Rural News 15 February 2022

AGRIBUSINESS

MANAGEMENT

NEWS

Woolly thinking pays off.

Project aims to get snapshot of farm performances. PAGE 32

Ag sector well prepared for Covid surge – expert PAGE 10

PAGE 30

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS FEBRUARY 15, 2022: ISSUE 744

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You dirty ‘RAT’s!

LITTLE TO AGREE ON DAVID ANDERSON

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE GOVERNMENT’S so called ‘consolidation’ of Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) from meat companies has the potential to force the closure of some meat processing plants if staff contract the Omicron version of Covid.

Many meat processing companies took the precaution of purchasing their own RATs as a means of protecting their staff and keeping their works going in a Covid outbreak. However, because, on the Government’s behalf, the Ministry of Health failed to get sufficient supplies in on time, it effectively pilfered what it could from the private sector.

Meat Industry Associations (MIA) policy manager Paul Goldstone told Rural News that meat companies had purchased the now Government-appropriated RATs as a means of screening workers and preventing the virus getting into plants. He says an Omicron outbreak would be disastrous for the sector and could lead to whole plants being closed down.

Goldstone says the RAT issue is also linked to the rules around home isolation. He points out some workers live in households where there are large numbers of people of varying age groups, who all work in the meat sector.

Goldstone says the current government rules on isolation pose a serious risk to the meat industry.

The meat industry says the Government’s seizure of Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) from meat companies could force the closure of some processing plants if staff contract the Omicron.

“We have been pushing hard for some realism with the current criteria,” he told Rural News.

“A single positive case of Covid in a worker or a household member could result in that entire house-

hold being isolated for 10 days.”

Goldstone says this could see large parts of a plant being put into isolation and likely shut down.

“We were going to be using RATs to act as a form of screen-

ing to prevent infected workers getting on site,” he explains. “The meat companies purchased RATs to minimise this risk, but without them, plants are now at risk and so are valuable meat exports.”

GROUNDSWELL NZ farm emissions spokesman Steve Cranston told Rural News the group had “very little” to agree with in the current He Waka Eka Noa (HWEN) proposals.

“I would say the original intent of HWEN was good, a collective approach to create pricing at the margins, as well as promoting uptake of new technologies and management,” the Waikato based agriculture and environment consultant says.

“Unfortunately, it has been designed with major reductions of emissions in mind rather than trying to better understand our climate footprint and then set appropriate reductions from there.”

Cranston says Groundswell is still working on its counter proposal. However, he hinted it will likely be based on data collection, best practice management and improved research into carbon sequestration rates.

“Some form of pricing or credits trading are likely required to ensure fairness and that we remain on course – around 2025/26,” he added. “Farmers should have genuine input on how this works – so we won’t be defining that now.”

Cranston is hopeful Groundswell’s alternative will allow the NZ farming sector to certify climate neutrality by 2030.

“We plan to socialise our proposal with other political parties so, farmers have a credible alternative with the election in two years.”

He says Groundswell believes that any emissions scheme should be designed to promote NZ farming’s low climate impact to consumers – not just reduce emissions.

Rural News understands that Groundswell recently had a Zoom meeting with HWEN to discuss its farmer survey results and suggest changes.

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Update from Beef + Lamb New Zealand

By Andrew Morrison, Chairman

Farmers can get greater recognition for their sequestration than what’s currently covered by the ETS, and the money raised will be invested back into our sector to support the reduction of emissions.

There is also the option of the sector transitioning from the hybrid to the farm-level option over time.

I encourage every farmer to study the options carefully, attend a roadshow meeting and have their say at a meeting or through the online feedback form.

Farmers are getting the opportunity to hear more about the agriculture emissions pricing options at roadshow meetings around New Zealand and in online webinars.

Following requests from B+LNZ, DairyNZ and others, the Government has agreed to an extension to the timeframe for consultation and recommendations on options, in light of the move to the red traffic light setting of the COVID-19 Protection Framework. Consultation will now close in late March and the He Waka Eka Noa partnership will report its recommendations to Ministers by 31 May (rather than 30 April). Please have your say during the consultation – it’s really important.

I’ve been fielding plenty of questions from farmers over the past few months and I recognise there are some concerns out there. That’s not surprising – climate change is a complicated issue and we always knew landing on a fair, effective and equitable pricing mechanism for emissions was going to be a challenge.

So I thought it would be worthwhile answering five of the most common questions farmers have been asking me.

Why are we doing this?

In 2019, the Government indicated it was going to bring agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

B+LNZ, alongside other primary sector groups, convinced the Government not to do this and instead work with us on a more appropriate approach, with the result being the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership – He Waka Eke Noa. If the Government had brought us into the ETS, it would have completely undermined the ‘split gas’ outcome we’d previously secured in legislation, as the price of methane would have been linked to the price of carbon. New Zealand is the only country to have a split gas target for methane. The price of carbon is rapidly escalating and farmers’ costs for emissions would also escalate without any opportunity to influence those costs.

However, if we don’t make enough progress on an alternative option, they’ll put agriculture into the ETS. The agricultural sector must reach agreement on an alternative by 31 May.

Wouldn’t we be better to focus on getting the methane targets changed?

In New Zealand, the legislated targets are for a 10 percent reduction in methane by 2030 and a 24-47 percent reduction by 2050. We absolutely agree the methane reduction targets need to come down, but it’s a parallel process. If we argue for the targets to be fixed first, the Government will simply bring us into the ETS and it won’t matter what the targets are.

At the same time as our work on the emissions pricing consultation B+LNZ, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers are working hard on the targets. The methane reduction targets in the Zero Carbon Act will be reviewed by the Climate Change Commission in 2024 and the legislation states this will be based on the latest science. We are pushing hard for the methane targets to be adjusted downwards based on the latest science (based on the warming impacts of gases).

Is B+LNZ pushing the Government to recognise the different warming impact of different greenhouse gases?

Yes - the agriculture sector’s advocacy work is one of the reasons the Government already treats methane differently from long-lived gases. It’s a start.

We’ve been very clear with the Government that it should start reporting on warming as well as emissions. We agree we need to change the conversation to warming and better account for the warming impact of methane through the use of the more appropriate GWP* metric.

We are also working with our agricultural counterparts overseas to build a better understanding of the different warming impact of methane.

Do the alternative pricing options use GWP*?

The alternative options the partnership has come up with reflect the fundamentals of the science behind GWP* - in particular, both options have a separate price for methane and measure methane emissions based on weight only, without using carbon equivalents (that is, the inappropriate GWP100 metric) for methane.

We believe this addresses the concerns about how methane is accounted for.

This is something every farmer needs to decide for themselves, but doing nothing is not an option.

At a more detailed level, it’s very complex to apply GWP* directly on the farm. You need 20 years of data and there could be a lot of variability in what you pay. You may have a drought one year and reduce your stock but the next few years when you’re rebuilding, using the GWP* metric would apply a very high bill to any increase in emissions.

Two options have been released for discussion – a farm-level levy and a processor-level hybrid levy. We acknowledge these options are not perfect and each has their strengths and weaknesses. But they do provide a platform that can be built on. Most importantly, both price methane and nitrous oxide separately to the carbon price.

B+LNZ’s Economic Service analysis also indicates that over the last 30 years, while the number of sheep and beef farms has decreased, on average the size of the remaining farms has increased. Using GWP* at the farm level would stifle this consolidation. It would also be punishing for any new entrants or farmers looking to develop their farm.

What’s the best option?

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NEWS 3 ISSUE 744

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Self-isolation better way SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

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South told Rural News that while self-

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isolation will still be a requirement, it makes things much easier.

She says the Government could help the vet sector by immediately opening up the working holiday visa scheme.

“As well as overseas qualified vets coming here to work on a permanent basis being restricted over the last two years, what’s also made it hard is the complete lack of vets and vet nurses being able to have their OE here via working holiday visas,” says South.

“It’s these vets and experienced vet nurses who provided the critical locum services to clinics from Kai-

“It would be great if all government departments worked together for the greater good of New Zealand’s veterinary sector.” taia to the Bluff and everywhere in between that we’ve been so desperately short of over the last two years.”

South says she knows many other sectors which urgently require overseas workers for their businesses to survive.

“However, it would be great if all government departments worked together for the greater good of New Zealand’s veterinary sector so that vets and vet nurses who wanted to have their OE Down Under are granted working holiday visas sooner rather than later,” she says.

“Given it can take four to six months to get a vet into NZ when everything is running smoothly pre-

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pandemic (resignation period required in their home country, visa issuance and other requirements), I anticipate we’re not going to notice any significant relief until around spring, so urgency is definitely required.”

South says she’s noticed a few more enquiries since the border opening announcement.

“Which is good to see, because I was starting to wonder how much damage had been done to NZ’s international brand overseas with our closed-door approach over the last two years.”

This month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern outlined her plan to reopen NZ’s borders.

She announced that from Sunday 13 March, there will also be an expanded border exception for critical workers and skilled workers earning at least 1.5 times the median wage, who will also be eligible to enter New Zealand.

“This means that health workers, farm managers, and horticultural workers will all be eligible to enter New Zealand, self-isolate for a short period and then go about their business,” Ardern claims.

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Julie South says the Government could help the vet sector by immediately opening up the working holiday visa scheme.

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Chief executive Tim Mackle says that the ability to get the workers through the border the class exception was not achieving its goal of allowing international workers onto farms.

“We have been working with the Government, putting forward several suggestions as to how our sector could manage the balance between the health risk and our labour needs. It is rewarding to see how this planning has paid off.”

However, he says there is still work to be done to ensure that the sector gets the amount of people it needs to address a severe labour shortage.

“With a shortfall of about 4,000-6,000 dairy workers we have asked the Government for a further 1,500 international workers be allowed into New Zealand in 2022,” Mackle adds.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

4 NEWS

Farmer groups split on continuing with consultation meetings SUDESH KISSUN

FEDS ABSTAIN

sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FARMERS GROUPS remain split on whether the primary sector should push ahead with face-toface consultations on a new emissions pricing option.

Federated Farmers wants the farmers meetings to be put on hold until the country moves into orange level settings.

However, DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb New Zealand accepted the Government’s decision to grant them a month’s extension and began consulting with farmers last week.

About 60 to 70 farmers turned up at the first few gatherings in Waikato. Under red light settings, 100 fully vaccinated people can gather.

Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard told Rural News that there were “quite a few empty chairs” at some meetings.

FEDERATED FARMERS wrote to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern late last month seeking an extension to the emissions pricing deadline.

However, Feds president Andrew Hoggard says no reply was received from Ardern’s office. Instead, Ministers James Shaw and Damien O’Connor wrote to the He Waka Eke Noa Partnership office stating that it had received multiple requests for extension.

Hoggard says DairyNZ and B+LNZ wanted a month’s extension.

“During our discussions, while we did not oppose their position, we abstained when it came to seeking a month’s extension.

“It makes no sense to continue with face-to-face consultation, especially when it could spread Omicron further and therefore result in farmers being seen as ‘super-spreaders’.”

Hoggard isn’t surprised and believes a thorough consultation with farmers is impossible under red settings.

“We are being told that with Covid and Omicron, we all need to isolate if we come into close contact with infected persons,” he says.

Meanwhile, he points out that arable and crop-

ping farmers are pressed for time and working hard to get their crop harvested on time.

“They are avoiding humans and staying away from events. Other farmers also cannot afford to be caught up in any outbreak.”

Hoggard says he’s heard of large outbreaks in some Waikato schools

DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel says going ahead with the farmer meetings was a judgment call.

and colleges and they have the potential to spread quickly.

“Farmers have got a lot of work and cannot take that risk.”

However, DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel says going ahead with the farmer meetings

was “a big judgment call”.

Van der Poel told Rural News that precautions are being taken to ensure participants are safe. Social distancing is maintained and meetings are attended by regional staff, meaning no one is flying from other parts

of the country to attend meetings.

“We are keeping people out of airports so that they are not bringing Covid to the meetings.”

Van der Poel says he understands farmer anxiety around Covid and the situation is being

reviewed regularly.

“We are in touch with our people daily and reviewing the situation on a weekly basis,” he says. “It’s a big judgment call as we make use of the small window to consult and report back to the Government.”

ETS not a popular option DAIRYNZ CHAIRMAN Jim van der Poel claims not too many farmers are keen on an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

He told Rural News that at the first few farmer meetings last week, “a vast majority” agreed with the other two options on the table – a farm-level levy and processor-level hybrid levy.

Van der Poel spoke at meetings in Waikato and Bay of Plenty last week.

Discussions were “constructive”.

“Once people get to know what we

are seeking, they start to engage,” he says.

Van der Poel says farmers realise that under an ETS, costs will escalate.

“It will become another tax; not too many people think an ETS is the best option.”

The Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership (He Waka Eke Noa), which includes DairyNZ and B+LNZ, will report its recommendations to Ministers by May 31.

Van der Poel says the two options proposed by the partnership would

WILSON

deliver more positive outcomes for farmers and New Zealand than the NZ ETS. “A farm-level levy and processorlevel hybrid levy are more practical and reward positive change, while still achieving environmental outcomes.

“Some of the money raised will be invested back into R&D and on-farm work to reduce emissions.”

Following initial farmer feedback on the options in December, the partners are also putting forward a two-

phased approach, starting with the processor-level hybrid levy option and transitioning to a farm-level system in future.

B+LNZ chairman Andrew Morrison says doing nothing is not an option.

“If we don’t move on this, the Government will put agriculture in the NZ ETS. They have already put this into legislation but have agreed to listen if we come up with a credible alternative,” he says.

“We know this is a challenging

and uncertain time for farmers but we need to keep going with this consultation and find the right solution,” he says.

“We pushed hard for as long an extension as possible and the Government agreed to a month – this was the longest they felt fitted with their legislative timeframe. It’s not ideal, but going for longer and ending up in the ETS is also far from ideal.”

– Sudesh Kissun @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NEWS 5

Limited solutions for farmers PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THERE ARE few if any silver bullets coming in the near future to deal with nitrous oxide and methane on NZ farms.

This comes after a stocktake of the mitigation options undertaken by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) and the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) – an organisation funded by the likes of Beef+Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, AgResearch, Fertiliser Research and Fonterra and supported by several government agencies.

PGgRc general manager Mark Aspin told the Massey Universityrun Farmed Landscape Research Centre (FLRC) workshop that as of June last year there weren’t a lot of options that farmers could use right now to reduce their methane

Mark Aspin says there aren’t a lot of options that farmers could use right now to reduce their methane or nitrous oxide emissions.

or nitrous oxide emissions. But he says there are opportunities in development.

Aspin’s presentation was timely, given the fact that the pricing options for agricultural GHG is currently being consulted with farmers through the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership (He Waka Eke Noa) participants B+LNZ and DairyNZ .

Aspin says, as part of

the stocktake, they produced a “roadmap or paddock map” which identifies all the options that are being researched.

He says the evaluation process of assessing these options was very thorough and included drawing on the expertise of scientists, industry commercial players, government and farmers. The objective was to evaluate options from discovery to proof of concept and

then through to commercialisation.

“New Zealand is at the forefront of ruminant-based research globally, developing options for methane and nitrous oxide, with the work being undertaken through PGGRC and NZAGRC and supported through the Global Research Alliance,” he says.

“Our country has certainly stood up to the plate through the Gov-

ernment and farming industry commitments and partnerships with science since 2003.

Despite that effort, there are few technologies deliverable to farmers that can make the progress required towards the 2030 and 2050 targets being contemplated by the nation.”

Aspin says, at the moment, without cost effective mitigation solutions, the only way farmers can realistically reduce their emissions is to shrink their businesses.

