Coast & Coast News November

BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 · BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 · BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 · BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014

PIGS PAGE 8-9

SUVS PAGE 34

EFFLUENT PAGE 10-13

AVOCADOS PAGE 28-29

GARDEN & ART PAGE 46

HORTNZ AWARD PAGE 7

MATAMATA PAGE 56-57

November 2014 Issue No.171

Bay of Plenty & Waikato Farm, Orchard & Rural Lifestyle

Enhancing deer performance Landcorp’s Rangitaiki Station deer stock manager Russell Waite (left) and farm business manager Sam Bunny are proud of the performance of the thousands of deer which graze on part of 9300 ha station on the Napier-Taupo Highway - read their story on pages 4 - 5. Photo by Elaine Fisher.

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COAST & COUNTRY

Page 2

Strong reaction not really surprising Matthew Hooton, spokesperson for the Kiwifruit Claim class action says he was surprised by the intense reaction from many in the industry to plans to take the government to court over the introduction of Psa-V. (see page 3) Describing some of the reactions as “vicious” Matthew says “I’ve never personally known anything like the behaviour we’ve seen” in all his years involved in primary industries, including being part of the highly controversial formation of the dairy co-operative Fonterra.

“We thought everyone would sign up for what we considered a good deal for $500 or $1000 with no added risk, to be part of a settlement if we are success-

ful.” However, by late October Matthew says kiwifruit growers representing just 15 per cent of the gold crop had joined the claim.

It’s surprising that the Kiwifruit Claim group was surprised at the strength of reaction to plans to sue the government, given how staunchly the industry has defended itself against what it sees as other attempts to undermine its unique marketing structure.

Those behind the claim have been at lengths to say the court case will not break the single point of entry marketing status which gives Zespri exclusive rights to export New Zealand kiwifruit to all countries except Australia, but many in the industry believe it will potentially undermine the SPE. Kiwifruit growers would undoubtedly like to know exactly

how and when the bacterial disease Psa-V arrived in New Zealand, and who is to blame but now their industry is well on the way to recovery, they also don’t want to see their marketing structure, and therefore their income, under threat.

Unlike kiwifruit, the deer industry may not be making headlines but at Landcorp’s Rangitaiki Station significant improvements are being made in the genetic performance of the animals which have only been domesticated for 40 years. See pages 4-5.

Large Black Pigs were once so rare they were a threatened species but Shelly and Hadley Mora of Hamilton are turning that around on their free-range pig farm – see pages 8-9.

Coast & Country News makes its own headlines this month – see page 7.

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COAST & COUNTRY

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Kiwifruit claim on hold; ‘scaremongering’ alleged “The kiwifruit industry has bounced back strongly since Psa, thanks to the hard work of growers and with the help of $25m from the Government.”

Scaremongering by kiwifruit industry leaders is being blamed for delays in filing a class action against the government for negligence in allowing the disease Psa-V into the country in 2010.

Matthew Hooton, spokesperson for the Kiwifruit Claim says the group is “taking a breather” and intends to file papers with the High Court in November, instead of on October 17 as planned.

The deadline to join the claim has also been extended from October 24 to give growers more time to consider joining.

“Quite exceptional scaremongering has been coming from one or two Zespri directors and from NZKGI and some of it has been quite personal.

“Claims have been made that if legal action was taken the government would strip the industry of the Single Point of Entry status, would reduce funding for research and development in the kiwifruit industry and that Trade Minister Tim Groser would not represent the industry over access to markets.

All those claims are false.”

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges won’t drawn on the Government’s attitude to the claim but says it’s totally up to growers to decide whether they want to get involved in legal action.

“Once the claim has been filed the Ministry of Primary Industries will consider it but the Government is confident that we have acted appropriately.

“The kiwifruit industry has bounced back strongly since Psa, thanks to the hard work of growers and with the help of $25m from the Government. Most growers are focused on the future and getting on with the job, and the Government supports them in this.”

The claim seeks compensation for the effects of the bacterial disease Psa-V on kiwifruit growers and plans to hold Biosecurity NZ accountable for its negligence in allowing the 2010 Psa outbreak.

Taking the government to court could, Mike says, “ultimately weaken the Government’s resolve to continue to support the kiwifruit industry”.

Foundation member of the Kiwifruit Claim group, Allan Dawson of Aongatete Coolstores resigned in October saying: “The likely collateral damage from the claim proceeding in its present form, in my view, puts the SPE at risk.” He made his decision after obtaining independent expert advice from a colleague in the senior ranks of the former Ministry of Agriculture.

Post-harvest operators, claiming to represent 80 per cent of the industry, have distanced themselves from Kiwifruit Claim court case in a letter to Prime Minister John Keys.

Those signing the letter include Ray Sharp, Chairman of EastPack Ltd but his views appear opposed to those of EastPack’s deputy chairman Grant Eynon who has joined the grower committee which launched the proposed legal action.

representing 15 per cent of the industry’s gold crop.

“We are talking to a further 15 per cent of gold growers but have not heard from the remaining 70 per cent of gold growers.”

Neil Trebilco, president of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc says its stance on the Kiwifruit Claim remains the same. “We are advising growers to think very carefully before becoming part of the claim but in the end the decision is up to growers.”

NZKGI had obtained legal advice on the possibility of taking a case over the introduction of Psa but the opinions were that such a claim would face

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Grant, who is also a former chairman of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated, says all kiwifruit growers and post-harvest operators who have been adversely affected by Psa have an obligation to their families and shareholders to seriously consider signing up to the Kiwifruit Claim against the former Biosecurity NZ. “Since litigation of this nature was first considered

by NZKGI, Zespri and others more than two years ago, new DNA evidence has identified that a shipment of material MAF allowed into New Zealand in June 2009 is the source of the Psa incursion.”

The only post-harvest operator to join the claim is Seeka Kiwifruit Industries.

Those behind the claim held a grower meeting in Te Puke in October telling the audience of around 200 that they had at that time registrations representing 10 per cent of the kiwifruit industry, with claims for losses against the Ministry for Primary Industries worth in excess of $200 million.

The claim’s legal team includes Alan Galbraith QC, Matthew Dunning QC and Parker & Associates and the class action, is being supported by litigation funders, LPF Group Ltd. The class action has been controversial since it was launched in September with Zespri chairman Peter McBride saying the claim lacks transparency and fails to properly communicate the uncertainties surrounding the claim.

The proposed court case could be another indirect attack on the industry’s marketing structure, Mike Chapman, CEO for New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc believes.

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significant hurdles and the likelihood of success was not high, he says.

“We need to bear in mind that like it or not this industry is in partnership with Government and the last thing you do to your partner is sue. For me suing a partner is a last resort.”

A Ministry for Primary Industries spokesperson says MPI will “not make any comment on this issue in view of the pending litigation”.

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Thousands of fawns graze the pastures of Rangitaiki Station.

Two thousand hinds, in close formation, drift in front of the ute, heads high, slender legs stretching forward, with hardly a sound but for the distinctive clicking of their dainty hooves.

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The herd stops, and almost as one, the deer turn to look our way, comfortable to be inquisitive at their ‘safe distance’.

Soon to begin fawning, the herd is part of Landcorp’s Rangitaiki Station deer unit – and for farm business manager Sam Bunny and deer stock manager Russell Waite, a source of justifiable pride.

The hinds are in good condition, past fawning percentages are high and genetic gains in growth rates of their offspring are constantly improving.

Rangitaiki is Landcorp’s largest deer farm in the North Island but the 9300ha station doesn’t farm only deer.

“We have two deer units of

3400 hectares, but also farm sheep and beef and have a dairy support unit,” says Sam. Sam can recount the Rangitaiki’s impressive stats from memory.

There are 80,000 stock units, which include 8000 breeding hinds 400 breeding and velvet stags, plus 22,000 breeding ewes, 1400 breeding Angus heifers and 1000 head of trading cattle. Added to the figure are fawns, lambs and calves, plus 1400 dairy cows grazed on the support unit.

Five farms

“This farm is the result of five smaller farms, owned by Landcorp since Lands and Surveys days, and amalgamated,” says Sam, who with wife Christina and their three children have been at Rangitaiki for 18 months.

While his role is to oversee the entire operation, Sam admits to having an affection for deer and strong interest

in the aim to improve their genetic performance.

“Deer have only been farmed in New Zealand for about 40 years, so obviously the industry is young and we are making rapid improvement in genetic performance.”

The aim of the breeding programme includes increasing weight gain in fawns so they reach 90kg within 10 months to meet the high-paying chill venison market of September and October. Currently that weight is achieved by most fawns within 12 months.

When ready to leave the farm it’s Jack Turner Transport of Taumarunui which provides the transport. Genetic improvement is also aimed at increasing velvet yield from stags – and Russell and Sam say temperament is an important factor.

“If you can’t easily handle deer in the shed, no matter how good their genetics, they aren’t worth keeping,” says Russell, who has been farming deer for 40 years.

Genetic gain

Sam says genetic gain is achieved by using red deer stags as terminal sires, with a small number of Wapiti stags to add hybrid vigour. Artificial Insemination, using Landcorp sire stags from its Stuart Deer Farm in the South Island and some from Deer Improvement, is also used.

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COAST & COUNTRY

Page 5

Striving to improve deer genetics through research, breeding spring, but Sam says droughts have “Together Stuart Deer Farm and Deer Improvement probably have some taken their toll on production of the best deer genetics in the during the last eight years country. We have a stud – and he’s farming with book of 400 hinds and dry seasons in mind. use EID scanning to That means being keep track of perforflexible about mance,” says Sam. stocking rates, with Another of the provision, mainly programme’s aims through the sheep is to bring concepand beef unit, to tion dates forward, increase or decrease which would increase numbers to suit conthe number of fawns up ditions. to weight by SeptemberSam says when it comes October. to deer, having the right Traditionally, hinds don’t come There are 400 breeding and velvet people to manage them is vital. into season until March-April, “Not everyone likes working stags on Rangitaiki Station. but Sam says it appears possible to with deer but those who do have change that. a great understanding of them.”

Improving live weights and animal Among those at Rangitaiki is health isn’t all about genetics.

Russell, whose introduction Feeding the deer well, of course, to deer farming included plays an important role and at working on a farm with Rangitaiki’s altitude of about some of the first deer 700 metres to 880 metres, captured from the wild by growing and maintaining feed aviation and deer farming requires careful management. pioneer Tim Wallis.

“The seasons are about four He says the changes deer weeks later here than say the Bay farming has undergone since of Plenty.” then are impressive.

However, 600 ha of swedes and “The genetic gains are amazing. kale are planted each year and breakPasture renewal at Rangitaiki We used to think a stag with two fed to deer using five-wire electric Station underway on a former kilograms of velvet was pretty fencing. cropping paddock. good, now you question whether That cropping is part of a regular one which produces four kilograms programme of pasture-renewal with tall fescue and should stay in the herd.” rye grass, plus some clover – the main species grown.

Deer handling techniques and facilities have also Plateau Sprayers of Taupo is among local contractors improved dramatically. “In the early days it was pretty who work for Landcorp. tough. We used to pretty much man-handle the A further 600ha is devoted to silage and 2,500,000kg deer. When I think of what we did, it’s a wonder we of dry matter is produced to feed stock through the survived.” winter.

Snow and frosts

It snows at Rangitaiki and frosts are common but the soils are good, and improving with a careful fertiliser plan. So far this year the weather has been reasonably kind and grass growth promising in

Silage is made on 600ha each year at Rangitaiki Station.

False teeth

Deer were worth big money back in the 1970s. “One of the partners in one farm I was on was an Auckland dentist. Some of the older deer had worn their teeth down so much they were having trouble grazing, so he made them false teeth and glued them in. It worked for a little while,” says Russell.

Tooth wear is a problem at Rangitaiki too, because deer browse down to the ground and pumice in the soil can be abrasive. However, 10 year-old hinds are still productive members of the herd.

