NEWS
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Driven to help others.
Change necessary for sustainable future. PAGE 25
PAGE 10
Rural health advocate recognised. PAGE 15
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS DECEMBER 1, 2020: ISSUE 715
www.ruralnews.co.nz
‘It’s only a draft!’
CRUNCH TIME! PETER BURKE
DAVID ANDERSON
TIMARU DISTRICT Council (TDC) is scrambling to appease angry reaction over proposed rules in its draft district plan that will severely impact on farming. Last month, Rural News revealed that TDC’s proposed district plan – that has just finished its first tranche of public consultation – included a number of controversial proposals including larger setbacks in rural areas from roads, boundaries and neighbouring houses for dairy sheds, stock yards
and “intensively farmed animals”. TDC communications manager Stephen Doran told Rural News any draft provisions that are finally adopted would only apply to new developments – not existing farming activities. “This is the first cut of the draft district plan and we’re expecting to refine and correct things in the period following this consultation.”
He also claims the concern over the rural setbacks relates to an “error” in a plan standard. “The intent of the standard is aimed at managing the adverse effects of new rural industries and factory farming,” Doran says. “It provides setbacks for new farm infrastructure such as effluent ponds, piggeries and milking sheds from neighbouring houses.
“There is no intention to include any setbacks for stock from boundaries. However, we think it’s important that there are setbacks for the more impactful rural activities in order to help protect the amenity of any adjacent residential zoned land or adjoining residents.” Doran says the draft plan is only a TO PAGE 4
Small but powerful A jubilant Norm Carter, chairman Te Kaha 15B Hineora Orchard, with the Ahuwhenua Trophy for Excellence in Horticulture. He was delighted to be called on stage in Rotorua last week in front of more than 750 dignitaries and whānau at a special gala awards dinner to receive the prestigious trophy. As the announcement was made by Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, there were cries of jubilation from the Te Kaha group and they all quickly gathered on the stage to celebrate their success. This is the first time in the 87 year history of the competition that the trophy has been awarded for horticulture. Te Kaha 15B Hineora Orchard comprises of 11.5 hectares, on which the trust runs a kiwifruit joint venture operation, a commercial packhouse facility and the local kiwifruit spray company in which the trust holds shares. – See full coverage of the Ahuwhenua awards pages 6-7.
peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
WITH THE apple industry set to produce a bumper crop this season, there are fears that the sector will not be able to take advantage of this due to an impending labour shortage. Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Alan Pollard says it has a major programme underway to recruit New Zealanders to work in the sector in the main harvest period, which is February/March. He says his organisation is working actively with the Ministry of Social Development to recruit staff and is also looking at recruiting low risk prisoners to help. Students and senior citizens are also being targeted. “Clearly there is quite a large shortage and we are especially missing the RSE workers. We would normally have about 10,000 of them, but we predict there will be about 5000 in the country,” Pollard told Rural News. “Normally we have about 50,000 people on working holiday visas, but there will probably be about 10,000 and only a proportion of those will be available. So, we are struggling to find the number of people we need.” Pollard says original projections by government put the number of unemployed in December as being around 8%, but he says this figure is now unlikely to be reached until
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
NEWS 3 ISSUE 715
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Weathering the shipping woes SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
NEWS ������������������������������1-15, 23 MARKETS ��������������������������� 16-17 AGRIBUSINESS ���������������������� 18 HOUND, EDNA ���������������������� 20 CONTACTS ����������������������������� 20 OPINION ��������������������������� 20-22 MANAGEMENT �������������� 24-25 ANIMAL HEALTH ������������26-27 MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS ���������������������� 28-30 RURAL TRADER �������������� 30-31
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: Inkwise NZ Ltd 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 79,553 as at 31.03.2019
THE COUNTRY’S two largest dairy exporters say disruptions to global shipping hasn’t affected their ability to get products to customers. Global supply chains have been sluggish since Covid-19: the difficulty and cost of getting a spot on air or sea transport is becoming onerous and the availability of shipping containers has also become an issue for some companies. But for major dairy exporters Fonterra and Open Country Dairy, exports have been holding up well. Fonterra’s director global supply chain, Gordon Carlyle, told Rural News that despite some disruptions in the global supply chain, the co-operative was still getting products to its customers. “Our partnership with (global supply chain collaborator) Kotahi and (shipping company) Maersk continues to prove hugely valuable,” he says. “Availability of shipping containers has been an issue at certain times and locations, however, this has been short-lived and we are able to source what we need to support our exports.” Open Country Dairy’s chief executive Steve Koekemoer told farmer suppliers that shipping lines and ports have had a few disruptions, which have been causing havoc with many exporters. “Our supply chain team are closely managing the process to prevent delays and I have full trust in the team’s ability to deliver on the lofty goal.” Despite the shipping woes, OCD
NZ’s two largest dairy exporters say disruptions to global shipping hasn’t affected their ability to get products to customers.
is reporting a record-breaking season. “I’m excited and proud to see our processing teams up and down the country continue to break production record after production record. “All this product need to be shipped, which means that we, if everything works to plan, are also heading towards a record shipping month this November,” he says. International flights out of New Zealand have dropped from about 600 a week to about 120, nearly halving air
freight volumes, particularly hurting exporters of time-sensitive perishables. ASB senior economist Jane Turner is surprised how well New Zealand goods exports have held up relative to goods imports during the pandemic. “As an exporter, New Zealand is vulnerable to a fall in global demand – although one of the key lessons is that the fall in demand has not been evenly shared across economic sectors. “With countries resorting to lockdowns once the virus spread escalates,
demand for types of goods has shifted. “For example, from eating out to eating at home – putting pressure on wholesale supply chains to quickly divert food from restaurants to supermarkets and meal kit delivery services. “Likewise, less money is spent on commuting, but more money has been spent on technology to improve the home office. With NZ’s exports of goods skewed toward food, and given the world still needs to eat, NZ exports held up relatively well to date.”
Bumper crop - too few pickers FROM PAGE 1
June next year – after the harvest is over. He says a lot of people who are unemployed are staying in their regions hoping that things will improve. Mobility is another issue he says.
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“Trying to get someone out of Auckland down to Central Otago creates a huge challenge, especially if they have family,” he says. Pollard admits that some of the orchard work is hard and this doesn’t suit everybody. He says many
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
4 NEWS
Fonterra ends PKE imports SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
FONTERRA IS no longer an importer of palm kernel expeller (PKE). However, environment lobby group Greenpeace remains critical of the cooperative. After years of organising protests outside Fonterra offices for its role in PKE imports, it says the co-op’s decision to sell its 50% stake in a company that imports PKE “highlights a concerning relationship”. The co-op last month sold its 50% stake in Agrifeeds to joint venture partner Wilmar International for $27.5 million. Fonterra will continue to be the exclusive seller of Agrifeeds PKE products through its Farm Source stores. In an email to farmer suppliers, Farm Source group director Richard Allen says as part of
the co-op’s continuous review of investments, it has concluded that ownership of Agrifeeds “is no longer necessary to ensure farmers have access to sustainably sourced and competitively priced [stock] food”. In recent years, Fonterra has urged its farmer suppliers to cut back on PKE usage, as international customers demand a better sustainability footprint for food products. Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman claims Fonterra has now handed complete control of its PKE imports over “to a company that has failed to end deforestation and peatland destruction in its supply chain”. PKE is a by-product of the palm oil industry, which Greenpeace claims causes rainforest destruc-
In recent years, Fonterra has been encouraging its farmer suppliers to cut back on PKE usage.
tion in Indonesia. The Agrifeeds joint venture was set up in
2008. Allen says the investment has delivered strong
Council apologises for draft plan error TIMARU DISTRICT Council has apologised for the error in its draft district plan after pushback from an anxious farming community. The draft plan originally incorrectly proposed intensively farmed stock must be set back a minimum of 100 metres from a road and internal boundaries; and 100m from boundaries of land zoned general residential zone, settle-
ment zone or Māori purpose zone; and 400m from residential units on an adjoining site. That proposal drew fire from the rural community with South Canterbury Local Federated Farmers president Jason Grant called the proposal “impractical”, Last week, the council’s group manager for environmental services, Tracey Tierney, apologised
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for the error at its environmental services committee meeting. “We certainly apologise for the upset it caused. We will be discussing the plan with Federated Farmers,’’ Tierney said. “The whole purpose is to thoroughly test this plan before we take it out to public again. “The more response, the better product it is.’’
returns. “During periods of poor pasture growth or quality, access to supplementary feed plays an
important role in maintaining productivity onfarm and the wellbeing of your herd,” he told farmers.
‘IT’S ONLY A DRAFT’ FROM PAGE 1
“first cut non-statutory plan” and “it’s expected that there will be errors and things that are not right in this version”. “That is why we are consulting at this stage, and we really welcome people to come to us with any comments or concerns about any of the provisions in the plan,” he told Rural News. Farming groups are concerned that if TDC’s draft plan proposals are successful, many other councils around the country may implement similar restrictions in rural areas. Both Hort NZ and Federated Farmers have expressed concern about some of the proposals, with
the latter saying it “will be challenging this all the way to court if necessary.” Doran says TDC’s aim with going out with this “first cut” is so issues like this can be identified and remedied prior to getting into the more formal parts of the process. “Like any process like this, not everyone is going to like everything in it, but if there’s bits we can bash into better shape, we’re keen to do so.” He added that the initial consultation period on the draft plan proposals finished last month. “We will now work thorough all the feedback, with the aim to having a proposed plan ready for formal consultation mid/late next year.”
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Wilmar has confirmed that there will be no change to the product range available in NZ. But Norman wants the Government to phase out imported feed like PKE. “The palm industry has done more than enough damage. Not only is the production of PKE terrible for our climate, New Zealand’s bloated dairy industry relies on PKE to feed more cows than the land can sustain,” says Norman. “With agriculture being New Zealand’s biggest climate polluter, we need an urgent shift away from this high-input, industrial agribusiness model towards regenerative farming that works within the limits of the land. “If this Government is serious about the climate crisis, they must act now to phase out imported feed, like PKE, which is driving intensive dairying.”
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
NEWS 5
MFE moves to mitigate conflicts of interest DAVID ANDERSON
CONCERNS RAISED about the serious conflict of interest of a key Ministry for the Environment (MfE) staffer involved in the controversial freshwater reforms has led the ministry to implement a new system to mitigate future issues. This follows a Rural News Official Information Act (OIA) request asking about the mitigation measures it had in place around animal rights activist and vegan Rowan Taylor – a MfE senior policy analyst – who is leading the ministry’s submissions to influence
plan changes at regional level. Taylor’s potential conflict of interest was first revealed in Rural News, in early October, by North Otago farmer Jane Smith after she had carried out her own OIA request about MfE’s handling of the freshwater reforms. “I am appalled that an animal liberation, vegan who is publicly opposed to livestock farming, is essentially being paid by the taxpayer to be an internal activist,” Smith said at the time. Taylor has been in his role as a senior policy analyst at MfE since April 2014. In February 2019, as guest speaker for the Christchurch Vegan
Society dinner he spoke on the topic: ‘Beyond Animal Farming – How NZ Can Lead the World’. Taylor was described in the society’s publicity for the event as an: “environmental analyst and vegan…looking at the prospects for shifting to an animal-free economy. How could we do it? How fast could we do it? How far could we take it?” In its response to the OIA, the ministry’s director of people and experience Nick Hurley claimed that Taylor has “never hidden” his vegan and animal liberation beliefs from the ministry.
