Coast & Country News - August 2021

Riding over seesaws, bridges, tyres and picking up objects at speed are all on the cards in a Cowboy Challenge. The sport sparked Adrienne Simmonds’ sense of adventure in 2017, and the intermediate status Cowboy Challenge rider hasn’t looked back since. Read Adrienne’s story on page 28-29.

Season overview PG 6-7

Fertiliser PG 14-17

Farm Vehicles PG 20-23

Country Lifestyle PG 24-29

Dairy PG 33-37

Maize PG 38-41

Avocado PG 42-46

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Page 2

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Supercharged change Lisa from the Agi-Women’s Development Trust says we are living in a world of “supercharged change” – and looking at the thousands of farmers who protested against government policies last month, it seems many in the rural sector would agree.

Instead of being a heated event, Morrinsville and Katikati organisers say the protests were exceptionally positive. We catch up with them on page 23.

Out on the land this month we meet manager Mike Ferrier, who farms deer, beef and sheep on rolling King Country terrain. The farm, called Farmers march in Three Rivers Ag, won the Katikati Howl the Gallagher Innovation of a Protest. and Technology Award at the Deer Industry NZ Environmental Awards 2021. Read about how they did it on page 12 to 13.

On page 38 we meet Paul Hunter, a maize farmer who uses strip tillage to establish his crop.

He is seeing great results on land that has been consecutively planted for almost 50 years.

Out on the road, we talk to truckie Derek Game about how high-pressure situations, like racing to the airport with a lifesaving organ on board, is sometimes all part of the job.

And yet, it is the little things like seeing a

family of ducklings through the years at the same stream he passes every day that has kept him behind the wheel for nearly four decades.

Read Derek’s story on page 18 to 19.

In our Country Lifestyle Feature we answer the important questions: like how dogs join the police force and how to ride a horse like a cowboy. Read more on page 24 to 29.

It may have been a kiwifruit season like no other, but according to pickers, many of the issues workers face have remained the same.

Read the round-up of the 2020/2021 picking season on page 6 to 7.

With kiwifruit’s end comes the avocado season’s beginning, but it’s an uncertain time for the ever-popular fruit. Our avocado-expert columnists give their outlook on what’s to come on page 42 to 45.

MacKenzie Dyer

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 3

Zespri Gold trial in China gets red light reflects the views of our industry on how to tackle the ongoing challenge together.”

What next?

Carol says with the trial not proceeding, Zespri expects to see a continued expansion of unauthorised plantings and associated investment in China.

“Our work in China to address this, and to protect grower interests and return value, continues,” she says.

“We will be engaging with Chinese stakeholders as we look to further

develop our local relationships.

“We’ll also be conducting research and development activities related to Gold3 as part of our core business activities, so that we can better understand and monitor the performance and quality of Gold3 in China.

“This information will be used to further inform the industry about the issues, scale and performance of Gold3 in China and help refine our modelling and assessment of the impact of unauthorised plantings.”

MacKenzie Dyer

Zespri made plans for a trial earlier this year, before regulator Kiwifruit NZ called for a grower vote.

Photo: John Borren.

Zespri’s proposed commercial trial with unauthorised kiwifruit growers in China has been voted down by Zespri producers, after the 75 per cent support required for the trial was not met.

Final results show 70.5 per cent of growers supported the one-year orchard monitoring, procurement, sales and marketing trial and 64.1 per cent supported using the Zespri brand label as part of the trial, in order to understand consumer response.

The proposed trial was Zespri’s attempt at controlling the growing number of illegally grown G3 in China, the amount of which is estimated to be more than 5500ha. The total amount of all legal G3 grown in New Zealand is 8000ha, and the median amount for a license is $550,000 per ha.

Te Puke kiwifruit grower Rob Bayly is relieved at the results.

“The Zespri system is foolproof, and the reason for this is their ability to monitor and enforce licensing, quality and

food security,” says Rob. “However I can’t see how this can be replicated in China, which would result in a compromise of the Zespri brand.

“I think that the industry has dodged a bullet. I have tabled my concerns with Zespri from a grower’s perspective with some very real scenarios. Hopefully, as part of the consultation process, I will receive answers soon.”

Consultation continues Zespri chief grower industry and sustainability officer Carol Ward says Zespri “will be continuing to engage with growers on the issue of unauthorised plantings in the coming months to better understand some of the concerns growers raised”.

Carol says Zespri had extensive engagement with the industry on the issue, with growers sharing their ideas and feedback.

“They were testing our thinking, which is a healthy part of the process,” says Carol.

When asked if Zespri had done enough to make growers’ concerns heard, Carol responded: “We’ve been discussing this issue for a

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long period of time and have appreciated the engagement we’ve had from growers, including those who didn’t support the proposed trial.

“Throughout the many grower roadshows and discussions the industry held in-person and online, a range of views on the proposed trial were covered, and this was helpful in understanding some of the concerns and risks growers had, particularly around protecting the Zespri brand.”

When asked if Zespri were made aware of any risks or concerns it didn’t expect or consider through the consultation process, Carol responded: “Many growers supported the direction of the trial.

“Others had genuine concerns around protecting the Zespri brand which were covered during the industry’s many discussions on the issue.

“We’ll be continuing to engage with growers on the issue of unauthorised plantings in the coming months to better understand some of the concerns growers raised, with a view to finding a way forward that best

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COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 4

Farmer warns calving burnout can be fatal A Cambridge farmer is sharing the story of his near-fatal farm accident in hopes of warning others about the dangers of burnout.

Owen Gullery came within seconds of drowning in an effluent pond in October 2011.

He was on the farm late at night checking on a cow that he knew would have trouble calving.

“We had a three-pond effluent system and I knew she was in the paddock by the dry pond, but it was a ‘pea soupy’ kind of night with fog everywhere,” says Owen.

“By the time I got to her it was 11 o’clock at night in October and I hadn’t had a day off all year.

“I drove the tractor up the side of the pond where I thought she was, went over the bank and before I knew it, the cab was filling up with

effluent. I’d driven into the wrong pond because I was so tired.” Owen went into a panic as he fought for his life.

“I couldn’t get anything to open. I ended up gasping for breath in the last couple hundred mls of cab space, managed to kick the back window open, grabbed the blade on the back of the tractor and hauled myself out.

“It was pretty scary. I ended up sitting on the bank balling my eyes out.

“I got home in shock and rang the boss to tell him his tractor was in the effluent pond, which was a strange conversation to have,” he laughs. “After that… a lot of things changed.”

Changing perspective Following the crash, Owen employed part-time help. He took his first break of the year and scheduled two afternoons off a week. The family also reset their life goals and direction.

“We changed from being prepared to go anywhere and do anything just to own a farm to concentrating on being a stable, secure, happy family.

“I could’ve easily not gone home that night and I never want anything like that to happen again.”

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Contract milker Owen Gullery with his son, Ryan.

Today, Owen contract milks 480 cows on a dairy farm near Cambridge.

Preventing injury He rows, plays tennis and cycles to keep fit and coaches his kids’ rugby. He also meets up with a group of mates once a week to ‘solve the world’s problems over a beer’.

“I still think about that night all the time. That accident was 100 per cent my fault and avoidable. That’s why this stuff’s worth talking about.”

An ACC-funded study for

Farmstrong shows 58 per cent of recently injured farmers linked their accident to stress associated with farm work. A quarter of them said it was a major factor.

ACC head of workplace safety, Virginia Burton-Konia, says all farmers need to prioritise their wellbeing as many injuries are preventable.

“Farmers spend their lives growing our food and milk and helping our economy, but they’re not great at looking after themselves,” says Virginia.

For more information about maintaining mental wellbeing on farm, visit: www.farmstrong.co.nz

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COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 5

Educating students about NZ farming A climate change education resource has been released by New Zealand’s pastoral farming sector.

The resource, called The Important Role of New Zealand Dairy and Red Meat in Feeding a Growing Global Population, explores the relationship between environmental, economic, nutritional, social and global food security outcomes in New Zealand’s food system.

It has been co-authored by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers.

The organisations say the aim of the resource is to provide straight-forward and balanced information, particularly for secondary school students.

Federated Farmers president and climate change spokesperson Andrew Hoggard says, as a producer of food for around 10 times its own population, New Zealand has a unique emissions profile and consequently has a unique challenge in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to considering the environmental impact of agricultural products, Andrew says we must also consider their nutritional value.

“As the world’s population increases and climate change impacts the ability for many nations to produce nutritious food, efficiently produced red meat and dairy will become even more important,” he says.

Emissions in context The resource discusses how New Zealand’s red meat and dairy products consumed overseas can result in less greenhouse gas emissions than the same food produced locally in other countries, even with the transport emissions involved in shipping the product calculated.

DairyNZ general manager of responsible dairy, Jenny Cameron, says New Zealand dairy is currently the most emissions efficient milk producer in the world.

“Providing students with this information is important, to showcase the work of all our farmers, while highlighting our continued journey to remain world leading, which is the result of farmers’ hard work and

investment over decades,” says Jenny.

B+LNZ head of nutrition Fiona Windle says: “As the resource outlines, it is important to consider the nutritional density of foods, including the amount of amino acids (units of protein) a food delivers within a varied and balanced dietary pattern, alongside the environmental impact when determining a healthy and environmentally-friendly diet.”

The sector partners say they want to use the resource to highlight New Zealand’s world-leading products, while making great Kiwi farmers even better.

“It is also important to remember that the emissions footprints of New Zealand red meat and milk are dominated by methane,” says B+LNZ environment strategy manager Dylan Muggeridge.

“Methane is a short-lived gas that does not need to reach net zero in order to be warming neutral.”

While the education resource has not yet been tailored for specific year levels or subjects, New Zealand Horticulture/ Agriculture Teachers Association secretary and treasurer, Kerry Allen, can see its potential.

“This is a great science-based resource for our senior students to really sink their teeth into.

“It is based on facts and scientific data, and removes the emotion out of the discussion. I look forward to using this resource with my students.”

Balanced discussions The online education resource allows young people and the wider general public to explore the complex and ongoing climate change, food production and nutrition issues, says Andrew.

“New Zealand farmers are not shying away from the immense challenges posed by climate change. We’re eager to have challenging but fair conversations,” he says.

“Our pastoral industry is keen to work with the Ministry of Education to make this resource fit-for-purpose for classrooms.”

Read the resource, here: www.flipsnack. com/fedfarm/the-role-of-sustainable-nzmeat-diary-in-feeding-final-vcs6jpxwb1/ full-view.html

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Page 6

Reflecting on the picking season Despite many new challenges, all of the country’s kiwifruit has been picked once again this season – but NZKGI chief executive Colin Bond says the real challenges are yet to come.

“Before Covid we still had more than 45,000 people in New Zealand on working holiday visas. Those numbers are continually dropping and are currently below 10,000,” says Colin.

“RSE numbers have been well short of horticulture’s 14,400 cap and in

NZKGI chief executive Colin Bond.

Alert Level 1, we compete more heavily with other industries for labour.

“Yes, all the kiwifruit was picked, but there was a lot of pressure on our people. Such a situation is unsustainable.”

It’s estimated the kiwifruit industry will require 24,000 seasonal workers in 2022, says Colin.

“Historically, 25 per cent of those workers have been backpackers and a further 17 per cent RSEs. “Even with a change to border settings, it’s unlikely this workforce will be available to the extent it has been in the past.

“It’s this gap in workers, plus the growing volume, that has me concerned about next year.”

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The changing pressures on the industry didn’t stamp out the pre-existing issues faced by kiwifruit workers.

Pickers still waited in orchard carparks hours after being called in at the mercy of the weather, and were sometimes sent home without pay.

A kiwifruit picker, who does not wish to be named, says he had to wait for one to three hours about 10 times, and on three of these occasions he was sent home with no work.

He says sometimes the rain hadn’t started when workers arrived, but they had to wait for the green light from growers who didn’t want to pay for halffull trucks of fruit.

The picker says the pay rate was good when work was on, but a rainy start to the season meant weeks with only one to two days of work were common.

Because of his partner’s full-time income, he was not eligible for WINZ Seasonal Work Assistance to compensate for workdays lost due to weather.

Another picker, who also wants to remain anonymous, says having more New Zealanders picking kiwifruit highlighted the exploitation allowed to happen to RSE workers.

The picker was transported to work in an employer-organised van, and his petrol costs were reimbursed by WINZ. He says the van didn’t have a Warrant of Fitness and the equipment required for work was never offered and seldom available on request.

“If this is in compliance with labour laws, then the laws need to change,” he says.

The first picker, who worked for a different picking company, says equipment was always provided.

Colin says employers treating their workers well is a part of the answer to the labour shortage.

...continued

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Success and ongoing challenges continued...

“You can’t pick kiwifruit when it’s wet but there are solutions employers are starting to think about – like giving pickers the opportunity to work in a packhouse when the weather turns on the orchard.

“The whole industry needs to start considering these kinds of initiatives.

“My impression is there’s an increasing willingness by employers to think differently about how we solve these problems.”

Effective incentives?

Several packhouse and orchard staff told Coast & Country News that growers are over-prioritised above everyone else in the kiwifruit process.

“I can understand how people have this view,” says Colin. “But the reality is it’s not about the grower – it’s the fact that we are dealing with a crop, and

we have to work around the uncertainties that come with this and pick the fruit when it’s ready to be picked.”

When signing up for kiwifruit work, picker two says he was consistently told by WINZ representatives that he was eligible for the New Zealand Seasonal Work Scheme (NZSWS) $1000 incentive payment. Months into his contract, it was confirmed that he would not receive the money, as it is only for seasonal workers who relocate.

Initial sign-ups for the scheme were widely reported as being low – as of February 16 this year, only 54 people took up the scheme nationally, 16 of those being people who moved to the Bay of Plenty.

When asked if low sign-up numbers may have been due to confusion about the scheme, Ministry of Social Development group general manager for employment, Hugh Miller, says the numbers naturally grew as the season peaked.

“Participation levels were initially running slightly lower than expected, however we saw an increase in the number of people

taking up the scheme as we entered seasonal peaks.

“As at May 31, a total of 5838 people had moved off the benefit into seasonal work since November 15, 2020, and 495 people had been supported by the NZSWS. These figures are likely to be an underestimate – not all people coming off the benefit for seasonal work would be coded as such.

“We encourage anyone who may be unsure whether they qualify for the NZSWS to contact us.”

Into winter Picking continued into July due to poor weather. Colin says this doesn’t happen every year, but it’s not unheard of.