Worms and copper deficiency are the main health problems for Rangitaiki deer, both handled by regular drenching and dosing. The herd is TB-free but testing

every three years takes two six-day weeks to complete.

“Landcorp works closely with AgResearch on a number of projects, including fertility and we are always keen to be involved as we have the scale researchers need,” says Sam.

Taking part in research is in line with Landcorp’s strategy to “drive adoption of science, systems and new thinking that will boost the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of farm operations” – and to share the learnings with the wider farming community.

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Viable future for small kiwifruit orchards Kiwifruit orcharding remains a viable business for small growers, despite rising costs.

That’s the view of Rod Calver, who has retired after a 41 years in the industry.

“The cost of production can be over $25,000 a hectare, but growers who are able to do their winter pruning for example, can save more than $15,000 a hectare and if returns hold, kiwifruit provides a viable income.”

Rod says growers should heed Zespri’s warning that the high per tray returns they have enjoyed for G3 fruit in recent seasons won’t last, as volumes of the new variety rapidly increase.

He’s experienced the industry’s highs and lows and the challenges of orcharding since he took over managing kiwifruit orchards in Matahui Road in 1978.

“These were the first orchards developed from a dairy farm in the Katikati area. The 150 acres cost $1000 an acre.” The property was bought by a firm of architects and engineers from Gilman Garry Clapp and Sayers in Hamilton in 1973. Rod’s then father-in-law Frank Gilman was one of the owners and by 1978, he and the other partners, who each owned their own orchard block, asked Rod to manage the properties.

It wasn’t the career Rod had set out on. He grew up in Wanganui where his father John and grandfather were butchers. His mother Edna, a nurse married John Calver, then a widower with five children and the couple had two more children together. When Rod

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Kiwifruit pioneer Rod Calver continues to ride horses, despite fracturing his spine in a riding accident in 1993. was seven, his father died. “We lived on a small property just out of town which was a wonderful place to grow up. For around four years after my father died I was the man of the house so I grew up quickly.”

orchards in 1978 and develop their own orchard from bare land in Matahui Road.

“At that time there were only 19 productive kiwifruit orchards in Katikati.”

Career options

Dennis Johnston contractor of Katikati, installed the posts and some well-established vines from the syndicate orchards were transplanted. “The vines moved well. They were removed because the initial blocks were too wide with nine row blocks so half a row was removed from each and replanted with shelter trees.”

The Matahui orchards packed with Bay of Plenty Fruit Packers in Te Puke (now East Pack). “We used to select pick, attempting to harvest only export quality fruit and used to fill a B-train (truck and trailer unit) of bins each day.”

The vines grew on T-bars and fruit was produced right to ground level so pickers became used to working on their knees. That was just as well when one season, wires supporting the canopy were maliciously cut, leaving vines heavy with fruit, sagging close to the ground.

“Several orchards in the area were also attacked and we never found out who was responsible, or why.

“Fruit was always harvested on May 1, until one disastrous season when the fruit quality was terrible. After that Brix testing for sugar levels and ripeness was introduced.”

Rod’s mother married Alex Rennie who also had a family. He was a caring stepfather who encouraged Rod to consider a number of career options and pursue a university education when he left Wanganui Boys College.

Rod completed an agricultural science degree at Massey University and in 1971 was appointed farm advisory officer, agricultural engineering with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, in Palmerston North under Fred Phillips.

Rod was involved in designing water supply and drainage and effluent schemes. In 1973 Rod completed a post graduate diploma in agricultural engineering at Lincoln University and transferred to the MAF office in Taranaki.

“The Taranaki council was ahead of its time in requiring farmers to install systems to handle cow shed effluent, instead of discharging it into streams.”

The advice from Rod and other MAF officers was free, unlike today when farmers meet the full costs of consultants and engineers.

His engineering and design skills were put to different use when Rod and his family moved to Katikati manage the

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Page 7

Editor wins 2nd horticultural journalism award Coast & Country News editor Elaine Fisher has won the Horticulture New Zealand Journalism award for excellence in horticultural journalism for the second time in three years.

Elaine, who was presented the award at the Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators’ awards dinner last month won the same award in 2011 with stories about the devastating impact of the kiwifruit vine disease Psa-V on kiwifruit growers.

This year’s stories were about the remarkable come-back many in the industry have made from the

Elaine Fisher, Coast & Country News editor, is the winner of the 2014 the Horticulture New Zealand Journalism award.

disease and the renewed optimism among growers and postharvest operators.

Earlier this year Coast & Country News won the best All Round Newspaper title in the Community Newspaper Awards and Elaine was runner-up in the best senior

journalist associate award.

“It’s very gratifying to receive these awards for stories which are only possible because the people I am privileged to interview and photograph so generously share their stories and knowledge with me so I can in turn

Rod has been part of huge industry changes Rod won a Kellogg Rural Leadership Scholarship in 1982 and was a strong advocate of, and examiner for the horticultural cadet scheme. “We had up to 70 cadets, many of them now leaders within the industry.”

Industry crisis

The Calver orchard survived the bleak years between 1987 and 1989 when the kiwifruit industry came close to collapsing because of unstable interest rates and exchange rates and increased world supplies of kiwifruit led to an industry crisis.

By that time Rod was playing a leading role in the Katikati Fruitgrowers Association, going on to become president and is now a life member. “Katikati growers had a reputation in the industry for being stirrers and there was some rivalry between us and Te Puke.”

Rod was among those from Katikati who promoted a proposal that the industry investigate establishing a single desk marketing system. Although the idea was initially rejected it was finally accepted at an annual general meeting at Baycourt. The result was the establishment of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board in 1988 with monopoly powers to distribute and market kiwifruit everywhere except Australia. In 2000 it adopted the corporate identity Zespri International Ltd.

Orchardist award

It is a point of pride for Rod that he won the BOP Fruitpackers Orchardist of the year Mace Silliborne Memorial Trophy twice, in 1995 and 1996. “I don’t think Te Puke growers were too impressed with it going to a Katikati grower.” The Calver orchard was producing 12,500 trays a hectare of green Hayward kiwifruit on T-bar structures.

After 20 years of orcharding, Rod made the hard decision to sell the orchard to give himself and his wife MaryAnne more time to enjoy their other interests, which include horse trekking. “In 1998 we had our first horse trek in Australia and it was wonderful.”

The couple were by then living on the grazing block

in Lindemann Road they call Aberfeldy.

Rod couldn’t quite cut his industry ties and in 2002 joined the post-harvest company Aongatete as horticultural manager eventually becoming part of a team of grower services representatives.

Rod, who retired from the Aongatete team earlier this year, clearly remembers the industry’s reaction to spring frosts in 2003 when post-harvest companies and orchardists hired helicopters to fly through the night, creating down drafts of warmer air to stop the frost settling. “It was crazy. There were helicopters everywhere, flying low, in total darkness, I’ll never understand why there wasn’t an accident.”

Night flights

Those night aerial assaults were rapidly replaced with other frost protection system, mostly using irrigation to cover the canopies and fruit with water.

Of all the challenges the industry was faced, the bacterial disease Psa-V first discovered in Te Puke in 2010 was potentially the most devastating. However, Rod remained optimistic the industry would pull through.

It was the industry’s united structure which also gave Rod confidence that it could pull through. A fragmented industry would not have done so he believes.

Today his only remaining official tie with the industry is as a Zespri Ambassador, looking after visiting international trade and media groups hosted by the marketer.

Rod’s optimism in the face of adversity is a hallmark of his life and no doubt stems from the hard lessons learned from losing his father when he was so young.

It helped him through tough times as an orchardist and on a personal level when he fractured his spine in a horse riding accident in 1993. “I was two months in hospital and then had to learn to walk again.”

More recently he’s battled cancer, but refuses to let injury or illness stop him riding horses and pushbikes, travelling, entertaining guests with MaryAnne at their homestay, enjoying their extended family and taking a keen interest in horticultural and agricultural industries.

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“I am grateful to HortNZ for its sponsorship of the horticultural journalism award and to the guild for running the annual awards programme,” says Elaine.

The 2014 HortNZ journalism award was judged on style of writing, presentation, accuracy and topicality. Judges were looking for articles which were well written, interesting, informative, with attention to detail, easy to understand, and with a high overall standard of workmanship.

Winning this awards coincides with the latest Nielsen Rural Readership survey which shows that 51 per cent of

farmers in the Coast and Country circulation area read Coast & Country, and that within the Northern Region 5,400 exclusive readers of Coast & Country who do not read Waikato Times Farmer, choose to read only Coast & Country.

Three out of five Coast & Country readers read every monthly issue.

The Nielsen Rural Readership Survey 2014 (base: Northern Region) also showed the majority of readers spend between 16 minutes and two hours reading Coast & Country News and that overall, readers value rural magazines and newspaper as a useful source of information for their businesses.

COAST & COUNTRY

Page 8

Farming rare pigs for profit and protection Soils

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“Large Black pigs are known for being well adapted to the outdoor life, are not susceptible to sunburn and have a docile temperaments. They are fantastic grazers, great mothers and their meat makes for exceptional eating.”

Long ears

The pigs live up to their name. They are indeed large with long, deep bodies.

The couple’s sire boar is more than 1.5 metres long and weighs more than “It’s not the career I ever imagined Hadley Mora’s purple Massey 200kg.

Ferguson is now Shelly Mora’s Their adult sows weight more than for myself but when my husband Hadley and I got our first pig, I just trusty transport for pig food 150kg. Apart from their colour, the fell in love with the animals,” says and fencing. most distinctive feature of a Large Shelly, who is one of 17 entrants in Black is the large ears which reach to the Rural Women New Zealand Enterprising Rural the tips of their snouts, covering their eyes.

Women Awards 2014.

Shelly and Hadley graze their current herd of 25 The first pig the couple owned was white but as pigs plus piglets on a five hectare block of lease land Shelly and Hadley’s interest in pigs grew, their research near Temple View, Hamilton. However, the couple are led them to Large Blacks, with a history dating back to currently developing their own 12.8ha property near Huntly as their new farm.

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“We would like to increase the pig numbers to 60 The fact the breed is considered endangered was part sows in the short to medium term and eventually of the reason she and Hadley began breeding them, become a free range chicken farm too.” but it wasn’t a purely emotional decision. The Large

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COAST & COUNTRY

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Herd possibly largest in country breed, but research of this is still going on.

“I don’t buy or sell pigs through the local sale yards.

It’s all done through word of mouth and we have had adverts on TradeMe a few times in the last six months.”

The pigs are visible from the roadside and the signs on the fence with contacts numbers are a regular source of inquiry too.

Many clients are dairy farmers, who raise the pigs for their meat.

Shelly and Hadley don’t sell meat from their own animals, but establishing a free range pork processing facility on their new farm is among their long-term plans.

Shelly is committed to seeing the Large Black breed recover, and the protection of other threated domestic animals. For that reason she’d like to join the board of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand.

“One of my goals is to demonstrate to others how a large-scale outdoors pig herds can be run in Long ears almost covering their a profitable manner.” eyes are a distinctive feature of

Shelly Mora has traded office work for life as a breeder of rare Large Black pigs – and she loves it.

While Shelly has learned farming skills from Hadley, who manages a calf rearing unit, she’s called on her business training to help plan the growth of the business they call ‘Zenfirma Farm’.

“With the business in its infancy I’ve engaged our accountant for advice with our financial planning.”

Rural Women

Joining Rural Women NZ and entering the Enterprising Rural Women Awards 2014 is also helping grow her knowledge of the business of farming.

“Rural Women is a wonderful organisation with so much support and so much knowledge among the members.

I’m really grateful for the journey of my application so far and looking forward to the future with this wonderful organisation.”

Shelly and Hadley have set themselves high goals and this is reflected in their choice of business name.

“The meaning is ‘Zen’ coming from ‘Zenith’ being the highest point, top of the world and ‘firma’ means ‘I believe firmly in what I am doing’. Put it together, you have top quality pigs coming from the best, free range farm.”