Hurley conceded that while all candidates are asked to declare conflicts of interest during interviews for roles at MfE, Taylor “did not submit a formal declaration before starting work at the ministry”. Hurley also tried to downplay Taylor’s influence in the controversial new regulations, claiming that while he is currently working on the freshwater reforms… “he joined the project later and was not involved in the initial policy work on this”. “Policies are reviewed and approved by a number of ministry staff and managers before they are approved,” he
claimed. “This ensures policies are free of any potential personal biases that may be held by any employed involved in the development of a particular policy.” However, Hurley says the ministry has now implemented a new employee conflict of interest declaration and guidance process to mitigate future issues. “The ministry has recently updated its process to more comprehensively define conflicts of interest and set clearer standards for when employees should declare non-work activities.”
Wyeth ready for the ‘Coast’ PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
THE CHIEF executive-elect of Yiliowned Westland Milk Products Richard Wyeth is looking forward to the challenge of running the company. For the past 11 years, Wyeth has headed up Miraka, the highly successful Maori-owned dairy company based in Taupo. He says he wasn’t actively looking for a change but says the opportunity to move was timely and a chance to advance his career. Wyeth says Westland is a really iconic company and when he went down to Hokitika for the 75th celebrations of company, he was suitably impressed. “I was really impressed with the people on that visit. It’s a good sized
business with 700 staff and it’s a real challenge to get involved. The operation is unusual in that the milk collection area extends over 600 kilometres and that is a challenge in itself. It’s phenomenal when you think of the distance that milk has to be collected and the different climatic conditions within that area,” he says. Wyeth says his experience in dealing with China in his present role at Miraka was probably a factor in being headhunted for the role at Westland. He’s been travelling to China for 13 years now and he finds it quite ironic that the first dairy company he visited when he went to Mongolia was Yili. “I have always been super impressed with Yili as a company. Their attention to detail in China is second to none,” he says.
Wyeth is under no illusions that West Coast dairy farmers have high expectations about what he might do for the company, which has struggled over the years. His first task is to look at the strategy of the company and get a good understanding of the business before thinking about making changes. He says Westland has had challenges with capital structure, but this has now been resolved. He says the milk price is also locked in. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to execute the new strategy and see how I can build the business,” he says. Wyeth will start with Westland at the end of February and says, while he intends to base himself at the company’s office in Christchurch, he plans to spend a fair bit of time on the coast.
Richard Wyeth will take up his new role at Westland Milk Products in February 2021.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
6 NEWS
Win months in the making PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
HASTINGS BASED Maatutaera Akonga is the inaugural winner of the
Ahuwhenua Young Māori Grower Award. The 26 year-old is a senior leading hand at Llewellyn Horticulture based in Hastings
The announcement was made by Dr Charlotte Severne, the Māori Trustee and chief executive of Te Tumu Paeroa at the Ahuwhenua Trophy
awards dinner in Rotorua recently. The two other finalists in the competition were 24 year-old Brandon Cross of Tauranga who
Winners are grinners: Maatutaera Akonga, with wife Margaret, is the inaugural winner of the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Grower Award.
where he had been before. “So, I thought I would push through and give this one as go as well,” he says. “It was different in that past competitions last just a day and are over by the end of the night. But with Covid, this one has been months now in the making.” Akonga says because of Covid, the judging and final event went on for several months longer than planned and wondering what the outcome might be was always at the back of its mind. He worked through Covid, but says he managed well having to deal with additional health and safety and compliance issues such as social distancing. “Covid hasn’t affected us so much, but it will affect us more next year,” he says. A feature of the presentation to Akonga was that after his acceptance speech, in which he congratulated his fellow finalists and thanked the organisers, his wife Margaret sang a beautiful waiata, which drew great applause from the 750 people at the function. As for the future, Akonga says it’s upwards and onwards.
works as trainee orchard manager for the large kiwifruit orchard management and post-harvest company Seeka, and 25 year-old Finnisha Tuhiwai who is packhouse manager for Maungatapere Berries, located west of Whangarei in a rural township of Maungatapere. Severne presented Akonga with the winner’s trophy and congratulated him on his achievement. All three finalists were presented with koru trophies and certificates by the sponsors of the award, Te Puni Kokiri, Primary ITO, Te Tumu Paeroa and Horticulture New Zealand. Award judge Aaron Hunt, from Te Tumu Paeroa, says the standard of entrants in the inaugural competition for horticulture was very high and also reflects the number of young Māori who are making successful careers in horticulture Maatutaera Akonga told Rural News that he didn’t expect to win the award, but says it was a wonderful evening and had the time of his life. He says he got pushed in to entering the competition by his mentors who urged him to go beyond
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RURALNEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS
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PAGE 24
RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
NEWS 7
Trophy win surprises jubilant team PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
THE WINNERS of this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy for Excellence in Horticulture believed didn’t stand a chance and never expected to win because their fellow finalists had bigger operations. But to his surprise and delight, Norm Carter, chairman Te Kaha 15B Hineora Orchard, was called to the stage in Rotorua last week in front of more than 750 dignitaries and whānau at a special gala awards dinner to receive the prestigious trophy. As the announcement was made by from the Gover-
As the announcement was made by from the Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, there were cries of jubilation from the Te Kaha group and they all quickly gathered on the stage to celebrate their success. past, it has been for sheep and beef and dairy. Te Kaha 15B Hineora Orchard comprises of 11.5 hectares, on which the trust runs a kiwifruit joint venture operation, a commercial pack-house facility and the local kiwifruit spray company in which the trust holds shares.
nor General Dame Patsy Reddy, there were cries of jubilation from the Te Kaha group and they all quickly gathered on the stage to celebrate their success. This is the first time in the 87 year history of the competition that the trophy has been awarded for horticulture. In the
PRAISE FROM HIGH had not previously being fully utilised. He says it’s great to see it transformed into really smart profitable business that have benefited the whole whānau and the iwi organisations. “The advantage that Maori have is that they don’t focus on the land in terms of ownership and asset value – they focus on the business on the land and over time that will be more sustainable,” he says. “I think that if we can embrace Maori values that they have in the production system and transfer that to market development we have story that is truly unique and huge value in the marketplace, where people want to buy products from NZ.” O’Connor says NZ should be shouting from the roof tops with that sort of values system which underpins our high quality food we export. Willie Jackson, the new Minister of Maori Development, described the evening as a wonderful celebration with so much history behind it. “This event is unique and is something you won’t get at a traditional awards ceremony.”
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PRAISE FROM KIWIFRUIT BOSS ZESPRI CHAIRMAN Bruce Cameron says the Ahuwhenua awards are an absolutely outstanding outcome for Maori in horticulture. He says the elders have put the orchards together and the young ones are coming back to the land. Cameron says land that was once in low value crops is now producing kiwifruit and will deliver better value to iwi. “The financial horsepower is now available for iwi to develop their land, they have got great commercial models, they have got passion and they understand it,” he says. “Above all, they have connected with sustainability which is so important for the consumer.”
told Rural News. Carter says about half their people live in Perth in Australia and he hopes that the trust’s winning of the trophy will encourage many to return home and get into meaningful employment locally. He says while they can’t expand their operation, they hope to assist
other whānau to invest in their properties and have something to leave to their children and grandchildren. Chairman of the Ahuwhenua Management Committee that runs the competition, Kingi Smiler, says Te Kaha 15B Hineora Orchard is a worthy winner of the competi-
tion. Smiler says, like the other finalists – Otama Marere from Te Puke and Ngai Tukairangi from Tauranga – their operations are something their whānau can feel proud of. “The trustees of Te Kaha have shown great vision, persistence and resilience to establish their operation and to achieve some impressive results,” he says. Smiler believes all three finalists have set a benchmark for future entrants in this competition, which will be hard to eclipse. “What makes it all the more impressive is that they have done this in one of the most difficult times in the history of the country and they, Maori and the whole country should be proud of their efforts,” he says. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
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Prior to the trust’s creation in 1970, the land was largely occupied by different whānau who farmed the block, maintaining a subsistence living growing a range of fruit and vegetables for the local community. The trust now produces 133,000 trays of G3 SunGold kiwifruit and is due to assume full ownership of the land in about three years’ time. Carter says the win has really put Te Kaha on the map. He says his people have achieved a lot over the years and the win also has some special significance for them. “Bill Swinton won the first Ahuwhenua cup in 1933 and he was a dairy farmer from nearby Raukokore, and we are related to him. So, for us to win the inaugural horticultural trophy 87 years on is really awesome,” he
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IN HER address, prior to presenting the awards, Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy noted that when the first Ahuwhenua trophy was presented in 1933 by Sir Apirana Ngata and Lord Bledisloe, NZ – like the rest of the world – was grappling with the effects of the great depression. She noted that it was wonderful now to see so many people celebrating the success of Maori in such difficult times. “Ngata and Bledisloe designed the Ahuwhenua trophy as way of recognising and encouraging excellence in Maori farming. “If they were here tonight I am sure they would be very pleased to see this new focus on horticulture,” Reddy said. She told Maori to be proud of their stories because they will inspire others to follow the example set by Sir Apirana Ngata and Lord Bledisloe. Agriculture and Trade Minister Damien O’Connor, who was also at the awards function, says it’s always inspiring when you hear some of the stories about what iwi and Maori have done with land that
Chairman Te Kaha 15B Hineora Orchard Norm Carter is presented with the Ahuwhenua Trophy by Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, with Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson also in attendance.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
8 NEWS
Making the primary sector sexy OUTLOOK FOR NZ POSITIVE
PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
THERE IS a need to reorientate New Zealanders into working in the primary sector, according to the director general of the Ministry for Primary Industries. Ray Smith’s comments come as widespread concern is expressed, right across the agricultural sector – especially in horticulture, about the lack of people to harvest crops and work in various jobs. He believes part of the problem is that the benefits of working in the primary sector haven’t been marketed as effectively as they could have been. Smith says while there are some tough-end jobs that don’t pay well, there are actually a huge number of highly-paid jobs in the sector and that will grow. “I think that some people in the ag sector could improve their employment practices but, having said that, a hell of a lot are doing really well,” he told Rural News.
MPI director general Ray Smith believes the benefits of working in the primary sector haven’t been marketed as effectively as they could have.
“That said, I think some of the models we have operated on in the past will have to change in a world where travel is not so easy. We have relied heavily on migrant labour and now we are going to have to turn more to ourselves and look at how we get Kiwis into these jobs.” Smith acknowledges
that wage rates and the seasonal nature of some of the work is an issue. He says wages have to be attractive for potential employees. However, he points out that in terms of seasonal work there is the opportunity for people to follow the harvests around – with the likes of apples and kiwifruit.