“There became a clash between picked Gold orchards wanting to start winter pruning, but we still needed enough labour to finish picking Green.”

NZKGI’s assessment indicates 8000 to 9000 people are needed every year for winter pruning.

“We don’t know where we’re at in this early stage but we know we are short, because we’re still getting labour requests from employers.”

Our first picker says the job seeker version of kiwifruit work isn’t as accurate as it could be.

“It’s advertised as a fluffy, ‘make heaps of money quick’ job, but that of course depends on the weather.

“The work is harder on your body than many expect – if you’re new, you definitely need days off to recover.

“But, I think the good parts about kiwifruit work are underadvertised, too – you meet people from all walks of life, even more so because of Covid.

“That’s what made it a great experience.”

MacKenzie Dyer

Epsom Girls Grammar School

EPSOM HOUSE

Page 7

Page 8

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Using Artificial Intelligence for crop prediction Hardware created by four innovators in their 20s could be a game changer for vineyard owners.

Leila says the key to Cropsy’s success may be their on-the-ground approach to product development.

“We’ve been to many vineyards since starting the company in 2019, and trials are still ongoing.

“Our biggest strength is really listening to growers about what they need and being astute to what they care about.

“A barrier to tech like ours getting adopted is that it may be of value, but it only solves one problem. We are solving a wide range of issues growers face with a system that manages every single vine, so the best decision for every plant can be made early.”

The product, by Cropsy Technologies, takes hundreds of thousands of photos of vines while fastened to a tractor, producing an extensive amount of data.

“The custom-made machinery analyses the photos in real time for things like pests, diseases, yield, pruning quality and dying, dead or missing vines,” says Ali Alomari, who founded Getting started the business alongside Ali and Leila, both have Leila Deljkovic, Winston a Bachelor of Engineering Su and Rory Buchanan. (honours) in computer “Our system builds a Leila with Cropsy’s award winning systems from the University profile for each plant and vine monitoring product. of Auckland. tracks things like its vigour Their honors project on identifying diseases in score, bunch count and shoots. It then deploys that grapevines is what sparked their interested in the information at scale so you can see patterns across thousands of vines and make decisions based on that.” viticulture industry.

The pair joined forces with Rory, who is a mechatronics engineer, and Winston, who Fieldays award winners specialises in computer science and mathematics, Cropsy’s invention earned the business two of and established the company a year after the biggest Fieldays Innovation Hub accolades: graduating from university. the 2021 Early Stage Innovation Award as well as For any students with hopes to start a business, the Young Innovator Award, equating to a total of Leila recommends reaching out to people in the $11,000 in prize money. start-up community.

Cofounder Leila Deljkovic says this year’s event “We got our start by getting involved in was the group’s first Fieldays.

Auckland University’s entrepreneurship “It was an amazing experience – seeing the new programme and I’m sure other universities have products in the Innovation Hub was definitely a something similar. That’s how we met most of our highlight,” says Leila. advisors, and those relationships have helped us “The prize money is going towards developing the technology and getting production underway.” get where we are today.”

MacKenzie Dyer

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COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 9

Stop apologising for being a farmer!

After our two-month trip around the South Island in a caravan and talking to all and sundry, I was horrified (as an old fart) at the number of farmers who apologised to me for being farmers.

What is that about? Have you been beaten that far down you need to start apologising for being a farmer? Please, no!

Fear of retribution I met a second generation dairy grazier who felt the need to apologise. I even met a large onion grower who said what he did in a barely audible voice. I connected with him and asked why he did not have a big transfer of an onion on the side of his large ute.

There are farmers who say they dare not mention the word ‘farmer’ when they go to Auckland for fear of retribution.

Is that how far our self-image has dropped off?

Has this government painted farmers as that bad? I know they struggle to

acknowledge them, but is it that bad?

We know only a few farmers are naughty and spoil it for the rest, but hiding the fact you are a farmer is not on.

Yes, there have been several cases and events highlighted by the press of situations where a few farmers have done some dumb stuff, but that is the same in any profession or business. One rotten apple does not rot the box!

So despite the criticism and rhetoric coming from the government, it is no reason to lie down and let the public and media walk us into the mud.

Remember what you do We need to focus on what we do for the economy – is it 60 per cent of GDP? Is the income on a dairy farm about $1 million with a multiplier of seven yielding $7 million into the local and national economy?

Is it that we are great custodians of the land, planting along water ways,

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protecting bush and wetlands, not to mention conservation of land and bush?

Is it that we love the land and the animals and are very passionate about what we do?

Is it that we still are the backbone of this country’s wellbeing despite the rhetoric?

Is it that we sell $20 billion of food to the world and underpin this bouncing economy?

Is it that without farmers there would be no food?

Please, please, please farmers, take a winter break, take a big breath and pat yourself on the back and realise what an important part you play in this economy of a country sitting at the bottom of the world.

Stand tall and be proud to be a New Zealand farmer and stop apologising for being one.

Disclaimer: these are the opinions of Don Fraser (an old fart).

Any decisions made should not be based on this article alone and appropriate professional assistance should be sought.

Don Fraser is the retired Principal of Fraser Farm Finance and was a consultant to the farming industry for many decades.

You can still contact him on 021 777 67.

Page 10

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Silent killers threatening all women NEW FROM

Rural Women New Zealand is on a mission to inform women of all ages about the threat they face from the gynaecological cancers, which kill our women at a rate of one every 48 hours.

Ovarian and the other four main gynaecological cancers – uterine, cervical, vaginal, and vulval – have been called the ‘silent killers’ because they are often diagnosed too late to receive effective treatment.

Out in the open The RWNZ objective is to get New Zealanders talking about the cancers ‘down there’ and to inform our wāhine of the symptoms to watch out for.

“Many people are unaware of how to even pronounce ‘gynaecological’ (guy-nay-colojik-all) let alone that it refers to the female reproductive parts,” says RWNZ Rimanui leader, Mary McTavish.

“RWNZ want to educate the public that these cancers can affect women of all ages, from puberty to post-menopausal.”

To get the conversations started, RWNZ in the Western BOP is hosting Tash Crosby, ovarian cancer survivor and founder of Talk Peach, to discuss the signs and symptoms of the cancers ‘down there’ and what to say on a visit to a GP. The talks include Te Puke Memorial Hall, August 20 from 10am to 2pm, and Arataki Community Centre, August 19 from 1pm to 2.30pm.

These talks are in addition to seminars at

Tauranga Girls’ College and Te Puke High School senior students.

A presentation will be followed by a question and answer session after lunch with local women sharing their different cancer journeys.

Minister for Women Jan Tinetti, a cancer survivor herself, will also attend. And if ‘the stars align’ so will the Minister for Conservation and Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan who is currently on a cervical cancer journey of her own.

Symptoms Cervical cancer symptoms include: bloating, abdominal/pelvic/back pain, eating less and feeling full quickly, needing to pee often/urgently, change in bowel habits, heavy or irregular periods, spotting between periods, bleeding after menopause, bleeding/spotting after sex, painful intercourse, itching around the vulva, lumps/ swelling in the vagina and changes to skin on the vulva like lumps, or red/white patches.

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 11

Speaking up about gynaecological cancer Debbie Robins and Sjaan Fahey are two young women living life to the full – but on borrowed time.

They will be sharing their gynaecological cancer journey at a Rural Women New Zealand event on August 20 aimed at starting a conversation about cancers ‘down there’.

Sjaan Fahey was diagnosed with cervical cancer when she was 33 and given a 40 per cent chance of making it to her 40th birthday. The 35 year-old farmer/grower and trail park owner with husband Luke, is also mum to children aged 3, 5 and 6.

“I feel super grateful that I have been able to live the life I have had so far,” she says, but her eyes fill with tears when she voices From left, dairy farmer and horticulturist Debbie Robins her greatest fear, “that my children won’t has ovarian cancer, and drystock farmer and avocado remember me when I’m gone”. grower Sjaan Fahey has cervical cancer.

But Sjaan rarely gives herself time to dwell, using her spare time, and love of gardening Both Debbie and Sjaan were misdiagnosed, to grow 2000 daffodils to raise money for Cancer which delayed their cancer diagnosis.

Day on August 27.

Tash Crosby, who will also be speaking at “Thinking of the amazing support my family the RWNZ event, says this is not unique, as received from our community makes me gynaecological cancer symptoms may be vague emotional,” says Sjaan. “And I want to pay that and variable. “Four out of five women will be kindness forward.” misdiagnosed with IBS, constipation, stress, depression, or a UTI. Misdiagnosed “I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2017 Debbie Robins feels the same. Diagnosed and the only reason I am alive today is because, with ovarian cancer in 2019 and given a life on the third time being discharged from the expectancy of up to nine years, Debbie is using her emergency department with some Panadol, I horticulturist’s green fingers to grow flowers to give begged for further testing and refused to leave. away and “brighten someone’s day”.

“Women shouldn’t have to beg for their lives.”

Debbie, who lives on a dairy farm/kiwifruit orchard with husband Adrian and their three A need for change A recent survey by Cure Our Ovarian Cancer teenagers says her new motto is “to live the life I found 90 per cent of women couldn’t name a have left to its fullest and do what I want to do single symptom of ovarian cancer before their today, not put it off until tomorrow”.

diagnosis and most experienced difficulties in accessing the necessary tests. More than 85 per cent of women diagnosed have the disease detected too late.

Debbie is one of these women.

Following a seven hour surgery, she had all of her ‘women’s bits’ removed and part of her intestine as well.

Tash Crosby says that unlike Australia, New Zealand has no national framework to diagnose gynaecological cancers, meaning the

approach from doctors can vary significantly.

“At a government level New Zealand doesn’t fund anything to raise awareness and most years there is no research. Although it is the fifth biggest killer of women in New Zealand it is one of our least-funded cancers. We need this to change.”

For more information, visit RWNZ Tauranga on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Alex Eagles-Tully

Page 12

EFFLUENT & IRRIGATION

Working with deer and the Raised on a Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farm, Mike Ferrier, 35, says that there was never anything else other than farming for him. “It’s all I know and it’s my passion.”

Currently the farm manager of Three Rivers Ag, the farm was awarded the Gallagher Innovation and Technology Award at the Deer Industry NZ Environmental Awards 2021.

Three Rivers is a drystock farm east of Ōtorohanga, owned by William and Karen Oliver. It spans 980ha of steep and rolling King Country terrain.

“We run roughly a third of the farm with deer, a third beef and a third sheep, as that shares the risk for fluctuations in market prices in one area,” says Mike.

A contractor grows maize on 65ha. Four hundred hectares of the 730ha effective is deer fenced because “you can run sheep and beef in deer fenced paddocks, but you can’t run deer in paddocks

without deer fencing”. The farm is committed to installing five kilometres of deer fencing a year, and this is all based around their farm environment plan and extending the deer unit.

A love of deer Mike has been with the Oliver’s for 10 years of his 15-year career, and admits to having a soft spot for deer.

“I just love deer and I have a deep understanding of what they need and how they behave.”

Mike and one other worker run the farm, which has 2000 Romney ewes. Half are crossed with black face terminals, and 450 one and two-year old dairy beef heifers for finishing.

The deer are split into 500 Eastern red hinds and some sire stags for venison, and 450 mixed age English red stags for velvet harvesting. The velvet stags are bought in as two-year-olds from three local breeders, and their last velvet harvest is at 10-years-old.

Three Rivers Ag farm manager, Mike Ferrier. All Photos: Catherine Fry. Velvet is the soft growing antler them wholegrain maize and PK that stags grow every year after their supplement in the winter. The farm grows 15ha of fodder crop, such as hard calcified antlers fall off. It is a kale, for the velvet stags over winter. highly sought after superfood and immune system booster in Asia, and Environment plan has a local market as a supplement Three Rivers has completed their for joint health.

FEP and is starting to implement “It is the fastest growing living it. Their practices earned them tissue on a mammal, with a growth the Gallagher Innovation and rate of up to two centimetres a day.”

Technology Award at the 2021 Deer Velvet is harvested from October Industry NZ awards. through to February, when the All the farm water is from the Waka antlers are surgically removed under Stream and, back in 2013, this water local anaesthetic before they start to was harnessed to drive a four metre calcify. Mike is certified through the waterwheel, which in turn powers a New Zealand Velvet Standards Body pump, pumping water from the stream to harvest velvet on a vet’s behalf. to two header tanks at the woolshed.

He’s a “little biased” when it comes “Power is then used to pump to six to the care of the deer, putting them further tanks around the farm, which in the prime pasture for their 80 per then gravity feed the troughs. cent grass based diet, and feeding ...continued

EFFLUENT & IRRIGATION

environment continued...

“We’ve got around 90 per cent of the farm on reticulated water which is pretty good considering its size and contour.”

The judges were also impressed with the farm’s environmentally conscious management of ticks.

“Several deer paddocks had a really bad tick problem and our animal health bill for tick control reflected that. Our vet mentioned using Guinea fowl.”

Guinea fowl are reported to eat up to 4000 insects a day, and in Three Rivers’ case, that would include other pests such as black and grass grub beetles. Since releasing Guinea fowl on the farm, Mike says the number of visible ticks on the velvet stags was reduced in the hotspot paddocks.

Mike was commended for using Farm manager Mike Ferrier by the four metre waterwheel technology for his FEP. that pumps water to the farm from the Waka stream.

“As a pioneer for a DINZ pilot programme, I went completely digital, marking all steep country, and they also gravitate towards water and love wallowing in the shallows, all of our fences and waterways using Google Earth.” which pose environmental risk.”

Their FEP covers shelter planting, riparian Mike is part of the Waipā Advance Party, a planting, fencing sensitive areas, and double P2P government funded programme where 12 fencing waterways. “Deer can be very hard on deer farmers meet up every month for farm visits and brainstorm sessions.

“This has really given me the confidence and tools to do the environment plan.

“DINZ are also really supportive and are the best industry group I have ever been part of, which is great for the next generation of deer farmers.”

Catherine Fry Velvet stags shoulder deep in winter kale.

Page 13

FERTILISER

Page 14

Robin Boom

CPAg MBSPC

Independent Agronomy & Soil Fertility Consultant

At the end of June, both Ballance and Ravensdown lifted their fertiliser prices significantly, which will be due to a combination of increased shipping costs and a lift in commodity fertiliser prices.