He says the stock take singled out urease inhibitors – a coating on urea fertiliser that could help reduce nitrous oxide – as the only confirmed option in the national GHG inventory.

Meanwhile, for methane there is Dutch company Royal DSM’s 3-NOP – or Bovaer as it is commercially known – advancing globally, but not yet available in NZ.

THE BREEDING OPTION MARK ASPIN says some excellent work has been done on breeding sheep that produce less methane and it’s being introduced to the sector.

He’s also hopeful that over time the same can be done with cattle.

He points out that the critical thing that drives emissions in sheep, cattle and deer is what they eat and that 85% of these emissions can be attributed to feed intake.

With most of our ruminants being fed pastures, there has been a lot of effort to find grazing feeds that could lower emissions, but few options have been discovered.

“We have seen some annual crops, for example brassica rape where trials have confirmed promise, while there is some interesting research happening with plantain that is still in progress and is not yet proven,” Aspin explains.

“Globally at the moment, the opportunities from feed additives are the leading mitigation options being developed. For NZ this would involve feeding supplements, most likely to cows in the dairy industry.”

But Aspin concedes that has its challenges because of our largely pasture-based systems. He says in the northern hemisphere and countries where animals are intensively fed and housed, it is much easier to incorporate feed additives in the total mixed ration that animals receive in a feedlot. In the case of NZ, the best option is in the cow shed – probably twice a day but perhaps not for the entire year.

Other options in development are additives that can fit into rumen boluses or capsules, but Aspin says such solutions are likely to be five to seven years away from being on the market.

THE REGULATORY ISSUE FINDING A solution to reduce emissions is in itself not enough.

Aspin says any mitigation technology needs to meet regulatory requirements for all our markets and this also looms as a must-have.

He says looking at the regulatory requirements, including food safety aspects was a critical element of the stocktake process.

He adds that now and in the future any mitigation products will not get approved unless they support and comply with the strict food safety regulations that New Zealand exports demand.

In NZ, 48% of GHG emissions come from agriculture. A country with something of a similar problem is Ireland where the figure is 32%. Aspin says

significant research into greenhouse gas emissions is being done in both countries and, while there is some collaboration, there’s always room for more.

He believes there is a greater chance of finding a solution if there is more international collaboration.

The mitigation technology stocktake is timely and while it indicates few

options are available currently, it gives policy makers and politicians some quality scientific evidence on which to base future policy. It will also give farmers, who are crying out for quality information, some answers.

“The takeaway message here is we have done a stocktake of the technologies that we know; some have been tried in NZ system and this knowledge

has been leading into the development of an R&D plan for the industry, based on good science,” Aspin says.

“Collectively industry, research and government are developing that R&D plan for the future with a great deal more ambition and defining an enhanced approach that can rapidly deliver solutions that farmers can readily adopt.”

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Wayne Langford goes hybrid This summer Toyota New Zealand partnered with Meat the Need co-founder and dairy farmer Wayne Langford. Wayne is also an ambassador for Bowater Toyota and has had the keys to a Toyota Hilux for the last year, but for a week over summer he was convinced to take the wheel of a Highlander Hybrid to check out if this lower emissions SUV could work for his family. He talks about his experience...

Before the Hybrid Highlander arrived all I’d ever really pictured when I thought of hybrids was a little Prius. I didn’t know anyone with a hybrid SUV. I’ve driven a full petrol Highlander before and I thought the shape or design, even the size, would be different, maybe you’d get a weaker car. But I couldn’t tell the difference at all.

I was amazed at the power of it, it’s a strong SUV. We (the whole family and I) drove from Nelson to Christchurch, around the city and surrounding Canterbury area, and then back home.

Typically driving that route, and around the city for a few days you’d burn a lot gas, but to drive from home to Christchurch and then all around the city, plus

popping out to visit a few farms in the area cost us $93, that was surprising. That’s peanuts, and on the open road I wasn’t driving slow, I had enough grunt to floor it and pass caravans. I reckon it was at least 30-40% cheaper overall.

The other thing was understanding how hybrid electric vehicles work, you don’t have to plug it in which is fantastic.

Our biggest surprise was the interest in it, a lot our friends started to hear we had it, and were asking heaps of questions, one of my mates is a big tall guy, about 6 foot 7 and he jumped in to see how big it was. We started to wonder what planet we’d lived on before because there was so much hype. I had another friend with a jetboat wanting to know if he could tow with it, and everyone was interested in the fuel economy side of things. All I could really say is, it really is that good.

HOW DOES A HYBRID WORK? Toyota Hybrids use a combo of electricity and petrol to

power the vehicle. This means you use less fuel than a petrol only equivalent and typically produce less CO2 emissions.

The hybrid will switch between the electric motor and petrol engine by itself throughout your drive.

When you brake you actually recharge the battery, via a technology called regenerative braking.

CAN YOU TOW? Simple answer, yes. The Highlander Hybrid has a 2000kg maximum braked tow ratio.

DO YOU HAVE TO PLUG IT IN? That is a question I got asked a lot, how do you charge it? HEVs, like the Highlander Hybrid, don’t need to be plugged in to recharge their hybrid battery. They use their internal combustion engine and regenerative

braking/ coasting to keep the hybrid battery charged. This means they only need to be refuelled, the same as a conventional vehicle.

FINAL THOUGHTS? I’ve used a bit of quote for a while now and it’s fitting for electric vehicles and the change that is coming. It feels like when big square balers came out, as opposed to little haybalers, it was quick - it happened within 5 – 10 years. The electric vehicle wave is going to be a bit like that, I feel like bring it on – in fact we’ll maybe even be better off because of them.

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NEWS 7

Tough conversation on vaccinations PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE DAIRY industry is facing the prospect of losing some highly skilled staff because they are not fully vaccinated.

Chris Flatt, national secretary of the dairy worker union, told Rural News that he fears some workers may be lost to the industry because of their anti-vaccination stance.

He believes that some tough conversations will need to be had.

The union represents 8,500 workers in the industry and Flatt says the key focus for the union is about people’s health and safety when they go to work. He says, like the rest of society, there are conflicting views within the dairy industry workforce on the issues of vaccination.

Dairy companies around the country are individually going through a risk assessment process and consulting staff on whether or not to mandate vaccinations for staff.

“What we have heard is that the majority of our members support vaccination,” he told Rural News. “They want to be safe at work and have received double vaccination. But there are those within our union, like in wider society, who don’t agree with that and we

The dairy processing industry is facing the prospect of losing some highly skilled staff because they are not fully vaccinated.

are trying to support them as well.”

Flatt says his union has been heavily involved in the consultation processes on risk assessments with the dairy companies that they have collective agreements with. He says the process has been fair and they feel their concerns have been listened to.

Flatt notes that while they may not agree with everything, the union accepts the fact that companies have the right in law to put in place vaccination mandates for their staff.

The union has the

challenging task of supporting both those who are vaccinated and those who are not. In the case of the latter, Flatt says they are working with these people to see if they can get a vaccination or possibly an exemption, which some companies are offering in certain circumstances – particularly on medical grounds.

“But we also have members who tell us they want to turn up to work and be safe at work and not be around potentially those that could spread the virus.” @rural_news

DEALING WITH COVID CHRIS FLATT says part of ongoing discussions between the union and dairy companies relates to sick leave and how people can isolate if they get sick.

He notes that there are multigenerational households in rural areas and this presents its own challenges.

“The Government has talked about some support around this as well, but we need to ensure workers can isolate and be off work and not feel pressured to go back to work early,” he explains. “A lot of our collectives have good sick leave provisions. From what we have seen overseas, we need to prepare for

huge amounts of sick leave to be taken.”

At the same time, Flatt says they have to look after staff who may have to fill in for those who are sick and ensure that they are not doing too much, and that their collective employment agreement terms are complied with.

“But at the same time, recognising there may need to be some flexibility on certain sites because we could have large numbers of workers just being on sick leave,” he adds.

One of the worries for the dairy industry, Flatt says, is how to replace workers who have to exit

the industry because of vaccine mandates, or who may be off sick.

He says many of these workers are high skilled – such a tanker drivers and plant operators – and are not easily replaced. This is on top of an overall labour shortage in the country, which adds to the problem.

“You can’t just click your fingers and get replacement staff.”

Flatt says the union is in a very tricky position dealing with a multiplicity of complex issues and divergent views of its members. He says the next four to eight weeks will be crucial for many reasons – not the least of which is how fast and to what degree Omicron spreads.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

8 NEWS

Animal welfare tops contingency plan SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

ANIMAL WELFARE remains the biggest concern as the Rural Support Trust activates Covid contingency plans for the farming sector.

Trust chair Neil Bateup told Rural News while there have been just one or two Covid cases on farms so far, they were “preparing for the worst and hoping for the best”.

He says a lot of planning has been done in each region with the organisation liaising with industry bodies, Ministry of Social Development and district health boards.

“If any farming business gets into strife, we will look at how best to support it,” he says. “A Covid outbreak can cause labour issues on farm and

RURAL SUPPORT TRUST THERE ARE 14 Trusts across the country with links into health, social development and all industry partners including Federated Farmers.

Case managers will work alongside farmer and growers who have issues and help them plan a way forward.

Some farmers may call in preparation, whilst others will call once they or their staff are managing Omicron on their farm or in their orchard. Every situation will be different – number of staff, number infected, or the type of operation for instance.

A key part of this is to be putting people in touch with other support agencies, like Work and Income, should they need it.

that’s where looking after livestock – cattle, sheep, poultry and pigs – may become an animal welfare issue.”

Many farm businesses have drawn up their own contingency plans around securing extra staff and making arrangements with neighbours to help

each other out.

Bateup says it’s hard to say how far and wide Covid will spread in the farming community.

“As it spreads more around the country, [it’s] likely more farms will be impacted. But we are prepared. Hopefully we don’t have a lot of work to do.”

Rural Support Trust chair Neil Bateup says they are “preparing for the worst and hoping for the best”.

Farming businesses impacted by Covid can contact their regional RST office for support.

Bateup also expressed gratitude to the Government for allocating an additional $400,000 for the rural sector to prepare for Omicron.

“We are really happy that our work has been recognised.

“The money will

ensure Rural Support Trust is reimbursed for any work it does around Covid.”

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the funding will bolster the resources of Rural Support Trusts and other organisations, including those supporting Māori agribusinesses, to help them respond to cases.

“This funding will help

ensure there’s someone that farmers and growers can speak to and provide guidance should they or their staff be dealing with Omicron.

“The Rural Support Trusts are well woven into rural communities to provide wrap-around support services.

“The sector has to date been resilient throughout the pandemic.

The hard work of farmers and growers, along with those involved in keeping supply chains open and exports flowing, is leading New Zealand’s tradeled recovery from Covid,” O’Connor says.

O’Connor is urging farmers to have own contingency plans in place.

“Contingency planning by farmers, growers and lifestyle block owners will minimise the risk of further Covid-19 related disruptions, which can occur anywhere along the supply chain,” he says.

“It’s vital all food and fibre producers have a plan. It makes it easier for other people to step in and help run your farm, or feed your livestock, at short notice.”

There are several free checklists available which have been developed by industry and Ministry for Primary Industries.

Upcoming changes to rural drinking water supply and how this will affect you There is significant change affecting the rural sector in relation to potable/ domestic water supplies.

• •

Should there be fully prohibited or permitted activities for each proposed zone.

Whether the proposed changes affect your ability to supply drinking water and would they influence your decision to continue to provide drinking water.

Should small water supplies should be exempted from the regulations.

The Water Services Act 2021 requires all drinking water suppliers other than domestic self suppliers to register with the new national water administration entity Taumata Arowai and provide a source water risk management plan. Any supply that services more than one dwelling is now a water supply captured by the new legislation. It is anticipated that this may capture up to 75,000 rural domestic water suppliers across the country.

The full consultation document for the NES Freshwater can be found online at https://consult.environment.govt.nz/freshwater/nes-drinking-water/

Acceptable solutions are being formulated by Taumata Arowai that may provide an alternative approach for smaller water supplies to reduce the requirement to undertake comprehensive risk management planning including the Source Water Risk Management Plan

The team at AWS Legal are here to help. We can provide guidance on how to make an effective submission, or send you a submission template free of charge outlining the issues we have identified. For more information visit us at awslegal.co.nz or call us on 0800 100 151.

•

As part of this water reform submissions are being sought on the proposed amendments to the National Environmental Standard for Sources of Human Drinking Water (NES-DW), as a significant number of water sources for drinking water are going to be captured under the Water Services Act these new drinking water regulations will apply.

The proposed changes include immediate protection to source drinking water at the abstraction point by defining a source water risk management area (SWRMA) into different zones including the immediate area around the source and a larger area where activities need to be managed and, in some instances, the entire catchment area. Different rules will apply to each zone and what activities that can be undertaken in that zone including application of fertiliser, cultivation, grazing and it is likely that effluent discharges will also be captured.

It is important to be part of the conversation and submit (before the submission closing date of Sunday, 6 March 2022); • Whether the SWRMA zones are necessary and • What activities those zones should address and how restrictive they should be.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NEWS 9

GET IT DONE RIGHT Fed Farmers board member Chris Lewis says there are too many moving parts for farmers to start celebrating.

Farmers wary of record opening milk price SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

A RECORD opening forecast milk price for next season is on the cards but dairy farmers remain wary.

With less than four months to go this season, attention turns to the next season.

Banks are forecasting a record opening forecast of between $8.40/kgMS to $8.90/ kgMS based on strong global demand for dairy products and a softening New Zealand dollar.

However, farmers point out that there are too many moving parts for them to start celebrating.

Federated Farmers board member Chris Lewis says what the banks are not telling farmers is what figure to use for farm budgets.

“I mean if the milk price will be around $8.50 what should I budget as my farm working expenses – $5 or $6?

“Interest rates are climbing quickly: farm input prices are soaring and then you add rising staff and compliance costs.

“I’m not saying farmers are in the gutter, the milk price is very good but we cannot start celebrating yet,” he told Rural News.

Waikato farmer and former Federated Farmers regional president Andrew McGiven agrees, adding that while the opening forecast is positive and will give the industry some optimism, it is still only a forecast and things can change dramatically within a 12-18 month time frame.

He points to 2014-15 when Fonterra announced an opening forecast of $7/ kgMS only to slash it later. Farmers ended up with a final milk price of $4.40.

“While most farmers will be trying to pay down debt and ensure farm repair and maintenance is up to date, rising costs and interest rates are reducing profit margins for many.

“My concern would be if the predicted forecast doesn’t eventuate, the increased costs are always slower to reduce than any

payout reduction,” McGiven says.

AgFirst Northland agribusiness consultant Kim Robinson told Rural News that not all farmers will receive the strong milk price as they have fixed some of their milk at lower levels.

“Also, the payments are spread over two years so farmers are not holding their breath as next year’s milk price could be lower and reduce the actual cash payments within a season.”

She points out that farming costs have soared.

“So, the farm working costs are likely to be up to $1/kgMS higher this season, debt reduction is ticking away, compliance costs continue, there is downward pressure on stock numbers and consequently milk production (for both environmental and lack of labour reasons), and tax will take care of the rest.”

BNZ is forecasting an opening milk price of $8.90/kgMS and senior economist Doug Steel believes a softening NZ dollar will influence next season’s milk price.

Back in 2014, when global dairy prices were last this high, the NZD/USD was well above 80c, Steel points out.

“This season it has oscillated around the 70c mark and recently dipped into the mid-60s.

“At this stage of proceedings, the latest dip in the NZD will have more influence on next season’s milk price than the current one.”

Steel says the bank’s opening forecast builds in some normalisation on the supply side next season seeing lower global prices over the coming 18 months.