Smith says the kiwifruit industry, in particular, is well organised and does a very good job at attracting New Zealanders to work in their sector. Smith claims growers have got to take a long term view if they are going to change their workforces. He says they need to take stock of where they
are and improve the situation and that it’s important to treat people with decency and respect; and pay them reasonably well. “A lot will come from word of mouth. People know who the great employers are and actually most of the great employers aren’t struggling to get staff. You
POST COVID, Smith says there is a big opportunity to take our primary product to the rest of the world. He says people trust our products and trust what we produce in NZ. In our big sectors – meat and dairy – demand for our product continues to be strong and the diversification into a whole range of markets has really helped, Smith says. He also believes there are enormous opportunities in horticulture. “Everyone I talk to in that industry wants to make greater investments,” he told Rural News. “People are looking for land and investment opportunities to grow high value horticulture. We could see, across the next decade, new fruit varieties – such as dragon fruit – come along and a further push on avocados to get those fruit over the billion dollar mark.” Smith says there is a tendency to underestimate the importance of biosecurity in our everyday practices on farm. He points out that much of NZ’s success on the trade side is due to the fact that we are free of pests and diseases and that gives us access to markets in countries which value this. Also paramount on the trade front Smith says is sustainability. He says a strong commitment to this is critical if NZ is to negotiate good trade deals with places such as the EU. “NZ’s sustainability story is very compelling to those countries in the European area who are also striving for the same thing. We have got a lot in common.”
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Farm investment opportunity opens INVESTORS WANTING a slice of farming action now have an opportunity to do so with the launch, last week, of the largest New Zealand IPO listing on the NZX Market. New Zealand Rural Land Company (NZRLC) is seeking to raise between $75 and $150 million and list on the NZX Market on 18 December 2020. NZRLC says it will provide
investors with exposure to rural land as an asset class without direct exposure to agricultural operations and commodity price volatility. “The Initial Public Offering (IPO) of New Zealand Rural Land Company offers investors a differentiated investment proposition to what is currently available on the NZX Market and in what is a very low interest
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ownership of an easy-to-understand land asset. “Rural land is the backbone of New Zealand. We see the New Zealand Rural Land Company as providing further support to our world class agricultural sector and offering it additional stability with long-term capital and New Zealand ownership.”
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10 NEWS
Driven to help others WHAT: East Coast Farming Expo WHEN: February 24-25, 2021 MORE INFO: www.eastcoastexpo.co.nz
home in time for tea. “It is a chance to have serious conversations with industry innovators and colleagues. There is always something new being rolled out, so it is ideal to bring everyone together to see and hear all about it.” The Expo idea was hatched in 2015 when Wilson and Wairoa A&P Society president Dave Martin were looking for new ways to utilise the showgrounds after a major revamp of the grounds and buildings. “It is a struggle to get to the larger field days to see new stuff that is useful for farmers from the East Coast,” she says. “So, we thought why not bring the experts to us.” From there, it rolled out very easily with the first Expo held in 2016.
READY TO GO AGAIN IN 2021 THE 2021 East Coast Farming Expo is a two-day midweek gathering for sheep and beef producers with a focus on farming smarter. It’s held annually at the Wairoa A&P Showgrounds and includes exhibits, outdoor demonstrations and seminars. It’s become a key go-to for the region’s farmers, as well as attracting some from further afield.
East Coast Farm Expo co-founder Sue Wilson was recently honoured as a 2020 Rural Women New Zealand rural champion.
The seminars were put together to compliment the exhibits which were all about quality, innovation and usefulness. Don’t expect to find any lifestyle-type exhibits here. Finding support for the Expo has never been tough either. “Our family of sponsors is fantastic. They recognised the value of the event and getting information out to the farming communities. Our sponsors are all
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involved in careers in the triangle, where her father the primary industries. industry related and they agricultural industry. was a fat stock buyer for “There is still the odd value the farming comHer involvement with Borthwicks while also one who believes women munity,” she says. the Wairoa A&P Society running a trading operabelong with their hands There is plenty to continues to be a huge tion. She and her three in the sink, but I think love about the Expo, but Bert Quin brothers were her father’s part of her family’s life. it will be a generational WilsonDrsays two things The Wilson family have workforce and from a shift to bring everyone stand out. been involved for five young age she was haponto the same page.” “The people we meet generations and around pily driving the Fergie A few years back, and that we are always this time of year, much Wilson developed a wom- with the rake on behind learning new ways to of their ‘spare’ time is or the old TJ Bedford en’s networking group in farm smarter,” she says. at working bees getting truck with the hay eleWairoa. Wilson reckons there ready for the big January vator. “It was another way is simply nothing better • 89% less P in leachable form than Surephos. All sustained-release P beco show. Their life was busy for women to meet other than seeing a hall packed It’s another thing on with sport, music, horses local women who were with like-minded people - absolutely no Boucraa slimes or manufacturing rock is presen a growing list for Wilson and adventures, and it often stuck out on farms engaging with each other. who also has two comcast a mould for how she with barely any social She feels that while 11 ppm cadmiumand (140 mgCd/kg formoffor her best own –coverage husband Fenton P). haveFinepanies interaction with other women continue to show • Only SMWDesign and Event raised their own three just how valuable they are women.” Management as well; Dannev as children on their farm on Wilson grew up just to farming, there is still • Excellent value! Waharoa $278 ; MaungaTapere $299 the boutique food busithe outskirts of Wairoa. south of Hastings, on a some work to be done All three children are now ness The Wooden Spoon. around gender equality in farm in the Ngatarawa
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WAIROA FARMER Sue Wilson’s mind is always a bubbling cauldron of ideas. It’s hardly surprising, given she happens to be involved in a raft of initiatives throughout the region that are always designed to inspire, add value and help others. Wilson has just been honoured as the 2020 Rural Women New Zealand rural champion, an award she says was quite humbling to receive. But her list of projects, community initiatives, boards and organisations tell the tale of a woman who is entrenched in the rural community and thrives on seeing others grow. The East Coast Farming Expo – an event designed for the region’s sheep and beef farmers – is one of her projects. It’s deliberately held mid-week so farmers can do their morning chores before spending the day at the Expo and make it
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
NEWS 11
Biosecurity more important than ever PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
BIOSECURITY IS even more important to New Zealand as the country starts to recover from Covid-19. That’s the message from Penny Nelson, head of biosecurity at the Ministry for Primary Industries. She told Rural News, at the recent biosecurity awards at Parliament, that biosecurity underpins our primary sector exports – as well as many of the special taonga we have. She says we just can’t afford to have big incursions at the moment. “I was interested to hear that in the KPMG’s agribusiness survey, biosecurity has been the top issue for the past 11 years. I think New Zealanders realise we have a special way of life and we want to keep it.” Nelson says the awards, which have been held for the last four years, are designed to celebrate the great things that a range of people in communities and industry are doing for biosecurity. She says every
year there has been an increase in the number of entries and as word gets out about the awards, more and more people are becoming involved. Close to 200 people attended the awards ceremony held in Parliament’s banquet hall and hosted by the Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor. Taupo-based dairy company Miraka took the top honours – winning both the industry award and the supreme award for its Te Ara Miraka programme, which boosted biosecurity awareness and culture change within its farmer supplier base. The programme incentivises farmers, by way of an increase in their annual milk payout, to improve a whole range of practices on their farms. These include environmental, milk quality, food safety, animal welfare, health and safety and biosecurity. The awards recognised the fact that Miraka had identified that biosecurity was missing from the programme and set about working with exter-
nal parties to develop a special training course. Each farmer was trained in biosecurity risk assessment, risk mitigations and how to create and implement a biosecurity plan within their busi-
ness. The supreme award was presented to the Miraka team by O’Connor who praised the company and its staff for its initiative and strong commitment to biosecurity.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor with winners of the 2020 Biosecurity Supreme Award Miraka Dairy’s Grant Jackson (centre) and Richard Wyeth.
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A PRIORITY BIOSECURITY REMAINS the most important area of government, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor. Speaking at the biosecurity awards, he noted NZ’s dependence on its biological systems and says protecting this is vital for the nation’s economy.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
12 NEWS
Trade deal delivers new ‘rulebook’ DAVID ANDERSON
A NEW trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), has been described as a new rule book for trade in the Asian region. The RCEP includes 15 countries from the AsiaPacific region – including NZ – and covers more than 30% of the world’s trade. However, there is disappointment that India has withdrawn from the agreement. NZ International Business Foundation chair Malcolm Bailey says the RCEP will further strengthen New Zealand’s trade and economic relationships in the Asia Pacific region. “Obviously, we would have preferred the deal to have delivered a much sought-after FTA with India and we hope that
India will join the RCEP in the not too distant future,” he adds. “RCEP is still an important new agreement, covering nearly a third of the world’s population and many of New Zealand’s key export markets and sending a useful signal about the importance of trade liberalisation”. Bailey believes the RCEP is good news for New Zealand in achieving some new market access into Indonesia on a range of products – such as sheep meat, beef, fish products, liquid milk, cheese, honey, avocados, tomatoes and persimmons. “In addition, improved customs procedures will facilitate New Zealand exports of perishable products across the RCEP region and other commitments including in services and
NZ International Business Foundation chair Malcolm Bailey says while the RCEP deal is good, he is disappointed India is not part of it.
investment will add to the rule book for trade and investment with Asian countries.” The NZ meat industry has also welcomed the deal. B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor
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says the agreement will help to deepen cooperation and strengthen trade in the region. “It should help the New Zealand red meat sector build on the strong
connections we already enjoy with countries in the Asia-Pacific.” McIvor has also expressed disappointment that India has not joined the deal. “We hope that over time they will come to see the mutual benefits that RCEP offers and will decide to join the agreement.” He says a strong framework of trade deals around the world will help support a resilient red meat sector and the broader New Zealand economy at a time of global turbulence. Sirma Karapeeva, chief executive of the Meat Industry Association, says the RCEP countries were important export destinations for the New Zealand red meat industry. “The agreement helps
perishable goods within six hours of arrival. This will help ensure that our produce arrives on consumers’ tables in the best possible condition.” Chapman says another significant benefit is that the agreement provides a process for addressing non-tariff barriers within clear timeframes. New Trade Minister Damien O’Connor signed RCEP alongside ministers from ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, Japan, and South Korea during a virtual ceremony earlier this month. It was witnessed by leaders of the 15 RCEP countries – including PM Jacinda Ardern. New Zealand exported over $36 billion of goods to RCEP countries and nearly $12 billion of services in the year ending December 31, 2019.
Farmers welcome sale of loss-making China Farms. PAGE 3
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Sheep milk demand soars.
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PAGE 21
to streamline trade rules around the region. Covid19 has shown just how important it is to keep supply chains functioning and trade flowing smoothly.” Horticultural exporters have also welcomed the signing of the RCEP, with industry body Hort NZ saying that it will ensure the country’s horticulture exports continue to grow as the world comes to terms with Covid. “Without clear trading arrangements, improved market access and reduced tariffs, it is extremely difficult to export from the bottom of the world to larger economies like Asia and Australia,” chief executive Mike Chapman says. “Of immediate benefit to horticulture is the expectation that customs authorities will release
NEW CHAIR COMPACT ALLR0UNDER Coull takes reigns PAGE 16
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TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS OCTOBER 20, 2020: ISSUE 712
www.ruralnews.co.nz OCTOBER 13, 2020
Payout lifts
ISSUE 457 // www.dairynews.co.nz
GOOD NEWS PETER BURKE
SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
THE FORECAST milk payout for this season has gone up by 40c and Fonterra farmers can thank Chinese consumers. The co-operative last week announced a new range of $6.30 to $7.30/kgMS with a new midpoint of $6.80/kgMS. The revised forecast comes just a month after Fonterra announced its annual results. BNZ senior economist Doug Steel told Rural News that he’s not surprised by Fonterra’s announcement, as “underlying tones” in the dairy markets have been improving in recent weeks. In the latest Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction, the price of flagship whole milk powder price topped US$3,000/metric tonne. The New Zea-
land dollar has also stabilised. Steel says a stable NZ dollar and strong demand for WMP normally provides upward pressure on the payout. However, he says the wide range of Fonterra’s forecast payout means “anything could still happen”. “There’s a wide range of possible outcomes, we are seeing so much
Crisis looms Growers are warning of looming “significant price rises” for fruits and vegetables thanks to the Government’s refusal to allow overseas workers into the country for harvesting and packhouse duties. Pukekohe’s Hira Bhana and Co Ltd say their business grows a lot of spring crops and needs overseas labour to supplement permanent workers like Taniela Vaioleti, (pictured) who was helping harvest lettuce on one of their farms last week. Growers fear that unharvested crops will lead to shortages and price hikes. Full story page 6.