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To see where the international fertiliser prices have been for the past six months, you can Google the Mundi Index, which lists the main internationally traded fertilisers – DAP, triple super, potassium chloride, rock phosphate (Moroccan), and urea. From December last year till May this year, the price of DAP in US dollars has lifted from $392-580/tonne, triple super has gone from $328528/tonne, potassium chloride has stayed the same at $202/tonne, rock phosphate has lifted from $83-102/ tonne and urea lifted from $246/ tonne to $350/tonne in March this year, then dropped to $330/tonne in May.

Considering all options

admin@soilpro.co.nz

New Zealand is just a drop in the bucket as far as having any influence on world fertiliser prices goes.

Demand from countries like India, Brazil and China as well as the USA and Canada are the main drivers of the international fertiliser market.

Although Moroccan rock phosphate has lifted 20 per cent, locally manufactured single superphosphate has only risen 10 per cent over this period, so with increases in shipping costs, I would envisage there will be more upward movement in the price of superphosphate in the near future.

As it is currently, if both co-ops keep the price of superphosphate below $350/tonne, then imported high analysis fertilisers like triple super, which is priced around $850/tonne and DAP at $1050/ tonne from the co-ops, could lose their competitiveness and farmers and growers should be looking at more cost effective options for their nutrient requirements.

For hill country farmers who have been able to apply above maintenance phosphorus as triple

super due to its relative cost effectiveness the past couple of years, they may need to consider straight superphosphate or look at RPR options, or even consider flying on some lime instead, which has been put on the back-burner due to low international phosphate prices.

Shipping woes The prices of potassium chloride and sulphur from the co-ops have lifted $100/tonne, which will be due to the increase in shipping costs. Getting a container shipped out of China cost $500 pre-Covid, but now is costing more than $3000 and the time it takes to get here can be considerably longer.

I know of one private importer who had ordered product to be here for February but it didn’t arrive till late May, and another importer who had product that left Egypt in February, due to arrive early May but is still on the water mid July due to being held up in Malaysia and Singapore ports for a couple of months. Currently there are private importers selling high analysis fertilisers for up to $200/ tonne cheaper than the co-ops but this is a moving target and with price fluctuations where they sit in the future is anyone’s guess.

Test your soil On the positive side, the milk payout and price for sheep meat and most fruit are as good as it is has been for a long time.

The only problem has been getting shipping space for these to get to the international markets who want them. With higher fertiliser prices, it will be important for farmers and growers to find out what nutrients they actually need via soil tests, and not waste money on elements they have adequate levels of in their soil. As I don’t work for a fertiliser company I can ensure clients get the best possible value for those elements required from whichever provider can supply them at the most competitive price.

Robin Boom, member of the Institute of Professional Soil Scientists, 027 444 8764.

FERTILISER

Page 15

Brett’s fertiliser facts part three with five per cent humus will be lost to runoff, (depending on intensity). If soil has low levels of humus, it will not store enough water to feed rivers over summer, which is why summer river flows have been decreasing for many years.

28. On average, 73 per cent of acid phosphate products complex (tie up) Brett Petersen says a correct fertiliser programme means the effluent pond will never have a crust.

will be as susceptible to biotic Over the coming months, Brett and abiotic stresses (for example, will share 40 facts about fertiliser drought) or not. that will help optimise your soil.

23. Replacing the nutrients removed Here is the third instalment. on an annual basis will not keep 21. Dr Linus Pauling, winner of two Nobel Prizes, stated: “In my opinion, one can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to mineral deficiency”.

If you accept this statement, then: Stock health problems are caused by poor fertiliser practices; insect problems are a symptom of poor fertiliser programmes; fungal and bacterial diseases are symptoms of poor fertiliser programmes; fruit and vegetables that do not store have been grown with incorrect fertilisers; if you are dipping, dagging, and drenching; your fertiliser programme is not working; if you must constantly re-grass areas of your farm; your fertiliser is failing you; and if there is a crust on the effluent pond, the fertiliser programme is the cause.

22. Most people confuse symptoms with causes. This is deeply ingrained in our lives. The disease itself is not the cause; it is a symptom of an already failing and deficient system. Once you accept that, you will have control over whether you and your property

your soils in top efficient working order when you do that from a deficient or excess platform.

24. Organic matter is the single most important factor determining profit, yet just one kilogram of excess nitrogen will account for a loss of 100kg of soil carbon.

Organic matter will decline slowly but surely.

25. Most farm soils being ‘fed’ chemical fertilisers are losing organic matter and the ability to hold nutrients and moisture.

They are becoming more droughtprone, and pasture growth rates are decreasing, especially with very soluble nitrogen products.

26. Over time, correct fertiliser policies substantially droughtproof the soil, build organic matter and improve plant and animal health.

27. If soil with one per cent humus can hold 24,000 litres of water, or the equivalent of 24mm rain before the water runs off, then five per cent humus soil can hold 144mm of rain. More than 144mm of rain falling on soil

with aluminium, calcium, manganese, and iron within six weeks of application.

Alkaline phosphate products cost more, but are better value, as they do not tie up and become fully available for plant use.

29. Phosphorus, along with nitrogen, is responsible for eutrophication of our water supplies. Eutrophication is increased algal growth and decreased oxygen levels of drains, rivers, and

lakes, owing to chemical phosphorus and nitrogen reaching waterways. One kilogram of phosphorus can grow 350-700kg of algae.

30. Available phosphorus translates into better stock growth rates and weight gain.

Replacing acid phosphorus with alkaline fertilisers and increasing calcium levels will cause elevated aluminium and iron levels to fall as the soil comes into balance. Weed pressure will also reduce.

FERTILISER

Page 16

Kiwi research to turn biological waste Waste products from New Zealand’s food processing industry – such as potato scraps and grape skins – could be transformed into high-value soil conditioners and animal feed, according to new research.

University of Canterbury environmental science professor Brett Robinson is spearheading a project that aims to turn biological waste products, which can contaminate waterways and are dumped at great expense into landfills, into new products

that could deliver a $1.6 billion boost to New Zealand’s economy.

“Each year, New Zealand sends 2.2 million tonnes of untreated industrial food processing biowaste into landfills,” says Brett.

“This costs $270 million a year and results in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to eight million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.”

sales and reduced reliance on imported products like phosphate fertilisers and PKE, which costs about $300 million a year.

Reducing contaminants in the environment and food supply would also enhance New Zealand’s reputation in overseas markets, says Brett.

Circular economy

The project team plans to develop new microbiological (using bacteria and fungi) treatments that can be used to turn waste products such as grape marc – stalks and skins that are a by-product of wine production – into balanced animal feed that improves animal health and wellbeing.

Artificial intelligence methods would be used to select which microbes can transform specific biowastes efficiently.

Brett says New Zealand’s milk processing industry produces nearly 800,000 tonnes of solid biowaste and 190 billion litres of liquid effluent annually.

He says bioreactors at milk processing plants could transform this waste into soil conditioner ...continued instead of it being disposed of.

Turning biowaste into high value products would help reduce New Zealand’s carbon emissions and bring economic and environmental benefits, says Brett.

“We want to create economic and environmental value from biowastes by ensuring the nutrients they contain are harnessed to improve our soils and feed our animals rather than degrading our waterways and contaminating soil.

“Our overarching goal is to reuse and recycle our waste, helping to make our agricultural economy more circular and our food production more sustainable in the long-term.”

Brett estimates the potential economic benefit of the research is more than $1.6 billion a year.

This includes reduced disposal costs, new product

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Implements Direct owner Ben Primrose says their exclusive range of Iris fertiliser spreaders is quite unique, with the Iris multi-spreader proving to be of great interest and a real asset to kiwifruit and avocado growers.

The Iris multi-spreader is designed to make hardto-spread things, like lime and gypsum, a breeze.

“The multi-spreaders are designed for doing that particular application. They have hydraulic-driven agitator and feed augers inside the stainless steel hopper to make sure that material will not bridge and flow nicely onto the spreading discs.”

They come in various sizes – from 780 litres up to 1300 litres – and in various configurations single or twin spinners and with or without the side dressing attachments to band spread down rows.

“They are designed specifically, not only for

granular fertiliser like a regular spreader, but also for hard to spread items like lime, mulch, compost or manure. It’s a pretty unique product.

“It is one machine that allows growers or

The Iris multi-spreader.

farmers to apply different fertilisers when they want to rather than having to rely on a contractor.”

The multi-spreader is mounted on the threepoint linkage of the tractor so it is not cumbersome to manoeuvre or damaging and compacting the ground like a big, tow-behind machine.

To find out more about the Iris fertiliser spreader range, see the advertisement on this page.

FERTILISER

Page 17

into quality products continued...

Potato waste is also an issue, Brett says, with 30 per cent of potatoes going to waste when the peel, slivers and rejects have potential to be transformed into useful animal fodder.

Brett says providing locally sourced animal feed and soil conditioners would make New Zealand more self-sufficient, and would increase soil carbon, reducing the need for expensive fertilisers.

“This research is a critical part of New Zealand’s agricultural future as we face increasing competition from countries who are producing synthetic meat and milk.”

Working with farmers “We need to show that we can produce high quality meat and milk in a sustainable, clean environment.

“We want to work with farmers to find the best outcome for both our economy and the environment and we’re engaging with the industry to find the best solution.”

The UC-led project is in collaboration with UC environmental science professor Brett Robinson scientists at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Plant and Food Research is working on a research project that transforms and Lincoln University. biowaste into high-value products.

Natural fertiliser for happy horses Improving the mood and general health of horses can be as simple as choosing the right fertiliser.

well suited to horse pastures although it is used as a general fertiliser in lifestyle blocks.

“The combination of those ingredients restores and neutralises the pasture making it sweeter and a CP Lime Solutions formulates its bit more palatable,” says Emma. fertilisers and has one that is Magnesium can help with the proving popular in the horse mood of the horses. paddock – Equi-lise.

“For example, if they are flighty it It contains lots of natural goodies to could be a lack of magnesium.” keep the horses happy and the The magnesium and the lime soil healthy, including lime, improves soil structure. sulphur, magnesium, phosphate “The horse paddock can get quite and selenium.

The nutrients get ground down and compacted because horses are heavy and tend to stay in the same spots.” pelletised so it is easy to spread with The lime in Equi-lise aerates the a motorbike-mounted or soil, reducing compaction and hand spreader. allowing for soil biology to improve.

Emma Stackhouse from CP Lime Emma says it is a good time of Solutions says Equi-lise is particularly the year to start thinking about applying.

“If you want to get the most of your spring growth then it is good to have those nutrients in the soil.”

Equi-lise is available from farm merchants, like Farmlands and PGG Wrightsons, and comes in manageable 25kg bags, as well as 500kg and 1000kg bulk bags.

The recommended spread rate is 250kg per hectare.

Good pasture equals happy horses.

a Req uest le ! p m a f re e s

CARTAGE & EARTHWORKS

Page 18

Trucking along for 38 years Derek Game has been driving trucks for 38 years and for 32 of those years he has been transporting a variety of freight around the Tauranga area.

The 52-year-old has seen a lot on the road during that time, some good, some bad, but overall his drive to get behind the wheel, day after day, has not diminished.

“I love my job,” says the New Zealand Couriers driver. “I love it. Absolutely.”

The childhood enthusiasm Derek has for his job perhaps stems from the origins of his vocational voyage.

He was, after all, for all intents and purposes, a child when he first got behind the wheel.

“I was 15 when I started driving,” says Derek, who is originally from Whakatāne.

“The local cop at Tāneatua gave me my truck license when I was 15.”

Derek admits such a practice might be of a bygone era when asked if that might happen in 2021.

“Hell no,” he jokes. “I think it is 18 or 19 before you can get a truck license now.”

Freight variety During his time carting, Derek has seen plenty and delivered a vast array of differing cargo.

For much of the time, he has found himself contracting your more expected loads, like building materials.

Nowadays, he finds himself transporting just about anything, including some very unexpected and unusual items. Beehives, blood, animals for cremation, christening cakes. You name it, Derek might have hauled it.

“The strangest thing I have carted would have to be a live liver with the blood that goes with it,” he explains.

“I had to race it to Auckland to have it specially chartered to save a guy’s life in America.

“That is the weirdest thing I have had to cart, sitting next to me in the passenger seat.

“Someone’s life was in my hands. Literally almost.”

Seen it all The fragility of life is something Derek has experienced first-hand during his years on some of New Zealand’s most dangerous roads; roads he

Derek Game has been driving trucks for 38 years.

All Photos: John Borren.

has watched become increasingly overused over his near four decades of professional driving.

“I’ve seen head-ons. I have seen somebody dead.

“It seriously does take a bit to get over.”

Which is why, when he sees some of the decisions motorists make on the road, he finds himself shaking his head in disbelief.

“Trucks don’t stop in a hurry.

“It is not our objective to go to work and kill someone or do something stupid.

“There are some bad truck drivers out there, I don’t doubt it, but on the whole they don’t go out there to hurt people. They just want to go home to their families at night.”

Smell the roses Derek feels people’s lives are too busy. The rush to get ahead in traffic, he says, rarely provides any benefit.

His regular journey now runs between Tauranga and Hamilton. If a motorist strains to pass him at the bottom of the Kaimai Range, he often ends up seeing them again as he enters Hamilton as the traffic builds back up.

“So they have actually gained nothing,” he says.

“They’ve stressed themselves out and wasted a hell of a lot more petrol and done a lot more hard driving.”

Derek has been on both sides of the coin.

Truckies sometimes get a bad reputation and the occasional mouthful of abuse is not uncommon when the red mist of road rage falls on the ...continued

ADDLINE TRANSPORT LTD

CARTAGE & EARTHWORKS

Page 19

The 52-year-old has plenty of trucking experience in his rear-view mirror. continued...

lesser motorist.

However, during the Covid19 lockdown, he and his colleagues found themselves classed as essential workers and the reaction from the public was warming.

“Everyone was tooting and waving at the truck and there were signs on their fences and overbridges thanking essential workers and truck drivers,” says Derek.

It disappoints Derek how, not even two years later, that good feeling has seemingly dissipated.

“People’s lives are too busy again.

“They’re too stressed out. Stop and smell the roses.”

Big hearts The little things, Derek says, are what he appreciates most about his job. Whether that be listening to the music on the radio or watching a family of ducklings through the years at the same stream he passes every day.

“Every year, the mum and dad duck have a new lot of ducklings,” he says.

“So it is just small things like that.”

Derek certainly breaks the clichéd mold of your archetypal truckie. He says, with tongue firmly in cheek, that he’s a “snag” – a sensitive new age guy.