Venturing into farming has not only meant learning to work with and manage pigs for South African born Shelly, but also how to drive ‘Li’l Lisa’, Hadley’s purple Massey Ferguson tractor.

“I love driving the tractor. It’s great for transporting feed and fencing gear,” says Shelly, who came to New Zealand with her family at age 13.

Electric fences

The pigs are kept in small paddocks, separated by low electric fences which makes moving them to fresh pasture easy.

That pasture includes chicory and clover and this year a crop of oats was grown as an experiment. “It has been highly successful and we got one re-growth of oats to Large Black pigs. graze again and the pigs love it, so the next crop will be peas and oats.

“Pigs only root up the ground because of a diet deficiency. So we use it as a strong indicator to balance the diet when we see rooting.”

The pigs are fed on wheat bran, palm kernel, soy, crushed maize and oats, dried grape, molasses and other dry feed. Carrots and milk are also fed when available.

“I don’t feed ‘commercial scraps’ to the pigs due to the lack of nutrition and MPI restrictions.”

Lactating sows are fed 13kg minimum of dry food a day, while the piglets have a ‘creep feeder’ which is a little box Hadley built, to shelter food from weather.

“The sow cannot get to it due to a hotwire that piglets can go under. This box is filled with up to 30kg of high protein feed for the piglets to adlib from during the day.”

Breeding herd

Zenfirma Farm began about five years ago and initially Shelly and Hadley travelled the North Island buying Large Black pigs to get as many bloodlines as possible for their breeding herd.

“It is believed our free-range herd of pure bred Large Black pigs is possibly the largest herd in New Zealand of this

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Formwork system proving effective

The new system of constructing sand wedges for effluent storage, like this Waikato project, is proving popular with farmers.

Constructing sand wedges for effluent storage from concrete, using a box and pour system, also known as formwork, is a new construction technique adopted by Paul Lowe, owner/operator of Lowe Builders.

“It’s proving very effective for a number of reasons,” says Paul who is well known for the quality of his work in constructing farm buildings including modern dairies, fed pads and silage bunkers.

The construction of wedges using formwork offers a number of advantages, says Paul.

The contour of the site can be readily adapted to suit the wedges; and once the floor is poured work can progress on pouring concrete for the 200mm thick walls in almost any weather.

The creation of control and construction joints within the formwork means the walls can be poured in any length. Most wall pours are generally between 50 and 150 metres at any one time.

“I prefer the walls to be 1.2 metres to 1.5 metres

high, as that is not too deep to be cleaned by a tractor.” To this end Paul also recommends a ramp design for easy access for the tractor.

The system can be used to create a pumping station for up to 200,000 litres of effluent or to suit whatever capacity is required by the farm.

Paul recommends farmers use a weeping wall system, which is an effective means of separating liquid from solids.

“This formwork method of construction has the advantage of being cheaper than using tilt slab concrete panels because it saves on transport and crane hire costs. It also offers superior structural integrity than tilt panels.”

Paul says the new system is already proving popular with farmers with a large number of the new design wedges being confirmed for construction.

Based in Matamata, Lowe Builders specialise in dairy sheds, cow houses, cow sheds, feed pads, block laying, stone work and farm buildings.

Paul is originally a house builder, who has diversified into building farm dairies out of a passion for being involved in the dairy farming business.

WOF brings peace of mind

Ensuring the farm effluent system is efficient, compliant and robust can now be done with an independent assessment, giving farmers the heads up on problems that may affect their system’s future performance.

DairyNZ’s sustainability team leader Theresa Wilson says the Dairy Effluent Warrant of Fitness programme aims to provide the same peace of mind as getting a warrant for the family car or farm ute does.

Launched earlier this year, the scheme is starting to draw in more farmers who have been, or will be, upgrading the farm effluent system to ensure they remain compliant with council rules. This is especially important if farmers are building off paddock facilities and managing increasing volumes of effluent. To find out more go to www.dairynz.co.nz

Human drug may reduce animal methane

A drug developed to lower cholesterol levels in humans may also help reduce methane gas emission from sheep and cattle.

A grant of $150,000 is being offered by the Ministry for Primary Industries for research into the effects of mixing lovastatin into animal feed on the gas livestock produce.

The initiative follows a paper published in BioMed Research International which suggests, lovastatin which is found in rice straw and fungus, could be used as an "economically viable and environmentally sustainable strategy to mitigate CH4 (methane) production" in livestock.

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Dairy cows excluded from waterways in three years Dairy cattle will be excluded from waterways by July 2017 under new requirement to be introduced by Government, says the Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy.

Nathan says the Government will work with industry to exclude other cattle from waterways over time on intensively farmed lowland properties.

“I want to recognise and salute the dairy industry for the enormous progress they have made in voluntarily fencing off around 90 per cent of waterways on their farms. But it’s important we send a clear message to international markets how importantly we take environmental issues.”

The Government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars towards freshwater clean-up projects on lakes and rivers around the country.

“During the (election) campaign we announced we’ll invest an additional $100 million over 10 years to voluntarily buy and retire selected areas of farmland next to important waterways.”

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Nathan says he is also looking forward to seeing more progress on irrigation and water storage projects.

“After two severe droughts in the last two summers, especially in the Waikato, the need for better water storage is obvious. We only capture around two per cent of rainfall in New Zealand, with the rest roaring out to sea.”

The Government has created Crown Irrigations Investment Limited to make independent decisions on which projects to invest in.

“Their role is as a minority investor – early in, early out to kick-start projects.

So far we have allocated $120 million out of a potential $400 million in funding.

“We have potential for an extra 420,000 hectares of land to be irrigated by 2025, creating thousands of new jobs and boosting exports by $4 billion a year.”

Irrigation benefits

Nathan says he has seen what a difference irrigation makes to rural communities, revitalising schools and entire towns, creating jobs for locals.

“Crown Irrigation Investments has made its first investment, agreeing the terms for a $6.5m investment into the Central Plains Water scheme on the Canterbury Plains.

“Over the next three years I’m looking forward to seeing more investments like this announced and progressing.”

It is not just dairy that benefits from irrigation, but industries like horticulture, and viticulture as well.

“Projects must be environmentally balanced, and there are high standards for new dairy farm conversions. We know that irrigation can deliver real environmental benefits as more consistent river flows improve the habitats for fish and birdlife, while taking pressure off groundwater aquifiers.

“Achieving our export double goal has to be done sustainably. It’s important to New Zealanders, and it’s important to our overseas customers as part of Brand New Zealand.

“Technology transfer from projects like PGP and the Sustainable Farming Fund will be important. Lifting the performance of all farms to the highest performing level will mean increased production within environmental limits.”

EFFLUENT

Page 13

Mystery device revealed as inflation-former Send your entry to: elaine@thesun.co.nz or post to: Mystery Item, Coast & Country, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3110, to arrive no later than November 17.

The winner will be announced in Coast & Country’s December issue. The museum at 41 Canada St, Mor-

The strange-looking device which has staff at the Te Aroha and District Museum flummoxed failed to stump Coast & Country readers.

Last month’s mystery item, which museum staff had been unable to identify, was all too familiar with those who grew up or worked on dairy farms in the 1950s and 1960s.

It is used for making inflations for milking machine cups.

One Coast & Country reader, identified only as ‘RuffChops’ says the device was made by a firm called G.V.B, which stands for Gordon Vacuum Brake.

“It was used to put a steel ring in the inflation rubbers that went inside the cups that were put on the cows teats to milk them.

“The rubbers had to be replaced about every four weeks as they would go soft and perish and would leak the vacuum, so the cups would fall of the cows,” he writes.

Mike Corney of Te Puke says it was an essential piece of equipment in his dad’s cowshed when he was a child.

“Replacement milking inflations used to come as a straight tube, which had to have a metal spreader ring put in one end to fit the cow’s teat.

“The ring is placed in the centre first, then pull the handle down until the fingers close enough above the ring to fit the inflation rubber on. Pull the handle the rest of the way which spread the inflation over the ring. This inflation was fitted inside metal cups.”

Bernard wins

Bernard Smith, also of Te Puke, wins admission for two to the Te Aroha and District Museum for his description of the device.

He writes that there are two grooves on the centre round part of the device.

“You put a brass ring over them, depending on what size hole you want the inflation for – smaller for Jersey cows and larger for Friesians.”

Bernard says the rubber tubing used was roughly one inch in diameter and six to eight inches long.

Mike Thomas of Hamilton writes that these devices were used in the days before modern moulded inflations. Back then inflations came as a straight rubber tube.

He also described the process of making the inflation, saying another tool was used to push a tailpiece, also made of steel or brass, from the mouthpiece to the other end.

“A small steel or brass ring was then fed over the rubber tube with the excess rolled back over the tailpiece. This tube was then pushed into the cup shell and secured with a knurled nut. A milk claw tube was then attached from the tailpiece to the claw.”

Five pieces

Peter Williamson of Waharoa, who used the device when he was milking cows in the 1960s, says back then the whole milking cup was made up of five pieces.

Peter Kennedy of Morrinsville says the device was used in the first part of assembling the milking cup, which had to be done every six to eight weeks as the rubber inflation wore out very quickly and new ones needed to be applied.

rinsville, is open Tuesday-Friday from 12.30pm-4pm, and Saturdays from 9am-2pm. It’s closed Sunday and Mondays. To find out more call 07 889 4190 or visit www.morrinsvilleheritagecentre.org.nz

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DAIRY

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Zinc poisoning and facial eczema While facial eczema season is still a little while away, a very interesting and unique case of zinc poisoning in a Waikato dairy herd – as reported in the ‘Dairy Vet’s Newsletter’ – is a warning about the continued use of zinc for preventing facial eczema.

Now’s the time to be thinking of other strategies for the coming season, particularly fungicides.

The affected herd had some cows die from zinc poisoning while grazing on an effluent block they’d been on for several weeks during summer as a sacrifice paddock in the drought.

Their diet consisted of maize silage, some brought-in feed, palm kernel and soy, plus pasture,

baleage and silage made on-farm.

Soil and pasture in the effluent block, plus silage made from the same area, were very high in zinc and considered the source of the poisoning.

During the years, the herd had been fed large amounts of zinc for facial eczema prevention, as is common in the Waikato.

To counteract the sporidesmin that causes facial eczema, high doses of zinc are continually required to maintain high levels in the liver, but none of it is actually consumed in the process, so it’s all eventually excreted.

Excess zinc is excreted in the faeces, and as all the effluent was spread on just the effluent block, zinc levels built up to very high levels in the soil in this area.

Pasture and silage made there

also had very high zinc levels.

Compounding the problem was poisoned cows had ‘pica’ – a desire to eat soil and dry faeces – so their zinc intake was magnified.

In the past I’ve always been concerned about the short-term ‘toxicity’ of zinc – for example, appetite suppression and accidental over-doses – but this case highlights the potential for longterm toxicity as well.

Fungicides, specifically carbendazim, to control the facial eczema fungus are in my opinion highly under-rated due to perceived inadequacies and misinformation.

However, if used correctly they can eliminate the rise in spore counts and the need for zinc.

Spraying is usually required every six weeks, must be applied well and be started before spore counts start to rise – and you need to be monitoring spore counts.

The huge advantage is animals ingest minimal toxic sporidesmin and don’t require a potentially toxic substance, zinc, to neutralise it.

New role for Dairy Woman of the Year Justine Dairy Women’s Network has appointed one “It’s a credit to the Dairy of its past Dairy Woman of the Year winners Women’s Network board to have a person with Justine Kidd as its new chairperson.

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agriculture and governance experience at the helm,” says retiring chairperson Michelle Wilson.

“As outgoing chair I take a lot of comfort in knowing the organisation will continue to grow from strength to strength with strong leadership at the board table.”

Justine Kidd is the The major prize for new chair of the Dairy winning the 2013 Dairy Women’s Network.

Woman of the Year was a place on the 12-month Global Women’s Network’s Breakthrough Programme, from which Justine graduates this month.