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uncertainty lingering around...anything could still happen, but for now we are seeing better prices.” Steel says New Zealand’s close attachment to China, especially in terms of selling them dairy products, is paying dividends. “They were first in, first out of Covid and the strong demand for
WMP there gives us hope going forward.” Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell says the stronger 2020-21 milk price forecast is largely being driven by improved demand in China. He says at a $6.80 milk price, more than $10 billion would flow into regional New Zealand.
peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
NEW ZEALAND’S sheep and beef farms are already close to being carbon neutral and Beef+Lamb NZ believes this strengthens calls for the formal recognition of on-farm sequestration. A study led by Dr Bradley Case at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) estimates the woody vegetation on New Zealand sheep and beef farms is offsetting between 63 and 118% of their on-farm agricultural emissions. B+LNZ chief insight officer Jeremy Baker says the study was initiated as a result of a report last year, which showed that there were about 1.4 million hectares of woody vegetation on sheep and beef farms. He says they wanted to understand how much of that was still sequestering carbon and at what level. “The problem with the ETS scheme is that it is based on planting pines and is very much for the short term and gives a quick hit for carbon sequestration,” he says. “Whereas natives take a lot longer to sequester because they are slower growing but they are there for a longer period and they are also biologically and ecologically more secure.” Report author Bradley Case says there is a strong case for farmers to get credit for the sequestration happening on their farms. – See more page 5
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
NEWS 15
Rural health advocate recognised DAVID ANDERSON
SOUTH CANTERBURYBASED nurse practitioner Tania Kemp has been recognised for her contribution to rural health in that region. She was recently named the 2020 recipient of the Peter Snow Memorial Award, which celebrates an individual’s achievement in rural health research, projects, innovation and service. Kemp’s win was announced in early November at the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network annual meeting. She was nominated by the Nurse Executives of New Zealand and the College of Nurses Aotearoa NZ. In its nomination, the organisation described Kemp as having a “deep understanding and expertise in rural practice. She has immersed herself in rural work across her whole career and is seen as an inspiration by the nursing profession as a vocal advocate for quality, accessible, and local health care”. While Kemp is humbled and honoured to receive the award, she describes it as “a team effort”. Her 30-year-long career in nursing has been in a number of rural regions around the country – such as Greymouth, the Chatham Islands and Waimate. She completed her clinical masters and registered as a Nurse
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Tania Kemp, and husband Darcy, have run the Pleasant Point Health Centre in South Canterbury since 2014.
Practitioner, then in 2014, Kemp and husband Darcy bought the Pleasant Point Health Centre, where she works as the lead clinician alongside 11 others. She told Rural News her journey has been made possible because of the support around her. She highlights the support of husband Darcy, who looks after the huge IT needs of the practice. The Rural GP Network says Kemp’s efforts have enabled nurse practitioners to lead clinics and provide a significantly large part of primary care safely and effectively, helping to bridge the gap in areas that struggle to recruit rural GPs. These efforts have seen the Pleasant Point practice double its patient base to around 2000 since the Kemps purchased six years ago. It has a 60-40 rural/urban patient split, with many
of these coming from the surrounding rural areas of Geraldine, Fairlie, and wider South Canterbury – and one as far away as Picton. She says the one good outcome of Covid had been rapid uptake of Zoom and telemetry health by patients in the wake of the pandemic. “We were moving down that track anyway, but Covid has allowed it to become normal.” Like many rural health professionals, Kemp is extremely concerned about the growing occurrence of mental health issues in the sector. “People seem to be under pressure to perform and to keep getting better and I see this impacting on rural mental health,” she told Rural News. Kemp cites as an example the hours many farmers and their staff
work at harvest time. “The hours they do are horrendous. They are under pressure to get the crops in and this can take a huge toll on both their and their staff’s mental health,” she adds. While Kemp is supportive of the Govern-
ment’s efforts to up funding for mental health, she is concerned this is not going where it is needed. “I’ve seen nothing of this coming to the frontline, where it is desperately needed. That needs to change and soon.”
YOU MIGHT be able to take the girl out of Pitt Island, but you can’t take Pitt Island out of the girl. Kemp (nee Gregory-Hunt) was born and raised on Pitt Island (Chatham Islands) into a large, farming family where she was immersed in rural life from an early age and exposed to the significant challenges in rural health. She began her registered nursing (RN) career in Greymouth, in a rural practice, where she set up a variety of clinics that were much needed at the time. She later returned to the Chatham Islands to work, before moving to Waimate, then buying her rural practice in Pleasant Point in 2014. Kemp told Rural News her remote upbringing had a big impact on her career choice. “You know what it is like without easy access health care and this led to me focusing on rural health.” She describes the role of a nurse practitioner as similar to that of a GP. “But I am not a doctor and I don’t claim to be one.” Kemp says she loves the autonomy of rural nursing and sings the praises of rural GPs. “Rural GPs and rural nurse practitioners work well together and I find them very supportive of nursing development in the regions.”
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SHEAR PASSION WINS HIGGINS SHEARING Limited, owned and operated by Sarah Higgins, was recently named as the winner of the Supreme Award in this year’s Rural Women NZ Business Awards. Higgins’ shearing and woolhandling business is based in Marlborough and she works hands-on in the sheds day to day and is passionate about her work. “We strive to break through the status quo of the shearing industry,” Higgins says. “My inspiration comes from my passion for the job. When I left school, having worked as a woolhandler in the sheds, I had developed a real passion for wool and wanted to head in the direction of marketing. But six months in an office role soon sorted that for me and I couldn’t get the shearing sheds out of my system.” Higgins says since she started shear-
ing full time it is now her number one passion. “I love to see others excel in what is essentially a professional sport. Farmers love our passion for the work we do and the commitment we put in to doing the best we can for their wool in such a professional manner.” Rural Women New Zealand national president Fiona Gower says Higgins’ passion for her work together, along with her support for her community and the shearing industry is outstanding. “I was privileged to see Sarah shear as part of a world record setting team earlier this year and she is a fantastic role model and mentor for women entering the industry,” Gower says. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
global agribusiness research analysts sharing market outlooks
16 MARKETS & TRENDS
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Softer returns for NZ red REDUCED GLOBAL demand for higher-value beef and lamb cuts in the year ahead will see New Zealand farmgate prices for beef and sheepmeat drop from the record highs experienced over recent seasons. Rabobank’s flagship annual outlook for the meat sector, Global Animal Proteins Outlook 2021: Emerging from a world of uncertainty, says a slow and uneven recovery in the international foodservice sector, combined with weak global economic conditions, will reduce demand for higher-value New Zealand red meat cuts such as prime beef and lamb racks. Report co-author, RaboResearch animal protein analyst, Blake Holgate says while lower demand for premium
China remains important
RaboResearch animal protein analyst and report co-author Blake Holgate.
cuts would negatively impact export returns, farmgate prices for New Zealand beef and sheepmeat are not expected to drop significantly below longterm averages. “Reduced demand for higher-value cuts will pull New Zealand beef
export returns back from the record highs of quarter four last year, however, we anticipate solid demand for NZ beef out of the US – particularly for manufacturing beef – and China will underpin returns for New Zealand exporters in 2021,” he says.
“Robust Chinese demand will also play a key role in holding up New Zealand sheepmeat prices in the coming year, as will strong global retail demand and tight lamb supply here and in Australia.” The report says New Zealand’s beef production will remain flat in 2021 while the long-term trend of declining New Zealand sheep supplies would continue. “The country’s beef production in 2021 is expected to remain at similar levels to this year with climatic conditions and farmgate pricing poised to determine if production is above or below 2020 levels,” Holgate adds. “The downward trend in New Zealand lamb
New Zealand’s beef production will remain flat in 2021.
supplies is forecast to continue for the 2021 season, with poor climatic conditions earlier in the year having impacted stock numbers and lambing percentages in many regions.”
Global animal protein production forecast to rise On the global front, the report says 2021 will signal a return to animal protein production growth driven by the recovery of China’s pork production. “African swine fever
(ASF) remains the biggest change driver in global animal protein, and in the year ahead we expect to see pork production grow faster than any other species, largely because of the recovery from ASF in China and Vietnam.” According to the report, production in the global poultry, aquaculture and beef sectors is also forecast to grow, while wild-catch seafood production is expected to decline. “Beef production should return to modest growth in 2021, led by increased output from
North America and Brazil,” Holgate says. “Taken in aggregate across all the species, the return to growth in 2021 will represent a significant change from the past two years, even though it will not make up for the losses.”
Key opportunities In addition to the ASF recovery, the report identifies a range of issues affecting global animal protein that create areas of opportunity and risk for sector participants in 2021.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
MARKETS & TRENDS 17
COUNTRIES
Content supplied by Rabobank - Growing a Better New Zealand Together
meat exports Key among these, it says, are global animal protein trade and the pace of Covid-19 recovery. “China’s pork, poultry, beef and seafood imports are respectively estimated to account for about 45 per cent, 10 per cent, 25 per cent and 10 per cent of global trade in 2020 and it has been using this market dominance to drive down import prices. In the year ahead we expect to see China’s political relationships with its trade partners increasingly influence its sourcing, along with its aims to improve food security and cost,” Holgate adds. “Brexit also shapes as a key trade issue. With the UK and EU yet to finalise a new trade deal, some of the postBrexit scenarios include a
The report says all of the major animal protein species have been disrupted by the Covid-19, such as reduced labour availability.
potential surplus of pork and beef in the EU, an increase in meat prices in the UK and a new sizable, high-paying destination for animal protein exporters around the world.” The report says all of the major animal pro-
tein species have been disrupted by the Covid19 pandemic and identifies several dimensions of change which will define the shape and speed of the recovery. “These include accelerating trends – such as
reduced labour availability and the rise of e-commerce – as well as trend reversals – such as a shift to a sales focus on local consumers rather than exports – and the impacts of the economic downturn. “Changes to business strategies will also impact the recovery. “Given the events of the past nine months, we expect to see businesses increasingly focused on building resilience, investing in agility and building trust, with workers, regulators, suppliers and consumers.”