But as well as his appreciation of waterfowl lineage, Derek also goes the extra mile to help others. Every two weeks he donates plasma, which keeps another local alive.

www.coastandcountrynews.co.nz

“There are truck drivers like that, and courier drivers, who take an hour of their life every two weeks to do that and save people’s lives,” he says.

“You know, we are not all big thugs. We have Mathew Nash hearts. We have families.”

FARM VEHICLES & MACHINERY

Page 20

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The rest of his childhood was spent on a 10 acre lifestyle block.

“I was always obsessed with tractors and although I had been milking as a teenager, I decided to train as a mechanic,” says Terry.

After completing his apprenticeship, mainly working on bulldozers, Terry worked on and off in Western

Australia driving road trains and working on cropping farms over a 35 year period.

On his return to New Zealand, he quickly moved from 50/50 sharemilking to 170ha, 500 cow farm ownership in Paewhenua, in just over a year. With his wife Nancy keen to run the farm with her 2IC, Terry has more time to follow his passion for restoring and working on old tractors.

“I’m more of a fencing and tractor work kind of farmer now, and I milk ...continued when I have to.”

Rear view of the restored 1954 Ferguson TE20.

The engine of the 1954 Ferguson TE20, complete with a sign written tool box in memory of Terry’s father, Frank .

FARM VEHICLES & MACHINERY

little grey Fergie

Page 21 1954 Ferguson TE20 with an original Ferguson sickle bar mower attached using the Ferguson hydraulic three-point hitch system.

continued...

He has his dad’s 1954 Ferguson TE20, which he remembers the family buying in 1964.

“I moved it from the Whatawhata property to Paewhenua, restored it, and joined the Ōtorohanga Vintage Machinery Club.”

Terry carried out the majority of the panel and paint work himself, as it was mainly a few rust spots and dings, plus some re-chroming. Underneath the bonnet there is a four-cylinder Vanguard petrol engine.

“It’s got the Ferguson hydraulic three-point hitch system and I have some Ferguson implements that can be attached to the back.”

The little toolbox beside the engine has been sign written with the name Frank, in honour of Terry’s father.

Terry admits he’s not a fan of the traditional

grey colour, much preferring the red and grey colours on the later 1970s Massey Ferguson 100 series. Nonetheless, his dad’s little grey Fergie “would be the last to go” as it has a special place in his heart.

Since joining the vintage machinery club, as is usually the case, Terry’s collection has grown and he’s currently housing 10 tractors in his shed. They are the favoured red Massey Fergusons he prefers, and some are restoration projects he is doing for other people.

While his dad’s grey Fergie doesn’t work on the farm, it is still brought out at club events. The other tractors are used around the farm and for tractor treks.

“For me it’s all about the history and the stories behind the tractors I restore. That’s what I love.”

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FARM VEHICLES & MACHINERY

They’ve got the wheels to make the move Machinery Movement Services is a small rural business located just outside of Te Puke.

Starting in June 2020, the business is already proving popular and this year they have added a larger eight-wheel Isuzu transporter to the fleet,

which includes a smaller Hino and a transport trailer for added versatility.

Owner Glen O’Connell says they have had a busy year so far, carting a mix of agricultural and horticultural machinery, and even some more unusual work such as teaming up with House Transporters to shift a wing of a house to Reporoa.

The new eight-wheel Isuzu proves its worth.

“Both of our trucks are equipped with winches to recover disabled machinery as well as allow us to safely load forklifts.”

They specialise in machinery cartage – anything up to 13 tonnes.

Tractors, farm implements, silage wagons, seeders, loaders, excavators and telehandlers are just some of the things they have been moving.

“On the orchard front we move atom sprayers, tractor sprayer combos, bin trailers, tractor mulchers, forklifts, tractors with soft rider trailers attached, zero turn mowers, multiple orchard tractors at once and can also recover this gear when it is damaged or otherwise not going.”

Glen has been involved in the transport industry for 30 years, with the support of wife Vicky.

He has driven everything from fertiliser spreaders to stock trucks, tippers delivering metal, feed and fertiliser, frozen meat deliveries, kiwifruit cartage and drove a tanker for Fonterra for eight years before starting this business.

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Politicians share opposing views on the ‘ute tax’ The National Party were quick to throw their support behind the Groundswell Howl of a Protest against the government’s clean car package, deemed the ‘ute tax’, by releasing a ‘Demand the Debate’ campaign just days prior to the event.

“The government’s ute tax unfairly penalises farmers, tradies and others who rely upon vehicles for which there is no electric alternative,” says National Party leader Judith Collins.

“Labour never campaigned on the ute tax and in fact was categorical in ruling out any new taxes. The rural sector along with almost every New Zealander is being hit in the back pocket through new taxes, rent increases and costs on businesses.

“The government’s parliamentary majority is not a mandate for Labour to promote its ideological wish list.

“New Zealanders deserve a say on their country’s future and together we must demand the debate.”

National says its entire team attended the protests across the country.

Labour MP for Wairarapa Kieran McAnulty says the sentiment behind the protest doesn’t represent the whole sector and “undermines the hard work of so many farmers who are keen to get ahead of the curve”.

“Anyone who knows me well knows that I am passionate about the primary sector. They know both sides of my family have farmed for generations, and that both my parents continue to work in the sector,” says McAnulty.

“If we stop moving forward to address the impacts of climate change, allow further degradation of our fresh water and don’t do more to address animal welfare standards, there is no way we will meet this government’s goal of working with the sector to achieve a $40b increase in export value – that’s what’s at stake.

“We know there is a lot of change coming. And we know it is tough.

“We know there is concern about the pace of change. The government hears that and has shown a willingness to amend things in order to make it work.

“We will continue to do so.”

The Groundswell protest in Katikati. Photo: Kerri Wheeler.

FARM VEHICLES & MACHINERY

Page 23

Organisers stoked with Howl of a Protest Christina says that up to 1000 people showed up to show their support throughout the day.

“New Zealand is a great place to live, and it is worth fighting for.”

Jordan Boyd

Supporters from Aongatete and Tauranga came to support the event in Katikati. All Photos: Kerri Wheeler.

“Exceptional” is the reoccurring description organisers are using to describe Groundswell’s recent ‘Howl of a Protest’ events in the central North Island.

Farmers, growers, tradies and their dogs took the streets all over the country last month to protest against the government’s string of regulations on farmers, most recently, the clean car package dubbed the ‘ute tax’.

The clean car package will tax new, high emitting combustion-engine vehicles like utes, which don’t have an electric or hybrid alternative.

Morrinsville organsier Peter Buckley says the message to the public was to look at the policies and issues within farming communities, talk with farmers and really listen to the rural community.

“I think the day went tremendously and the atmosphere was really positive,” says Peter.

“One of the highlights that I’ve been told is that the farmers were able to go out there and express their feelings about what’s happening to them in regards to plans and policies.

“It was like a street party and people didn’t move off straight away.

“We had a free sausage sizzle for the farmers and they all sat around and had a chat.

“So if the Groundswell movement did something in Morrinsville, it brought people together to understand and meet people they’ve never met.”

The response from the public on the day was really positive, says Peter.

“I didn’t get one negative comment from anybody, there was no negativity at all.

“The businesses that were along the street were all very positive, and very helpful.”

Peter says there was upwards of 1500 people who turned up for the day and about 200 tractors.

The day was also a success in Katikati says local coordinator Christina Humphreys.

“It was actually marvellous, none of us could believe it went so well or that so many people responded,” says Christina.

“The response from the public was great, there were people on the street with flags and everybody was cheering.

“All the big trucks that went through town were all tooting their horns.

“It was like party time.”

Utes, tractors, trucks and dogs were in no short supply in Katikati on July 16.

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Page 24

In pursuit of the perfect shot Meghan Maloney has battled the elements in some of the most remote parts of the country, all in the name of the perfect shot.

What began as a hobby soon became a profession for the Cambridge photographer – she has become a wellLandscape photographer, known name in the Meghan Maloney, at her New Zealand Cambridge home. photography world.

Photo: Catherine Fry. “All I wanted to begin with was to share decent family photos on my blog for our overseas family,” says Meghan.

When she moved to Cambridge with her husband and two children in 2015, Meghan soon realised how perfect central Cambridge was for photography adventures.

View from Grey’s Road, Pirongia. Photo: Meghan Maloney.

“Either coast is only an hour away, and in between Auckland and Taupō, there are mountains, forests, waterfalls and beautiful rolling countryside.”

Meghan is self-taught, through thousands of hours

of practice and learning from fellow photographers.

A tripod is essential for landscape photography, and she also uses lens filters to add an element of art to her images.

In 2018 Meghan’s sunrise image of Pouakai Tarn in Egmont National Park was a finalist in the Sony Alpha Awards for New Zealand and Australia.

Dairy cows near Lake Ngaroto. Photo: Meghan Maloney.

This year, Meghan has transitioned from being a full-time accountant to professional photographer running her own workshops all over New Zealand.

She is a Sony ambassador, has her images gracing all the Waipā District billboards, and will herself be a judge of the 2021 Sony Alpha awards for the second year running.

The pursuit of her passion has taken her to some of the remotest and most beautiful parts of the country in all weathers.

Among her favourite places are Bridal Veil Falls in Raglan, Jones Landing in Arapuni and the Mangakara Nature Walk in Pirongia.

“I’ve walked famous tracks in the South Island, and shivered in below zero temperatures for sunrises and astrophotography opportunities,” says Meghan.

“I love sharing NZ with others and helping them on their photography journey.”

Catherine Fry

Page 25

From Of the 80 puppies born each year under the NZ Police Patrol Dog breeding programme, around 50 per cent of the ones chosen as suitable for training succeed to become fully operational patrol dogs.

Team leader of the Waikato Police Dog Section, Sergeant Mark Sandford, is in charge of nine of the country’s 130 operational dogs.

Patrol dogs are German Shepherds, due to their proven history of performing to high standards.

Mark says it is down to the individual dog’s ability and not whether they are male or female as far as suitability and performance are concerned.

Males are not neutered, but females are spayed after their first heat.

Seven-week-old puppies go to

foster homes for nine months, usually to police officers who aspire to be dog handlers.

Their reaction to factors such as crowds, noise, other animals, children, acts of aggression, and new places is important in determining their suitability.

Nine-month-old puppies attend their first course at the Police Dog Training Centre in Wellington and are introduced to the basics of tracking, obedience and bite work.

“The ones that pass return to their districts to consolidate to be ready for their second course where building searches is introduced, and tracking is further developed.”

Dogs who pass a third course and their assessment for operational training, become operational patrol dogs under a NZ Police Dog Handler such as Senior Constable Richard Clay.

“My older dog, Gabby, is nine and approaching retirement,” says Richard.

“I have a two-year old called Lycan and there will be a crossover period before he is ready.”

As is usually the case with retired patrol dogs, their handlers keep them and Richard assures that Gabby will live out her days lazing on the front deck of his property.

The cross over takes the handler out of operation for three to four months as they concentrate on getting the new dog fully operational.

All dogs wear a harness to shield their vital organs from stabbing and slashing.

Waikato patrol dog Gabby at work with her handler Senior Constable Richard Clay.

New Zealand police dogs and their handlers are one of police’s frontline responses, and are used to respond to incidents, track offenders and help to secure scenes.

Depending on their handler’s qualifications and the dog’s attributes and training, some specialise in search and rescue, and armed offender work.

Senior Constable Richard Clay currently has two patrol dogs: Detector dogs work with narcotics, cash, 9-year-old Gabby, left, will retire when two-year old Lycan, right, becomes fully operational. All Photos: Catherine Fry. firearms and explosives.

Catherine Fry

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Nine-year-old patrol dog Gabby is approaching her retirement.

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Page 26

Kindy dusts off the Matapihi Kindergarten co-founder and teacher Angela Kimber.

Despite it being a frosty start to a beautiful winter’s day, the enthusiastic group of four and five-year-old Matapihi Kindergarten students heading off for their day in the bush didn’t show any signs of feeling the cold.

Their excursion began with morning tea in a sunny clearing, sitting on log seats around a fire pit. Sometimes they light the fire and cook things like sausages or pancakes on the griddle.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to teach so many life skills around fire safety and cooking,” says teacher Sioux Swan.

The children head off into the trees, many barefoot by now.

They all know the rules, and the consequences of breaking

them – missing their next turn to go to the bush.

There are no metal playgrounds here, just streams, puddles, fallen logs, tree stumps, and whatever nature has to offer.

The bush has a toilet block, a simple two bucket system with one for poos and one for wees.

The contents of the poo bucket are covered in charcoal or sawdust, and barely smells.

Its composting contents are ...continued buried regularly.

Anyone feeling a bit down can sit on the Resting Rock and get a little shoulder, hand or foot rub to cheer them up.

The benefits of multi-supplements A good multi-supplement is one of the best health investments you can make.

This will ensure your body has the nutrients needed to stay healthy.

Unfortunately most are formulated as a one-a-day dose. This means that many of the bulkier compounds are either omitted or included in meaningless amounts.

As an experienced formulator I know it is impossible to provide sufficient nutrients to fit in a one-a-day product.

My multi-antioxidant/mineral/ vitamin has a dose of two capsules a day.

A good multi should have all the important major and trace elements.

I have real concern about low levels of critical minerals such as selenium, zinc, copper and manganese as these are needed to

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Many diseases are linked to low levels of trace minerals.

Your multi should have a full B vitamin complex in particular B6, folic acid and B12 as they combine to reduce homocysteine – a risk factor for heart disease and some forms of dementia.

It should have meaningful levels of vitamin D for immunity.

The regulations governing vitamin D in supplements are archaic so we should add extra Vitamin D in winter.

Vitamin E is the most important fat soluble antioxidant. This should be in the natural d-alpha tocopherol form not the less effective synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol.

Finally, it should contain the most potent antioxidants, especially grape seed extract.

I know of only a few products that contain these potent antioxidants.

My preferred grape seed extract (OPC) is the well-researched and patented NZ made Oxifend.

OPC is unique among antioxidants in that it actively scavenges oxygen and nitrogen radicals. It also has an affinity to collagen making and is a great cardiovascular protector. I know of no single botanical ingredient to have such a positive impact on health.

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Page 27 continued...

A bucket filled with crystal clear water from the mountain stream stands outside the toilet block, ready for handwashing.

The rest of the day will be filled with outdoor learning and play, exploring the bush, spreading bark on a muddy path, feeding eels, and inspection and re-baiting of the rat and possum traps, a task that everyone is wholeheartedly involved in.