However, that is by no means a given, especially with costs and environmental constraints rising (including offshore).

“Of course, the weather will be important too, as always.

“Tighter than expected supply conditions would present an upside risk to our milk price forecast.”

ANZ has lifted its opening forecast to $8.40/kgMS but says it remains cautious.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

10 NEWS

Ag sector well prepared – expert NIGEL MALTHUS

THE NEW Zealand farming sector appears better prepared to manage the expected surge in the Omicron variant of Covid than it was in the first wave.

That’s the view of the lead researcher of a 2020 study into farming system resilience.

Although there are no mandatory lockdowns under the traffic light system, AgResearch senior scientist Dr Val Snow says there are already anecdotal reports of people “self-locking” down.

Pretty much anyone visiting a farm now has to front up with a vaccination pass and comply with masks and social distancing, she says.

“The industry bodies have collaborated really well with their farmers and all the farms that I know of have got really strong health and safety plans in place with respect to Covid,” Snow told Rural News.

“So, in terms of their operations they’re restricted, but not nearly as badly as it was in 2020.

Partly because people have learned how to work with it, whereas in 2020, there was a lot of ‘how the hell do we do this?’”

The 2020 study found there was quite a lot of resilience in New Zealand and Australian farming systems and they handled the initial Covid wave better than many other countries.

“But it wasn’t an easy

ride for them,” Snow says. “It took a lot of effort and a lot of figuring out.”

It was also easier “or at least less difficult” for some industries compared to others.

Some industries struggled when their markets collapsed in lockdown because they were designed to have a really steady flow through production to processing to market.

The pig meat industry was the prime example of that, she says.

“Their major retail market, butchers and restaurants, was shut down, they had no capacity to store stuff within their supply chain because that’s not something they usually do, and the biological processes just kept on going whether they liked it or not and the processing system became clogged quickly.”

By contrast, wool and forestry systems had more built-in plasticity or flexibility in their supply and their production chains.

“They can’t leave it on the sheep’s back forever but they can decide within some parameters when to shear, and then once it’s shorn it’s got a reasonable shelf life in the warehouses.”

Foresters could choose whether to fell their trees or store them standing for quite a long time, she adds.

However, Snow says that for the pig industry, the 2020

AgResearch researcher/ senior scientist Dr Val Snow.

SUPPLIED

RESILIENCE TO THE FORE ANOTHER FACTOR highlighted by the study was the impact on many industries of not having seasonal migrant and working holiday labour.

“We can see through news items and things like that, that’s still a really major issue,” Snow told Rural News.

She emphasised that the study looked into the resilience of farming systems rather than the stresses or mental impacts on the people caught up in it. “Although the industries were resilient and there were no major disasters or anything like that, it was incredibly stressful for all people, all

lockdown turned into “a really nice story” about how pork producers negotiated a deal with the Government to buy pork at a set price from the processors and donate it

through the industries.

“They made it work and figured out solutions through essentially the social capital within their industries and figuring out ways that people could cooperate to get what was needed done.”

Snow says her “completely nonscientific” observation is that dealing with Omicron may be a little bit easier because of the social distancing and new processes and methods set up after the lessons of 2020 but the effects of absences of workers who become ill or who need to isolate might be problematic.

to the foodbanks.

“That took a lot of negotiations because for some of these producers that was below cost of production but it avoided an animal welfare crisis

by keeping things ticking over.”

Supermarkets also came to the party and opened up more shelf space for New Zealand product.

While the 2020 study acknowledged overall negative effects, stress and pressures from the pandemic response, only 47% of New Zealand survey respondents viewed the effect on their farms or businesses as negative. A further 37% said the effect was neutral.

One New Zealand farmer talked about the necessity to home-school the kids “meant they were involved in farming life and saw the decision-making process and us discussing real life events”.

Snow says the 2020 study wasn’t funded but depended on the enthusiasm of some 26 researchers across multiple

agencies who found the time to conduct interviews and crunch the data.

With the February 3 announcement of the borders progressively opening up it is probably a good time to start planning a follow-up study, she told Rural News.

“When Auckland locked down in the last third of last year, I did catch up with the guys in the pork industry and they said that the learnings from the first shutdown, the social networks and communication that they developed then, helped them absorb some of the shocks of that shutdown.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NEWS 11

New milk plant still awaiting funding before construction can begin SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

OWNERS OF a new milk processing plant planned in Waikato say construction will start once funding has been secured.

Happy Valley Milk says earthworks needed to construct the $280 million plant in Otorohanga are complete.

A 6ha site has been prepared. Site works included building access roads, drainage works, public road realignments and ground improvements for the spray dryer building.

The ASX-listed company’s quarterly report to the market says paperwork associated with the earthworks should be finalised this month.

“This is a major milestone and means the site is ready to commence construction as soon as funding has been secured,” the company says.

It is continuing “positive discussions with strategic partners” to secure funding.

The company’s expenditure for the December quarter 2021 from operating and investing activities was $1.1 million, with $4m cash on hand at

December last year.

New chairman Kevin Bush says Happy Valley has discussing with a range of parties to secure the debt and equity funding required to commence the main construction programme.

“We are now very focused on bringing current discussions to a conclusion.

“Border closures in New Zealand obviously make these negotiations more protracted.

“We are grateful for the ongoing commitment and support of all of our stakeholders, and I am pleased to be working with them and the board on this next growth phase.”

The Happy Valley Nutrition Ltd plant will produce high value specialty dairy ingredient powders for export markets.

The project has been in the pipeline for several years as Happy Valley sought resource consents and funding. Covid-19 has also delayed the project by a few years.

In February last year, Happy Valley announced that it had taken out a $13m loan and secured $7.4m through secured private placement of con-

NEW TEAM A NEW management team will soon take charge of the Happy Valley Milk project in Otorohanga.

One of the project’s major backers, Ivan Hammerschlag stepped down as chairman of the board this month and has been replaced by Kevin Bush. Hammerschlag remains a board director.

He says Happy Valley is in excellent hands with Bush at the helm.

“He’s a seasoned industry executive and these are the skills we need as the company enters this next stage of growth and development.

“I remain a committed supporter of and large investor in the company.”

Bush, a board member of Happy Valley, spent 12 years working in the infant nutrition sector, including senior positions with Danone across a number of global markets.

Chief executive Greg Wood has also announced that he will leave the company once funding negotiations are finalised.

In November last year, chief financial officer Gareth Jones resigned. Richard Chew has been appointed on an interim basis while the search continues for a permanent appointee.

vertible notes. The money was used to buy strategic farmland to irrigate wastewater from the

plant.

Happy Valley plans to develop a single dryer facility with the site mas-

ter-planned to allow for the addition of an extra drier as well as a blending and canning plant.

New Happy Valley chair Kevin Bush.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

12 NEWS

NZ meat exports hit a record high NEW ZEALAND’S red meat sector exports hit $10 billion in 2021 – despite the disruption caused by Covid-19.

According to analy-

sis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA) last year’s exports represented a 9% increase on 2020. Meanwhile, the value of red meat and

co-products exported in December 2021 was also up 22% year-on-year, at just over $1 billion.

“Despite all the disruptions and labour

shortages, we were able to make the most of the global demand for red meat and generate record export revenue,” says MIA chief executive

Sirma Karapeeva.

However, she warns that supply chain challenges will significantly disrupt exports for some time to come and it is The MIA is warning that supply chain challenges will significantly disrupt meat exports for some time to come.

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unknown what impact this will have on the Easter chilled trade.

“This illustrates very clearly how critical it is for the industry to have access to sufficient labour including overseas migrants to capture the greatest market value and support the jobs of thousands of hard-working Kiwis.”

Overall, both sheepmeat and beef exports increased by 5% and 9% year-on-year respectively, with both worth more than $4 billion for the year. Co-products exports also increased by 19%, to almost $2 billion.

Karapeeva says red meat exporters have responded swiftly to adapt to rapidly-changing logistics environments – for instance, by converting chilled product to frozen, when needed, to address risks in the disrupted supply chain.

While chilled sheepmeat exports to the UK dropped by 42% in December, to the lowest volume in 25 years, frozen sheepmeat exports to the

UK increased by 95%.

Karapeeva adds that while there has been some softening in Chinese demand for sheepmeat from the previous high levels, prices in China have remained strong.

Sheepmeat export volumes to China dropped by 15% in the fourth quarter. However, the value of sheepmeat exports to China increased by 3% in the same period.

China remained the largest overall importer for the quarter (41%), followed by the US (20%), the UK (4%) and Japan (4%).

China was also the largest beef export market, followed by the US and Japan. Beef export volumes to China were the same as the final quarter of 2020, at 46% of total, but increased 33% by value.

Exports to the US dropped by 15% by volume but increased by 16% in value. Exports to Japan remained the same at 7% of volume but grew 39% by value.

www.ruralnews.co.nz/enewsletter

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

14 NEWS

Aussie’s loss is NZ’s gain LEO ARGENT

IN A twist on the usual formula, Australia fears a shortage of shearers in that country after New Zealand shearers return

home once our borders reopen.

With NZ’s border opening up but Western Australia’s tightening, many Kiwi shearers who were in Australia when

our borders were locked down in March 2020 will now have the opportunity to return home – without needing an MIQ slot.

However, many who choose to return home to

Australia fears a shortage of shearers after New Zealand shearers return home once our borders reopen.

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ers and border restrictions (both international and regional) making it difficult to find suitable employees, there are fears a shearer shortage could further impact an already stressed industry.

Shearing contractor Greg McAtamney runs several teams in the Great Southern region of WA. “I’ll probably lose six to eight people straight away, maybe more. That’s an entire team,” he told the ABC. McAtamney says if this happens, he doesn’t expect to meet farmers’ needs for shearers at a crucial time of the year.

“A lot of sheep are due to lamb in April or May, so they need to be shorn four to six weeks before that for animal welfare reasons,” he said.

Meanwhile, WA Liberal upper house member Steve Martin told the ABC the feared shearer exodus could make an already stressed industry worse.

“They [the shearers’] work longer and longer hours,” he said. “The farmers get their shearing dates pushed back.”

A WA state government spokesperson said it was working closely with industry to manage the shearer shortage.

NZ will find it difficult, if not impossible, to return to Western Australia. New Zealand’s borders will open to fully vaccinated Kiwi’s and other permanent residents travelling from Australia starting from February 27. However, despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plan for Australia’s borders to open internationally on February 21, Western Australia is going a different way. That state is taking a tighter approach to regional travel and capping foreign visitors at 265 people a week following an Omicron outbreak.

NZ shearer Aromia Ngarangioni told Australia’s ABC that about 60% of shearers currently working in Western Australia are from New Zealand.

Like many, she has not seen her home since early 2020, when she returned to NZ for her mother’s funeral.

It is likely many similar stories will be found among other returning NZ shearers, homesick or having business back home to sort out.

However, there is concern in Western Australia about the impact this will have on their sheep industry. With an exodus of talented shear-

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

16 NEWS

No laughing matter!

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

A LEADING rural contractor has described the Government’s efforts to facilitate the arrival of oversees workers as a joke.

Bluegrass Contracting managing director Brook Nettleton says in Decem-

ber last year they were told by the Government that they could get 200 overseas machinery operators in.

“To be honest we’re still no further ahead,” he told Rural News. “We had some drivers lined up, but the Government has taken so long to secure MIQ spots that most of

them have got sick of waiting.”

Nettleton says now the Government is talking about scrapping MIQ requirements for overseas arrivals within the next two months. But he says the planting season will be half finished by then.

“The drivers don’t want to come all this way

for four weeks work,” Nettleton explains.

“My office staff have spent hours getting paper work prepared for each driver, for them to say, ‘It’s too late and not worth coming now’.

“The ag sector is in the same position as it was back in September 2021.

Bluegrass Contracting’s Brook Nettleton has described the Government’s efforts to facilitate the arrival of oversees workers as a joke.

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“Why is it that we [let] DJs in at the drop of the hat but people wanting to come to NZ to work and put money in the community are being held back?” he asks.

“These overseas machinery operators and the rural sector have kept this country going through Covid.”

Rural Contractors chief executive Andrew Olsen says getting MIQ space is like peeling an onion.

“It’s layer after layer and it brings tears of frustration for our members, who are already working impossibly long hours and as yet have not even been able to lodge Expressions of Interest for staff positions, which ministers had approved to come in.”

Olsen wants the Ministers of Immigration and Agriculture and the Prime Minister’s office to meet the urgency of the situation.

“We received approval on December 12 and now, more than a month on,

we’re looking at another two months before the first arrivals. It’s not good enough. The primary sector needs more support now, and frankly the current situation our members find themselves in doesn’t cut it.”

Olsen says his organisation and Federated Farmers, supported by MPI, have done everything they could to help contractors meet a crushing labour shortage.

“We understand and respect that the resurgence of another Covid variant and border entry changes have put the squeeze on MIQ,” he explains. “That said, those risks would have been part of the assessment when we had ministerial approval just on a month ago to bring in the desperately needed 200 machinery operators.”

Olsen says rural contractors, whose work is essential to food production and our export economy, now find themselves towards the back of the MIQ queue.

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PAID CONTENT

MPI Update

www.mpi.govt.nz | PH 0800 008 333 |

Focus on helping NZ exporters in key markets Charlotte Austin is excited to start her new role leading the Ministry for Primary Industries’ efforts to help maintain and grow export markets for farmers, growers and food producers in Asia.

As MPI’s new deputy director-general Asia, Ms Austin will work to ensure access for New Zealand’s exports in markets across Asia.

Primary sector export revenue is forecast to reach a record high $50.8 billion for the year to 30 June 2022 a 6 per cent increase on the previous year.

China, where Ms Austin will be based, accounts for 37 per cent of all our primary industry exports.

MPI director-general Ray Smith says Ms Austin is highly regarded and is expected to flourish in the role.

“I have no doubt, she will perform very well in Asia.”

Ms Austin says her challenge in Beijing is both substantial and pleasing.

“The primary industries are the backbone of the country’s economy

MPI director-general Ray Smith with the new deputy director-general Asia, Charlotte Austin

and part of that is the strong regulatory framework MPI implements.

How amazing to be able to lead and push that with one of our major trading partners.”

Ms Austin started at MPI immediately after graduating with a Master of Science (MSc) in Zoology,

specialising in Antarctic fish physiology. She began as a quarantine officer before joining the biosecurity response team.

First came velvetleaf, then myrtle rust, the Nelson wildfires and finally Mycoplasma Bovis. Ms Austin held various operational

leadership roles and by the time of M. bovis, had become a key figure in biosecurity response.

She has spent the last couple of years at Fisheries New Zealand, most recently as Verification and Operations Director - a role she began during the first nationwide

COVID-19 lockdown.

Ms Austin is especially proud that the organisation won the New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Supreme Award for its work with fisheries observers who work at sea in difficult working environments.

She adds: “My skillset is very operational, but there also needs to be a strategic element to all operations. You have to head towards an end goal through a strategy or plan.

If you don’t have one in sight then you do have to question what you are actually heading towards.”

Ray Smith says the interests of New Zealand’s food and fibre exporters are in very good hands.

“Leading MPI in Asia and capitalising on our excellent export performance is crucial for our country, and supports our Fit For a Better World roadmap goals of increased productivity, sustainability and getting Kiwis employed in the primary sector.

“I’m optimistic and excited about the future, and Charlotte’s presence in Beijing reassures me,” he says.

RURAL KIWIS URGED TO GET BOOSTERS The Ministry for Primary Industries is urging the primary sector and rural communities to get their COVID-19 booster jab as soon as they’re eligible – now only three months after receiving their second jab.