Sustainability in the supply chain Holgate says sustainability in the animal protein supply chain continues to be a hot issue around the globe and the role of markets and reg-
Rabobank says consumer preference toward eating meat is still high but will only remain high if animal protein supply chains proactively take steps to lower their sustainability footprint.
ulators was expected to become clearer in 2021. “Despite criticism from some, consumer preference toward eating meat is still high but will only remain high if animal protein supply chains proactively take steps to reduce emissions or lower their sustainability footprint. “Accordingly, we expect the number of animal protein, food retail and foodser-
vice companies making commitments to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout their supply chain will continue to grow in the coming 12 months,” Holgate adds. He says regardless of whether a market-driven or regulatory approach prevails, three key steps would be crucial to accelerating sustainability progress in the sector. “Firstly, an improved
definition of sustainable animal protein will need to be developed, secondly, introductory price signals will be required to speed the commercialisation of technologies to reduce GHG emissions without reducing production. “And finally, improved access will be needed to timely, cost effective and accurate tools that measure sustainability performance.”
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
18 AGRIBUSINESS
‘Doffing’ claim hits Alliance result DAVID ANDERSON
AN HISTORIC employee entitlement claim of nearly $20 million severely dented meat processor Alliance Group’s annual result this year. The company has announced an underlying profit of $27.4 million on turnover of $1.8 billion for the year ending 30 September 2020. However, a $19.9m provision – relating to the historic employee entitlement claim – saw its annual profit drop to $7.5 million before tax. The meat processor says it is trying to resolve the claim for “historic partial noncompliance for employee entitlements” – known as donning and doffing – with a proposal waiting for ratification by the New Zealand Meat
RULES IMPRACTICAL ALLIANCE GROUP says it remains “concerned” about a range of government polices – including the incentivised afforestation of pastoral farmland. “The government’s freshwater reforms will also have a major impact on farming across the country,” the co-op warns in its annual report. “Aspects of these reforms appear poorly conceived, impractical for farmers and will not necessarily lead to improved environmental outcomes.”
Workers Union. Alliance’s poor result means there will be no profit distribution to shareholders this year. Chair Murray Taggart says the result reflects the “challenging operating environment” for the company in 2020. Despite this, he claims it was a “credible performance for the company” – given the disruption and volatility in global markets due to Covid-19. “The co-operative has
faced challenges on many fronts. Like many businesses, we have been impacted by the pandemic,” Taggart says. “However, our farmers also experienced extreme weather including drought, snow and flooding in parts of the country and difficult growing conditions. “These on farm challenges also flowed through to the co-operative.” Chief executive David
Alliance chair Murray Taggart has described the past year as ‘challenging’.
Surveyor says the company’s response to these challenges was pleasing. “We are proud of how our people across the business responded to the Covid-19 situation. Our people went above and beyond to deliver for our farmers, our customers and the country.”
He adds that while the season began with high protein prices for red meat, driven in part by African Swine Fever impacting the Chinese pig herd, there was a price correction as China took measures to curb protein inflation which reduced farm gate lamb
prices. “This was further compounded by the spread of Covid-19 across the globe and the resulting lockdowns, which resulted in people movement restrictions and massive disruption to the food service sector.” Covid-19 also
impacted Alliance’s processing operations with new operating protocols limiting capacity for farmers. Surveyor says this year’s result excludes any money the company may be eligible for under the Government Wage Subsidy Scheme. “Alliance and the Ministry of Social Development are currently working in a principled and constructive manner to resolve the amount Alliance is entitled to retain,” he explains. “None of this amount will be recognised until discussions with the Ministry of Social Development are complete.” He says the company has already returned money that was “not required for the purpose of retaining jobs and income.”
CARTER JOINS RURALCO BOARD SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
FORMER AGRICULTURE Minister and Banks Peninsula farmer David Carter has been elected to the board of rural trader, Ruralco. Carter took up his directorship at the co-operative’s annual meeting last month, replacing former chairman Alister Body who stepped down after nine years on the board. Carter, one of National’s longest serving MPs, retired at the last general
elections after serving as a parliamentarian for 26 years and in a number of National governments as a cabinet minister, including Agriculture Minister and Speaker of the House. He says joining the Ruralco Board is a chance to offer his experience to his first passion—New Zealand agriculture. “Ruralco has a unique history. I believe with good governance, good management, and a dedicated staff, it has the potential to deliver even greater benefits to its shareholders,”
Former agriculture minister David Carter.
he says. Ruralco, a farmer cooperative owned by Ashburton Trading Society (ATS), made a gross profit of $1.2 million from a group turnover of $241m last financial year. For the third year in a row, the co-op paid its owners a bonus rebate. This year farmer owners received $250,000. Ruralco chair Jessie Chan, speaking at the AGM, described Covid-19 as an unprecedented obstacle. But she says the co-op attracted 68 new shareholders last year and
increased its market share. “Crisis does not change who you are – crisis reveals who you are. Covid-19 revealed a lot about us this year. We are agile, innovative, and willing to rise to the challenge,” said Chan. She says Ruralco recognises that while the agricultural sectors are currently well placed despite the uncertainty created in the wake of Covid-19, the need to work collaboratively will remain at the forefront of all it does.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
20 OPINION EDITORIAL
EDNA
Talk is cheap! PRIME MINISTER Jacinda Ardern delivered a ‘nice’ speech at last week’s Primary Industry Conference, organised and run by Federated Farmers. Unfortunately, over the past term of government, the country has got used to the PM giving nice speeches, but not delivering much. Housing, child poverty statistics and failing infrastructure are just three areas where Ardern talked a big game, but has delivered abysmally. Let’s hope this stretch on the treasury benches is really her Government’s ‘term of delivery’. As Ardern acknowledged in the speech, with her recent election victory – and the success of Labour in rural New Zealand – “comes huge responsibility”. The PM told the conference the vote meant a requirement by her Government “to work more closely with our rural communities” and that she wants to see more of this. She also claimed that she had “made it very clear to our all our MPs, as well as those in provincial seats, that the primary sector is a key partner and stakeholder for this Government.” Again, all very nice words. However, despite touching on a couple of points in the speech that are currently concerning rural NZ, Ardern failed to give any concrete answers that are desperately needed. She glibly mentioned seasonal labour problems currently being experienced in the both the farming and horticultural sectors – exacerbated by her Government’s border closures – but failed to say what, if anything, she would actually do about it. Then came the ‘elephant in the room’ – her Government’s new freshwater regulations. Despite numerous examples that these have been poorly thought out and totally impractical to implement in many situations, Ardern failed to properly address these failings. Claiming that if some aspects of the regulations are found to be impractical to implement, “ministers will receive that advice with the view to making the regulations workable”. Sorry, those are nothing but weasel words. Ever since the new regulations came into law in September, accounts of the impracticality and impossibility of the new rules have flooded in from all around the country. Yet all that Ardern’s involved ministers, David Parker and Damien O’Connor, have said is they may “tweak” some of the rules, if they feel like it. That is both arrogant and ignorant. The PM’s failure to acknowledge this proves that she is – again – talking a good game, but not delivering.
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 021-842 226 CONSULTING EDITOR: David Anderson .................................. Ph 09 307 0399 davida@ruralnews.co.nz
“Look Edna – our first Covid Christmas!”
Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound? Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz
THE HOUND Slow learners?
Good question
Educated?
Action, please!
YOUR OLD mate does wonder about the financial acumen of brain’s trust running Federated Farmers these days! They say the definition of insanity is to keep on doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. Apparently the Feds are launching a new monthly publication (propaganda sheet) that will be sent out to rural boxholders. This old mutt is unsure if Fed’s dwindling membership base is looking forward to having to subsidise another commercial publication flop – as it has had to do in past years with the financially disastrous Straight Furrow and the National Review that have both disappeared off the scene after costing the organisation an arm and a leg. This looks like a hugely expensive ego trip that will burn more cash and credibility, both of which Feds seriously lacks at present!
Your old mate – in an earlier column – expressed concerns about the recent appointment of Mark Townshend as board chair of DairyNZ subsidiary – NZAEL. Apparently, this appointment has raised more issues, with the Hound reliably informed that Townsend is a shareholder and director of dairy genetics company Matriarch Genetics while chairing NZAEL – which is tasked by Dairy NZ to lead the “independent provision of state-of-the-art national genetic evaluations for the NZ dairy sector”. As the Hound’s informant asks: “One can’t help wondering how an owner of a private breeding company has ended up at the helm of a public good breeding evaluation one?” It’s a very good question and one which Dairy NZ and its chair should answer!
Your canine crusader is intrigued to learn that the upper-class twats who attend Oxford University in the UK have voted to ban beef and lamb from students’ menus. Apparently, the university’s in-bred student’s union voted to stop campus food outlets selling beef and lamb due to the ‘effects on climate change’. According to the motion – which passed 31 votes to 9 – “substituting beef and lamb produce is probably the single most impactful change the authorities can encourage in behaviour at the university to reduce our collective impact on climate change”. One would have thought the supposedly welleducated Oxford student body would’ve looked at more effective ways of reducing their carbon footprint such as: biking around campus, no summer holidays on the continent and not producing children.
The Hound notes that despite the new government having been elected for well over a month, there seems to a real lack of urgency on its behalf. A clear case in point is the stone-walling and delay – from both government ministers and officials – over the desperate need to allow more migrant workers into the country to harvest fruit and vegetables. Meanwhile, the Shearing Contractors Association is still looking for an urgent decision to allow experienced sheep shearers into the country – despite having been in talks with the government since the start of lockdown. The association says, initially, it applied for 200 shearers to fill gaps in the local workforce, but that has been scaled back to 60 – but they are still waiting for a decision. Perhaps they should have said the shearers were movie industry workers or America’s Cup sailors and they would have had more luck!
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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 // DECEMBER 1, 2020
OPINION 21
How do we brand differently? THE MARKETERS are telling us that they have no choice – but to pursue it. Big names like Danone, Cargill and Walmart are all trying to show they are being environmentally responsible by sourcing regenerative agriculture (RA) products. Danone is planting trees to offset activities. Cargill is encouraging farmers to move from permanent cropping monocultures in areas bigger than most New Zealand farms to notill rotations. Walmart is aiming for ‘beyond sustainability’ across its supply chain – including agriculture, forestry and fisheries. To support the move, environmental auditors are growing in number. The goal is undoubtedly positive. However, if everybody is embracing RA, how does that assist New Zealand farmers attract the fabled premium? The analogy is organic production systems, which underpin and align with regenerative agriculture principles. Research suggests that if more than 15% of the production area is labelled organic, the premium evaporates. (Note that in Europe extra subsidies are being paid by governments to switch to organic, hence the growing area of organics in some countries.) An additional factor, often not understood by well-meaning environmentalists, is that most organic producers are buffered from pests and diseases by surrounding conventional farmers and growers. A move to wholly organic and regenerative agriculture, where synthetic chemicals are either prohibited or minimised, would decrease yields considerably – experts estimate another 20-30% -- with no compensation through increased price paid. The challenge becomes how to brand RA for New Zealand. If RA is the platform, how do we leverage more without creating extra cost? The answer could lie in new consumer trends, stimulated by Covid-19, for attributes. In July, FoodNaviga-
COMMENT
Jacqueline Rowarth tor.com reported that “People don’t search for brands anymore; attributes are king”. Spoon Guru software developer co-founder and co-CEO Markus Stripf has reported that “health is the number one driver, and top searches are for low sugar, organic, seasonal, local and high protein”. The latter fits unadulterated meat and milk from pasture. Bord Bia is already differentiating Irish beef from competitors in an attempt to maximise the returns from the marketplace to the benefit of Irish beef farmers. Thirteen thousand people surveyed indicated recognition of ‘grass-fed’ and ‘associated it with premium, natural and healthy’. ‘Natural’ continues to be the most influential term in consumer attraction. The International Food Information Council reported in the 2020 Food & Health Survey that ‘natural’ is more important (over 40% of people) than non-GMO (approximately 32%) or organic (approximately 28%). But taste is still number one (88%), followed by price (70%), health (60%) and convenience (52%). The order has not changed over the decade of the research. Sustainability was at 34%. Although the proportion of people looking for sustainability had increased since last year, it is still not as high as in 2011 (over 50%). New Zealand could still aim at ‘pampering the palates of the privileged’. But these desirable attributes require verification; the question remains how the auditing would occur and whether the consumer would cover the costs. Most challenging is how to increase carbon
sequestration without planting more agricultural land in trees. Especially when our soils already contain considerably more carbon than most other countries can manage. Maintaining carbon, as in tropical forests, could be recognised if we get
the marketing right. This is what the Beef + Lamb NZ report on carbon neutrality proposes. If the concept could be accepted, the marketers could get going. Markus Stripf has echoed the big companies such as Walmart, stating that “People are
looking for sustainability claims and environmentally-friendly products – carbon footprint, provenance and farm-to-fork stories”. We have the data; we have the farm-to-fork stories; and we have the trust of consumers in other countries.