She’s excited to be working with chief executive Zelda De Villiers and the team at the network.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I’m thrilled to get my first chair opportunity with a chief executive like Zelda and an organisation that has a strong fit with my own leadership goals.”

DAIRY

Page 15

Silage may be in short supply this season Some agricultural contractors are reporting they are a month to six weeks behind in harvesting silage because grass growth has slowed up.

We’re not quite that bad in the Western Bay region but overall there is not a lot of silage being made as yet because there isn’t enough surplus grass.

In the past few weeks there hasn’t been a lot of rain and high winds have dried the soil out. The opportunities to make good quality silage at the optimum time are rapidly decreasing.

Making silage in the Bay of Plenty in November needs care because unless there is sufficient rain, there’s a risk the pasture won’t recover after harvest.

A lot of the bales we have made have already gone and there doesn’t appear to be much around. Farmers would be wise to buy now, at least half what they think they may require, because supplements might be hard to find when they need it.

Fence out

Wrapped silage has to be looked after by fencing out stock and laying rat poison or traps. Without these precautions your good quality feed can be ruined by stock or rodents breaking the bales open and spoiling the contents.

NIWA is predicting El Nino weather conditions from January to March with warnings of a summer drought while other forecasters say it may be a weaker El Nino effect, more like the summer of 2004-2005.

However, Blenheim and Marlborough regions are already drier than normal.

In drier conditions it’s even more important to make sure there is some residual left and that paddocks are not over-grazed, but the pasture is also not allowed to go rank.

It’s time to get turnip crops established before things get too dry and weed control is vital to ensure they don’t compete with the crop. After the first weed spray, apply nitrogen before rain to get a good crop.

Some may say you need to feed cows well in a high pay-out year but I say it’s equally important to feed them well when returns are low because you need the herd to produce as much milk as possible. There’s also the risk that not

keeping cows well-nourished in one season will impact on calving percentages and their milking performance in the following one.

As I always say, proper planning prevents pitiful performance.

Maize grain

We are spraying out now for winter swede and kale crops and our maize planting is well underway.

Orders for maize silage are slow again and like many other contractors, I’m considering growing maize for grain but worried we will end up with a shortage of maize silage because farmers didn’t order early enough.

In the last drought we had paddocks of standing maize which we couldn’t cut for silage because we had contracted it to grain companies, but farmers were crying out for silage.

Farmers need to commit to orders to give contractors the direction they need over what to grow. Ordering supplementary feed now is also an insurance that farmers will be able to feed their cows if the summer is dry.

Enjoying the great outdoor - safely Enthusiasts are heading for the great outdoors, but the message from the Mountain Safety Council is be mindful of changeable weather patterns and take special care around rivers.

“Improving weather and more daylight hours mean it’s nearly time to pack away the skis and snowboards.

Many people have already started their tramping, hunting, trail running or mountain biking adventures and many more are planning how they will enjoy the great outdoors this spring,” says the council’s operations manager, Nathan Watson.

Spring is the generally the most unsettled season when it comes to weather. The high pressure systems that so often retreat north in winter, begin to feature more prominently. This period of adjustment can often cause the spring storms that bring heavy rain and late season snow to many places.

Temperatures are also on the increase with the sun getting stronger in intensity and being positioned higher in the sky. “In alpine areas, this can contribute to avalanches, so extra awareness, knowledge and vigilance is required if you are entering avalanche terrain.

As spring progresses, any remaining snow melts and runs into what were frozen alpine streams and creeks.

This run-off has a big impact on the river networks, especially at valley level when multiple small streams and creeks join force.

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recipe for a very flooded and dangerous river.”

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Nitrogen causing ‘metabolic havoc’ To put it crudely, through our farming practices we are pouring fertiliser nitrogen – that could become usable protein for the cow – down a rat hole instead.

We’re wasting protein components in the rumen because we’re growing minerally-poor, low-energy grass.

The rumen microbes can’t use all the nitrogen we’re pouring into the system therefore the excess enters the cow’s blood, where it creates metabolic havoc before spilling out into the environment.

Here it damages water quality and the ecosystem in general. The cow must also excrete excess nitrogen into the milk, which reduces milk quality, cheese quality and payout.

All these problems and expenses have been created by our reliance on unscientific and minerally-impoverished fertiliser programmes.

Using a balanced fertiliser blend based on calcium, from lime, and trace elements with foliar application of liquid nitrogen at much reduced rates actually yields more dry matter, milk, worms, higher soluble solids in the grass; and it reduces animal health costs and reduces water use, all of which translates into higher profit.

This practical approach reduces nitrate leachate and creates better quality milk. We know we can do it because it’s already being done by innovative farmers in NZ.

Future is fat

We’re missing out on milk’s real potential, which is not in its protein content but in its fat content and the allied fat-soluble vitamins A, D3 and K2.

These vitamins can only be found in their right form for us in saturated animal fats.

Pretty much all our modern health problems can be traced back to poorly-mineralised soils,

growing nutrient-poor crops compounded by a serious deficiency of the fat soluble activators.

They’re called activators, because without vitamins A and D as catalysts the other minerals and vitamins in our diet can’t be properly used for making protein.

Proteins are the basis for hormones, enzymes and blood. They’re involved in every bodily process. But here’s the crunch – vitamin K2 has to be present for vitamins A and D to work properly. And K2 is available only in animal fat – particularly in butterfat.

Deficiencies of vitamins D3 and A are now implicated in every health problem we’ve got – heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, mental disorders.

We’ve been chasing the wrong health train for 50 years. It’s not about avoiding natural animal fats; it’s about embracing them. Our appalling and deteriorating health statistics should have made this clear to us decades ago

Vitamin K2

So how do we get high fat-soluble-vitamin butterfat? Here is where NZ’s undervalued advantage comes in. Vitamin K2, which gives high quality butter its deep gold colour, is obtained only from cows grazing directly on green, rapidly growing, well-mineralised, high calcium, low nitrate grass.

NZ has a nearly unique potential to create the natural food components critically needed by all pre-conception parents, pregnant women, children, athletes, the elderly – in fact, everybody.

These are the same natural, saturated-fat, vitamin components that make the world’s great dishes famous and solve the pressing problems of dental caries, orthodontia, dementia, atherosclerosis, kidney stones, birth defects and cancer.

But instead we’re focusing on protein. We export dried, oxidised-cholesterol milk powder

around the globe – particularly to babies in China, setting them up for a life of immune and mental deficiencies through lack of natural fats from mother’s milk.

New Zealand milk companies have been making butter oil for decades as a way of preserving cream components for reconstitution with dried milk powder in overseas factories.

Butter oil is where the gold is, literally. We need to go back to marketing milk for its real value, butterfat, and its high content of crucial vitamins A, D3 and K2.

We could be keeping the milk solids at home and adding value by giving them to grass-raised pigs, which we then sell to China. Pork lard has the highest vitamin D3 content of any food except bear fat.

Banking shift

The real root of this dairy problem – after academic arrogance and fertiliser companies intent on maximising profit – is the banks.

I realise I’m probably enraging everyone – except perhaps the Jersey breeders and pork producers – but until banks shift away from their exhortations that farmers hose urea onto our farms, nothing is going to improve.

In the past, banks operated as conservative advisors having both the farmers and local community’s best interests at heart. They actually worked to improve the financial strength of farm families and the nation.

New Zealand can easily produce the world’s best medicinal butterfat at an eye-watering premium while improving the quality of our

BASE SATURATION PERCENT Calcium (60 to 70%) Magnesium (10 to 20%) Potassium (2 to 5%) Sodium (.5 to 3%) Other Bases (Variable)

}80%

EXCHANGEABLE HYDROGEN (10 to 15%)

soils, water and overall health.

Our national pride could be 100 per cent genuine, knowing the food we’re producing is clean and can truly nourish and eventually heal both people and the environment – and turn a great profit at the same time.

Our current high nitrate, low soluble solids, low mineral forage system and the water quality problems from leachate aren’t good reasons for sacrificing our low cost, pasture-based advantage.

Moving cows into expensive barns and importing feed is not a substitute for fixing the basic problem.

We should be using our cheap lime to drive quality grass growth that creates high vitamin A, D3 and K2 butter fat, healthy long-life cows and a premium product that transforms human health.

Medicinal premiums could be earned for butterfat because it creates beautiful, healthy infants, can heal cavities and restores children to health.

By Phyllis Tichinin Phyllis Tichinin has a degree in Environmental Planning and Management with emphasis on soils and agricultural economics.

She’s been a soils consultant and recently trained in animal nutrition and alternative approaches to animal health with Dr Paul Dettloff, senior consulting veterinarian to Organic Valley Dairies, USA. Phyllis educates about nutrition and farms in Hawke’s Bay.

DAIRY

Page 17

Farm scale composting, biodynamic workshops evolved from methods Steve and Jenny have learned and developed from more than 30 years of managing a wide range of farm systems and by studying the best examples and information available.

“Most of these are long-standing methods that have

been used at times for thousands of years.

“Our understanding and refinement of these methods has led us to develop and use a number of simple tools in order to adapt the methods to modern farming.”

Proven Designs, Proven Profits Waikato Dairy Builders are specialists in the design and construction of herringbone dairy sheds.

A Waikato Dairy Builders shed is designed to maximise milking efficiency and provide better profitability.

Graham Shepard (centre), among those who held courses at Chaos Springs last year, will run another one in autumn next year.

Farm scale composting and an introduction of biodynamics are the subject of November workshops at Chaos Springs, Waihi.

“These workshops are designed to be informative and give you practical information that you can take with you and start using straight away,” says Steve Erickson, who with Jenny Yates Erickson farms an 80ha mixed cropping farm, raising pasture, animals, fruit and vegetables in the Waitawheta Valley near Waihi.

Regular workshops are how they share their knowledge of making compost and the soil management tools they’ve developed to help growers take control of soil fertility.

“To manage soils well we need to understand all four realms of soil function: soil biology, minerals, energetics and the plant-soil relationship. We

believe most soil fertility issues can eventually be handled within the farm boundary.”

The comprehensive one-day farm scale composting workshop will cover the basics of on-farm composting; and Steve will lead the workshop at 131 Deam Rd, from 9am-4pm on November 14.

“The introduction to biodynamics workshop will be our own interpretation of how biodynamics works.

“It will include the concepts and theories on how the methods work, as well as explanations of how to make the various biodynamic preparations; and a look at the planting calendar.

“We’ll also discuss other methods of energy management for farming and soil/plant management.”

Both Steve and Jenny will run the workshop on November 21, which begins at 9.30am and ends at 1pm.

Chaos Springs is also home to Cyclone Soil System, which have

At Chaos Springs all four realms of soil function are taken into account in soil management.

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Page 18

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PITGATES

About 10 years ago I paid $600 to attend a three-day seminar listening to an American ‘biological’ farming expert.

During the course we were told the two worst fertilisers to apply to soil were muriate of potash (potassium chloride) and superphosphate; and applying these would seriously impact on soil micro-organisms.

So I asked him what would be the optimum number of soil micro-organisms in a healthy soil. He responded if you could get 20 billion microbes per gram of soil, that would be the ideal, but he said it would be difficult to achieve.

So I responded by informing him this was the exact figure Ruakura soil scientist Dr Ken Perrott measured on one of the Ruakura dairy farms back in 1994, which had received liberal applications of potassic superphosphate – the two worse fertilisers according to him – for the last 60 years. Needless to say he was not impressed.

Microbial population

Now the reasons for this high microbial population, I believe, is that Perrott’s measurements

Robin Boom

CPAg MBSPC

Independent Agronomy & Soil Fertility Consultant

were done on a Class 1 free-draining soil, the Horotiu Sandy Loam, so there was plenty of oxygen.

Secondly, it had optimum soil fertility and pH levels, resulting in a build-up of soil organic matter (humus) from a strong root mass, dung and urine returns, and the accumulation of dead leaf matter at the base of the pasture during the years.