Fulfilling a dream

Saying a karakia before heading into the ngahere with teachers Sioux Swan, left, and Justine Davies, rear. All Photos: Catherine Fry.

Entering its thirteenth year, Matapihi is the brainchild of business partners Merren Goodison and Angela Kimber. Merren now concentrates on the administration side, while Angela is still actively working with the children.

“We shared a dream of setting up a rural early learning centre and we found the perfect property,” says Angela.

The five-bedroom home set in eight acres of bush in Te Mata, near Raglan, with a small lake, streams, established bush and native tree stands, was more than they had dreamed of.

Around half an acre surrounding the house is secured with high pool

fencing, offering a safe but natural playground, complete with trees to climb, veggie gardens, chickens, fruit trees and plenty of places to hide and play.

“Having worked in both town kindys and here, I can say that when children are immersed in a more natural environment, their social competence is noticeably enhanced,” says Angela.

The homestead resembles a more familiar kindergarten, with a large deck, sandpit and playhouse.

Inside the semi open plan areas feel more like a home, but are packed with resources.

Learning in nature The children are part of the cycle of life of the property and assist with the real work of its maintenance, learning as they go.

They are all familiar with the worm farm, composting and recycling.

The lake is a highlight, with life jacket wearing children enjoying boat trips, sailing boats they have made from the jetty, and

collecting flora and fauna.

“The children are taught how to appropriately care for our pets, and any bugs they collect,” says teacher Athene Jensen-Larsen.

Matapihi is proud of their Uru Taiao programme (meaning ‘entering into the realms of nature’), believing that nature is as important to children’s growth and development as sleep and food.

“The centre is based on ‘negotiated curriculum’ and is organised in response to the knowledge, interests, skills and dispositions of all members of the centre,” says Angela.

“In this environment our job is to protect the children from hazards, but also provide them with opportunities to experience appropriate risk.”

Judging by the clean slate of no broken bones in more than 12 years, it would indicate that Matapihi’s children do indeed embrace the opportunities they are offered.

Catherine Fry

Dehorning calves and adult cattle With the onset of calving around most of the country, for some there will be an accompanying need for disbudding young calves, preferably within the first one to two months of their life.

General guidelines are provided below to help make an informed decision on how to best remove these horn buds before they grow into large troublesome horns. This traditional procedure on farm is a welfare concern, as it’s regarded as a significantly painful procedure, whatever the age of the animal.

Since October 2019, it has been a legal requirement that all cattle being disbudded/dehorned will need “an appropriately placed and effective local anaesthetic that is authorised by a veterinarian for the purpose of the procedure”. This is true for all methods of horn tissue removal including hot iron cautery, scoop dehorning, amputation dehorning and even caustic paste.

In addition to this, anyone disbudding/dehorning must: be experienced with, or have received training in, the correct use of the method being used; and be able to recognise early signs of significant distress, injury, or ill-health so that prompt remedial action is taken or seek advice.

The three options available are: veterinary staff can perform the disbudding/dehorning procedure, veterinary operating instructions (VOIs) can be provided for local anaesthetic for non-veterinary providers to proceed, or disbudding training and assessment for veterinarians to train non-veterinary

(such as farm) personnel to effectively administer local anaesthetic and disbud calves.

Where owners are non-compliant with the above welfare protocols, infringement fines are now coming into force. Calves

as well as adults can also benefit and recover faster by using a long acting anti-inflammatory/ pain relief injection following a disbudding or dehorning procedure. Feel free to contact your local vet clinic for more details.

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Page 28

THE

ORIGINAL

Learning to Adrienne Simmonds found her love for horse riding at age 45. Ten years and three competitive seasons later, she has attained intermediate rider status in the New Zealand Cowboy Challenge Association.

She rides with the Cowboy Challenge Waikato branch and is thoroughly enjoying both the competitive and social side of the sport.

“I’ve always loved horses, but had only ever sat on friends’ ponies as a child. So when my daughter wanted to learn, I decided to learn with her,” says Adrienne.

The pair started lessons at a local riding school and in 2017 they met Kiri from Navajo Horse Adventures, near Matamata. Adrienne was very taken with the Western style of riding and eager to try it. She has not looked back since.

“Western riding is based on the rider’s partnership with the horse, with an emphasis on a soft, calm approach using loose reins.

“Sometimes the horse is asked to do tasks that aren’t immediately natural to them.”

Taking the reins The NZCCA has a rule book of about 52 challenges, with 13 picked for each competition by the host running it. Riders are judged on their approach, departure and the execution of each

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Western style riding enthusiast Adrienne Simmonds with her horse, Annie. All Photos: Catherine Fry.

obstacle, as well as their overall horsemanship.

The Cowboy Challenge Waikato group started in 2018, and Adrienne started competing as a beginner, riding Navajo’s horses.

“I’m the secretary of the Waikato group and our motto is ‘Horsemanship challenges to nurture, enrich and grow partnerships’.”

The challenges include obstacles such as seesaw bridges, tyres, flag carrying, and picking up some objects at speed.

Delayed meeting In 2020 Adrienne realised her dream of owning her own horse and bought Annie, a 14.2hh, six-year-old mare. The skewbald may have some gypsy cob in her as she’s a “little chunky” and has feathered feet.

“I’m not experienced enough to train a green horse, and I knew she had had some exposure to Cowboy Challenge obstacles.”

Annie was delivered to Navajos the day before the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, and Adrienne had to wait five weeks before she could even see her new horse, let alone bring her home and to ride.

Once Annie came home to the family’s 2.75 acres, near Tauwhare in the Waikato, Adrienne was able to compete in a full season of cowboy challenges as soon as restrictions were lifted.

Adrienne has a number of obstacles set up on the ...continued property to practice on.

Page 29 continued...

Adrienne seems to have a taste for adventure, and also enjoys distance riding.

“We love taking kids with us, giving them the opportunity to do some long rides in great scenery with adult support and guidance.”

Adrienne and Annie also compete in Versatile Ranch Horse competitions, where they get to work with cattle, completing team events requiring cutting, sorting and penning.

“There are also cowboy challenge classes, and typical rodeo games such as weaving and barrel racing.

“Annie is very open to training and I’m putting more time into her now.

“I’m still nervous when things get a bit fast in the arena, so I’m working on being softer on her mouth, and getting her to listen to my communication more.”

Give it a go Adrienne can’t speak highly enough about all the activities that she does with her horse. The variety keeps the horse interested and the riders get to socialise and compete with likeminded people.

“Western style riding is a great confidence builder for a rider, and really improves their riding skills.

“I’d encourage anyone to get out there and give it a go.”

Catherine Fry

Adrienne and Annie completing a homemade bridge obstacle.

Flag carrying at a canter, Annie is unfazed.

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Page 30

FORESTRY

A hub of forestry information The government has created a website to make up-to-date forestry information more accessible to the sector and to encourage investment.

The website, called Canopy, is tailored to farmers, iwi and other forestry interests, says Forestry Minister Stuart Nash.

“Canopy is a centralised online channel that aims to be the ‘go-to site’ for the most up-to-date guidance on forestry as an investment,” says Minister Nash.

“Forestry will be a key part of our climate change response. It also offers huge potential for regional development, Māori economic aspirations, local jobs and training, and diversifying income streams in rural communities. Forestry is our third largest primary exporter by value so it’s important we keep driving development of the sector.

“The Forest Service and the industry recognise that many people, businesses, farmers, investors and iwi involved in forestry need to find credible information in an accessible format, in order to make the best decisions for their circumstances.”

Research and resources Canopy provides a breakdown of what people in the sector need to know at each stage of the forestry process: from planning, establishment and management to harvest and the market.

The website has a library of resources, including how to manage native species and data on the cost of harvest for small-scale growers.

Featured research includes a study called Growing Native Seedlings at Scale and More Sustainability, which looks at ways to ramp up seedling production so a greater amount of affordable plants of a consistent standard are supplied to the market.

Alternative growing methods are being tested through a series of experiments, including research into paper plant pots as an alternative to plastic.

The study has found that using paper pots has significant benefits beyond reducing plastic use, including faster root development and no “transplant shock” when the tree is planted.

Also, the study found that paper pots make for more efficient planting, as there is no need to remove the plant from its container before putting the tree in the ground.

More to come Minister Nash says more information is coming to Canopy.

“Work is already underway to develop the next stage of the website, which will provide specific guidance for Māori landowners, information about regional and national events, training opportunities, and case studies and real-life examples of people and experts.”

Canopy has been developed by Te Uru Rākau – the NZ Forest Service alongside industry partners.

It can be found at: www.canopy.govt.nz

FORESTRY

Page 31

Good annual returns in farm forestry Farmers should look to trees for some passive income on less productive areas.

PF Olsen director of sales and marketing Scott Downs says the regular income from carbon credits in addition to the traditional harvest profits makes planting trees a good option for many farmers.

Longer growing trees like redwoods and most natives are good for unproductive or erosion prone areas like gullies. Plantation species like radiata are a good asset to have

in areas with reasonable access.

Selecting the right tree species for the site and purpose are critical to the overall success of the farm plan.

“I always remember my tutor saying that sheep can walk but trees can’t,” says Scott.

Every tonne of biomass is worth one emissions unit, which can be sold via the Emissions Trading Scheme for an annual return.

Scott says there are a few different ways of

setting up farm forestry, depending on how much the farmer wants to fund.

It is important to plan the forest, and the income stream, in relation to the whole farm.

“There are a wide variety of investors who want to work with farmers, so the farmer doesn’t have to pay anything.”

The landowner can then decide to receive a fixed annual rental or a share of the income from carbon and/or harvesting

or a combination.

PF Olsen can manage the whole process from planting to harvest.

Scott says they provide a “one-stop shop” backed up by 50 years in the business.

They are the biggest in the forestry services business in New Zealand and in the past three years alone have planted 50,000ha of forestry.

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Methyl Bromide gets fourth extension Methyl Bromide use in New Zealand has been given an extension once again, with a new deadline of February 2022.

This is the fourth extension the Environmental Protection Authority has granted the industry to give exporters to India, where the ozone-depleting

fumigant’s use on all imported logs is mandatory, certainty that they can fulfil orders.

The original deadline was up in October 2020, after the EPA gave the industry 10 years to invest in alternatives or technology to prevent Methyl Bromide from releasing into the

atmosphere in 2010.

The EPA say it is assessing new information on ethanedinitrile (EDN), and a report will go to the decision-making committee within months.

The EPA says it can’t go into detail while a decision on methyl bromide is pending.

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Page 32

Global recognition for NZ cow genetic discoveries A scientific approach that identifies genetic variants impacting the health of New Zealand dairy cows has been published in prestigious scientific journal, Nature Genetics.

Scientists from LIC have used their animal database to pinpoint genes responsible for major losses in production, some of which were found to be due to previously unknown genetic disorders in dairy cows.

The newly discovered genetic

variants impact animal health and milk production to the tune of up to $10 million in lost production each year across the national dairy herd.

LIC chief scientist Richard Spelman says these discoveries reinforce the importance of continued investment in gene discovery and genetic analysis technology to help farmers breed healthier, more efficient dairy herds.

“By supporting farmers The cow on the left is affected by one of the newly discovered genetic to identify and minimise variants, which causes about 100kg reduction in mature body weight the number of animals that and substantial losses of milk fat, protein and volume. are susceptible to particular “Knowing what calves have these genetic variations ‘negative’ genes, we can breed cows that are more resilient, speed up the rate of genetic gain and help will help ensure farmers rear only the healthiest, ensure the sustainability of New Zealand’s pastoral highest performing animals,” says Richard. industries for years to come.”

Proactive approach

Genetic insight From spring this year, all farmers using LIC’s GeneMark DNA parentage testing service will have their calves screened for six genetic variants that have a significant impact on animal health and milk production and will be notified if any of them are affected.

Although affected animals are rare – around 0.5 per cent of calves born will be affected by one of these variants – Richard highlights the value this knowledge will deliver to farmers.

“We’re excited to transform our investment in research and development into a simple, convenient service for our farmer shareholders, one that could save millions in lost production.

Traditionally the discovery of variants, which cause genetic disorders, has relied on farmers notifying LIC of affected animals before scientists can attempt to find the genetic cause.

Richard says LIC is now able to take a more proactive approach, which will allow them to discover rare disorders that might not have obvious physical signs.

“Our approach starts with identifying significant drops in milk production or liveweight, which may give a clue the animal is impacted by some underlying genetic disorder. If further investigation confirms this is the case, we can leverage diagnostic tests to manage the variant frequency in the population.”

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DAIRY

Waikato District Council was granted an extension until September 18 this year to notify its decision on the new subdivision rules that cover Waikato District, including the old Franklin Area.

I first wrote about the Proposed District Plan rules back in January 2018. Stage one of the plan, which included the subdivision rules, was notified by council in July that year.

The original plan was obviously to finalise stage one whilst dealing with the submissions from stage two.

However, along came Covid-19 in early 2020 and that significantly hindered the hearing process.

There were more than 21,000 submission points generated from the public notification of both stages.

Alongside that came the realisation that both stages were intertwined to some extent, and it made real sense to work through both stages concurrently.

So, an extension to the two-year time frame was granted by the Minister for the Environment.

This extension requires council to issue their decision by September 18 this year. The plan, integrating both the Franklin and Waikato sections of the district, will introduce a consistent approach to development and growth for the first

time since the district’s boundary changed in 2010.

Finally, the whole district will have a single set of subdivision rules.

The rules advertised by council provide some real opportunities for those located in the ‘old Franklin’ part of the district. However, they maintained the status quo for the ‘old Waikato’ portion.

Following the public submission and hearing process, it is anyone’s guess what final decision emerges.

One thing that can be certain is that the transferrable title system, operated in the Franklin district, will be history.

The Waikato district never really liked this.

Now those Franklin landowners might have a new opportunity.

The general subdivision rule proposed that a lifestyle lot of about one hectare could be cut off many older titles so long as they exceeded 20ha in size.

This rule, if confirmed, will provide ‘ex-Franklin’ owners a path to subdivide small lifestyle lots from their farm. Their Waikato neighbours have had the option to do this for many years.

However, as I said earlier, the final rule is anyone’s guess and I fully expect that this will eventually refer to titles more than 40ha in size.

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Page 33

The proposed rules also contain provision for limited scope boundary adjustments and relocation of existing titles within the bounds of an existing holding.

In line with current environmental initiatives, council also intends to allow subdivision of up to three new lots when a qualifying ecological feature (such as bush or wetland) is permanently protected.