Branding RA with them would not give a marketing advantage; branding grass-fed would not differentiate us from the Irish. New Zealand’s Generative agriculture is Beyond Regen – New Gen is even better… • Dr Jacqueline Rowarth
has a PhD in soil science and is an Adjunct Professor at Lincoln University. She is also a farmer-elected director of DairyNZ and Ravensdown. The analysis and conclusions above are her own. jsrowarth@gmail. com @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
22 OPINION
Fresh start required on freshwater rules GRAHAM PINNELL
CONCERNS OVER the freshwater decisions taken by the Government in August have centred on slope rules for stock exclusion and winter grazing of crops. Government has told us that they are open to tweaking the rules where they can be persuaded. Farm levy organisations are saying to farmers, “trust us” to work constructively inside the tent to affect those tweaks. Fair enough, if only tweaks are required. The reality is somewhat different. There are many more concerns with the detail of the set of regulations, such as: The stock exclusion rules superficially only apply to “wide rivers”, which is a misnomer when the definitions are applied. Stock exclusion is required along the entire length of any watercourse that has a defined bank, which in flood is wider than 1m at any point within a parcel of land. A stream doesn’t even need to be permanently flowing. There is no avenue to apply for an exemption to these rules, or to adopt a reasonable alternative. The slope exemption for stock exclusion
does not apply to dairy, dairy support and intensively grazed beef cattle. In effect, all streams and lakes, and many natural wetlands, regardless of the slope of land, require fencing to exclude these animals. Riparian fencing of land over 15° generally requires benching to create a fenceline. Expect increased sedimentation of streams from benching earthworks and stock treading. All new culverts require consents unless a complicated list of conditions are met, including sufficient diameter such that the cross-sectional area of the culvert is at least that of the adjacent stream in times of major flood. The expense to reach this standard will deter farmers from installing further stock crossings. This list is far from exhaustive. Of wider concern is the extreme prescribed for any consent that may affect water quality. The new National Policy Statement prioritises water quality over all other well-beings of sustainability. This is an extreme interpretation of the purpose of the RMA, which is, finding a balance between environmental, economic, social,
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Instead, for these new regulations the ministers set up various working groups to make recommendations for their decision alone.
Graham Pinnell says improvements in freshwater quality will come from encouragement rather than punitive means.
of Covid-19, it is even more critical that investments should be able to demonstrate value. Firstly, ministers put the Land and Water Forum (LAWF) on ice. This widely representative group, who were knowledgeable and had skin in the game, operated in a collaborative manner and had produced excellent and robust work over almost a decade. In order for the LAWF process to work, ministers had to step back and allow all the key issues to be worked through.
minimise, remedy or offset all adverse environmental effects to a less than “minor” level in order to gain consent, and will be held accountable through consent monitoring. If the lens of good regulatory practice is applied to the above, the gold standard is not to abate to a less than minor effect, but to a reasonably practicable level. That is, a level that is feasible and practical, and for which the costs are proportionate to the sustainability well-beings. That way, we target optimal societal
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well-being. The first test any regulation should pass is that its benefits exceed its costs. As we face up to paying for the huge debt
cultural and health and safety well-beings of sustainability. Farmers will now have to convince councils that they can and will avoid,
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Members were handpicked by ministers rather than the normal practice of being nominated by stakeholders. The groups were told not to talk to each other, nor to stakeholders – so the process was shrouded in secrecy. Is this democracy or dictatorship? The minister predetermined the outcome with his terms of reference for the science technical group, requiring it to advise on science-based issues alone. Minister Parker asked that they leave the wider
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economic decisions to him. The spreadsheet summarising submissions does not list any submissions from individuals. The implication is that they were ignored. The published report from the panel that considered submissions and made recommendations to the minister acknowledged that, “we have had limited understanding of the effect of the instruments on the social and economic wellbeing of people and communities. A report on the risk impacts was not available to us before the time for presenting this report.” There is not a shred of evidence that the minister gained the necessary understanding of the range of impacts on the well-beings of sustainability and undertook any meaningful weighing of those impacts as fundamentally required in “achieving the purpose” of the RMA. We all know that the regulations now in place will have huge costs – in monetary terms, on social impacts on hill country communities, and on the mental health of farmers as they try to implement the impossible. These are just some of
the relevant matters that the minister was required to consider. It is high time that our farming levy bodies came outside of the tent and publicly told the Government that farmers are not prepared to be regulated for good management practices – unless they are based on good regulatory practice. These regulations are so fundamentally flawed that a fresh start should be made to freshwater regulation. Making tweaks without addressing the fundamental extremism does not cut it. The Government needs to recognise all of the voluntary efforts being made by farmers, and the great upsurge in catchment groups that are focused on local solutions to local issues. These efforts are achieving far more than prescriptive regulation can ever do. While I support the need for regulation to bring the minority into line, the heavy lifting will be achieved through encouragement rather than punitive means. • Graham Pinnell is a retired farmer and natural resource engineer. He has served on two Crown regulatory boards.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
NEWS 23
Farmers hit the waves to de-stress DAVID ANDERSON
WHEN THE going gets tough, the tough go surfing! Well, that’s that hope of Surfing for Farmers – an initiative aimed at supporting the mental health of the country’s farming community. “Pressure on the rural sector is greater than ever and New Zealand farmers continue to take their own lives at an alarming rate,” says Jack Dustin. “Surfing for Farmers is an initiative that is helping improve mental health and wellbeing in New Zealand rural communities.” Dustin told Rural News the initiative was first launched in Gisborne in 2018 by Stephen Thomson. “People around the country have seen the success of the Gisborne model and reached out to replicate the programme in 15 other regions around New Zealand.” Dustin says the learnto-surf programme provides an opportunity for farmers to step away from
the farm, get some fresh air, exercise and interact with other farmers, rural families and industry professionals. The programme runs for approximately 13 weeks, on a weekday evening at regional surf beaches around the country. Those taking part are provided with surfing gear (wetsuits, surfboards) and lessons free of charge. Local clubs or surf schools provide all the gear and coaching. The surfing session is followed by a free barbeque where participants have a ‘debrief’ about the session and a general catchup. “It’s great to head out there and for a short period of time have no worries in the world,” one of farmer participant says. “To be thinking about the next wave coming in rather than what’s happening out on the farm.” Dustin says the Surfing for Farmers initiative is grateful for the support of it premium sponsors Bayley’s Real Estate, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Jarden and Rabobank.
“It’s really awesome to receive support from local companies making a donation, being a sponsor or supplying the food for their local region,” he adds. “Our voluntary head
coaches are the ones to thank for the successful growth of the organisation around New Zealand. They are passionate about surf therapy and creating impact in their community.”
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
24 MANAGEMENT
On-site native nursery grows farm biodiversity Setting up an on-farm indigenous plant nursery is potentially saving one Southland farming couple hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus heading off a growing demand for native vegetation. WORLD-FAMOUS KIWI-INGENUITY is evident all over the Gore dairy farm of Chris and Desiree Giles. In fact, their entrepreneurial approach saw them pick up three Ballance Farm Environment Awards this year. Run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, the awards recognised the strong vision behind Waimumu Downs, which the Giles have successfully converted to dairy. Their vision is backed up with a firm helping of experimentation, with innovative ideas being used to reduce their longterm environmental footprint, benefit soils and water quality, and support their wider community. “I love scheming and coming up with new ideas – and our farm is so close to town that it easily lends itself to being used for community initiatives,” Chris Giles says. One such idea is an on-farm native plant nursery that is them saving huge amounts of money, while also helping to meet a grow-
WINTERING TRIAL STARTING SMALL is a recurring theme for the Giles. They recently transformed three paddocks from a traditional wintering approach – where crops are grazed in-situ – into five paddocks that are now planted in crops including oats, winter star grass, plantain, vetch and clover. The crops are harvested and stored as two cuts of baleage, which is then fed on the regrown paddocks during winter. “We’re not getting bigger yields but we’re getting all the baleage we need and our cows are even happier than usual because we’re not having to transition them,” Chris Giles explains. “Before trying new things, I do lots of research and talk to a lot of people. For example, this wintering trial included just 100 cows and young stock – and we had a back-up plan in case it didn’t work out.”
ing demand as farmers increasingly boost biodiversity on their properties. “There’s going to be a shortage of natives going forward – there’s a big demand now and it’s only going to get bigger,” Giles adds. “Anyone planning to carry out significant native planting on their property should seriously consider starting their own nursery.” An initial quote to purchase and put in about 40,000 plants across his farm was around $500,000.
“When things start costing that much, they tend to get put on the backburner. Now we’re growing our own plants, the only cost is our time,” he says. “The money can instead be put toward other things like fence netting and trialling other environmentally friendly ideas – such as different ways of removing nitrogen from water and trialling different types of wetlands.” To help boost interest in the Gore Catchment
Award- winning Gore dairy farm of Chris and Desiree Giles.
