAL HEALTH 39

No easy answer to ketosis NIGEL MALTHUS

A MAJOR DairyNZ study of the treatment of sub-clinical ketosis in dairy herds has ended with mixed results and a suggestion that treatment may even have adverse effects.

Ketosis commonly arises because of cows’ negative energy balance after calving, when their energy intake in food is less than the energy output in milk, so the body responds by metabolising fats. When the imbalance is severe, the liver cannot handle all the fat and some is converted to various ketone compounds circulating in the blood.

At high levels, those ketone bodies are associated with clinical ketosis, when a cow may present as either lethargic or nervous and excitable, often with the sweet smell of acetone on her breath. The usual treatment is monopropylene glycol drench (MPG or Ketol), which gives the cow a source of glucose to restore the energy balance.

However, the effects on general health, productivity and in-calf rates of sub-clinical ketosis (SCK) – when the ketone levels are only moderately raised and there are no other overt symptoms – are less clear and the study set out to investigate that. Blood sampling was used to identify sub-clinical cows which were then divided into treatment groups given MPG drench or control groups given no treatment.

The study involved 1000 cows on three farms – the Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF), DairyNZ’s Scott

DairyNZ scientist Claire Phyn addresses the attendees at the Lincoln University Dairy Farm’s May Focus Day. RURAL NEWS GROUP

“But we haven’t thrown the baby out with the bathwater, because there’s some indication that with some animals it could be important.

We’ve just got to work out under what conditions that would be viable.”

research farm in Waikato, and Dairy Trust Taranaki’s Taranaki Agricultural Research Station (TARS).

The blood sampling tested for a particular ketone, ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), measured in units of millimoles per litre (mmol/L). Levels of 1.2 to 3mmol/L are regarded as moderate, and over 3 indicates full ketosis.

With blood being taken from 1000 cows three times a week for the five weeks following calving, it was a labour-intensive process, said DairyNZ scientist Claire Phyn when she reported the results of the study to the recent LUDF May Focus Day. Phyn said the results differed on the three farms.

The percentage of cows testing at least once at the sub-clinical level ranged from 65% at Scott to 82% at LUDF. The percentage of cows that tested at least once at full ketosis level – greater than 3mmol/L – was 6% at LUDF, 12% at Scott and 18% at TARS. But while the study confirmed that drenching reduced BHB levels, it found no consistent effect of drenching on the subsequent reproductive performance of the herds. On the TARS farm, the six-week in-calf rate actually

declined in the treated group versus the untreated.

“We still have to do further digging before we can actually work out under what conditions it has negative effects on reproduction and under what conditions it would be important to treat those animals,” said Phyn.

Phyn said MSD dosing of sub-clinical animals is increasingly common overseas, sometimes even being done prophylactically without testing.

One of the issues New Zealand has is that baseline BHB levels in our pasture-fed herds tend to be naturally higher than in overseas grain-fed animals. “It doesn’t necessarily mean [cows are] actually sick with ketosis.”

She said that while MSD dosing would be used on downer cows here, the study suggests that dosing subclinical animals is not a good idea.

“But we haven’t thrown the baby out with the bathwater, because there’s some indication that with some animals it could be important.

We’ve just got to work out under what conditions that would be viable.”

Because the response to MSD varied between farms, further analysis was being done on the dataset to iden-

tify possible factors, such as the degree and timing of raised BHB concentrations, the age of the cows, and body condition scores at and after calving.

The amount of blood-testing work needed in the study to identify sub-

clinical animals would not be viable on a commercial operation.

“We needed to get the data to work out what would be practical. At the moment it’s not warranted as a general rule,” she said.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

40 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Steady and reliable tractors help build business Phil Bell bought his first Valtra back in 2000 and is still going strong some 12,500 hours later.

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

ECO CONTRACTING Ltd is run by Phil and Karina Bell, Pukekohe.

Their business can trace its roots back to 1994, when Phil left Telecom needing to earn a dollar and bought a business in Kerikeri that mulched prunings in the region’s orchards.

In 2000 the business bought its first Valtra tractor, a 200hp, 8950 Sigma Power unit and paired it with a MeriCrusher mulcher built by Suokone, which happens to be down the road from the Valtra factory in Finland.

If you wonder whether that was a good investment, you need only see that those two machines are still active in the business, the tractor showing over 12,500 hours on the clock. As for the mulcher, although it’s been through a few changes of blades “there’s still plenty of life left in the old girl yet,” says Bell.