Omicron is now the dominant variant of the virus and it is more transmissible than previous strains.

“The primary sector has done a fantastic job throughout the pandemic, and getting the booster jab as soon as possible gives us another line of defence to keep our food and fibre industries operating,” says MPI’s deputy director-general of Agriculture and Investment Services, Karen Adair.

“It’s great to see rural New Zealand’s double vaccination rate has grown appreciably in recent months and now people should take the opportunity to get a booster to lift their protection against the Omicron variant.”

Advice is available to help farmers, growers and lifestyle block owners prepare for further COVID-19-related disruptions, says Ms Adair.

“Wearing a mask, physical distancing, good hygiene practices and getting tested if you have a sore or scratchy throat

and a runny nose, all help slow the spread of the virus.

“The most important thing you can do to prepare for Omicron becoming widespread is to get a vaccine booster dose, if you’re eligible.”

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has worked with industry groups to develop several checklists to help rural communities prepare.

“It’s vital all food and fibre producers have a contingency plan to minimise the risk of further COVID-19 related disruptions, which can occur anywhere along the supply chain,” Ms Adair said.

“It makes it easier for other people to step in and help run your farm, or feed your livestock, at short notice.”

COVID-19 checklists and templates can be downloaded from the Federated Farmers, DairyNZ, Horticulture New Zealand and New Zealand Winegrowers websites.

Wage support is also available through Work and Income’s Leave Support Scheme for employers, including self-employed people, to help pay employees who’ve been advised to self-isolate because of COVID and can’t work at home.

You can visit https://bookmyvaccine.COVID19.health.nz/ to set up a time for a booster or find a walk-in clinic.

Further information on the COVID-19 protection framework can be accessed here: https://COVID19.govt.nz/

Bright situation and outlook for primary industries The latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) is testament to the hard work of the primary sector in keeping businesses running and meeting the demand for food and fibre during the pandemic, says MPI director-general Ray Smith.

After exports fell slightly in the year to 30 June 2021, the industry is rebounding with revenue expected to reach a record high $50.8 billion for the year to 30 June 2022 - a 6 per cent increase on the previous year.

Dairy is leading the way with an estimated 10 per cent increase in export revenue to $20.9 billion. The meat and wool sector is anticipating a 6 per cent rise to $11.1 billion, driven by recovering export prices and a global protein shortage.

Exports of New Zealand’s horticulture and wine are expected to rise 5 per cent to $6.9 billion, while the forestry exports are forecast to reach $6.7 billion in the year to 30 June 2022, an increase of 3 per cent.

Ray Smith says Fit for a Better World – Accelerating our Economic Potential, the 10-year primary sector roadmap, is supporting farmers

and growers, and helping drive New Zealand’s recovery from the pandemic.

This includes multiple new projects with support from the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund. Since mid-2018, the Government has committed around $160 million to approved SFF Futures projects with a combined investment of $355 million.

In October, New Zealand reached agreement in principle for the NZ-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (NZ-UK FTA), which will see some tariffs eliminated when it comes into effect, and others will decrease over time.

Ray Smith says the food and fibre sector should be very proud of its outstanding export performance and its resilience amid very challenging times and circumstances.

“I’d like to acknowledge the 367,000 people who go to work each day in the sector – our farmers, growers, fishers, foresters, and processors – for their continued efforts in operating businesses, supporting each other, protecting people from COVID-19, and for their part in driving New Zealand’s economic recovery.”

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

18 NEWS

Ag innovator and contributor leaves his mark on sector DAVID ANDERSON

COLIN HARVEY, one of the NZ agri-sector’s foremost innovators and contributors, died in a drowning accident in late January.

Harvey will be remembered for making major contributions to the New Zealand agricultural industry in a number of areas.

He is probably best known for starting animal health company Ancare in 1985. The company grew to be a leader in the animal health industry, supplying animal healthcare products to the New Zealand market and internationally – gaining significant market share across several animal health categories in the face of strong competition.

In 2007, the trading assets of Ancare were sold to multi-national animal health company Merial and in 2014 it also acquired the remaining R&D assets of Ancare, which had been operated

by Harvey as a separate development company.

Hailing from a family of dairy farmers in Taranaki, Harvey graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from Massey University and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland. After leaving university, he worked

in a range of roles and companies in the animal health sector –including marketing and general management with Coopers Wellcome in New Zealand and Australia.

In an interview with the NZ Herald in 2002, Harvey described his first day on the job as ‘like being in a cage’.

“I arrived that morning through a mass of Auckland traffic to meet my boss, John Wright, and the rest of the Pfizer company – about six dark-suited people involved in pharmaceutical marketing. I was part of a new veterinary division,” he explained.

Harvey admitted that he had no idea of the world of commerce or business.

“I was raised on a Taranaki dairy farm, I had led a boozy, rough and tumble life through university doing various farming-type jobs including as an artificial breeding technician. This, with an agricultural science degree, was supposed to qualify me to put these trials together.”

Harvey told the Herald that most of his peers at Massey were horrified that he had ‘sold my soul’ to take this job. He said that at the time, the common start for agricultural science graduates was to join the Ministry of Agriculture and Fish-

Colin Harvey receiving his Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit insignia from then Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand in April 2008.

eries as an adviser or in field research.

However, Harvey’s commercial-nous was evident even then: “I joined Pfizer because it offered a salary of £3600 – when the starting salary at MAF was £2400.”

After working for a number of animal health companies, Harvey set up Ancare in 1985 – with

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a mortgage on his house and $15,000 in holiday pay.

His contributions to the agriculture and animal welfare sectors were recognised in 2008, when he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit and in 2009 inducted into the North Shore Enterprise Hall of Fame.

In his speech, when inducted in the North Shore Enterprise Hall of Fame Harvey said the most rewarding aspect of his career was that: “mates from veterinary school at Massey University became my customers.”

In 1988, Harvey founded the Animal Remedy and Plant Pro-

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tectant Association and – through chairing this – contributed to the formation of the new Hazardous Substances Act and the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act. After selling Ancare, Harvey kept close links to the agri-sector buying and farming Lake McKay Station in Wanaka

(11,000 su), funding and chairing Country TV, as well as being a council member of Massey University.

He also remained an active investor in a number of technology investments and the chair of the Hobbiton theme set. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NEWS 19

Westland’s Covid conundrum PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

OMICRON IS going to be challenging for the Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products (WMP), according to chief executive Richard Wyeth.

He told Rural News that one of his main challenges as a manager is dealing with a situation where some staff are and some are not vaccinated against Covid-19. Wyeth says while the number of vaccinated staff is relatively high, it is lower than the national average.

He says this could potentially rule out mandating all staff to be vaccinated.

Wyeth says as soon as the Government went to the red traffic light setting, WMP continued to run their factory in bubbles and also encouraged those staff who could to

work from home. He’s also been encouraging staff to get vaccinated.

“The other major step we made was to acquire as many rapid antigen tests as possible because I think getting people back to work will be the main challenge for us,” Wyeth told Rural News.

“It will depend on how many staff we may have isolating at home and just the ability to run the plant will be the challenge.”

Wyeth says they are discussing the issues of sickness leave at present and says in the past WMP has provided some special leave for staff in certain situations. However, he adds that it’s going to be really challenging to manage that. He says one of issues that needs to be sorted with government is to find proto-

Westland Milk chief executive Richard Wyeth.

cols that allow people to have rapid antigen tests, which will see them back at work sooner.

He says large scale absenteeism through sickness would make it difficult to operate the plant at WMP. Wyeth says sugges-

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tions about bringing people such as drivers out of retirement to fill gaps caused by staff sickness is not as simple as it sounds and creates its own set of challenges.

“This is because you have got to train them and get them back up

to speed; it’s not a case of just dropping people into a job overnight,” he explains.

But the big issue for Wyeth and other primary sector managers is dealing with the conflicting views of staff on vaccinations and ensuring the

plants can operate while ensuring that staff are safe and well.

“There are very strong views on both sides and it is a very emotive subject,” he told Rural News.

“It is very much about encouraging people to get vaccinated, but I appre-

ciated the fact that some people don’t like being told what to do and therein lies the challenge.

I have to do what is best for all the staff and the business.”

Wyeth says it will be an “interesting year”, which is something of an understatement. He just hopes that the Omicron peak comes sooner rather than later and especially not in the peak of the season in October and November.

“As Omicron comes through the country we just need to be adaptable,” he told Rural News.

“There is a lot of stress on people at the moment as to what it will look like and the uncertainty. As a leader, it is very difficult to provide certainty at the moment because of the nature of the pandemic.”

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

20 NEWS

Too little, too late!

DAVID ANDERSON

RECENT MOVES by the Government to loosen up the borders have been labelled as too little, too late for most industries in an agri-sector desperate for overseas workers.

The country’s agricultural contractors, dairy sector, meat processors and kiwifruit growers have all been underwhelmed by the recent announcements on MIQ border changes.

On February 3, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that by midMarch the Government will allow overseas workers to self-isolate, rather than go through MIQ. However, Rural Contractors NZ chief executive Andrew Olsen says for much needed skilled machinery operators this

Like many in the primary sector, meat processor say says the decision to re-open the borders is positive for the country but is unlikely to alleviate the labour shortage the industry is currently experiencing.

is too late for many contractors.

“Now the cost and uncertainty of MIQ has been removed, that’s

a very good and positive step to reconnect NZ families,” Olsen says.

“Unfortunately for most contractors, any arrival

from mid-March at earliest, followed by a week or more of self-isolation, will mean it is getting too late for autumn harvest

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work.”

Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says the decision to re-open the borders is positive for the country but is unlikely to alleviate the labour shortage the sector is currently experiencing. She says this is especially so with Halal butchers and also due to the proposed median wage threshold set by the Government.

“Without sufficient labour, companies cannot run their processing plants at full capacity.

This means fewer opportunities for hard-working Kiwis, often in the regions, to earn a good wage, and longer waiting times for farmers to get their livestock processed.

That can have a flow-on impact for animal welfare, farmer wellbeing and the regional economy.”

Step two of the changes will, from March 13, allow an expanded

border exception for critical workers and skilled workers earning at least 1.5 times the median wage.

Olsen adds that this will mean the border exception visa endorsement through MPI will be reopened to allow contractors to apply to bring in more skilled machinery operators.

In mid-December, the Government approved 200 overseas workers to come in to NZ. Olsen says this process closed on January 20 and wasn’t well subscribed because of the mid-March entry dates and the burden of MIQ. He believes most of RCNZ members will have to carry on working long hours and bearing the stresses of being shortstaffed.

“We understand that for Government to make these decisions, in the seven and a half weeks since our December 12 green light, to bring in workers is incredibly rapid by their measure,” Olsen adds.

“But for contractors, that’s half a growing season and nature doesn’t wait for the wheels of government to turn.

Sadly, crops will be lost and millions of dollars of machinery will continue to sit idle.”

DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says in terms of getting workers through the border, the class exception was not achieving its goal of allowing international workers onto farms.

“With a shortfall of about 4,000-6,000 dairy workers, we have asked

the Government for a further 1,500 international workers be allowed into New Zealand in 2022.”

Meanwhile kiwifruit growers – who face staff chronic shortages as harvest approaches in about a month’s time – say any impact from those on working holidays and skilled migrants entering the country in the coming months will be too late for the wider horticulture industry’s export of fruit harvest this season.

“Working holiday and skilled migrants entering the country now will not help the summerfruit harvest that has almost finished,” says NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc. chief executive Colin Bond. “It will also have limited benefit for the wine grape and apple harvests that are about to get underway.”

He adds that while Working Holiday Visa holders entering New Zealand could go some way to help to the kiwifruit harvest, the extent is unknown and the expectation that a large number would quickly enter the country is highly speculative.

“The horticulture industry has been signalling the chronic labour shortage for harvest and pruning – exacerbated by Covid and closed borders – to the Government for several months,” Bond says.

“While we welcome any policy that helps New Zealand’s food and fibre sector to recover, this policy change is too late to make a significance difference to this season’s fruit harvest.”

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NEWS 21

NZ primary sector needs to adapt if it is to succeed cialist people to advise farmers on some of the complex issues and what the options for dealing with greenhouse gas emissions. There were

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

WITH THE ongoing chaos caused by Covid, the NZ primary sector needs to develop adaptive strategies if it’s to succeed.

That was the message from the director of Massey University’s Farmed Landscapes Research Centre (FLRC) Professor Chris Anderson in his opening address to the centre’s 34th annual conference. Because of Covid 19 – and in particular Omicron – the conference was staged digitally.

However, it still attracted around 170 registrations, which Anderson says was very pleasing.

The theme of ‘adaptive strategies for farming’ was chosen, Anderson says, because it reflects what is going on right now – with those in the primary sector having to adapt, in some cases

also presentations on soil conservation, new ways to deal with nitrogen and crop solutions to help deal with winter grazing.

There was also a spe-

cial session devoted to He Waka Eke Noa – the primary sector’s proposal on climate change related issues.

Anderson says another

objective of this year’s workshop was to highlight and celebrate some of the success stories in the primary sector.

“We see ourselves as

taking a ‘thought leadership’ role and providing a platform for people to engage, learn and debate the issues of the day,” he says.

Massey University’s Professor Chris Anderson.

almost on a daily basis, to new challenges that arise.

“There is no certainty at the moment and there is huge pressure on the primary production sector through the supply chain, rule changes around fertiliser and water quality – so we have to continually adapt,” he told Rural News. “It’s not just with our crops anymore, it’s our whole systems – so we wanted to highlight that in the workshop.”

The sessions covered topics such as climate change, dealing with issues within catchments, the need for more spe-

MASSEY’S DIGITAL WAY THIS YEAR, Chris Anderson and his team decided they were going digital, and they wanted to avoid any technical hitches.

So, they engaged a professional company to run that side of the conference, while they focused on the science content of the three-day event.

The event was actually run from a studio in Wellington, with two staff members – Christine Christensen and Lucy Burkitt – directing the 90 speakers participating in the event. Anderson says the system of lining up speakers on the day was essentially no different to what might happen in a normal face-to-face conference.

Speakers were required to send their speeches in before the conference and on the day they were allocated a time they had to log in and present their addresses.

“Once they did that, they were placed in a ‘virtual’ waiting room and then called on to deliver their respective presentations,” he explains. “With that technical support, we had great confidence that we could pull it off and run a professional event that the primary sector deserves.”

Anderson says they had no problems getting speakers and the number of these who had to bailout in the end was about normal.

With it being a virtual conference, this saw participants ‘cherry pick’ the presentations and come on-line for talks they wanted to see and hear. Anderson says he had no problem with this and having an online conference probably worked well for people who could participate from a distance and didn’t have to come to Palmerston North. The proceedings were also and these are now available online.

Overall, Anderson says the workshop worked well and delivered an excellent array of ideas and debate on how best to shape the future of the NZ primary sector.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

22 NEWS

Multiple benefits of native planting on farms MULTIPLE POTENTIAL benefits from planting native shrubs for use as sheep fodder are being researched as part of the Hill Country Futures Programme.

The project, led by Dr James Millner, Academic Dean – Agriculture, at Massey University, was launched in 2019. It currently has three trial sites for a range of native shrubs, looking at palatability, digestibility, protein content and other nutritional characteristics as well as the Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) for a range of species.

Hill Country Futures is a long-term $8.1m programme focused on future proofing the profitability, sustainability and wellbeing of New Zealand’s hill country farmers, their farm systems, the environment and rural communities.

Overall, the research focuses include improving animal productivity, animal welfare, biodiversity and soil health, while

“In summer, it could provide a short-term food resource to fall back on when dry and shelter, particularly after shearing – alongside the environmental and economic benefits.”