Thirdly, it hadn’t been over-stocked; and fourthly, up until then there had been little artificial nitrogen applied as until then nitrogen was largely believed to be uneconomic in pastoral systems.

It would be interesting to see if such a high microbial population still exists after 20 years of bagged nitrogen has been applied to it.

When quoting these figures to biological enthusiasts, they reply that even though the numbers may have been high, the diversity of species would be low.

As only a tiny fraction of soil microbes have been DNA typed, this is largely unprovable, and may or may not be so.

But does diversity really matter?

If we think of pasture species, low fertility soils often have a huge range with grass species such as browntop, danthonia, crested dogstail, chewings fescue, goose grass, ratstail, sweet

vernal, and Yorkshire fog being dominant, and the tiny legumes suckling clover and lotus minor, plus a range of weed species such as sheep’s sorrel, hawkbit, dandelion, cudweed, etc being present.

Dominant species

This diversity of species may produce a miserly 6000kg DM/ha, but with improved fertility the superior ryegrass/ white clovers become dominant, species diversity lessens and pasture production more than doubles as well as profit.

If there are less overall species of microbes in a ryegrass/white clover pasture sward, it could well be because these are the more successful ones in a high producing sward, competing out the poorer performing ones.

The evolutionary ‘survival of the fittest’ mantra would explain this.

What we can conclude from Perrott’s work is good fertility created a huge population of microbes, which were actively working to make the soil highly productive and profitable. Diversity doesn’t necessarily equal production or profit, so don’t be hoodwinked by sales and advertising jargon into buying an expensive snake oil product claiming to improve soil biology.

Good drainage, fertility – all 16 essential elements, soil pH, and organic matter (carbon levels) in the soil – are the most important factors.

Get these right and the biology will generally look after itself, but go easy on artificial N. It costs 15c/kg DM, whereas getting soil fertility elements correct costs only 5c/kg DM.

Inspiring women to succeed and inspire New Zealand women to Donna Smit says dairy farming has been good to her and her family – now succeed in the business of dairying.

“Dairy Women’s Network is very she wants to support and inspire other New Zealand women to succeed in the important to the dairy industry and it’s fantastic how it provides industry. a forum to people to This is one of the main learn and grow.” drivers for the EdgeDonna is looking forcumbe dairy farmer and ward to working with company director to new people, includtake on a role as Dairy ing Dairy Women’s Women’s Network’s Network chief executive newest trustee.

Zelda De Villiers.

Donna is a director of “Zelda has some stellar Corona Farms Ltd, a credentials and ideas for family farming company the future, so it will be owned by herself and fantastic to be part of husband Corrie that the journey to deliver comprises of five farms in Whakatane and Oamaru, Donna Smit of Edgecumbe something of real value is the Dairy Women’s to New Zealand dairy milking 2300 cows.

Network’s newest trustee. women.”

A member of Dairy Donna and Corrie Women’s Network for owned a kiwifruit packhouse and coolseveral years, Donna’s ambitions as a trustee are to fully support the network store complex in Edgecumbe, which in its vision of becoming a world leader they sold in 1989.

Shortly after, she began in her for women in dairying. role with EastPack – then known “I hope I can bring my governance and commercial expertise and financial as Rangitaiki Fruitpackers – as an accountant, remaining with company skills to the table to allow the Dairy for more than 20 years. She spent Women’s Network to deliver value to the last 13 years in a company the dairy industry – and to support administration role.

Leaving EastPack full-time in August 2013, Donna has just completed leading an information systems project for the company on a part-time basis.

Donna began her trustee position after the Dairy Women’s Network’s Annual General Meeting in October.

DAIRY

Page 19

Page 20

Firm reduces gorse control costs Rotorua firm Rainbow & Brown has announced a new version of its popular gorse control spray, aimed at users of larger quantities.

“We’ve packed our very popular MSF600 granular product into 2kg bags made of plastic-coated foil, says company director Paul Martin.

Rainbow & Brown company director Paul Martin.

“It’s available as a 10kg carton, containing five 2kg bags, so the packaging is less expensive, convenient to handle, and easier to responsibly dispose of.

The amount of non-degradable packaging is reduced by over 90 per cent, compared with the traditional plastic jars. The 500g jars remain available, but they’re better suited to the smaller jobs.”

This more efficient bulk packaging option reduces the cost to the user by 30 per cent per kg, and the company says that even greater savings are available for orders of 30kg or more.

Paul says the 2kg bag size is a very handy basic unit for both aerial and ground spray tank mixing, because weighing of the product will often not be necessary; one or more full bags per tank will normally work out well in practice.

More information about this and other Rainbow & Brown products is available from the company’s website at www.rainbowbrown.co.nz

Makers of Biological Fertilisers

We make fertiliser mixes suited to your soil using the Reams Soil Test (which shows what nutrients in the soil are available for plants).

Here in Paeroa, our rainfall until the end of September was only 50mm off the total rainfall for 2014, which is 844mm compared to 893mm for the whole of 2013.

The Reams Soil Test, which measures the plant available nutrients in the soil, is showing nitrate-N, phosphorus and soil energy are all much lower than last year.

(See the chart below).

Soil energy equates to growth energy – so there is much less energy to grow grass this year. Can we assume this will be the same for crops and orchards?

A quick way to check the soil for what energy and nutrients are available for growth at your place this year, is to send in a soil sample for a Reams Soil Test.

We are getting some nitrate-N levels as low as 9kg/ ha – the desired range is 40-80kg/ha – where they were about 25-40kg/ha last year.

That’s not enough nitrogen to grow healthy plants.

Nitrogen in plants is important for chloroplasts, protein production and photosynthesis – for example, growing healthy green leaves.

Phosphorus is important for energy production and energy transfer for photosynthesis. Phosphate is the usher for all nutrients into the plant in the roots.

Insufficient phosphorus means a bottleneck at the roots – nutrients don’t get up to the leaves.

What can the farmer/grower do about these low nitrogen, phosphorus and energy levels? EF Bio-Rocket with 20 per cent nitrogen – in both ammonium and nitrate forms – one per cent phosphorus and humates to hold onto these nutrients is a great fertiliser to give plants an energy and nutrient boost.

Adding Soil Force, our composted Reactive Phosphate Rock is a great way to address the low phosphorus levels as well.

Another option to prevent nitrate leaching when you apply nitrogen fertilisers is to always apply humates, a carbon source, with the fertiliser at about 10 per cent of

the mix.

A Lincoln University trial shows a 30 per cent reduction in N leaching and 30-40 per cent reduction in ammonium volatilisation, when humates were applied with N fertiliser.

EF Soluble Humates or Raw Humates are good options.

If you’re struggling to get onto wet, soggy paddock with heavy spreader trucks, have you considered foliar fertilising?

Plants can absorb nutrients through their leaves as well as their roots. EF Vegetative Foliar is full of growth energising minerals, such as nitrogen, will give plants a much needed boost. EF Humus Builder is a good way to give plants a phosphorus boost and build up your soil humus at the same time to prepare for the summer heat.

180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

Energy 2014

Energy 2013

Phosphorus 2014

Phosphorus 2013

0800 867 6737 E: info@ef.net.nz 1 Railway St, Paeroa www.ef.net.nz

Farmers are noticing their property’s pasture growth rates are down on spring last year.

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DAIRY

Reams Soil Test chart.

Leadership course for dairy women A pilot programme to develop the skills and confidence of dairy women to influence and lead positive change in their businesses and communities begins this month.

While there are other rural leadership programmes on offer, Agri-Women’s Development Trust and Dairy Women’s Network have together developed one specifically for women in the dairy industry.

The pilot programme, called Pathways, was developed and designed by AWDT after the two organisations held focus groups with dairy women to find out exactly what they needed to gain the confidence in their ability to influence and lead change.

Funded by Ministry for Primary Industries and DairyNZ, the North Island programme starts November 4-5 in Hamilton, with the second pilot programme in the South Island commencing May 20-21, 2015.

Solid Food for Soils

DoloZest CalciZest 0800 843 809 07 362 7288

or go to

www.esi.org.nz Eco-Logic Soil Improvement

DAIRY

Page 21

Irrigation and no urea makes more grass The Galatea Valley is nestled under the curve of the Urewera Ranges, and farming there is not for the faint hearted.

farms are still producing figures no better than these, while Ian’s property has increased pasture production by 7,000 kgDM/ha.

But with sandy soil and more cows, the potential for pasture Summers can be blisterdamage in winter also ingly hot, and winters increased. So six years freezing, and with sandy ago he took a deep soil and rainfall which breath and invested in can be a deluge in one two herd homes, placed part and nothing in side by side. Rather another, getting pasture than cut and carry, his to grow all year round cows get six to eight requires skill. hours of grazing time, When in the early 80s and spend nights under Ian Taylor bought his 76 cover, as well as being ha effective farm in this kept indoors during bad valley he chose one with weather. a measure of irrigation When tales of cows provided by streams getting lame from too running from the ranges. much time on slatted Since then he has also concrete began to be put in a 20m deep well, told, Ian introduced a and increased his cow layer of straw spread numbers from an original across the floors, which 120 to 290 these days. has both solved the To grow sufficient problem and provided pasture to allow this, Ian a slightly softer surface has been using Eco-Logic for lying on.

Soil Improvement’s Waste from the herd products of CalciZest Ian Taylor. homes is spread on pasand DoloZest for about tures in late summer, which encourages the last decade. This not only provides late summer/autumn growth, but any calcium and magnesium, but also a N contained in this is not considered mixture of bacteria and fungi cultured ‘extra’ as it would otherwise naturally onto soft carbon to assist soil life to have been deposited on pasture by the make the most of all nutrients. herd during grazing.

Sulphate of ammonia at 50kg/ha These days assisted by daughter Beth, (10kgN/ha) in the autumn nutrient Ian also makes both grass and lucerne application, and a winter top up for silage, plus buying in 200 tonnes of frost protection of 70kg/ha (14kgN/ ha) is all the fertiliser nitrogen applied, maize silage and 300 tonnes of PKE/ year. Keeping the cows healthy and with the rest coming from copious well fed is a primary motivator on this clover and atmospheric fixation. farm. Worm drenches are only occaTen years ago Peter Burton of Ecosionally used.

Logic began a monthly system of cage Milk production this last season was a cuts and dry weight measurement on total of 147,343 kg, or 508 kgMS/cow, pasture across the farm. In that time with the milking platform producing measured and recorded pasture pro1930 kgMS/ha and a stocking rate of duction has risen from 14,658 kgDM/ 3.8 cows/ha. ha to a total of 21,504 kgDM/ha for A further 27ha of leased land has now the year to July this year. provided the ability to grow lucerne In the 1980s MAF pasture cut data from Waikato Technical Institute meas- and winter off 100 cows for 60 days until the end of September. The whole ured pasture growth on a number of herd is then milked until the end of farms across the Waikato, where the May, with calving timed to start on best was around 18,000 kgDM/ha on August 1. Replacement calves are sandy loam at Cambridge, with the grazed off from weaning until they experimental farm at Ruakura No.2 return as in-calf heifers. dairy coming in at 15,508kg. Despite

By Sue Edmonds the ever-increasing use of urea, many

Straw over concrete in herd home.

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We can offer you metal for farm races, shed sites etc deliver to site ex quarry.

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Page 22

SPRING FERTILISER

Soil science conference next month NZ Society of Soil Science holds a four day conference in Hamilton from December 1 to 4, hosted by the NZ Society of Soil Science.

To be held at the University of Waikato, the theme is “Soil Science for Future Generations”.

The programme includes presentations across a wide range of soil related

topics such as nutrient management, water quality, soil fertility and plant nutrition, soil quality and function, greenhouse gases, pedology (study of spoils in their natural environment), land application of wastes, microbial biology and soil carbon.

More information can be found on the NZSSS conference website: www.nzsssconference.co.nz.