In those early days Eco Contracting offered a service to peat land farmers in the Mercer area of north Waikato, who were trying to break in virgin ground that had the added burden of tree stumps preserved in the peat. That service brought land into useful production.

Normally it’s a one-pass operation with no need to bring in the heavy artillery – bulldozers or dump trucks which do nothing to help the soil structure. It’s not a job for the easily

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distracted, the operation taking place at no more than 1.7km/h, typically at a working depth of 10-12cm to break up normal surface trash, but down as far as 30-37cm if stumps are present.

Stumps can reappear on the surface every five-seven years.

“It’s not a job for a youngster with a need for speed who wants to go at

it like a bull at a gate,” Bell told Rural News.

Depending on what’s below the surface the job might cost $360-$1000 per hour. This might sound expensive, but as Bell explains, after just one pass the land is back in production.

Over the years that first Valtra has been joined by two more – a T202 and

a T214, both with CVT transmissions for stepless speed control, now showing 5900 and 1000 hours respectively.

“They are built to operate in harsh environments, have good ground clearance and a smooth underside that avoids hook-ups with debris,” Bell says of the Valtras.

“They also have a short wheel-

base for tight turns and a heavy-duty drive line that can absorb huge shock loads.”

On the business end of the tractor, the three MeriCrushers operated by the company all date back to a similar period as the tractors, with units dating from 2000, 2001 and 2004. Two units run at 350rpm rotor speed, the third rotates at 500rpm.

At 2.5m wide, in certain conditions the machines can use all the 200hp available. However, they have proven their worth by being durable, cost little to run and parts are easily available off the shelf.

“More importantly the pick-type tines are able to cope with anything from metal tracks, rocks and large stones, and of course tree stumps that may be hidden in the soil profile,” Bell adds.

A hydraulically operated rear roller combined with wide heavy duty side skids controls working depth, with overloading taken care of by a unique pre-set, torque limiting POC clutch.

Soil type will influence the rate of wear of the pick-tines; peat allows easy going, but the volcanic soils of the Central Plateau are described as “tough” and sands are the most abrasive.

With customers located from Masterton in the south to Dargaville in the north, all brought about by word of mouth, it doesn’t look like Bell will be slowing down any time soon; but at 1.7km/h how could he?

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MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 41

Case gear pivotal in world record MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

CASE IH high quality machinery was an important factor in Ashburton farmer Eric Watson achieving a Guinness World Record wheat crop this year.

Eric and his wife Maxine set a record after producing a huge 16.791 tonnes/ha crop on their 490ha farm near Ashburton. They beat the previous record of 16.519t held by a UK grower.

The Watson’s record crop compares with average irrigated yields in New Zealand of 12t/ha. It was planted in mid-April 2016 and harvested in February 2017, the grower taking a non-inversion approach to establishment, which sees fewer cultivations and minimal passes to reduce compaction.

Harvesting was by a Case IH 9230 Axial-Flow combine fitted with front tracks; this is said to have helped ensure higher

grain quality.

Introduced as far back as 1977, Case IH AxialFlow single-rotor technology is said to deliver gentle grain-on-grain threshing; the whole system, from feeding to cleaning, is designed to minimise grain damage.

“When you are threshing grain, the screenings are very low and split grain is low,” Watson says. “The system is gentle on the crop and does little damage.

“I also like the simplicity of the Axial-Flow system. It has fewer moving parts and the hydraulic drive of the rotor makes it easy to reverse if you get a blockage.”

Equally important in growing the bumper crop, a Case IH 450 Quadtrac pulled the seed drill, helping to reduce soil compaction via its four-track system, while offering great traction and less slip than a conventional wheeled tractor.

Eric Watson on his Case Quadtrac.

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GREAT GRASS EVENT THE IRISH have a saying that you’ll never be short of guests at a party.

Therefore last week’s Great Grass Event was always going to be a mecca for the multitudes of ‘heavy disease’ sufferers in the green country.

The aim was to set a world record for the largest number of self-propelled forage harvesters working simultaneously in the same paddock, and to raise money for local charities.

The outcome was 106 machines ‘clearing’ 40ha which had been rowed-up into 6m rows -- in 5 minutes, 45 seconds.