James Millner is leading research into the potential benefits of planting native shrubs for use as sheep fodder.

mitigating soil erosion and climate change.

Millner says the programme is assessing the productivity and seasonal growth patterns of indigenous species potentially useful as occasional ‘browse species’.

These are Houhere (Hoheria populnea), Pāpāuma (Griselinia lit-

toralis), Karo (Pittosporum crassifolium), Karamū (Coprosma robusta), Whauwhaupaku (Pseudopanax arboreus), Māhoe (Melicytus ramiflorus) and Taupata (Coprosma repens).

The non-native Salix kinuyanagi, a browse willow, has also been included and can be com-

pared with the natives.

“Culturally, native shrub species have long histories and the team is building that knowledge into this project,” he explains.

“We are interested in giving hill country farmers as many options as possible and are specifically looking at the potential of native shrubs as forage in hill country.”

Millner says farmers with steep erosion-prone land may be interested in getting it into woody vegetation.

“Pinus radiata is one option commonly used but not everyone wants to be a forester. Transport and harvesting in

steep areas is also expensive so it may not be economically feasible,” he says.

“There are potential economic benefits to planting native shrubs, along with enhanced diversity, improved water quality and reduced erosion. We are looking at the additional potential benefits for forage and for grazing sheep around the shrubs.”

The native shrubs selected are known to be heavily browsed in areas where there are deer and goats, suggesting they would be palatable to sheep.

“We are also looking into nutritional traits,” Millner adds.

“For instance, the protein content and any tannins that can affect how protein is digested, and if there are any anthelmintic - natural anti-parasite – qualities, as there is evidence some shrubs have that effect.”

The research is also looking at what happens during in vitro digestion to see how much meth-

ane and CO2 is produced in the rumen.

Currently, the project has three hill country trial sites on farms, two in the Manawatu and one on the Mahia Peninsula.

“We have discovered that the foliage of the shrubs is pretty digestible and we don’t think there will be any problem with sheep browsing on it,” Millner says.

“It is a bit low in protein, so not good for long-term feed or for young animals that farmers are needing to grow quickly, but there would be no problem at all with short-term maintenance feeding.

“In summer, it could provide a short-term food resource to fall back on when dry and shelter, particularly after shearing – alongside the environmental and economic benefits.”

He adds that research into anthelmintic work is due to start soon. Food preference trials are due to get started in the autumn and full feeding trials in spring 2022. That

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will be followed by feeding trials.

“The sheep food preference trials will involve us offering standard feeds like lucerne chaff as well as leaves from the shrubs to see if the sheep will voluntarily eat them,” Millner says.

“We’ll take data from that as the basis for a proper feeding trial and measure dry matter in and dry matter out. Ultimately, we want to grow some shrubs in paddocks with sheep, however this will be subject to approval by an animal ethics committee.”

Millner believes the main disincentive to planting hill country with native shrubs would be the cost – at $3-$5 per shrub, plus the cost of planting out and initial weed control. This would need to be weighed against the potential benefits, including income carbon credits.

“The initial outlay can be > $10,000/ha – limiting widespread uptake unless assistance from central or regional government was available,” he explains.

“Our aim is to provide robust information that can give farmers, their bankers and others the information they need to have confidence that it is a good thing to do, so they can weigh up the cost and the benefits.”

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NEWS 23

Ahuwhenua Trophy competition another victim of Covid PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

ANOTHER PRIMARY sector event has fallen victim to the current risk of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

The 2022 Ahuwhenua Trophy competition, which this year will select the top Māori sheep and beef farm in the country, has been postponed due to Covid.

The competition is one of the most prestigious agricultural events and was inaugurated 89 years ago by Sir Apirana Ngata and then Governor General Lord Bledisloe.

Management committee chair Nukuhia Hadfield says it is regrettable, but necessary to postpone events given the current situation with Covid and the uncertainty it has created.

She says the judging panel had only just started to access entrants to select the finalists, but the management committee deemed it unwise to continue and decided to put the competition on hold until it can be safely reconvened.

“This decision reflects the management committee’s wish to ensure the safety of our whānau and wider communities across the country, as well as ensuring the safety and well-being of our judging team and support staff,” Hadfield says.

“This also means the rest of our programme is delayed, particularly the upcoming parliamentary announcement, the field days and awards dinner scheduled for May.” She noted that entries for the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award remained open until closing off on February 11.

The committee says it will look to modify the dates of this programme to align with the senior competition.

Hadfield says they’ll continue to monitor events over the coming weeks and will make further decisions on when judging can recommence, and then also re-set the dates for the other key events in the programme.

She says the competition faced a similar situation in 2020 due to Covid

restrictions, but the programme was eventually able to run at a later stage.

“I am confident that we will be able to do the same again later in the year.”

Nukuhia Hadfield -- pictured with husband Bart – says it is regrettable, but necessary to postpone events given the current situation with Covid and the uncertainty it has created.

IN BRIEF NEW SFF DIRECTOR NEEDED SILVER FERN Farms Co-operative is on the lookout for a new farmer director, with incumbent Tony O’Boyle choosing not to stand again for the board.

O’Boyle – a sheep and beef farmer from Wairarapa – is not seeking re-election in May, after six years as a director of Silver Fern Farms Co-operative.

The Silver Fern Farms Co-operative owns 50% of Silver Fern Farms Limited in partnership with Chinese distributor Shanghai Maling.

To be eligible as a director, prospective candidates must be a current shareholder of the co-op and have supplied a minimum of 400 stock units to Silver Fern Farms for each of the last two years.

Nominations close on Friday 4 March.

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global agribusiness research analysts sharing market outlooks

24 MARKETS & TRENDS

Rabobank supports clients from farm to fork in

40

COUNTRIES

100 000

12630

farmers to connect Content supplied by Rabobank - Growing New Zealand Together with worldwide , a Better

Put the champagne on ice!

THE PROFITABLE run for most NZ agri sectors looks likely to extend into 2022.

But New Zealand’s year of reckoning with Covid-19 is upon us – so it’s too early to break out the champagne just yet.

Labour shortages in New Zealand are a very real and critical challenge for the agri sector.

The strain on businesses is taking the shine off excellent returns.

Horticulture, meat processors, agriculture contractors and dairy farmers

farmers with a profitable 2021/22 season.

Global availability of sheepmeat is expected to lift in 2022 due to increasing Australian production, while New Zealand sheep numbers are expected to continue to decline. Despite record prices through 2021, the New Zealand sheep flock is likely to continue to face downward pressure in 2022 due to land use competition for forestry.

will be the most impacted in the upcoming months by increased absenteeism with the spread of Covid-19.

While many sectors

are tipped for record commodity prices once more in 2022, rocketing input costs and crimped production in some regions will not trans-

Beef

late into new benchmark profits.

Dairy

FARMGATE MILK prices for New Zealand farmers in the 2021/22 season have reached new records (in nominal terms), with Fonterra’s midpoint of their forecast range sitting at NZ$ 9.20/kgMS. In real terms (i.e. adjusting for inflation), the farmgate milk price would need to hit around NZ$ 9.50/kgMS to match

the last record milk price of NZD 8.40/kgMS experienced in 2013/14.

Despite record forecast prices, a portion of farmers are unlikely to experience record profitability. Cost structures are higher than those experienced in the

Applications are now open for Silver Fern Farms Co-operative’s Farmer Elected Director.

Are you a supplying shareholder to Silver Fern Farms and interested in governance of your co-operative?

Nominations close 12 noon Friday 4th March 2022.

For more information visit www.silverfernfarms.coop/elections

2013/14 season, due to inflationary pressure on input costs and structural changes such as higher wages.

The effect of rising interest rates is still to be fully felt. Despite this, elevated milk price forecasts should still provide

NEW ZEALAND exporters and farmers can look forward to another year of strong returns in 2022, off the back of reduced global beef supplies and steady consumer demand. Global beef supply is expected to remain constrained in 2022 as key export countries rebalance production. Consumer demand and willingness to pay for beef is likely to remain elevated through 2022 as countries recover from the Covid pandemic. In particular, the high level of demand for New Zealand beef from China seen through 2021 is expected to continue, as the pork industry recovers from the effects of African swine fever.

PLANET PEOPLE PROSPERITY

usiness ysts et outlooks

Rabobank supports clients from farm to fork in

40

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

MARKETS & TRENDS 25

COUNTRIES

Content supplied by Rabobank - Growing a Better New Zealand Together decline. Despite record prices through 2021, the New Zealand sheep flock is likely to continue to face downward pressure in 2022 due to land use competition for forestry.

New Zealand’s total sheepmeat exports lifted fractionally in the 2021 season; however, the end destination changed considerably, providing significant opportunity for the 2022 season.

Demand from the US for New Zealand lean trimmings is expected to remain elevated, as Australian supply remains low. Rabobank expects NZ farmgate beef prices to remain above the fiveyear average in 2022.

Key risks to pricing include processing and supply chain challenges, consumer willingness to pay easing due to high

Horticulture

THE OUTLOOK for the New Zealand kiwifruit industry is positive for 2022, with strong demand and orchard-gate returns (OGR) anticipated, despite significant changes being made to the licence areas and tender process for the Gold variety.

Zespri’s forecast OGR for the 2021/22 season signal another profitable season for kiwifruit growers – albeit below the extremely strong returns experienced in 2021.

Forecast OGR for Gold stand at NZ$ 11.05/tray (as of November 2021), while Green OGR are forecast at NZ$ 6.34/tray

beef prices and weaker economic conditions, and the potential strengthening of the NZ$ against the US$.

Sheepmeat Global availability of sheepmeat is expected to lift in 2022 due to increasing Australian production, while New Zealand sheep numbers are expected to continue to

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Rabobank anticipates that farmgate pricing will remain elevated in 2022 above the five-year average.

Strong demand from our key markets is likely to support firm pricing, despite an increase in Australian production and the threat of Covid.

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for the 2022 season.

Due to onshore fruit loss and related lost volumes into Japan, as well as some further deterioration of fruit quality in the market, it is likely that this pricing will be revised NZc 10 to NZc 15 lower in February 2022.

Exchange rate

WE EXPECT the New Zealand dollar to maintain the strength it gained in 2021, supported by healthy global demand for commodity products and the expectation that the Reserve Bank of

New Zealand’s increases rates, and to gain further strength in the backend of the year.

New Zealand was highly successful in managing the Covid vaccine roll-out and curbing outbreaks through 2021, and this translated to strong economic growth. Strong consumer demand and constrained commodity availability globally are expected to maintain elevated commodity pricing in 2022 and, with it, demand for the New Zealand dollar. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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26 OPINION EDITORIAL

EDNA

Mixed message FARMERS AND growers can rightly feel somewhat confused about the mixed messaging coming from the Government about the risks to the sector from Omicron.

On the one hand, last week Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced that the Government had allocated $400,000 to support primary producers for contingency planning and response if farmers or growers get Covid-19.

“The Government is committed to keeping vital workforces going. Primary producers have always been essential workers throughout the pandemic, but as Omicron reaches further into our communities, we are stepping up to ensure we can protect the wellbeing of our rural communities,” the Minister claimed.

“Contingency planning by farmers, growers and lifestyle block owners will minimise the risk of further Covid-19 related disruptions, which can occur anywhere along the supply chain.”

Fine. This is a sensible move considering the importance of the primary sector to the economy of New Zealand.

However, at the very same time O’Connor – along with Climate Change Minister James Shaw – are insisting that farmers and growers attend public consultations over the He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) climate proposals.

This is despite the arrival of the highly contagious Omicron Covid variant in the country and the potential health risks to farmers, who are deemed essential workers – not to mention the restrictions on public meetings under the red light traffic settings making ‘consultation’ hardly extensive and widespread.

Even the belated move by the Government to extend the consultation period for a month does little to lessen the health risk, especially when the peak of Omicron is expected to hit the country about then and is set to disrupt New Zealanders for months to come.

If the Government really is keen to ensure full and proper consultation (on what Beef+Lamb NZ chairman Andrew Morrison has described as “one of the most important issues for farmers in 2022”), giving farmers right across the country the opportunity to meet face-to-face with representatives to ask questions about the HWEN proposals, it should be put on hold until proper meetings and consultation can take place.

This latest move does nothing to shift the view that the Government’s mind is already made up on this issue and its ideological drive to pass climate change legislation within strict deadlines has overridden the imperative of full, proper and safe consultation with farmers.

RURALNEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

HEAD OFFICE POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 Phone 09-307 0399 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

“Strewth! – she must have gone through a stack of newspapers!”

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound?

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

THE HOUND More proof!

Take note!

Appropriate!

Off message?

The Hound would have thought with the country under the red light setting due to the threat of Omicron ravaging the nation, industry leaders and the Government would hold off mass gatherings that risk crippling NZ’s primary sector.

However, it seems the promoters of the primary industry climate action partnership, He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN), and its government masters are forcing farmers to continue with its proposed round of consultation meetings. Despite Beef+Lamb chair Andrew Morrison declaring the HWEN consultations “the most important things farmers will do this year”, the meetings will be limited to only 100 people with only the vaccinated able to attend.

Why have HWEN not pushed back on government demands for the consultations to go ahead, given the restrictions on numbers and obvious health risks? Is this just another sign of the current industry leadership’s total feebleness when it comes to government?

Your old mate reckons the advocates of the latest fad in NZ farming, Regenerative Ag, should take heed of what’s happening in Sri Lanka right now. That country will pay US$200m compensation to more than a million rice farmers whose crops failed under a botched scheme to establish the world’s first 100% organic farming nation. Agricultural chemicals such as fertiliser were among the imports banned last year. These restrictions were lifted months later after farmer protests and crop failures. About a third of Sri Lanka’s agricultural land was left dormant last year because of the import ban with the lack of imported farm chemicals compounding the island’s economic crisis, causing food shortages and forcing shops to ration sugar, lentils and other essentials. Food inflation in Sri Lanka hit a record 21.5% last month with vegetables and other staples still in short supply in the wake of the disastrous organic experiment.

A mate of your canine crusader cheekily suggests a recent ministerial visit— crowed about by state farmer Landcorp’s (or Pāmu as it likes to be known) public relations department – was highly symbolic. Apparently, Minister for State-Owned Enterprises David Clark joined a number of the poorly-performing government farmer’s executives on a weekend visit to Molesworth Station. While Landcorp’s overpaid spin doctors claimed it was a “great opportunity to have conversations about how to open up more of the Reserve to the public whilst still maintaining a thriving farming operation...”

However, the Hound’s mate reckons having the most useless and ineffective minister in the current government (remember when the former Health Minister was off riding his mountain bike when Covid hit our shores back in 2020) visiting one of the most useless and ineffective government departments says it all. Touché!

This old mutt reckons that anyone wondering why there has been a huge decline in the union movement in NZ over the years only needs to read this recent statement from the public service union – the Public Service Association (PSA) – to see why: ‘We need unionism now more than ever. To fight climate change and inequality, to platform the voices of historically marginalised peoples, to change our broken social structures’. Really? No mention of sticking up for workers rights, fighting for better wages, ensuring staff health and safety conditions or even tacking the thorny issue of vaccine mandates.

As one former PSA member pointed out to yours truly, “Nothing at all about fighting for members’ jobs, rights or working conditions.

They’ve confused ‘union’ with being ‘woke’”. It is not hard to see why most workers feel unions are way out-of-touch and don’t bother belonging to one anymore!

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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 // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

OPINION 27

Questioning is not an attack!

SCIENTISTS HAVE been accused of mounting a sustained attack on regenerative agriculture and splitting the science community. Not all, but some.

The words are disappointing and misleading.

What some agricultural scientists have done is continue to ask questions of regenerative proponents. The ongoing questioning is because no answers have appeared – the proponents want money to do the research to answer the questions.