Group they’re a part of; the Giles are now setting up a community nursery, which will form part of an on-site learning platform for local school children. Complete with its own classroom, the Waimumu Downs Project has attracted almost 20 local schools. All of which are set to visit the farm and learn about such things
pened to meet the right people at the right time,” Desiree Giles says. “We want to get the whole of Gore involved.” The couple have also developed five wetlands on the property. This has also led to plenty of experimentation, with one filtering trial – involving straw bales and sediment traps – resulting in an almost 40%
as creeks, ponds, predator management, sediment traps and seed sourcing. Working closely with Environment Southland, one of the main goals of the project is to attract more members to their catchment group – people from both town and country. “It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time and we just hap-
drop in nutrient levels over the past six months. While establishing wetlands cost time and money, the Giles don’t mind because they love seeing the positive environmental impacts, plus watching the areas begin to thrive and attract native wildlife. [Copy and photo care of New Zealand Farm Environment Trust]
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
MANAGEMENT 25
Change necessary for sustainable future Waikato dairy farmers Ben and Sarah Troughton are partway through their journey from a high input, high output operation towards a smaller, more diversified and environmentally sustainable system. It’s a slow journey and the financial investment has been significant, but the payoffs for their soil, livestock, lifestyle and the environment are starting to show… BEN TROUGHTON’S connection to the dairy farm he manages with wife Sarah, near Matamata in the Waikato, runs deep. Grandfather Vic bought the property nearly 100 years ago, and bloodlines in Troughton’s current milking herd trace all the way back to Vic’s original animals. And it’s the farming principles that Vic lived by—keeping it simple and local, and looking after the land, livestock and each other—that Ben and Sarah are now looking to
emulate as they strive for a more sustainable and fulfilling business. It wasn’t long after taking over the farm that the Troughtons realised change was necessary. All the advice they received at the time pointed to increasing inputs: higher stocking rates, more imported feeds, more nitrogen fertiliser, more pressure to produce. They saw the effect it was having on the health of their stock, on their staff, and on the environment, and decided that— for
them—it simply wasn’t the way to farm. Change began with a close look at stocking rates. They’ve reduced numbers and increased production per animal. Costs have gone down, but there’s still some fine tuning to do to get the cost-production balance just right for them. At the same time, the couple have reviewed their nitrogen fertiliser use—and didn’t like what they found. They’ve since reduced urea inputs to about 10% of what they were. They’re almost
Waikato dairy farmers Ben and Sarah Troughton.
ready to eliminate artificial nitrogen inputs altogether. Between 2012/13 and 2018/19, the Troughtons decreased their synthetic and organic nitrogen fertiliser use by 73%, from 84 to 23kg of nitrogen per hectare per year. Over the ensuing years, the couple have moved to once-a-day
milking, diversified their crops and pastures, minimised tillage and reduced the amount of time paddocks are bare. They have also improved effluent management and established feeding pads to avoid pugging—all aimed at reducing the farm’s environmental impact and removing stress on animals.
n g i s e D
An improved worklife balance is a welcome side-effect. They’ve also looked to diversify and add value to the milk they produce— most notably by opening a creamery that produces and sells gelato and sorbet. More products, like cheeses and butter, might follow.
The Troughton’s focus on low-input farming, and sourcing and selling locally, might not work for everyone. But looking back, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Meanwhile, scientists from Waikato University are right alongside them crunching the numbers to see exactly how their actions are affecting greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon stocks. Initial results are not far away and will be shared on the Ag Matters website as soon as they’re available. • Copy and photo courtesy of the Ag matters website – funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries and NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre – to provide practical information, backed by science, to help farmers and growers get to grips with climate change.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
26 ANIMAL HEALTH
New M.bovis cases not an outbreak NIGEL MALTHUS
FARMERS ARE being reassured that a recent increase in confirmed M. bovis infected farms is only to be expected at this time of year. “It’s an increase but it’s within what we were expecting we would find,” Ministry for Primary Industries Mycoplasma bovis programme director Stuart Anderson told Rural News. “We had always expected that this spring was when we would pick up a few more.”
As of the November 13 update, seven farms nationally were listed as confirmed active properties, after the figure dropped to as little as one in August and September. All seven are in Canterbury and six are in the Mid-Canterbury district. The two most recent detections were a MidCanterbury property directly linked by animal movements to an infected property detected from MPI’s August bulk tank milk screening, and one
in the Selwyn district, confirmed following a detect result from the September bulk tank milk screening. MPI says it is “not an outbreak” but shows the surveillance programme is working as it should. “Nor is it widespread — no additional farms in the Mid Canterbury/ Ashburton district other than those three dairies originally detected in August were found in September or October bulk tank milk screening, giving confidence this is an isolated cluster
MPI’s Mycoplasma bovis programme director Stuart Anderson.
Farmer’s bovis nightmare THE MENTAL anguish of dealing with bureaucracy is the hard part of managing a Mycoplasma bovis infection, says Mid-Canterbury farmer and self-appointed advocate for the victims, Duncan Barr. Barr, whose farm was hit with disease in 2018, started the ‘Mbovis Affected Farmers’ group on Facebook to connect with other victims. Barr runs three properties, just north of the Rangitata – his dairy farm, a leased block running replacement heifers, and a third block used for a calf rearing business, which was the one
hit by the disease, from boughtin calves. “We were trading a lot of stock, buying calves, rearing them and on-selling them. That’s basically how I got bovis, and how I spread it around the country.” He had to cull about 550 animals, losing calves, two-yearold beef animals, and two years’ worth of genetic improvement in his replacement calves. Barr says MPIs’ handling of infected farms initially was “absolutely diabolical”. He says many frontline staff had little idea about farming, and he was
asked about the incidence of mastitis in bulls, when steers would be calving, and whether new-born calves had been in contact with cows. Barr was speaking in response to a recent increase in the number of confirmed Mycoplasma bovis infections, particularly in Canterbury. MPI’s official figures show seven active confirmed properties as of November 12 – following a long period during winter when there was only one, week on week. The Facebook group had about 200 informal members at
its height. Although it’s largely inactive now, Barr has been helping advise one of the farmers recently confirmed as infected. He had to cull underweight stock – under 340kg so they couldn’t go to the works - but the man’s case manager had no idea what to do with them, until Barr was able to put them in touch with an abattoir which could process them for pet food. “A real simple issue like that; the case manager didn’t know what to do. And that’s a real concern.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
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connected by animal movements.” Anderson says spring is when the disease is most easily detectable as cows are under stress from recent calving, and 2018 heifers, which may not have been picked up in the early days of the eradication programme are milking now for the first time. At least one of the current cases is understood to be on a farm that had stock culled just last year. Anderson acknowledges rumours that infected animals may have been missed but
says there’s no evidence to support that. “We are still deep in the process of going through the connections, movements, linkages, the genomic analysis, etc, but at the moment there isn’t any evidence to support that something was missed last year.” Meanwhile, the beef herd survey, which aims to discover whether Mycoplasma bovis has spread into the country’s beef industry, has now tested 86,600 animals from over 4000 farms. The survey has uncovered no confirmed infection to date.
BILL CLIMBS TO $350M NEARLY $350 million has been spent, so far, trying to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis from the country. Figures released by Biosecurity New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) show a total of $349.6m has been spent. A further $184.9m in compensation has been paid to farmers whose cows have been culled during the response to the disease, and a further $94.3m spent on the response prior to the decision to eradicate. MPI M. bovis programme director Stuart Anderson says initial modelling indicated that the cost to eradicate the disease would be around $880m over 10 years. However, he adds that the loss of production – should M. bovis become endemic in the national herd – would top $1-billion in the first 10 years alone. The M. bovis Programme is a Government Industry Agreement between MPI, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand. It is co-funded, governed and operated by these three organisations in partnership. “This eradication programme is funded by a combination of farmer levies and taxpayer money. Given the investment to date, it’s important everyone does their bit and is vigilant with their NAIT [National Animal Identification and Tracing] and on-farm biosecurity,” says Anderson.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
ANIMAL HEALTH 27
Worm resistance genetics compared to four years ago. “The Beef + Lamb NZ Genetics low input trial has clearly shown that WormFEC Gold rams with high performance and resistance levels still performed under high worm challenges,” he claims. “This is a big saving in time, labour and expenses.” “We are keen to work with farmers and vets to improve on farm knowl-
drenching strategy to combat internal parasites,” the West Otago sheep farmer says. “Clearly that is failing at alarming rates with increasing resistance found in combination drenches (43%) and triple drenches (15%) in the latest NZ study completed by a Dunedin company Techion”. Richardson says the rate of drench resistance increase has been dramatic, with some drench families recording over a 100% increase in resistance
facebook.com/ruralnews
Does your NAIT tag match your NAIT location? From December 14, there are new rules for managing NAIT tags...
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WEANING, DRAFTING, drenching and shearing all create the perfect environment for pneumonia and pleurisy in lambs. However, simple management can reduce the risk of these production limiting diseases. Pneumonia is a disease that causes lesions in the lungs. The most common form is Chronic Non-Progressive Pneumonia, which can be caused by bacteria, mycobacteria or viruses. Symptoms are usually not obvious, although lambs will be slower growing and often have trouble breathing. Lambs will pant following exercise and cough. Lambs with pneumonia are more likely to develop pleurisy where lungs stick to the chest wall. At processing, affected carcasses are downgraded or condemned. A 2000/2001 study carried out on a database of 1719 farms in Canterbury, Manawatu and Gisborne found the prevalence of pneumonia ranged from 0-100% per flock. However, on average, flocks had 24% of lamb affected. The number of flocks with some pneumonia present ranged from 40-70% – in other words it is very common and costly. Slower growing lambs cost more to feed and then their carcasses are downgraded. [Source – Beef+ Lamb NZ]
@rural_news
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High-risk time for Pneumonia
edge and get the best medium to long term solutions for internal parasite management,” Richardson adds. His take home message to farmers is to use this time wisely, get resistant genes into your flock. “It will future-proof your farm, cut costs and reduce your long-term reliance on regular drenching,” Richardson says.
WormFEC Gold chair Allan Richardson.
6 – 15
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SHEEP FARMERS should be investing in proven, worm resistant genetics this breeding season to future proof their businesses’ bottom lines. That’s the claim of new WormFEC Gold chair Allan Richardson. WormFEC is a group of 15 breeders – with 18 flocks – representing all the main sheep breeds and based throughout NZ. “The majority of farmers still continue to put all their trust in a
6 – 15
NAIT tags are only usable ...
AT
... the NAIT location they were purchased for.
PREVENTING PNEUMONIA A HEALTHY animal with good nutrition, up-todate animal health and minimal stressors are at reduced risk of developing pneumonia. Keep the time of yarding lambs to a minimum. Watering the yards before use can be helpful – and make life more pleasant for humans and dogs. Keep mob sizes small to reduce animal stress and dust inhalation. Avoid shearing lambs at weaning. Minimise stock movement in the middle of the day when dust levels are highest and avoid long distance movements where possible. Reduce the extent and duration of openmouth panting when mustering or droving lambs. Satellite yards can reduce long-distance movements. Try and reduce pressure on lambs when droving, laneways are ideal as allow lambs to drift at their own pace.
Before tagging, make sure the tags’ NAIT number matches your location’s NAIT number. www.ospri.co.nz/managemytags
Remember to register your animals after tagging. Failure to comply with NAIT obligations may result in fines or prosecution issued by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
NAIT is an OSPRI programme
J1540 NAIT tags for single location advert FA.indd 1
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9/10/2020 1:33:09 PM
RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
28 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Get in early or miss the boat! MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
WITH A second wave of Covid-19 bringing Europe to a dramatic slowdown, as more severe lockdowns are imposed, reports suggest that product and parts supplies for the Australasian markets are likely to come under pressure. It is likely to become a greater problem as we move into the second part of 2021. This is due to our growing season being the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere and falls at a time when there are annual factory summer shutdowns.