If you are interested to find out

what opportunities might potentially be lost or gained through this process, feel free to give me a call and discuss your situation without delay.

Brent Trail, managing director of Surveying Services, specialises in resource consent applications for subdivisions across the Waikato, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. For further information, call: 0800 268 632 or email: btrail@surveyingservices.co.nz.

Page 34

DAIRY

DAIRY

Page 35

Optimising soil health at low cost Animal feet necessarily cause soils to compress. A healthy biologically active soil rapidly regains its natural form, and it is only when that doesn’t occur that compaction has occurred.

Dr Graham Sparling in his lecture to a packed theatre in 2004 stated: “It’s a sobering thought that our entire high-tech world is ultimately supported by life in the top 20cm of the soil.”

Dr Sparling, then a leading Landcare Research scientist, went on to say that the soil biological process of denitrification is the only process whereby we can get reactive nitrogen from the soil and water back into benign nitrogen gas.

In essence, without a healthy functioning soil, civilisation as we know it steadily unravels. Human health is only as good as the food we eat and that is dependent on soils functioning as they are designed to do.

The fact that excess nitrogen is entering groundwater is a sign that the filtering effect provided by soil held carbon is compromised and inputs must be reduced if further degradation is to be avoided.

Although there is now a limit of 190kgN/ha/ year of synthetic nitrogen able to be applied, that alone is unlikely to have a marked effect on the losses to groundwater, particularly in regions with shallow, sandy soils.

Room to breathe The answer to the issue is increase the amount of carbon being sequestered and limit the quantity of synthetic nitrogen applied.

Carbon is most rapidly sequestered under permanent grazed pasture provided the essential nitrogen component is supplied by the bacteria on the nodules of clover.

Losses of nitrogen to groundwater can then be markedly reduced without limiting total farm output.

Backed by science

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you can’t have clover.

A key to a healthy functioning soil is its ability to breathe. Air needs to be able to enter freely and gases, primarily CO2 released.

In an ideal state soils contain 25 per cent air and 25 per cent moisture with soil crumb dominating the top 20cm.

Carbon dioxide being heavier than air stays close to the surface of the soil stimulating plant growth, and it is plants continuously in a rapid growth phase that have the greatest requirement.

In order to ensure plants are continuously growing grazing animals are required. Their treading pressure rapidly incorporates dung and old root matter effectively and efficiently.

During winter deep pugging during prolonged wet periods is best avoided, although whether it’s best to have a smaller mess over a larger area, or a larger mess in a confined area, is debatable.

Blackened soil behind animals grazing crops is not necessarily a concern. When pasture is re-established either by direct drilling or after light cultivation there will be a net gain in soil carbon.

It’s often been stated that it’s not possible to change soil biology, however research here and overseas shows that not to be a fact.

We know that the addition of lime to soil increases both the activity and number of beneficial earthworms.

Earthworms positively impact physical structures and where they proliferate there is a corresponding lift in the numbers of all other beneficial soil dwellers.

Lime also alters soil pH and a pH of close to 6.2 provides the environment where nutrient is most available for plant uptake.

Golden Bay dolomite is a highly valuable resource, well known to intensive dairy farmers for its unparalleled ability to limit calcium/ magnesium related disorders during spring.

Thirty years of experience indicates that unless soils are severely deficient a rate of 200kg/ha delivers outstanding results and it may be applied whenever practicable.

Dolomite is also a well-known soil conditioner markedly improving water infiltration encouraging the recovery of soil damaged during winter.

Applications of 500kg/ha or more calculated from soil tests and based on ‘balancing’ the soil are unlikely to provide a better outcome than 200kg/ha applied annually.

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Page 36 NZ DISTRIBUTOR

Total Replacement Therapy

Staffing relief for farmers

Applications are open for extended Essential Skills visas as well as border class exceptions. Photo: MacKenzie Dyer.

The government has recently extended Essential Skills visas, which DairyNZ says provides some welcome certainty for farmers and employees who have their futures at stake.

DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says the changes are a positive as they will help resolve

GRUNDFOS ®

short-term pressures on some farms.

“It’s great to see the government is listening and recognises the pressures dairy farmers and other sectors are under.

“However, it’s important to note this decision doesn’t add more workers into our workforce, so there’s still a gap between what we have and what we actually need.

“It’s about helping us hold onto

the valuable migrant workers we already have,” says Tim. Since the closure of the border due to Covid19, farmers have been crying out for dairy farm staff, with almost 50 per cent of farmers reporting unfilled vacancies.

“There are plenty of jobs on farms for Kiwis and migrants but at this time the reality is that not enough Kiwis are applying for jobs,” says Tim. “This is despite a recent survey showing 87 per cent of farmers had made changes to make their business more attractive to staff, so we need our valued workers from overseas as well.”

From July 19, Essential Skills Visa holders have been able to apply for a longer visa, enabling them to remain in their current role.

The application process for Essential Skills visas will also be simplified for workers remaining in current roles.

Tim says while that’s a positive step, more needs to be done to ensure sufficient staffing on farms throughout the country for the wellbeing of staff and animal welfare.

DairyNZ and Federated Farmers are working with the government to seek further solutions to the staff shortages.

Applications are also being taken by DairyNZ for dairy farmers applying for border class exceptions, which could see 200 dairy farm workers and their families come into the country.

DairyNZ responsible dairy general manager Jenny Cameron says opening these applications is a positive step, providing more clarity and detail for farmers nationwide who are facing a staff shortage.

“This will help some of the workers stuck overseas to return to their jobs on Kiwi farms or new migrants looking to join the sector, while supporting our farmers by relieving some of the workforce shortage,” says Jenny. More information on the process, criteria and timeframes is available at: www.dairynz.co.nz/border

DAIRY

Page 37

Oversow clover this spring Are you happy with the clover content of your pastures?

Barenbrug upper North Island agronomist, Becky Reith.

The target is 30 per cent, and there’s generally much less clover present than you think, thanks to the top heavy nature of clover plants.

If you don’t have enough clover, you’re not alone – white clover is struggling on many farms these days.

Yet it remains a key species in New Zealand farm systems, providing superb animal nutrition; significant amounts of free, natural nitrogen, and

higher overall pasture dry matter yield.

Chances are there’s not much clover in your pasture – maybe 10 per cent, possibly 20 per cent if conditions are ideal, probably not the 30 per cent advised for optimal farm performance.

Oversowing clover seed in spring is a good way to start restoring pastures that need a top up.

The first step is to identify if there is an issue that caused clover to run out in the first place. Grazing management, lack of fertility, sowing technique, and broadleaf weed herbicides are common causes.

Check soil test results, or get new tests done.

To thrive, clover needs phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulphur (S) and molybdenum (Mo). It also needs the right soil pH – 5.8 to 6.2.

You can spin on 4-6 kg/ha Agricote Oversow clover through September and October in pastures with nil or minimal clover.

Best results come from doing this no more than three days before grazing. This allows stock to ‘harrow’ the seed for good soil contact.

Seed can also be spun on a day or two after grazing, ideally following a good even grazing. In this situation harrowing afterward can improve the results.

After oversowing, clover seedlings need lots of light to grow properly, so it’s really important grass is not allowed to get too long – don’t use oversown paddocks for silage crops.

The biggest factor in the success, or not, of clover oversowing is how pastures are managed after seed is applied.

A couple of short, sharp grazings is perfect to allow clovers to establish.

Kotuku white clover is ideal for oversowing. Kotuku has been bred for rapid establishment, helping it compete better against ryegrass already present in the pasture.

Modern clovers like Kotuku have been bred for higher DM yields which equates to extra N fixation, too.

Seed coating is also essential for oversowing, using a formulation that does not include insecticides or fungicides. Agricote Oversow contains lime and nutrients, to improve seed to soil contact and give clover a good start, with zero grazing withholding.

Now more than ever, white clover has a lot to offer.

Feed quality is very high; animals love it and it’s an important source of protein in summer when pasture is often deficient.

Clover can also fix 25-30kg N out of the atmosphere for every tonne of DM grown/ha, improving pasture growth and quality for no cost. Becky Reith, Barenbrug agronomist,

Extra value $350/ha* 501 Chicory is very fast establishing and out-yields some other varieties. This could mean an extra 50kg MS/ha worth $350/ha*.

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Page 38

MAIZE, CROPPING & SPRING PLANTING

Strip-til cultivation In a corner of Waikato, Pārāwera maize grower Paul Hunter has made a commitment to strip tillage to establish his maize crop.

A form of conservation, Paul stopped full cultivation three years ago.

Strip-till uses minimum tillage. It combines the soil drying and warming benefits of conventional tillage with the soil-protecting advantages of no-till by disturbing only a portion of the soil that the new season’s maize will be planted into.

“Some of the blocks on the main farm have been cropped consecutively since the early seventies,” says Paul.

Reason to switch For six years Paul worked with local contractor John Austin on a 12ha block to test the strip till concept and observed the results with his seed rep and agronomist.

Every season has had different challenges, but the result has always been encouraging, and in the top yielding blocks.

Paul has several reasons for moving away from long-term cultivation.

“Over the years I’ve seen soil erosion from cultivating, with soil moving downhill on our easy rolling property. Rain events after cultivation can move a lot of soil, too,” he says.

“There are also some cost savings associated with establishment of the crop.”

Paul grows maize through the summer and annual rye grass through the winter. This is grazed by the dairy cows he winters and the steers he fattens.

There are two types of soil, Mairoa ash and Puniu silt loam. The latter is a heavy soil, which doesn’t cope well with cultivation and wintering cattle.

Paul Hunter, maize grower and supporter of strip-till cultivation.

Left: Soil Warrior striptillage rig for eight rows.

Right: An example of the array of computer driven systems in the cab of a tractor.

Paul decided to stop grazing on the heavy soil to try and restore it to a better state, as long-term cropping has degraded the soil structure and infiltration.

Self-made sprayer

First for Maize

To help his strip tiller deal with the root mass from the annual rye grass, Paul has made a strip sprayer, which he uses in late July, early August (depending on weather conditions) to spray out the strips for the new season’s maize crop.

Fully enclosed spray hoods contain the spray on the new strip meaning there is no over spray, and the paddock can be used for grazing right up to a few days before strip-tilling starts.

RTK GPS technology maps each block, providing guidance data every year. Maps are transferred to each tractor on a USB stick.

“We can get 16ha ready in one day now using one tractor and one person. Previously, we needed three tractors, a spreader truck and four people.”

Each year, Paul moves the strip 10 inches, ensuring the strip doesn’t become too acidic, and the fertiliser is banded evenly through the whole soil profile.

Data driven The GPS data includes electro conductivity maps, yield maps, smart firmers on the planter, and grid sampling and is all used in decision making.

“The first 12ha block is in its ninth season and we are really seeing the benefits now,” says Paul.

“Soil structure is returning slowly, worm life is back and weeds are not being spread around the paddock.

“It is conserving moisture and is the highest yielding block in both dry years and good years. Two seasons ago we harvested 27.5 tonnes DM/ ha of maize from it.

“That’s after 48 years of consecutive Catherine Fry maize crops!”

MAIZE, CROPPING & SPRING PLANTING

Page 39

Perfect for the job For 30 years Middle Hills Contracts Ltd has run John Deere tractors.

Middle Hills is in Waipukurau, Hawke’s Bay and owned by the Parsons family.

It has a lot of work for its tractors because its services include full cultivation, drilling and precision planting, baling, silage and harvesting.

The latest John Deere, a 7R 250, joined the team in October 2020.

Rod Parsons says it is a good multi-purpose tractor, which can be used for high or low horsepower jobs.

“It has the ideal weight-to-horsepower ratio,” says Rod. With that weight and power it can run triple mowers, tow a 35m3 silage trailer, pull a 5m combined cultivator and precision planter, or drag a five-furrow reversible plough.

“It carries the weight of the plough better than the 6R and the hydraulics are stronger. That’s one of the reasons we have gone with the 7R.” The new 7R 250 is one of a number of 7R tractors that Middle Hills has owned, but the first of the new model.

Max comfort The standard 7R transmission is the e23 PowerShift, however John Deere provides options on just about everything, and Rod chose the AutoPowr infinitely variable transmission (IVT).

All 10 John Deere tractors at Middle Hills are IVT, “so when people jump out of one and into another, they are all the same”.

Rod makes it a point to look after his staff and one way he has done this is with the quality of the 7R’s cab.

Cabs are available in three options: Select, Premium and Ultimate. The 7R 250 is a premium

Rod Parsons says John Deere 7Rs are good multipurpose tractors that can carry out a variety of jobs that require both weight and power.

spec cab. This includes a dual-tilt steering column, a touchscreen radio, electric mirrors and a fridge.

“It is a comfortable cab with good visibility, low noise and good positioning of controls.”

The 7R 250 has a road speed of 50kph. The engine is a PowerTech PSS 6.8 litre.

It is fuel efficient with a wide torque range.

The 7R 250 was ordered with John Deere’s StarFire 6000 receiver and an SF3 accuracy signal.

“We need the accuracy for towing effluent tanks when putting on slurry. We need that accuracy and proof of placement to give back to farmers.”

Local experts JDLink allows Rod to see the location of any of the tractors and what they’re doing. This access can be given to others and Rod is working this out with the local dealer, Cervus Equipment in Waipukurau.

Rod says products from Cervus Equipment has always been reliable, and they have had few issues, which Cervus fix promptly.

“That is one of the main reasons we stick with them. They look after us if we have problems and get us another tractor if we’re down.”

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Page 40

MAIZE, CROPPING & SPRING PLANTING

Time to get organised Annual rainfall is up 58mm on last year but is still below the national average range of 1100mm to 1300mm, so we’ve had another relatively dry year.

There was a cold blast at the beginning of the month. Everyone was grumbling about how cold it

was but that was probably partly due to how mild the weather was before that – about three degrees warmer than normal.

This spring the forecasters are predicting a neutral to El Nino oscillation and neutral conditions are likely to persist into summer.

A weak La Nina may develop, which could mean a rather dry summer ahead like two years ago, so keep an eye on the trends. In summary,

the next three months in our area are likely to be wetter than normal, with slightly below normal temperatures and fewer settled periods.

Meatless meat It was a good turnout at Fieldays.

They had synthetic meat there for sale and tasting. As a beef farmer I couldn’t really try it out, but it was good to see that they were using vegetable leftovers to reduce waste.

It’s a good reminder to sheep and beef farmers that synthetic meat products are bubbling away in the background, so we need to make sure we continue to present the public with high quality product and cuts of meat.