Technology helps farming fly high Ravensdown Fertiliser company aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art technology are an excellent example of precision farming, according to Graham Smith, Federated Farmers chief executive.

low cost agricultural base as developing countries’ agricultural sectors become more efficient and productive.

“In order for us to remain competitive Federated Farmers has called on the government to increase its funding of science research by $600m over the next three years.

The planes have DGPS technology which means “Science and innovation enables us to increase profertiliser is applied at the time, the right rate and in ductivity, it provides us with the tools to mitigate our the right place, he says. environmental footprint, increases the efficiency of Today’s precision farming is information driven, our biosecurity effort, and increases our opportunities software orientated, networked using smart machines, to add value to our products.” automatic or remote controlled.

Grahams says agriculture has always been knowlOther examples of farming embracing technology edge-led and there are opportunities for New include WaterForce using Vodafone’s machine-toZealand’s world leading farmers to take this knowlmachine network to measures soil moisture and edge to the world if the country keeps on innovating monitors water levels, giving farmers a powerful land and investment in science. management tool that also helps them meet environThe primary sector exports earn more than $35 mental compliance requirements. billion a year and significant part of the reason why “They enabled the SCADA farm technology, which agriculture earned 73 percent of New Zealand’s monitors the irrigation pumps for pressures, flows merchandise export earnings in 2013 is due to this and faults, and enables remote ‘on and off ’ control country’s science capability. of pivot irrigators as well as the ability to adjust the amount of water used.”

Competitive advantage On-farm innovation is becoming “We may be a small country by the new number 8 wire mentality, population and size, but we hold Graham told the Future Farms our own as a primary exporting New Zealand Conference 2014. superpower, with agribusiness as our “Innovation is improvement one true competitive advantage.” and modernisation and that is the Graham says trends are changing future of the New Zealand farmin the world to which New Zealand ing sector.” exports its products.

“The key mega trends that we Low cost are seeing today include the rise It is vital too because New of the consumer, the environZealand is losing its traditional ment, increased competition and volatility (including biosecurity, and infectious diseases) and food security.

“We now live in a world that is evolving at an unprecedented rate. China is a shining example of this. In 1978 China was one of the poorest countries in the world, but today China is now the second largest economy in the world.

Export opportunities

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“Consequently, China’s middle class is growing at a rapid rate, they have money to spend and their dietary tastes are changing. This will continue to present us with considerable export opportunities.”

For farming to remain competitive; it needs to attract more skilled people, to ensure that farming remains profitable and there is a need to invest more in science and innovation, to ensure the development of more valuable products and services.

“Farmers clearly understand that farming does have an impact on the environment and that there has to be a balance with economic growth.

“Farmers are “stewards of their land” and want to ensure that their properties continue to be improved for the next generation, says Graham.

Graham was among the keynote speakers at the Future Farms New Zealand Conference 2014.

SPRING FERTILISER

Lime boost for schools’ funds Solid Food for Soils

Waikato, King Country, Bay of Plenty, and Central Plateau schools have benefitted from more than $45,000 in extra funding since 2012, thanks to Lime for Schools.

support the rural communities that support our businesses, ” says Rob Schultz –Key Account Manager for McDonald's Lime. Lime for Schools runs annually from December 1 to February 28 with a discount of $1 per tonne on orders 30 tonne or greater offered to the rural primary school nominated by the customer who purchases McDonald’s Lime Aglime which is spread by the Wealleans Group.

The programme is a joint initiative between Wealleans GroundKorakonui School, near Waikeria is the most recent recipient and spread Ltd and McDonald's Lime Ltd. "This annual promotion was presented with a cheque for $876.72 by Duncan D o l oClarke Z e s t from provides our two companies with an excellent opportunity to Wealleans and Rob Schultz form McDonald’s Lime. The C a l c iag Zest presentation, which coincided with the school’s annual 0800 843 809 day, was attended by parents and local farmers.

07 362 7288 or go to School office manager Faye Ashmore says the school feels www.esi.org.nz really privileged to receive the support. “WeEco-Logic would to Soillike Improvement thank Wealleans and McDonald’s Lime so much for the lovely big cheque from the 'Lime for Schools' programme.

“It was also great that so many of our farmers were on hand to see just how much money can be given back to schools like ours by just spreading lime of their farms.”

The school plans to use the money to assist in the purchase of two iPads for the junior school to help ensure that students are connected with the outside world and to further develop their e-learning capabilities.

Korakonui School Principal Carla McNeil presented with the Lime For information about the Lime for Schools programme for Schools cheque by Duncan Clarke (left) and Rob Schultz. contact Weallean’s Head Office on phone 07 888 1759.

Overseer – next chapter available now The widely used Overseer Nutrient Budgets model incorporates a huge amount of science on soils, climate, nutrient cycling and agriculture – much of it specific to New Zealand conditions and agricultural systems.

This knowledge has been generated over many years and is documented in a large number of peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations.

However these papers do not provide all of the detailed information about the underlying principles that drive the model and the sources and kinds of data that support it.

There is a lot of interest in the farming sector about this type of information given the increasing emphasis on nutrient cycling and farming within limits.

The good news is that this information is now becoming much more readily available within the Overseer Technical Manual.

“The technical manual is proving to be a valuable resource for expert users of Overseer and all those people who need to know the details behind how the various sub-models of Overseer work,” says Dr Caroline Read, Overseer general manager.

The manual consists of a series of separate chapters, each clearly providing an accurate description of the workings of a particular part of the

model. Ten chapters are now available and three more are in preparation.

David Wheeler, the Overseer lead developer says the technical manual ensures that people have accurate and up-to-date information on the principles underlying the Overseer engine”.

The latest chapter to be released addresses the characteristics of fertilisers, including conventional and organic fertilisers and lime, and details the assumptions used in the calculations in the model involving fertilisers. Caroline says that this chapter will be especially welcomed by researchers, farm consultants and fertiliser industry representatives.

The Overseer Technical Manual chapters can be downloaded from the OVERSEER® website: www.overseer.org.nz (Source Fertiliser Association of New Zealand).

Page 23

Page 24

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Bay of Plenty Polytechnic is continuing to broaden PERFORMANCE itsVALUE horticulture programmes to ensure people working in the industry can learn while they earn, getting the Cosio Industries Ltd, P.O.Box 15014, New Lynn, 0640,they Auckland need to fill the increasingEmail number :ofsales@cosio.co.nz middle COSIO 27-33 Lansford Crescent, Avondale, Auckland skills COSIO management roles the industry is desperate for.

INDUSTRIES Website : http://www.cosio.co.nz Ph 09 820 0272 Fax 09 820 0274 With an ageing workforce – the average orchardist is 62 – the industry is particularly keen to attract and The Bay of Plenty Polytechnic has the courses and upskill young workers. resources to upskill young horticultural workers.

They can start with the polytechnic’s National Certificate in Horticulture Level 2, which teaches general Polytechnic horticulture group leader Shelley Rose horticultural skills and can be completed part-time says the Bay of Plenty has plenty of job opportuniduring set class times or online. ties due to its solid investment in kiwifruit, avocados, They can then progress onto the Level 4 Fruit olives, feijoas, citrus, berries and other fruit crops.

Firestone EPDM Lined Pond advantages Production Strand certificate, focusing on the fruit “You can always get a job at ground level because production process, they need entry-level people, but if you like the job Enable effluent to be stored and applied strategically during and then the Advanced Fruit

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activities that unashamedly damaged the environment.

We’ve always been mindful of any potential long-term harm; and with the knowledge and resources available at the time, damage has always been minimised.

Secondly, the issue urban New Zealanders are becoming increasingly troubled about is Nitrate-N levels in our water; and part of this concern is how serious the dairy industry really is about addressing it.

Currently, in excess of 600,000 tonnes of urea applied to pastoral land in New Zealand. At best 50 per cent of the nitrogen contained in urea is taken up by plants; a little is lost direct to the atmosphere with the remainder leaching into fresh water.

There’s no reduction in total urea usage and conventional advice strongly suggests there’s no intent to make the required changes.

Regulations being introduced by local and district authorities will restrict usage, however some farmers anticipating these would be based on a percentage of historic inputs have deliberately increased the amount being

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Re-useable twine for growing replacement canes on.

applied in the last two years.

This situation will self-correct and probably quite rapidly. Social pressure is Cosio Indu COSIO obviously startingCOSIO to impact, and even 27-33 Lan INDUSTRIES dairy farmers don’t wish to feel ostra- Ph 09 820 cised from the wider community.

The Professionals However, it’s the present Choice and predicted payouts for the next five years that will kick-start the necessary changes.INDUSTRIES There is an increasing number of farmers using less than 20kgN/ha annually and operating well within the N loss regulations.

These operations grow more total pasture than their district average, often by as much as 30 per cent. And with the spread of grass throughout the year being more even, feed allocation is simpler.

Because the pasture grown contains more energy, less dry matter is required to produce a kilogram of milk solids resulting in higher per cow production. Animal health and fertiliser costs including nitrogen areINDUSTRIES also lower.

The impact of farm practices on operators is also important, knowing each year there’s the potential for increased production provides a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

With independently-reviewed performance data collected during the last 10 years, farmers serious about enhancing the environment. And by securing their financial future they’re able to seamlessly transition from a fertiliser-N dependent system without risk.

In the short-term the best part may be looking forward to Christmas, with relatives from town knowing the farm is environmentally positive and on track to again produce the world’s highest quality milk and meat.

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Page 25

Limestone Downs, legacy of a visionary Bringing world-renowned fisherman and author Zane Grey to New Zealand, improving the design of fishing reels and financing British aircraft in both world wars are among Charles Alma Baker’s achievements.

invited Zane Grey to visit in 1926 and he arrived with cameraman, crew and three truckloads of gear.

His book ‘Angler’s Eldorado New Zealand’ was published later that year, helping boost the country’s fishing reputation.

“The big game fishing club at Russell has lots of pictures of Charles Baker and Zane Grey,” says Alf. Charles’ link to Limestone Downs began in the 1920s, when he joined his nephew in a farming venture at Te Karaka station, near Port Waikato.

Later the adjacent property Limestone Downs was purchased and Charles invested profits from his interests in rubber into developing the farm.

Today the property is administered by a NZ-based committee, appointed by the English trustees of the C Alma Baker Estate.

The farm and trust has strong links with Massey University, with the trust providing some funding for agricultural and horticultural research at the university. Links with the UK are enduring too.

But perhaps the most enduring is the C Alma Baker Trust and Limestone Downs, its 3219 hectares dairy, sheep and beef property near Port Waikato.

It’s this large-scale commercial farm which supports the work of the charitable trust set up when Charles died in 1941, to fund agricultural research and development.

Today the farm’s operations manager is Alf Harwood, who first arrived to work there in 1986 as second in charge of the sheep and beef operation.

Last year he helped oversee the conversion of 350ha of flat to easy rolling land on the farm to a dairy unit, and the construction of a modern dairy to milk 800 cows.

Alf, of course, never met Charles but he admires the man he considers a visionary and is happy to be part of ensuring his legacy lives on.

as a shepherd on Massey University’s Tuapaka 1200 acre sheep and beef farm.

“I worked at Tuapaka twice; the first time in 1975 as a shepherd and after a break of three years returned in 1981 as manager.”

Alf ’s supervisor Kevin Lowe was also closely involved with Limestone Downs, and it was he who encouraged Alf to move to the Port Waikato farm.

“Kevin is still involved in Limestone Downs and we’ve worked together for 35 years now,” says Alf.

Simple operation

When Alf first arrived the farm was running 22,000 ewes, 7000 ewe lambs, 1200 breeding cows, about 800 bulls and employed seven staff. “It was a pretty simple sheep and beef operation.”

Farm management is not quite so straightforward now that some

of the easier country has been converted to dairy. Staff numbers have increased to 11 and beef cattle have basically been replaced by dairy cows.

“We now have 7000-8000 ewes and lamb 3000 hoggets.

This season we’ll dock 13,000 lambs.