While production is continuing, with most manufacturers implementing lessons learned during “Lockdown 1”, the likelihood is that overall production levels will be difficult to maintain because externally-sourced key component supplies – such as hydraulic pumps, batteries and tyres – are said to be tight. A further concern is that incoming President Joe Biden may take more effective control than his predecessor and place the US in some form of lockdown. This is likely to restrict supply – particularly of higher
Machinery product and parts supplies for the Australasian markets are likely to come under pressure due to the second wave of Covid lockdowns currently happening in Europe.
horsepower tractors and broadacre machinery. “Covid-19 lockdowns are affecting component manufacturers in the supply chain, increased constraints at certain ports and interruptions
to shipping are all making things challenging for importers,” says Peter Scott, NZ manager of AGCO New Zealand. Rural News understands that there is also pressure on new product
supply due to the ongoing “mini-boom” being experienced in the Australian market, driven by rains and its government’s capital allowance initiatives. The Tractor and Machinery Association
of Australia is reporting year-to-date sales of tractors are up by 22%, with the eventual market likely to top 13,000 tractors – a first since the 1980s. However, it suggests the Covid situation, resulting in lower production levels, is likely to add 12-16 weeks to typical delivery lead times. Back in NZ, Alistair Horrocks, Deutz Fahr sales manager for Power Farming, confirms that whole-goods supplies are still flowing into New Zealand. However, he says the typical six-month lead time from order placement to delivery has now
blown out to around eight months. “Any delays we are experiencing are largely caused by shipping issues, with empty containers hard to come by, finding slots on boats, then sailing being delayed or rescheduled,” he told Rural News. Horrocks says that while the key German and Italian supply factories are managing the situation well and largely maintaining production levels, Power Farming is having to use extended forecasting to keep supplies arriving for its NZ, Australian and US operations.
KRONE LOOKS AT REVERSE DRIVE ANYONE FAMILIAR with precision grass harvesting will remember the domination of the drum-type trailed harvesters of the 1980s and ‘90s. This was overtaken by the popularity of flywheel type machines, which delivered more output, less fuel consumption and a better chance of surviving foreign object ingestion. Those flywheel-based machines evolved from rearlinkage mounted, reverse drive machines that were the norm when forage maize became popu-
lar in northern Europe. This was at a time when self-propelled units were only just starting to appear. German harvesting specialist Krone is now looking to turn the clock back and creating a sense of déjà vu with its latest development project – a prototype reverse-drive forage harvester that has been undergoing testing in maize. Designed to be mounted on prime mowers like the Claas Xerion 5000 or the Fendt 1050, the prototype weighs over six tonnes and can be equipped with
Krone’s six to 10 row maize, conventional grass pick-up or directcut, whole-crop headers. It features a chopping cylinder from the Big-X harvester range, and hydraulically-driven header and feed rollers. The prototype is said to be a match for Krone’s Big-X 480 cousin in terms of output and chop quality, with reduced fuel consumption and a significantly lower capital cost. – Mark Daniel @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
Krone has developed a prototype reverse-drive forage harvester that has been undergoing testing in maize.
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Maitland - RD5 - Gore Phone/Fax 03-207 1837 or 027-628 5695 www.james-engineering.co.nz
RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 29
Big, bold brash Ram truck will grow on you! MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
INTRODUCED IN 2018, the Ram 1500 brought big American trucks to the New Zealand mainstream – at a price point that largely matched high-end European utes. In 2019, about 140 Ram 1500s were registered, 120 of which were the top-of-the-range Laramie versions. For 2020, the arrival of the Express Crew Cab (ECC) sees a new model that drops between the base Express Cab and the Laramie, but with the latter’s cabin – offering more leg, shoulder and headroom, with a slightly shorter 1712mm tub. On walk up, the ECC is still an imposing vehicle with a broad, muscular front that tips the tape at 2m wide, 5.8m long and 1.9m high. Our test steed in Granite Crystal also comes as standard with a sports hood, black accent package and semi-gloss black 20-inch alloys. Dumbed down a little from Laramie, the truck offers, mechanically adjusted cloth seats, a simplified centre console, the absence of volume control on the steering wheel and a missing rear window demister. But enough of what it doesn’t have, to what it does – in the main that glorious 5.7 litre, V8
SNIPPETS Harrisville Harvest demo day
HEAVY METAL addicts who were unable to get their fix of tractors and machinery due to the cancellation of the regional and national field days have some good news on the horizon. A new live machinery event, the Harrisville Harvest Demo Day will take place on December 10 at the Harrisville Speedway Park on SH1, near Bulls in the Manawatu. Supported by most of the key players in the New Zealand tractor and machinery arena, the event will allow exhibitors to demonstrate their products.
Virtual Pottinger
AUSTRIAN MANUFACTURER Pottinger has announced that, because it is not possible to attend “live” agricultural machinery trade fairs for the foreseeable future, it will commence a virtual trade fair with immediate effect. The site will give visitors the chance to use a high quality, easy to use interface, featuring new product details, information and interactive demonstrations, alongside details of upcoming celebrations as it approaches its 150th anniversary. (Visit www.pottinger.at/virtual-fair)
Fourth gen’ Santa Fe The new Ram ECC model is an imposing vehicle.
Hemi engine that pumps out 291kW and 556Nm of torque. A 121-litre capacity petrol tank will give you an idea of fuel consumption, officially rated at 12.2l/100km, but you don’t buy a Ram to save the planet! Easy to live with, the rumbling exhaust note makes you forget about consumption. But for those looking for frugality, during light loads, one bank of cylinders shuts down. However, the exhaust sound is lost – so just keep your boot on the loud pedal. As you would expect, the front seats are broad, deep and comfortable – while those behind will always have plenty of space. For those looking
to carry large items inside the cabin, the rear seats flip up to increase space, but don’t fold flat like the Laramie. Precisely remanufactured from a LHD vehicle that passes through Walkinshaws’ workshops in Melbourne, before a boat ride to NZ, the 1500 still carries the foible of the foot operated park brake mounted above the gas pedal – leading one to wonder how hard it would be to fit an electronic park brake? Likewise, smart entry and push button start can’t be that much more expensive on a $105k vehicle? Out on the road, the ride is firm – but this is a truck. The 8-speed trans-
mission is a joy to use and although fitted with push button changes if required, was largely left to its own devices. For those easily intimidated, the overall size makes for awkward parking and the realisation that the back end will always hang over the lines. Likewise, the 12.2m turning radius needs a degree of forward planning. However, that same size means other drivers give you a wide berth. Fitted with selectable 4WD, difficult terrain is never a problem. The ECC offers an 830kg load-bed capacity and comes into its own with a 4.5 tonne towing capacity. Our test truck was fitted
with the optional Ram box lockers on each flank, giving a waterproofed 210 litre capacity each, with automated locking linked to the central system.
HYUNDAI’S NEW fourth-generation Santa Fe has recently landed in NZ. Featuring a new fresh look inside and out, along with more legroom and cargo area, it offers purchasers a choice of three engines: A 2.2 litre diesel that produces 148kW and 440Nm torque and is mated to a dual clutch 8-speed transmission; a 2.5 litre petrol that delivers 132kW/232Nm coupled to a 6-speed auto; or the 3.5 litre Lambda II petrol, making 200kw/331Nm through an 8-speed auto.
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
30 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS / RURAL TRADER
Tractors of choice increase options CANTERBURY-BASED QUIGLEY Contracting’s tractors of choice are Fendt – preferred for their technology and versatility. Key advantages of the Fendt tractors for the business, which offers a broad range of services, include their Vario transmission, cab suspension, 65km/h road speed and ISOBUS compatibility. Quigley Contracting focuses on three tractor sizes – 150 hp, 280 hp and 360 hp – with their drivers allocated a tractor to use with a range of implements. Over the last two years, two 936 and 11 828 models have arrived, all fitted with the VarioGrip tyre pressure system, originally to reduce tyre wear. Operations manager Rob Raisbeck says the choice has also led to several other benefits. “As contractors, road
REDUCING SOIL COMPACTION AGCO RESEARCHERS are currently investigating the impact of compactionreducing technology built into Fendt’s new Momentum brand planter. This consists a centre-fill seeding system equipped with weight distribution and tire inflation technology, as well as an in-line wheel design. The project, aimed at maize crops, began by taking 60cm deep penetrometer measurements in three different locations behind the planter – in rows where the tractor tyre drove, rows where both a tractor and planter tyre drove, and
wear is a big problem for us,” he says. “But VarioGrip gives us the ability to run the ideal pressure in the field or on the road and even adjust pressures for individual applications, such as cultivation or harvest work.” Raisbeck says on heavy cultivation tractors they were lucky to get 3000 hours out of a set of tyres.
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rows experiencing no tyre traffic. This was done with the planter’s compactionprevention systems engaged, as well as without. Researchers also looked at tyre pressures ranging from 55 psi, similar to the level for road transport, and automated inflation that maintained tyre pressure at approximately 17 psi. Observations so far, showed a near 9cm height advantage in maize planted with very high flexion (VF) tyres auto adjusted to maintain a low psi (approx. 17 psi), as opposed to the same tyres kept at a constant 55 psi.
“We are currently sitting on 3000 hours and some have minimal wear,” he adds. “I am reasonably confident that with VarioGrip we will get close to 6000 hours out of our tyres or potentially more.” As Quigley Contracting offers a broad range of services, its tractor fleet is large, so doubling tyre life adds up to a massive saving. VarioGrip allows operators to change tyre pressures, using a double compressor and feed lines via a rotary union to each of the tyre valves. Pressures can be set as low as 0.6 bar in the field and up to 2.5 bar on the road, depending on the weight of the tractor and the
implement. Raiser says it takes about five minutes to change pressure, initiated via a submenu on the main screen, allowing the right pressure to be chosen for a job. A lower pressure in
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FARMSTRONG IS tipping its hat to the farmers and growers of New Zealand who have contributed to it winning two awards at the recent 2020 New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards. Farmstrong took out the sector leadership and overall honours with the Supreme Award. The judges highlighted that Farmstrong’s intense focus on the mental health of the rural community…”with a programme that seeks to engage with farmers in a relatable and authentic way, which a generation ago would have seemed unlikely”. “Everyday farmers and growers have driven this programme by sharing their personal wellbeing stories and, with it, giving other farmers and growers the permission, confidence and practical ideas on how they can invest in their own wellbeing,” says Farmstrong project manager Gerard Vaughan. He says research, started five years ago, showed there was a real
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operations in the spring. Furthermore, access to paddocks is made much easier, as the tractors are significantly narrower without dual wheels. With the VarioGrip system including a compressor within the tractor, meaning the operation no longer carries compres-
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need for a rurally focused programme, centered on how to “live well to farm well”. “Since launching in 2015, Farmstrong has used an annual random sample survey of 450 farmers and growers to track their awareness of engagement with and monitor real changes they are making,” Vaughan explains. “This year’s results showed that 71% of respondents were aware of the programme, while 22% of all farmers and growers surveyed attributed an improvement in their wellbeing to their engagement with
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sors on the back of its service utes. This has the added benefit of allowing drivers to blow out radiators or seed drills. Additionally, Quigley’s are specifying air brakes on new implements, as they are more efficient than traditional hydraulic systems.
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the paddock increases the contact patch, which gives more grip, less wheel-slip and less compaction. Improved traction has removed the need for dual wheel set-ups, with one tyre size covering all work scenarios, including precision planting
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RURAL NEWS // DECEMBER 1, 2020
RURAL TRADER 31 FLY OR LICE PROBLEMS?
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