I also saw palm kernel sellers at Fieldays – the contract price jumped up on the second day, so the demand still must be there for it.

Just remember that using palm kernel doesn’t fit our clean green image, and New Zealand grown feed is much better for your stock and the environment.

Covid is still disrupting the supply chain – there’s a waiting list for everything. So, if you need machinery for the upcoming season I hope you already have it ordered, otherwise the chances of receiving it in time may be slim.

Maize on the mind Farmers should also have their maize paddocks selected for the coming season. It’s a good job to get done before you get too busy with calving, and getting organised means you can contact your contractors in a timely manner and get them booked in.

Get your soil tested now so you know exactly how much lime and fertiliser you need.

On our paddocks, soil testing shows that nitrates are less of an issue then they have been in previous years, but we’re still monitoring them.

Growing maize on paddocks you fertilise

with effluent is a great option because maize is a good utiliser of nitrogen, which prevents it from getting in the waterways.

It’s an ideal situation for farmers who need to empty their ponds, because you can put more effluent on a cultivated paddock than a pasture paddock.

Minis and Mercedes If you can, opt for longer maturing varieties of maize. You can put longer maturing plants in the ground earlier, as long as you manage the timing at the other end – work backwards from when you will need the feed, and when you need to have the paddock back into grass.

Remember, the earlier you get your grass in during autumn the better it will produce during winter and spring.

A farmer told me the other day that he’s not going to grow maize again in Reporoa as he couldn’t get grass in early enough and has had very little growth so far.

If you calculate what grass growth you have lost over the period that you have had the maize in (opportunity lost), then it can get a lot more expensive than you realise. So, it’s better to purchase it from a grower with normal risk and you know exactly what your costs are.

There are some high yielding short maturing varieties of maize, but long is preferable. Long maturing varieties are the Mercedes of maize plants, and short varieties are like Minis.

The earlier maize is planted, the better it tends to do. Being on time means you can get the pasture back on those maize paddocks in early to mid-March – any later isn’t really that good.

Proper planning prevents pitiful performance – it’s my favourite saying after 46 years of contracting.

We have plenty of maize available for this coming season at very competitive prices, and we also have bulk grass available for silage. From our paddock to your farm is the cheapest way.

www.coastandcountrynews.co.nz

From the beginning of July to July 20 we’ve had 44.5mm of rain.

MAIZE, CROPPING & SPRING PLANTING

Page 41

The right solution for plant nutrition Masks, suits and gloves.

These items may seem like a priority to anyone who uses fertiliser – a precaution to ones health in order to create a thriving garden, crop or food for livestock.

However, with Ross Garrick’s Bio Liquid Development operation, there is no masks no suits and no gloves needed.

Bio Liquid Development, based in Pyes Pā, is a bulk supplier of organic vermisolution that caters for a variety of commercial operations throughout the central North Island – whether conventional or organic.

Ross says maintenance of your land is something you have to carry out.

“You can’t just not feed the soil and keep taking from it. So you

Bio Liquid Development produces 1000 litres of organic fertiliser every day.

need to put something into it to get something back.

“It’s an investment into your land,” says Ross.

The liquid vermicast fertiliser is 100 per cent organic, and has recently passed its annual audit and received a certificate of compliance from BioGro New Zealand as plant and soil nutrition.

“Our solution is suitable for lawns, flowers, fruit trees, vegetables, crops, avocados, kiwifruit, milking goats, dairy cows and other livestock.

“The vermisolution puts life and nutrients back into the soil.

“The microbiolife in vermisolution is massive – it literally puts tens of millions of colony-forming beneficial bacteria, fungi, amoeba, ciliates and protozoa into the soil.”

Ross began thinking of alternative ways to care for his land in the 1980s when growing sandersonia and would get enquiries from friends with avocado and kiwifruit orchards.

From there, Bio Liquid Development was born.

“Our liquid vermicast fertiliser is produced by nature, and it works.”

The Bio Liquid Development worm farm is an important part of the operation.

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Page 42

This time I write after a relaxing mid-winter holiday and ready to bound head first into the spring season.

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Spring; it’s around the corner, nearly here and on its way, and after that it’s summer, Christmas and the New Year. Whoa, we’re on our way!

The New Year is a fast pace of time, it’s one of our most important periods in our growing year it’s a time that we must maximise in order to push production.

Focus on tree health There’s a lot of growing happening in the next few months. To capture the growth opportunity we need to make sure we are planned and organised.

I’m speculating but this winter seems to have been colder than most. This is good for kiwifruit however not so good for avocados. I have a frost alarm set up and it’s going off earlier in the evenings than I have seen for many years. Despite the wet weather, the coldness has set in earlier in the evenings and for longer.

We are into August so the really cold evenings are likely to have passed and the warmer days are on their way. It’s about feeding the tree with readily available minerals. In particular, getting the powerhouse nitrogen going and getting the tree up and running. We also apply boron now and did so in July. This starts bringing key nutrients levels back up ready for flowering.

We also push a bit of energy into the trees to get them primed for flowering and fruit set.

Research has previously suggested concern about putting nitrogen on at flowering so we run early.

We want the trees vigorous at flowering in their prime and with enough energy to get through the energy draining process of flowering and growing after the fruit set.

As research has found here in New Zealand it’s not about achieving pollination, it’s about avoiding

the fruitlet aborting after fertilisation.

We want the flower in tip top condition, so we will work on our trees early and steadily over the next few months.

Market outlook On another note, marketers this year are forecasting a tough year for returns to growers.

This highlights how commoditised our product has become and that we are a production and efficiency led operation rather than a value adding product. It’s quite disappointing that after all the years of hard work, the industry has landed itself in this position.

We are writing to our AAL growers giving them a heads-up on the market.

The New Zealand market has been hideously oversupplied during July and prices reflect this.

All the effort into market management by the New Zealand marketers looks to have little impact on the volumes being picked and supplied.

AVOCADOS

Page 43

Online avo business is on a roll A simple idea is sending avocados all over the country.

“They can trust us that we just supply the best fruit we can and for the best price we can at any which time of the season,” says The Avo Tree founder and owner Thorley Robbins.

It’s a simple concept that allows everybody to buy Bay of Plenty Hass avocados, any time, and from wherever they are in the country.

They also have a range of nurturing skin care creams based on the goodness of avocado oil, gift

vouchers and a wealth of recipes and other information about avocados.

“We deliver to Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, wherever.”

Customers order the fruit online, pick the size and quantity and then The Avo Tree team pick the best selection – supplied by about 100 Bay of Plenty orchards.

The concept and the business has grown in the six years since it started and they now have more than 3000 subscribers.

Thorley describes it as “an accidental success” after sharing the

fruits of his parents’ Bay of Plenty lifestyle block.

“I figured out that you could send avocados around the country to family and friends… they were turning up in perfect condition.”

Reliable transport and the advent of inexpensive and reliable e-commerce options, the simple vision became a reality. In addition to fruit they also now offer avocado skincare products to customers. To find out more about the story behind The Avo Tree and to check out their products head to: www.theavotree.co.nz

Thorley Robbins, right, discusses the finer point of avocado harvesting with one of his crew, Max.

Avocado export season commences Just Avocados, New Zealand avocado supply group, celebrated a positive season for grower returns in 2020-21 despite the disruptions of Covid-19, with their pool one average orchard gate return for premium sizes at $27.27 and $30.42 for pool two.

The team are now rolling out their plans for the 202122 season that include working with a new set of challenges of higher volumes to Asia and forecasts of a significant domestic crop in Australia during the New Zealand export window.

Exports of New Zealand avocados are underway this month, with first volumes due to hit shelves in Asia in early September.

Darling Group general manager of sales and Just Avocados are marketing, Jacob Darling, celebrating high says Just Avocados will be grower returns for the starting off their season 2020-21 season. with programmes into Thailand and Hong Kong retail stores where they will have a strong brand presence at consumer level.

“In 2020-21 we built a great base for the increased volumes we are shipping to these markets this season.

“We had very positive feedback from our customers on our product and brand presentation at retail.”

Significant volumes to Korea and China are expected this season after programmes did not continue in 2020-21 due to poor pricing and late volumes into these markets from Peru. Exporters across the industry opted to prioritise volumes to a high performing Australian market where excellent grower returns were able to be captured.

“Last season, we continued to service markets in Asia that worked in with both our grower profitability strategy and our market development strategy. We backed out of those that did not hit our goals for returns to growers.”

New challenges With the experience of shipping through a global pandemic now under their belts, the team can focus on the further challenges that this season has in store.

The Australian market has been heavily supplied in 2021 leading up to the New Zealand export window and a large Western Australian crop is forecast to coincide with New Zealand volumes.

“They [Western Australia] are forecast to be up by four million trays from last season. We anticipate that the volumes will be significant all season with values improving as we get close to Christmas, including the post-Christmas window.”

Jacob says that Darling Group’s Brisbane-based operation JH leavy & Co. plays a key role in speed to market and managing cost in the supply chain.

Their capability will be crucial to optimising value for growers in the coming months.

Of Asia, Jacob says the group has planned for these markets to take 40 per cent of the business’ total volume.

“Our position in our key Asian markets will add value to our growers this season but our strategy to place this amount of volume will come with its challenges.”

Adding value Jacob says the group’s fully integrated model (from growing through to in-market representation) will continue to add value this season.

“Being able to manage harvest through Avoworks, including taking time out of the supply chain with packing efficiencies, will all contribute to adding four to five additional days of shelf life in the marketplace. We will be working hard to maximise this model for our growers’ benefit.”

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Page 44

Battling export market headwinds

Avocado growers supplying fruit for export are being told to brace themselves for a tough season ahead amid a climate of ongoing shipping disruption and increased volumes of fruit arriving in retail stores across Australia and Asia.

Leading export marketing group Avoco is preparing for what it predicts will be an extremely challenging season for all New Zealand exporters, due to the hangover effects of Covid-19 on global shipping and an Australian market that has ample domestic fruit on offer.

The company expects the market conditions will dampen orchard gate returns (OGR), which, until this season, have remained consistently solid largely due to consumer demand outstripping supply.

Marketing and communications manager Steve Trickett says the team will remain transparent with growers to ensure they understand the unprecedented factors that will put New Zealand’s industry under real pressure to perform across many fronts.

“Last season’s pool result was exceptional given the Covid-19 related challenges, with strong demand from Australia on the back of a greatly reduced domestic crop there largely driving the strong OGR and masking the negative factors in play.

“But we simply can’t sugar coat how next season is likely to be the toughest faced by our industry in close to a decade, both in the domestic and export markets.”

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Avoco overcame global shipping challenges last season and handled a record volume of premium quality avocados, exporting a total of 2.9 million trays, mostly to Australia. It is expecting to handle a similar volume next season, but Australia’s heavy domestic crop has curbed how much New Zealand fruit can be placed into retail programmes. Western Australia, the main domestic production region supplying across the New Zealand window, is projected to harvest more than seven million trays while other regions are also thought to be double last year’s crop.

Steve says the business has a sound plan and a match-fit team from last season,

Export avocado harvest is getting underway for the 2021 season.

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focussed and determined to deliver growers the best result possible regardless of conditions faced.

“In our favour, we will mostly be exporting into spring and summer when demand will be stronger.

“We have once again secured significant commitments with our Australian retail partners and we’re planning to supply them with close to 60 per cent of our total export crop. This will be a major plus for our growers by helping to underpin the OGR.” About 23 per cent of Avoco’s volume is being allocated to Asian markets where its fruit is marketed under the AVANZA brand. This represents a significant increase on the seven per cent shipped in 2020-21 when shipping disruptions forced the programme to be cut short in some Asian markets due to the risk associated with advanced fruit age caused by transport delays.

Supply competition Steve says increased competition and continued logistical challenges means the business is keeping a close watch on how Asia performs but the team is determined to deliver the programmed volumes, with contingency plans developed to ensure this.

“Shipping is by no means certain and we continue to witness many Asian markets move in and out of lockdown. So far, this does not appear to be impacting demand for fresh fruit, more the way it is ordered, sold, packaged, and distributed.”

A greater concern for New Zealand exporters in Asia has been the progressive market penetration South American supply nations such as Peru, Chile, Mexico and Colombia have achieved in recent years.

“While we firmly believe their fruit is no match for New Zealand’s in terms of nutritional content and taste, we can’t avoid the impact that South American fruit has on values,” says Steve.

The New Zealand export season has already kicked off in the Far North and around Whangarei.

Typically, Bay of Plenty orchards will reach harvest maturity later, starting in August, with fruit progressively picked for Avoco’s ten export markets until February.

AVOCADOS

Avocado will be the most traded major tropical fruit by 2030, an OECD, United Nations Agricultural Outlook report projects.

Currently, avocado has the lowest production level among the major tropical fruits, which include mango, pineapple and papaya.

However, the report says avocados have experienced the fastest growth in output in recent years and is expected to remain the fastest growing commodity of the major tropical fruits from 2021-2030.

Rapid rise In response to rapidly growing global demand, the report says avocado is expected to become the most traded major tropical fruit by 2030, reaching 3.9Mt of exports and overtaking both pineapple, the current biggest export, and mango.

“Ample global demand and lucrative export unit prices continue to be the main drivers of this growth, stimulating substantial investments in area expansion in both major and emerging production zones,” says the report.

“Production is accordingly projected to reach 12Mt by 2030 – more than three times its level in 2010.”

The reports says ample global demand and lucrative export unit prices continue to be the

Page 45

main drivers of this growth, stimulating substantial investments in area expansion in both major and emerging production zones.

Import, export Avocado production has so far been concentrated in a small number of regions and countries, with the top 10 producing countries accounting for almost 80 per cent of global output, but new growing areas are emerging rapidly. Nevertheless, the report says about 74 per cent of avocado production is expected to remain in Latin America and the Caribbean, given the favourable growing conditions.

“The United States and the European Union, where consumer interest in avocados is fuelled by the fruit’s assumed health benefits, are expected to remain the main importers, with 40 per cent and 31 per cent of global imports in 2030, respectively,” says the report.

“However, imports are also rapidly rising in many other countries such as in China and some countries in the Middle East, and, as measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index of all importers, the concentration of imports is gradually decreasing.”

Bananas remain the most popular traded fruit, with a global net import quantity of about 18.9Mt in 2020.

Read the report, here: www.fao.org/3/cb5332en/cb5332en.pdf

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AVOCADOS

Page 46

Bay of Plenty’s best young grower found Thermo Max

2021 BOP Young Grower winner Bryce Morrison, centre, with second place getter Emily Woods and third on the podium, Quintin Swanepoel.