The point that agricultural scientists have been making is that a lot of the ‘needed’ research has been done and results are available. Some has been funded recently by various combinations of Ministry for Primary Industries (the farmerscience funding now termed Sustainable Food and Fibre Fund), Ministry for Business and Employment and levy bodies and has not shown positive results.

The use of Brix measurements (great for viticulture but not for ruminants) and of the American Albrecht-Kinsey ratio approach to soil nutrients, are examples. They are not as good as current conventional approaches using metabolisable energy. The New Zealand soil laboratories measure Olsen-P and all the other nutrients determined to be important over decades of research on New Zealand soils through calibration with grass growth. If the ‘new’ approaches had proved advantageous, they would have been incorporated into conventional agriculture.

Similarly, hyperdiverse pastures have not been shown to be as productive as the combinations of grass, legumes and herbs already used in conventional agriculture. If they aren’t as productive, there tend to be shortages at some times of the year, meaning that food must be brought in, or animal welfare suffers.

The alternative is fewer animals all the time, and difficulties with pasture quality control at some times of the year.

Lower pasture quality is

“I’m focused on feeding people and protecting the environment – and producing food comes first.”

COMMENT

Jacqueline Rowarth associated with higher greenhouse gas per unit of production. Food production, the environment and income are detrimentally affected. American regenerative agriculture proponents advise adjusting the number of animals to suit pasture growth. Not always acknowledged is that this requires another farm supplying and receiving animals. The question then might be how that second farm is managed, but again, there are no answers.

Research has also been done on what happens if you withdraw fertiliser such as superphosphate and nitrogen.

Pasture growth decreases, possibly not immediately, depending on the nutrient status to start with, but certainly after a season or two. The withdrawal of superphosphate trials showed that 15 years after the fertiliser addition stopped, the hill country farmlets were still losing production.

There is also research on replacing the use of antibiotics, which is very low in farming in New Zealand, with homeopathic treatments. They have no positive effect.

We have the results of research showing all of this. The results have been incorporated into conventional agricultural systems and New Zealand farmers have been shown to be world leading.

New Zealand’s agricultural scientists are almost at one of being proud of what has been achieved here with farmers, rural professionals and scientists working together on goals for sustainability.

These include productivity gains, reducing risks to production, maintaining and improving the environment, being economically viable and socially acceptable. Regenerative proponents tend to

be influenced by overseas researchers, have an organic background, and are not agricultural scientists who have spent their

working lives learning about effects and consequences within the New Zealand context.

Professor Derrick

Moot, leader of Dryland Pastures Research at Lincoln University, has explained the challenges clearly at various conferences. He has also recorded the information to assist anybody interested to understand the issues.

“I’m an agronomist,”

he says. “I’m focused on feeding people and protecting the environment – and producing food comes first.”

Agricultural scientists are focused on improving the system that works within the New Zealand environment, rather than fine-tuning theories

from overseas. Professor Moot’s You-tube video makes it clear why.

• Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a farmerelected director of DairyNZ and Ravensdown. The analysis and conclusions above are her own. jsrowarth@gmail.com

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

28 OPINION

Roadshow hits road KELLY FORSTER

FEEDBACK IS being sought from farmers, growers and others in the primary sector on options to price agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

Two options have been released for discus-

sion by He Waka Eke Noa – the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership – which is a partnership between industry, Māori and government. The options that the partners will seek feedback on are a farm-level levy and a processor-level hybrid levy.

The other way to price emissions would be to include agricultural emissions in the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS), described as the ‘backstop’ option in the consultation document. The Government has already legislated to include agricultural emis-

sions in the NZ ETS but agreed to work in partnership with industry and Māori to design an alternative that would achieve better outcomes for New Zealand and the agricultural sector.

The two He Waka Eke Noa options are estimated to deliver emis-

sion reductions broadly aligned with current splitgas legislated targets in conjunction with existing policies and allowing for reductions from the waste sector, and if accompanied with the commercial availability of emissions mitigation tools such as methane Kelly Forster

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inhibitors and low emissions livestock genetics.

The legislated targets are for methane emissions to reduce by 10% below 2017 levels by 2030; and nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide to reduce to net zero by 2050.

He Waka Eke Noa partners DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb New Zealand will explain each option, answer questions and listen to farmer feedback as part of a nationwide roadshow. Other partners including Deer Industry New Zealand, Federated Farmers, the Foundation for Arable Research, Horticulture New Zealand and Te Aukaha (Federation of Māori Authorities), are also discussing the options with their farmers and growers.

More than 30 meetings and webinars are scheduled for the coming month. In light of the move by the country to the Covid-19 red traffic light setting, some changes have been made to the sector’s engagement programme and partners will keep farmers informed of any further changes.

The Partnership has narrowed down pricing system options to two choices, and the backstop. Each option has its trade-offs, and this period of meetings, workshops and webinars is a chance for farmers and growers to learn about the choices

and provide an opinion on their preference and feedback on how options may be improved.

The Partnership has also considered the possibility of starting with a processor-level hybrid levy and transitioning to a farm-level levy in future and will be discussing that with farmers over the coming month.

A key aspect of the two He Waka Eke Noa options is a “split-gas” approach that separates the short- and long-lived gases and applies different pricing mechanisms to each.

This recognises the different impacts of the main agricultural greenhouse gases: biogenic methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide.

The Consultation Document draws on extensive modelling and analysis of costs and impacts.

The supporting technical reports are also available on the He Waka Eke Noa website: www.hewakaekenoa.nz/your-say Details of events and webinars led by DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand can be found on their websites DairyNZ and B+LNZ. Farmers and growers can provide feedback at the events or online. For further information contact yourfeedback@hewakaekenoa.nz • Kelly Forster is the programme director for He Waka Eke Noa

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

OPINION 29

You won’t save the planet by killing NZ farming PRICE PENALTIES won’t drive down livestock emissions without affordable and practical new technologies being available to farmers – unless the aim is to kill off the sector.

Federated Farmers is baffled by comments by Climate Change Minister James Shaw that, “Pricing isn’t the only tool in the toolbox, but it remains the best way to reduce emissions directly – and that’s name of the game.”

This is an overlysimplistic and domestic focused solution to a complex global problem.

The global atmosphere does not benefit from New Zealand shrinking food production, even if our politicians can crow about local emissions reductions. Our farms’ emissions footprint is world-leading; forgone production here would just shift offshore to less efficient farmers.

An overly-high price signal for our livestock emissions would also have severe implications for the agricultural sector, regional economies, and the wider New Zealand economy.

Modelling done under the He Waka Eke Noa partnership, which included the Ministry for the Environment and Ministry for Primary Industries, showed that to apply pricing alone

to achieve the Government’s methane reduction targets would result in a devastating number of sheep and beef farms going broke, along with a significant number of dairy farms.

This is what Feds have been saying for years.

This work showed that to reduce methane emissions by 5% by 2030 with a price alone (that’s only half of the Government’s current targets) would require 20% and 58% cuts in the profitability of dairy and sheep and beef farming, respectively. * Unfortunately, despite being a member of the partnership, the Government didn’t request that the full price be modelled.

This is, of course, notwithstanding Federated Farmers’ opposition to the current targets which are unscientific and set the bar for methane much higher in terms of warming than all other gases.

This modelling, unfortunately, does not show what the wider impacts of that price would be on the regional and national economy. That is further work we would like carried out, but you don’t need to win a Nobel prize in economics to work out it will be severe.

Drops in production of both red meat and dairy will also mean fewer processing jobs and farming support jobs in provincial

centres and other losses throughout the wider economy.

Another report commissioned by He Waka Eke Noa showed that, “With partial (50%) offsetting of emissions, there could be a 15% increase in global emissions for every tonne of emissions reduced in New Zealand from lower output of beef…

The equivalent estimates

increases of 7% and 30% respectively.” ** This report contains several caveats and states that these figures are illustrative only, but it highlights the benefits of avoiding emissions leakage by promoting efficient production and the use of technology, while Fed Farmers national disincentivising output president Andrew Hoggard. reduction in New Zealand. What this process for sheep and dairy prohas shown is that the best duction are emissions

anism, then they should not have agreed to He Waka Eke Noa. * (Pricing agricultural GHG emissions: impacts on dairy, sheep & beef and horticulture industries, pp. 51). **(Pricing agricultural GHG emissions: impacts on emissions leakage, pp.19).

• Andrew Hoggard is national president of Federated Farmers.

way to achieve reductions is through new technologies and their adoption on farm. A price mechanism should only be used to incentivise the uptake of those technologies.

That is one of the key principles in the founding document of He Waka Eke Noa. If the Government and Minister Shaw did not agree with this clearly defined role for an appropriate pricing mech-

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30 AGRIBUSINESS

Woolly thinking pays off SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR Logan Williams will be a guest speaker at this month’s East Coast Farming Expo.

He may only still be in his 20s, but Williams has a track record that is the envy of many. The inventor and entrepreneur has already developed and sold four inventions to international corporations, including one that could create a turning point for the struggling strong wool industry.

Williams is currently combining coarse wool with polylactic acid derived from corn starch and other polymers to produce Keravos pellets that can be used instead of plastic. Torpedo 7 is about to launch a kayak range made from the revolutionary material and trials are well underway with ski boots, furniture, and other products.

“Our factory in Hamilton can make four tonnes a day of these pellets, so the plan is that we partner with large companies who are already making product and away we go – plug and play,” he explains.

The pellets will substitute plastic, giving farmers an income stream for a product that continues to cost them, rather than make them, money. In recent times it has cost more to shear the sheep than a farmer will recoup from the sale of the wool.

Williams says the next big move for the company is to make fabric from the pellets.

WHERE & WHEN

Logan Williams, a guest speaker at the East Coast Farming Expo, has created what could be ‘the’ answer for the struggling strong wool industry.

WHAT: East Coast Farm ing Expo WHEN: Febr uary 23-24, 2022 WHERE: Wai roa A&P Show grounds MORE INFO : www.eastc oastexpo.co. nz

“Strong wool is itchy but if we use our pellets to make fibre, we can make a softer, finer material that isn’t itchy,” he explains. “They already blend wool with plastic fabric, so we will go to those garments and replace the plastic with the Keravos.”

While some may see it is the saviour for New Zealand’s strong wool

industry, Williams is quick to say it is but a step in the right direction.

“Multiple solutions are needed; one is not enough on its own.”

His mind is never still.

Williams has worked alongside Fonterra to invent a device to destroy methane, as well as manufacturing biodegradable products, plastic, and fabrics from the pest algae Didymo, and a medical nebulizer. There’s also

something involving collagen, but it’s too early to give away too much.

“I can’t say I have a favourite though – it’s like talking about your children!”

Williams’ insatiable desire to solve problems means he is always interested in talking to people – particularly corporations.

“If larger ones are keen, then I am keen to see what their problem is. That is the big future place for me, I think. Ker-

avos has huge potential, but the long-term goal is portfolio of companies made from inventions.”

He cites the late Sir Paul Callaghan, who was recognised as a worldleading, award-winning Kiwi physicist who specialised in nanotechnology and magnetic resonance. Callaghan championed science and business as being crucial to the nation’s economic growth.

“We need to transform New Zealand into a high-

tech innovative country, to bring high value jobs here, bring manufacturing back and be known as an innovation hub. I am on that mission.”

Williams feels agriculture is the perfect place to start.

“It offers so much opportunity and it is something we already do well, so how can we innovate in this space.”

This year he’s hopeful his focus will be on establishing that corporate holding company that

will house 10 large and very successful innovative inventions.

Williams says he thrives on talking to farmers.

“We are the customer of the farmers and they’ve been hugely supportive. The way to effect change in a supply chain is to go directly to the customer and convince them to change – that’s what we do.”

Williams will speak on Wednesday (February 23) at the Expo 4.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

32 MANAGEMENT

Project aims to get snapshot of farm performances A HAWKE’S Bay deer farm is part of a MPI-funded project providing a national snapshot of farm performance.

The four-year project is bringing together detailed physical/production, environmental and financial data from more than 2,000 farms across the dairy, beef and lamb, deer, arable and horticulture sectors.

“The significance of this project cannot be underestimated. It is the first time such robust data has been collected and analysed,” explains Matthew Newman, who is leading the project for MPI. “Having quality farm data will enable better decision making by farmers and growers, industry organisations and policy makers.”

Wayne and Jacqui Anderson are one of about 170 deer farmers taking part.

The experienced farm owners diversified into deer in March 2019, buying a 71-hectare (effective) property west of Hastings.

The property runs 107 mixed-age hinds, replacement hinds, 114 fawns, several breeding stags, as well sheep and cattle.

The Andersons strive to grow livestock as efficiently as possible, maximising profits while reducing their environmental footprint, and hope the project will provide them with valuable data to improve their deer farm.

“It would be useful to know how we measure up against other deer farms in the region and nationally,” Jacqui Anderson says.

“I want to know if our economic and environmental performance could be better. That sort of detailed sector data doesn’t currently exist.”

Hawke’s Bay deer farmer Jacqui Anderson.

MPI is partnering with sector groups, such as Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), to collate and analyse the anonymised farm data.

Participating deer farmers will all receive a free Farm Environment Plan (FEP).

“The benefits of having a Farm Environment Plan are multi-pronged,”

Newman adds. “These help farmers identify risks within their business and areas for environmental improvement, including reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.”

There are around 1,000 commercial deer farms across New Zealand, with the largest number located in Canterbury, Southland and Otago.

“We have already collected data from 40 deer farms,” says DINZ producer manager Lindsay Fung. “We aim to do a further 40 this financial year.

We’ve never gathered this amount of farm-level data from so many deer farms across New Zealand at the same time.”

He says DINZ sees the project as

an opportunity to show the environmental gains deer farmers have been quietly making.

Developing a set of robust baseline cross-sector data will help achieve productivity and sustainability targets.

This first phase of the farm monitoring programme is expected to be completed by June 2023.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

MANAGEMENT 33

App helps control Nassella’s spread A new free web app has been designed to help farmers, landowners and regional councils manage a costly weed that has resisted eradication efforts in New Zealand for over a century.

NASSELLA TUSSOCK (Nassella trichotoma) occurs in drought-prone grasslands, mainly in the Canterbury and Marlborough regions.

It is unique in that it is the only weed in New Zealand to have had its own Act of Parliament, the Nassella Tussock Act 1946.

Historical control programmes have substantially reduced the weed’s

Business Innovation and Employment in collaboration with Environment Canterbury, provides a tool to visualise a range of grubbing strategies.

The app deploys a population model that counts the number of nassella tussock plants in summer and winter in each of seven different life stages of the tussock and keeps track of their contribution to the total tussock

on their properties. “It clearly demonstrates that annual control is the best method to decrease or maintain plant numbers.

Applying different scenarios may also help convince some properties to

move towards different control regimes.”

The app can be found at https://nassella-tussock-population-model-nz. agresearch.co.nz/ @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Left uncontrolled, modelling indicates that Nassella populations will increase and potentially reach economically damaging monocultures. PIC CREDIT: AGRESEARCH

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“The nassella tussock app draws on decades of research into how nassella tussock plants grow and contribute to the population growth of the weed in dryland sheep and cattle pastures,” populations from what were, in some cases, virtual monocultures of up to 35,000 plants per hectare of the tussock, which is unpalatable for livestock.

Although eradication has proven elusive, a 17-year study in Canterbury, published in 2016, showed that the population density of the weed across 878 invaded farms in the Hurunui district of North Canterbury is stable at about 15 plants per hectare. Grubbing of the plants (digging out) before seeding each year – the management tactic practiced on these farms – has been responsible for maintaining this ‘equilibrium’, according to onfarm experiments and modelling.