All the main brands were there: Claas led the tally with 41 machines, followed by John Deere, New Holland and Krone. There were lots of older examples, from Mengele, Case and Hesston, and a beautifully restored NH 1895 Crop Cruiser.

Those in the know estimate the combined value of the mechanical army at about Euro 30 million and the power available at 65,000hp.

Some 113 tractors and trailers hauled the crop away to the silage pit at the O’Sullivan farm, and early reports were that the buck rake driver should get a day off soon. – Mark Daniel

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

42 MACHNERY & PRODUCTS

Balers have it all wrapped up MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

THE DEVELOPMENT of round bales for silage or baleage in the late 1980s made a huge difference to forage conservation, by removing the need for expensive and labour intensive silage clamps.

First incarnations used twine for tying, making for time consuming and messy removal, so net wrap was quickly adopted, leading to high output in the paddock and easier feeding out.

Back then, several companies experimented with barrel-wrapping the bales for weather protection, particularly for straw stored outside, but technical issues with the composition of films available at the time led to inconsistent results, mainly due electrostatic

build-up in the machines.

Today, a number of manufacturers and different film technology mean that film-on-film technology has gained a sound following: the bales are wrapped with wide film initially, before the normal outer covering is applied. The composition of the inner film allows it to be pre-stretched by 7-30% depending on the manufacturer, with the outer wrap normally applied as four layers and pre-stretched by 55 to 70%.

One industry stalwart, McHale, distributed locally by Power Farming Wholesale, suggests film-on-film is a game-changer, not least because of a better endproduct because of the immediate exclusion of oxygen, which leads to higher dry matter and

less mould, and because of easy film removal, less waste and easier recycling. The only real negatives are the need for the operator/contractor to carry two types of film, and a premium of about $1 per bale over the traditional net wrap/film technique. This premium is likely to disappear as the technology gains acceptance.

McHale claims the concept can result in up to 15L of extra milk production per bale because of ‘sweeter’, more energy-dense and protein-rich fodder. These claims are backed up by independent trials by Dr D. Davies of Silage Solutions Ltd in the UK. Comparing bales made by traditional net wrap and film versus the filmon-film option saw an increase in overall dry

McHale Fusion 3 Plus applying film on film.

matter of 2%, but DM losses due to moulds were reduced by about 80% from 8.64kg to 1.69kg per bale, with bales weighing about 865kg fresh weight. Meanwhile, DM losses during stor-

age fell by 7.5%, thereby showing that overall losses attributed to moulds and storage was reduced by 52%.

Looking more closely at nutritional values, pH remained similar at 4.5,

sugar content (g/kg DM) increased by 27% from 70 to 89g/kgDM. The new technology has major benefits, not least in feed quality, which will help to justify the slightly increased

costs of consumables, which as previously noted will no doubt fall as the technique is more widely adopted. www.powerfarming.co.nz @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 43 Krone hitting straps Spraying record MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

IN A difficult three years for the global farm machinery industry, German company Krone, largely known for its harvesting equipment, has bucked the trend, reporting an increase in turnover for the 2015-16 season.

The Krone Group generated sales of Euro 1.8 billion, versus a 2014-15 total of Euro 1.6b.

Its three divisions are farm machinery -forage harvesters, loader wagons and hay gear; a second that runs a string of agricultural machinery dealerships throughout Germany; and a third and largest manufactures commercial truck trailers.

Said to be among the largest manufacturers in Europe, the trailer division achieved sales of

Euro 1.2b, of which Euro 363 million was in Germany.

Agricultural machinery manufacturing rose to Euro 569m, a quarter of that business going into the home market.

Meanwhile Western Europe and Ireland contributed 33%, North America 21% and the rest of the world 11%.

The largest share in cash terms was due to the continued success of the BiG Line products, such as the BiG X forage harvesters, the Big M self-propelled mowers and the Krone BiG baler ranges.

The number of

employees also increased during the

year, hitting 4200 worldwide; at least 260 were apprentices.

SPRAYER MANUFACTURER Agrifac has just won bragging rights at its local pub by setting two world records with its self-propelled Condor in Western Australia.

Spraying 2638ha non-stop over 24 hours at the Mason family property in the midwest region of WA, the machine also hit a peak coverage of 150.7ha in one hour.

The Agrifac 48m HTA machine, driven by sprayer operator Mark

Slater, averaged 110ha/hr, smashing the previous world record of 1032ha set by a trailed Amazone machine in 2014.