“We are rearing calves for replacements for the dairy herd and for beef, so we’re now selfLimestone Down operations manager sufficient without the need to Alf Harwood, with dairy farm buy in cattle.” manager Aron Frazer.

Maize is grown for silage each on.

“The property goes right to the year and while there’s been significoast and out the back of the farm cant re-sowing for the dairy unit, there’s 1000 acres fenced off native other areas of pasture have been bush.” True to its name there are sown specifically for spring calves. limestone outcrops too.

“When we get rain grass grows Every year Limestone Downs well here, but the growth is more hosts an open day and the next one consistent than areas like the Manawutu. We don’t get big spikes is on February 17, 2015, when Alf says anyone who wants to see in growth.” the farm and its operations is welAlf says Limestone Downs is an attractive property to live and work come to attend. By Elaine Fisher

Young farmers

“Every year four members of the UK Young Farmers Club come to work on the farm for three months each – when one leaves, another one arrives. The size of the farm is a bit of an eye-opener for them at first but they soon get used to it, and generally have a good time while they are here.”

Alf grew up on his parent’s farm near Gisborne but when his wife-to-be Carol went to teachers’ training collage at Palmerston North he followed, working

Rubber plantation

Charles was born in Otago in 1857 but spent most of his life in Malaya, where he was a surveyor and owned tin and rubber plantations. In April 1923, when he visited the Bay of Islands, Charles saw the potential for New Zealand to become a big game fishing mecca. With promotion in mind, he

The dairy-conversion at Limestone Downs covers 350ha of flat to rolling land.

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Page 26

Weed out the problems now Landowners are being encouraged to take a second look at spring growth and get ahead of pasture and garden weeds by taking action now.

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Bay of Plenty Regional Council land management officer Andrew Blayney says now is a good time to spot new weeds and control plant pests like Italian buckthorn, woolly nightshade, lantana, wild ginger and green goddess lily.

He says Bay of Plenty landowners or occupiers are responsible for controlling those weeds on their own properties.

“Weed control is cheaper and easier if it’s done before the pest plants set seed later in summer.

Otherwise, the seeds can be easily spread by wind, birds, rain or machinery and the problem can become bigger.

“Alligator weed, horse nettle and Noogoora bur are particularly nasty pasture weeds that could create Horse nettle is a perennial with conspicuous spines on leaves and stems and clusters of star-shaped flowers.

problems and expense for farmers if they become established.

“We need to keep them out of Bay of Plenty, so if they’re found anywhere in the region we’ll come and control those particular weeds at no cost to the landowner.”

Alligator weed is an aquatic perennial that can also grow in pastures and crops.

It has long, creeping, hollow, green or red tinged stems and waxy green leaves. The flowers are white and clover-like.

Horse nettle is a perennial with conspicuous spines on leaves and stems and clusters of star-shaped, five-petalled flowers that are white-violet in colour with a yellow centre. It can be found in pasture, on roadsides and forest margins. It produces a berry which is green when immature and later becomes yellow and wrinkled.

Noogoora bur is an annual herb that grows up to two metres high as either a single stem or bush. It has maple-like leaves and forms clusters of burs at its leaf nodes that can stick to animal fur, machinery and clothing.

Scholarships for ag students open now Applications for FMG’s agriculture scholarships are now open and will this year include school leavers looking to study ag-based degrees at Waikato University.

FMG offers two talented students $4,000 a year towards their tuition fees when entering their first year of an agrelated degree at Lincoln, Massey and Waikato Universities.

As well as including Waikato to the programme, FMG has also expanded the number of eligible courses available with Lincoln, allowing students to now choose from an; Agritech major, a Bachelor of Agribusiness and Food Marketing and the Rural major of the Bachelor of Land and Property Management.

“The agriculture sector is brimming with opportunities for young people, both inside and outside the farm gate” says FMG general manager, Advice and Insurance Conrad Wilkshire.

A snap-shot of the Sheep and Beef, Forestry, Dairy and Viticulture sectors alone show that: • Dairy, as our largest export earner - earns the New Zealand economy $1.9m an hour; • Forestry exports around $4b a year; and • Wine exports to around $1.3b a year.

Additionally our beef, wool and lamb products are some of the most soughtafter of any other country in the world.

“These are big, diverse industries and present huge scope for graduates - from

those who like the practical work and want to get their hands dirty - through to others, who want to get into business, finance, innovation and science.

The agriculture sector’s just about got it all.

“These days, 18 and 19 year olds have a wealth of choice around what to study at university, so by offering these scholarships FMG’s doing what

it can to help encourage school leavers into courses that will help the industry as a whole. I know there are other rural organisations doing similar and I applaud them for their efforts also.

“I strongly encourage any young person looking to further their education to consider the agriculture industry. Check out the doors and possibilities it could open for you and you career, and then look through our scholarship criteria to see if you’re eligible to apply,” says Conrad.

Over the last 10 years FMG has offered 20 scholarships to students.

Eight of these scholars are continuing their studies, while others are building careers; from irrigation specialists to farm managers and dairy consultants.

Full eligibility criteria of FMG’s scholarship programme is available at www.fmg.co.nz

FEED MANAGEMENT

Page 27

Summer forages to avoid feed shortages

With NIWA forecasting the high likelihood of yet another summer drought, farmers will need to plan carefully to avoid feed shortages during the first quarter of 2015, says Pacific Seeds territory manager Barry Smallridge.

“Our range of summer forages has been developed to provide farmers with an extremely cost effective feed solution during these challenging periods.

“When planted and managed correctly they are very tolerant to drought conditions.”

The range includes two varieties of BMR as well as Sprint and Pearler, all of which have received outstanding endorsement from growers during recent seasons.

As well as being suitable for direct drilling, they can be used for green feed or the production of hay (Sprint preferred option) baleage (Sprint and Pearler preferred options) and pit silage (Octane preferred option). "These different varieties allow us to provide farmers with a hybrid option that's best suited to their specific regional and stock requirements,” says Barry. Pacific Seeds BMR (Sorghum x Sudan) options include Rocket (early flowering) and Octane, which is a later flowering option. Both varieties have the BMR-6 gene - the component that provides improved palatability and digestibility.

Feed analysis of Pacific Seeds BMR hybrids show that they can deliver a three to six per cent advantage over non-BMR hybrids, translating into an extra 0.3 to 0.7 MJ/kg.

Te Kuiti farmer Kalvin Singh grew Rocket last season and was amazed at both the growth rate, and the feed quality. "The 12 hectare planting was shoulder high in 45 days, and as well as a heck of a lot of bales, we also had enough left over to fill two silage stacks." Sprint (Sudan x Sudan) is an extremely palatable hybrid that can be available for grazing or cutting in less than 50 days, Rapid regrowth allows for subsequent grazing/cutting within around 30 days. It has fine stems with prolific tillering and provides greater flexibility than summer brassicas.

Don Randle, who took 134 bales of Sprint off just 4.3 hectares was very impressed with its performance.

"The crop was bloody marvelous, feed quality was great and the cows loved it." Pearler is a high protein, highly digestible millet type that can be grazed early without any prussic acid worries. It is easy to manage and can be grazed when it reaches Red Band gumboot height.

"Pearler fits really well into our forage range and it can generate similar livestock productivity during summer to what can be achieved with oats during winter,” says Barry.

“I really like the flexibility that we get from this Pacific Seeds forage crop” Kalvin Singh

Te Kuiti

We planted 12 hectares of Rocket around December 10 and it was shoulder high within 45 days. It is easy to manage and being able to plant in December means we are able to get an extra silage cut off our paddocks. As well as lots of bales there was also enough left over to fill two silage stacks. Rocket ensiles really well and the cows love it.

TRIED, TESTED, PROVEN: Pacific Seeds forage hybrids provide a fast, high quality and multi-cut solution to offset summer feed shortages for sheep, beef and dairy farmers.

They can be direct grazed or for hay, baleage and pit silage. When planted and managed correctly they are also very drought tolerant.

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Page 28

AVOCADOS

Long season ahead for avocado growers, exporters The avocado harvest and marketing season is well underway, but it will be a long one for growers, pickers, packers and exporters.

“We need to be harvesting right through until February to maximise grower returns. Control of harvest and quality of the fruit will be the key to returning a good result back to the growers,” says SeekaFresh Manager Annmarie Lee. Exporters are working together to understand the market and to look after the valuable Australian market by controlling the weekly volumes and supplying other markets at a lower return to protect Australian return, says Annmarie.

Lesley Shield, General Manager JP Exports Ltd also believes it will be a tough year for growers. “There is more NZ fruit available than in 2011/2012 on top of a large crop from Western Australia. Our customers are prepared as they can be for the influx of the NZ product.”

Lesley says JP Exports Ltd is a small exporter but to play its part is not sending its whole supply to Australia. “We will be co -shipping with two other exporters to Japan.”

Market investment

Andrew Darling of Just Avocado says growers should understand the cost of investing in poorer returning markets for the long term future of the industry. “Growth in these markets is critical and if we try to over supply Australia we will end up with a situation potentially as difficult as 2011/12.”

New market development is something the AVANZA group has been working hard on for the last eight years in preparation for a big year like this.

“Australia is seen as New Zealand’s premium market but needs to be managed well in respects to volume flow and total market capacity in order to maximise the outcome and avert a market crash.”

Andrew says all exporters understand the challenging year ahead. “Communicating well together and peer pressure between us all to get it as right as we can will feature strongly.”

Jarrod Redwood, Avocado Programme Manager at FreshMax says Russia’s ban on imports from the EU, America and Australia in retaliation to their sanctions

over the situation in Ukraine has seen an increase in inquiries to Freshmax from Russia for New Zealand avocados.

Process-grade

Freshmax has increased its exports to Asia and is continuing to identify markets in the region. It has also established a process-grade programme to Australia which will not impact on class one fruit but will add value for growers.

John Carroll of AVOCO says this season will be hugely different from 2011-2012. “Three years ago there was a false belief that the Australian market was indestructible and would take any amount of fruit, despite the pre-season warnings. The industry didn’t realise how fierce and punishing it could become when over supplied.”

Individual exporters didn’t know enough about what others were doing. Now there is more communication between exporters. “The structure and the mentality within the industry has moved on from three years ago.”

Western Australia’s main supply kicked in in October and continue until January, which means local fruit will meet New Zealand fruit head on. “We will continue to supply Australia through the summer. We have a better opportunity with Australian customers this season than we did two years ago when there was a strong preference for Australian grown fruit. Our performance last summer earned us a lot of credit that is helping us now.”

Flow plan

Alistair Young, director of Southern Produce Ltd says problems should only occur if flow plans are not followed or if sales are below expectation and product logjams in the markets. “Then we will need to reduce flow to allow for market adjustment.”

The Avocado Exporters Council has instigated a fortnightly flow plan revision to monitor harvest volumes coupled with a weekly conference call amongst all exporters to discuss market conditions. Avec has combined crop estimates with Australia’s to get a combined volume picture.

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Page 29

Avocado ‘smoothies’ winning favour in Asia Education and promotion are the key to driving avocado sales in Asian markets this season for New Zealand’s biggest avocado exporter.

AVOCO director John Carroll says avocados are still a new food to many Asian consumers so exporters – faced with the challenge of selling record quantities of fruit this season – are taking every opportunity to educate people on their versatility and health benefits.

AVOCO, through its AVANZA marketing channel, recently took part in a weekend of Healthy Living Expo activities in Singapore, where NZ Avocado ambassador and Masterchef New Zealand winner Nadia Lim conducted master classes on how avocados can be prepared and consumed.

The event was promoted by the Singapore Health Promotion Board and sponsored

by AVANZA and the New Zealand Avocado Industry Council.

AVANZA’s Market Have you tried putting Avocado Manager of South East in your smoothies?

Asia, Carwyn Williams, was on hand to help Lim prepare avocado smoothies which are popular among Asian consumers.

“The AVANZA stand would easily have been the busiest with a huge amount of interest in our New Zealand avocados.