Left uncontrolled, the modelling indicates that the weed’s populations will increase, potentially reaching the economically damaging monocultures of the past which in some cases forced farmers to abandon their properties.

A new app, developed

by AgResearch with funding from the Ministry of

population over successive years.

AgResearch principal scientist, Graeme Bourdôt, who with colleagues has spent decades researching nassella tussock, says this app follows in the path of another similar tool for giant buttercup which AgResearch developed to support dairy farmers in weed management decisionmaking.

“The nassella tussock app draws on decades of research into how nassella tussock plants grow and contribute to the population growth of the weed in dryland sheep and cattle pastures,” he says.

“It enables the user to see how different frequencies, intensities and seasons of grubbing will affect the future number of nassella tussock plants on a block of land and on an adjacent block of land.”

Environment Canterbury Biosecurity Officer Matt Smith says the app is a great way for land occupiers to model different control scenarios

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

34 ANIMAL HEALTH

Tail management important issue A REGULATION restricting any shortening or removal of tails came into effect from 1 October 2018.

Keep tail hair trimmed to prevent tails getting caught in equipment and to prevent the build-up of muck which can lead to tail injuries. Switches can be trimmed using hand shears, scissors, or electric trimmers.

Avoid using tail tape as an identification tool; if the tape gets dirty and left on it can lead to tail damage.

Many farmers get their vet to do an annual tail audit to monitor tail damage.

It’s important to track changes and identify how and why any new tail damage occurs.

Farm teams are the best group to identify where the challenges are to find solutions.

Annual tail audits are the most valuable once heifers enter the herd or after changes in the farm team, to create a benchmark to identify any handling issues.

Having accurate records also allows you to track whether tail damage occurs on-farm or at offfarm grazing.

Check that your vet uses the national tail scoring standard. This will ensure scoring and reporting consistency so that you can com-

Early weaning can be a valuable management tool that can advantage both ewes and lambs.

Trimming prevents tails getting caught in equipment and stops the build-up of muck which can lead to tail injuries.

FOLLOW THE RULES REGULATIONS REQUIRE any shortening of damaged tails to be carried out by a vet and pain relief given.

If you see a damaged tail that needs shortening: • Draft the cow out • Call your vet • Record the injury • Discuss after care and pain relief with your vet • Review the cause to prevent damage to other tails.

pare your herd’s results year on year, regardless of where you farm or what vet you use.

It’s important to record damaged tails once a year so you know if new injuries are happening. If you don’t record and benchmark, how can you know you have a problem or work to fix it?

Reporting a potential tail breaking concern within your farm business can seem like a confront-

ing step, but it shows you care about your animals, it protects your reputation, and it’s the right thing to do.

If you suspect you have an issue with tail breaking on farm, call MPI at 0800 00 83 33. An Animal Welfare Inspector will work with you to set up a tail assessment meeting during milking.

They will let you know if there’s anything you need to prepare before the visit. Records such as tail

audits and stock handling policies and trainings may be useful.

Investigations are carried out on a case by case basis. MPI may talk to everyone on your farm team. It’s important that MPI can get as much information as possible to make informed decisions to protect your animals.

If you would like to talk to a member of the DairyNZ Animal Care Team for a confidential chat about your situation, you can find your local animal care extension specialist here.

Tail breaking is a breach of the Animal Welfare Act and likely constitutes serious misconduct.

More: https://www. dairynz.co.nz/milking/dairystockmanship/tail-management/

EARLY WEANING A POSSIBLE OPTION EARLY WEANING of lambs can be a valuable management tool that can advantage both ewes and lambs.

With the right quantity of legumebased forages, early-weaned lambs can grow as fast – if not faster – than their unweaned equivalents on traditional ryegrass and clover pastures. Earlyweaned ewes can either be sold early, which frees up feed for other stock, or benefit from having more time to recover body condition before mating.

In late lactation, all lambs, but especially multiples, are receiving very little nutrition from the ewe and when grass growing conditions are below optimal.

The ewes are competing with their lambs, compromising the performance of both. By weaning them early onto correctly managed, high quality, legume-based forages, the lambs are given more opportunity to realise their genetic growth potential.

The weaned lambs should be allowed unrestricted access to high quality, legume dominant pasture (between 1,200 kgDM/ha and 2,000 kgDM/ha) or, ideally, a legume-based crop with a height of seven to 10 centimetres.

If lambs are being weaned onto a crop, they should be given time to

adjust to a change in feed.

Running the ewes and lambs onto the crop for a few days before weaning, then running the lambs back onto the crop after weaning, will minimise the weaning check.

In trials¹ run at Massey University, researchers looked at weaning lambs early, at a minimum liveweight of 16kgLW, onto either a herb-clover mix or a lucerne sward. They found heavier lambs (over 20kg) cope best with early weaning, but the quality of the forage on offer is the biggest determinant of how lambs grow post-weaning.

Early weaning was most effective in seasons when grass growth was limited (pasture covers of under 900 kgDM/ha), and lambs weaned early were offered a herb-clover mix with a minimum pasture cover of seven centimetres.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

ANIMAL HEALTH 35

A whole-farm approach to internal parasite management advised DRENCHING ROUTINES are well underway for many lamb finishers.

However, it is important to know the efficacy of the drenches used and to take a whole farm management approach to internal parasite management.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s senior advisor animal welfare and biosecurity Will Halliday says a ‘Drench Check’ (Faecal Egg Counts (FECs) carried out 7- 12 days after drenching) will give an indication of the efficacy of the drench they’ve used and/or their drenching technique.

If there are still eggs present, and problems with drenching technique such as a faulty gun can be eliminated, then a FEC Reduction Test will be required to determine what drench families are still effective on their property.

Halliday says a lot of farmers still don’t know

the drench status of their farms.

He adds that using ineffective drenches are not only a waste of money, but they are also not good for the longterm sustainability of the farm.

“Managing internal parasites is not as simple as just drenching lambs every 28 to 30 days, you need to look at the whole farm management.”

With the emergence of triple-drench resistance, Halliday says it is important farmers take a holistic approach to managing internal parasites and make use of the range of tools available rather than relying solely on drenches.

These tools include using breeding, refugia, regular monitoring and the use of forage crops as part of a total management package.

He says that every farm and situation is different and variables

such as the mix of livestock classes, irrigation, grazing management and

seasonal variations will all influence the shape of an internal parasite management programme.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

36 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Modern technology catches up with old ploughmens’ wisdom MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

WHILE WE keep hearing that the only way forward is the min-till or no-till approach, the reality of modern arable farming is that there is still a place for the plough.

As a young man, far too many years ago, experienced ploughmen told me that the art of setting up a plough – beyond matching furrows – was accurate control of depth.

This meant burying any trash by inverting the topsoil, but to also “take” around an inch of subsoil and incorporate in those upper soil layers.

This was said to improve drainage, while also increasing the working depth of the topsoil.

It looks like those ploughmen were onto something, following the news that German cultivation specialists Lemken is working on an idea called the Carbon Farming Plough Concept.

Working in collaboration with the Liebniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), in that country’s

north east, the duo have been working to develop an implement for carbon enrichment in arable soils.

Designed for ameliorative tillage, the idea is to break up compaction and improve the soil. One of the company’s ploughs is fitted with bodies that work at alternating depths to create “wells” below the normal ploughing depth. As the plough moves forwards, the deeper set bodies lift poorer quality soil into the humus-rich topsoil.

ZALF suggests that more than half of the humus introduced in this manner is retained to secure the long-term storage of CO2 in the soil. In the case of the lower soil levels being lifted, an increase in humus is seen in just a few years as a result of the carbon being introduced by the growing crops.

Breaking up the lower soil profile also allows plant roots to penetrate to deeper levels and access water and minerals that were previously unavailable. So much so,

German cultivation specialists Lemken is working on an idea called the Carbon Farming Plough Concept.

that research is showing yield increases of around 5%, even in the first year.

From a practical point of view, it is recommended that the method

is repeated diagonally to the main direction of ploughing, after five to ten years. The researchers also suggest that this “carbon farming technol-

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MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 37

The joy of a stick MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

TRIMA LOADERS from the Alo Group in Sweden are the preferred loader for Deutz-Fahr tractors, supplied in NZ by Power Farming.

As one would expect from the largest loader manufacturer in the world and the inventor of the first detachable machine, the company’s brands have many features, such as a unique sub frame design, inte-

form to control the boom, as the operator has their hand firmly grasped around the controller.

The controller itself is mounted on an adjustable flexible cable mount, although on some DeutzFahr products it can be integrated into the tractor armrest.

The new format means the hand is placed in a more natural position, while like the QM Command, the QE Command version also benefits from the addition of the two

The new QM Command control joystick is the entry point, replacing the previous Ergo Drive. It offers mechanical operation of the loader, while featuring the addition of two general purpose buttons for tractor control. gral weighing systems and precise control. Recent updates to the control and coupling systems are said to make the loaders even more operatorfriendly.

The new QM Command control joystick is the entry point, replacing the previous Ergo Drive.

It offers mechanical operation of the loader, while featuring the addition of two general purpose buttons for tractor control.

These buttons can be wired to duplicate tractor functions onto the joystick, such as shifting powershift steps for improved output and ease of operation.

The new QE Command control is the premium offering, delivering electronic control, incorporating the same toggle controller as its Easi Drive predecessor. However, there has been a redesign of the joystick’s main body to improve ergonomics and operator comfort. Featuring a pistol grip, the new controller is designed to be grasped in the hand and to use the thumb to control the loader functions.

The new design provides a more stable plat-

general purpose buttons.

Third service and control of the boom suspension (Q Series loaders only) are also standard additions for the QE Command. Meanwhile, extra buttons also offer control of the optional “Q-Companion” weigh scale system that can be retrofitted to all Q series Trima or Quicke booms.

Other options include the Deluxe integrated hydraulic kit that utilises the tractor’s pre-existing, integral hydraulic joystick controls to control the loader through a diverter valve system.

A new multi-coupler makes for fast, efficient connection of the loader’s hydraulic and electrical circuits. It incorporates a new ergonomic design, simplified use and automatic dust protection with a sealed cap to cover the face of the valve assembly when the boom is disconnected from the tractor. The use of new hydraulic components greatly reduces pressure loss through the valve providing a faster operating boom and reducing fuel consumption through reduced load on the hydraulic circuit.

The new QM Command control joystick replaces the previous Ergo Drive.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

38 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Gold medal gantry MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

WHILE POPULAR in horticultural operations for harvesting over the past few decades, many growers have switched from gantry layouts in favour of very large selfpropelled machines.

German company Kal-

verkamp is now looking to give the gantry a new lease of life. It recently took out the only gold medal for innovation offered by the Agritechnica Event.

Featuring autonomous operation, an electrical power source and modular construction – allowing operating widths

from 6 to 24 metres – the machine can take care of tasks including cultivating, drilling, spraying and harvesting.

Called Nexat (next generation agricultural technology), a 270-degree rotating cab allows the unit to be driven manually between jobs and a prime position for

process monitoring in the paddock.

While hydrogen power is planned for the future, currently the vehicle is fitted with twin 545hp (400kW) diesel engines that power electrical generators. This in turn powers the four rubber tracks, which rotate through 90 degrees for Nexat a 270-degree rotating cab allows the unit to be driven manually between jobs and a prime position for monitoring in the paddock.

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JOHN DEERE 8R Series tractors can now be configured to continually monitor and adjust tyre pressures by push button.

This is done using a new fully-integrated central tyre inflation (CTIF) system.

Available ex-factory on 8Rs fitted with independent link suspension, this in-house manufactured system uses an on-board compressor. This means that tyres can be deflated to increase their footprint by nearly 25%, while a reduction of up to 3psi in ground pressure results in 2-4% less wheel slip.

Other benefits of lower in-paddock tyre pressures include reduced compaction and fuel consumption as well as increased pulling performance.

Configured with large diameter fabric air lines for rapid inflation and deflation times, the internal pressure of a 710/75R42 and 650/60R34 combination can be increased from 0.8 to 1.8 bar in under six and a half minutes for road travel.

This offers improved driving behaviour, reduced rolling resistance and less tyre wear. Once back in the paddock, it only takes around four minutes to revert to the lower pressure settings.

An external compressed air connection makes it possible to connect an air gun for cleaning purposes or powering air tools. – Mark Daniel

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

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NORTHLAND REGIONAL FOCUS FEBRUARY 15, 2022: ISSUE 744 www.ruralnews.co.nz

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RURAL NE RURAL NEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

Field days needs help!

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

CASH-STRAPPED ORGANISERS of the annual Northland Field Days are looking to farmers for assistance.

With two successive events falling victim to Covid, Northland Field Days’ coffers are running low.

Organising committee president John Phillips says going forward, they are now asking farmers for their help.

“Perhaps farmers can rear one of their beef calves to a weaner and then donate that calf to the Northland Field Days?” he says.

The three-day event, scheduled for next month, has been cancelled for a second year in a row.

The only silver lining this year is that organisers pulled the plug almost six weeks before the event.

Phillips says, last year, the event was cancelled only days before it was scheduled to start, resulting in huge financial losses all around.

“In 2021, we were three days out from the event when the Government changed the alert levels and we had to cancel,” he told Rural News.

“All the marquees were up, trucks had brought in a lot of machinery and stock from as far south as Palmerston North, exhibitors sites were well developed, traffic control all arranged, rubbish collection organised – we were so ready to go!” he explains.

“Between Northland Field Days, all our exhibitors, suppliers and vendors, hundreds of thousands of dollars were lost – it was quite devastating for all concerned.” Phillips says the committee applied to the Government for “some sort of financial assistance,

Northland field days organising committee president John Phillips says after two covid cancellations the cash-strapped event is asking local farmers for their financial support.

but we were turned down”. Some site holders kindly donated their site fee to the Northland Field Days, while others chose to have their site fee carried forward to 2022.

This money added to the income from its two lease agreements, enabling the committee to pay rates, insurance,

bank loan interest and office staff.

“With a very limited budget we were ready to set up for our 2022 event when the Government struck again, moving the whole of New Zealand into red in the traffic light system.

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assistance, but we are not hopeful that this will be successful,” he says.

“It is understandable that the generosity of our site holders is also starting to wear a bit thin.”

Phillips says Northland Field Days is a registered non-profit charitable organisation and this annual event

has a huge financial impact that benefits the entire Northland region in so many different sectors.

Phillips, a dairy farmer near Dargaville, says farmers happy to help the field days can contact its office on 09 439 8998 or by emailing info@ northlandfielddays.co.nz.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NORTHLAND REGIONAL FOCUS 3

A step in the right direction!

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

THE GOVERNMENT’S decision last week to progressively open the country’s borders is a step in the right direction, says Northland Field Days Committee vice chair Basil Cole.

He says for his committee to plan for next year’s field days with any

confidence, the Government needs to do two things: “They need to open the borders and keep them open,” he told Rural News. “The second thing is that the Government must stop the vaccine mandate.”

With the 2022 field days cancelled, Cole says the committee has two plans going forward – one around having a

show in 2023 and the other around not having a show.

The call was made to cancel the show around January 23, when the Government put the country under red alert level as the first Omicron cases surfaced.

Cole believes the early call led to potential exhibitors not incurring heavy losses.

NDDT NOW WEBINARS

volunteers, giving up their time to plan and run the three-day event.

“We do this for the community and our goal is to hold an excit-

ing event every year,” he adds. “Sadly, we haven’t been able to do it this year and a lot of people have been left disappointed.”

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tures in the range of 22-30 degrees have dropped grass growth rates and cover further.