During the event application rate was 15.5L/ha. This meant the machine’s 8000L tank had to be refilled 13 times, each refill taking about 11 minutes; a total of 105,108L were sprayed. Average application speed was recorded at 25km/h.

During the 24-hour marathon the machine encountered ‘real’ farming conditions -- trees, tight corners, slopes and quite a few bumps.

The 15 paddocks used were split into two blocks located about 10 minutes apart.

The only reported mishap was driving into the wrong paddock in the dead of night, wasting a few precious minutes.

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IN 2013 tractor manufacturer Fendt won a silver award from the German Agricultural Society (DLG) for its flat-faced couplings for hydraulic systems, which then saw the light of day on the 1000 series Vario tractors.

Now available as an option for the popular 800 and 900 series units, these allow coupling and uncoupling under full pressure and they prevent leaks and consequent contamination.

Also, because pressure losses are eliminated, oil temperatures are considerably lower, so less energy and fuel are wasted.

The flat-faced units allow high oil flows up to 170L/min and are easier to keep clean than traditional socket-style couplers. The design helps prevent ingress of dirt or dust into the hydraulic system and helps extend filter change intervals.

Operationally a lever is used to attach or remove couplings. This requires no force and allows the attachment of pressurised pipes. Additionally the failsafe tear-away function is retained to ensure hydraulic lines uncouple in the case of an inadvertent attachment uncoupling, or if an operator fails to remove a hydraulic line.

Meanwhile colour coding help ensure that hydraulic lines are coupled to the correct valves for specific functions. – Mark Daniel

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If not amended or withdrawn earlier, the promotion expires on 31/07/2017. †When compared to a John Deere 36 m steel boom.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

44 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS / RURAL TRADER

TRD gives Hilux a meaner look MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

WHEN PEOPLE talk about a house having ‘good bones’ they mean it is well designed and built, despite needing a bit of paint.

In vehicle circles the Toyota Hilux probably has the best bones of the current crop of utes, having an extended pedigree, a reputation for getting stuff done and, of course, great resale value.

A relative newcomer to the market that sports the blue oval has been taking league table honours for the last couple of years and one wonders what is the attraction.

There might be some keeping up with the neighbours driving sales because the bulk of these vehicles are 2WD and rarely do a day’s work. Like many others in the market, appearance seems to be the key driver in the buyer’s decision and the oversize ‘allAmerican’ ambience makes it the preferred choice.

So those who want to buy the ‘real thing’ and stand out from the crowd will be pleased to see the limited TRD edition from Toyota, which appears to give the workhorse a bit more presence.

Up front, black detailing is the flavour for the front edge of the hood, the grille beneath, alongside the chunky bull bar and the wheel arch extensions. This look is carried on down the truck’s flanks, accentuated with black sports bars behind the cab, and finished off with macho 18 inch, sixspoke alloys carrying 265-60 section Maxxis AT tyres.

It’s available in a range of colours;

The Hilux TRD is worth a closer look.

our example in Glacier White was the ideal base for the black accents and it was a standout at the golf club carpark.

Finishing the look was an ABS hard plastic lid over the load space – nothing special but this one was powered, lifting or lowering at the touch of a key fob. It’s a great idea you either love or hate. This driver fell into the latter camp on a trip to the supermarket for the weekly shop, emerging with a full trolley while Cyclone Debbie blew.

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The 22 second wait for the lid to open meant a beating from the weather and a tongue lashing from ‘er indoors for arriving home with a load of wet groceries.

The Hilux didn’t throw up any surprises in the driving department, although this six-speed manual allowed us to experience the clever Intelligent Management Transmission function, which matches engine speed to transmission load for silky smooth

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Ride quality was par for the course compared to other similar vehicles out there. Remember that utes will always lean towards being a little ‘springy’ as the back ends are set up to carry a tonne and tow up to 3.5 tonnes when fully laden.

If you want something that ticks all the boxes for work, but you want to stand out from the crowd, the Hilux TRD is worth a closer look.

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gear changes. It was particularly good when towing a heavily laden trailer and making a down change.

Based on the SR5 specification, the Hilux seating was up there with the best, controls fell easily to hand and the engine coped with everything we threw at it. Silky smooth if driven respectfully, it had perhaps a little harshness if taken right up the rev range, but nothing that became oppressive.

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RURAL NEWS // MAY 23, 2017

RURAL TRADER 45

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