The Bay of Plenty’s Young Grower of the Year is Bryce Morrison, a Seeka grower services representative.

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Bryce feels he brings a fresh energy to the industry and likes to tackle problems with new ideas and technical solutions.

One of Bryce’s major achievements includes the Gold Futures and Cut it Out projects, which helped the industry better understand and manage Psa.

Bryce’s win was announced at the BOP competition held last month, where eight competitors tested their skills and ability to run a successful orchard through a series of challenges.

Competition organisers say Bryce excelled in individual challenges, and impressed judges with his speech about Covid-19, which each competitor presented at a gala dinner.

Bryce’s prize includes an all-expenses paid trip to Wellington to compete for the National Young Grower of the Year title in September with the other regional winners, as well as $1500 cash.

New energy Bryce comes from Christchurch, where he completed his Horticultural Management studies at Lincoln University.

After spending four years in the industry with Fruition Horticulture, the 28-year-old has recently embarked on a new journey with Seeka, joining the grower services team.

Bryce Morrison competing at the BOP Young Grower competition, held at Mount Maunganui.

Photo: Quinn O’Connell Photo & Video.

Always hopping on board for industry events, this was Bryce’s second time competing in the Young Grower of the Year competition.

Beyond work, Bryce loves spending time outdoors.

Tough competition BOP Young Growers chair Erin Atkinson says the calibre of this years’ entrants made the event special.

“The contestants in this year’s BOP Young Grower competition have shown great potential for strong careers in the horticulture industry,” says Erin.

“The competition is the perfect environment to put their knowledge on display and it’s reassuring that we have such young talent coming through our industry.”

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc. chief executive Colin Bond agrees, and says that these competitions are important to highlight the skills and careers associated with the horticulture industry.

“Horticulture is undergoing rapid change in areas such as regulation and the make-up of the labour force,” says Colin.

“It is critical that we have skilled talent with careers in the industry to lead a pathway forward.

“The 2021 BOP Young Grower competition is an illustration of not only the careers available, but that some of our young and upcoming people will hold the industry in good stead.”

KIWIFRUIT

Page 47

Potential link between green kiwifruit and a good sleep The project also aims to determine the effect of green kiwifruit on self-reported psychological wellbeing.

Sleep promoting foods have been shown to increase the levels of the neurohormone melatonin and its precursor serotonin. Both hormones play central roles in the regulation of sleep-wake cycles.

New Zealand kiwifruit’s nutrient-dense flesh and skin is high in vitamin C, folate and fibre. Kiwifruit also urinary concentration of metabolites central in the regulation of sleepwake cycles, and whether these effects are enhanced using a freeze-dried form of kiwifruit that includes the skin of the fruit.

contains six micrograms per gram of serotonin, which is considered high.

Market potential The funding will be allocated over 12 months by the High-Value Nutrition (HVN) Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga National Science Challenge.

“This study strongly aligns with HVN’s mission and strategy to develop high-value foods with validated health benefits to drive economic growth through

research excellence,” says HVN challenge director Joanne Todd.

“The anticipated outcomes may reveal the potential for the formulation of unique Aotearoa New Zealand kiwifruit-based products with health messaging related to sleep quality and mood, while bringing increased economic benefits for growers.”

The study is being conducted by PhD candidate Alex Kanon under the supervision of Dr Sharon Henare, in collaboration with Zespri.

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Better sleep A study examining the effects of green kiwifruit on sleep quality and the sleep-wake cycle in males has been awarded $31,800 of funding.

The work builds on previous research, which found that sleep quality improved with the consumption of two New Zealandgrown green kiwifruit every day for four weeks.

The research team will investigate whether the consumption of fresh green kiwifruit flesh will increase the

“There is some evidence from scientific studies that kiwifruit promotes sleep but how it does that we don’t really know,” says Massey University senior lecturer Dr Sharon Henare.

“We’re interested in identifying the mechanism by which kiwifruit may be acting to improve sleep and whether this involves an increase in the neurochemicals responsible for the regulation of sleep-wake cycles.

“The potential to use a natural product, such as having kiwifruit after dinner, appeals as a simple solution to improve sleep.”

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Winter pruning courses in the Bay of Plenty There is currently a lack of kiwifruit winter pruners in New Zealand, with much of the normally utilised staff, such as RSE workers, being unable to enter the country.

Winter pruning is very important for setting up the foundations for a successful kiwifruit harvest in the next growing season.

The goal of winter pruning is to get the right number of high quality one-year-old buds, evenly spaced and tied down across the canopy.

The even spread of buds is critical in producing an evenly spread fruitset in the coming season.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has funded NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc to run winter training programmes for those seeking work in the kiwifruit industry.

This five-day course is facilitated

by Fruition Horticulture, a company experienced in delivering training to people currently employed in horticulture.

Further training After the completion of a one-day taster course on winter pruning, students are eligible to sign up for the more intensive five-day winter pruning course.

The purpose of the five-day course is to educate and upskill the participants, so they have a

comprehensive understanding of kiwifruit winter pruning.

This is achieved by providing them with the skills and the ability to start working as a pruner out in the kiwifruit industry with local contractors.

With the course being five days, it gives the time to expand on the basic skills and content covered on the one-day taster course.

Important topics required for working in winter pruning are covered in detail, including

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the importance of winter pruning, cane identification, winter pruning techniques, an overview of the kiwifruit industry, the importance of pruning safety, vine health and tool maintenance.

The course also included guest speakers Stacee Marino from KI, who discussed her journey climbing the kiwifruit industry ladder, and Linda Peacock, from KVH who discussed the importance of biosecurity and reducing the spread of diseases.

Hands-on learning The course has a large practical component with the students getting outside for afternoon sessions on the orchard. This allows them to learn hands on practical skills that they can link with theory learnt in the morning.

Experienced pruners and orchard managers assist in facilitating and assessing the students’ learnings in these sessions.

Applicants ranged in both age and experience, with some progressing from having never pruned a vine before to being able to successfully winter prune multiple bays with gold strung canes.

The goal of this course is having applicants leave with the ability to walk into a job as a kiwifruit pruner with confidence and minimal training required, beginning their career in the kiwifruit industry.

For those interested in this five-day winter pruning course please contact Di Holloway at NZKGI to sign up for a one-day taster course as soon as possible, as there are limited positions and only a few taster courses left.

The five-day winter pruning course will be held from August 2-6.

To register, visit: www.nzkgi.org.nz/taster-courseregistrations-open, email: di.holloway@nzkgi.org.nz or call: 0800 232 505.

Gisborne’s Young Grower New Zealand export and domestic horticulture industry.

“All contestants can be really proud of what they have achieved and the industry they are a vibrant part of,” says Barry.

Jamie will represent “But with the rapid the Gisborne growing rate of change and community in the number of challenges national Young Grower facing the industry, we of the Year competition need to support and in Wellington on nurture these talented September 22-23, where young growers. six other regional finalists “Competitions like the will compete for their Young Grower of the share of $30,000 worth Year give young people of prizes. invaluable experience, “I’m really stoked,” to help them start their says Jamie. journey as the leaders “I love what I do, of tomorrow. as growing is such a “People like Jamie show fantastic lifestyle choice.

Jamie McIntyre has won that the future of the “I am passionate about the 2021 Gisborne industry is in safe and growing and want to Young Grower of the capable hands.” share what happens on Year competition.

Barry says the our orchards, so more horticulture industry has a lot to offer. people can have a slice of the lifestyle “It’s a rewarding career for those who that we can all lead.” want to help feed New Zealand and Horticulture New Zealand president the world healthy food, while helping Barry O’Neil says all the contestants our country to meet environmental and have a bright future ahead of them, in the $6.5 billion-plus and growing climate change mitigation goals.”

Jamie McIntyre, 25, who is an orchard hand at Illawarra Farms, has won the 2021 Gisborne Young Grower of the Year competition.

KIWIFRUIT

Page 49

Te Puke kiwifruit gets $40m investment Te Puke’s economy will receive a $40 million cash injection as DMS Progrowers Ltd unveils plans to double the size of its existing local operation – the biggest single investment the company has ever made.

Construction is underway on a new 5400m2 packhouse and four new coolstores at the company’s Te Matai Rd site.

DMS chief executive Derek Masters says Te Puke businesses and contractors will be used for the majority of the expansion project.

“It’s important to look after your own,” says Derek.

24 hours a day, seven days a week, during the limited Gold harvest window. Investing in more automation is important but eventually you just need more physical space.”

DMS currently packs 14 million trays of kiwifruit between its two sites at Te Puna and Te Puke. Once the new packhouse is completed, the company will have doubled its packing capacity at Te Puke to around 12 million trays per year, increasing overall packing capacity to 20 million trays company-wide.

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DMS Pukepack site manager Dave Pharo says the new development will have a temperature and Growing with the industry humidity controlled bin store that will jointly feed Te Puke builders, plumbers, electricians, both the old packhouse and the new one. refrigeration specialists, earthmovers, lighting, fire “The four additional coolstores, with a static systems, concrete and panelling supplies, along capacity of 1.5 million trays, will be automated with utility and services’ installation and other with shuttle racking technology, which we use professionals and trades, will be used in all cases. in our other coolstores on site.”

State-of-the-art MAF Roda camera grading equipment will be installed, with technicians due to fly out from France early next year to commission the new packing line.

“The second packhouse shed will naturally require additional staff to operate – so that’s a lot of new jobs for local residents as well.

“The new facilities will all be operational prior to New site cleared at DMS Pukepack on Te Matai Road, Te Puke. the start of next season in March 2022,” says Dave.

“We strongly believe in keeping things local and DMS purchased a 7.5ha site from an immediate supporting the businesses that are based right here neighbour early last year and re-zoned the land for in Te Puke.” post-harvest activities.

DMS is the first post-harvest company since Derek says as this season has progressed, DMS 2018 to build a completely new packhouse in the has noticed a lot of frustration amongst kiwifruit Bay of Plenty, as the region continues to produce growers about whether their fruit was going to be record-breaking kiwifruit crops. picked and packed in optimal time because every “The industry is growing a significant amount single post-harvest operator was flat out. of fruit – estimated at 178 million trays this “Next year, when we have this additional year – and that is only going to increase as more packhouse, we’ll certainly be able to provide more greenfield developments and Gold conversions packing slots and help a lot more growers. This come on stream. In the next few years demand for $40 million development will also give confidence Gold kiwifruit worldwide will continue to rise and to our existing DMS growers that we will have so DMS wants to grow its share of that anticipated capacity to look after their future growth as well.” industry growth.

Tenders for the lead packhouse/binstore building “Packhouses around the Bay are already working contract are now open.

DMS means peace of mind.

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email your listing to: mackenzie@thesun.co.nz with ‘Rural Event’ in the subject line.

Aug 7

Crop Swap, 10am-11am, 14 Jocelyn St, Katikati.

Veges, fruit, seeds, baking, books, eggs, etc all welcome.

Ph 07 549 4522.

Aug 8

Plant Sale, 10am-1pm, Te Puna Quarry Park,

near Tauranga, cash only.

How will our Coasts Change with Sea-level Rise? 7pm, Pepper Tree restaurant, Coromandel town, koha. See meg.org.nz

Aug 14

NZ Camellia Show, noon4.30pm, Hotel Armitage, Tauranga. See tinyurl. com/rshf7sw

Aug 17

Introduction to Family History,

6pm, Public Library, Cambridge, koha. See tinyurl.com/55c9xb7b

Aug 26

Organics: Waikato Horticultural Society, 7.30pm, Wintec classroom, Gate 2, Hamilton Gardens, $5 non-members. Ph 07 855 3404.

Aug 28

Daffodil Show, 11am-3pm, Hamilton Gardens. Ph Robin 021 760 545.

Worm Composting Workshop, 1-3pm, Settlers Hall,

Omokoroa, small fee. WBOPDC residents only. See tinyurl. com/4x7jmcm6

Sept 3

Hillcrest, Hamilton, $20 (non-members).

Some tools required.

Email waikato@ treecrops.org.nz

Sept 4

Crop Swap, 10am-11am, 14 Jocelyn St, Katikati.

Veges, fruit, seeds, baking, books, eggs, etc. Ph 07 549 4522.

Morrinsville Daffodil Show, 11.30am -3.30pm, Presbyterian Church Hall, Canada St. Gold coin. Ph Margaret 027 788 6149.

Sept 5

Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop, 7pm, St Francis Church,

Bringing Indigenous Nature Back into Towns & Cities, 7pm, Pepper Tree restaurant, Coromandel town, koha. See meg.org.nz

Tackling uncertainty head on A recently launched programme that helps rural people respond positively to pressure, uncertainty and change has upcoming dates in the Waikato.

personal

The programme, called Know your Mindset, Grow your Influence, is run by Agri-Women’s Development Trust and Umbrella Wellbeing.

“From new regulations, to shifting consumer markets and adverse weather, rural people have always adapted to change,” says AWDT general manager and farmer Lisa Sims.

“But in today’s world of supercharged change, understanding how situations affect our thinking and behaviour is helpful. From there, we can focus on what matters to us and choose how to positively influence the people, places and organisations we care about.”

With a focus on making the science of psychology practical, accessible and enjoyable for rural people, the programme is guided by Umbrella Wellbeing clinical psychologist Bronwyn Moth and AWDT facilitator and farm

advisor Geordie McCallum.

“We’re also working closely with the Farmstrong team, who are supporting us to build and evaluate the programme and share participant stories,” says Lisa.

The programme follows a successful online pilot held for farmers last year, where participants gained an understanding of how uncertainty might impact their thinking and behaviour.

One 2020 participant remarked that “revisiting my values helped me understand the current disruption I am experiencing. It made me more aware of my behaviours that are unhelpful when under stress, which helps me find a more helpful way of moving forward.”

The programme runs across two sessions: an online evening workshop on September 22, followed by a daytime face-to-face workshop at Lake Karāpiro on September 29.

Thanks to MPI funding, as well as support from Farmstrong and the Rural Support Trust, the programme costs $30 +GST per person.

Farming partnerships, teams and families, as well as individuals, are

encouraged to attend.

To learn more about Know Your Mindset, Grow Your Influence, visit: www.awdt.org.nz/programmes/knowyour-mindset-grow-your-influence/

AWDT general manager and farmer Lisa Sims.

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B: Beekeeper Matt MacDonald shows Pearl, 9, and Jedidiah de Jong, 11, the bees and developing honey in Matamata.

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