Palm kernel expeller (PKE) is being fed to milk within fat evaluation index (FEI) limits on the Current and Alternative Pasture farms. Baleage is also being fed now as pasture intakes are dropping.

The Low Emissions farm is feeding home grown baleage but this will reduce or halt if kikuyu growth lifts as residuals will rise quickly.

“Alternative Pasture cows continue to milk better than the other farms due to significantly higher ME and crude protein content compared to kikuyu pastures.”

this year has disappointed many people in Northland and the decision was quite hard on everyone.

Cole says organising committee members are

IN

address are: Are NZ farmers well placed to face the future?

What do we need to change?

And what is happening overseas that we should know about?

Agriculture economist Susan Kilsby will talk on how NZ agriculture fits in with the rest of the world.

Topics she will cover include political pressure, interest rates and inflation.

The fourth webinar will be a science session looking at NDDT’s Future Farm Systems trial updates and other scientific topics.

The current project commenced June 2021 and compares the productivity, profitability and impact on people and the environment on three farms: According to the latest NDDT farm trial update, dry conditions and 10cm soil tempera-

Northland Field Days Committee vice chair Basil Cole.

MA DE

THE ANNUAL Northland Dairy Development Trust (NDDT) conference will now be run as a series of webinars. The day-long conference normally has a keynote address delivered by Fonterra’s chairman and is well attended by Northland farmers.

However, due to Covid, this year’s conference will run as four evening sessions via Zoom later this month.

Fonterra chairman Peter McBride will address one of the webinars, giving a global outlook for New Zealand farmers.

Another session will see Ministry for Primary Industries chief science adviser John Roche look at the future of dairy farming both overseas and in NZ, particularly in the changing climate and greenhouse gas regulatory environment. Some of the questions he will

“What happened in 2021 was that we cancelled the show late in the piece and exhibitors had already moved machinery and products from south.”

Cole says to stage the field days next year, organisers need to restore confidence among its exhibitors.

“Right now, that confidence is not there.”

Cole, a retired dairy farmer, has been involved with the organising committee for many years.

He told Rural News that canceling the event

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

4 NORTHLAND REGIONAL FOCUS

Record milk price a boon for Northland farmers SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

A RECORD milk price this season would be a huge psychological boost for Northland farmers, says the region’s Federated Farmers dairy chair Matt Long.

He expects farmers to use the extra income to reduce debt and improve the environmental footprints of their business.

“I also expect some to spend on productivity improvements and some well-earned spending on things to improve their lifestyle,” Long told Rural News.

“The forecast payout is very positive, but necessary given soaring inflation of input costs.”

Long points out

that soaring costs and worker shortages remain the biggest challenges facing local farmers, who endured a severe drought in the previous two seasons.

Fonterra’s latest milk price forecast for the season is in the range of $8.90 to $9.50/kgMS, with a mid-point of $9.20/ kgMS. For Northland, based on milk production of around 81 million kgMS, a $9.20 payout would pump nearly $750 million into the region’s economy.

BNZ economist Doug Steel notes that dairy prices have started the New Year in fine form, pushing higher from the already elevated levels reached in 2021.

Northland regional Federated Farmers dairy chair Matt Long says a record milk price this season would be a huge psychological boost for local dairy farmers.

“Prices are 28% above a year ago, nearly 38% higher than their 5-year average, and at their highest level since 2014,” notes Steel.

An expected 4% drop

in NZ milk production is one of the factors keeping the milk price at record levels.

“While there is some rain in the near-term forecast, we expect

NZ milk production to remain below last year’s strong late season outcomes over coming months such that the full season will be down in the order of 4% or more,”

he says. Milk production in key overseas markets— the US and Europe—is also spluttering. Tighter supply is also pushing prices up.

But Steel says there are some downward risks as well – China’s growth could be slower than anticipated and Omicron is still looming large around the globe.

But for now, at least, milk price prospects are strong.

“For farmers facing such things as variable weather, higher costs, rising interest rates, proposed options to price agricultural emissions, an exceptionally tight labour market, and the possibility of significant disruption from Omicron circulating in the commu-

nity – it is good to take one thing off the worry list.”

Having been hit by a severe drought over the previous two seasons, Northland’s milk production is tracking well.

Long says Northland’s climate is highly variable.

“I think after a difficult start to the season most farms will be having at least average production,” he says.

However, like most other growers, they are also facing soaring input costs.

On his farm at Matapouri, eastern Whangarei Long milks 200 cows and hopes to supply 65,000 kgMS this season.

“We are rebuilding after two years of quite intense drought,” he says.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NORTHLAND REGIONAL FOCUS 5

Farmers focus on sustainability MANAWATU DAIRY farmers Wendy and Richard Ridd consider the environment extensively when making decisions on their farm that runs to 260 hectares, with a milking platform of 196 cows.

Like many dairy farmers they strive to balance profitability, while also investing in protecting their environment.

“Farming can be hard, and we carry a lot of debt, and because we haven’t

numbers allows homereared young stock on, alongside the opportunity to grow their own supplements. This means there is a need for up-to datetractors and machinery.

Unsurprisingly, a recent tractor upgrade also factored the environment in the buying decision.

“It’s a big investment buying a tractor, so we wanted to be sure we were making a good investment for our envi-

Richard adds. “While planting seems to get all the limelight, there’s more to helping the environment – which many farmers are already doing on a day-to-day basis.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Manawatu dairy farmers Wendy and Richard Ridd say they were attracted to the Massey Ferguson 6713 S because it would allow us to do multiple tasks in one pass, saving time and the environment.

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“Farming can be hard, and we carry a lot of debt, and because we haven’t got anything to fall back on, I think it makes it even more important we look for efficiencies and eliminate waste.” got anything to fall back on, I think it makes it even more important we look for efficiencies and eliminate waste,” Richard explains. “Here, we take the approach of making small changes because they add up collectively.

We want to genuinely enjoy what we do every day and a healthy environment contributes to that.”

The Ridds follow key themes when it comes to improving their environment, such as fencing waterways, riparian planting and developing wetlands, but they also believe in a strong connection with the community.

“We need to help people understand the challenges we face and changing their mindset can really help drive purchasing behaviour,” Richard adds. “The value in the conversations from each side has really helped us and our urban neighbours understand each other more.”

They had already implemented many technologies on-farm, such as TracMap for fertiliser spreading, Ravensdown’s N-Protect, and bagging silage wrap ready for recycling.

While their infrastructure limits the size of their herd, the smaller

ronment as well,” Wendy says.

Being able to reduce the hours they spent on the tractor was high on their list of considerations.

“So, we were attracted to the Massey Ferguson 6713 S because it would allow us to do multiple tasks in one pass, saving time and the environment,” she explains.

“Even though it’s only a four-cylinder, it has pulling and lifting power comparable to a six-cylinder, offering the advantages of a compactness, low-weight and good manoeuvrability, added that extra power. Additionally, the power boost function means it’s efficient on lighter and bigger jobs, allowing us to only need one tractor so.”

“The low weight was another bonus on our environmental shopping list,” Richard says. “Less weight means less soil compaction and a smaller environmental footprint during manufacturing as it needs less materials to build it.”

AdBlue also scored highly and using the latest technology to reduce emissions was really important to the Ridds.

“But most importantly, we believe that farmers need to be proud of what they’re already doing,”

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6 NORTHLAND REGIONAL FOCUS

Double bale feeder engineered for a hard life MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

PALMERSTON NORTH’S McIntosh has a reputation for building feed equipment that’s of robust construction, features clever engineering and a has long working life.

Its Double Bale Feeder builds on this reputation and offers the ability to deal with round or square bales.

From a practical point of view, one of the worst traits of a ‘normal’ bale feeder is the tendency to run over the feed it has

just delivered. In the case of the McIntosh Double Bale Feeder, a 315mm overhang from the tyre edge to the outside of the bale feeder frame, means that delivered feed is never run over and pushed into the ground and wasted. This represents a huge cost saving – especially when operating in wet conditions.

The construction layout sees two box sections running through the bale cradle to increase overall strength, while also lowering the loading height and the centre of gravity. This gives the

machine greater stability and makes it safer to use on hillsides or sloping ground.

A choice of wheel settings enhances safe operation on difficult terrain, as well as the option of fitting larger tyres. Standard equipment features 11.5 x 15.3 tyres, a detail that helps to reduce rolling resistance, while making towing easier in poor conditions. There is the option of increasing the footprint by fitting 400/60x15.5 tyres.

At the rear, an overdimensioned lifting arm can deal with the heavi-

est bales, while also offering the ability to carry a second bale to the feeding area. The design features twin lift rams, which gently lower the bale onto the unrolling cradle and helps prevent damage to the feeder bars.

The unrolling cradle uses a zinc-plated, 12,000lb-rated chain, with slow running shafts utilising bronze bushes for resistance to silage juice and a greater service life. Unloading slats are manufactured from 8mm steel with integral teeth to promote bale

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

NORTHLAND REGIONAL FOCUS 7

70% less soil moved!

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

KVERNELAND DISTRIBUTOR Power Farming says its KultiStrip System will help farmers to cultivate environmentally, while improving yields and profitability.

It’s a technically unique, one-pass cultivator-fertiliser machine, which encompasses a strip-till system to reduce cultivation costs, aid plant establishment, improve soil condition and ensure yields.

Strip tillage, used for more than 20 years in North America, is an innovative method of preparing the soil for row crops – such as maize, beet, sunflower, canola, sorghum, soya, vegetables and hybrid corn.

Only disturbing the soil where the crop will grow, the uncultivated soil between the strips and the layer of residue that remains helps prevent erosion. It also

increases water absorption and retention in the soil, meanwhile creating a significant reduction in tillage costs.

Within the cultivated row that only represents 30% of the field area, trash is removed with the resulting fine seedbed offers ideal conditions for young plants to establish.

When creating the seedbed, fertiliser can also be placed near the plants for best utilisation.

With less of the paddock being cultivated, there is a possibility of completing work during poor weather conditions or planting earlier in the season to help bring harvest dates forward.

Looking at the machine in more detail, the rigid 3000, 4500 and 6000 models have working widths of 3, 4.5 and 6 metres respectively and feature a heavy-duty mainframe. Alternatively, the 4500F and 6000F models have hydraulically-folding frames,

The KultiStrip is a one-pass cultivator-fertiliser machine that encompasses a strip-till system to help reduce cultivation costs, aid plant establishment and ensure yields.

which bring the units down to 3m wide and 4m high to meet transport regulations.

Both the rigid and folding designs of the Kultistrip can be fitted with even or an uneven number of rows, with a row width of 45-80cm.

The 3m unit can config-

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ured with up to six rows, the 4.5m up to 10 rows, and the 6m unit up to 13 rows. Up front, 520mm discs cut through crop residues and open the

soil to a pre-set depth before adjustable trash wheels remove any plant residues from the cultivated strip. Next, tines work to a maximum

depth of 30cm, while an adjustable strip limitation disc determines the width and shape of the cultivated strip, which helps keep loose soil within the

“worked” strip. Finally, a press wheel consolidates the soil using a rubber Farm Flex wheel or optional cage roller or V-press wheels for varying soil types.

Fertiliser is placed in the lower levels of the profile by the fertiliser coulter, allowing the soil to be worked in a single pass. Alternatively, the Kultistrip machine can be used in conjunction with an effluent tanker to place liquid manure in the soil profile at a predetermined depth.

Given the increasing awareness of the need to improve the quality New Zealand’s waterways and the implementation of specific regional rules, the Kultistrip offers growers and contractors a tool that helps limit erosion, particularly on sloping ground.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 15, 2022

8 NORTHLAND REGIONAL FOCUS Made in Northland...

Hansen Products New Zealand has a wealth of design and manufacturing ability, producing productive and cost-effective products for the agricultural sector. Mark Daniel takes a closer look at Northland-based Hansen Products, catching up with managing director Steve Sharpe.

Q – When was the company founded, by whom and why?

The foundation of Hansen Products goes back to 1953, when Bert and Dawn Hansen were building a house. They were unable to find a reliable toilet valve on the market, so Bert set about and invented one.

Q – Where are you located and how many people do you employ?

The Hansen Factory, where we produce our products – alongside our international and North Island distribution hubs are located in Whangarei,

Northland. We also have a South Island distribution centre in Christchurch.

Our sales team are based throughout New Zealand, we also have a market manager in Australia. Hansen currently employs 75 people.

Q – What are your key products and which markets do they serve?

Our key products can be broken down into three main areas: • Fittings (polyethylene pipe fittings, threaded, compression and tank fittings.

• Valves of all types including ball, check and

foot, tank and trough valves.

We also offer a range of other products including the Irripod portable irrigation system, washdown nozzles and a broad range of accessories.

We serve a broad array of markets including the agricultural, horticultural and rural sectors, alongside the irrigation, commercial, marine and domestic arenas.

Q – Are your products unique; if so, what are the four key benefits?

Most certainly, our products are unique with one of the key points

of difference that they are made by Kiwis for Kiwis and designed to solve Kiwi problems.

They are also available in every town in New Zealand, cost effective and – importantly – easy to use.

Q – Looking at an everevolving market, what changes have you made over the last few years?

We’ve added more items to the range to ensure people do less rework when maintaining their water systems.

Going forward, we have several exciting projects in R & D at present, some of which we will showcase at regional and national field days over the next year.

Hansen Products produces a range of fittings, valves and other products including the Irripod portable irrigation system, washdown nozzles.

Q— What has been the company’s greatest success since its formation?

Without a doubt our previous, current and ongoing success centres around listening to the customer, then designing and manufacturing innovative products that solve their problems.

Q – In contrast, what has been the biggest “Oh Bugger” moment or the steepest learning curve?

If we were being critical of ourselves, I think there may have been times when things were going well that we didn’t look forward early enough and

just didn’t evolve into new products or areas quickly enough.

Q – If you were approached by someone looking to start a business, what would be your three key pieces of advice?

That can be summed up easily – firstly make products that people are likely to use every day, be sure those products are profitable – profit is not a dirty word. Then keep going back to your customers to confirm the products are what they want and need.

Q – Where do you see the company in the next three,

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Trailing model towed by a 4 wheel bike

FANTASTIC NEW FEATURES! • Single height adjustment • Roller drive disengagement • Fold-up drawbar • Tank leveller adjustment

• New strong design frame • New stub axle hub arrangement • All covers now stainless steel

five and ten years. What changes do you foresee to keep relevant and grow your business?

Our growth and the future will be focussed on being in more markets, both here in NZ and internationally. We will also retain our key point of difference by staying in NZ and employing more Kiwis and continue to develop and introduce more products into the water sector each year.

We will explore and develop new ideas to get our products into customers’ hands and on to their sites more easily.

HIGH CAPACITY, HOMOGENEOUS MIXING, SHORTER MIXING TIMES, AND MUCH MORE WITH A VARIETY OF OPTIONS TO SUIT YOUR OPERATION SALES ENQUIRIES CALL JOHN PIO ON 027 640 3582

NEW TS VERTICAL OR UNIVERSAL SPREADERS

Rotovacuum: 350lt bin, Stihl BG86 blower motor.

Great suction to clean your paddock or garden.

Rotocart: RC270, RC300 & RC500.

3 sizes, super strong rotationally moulded in our factory.

48 Bremners Road PO Box 333 Ashburton www.rotowiper.com P: 03-308 4497 M: 027-311 9471 E: rotowipersales1@gmail.com

ROBUST AND VERSATILE SUITABLE FOR ALL ON FARM SPREADING REQUIREMENTS SUCH AS BEDDING, MUCK & LIME FOR HIRE IN THE LOWER NORTH ISLAND CALL CONOR ON - 021 246 0689 OR 06 354 2813