“There was a lot of interest from people trying avocados for the first time and most of them bought avocados off the stand to take home,” says Carwyn.

Marketing strategy

Developing new consumer interest in NZ avocados across Asia is critical to AVOCO and AVANZA’s marketing strategy for the 2014-2015 season.

Nadia Lim showing how avocados can be prepared and consumed at the Healthy Living Expo in Singapore.

The national crop estimate for the 2014/2015 season is more than seven million trays, with an expectation of a record 4.5 million plus being exported.

New Zealand’s previous high was 6.2 million trays total crop in 2011/2012. Last season, 3.1 million trays of avocados were exported.

Harvesting for this season got underway in late August and by early October more than onequarter of growers’ crops have been picked.

At the same time AVOCO had shipped 918,000 export trays, putting AVOCO on track to handle two-thirds of

the NZ avocado industry’s total fruit for the season.

The bulk of AVOCO’s fruit is sent to Australia – a market which this year is being well supplied by high volumes coming out of Western Australian orchards.

To avoid oversupplying the market and devaluing the price of avocados, about 37 per cent of AVOCO’s exports are being sent to developing Asian markets and the US.

Export targets

John says poor weather had hampered harvesting at the very start of the season but their

growers and packers are now consistently hitting weekly targets for export.

Asian countries, such as Singapore, are considered growth markets for AVOCO, which exports as part of the AVANZA group to markets beyond Australia.

This season, Singapore will receive about 160,000 export trays which is a 128 per cent increase on volumes for 2013-2014.

Similarly, Thailand, which was considered AVANZA’s ‘rock star’ market last year, is being sent double the amount of fruit this season, with 80,000 trays being shipped under Controlled Atmosphere technology.

This is the first season CA has been adopted so extensively by avocado exporters. Fellow AVOCO director Alistair Young says the CA shipping means avocados can travel long distances and arrive at overseas ports in top condition.

“AVANZA staff have travelled to check the fruit quality of our shipments after they arrive in Asia and the US, and everyone’s happy with how the fruit has travelled so far.”

Page 30

KIWIFRUIT

Industry structure recipe for success During the last few weeks I’ve been asked to explain to a number of horticultural groups why the kiwifruit industry is successful.

There are many reasons, but to create a successful industry first you need to start with the foundations of the industry – its overarching structure. This is the key to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry’s success.

Generally speaking, there are two models that can be followed: the multi-exporter model or a single exporter model.

Most horticultural products are exported out of NZ by the multi-exporter model. Under this model the exporters compete for the fruit or vegetable product from the grower, then compete in the overseas market to sell

it. Typically, this competition is based on price, with the exporter taking a commission for arranging the export deal.

The single exporter model operates somewhat differently. In this model there is little or no competition for growers supplying the fruit or vegetable product to the exporter.

Also, in the overseas market the competition is often not pricebased, but rather based on the quality of the product, what promotional support can be given to the retailer to help sell the product and what the support the exporter gives the retailer when the product is past its best.

Growers’ favour

While the exporter gets paid for exporting and marketing the product, the transaction is done on the basis of sales price less cost.

This means the profit taken by the exporter is controlled in the growers’ favour.

The next critical structural feature is the ownership of the exporter. Essentially, there are two options: a grower-owned and controlled exporter; or an exporter owned by investors.

In some cases exporters are owned by a mixture of growers and investors. An exporter owned by investors is focused on making

a return for its investors. While an exporter owned by growers is focused on making a return for the growers.

So adding these two key ingredients together, the best structure for a horticultural exporter is a sole exporter that’s grower-owned and controlled. The NZ kiwifruit industry has this with Zespri; like the dairy industry has with Fonterra.

The reason this is the best structure is because the focus is on grower returns, rather than selling the product for the most competitive price.

As a result, not only does the grower benefit, but the grower’s community also benefits by the increased return and increased spending where the grower lives and works. NZ Inc is the winner.

The key is grower ownership and control. The growers supplying the exporter are those who own and control the exporter. This keeps pressure on the exporter to continually perform in the current season.

Share ownership

If former growers are permitted to own shares after they’ve stopped supplying product to the exporter, they are in reality investors. Investors have different interests to current growers.

For this reason, one of the recommendations of the Kiwifruit Industry Strategy Project is that after a number of years of not supplying fruit to Zespri, the former grower – who is now an investor – will not receive a dividend.

This is designed to get the former grower to sell their shares to a current grower. This in turn keeps the key structural feature of the NZ kiwifruit industry in place and ensures our continued success: current grower ownership and control of Zespri.

These are the views of the author.

My Name is Neil Woodward.

I am a director of Z-Contracting- we are family run business, our team consists of three, being myself, my son and my brother.

Our organisation has been established for over 18 years. I have been involved in applying crop protection programmes within the horticultal industry since 1966.

We specialise within the kiwi fruit industry, We have the equipment to spray orchards with our two Atom sprayers and one recently purchased Tracatom Formula tractor which is also available for mulching and mowing.

My Name is Neil Woodward.

I am a director of Z-Contracting- we are family run business, our team consists of three, being myself, my son and my brother.

Our organisation has been established for over 18 years. I have been involved in applying crop protection programmes within the horticultal industry since 1966.

We specialise within the kiwi fruit industry, We have the equipment to spray orchards with our two Atom sprayers and one recently purchased Tracatom Formula tractor which is also available for mulching and mowing.

Our Atoms are set up with radar speed sensors, this combined with fully automated sprayer controllers and three nozzle rings enhances application efficiency and accuracy.

We also use a quad bike for strip weed spray applications.

We hold all certificates needed to meet Globalgap compliance.

We look at all challenges to help ensure we protect your crop with excellence.

Our Atoms are set up with radar speed sensors, this combined with fully automated sprayer controllers and three nozzle rings enhances application efficiency and accuracy.

We also use a quad bike for strip weed spray applications.

We hold all certificates needed to meet Globalgap compliance.

We look at all challenges to help ensure we protect your crop with excellence.

216 Pongakawa Bush Road Te Puke

To contact us: Phone: 021 907 621 E-mail: zcl@zanadu.co.nz

216 Pongakawa Bush Road Te Puke

To contact us: Phone: 021 907 621 E-mail: zcl@zanadu.co.nz

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Page 32

COAST & COUNTRY

Tough workhorse from farm feedback Kiwi farmers like to think we do it a little differently here and that has been the message rural vehicle manufacturer Polaris has been hearing loud and clear.

After a strong call from farmers for adjustments to its side-by-side allterrain vehicle to suit their needs Polaris is releasing a revised model with the features, durability and capabilities demanded.

The 2015 Ranger 570 HD has been completely redesigned with New Zealand in mind and is poised to lift side x side performance to a new level and offer more features for New Zealand farmers than ever before.

Polaris Australia and New Zealand spokesman Robert Rosengarten says the changes embodied the brand’s mantra of “Hardest Working, Smoothest

Riding”, the Ranger 570 boasts class leading capabilities including a 680kg towing capacity, 227kg rear dump box capacity and 34.1L fuel capacity.

Sales jump

He was confident the model’s release will continue Polaris’s growing popularity which saw its year-to date sales jump by a staggering 37.3 percent over the same period in 2013.

Robert says Polaris acted on farmers’ feedback to ensure the model provides maximum durability for our harsh working conditions, offering the model in a heavy duty specification with features designed for the market including an engine braking system with 4-wheel descent control to provide optimum control and traction when descending slopes. The descent control system has already proven itself since being included in the Polaris UTE which was released earlier this year.

Other heavy duty features incorporated in the design as standard include a strengthened sway bar and upgraded rear driveshaft and grease fittings for increased durability in harsh conditions and easier ongoing maintenance.

Power steering

It also comes with electronic power steering and is engineered to get 10 per cent more power from its 567cc fuel-injected ProStar engine, along with the brand’s highly acclaimed ‘On-Demand True AllWheel Drive’.

Robert says they are expecting great feedback from farmers for the various features incorporated for their needs including the strut front and independent rear suspension, with its high 25cm ground clearance, and its class leading 680kg towing capacity and rear dump box (227kg capacity). Its large fuel capacity (34l) also keeps it going longer than the competition.

RURAL DRIVER

Page 33

Classic times ahead at national rally Classic bike lovers across the country have the perfect excuse to get their beloved motorcycles on the road, with the national classic motorcycle rally at Waihi Beach on November 14-15.

The event, which is being hosted

by Tauranga Classic Motorcycle Pyes Pa classic motorcycle lover Club, is expected to attract more Lionel Reeve is still deciding than 100 classic bikes and riders which bike he will ride at this mainly from the central North N Deluxe, entered by Huntly’s John month’s national rally in Waihi Island.

Roberts. Other early bikes include Beach. Photo by Bruce Barnard.

Club president Roy Knowles is 1939 Ariel models by Tauranga memkeen to hear from any classic enthusiasts who want to bers Lloyd Baker and Todd Ashton. come along for the ride on bikes that are at least 25 Dot herself was looking forward to taking part in the years old, saying the rally often attracts new members rally, but is encouraging husband Lionel to ride his who share the passion.

1982 Suzuki, rather than his older classic BSA Golden Roy, who like many of the club’s members has had a Flash. passion for bikes for 60 years, actually joined the club “It’s just a lot more comfortable,” says Dot, who rides himself when it last hosted the nationals in 1999 and is pillion. “We did the Burt Munro (rally) on it last year expecting others to do so this year. down in Invercargill and despite facing some terrible “Almost every time we go for a run we end up with weather it was great to ride.” new members after people have seen us and asked The rally is being based in Waihi Beach so they can how to get involved,” says Roy, who admits to having include a ride to Pauanui, and to take advantage of owned a motorcycle of one type of or other ever since ideal accommodation at Te Rau Aroha Camp the club he was 16. uses for its annual major rally.

Among the bikes stowed away in his shed these days “Everyone likes to have a good ride in Coromandel so is a ’54 Matchless, along with a BSA and an AJS. it’s good to be able to offer that,” says Roy, who knows For Roy a big part of the appeal of riding continues many of the riders who are coming from around Wellingto be the sense of freedom it gives you, but it’s also ton are extending the trip to return via the East Cape. about celebrating those favourite bikes and memories “That’s got to be one of the great appeals of biking, from his youth. it’s just getting out there on the road and taking it “You look around the clubs and the most popular all in,” says Roy, who together with wife Shirley has bikes are those from the 50s, the bikes most of us were enjoyed lots of great road trips over the years. riding back in our day.”

“We don’t do it now, but we’ve had lots of great times The national rally, which is being based at Waihi over the years with other couples, touring and camping Beach on November 14-15, is expected to attract more around the South Island and the North.” than 100 bikes. Rally secretary Dot Reeve says 90 have To find out more about the club or the national rally already confirmed with more coming in daily, contact Roy on 576 9332.

By Hamish Carter So far the oldest confirmed bike is a 1928 Triumph

3333

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Page 34

RURAL DRIVER

SUVs in top 10 list New Zealand’s new motor vehicles are under scrutiny with three major awards to be announced in early December.

Ten finalists have been announced in the 2014 New Zealand Car of the Year to be judged by the New Zealand Automobile Association and New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild, with the winners announced in Auckland on December 4.

That’s when the “best in class” in nine categories will be announced, along with the safest car for 2014, based on Australasian New Car Assessment Programme crash test analysis.

Six SUVs have made the top 10 finalists and the full list is: Mazda3, Honda Jazz, Nissan Qashqai,

Nissan X-Trail, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Toyota Highlander, BMW M3/4, Jeep Cherokee and Range Rover Sport.

NZMWG President David Linklater says guild members and the AA will have a lot to consider with the 2014 top 10 line up.

“There is a compelling reason why each of the finalists has been included, whether it’s about bang for buck, performance, styling, quality or all of the above. The judges need to carefully consider all attributes of each vehicle and rank them accordingly.

“Despite a large number of SUVs in our top 10, there are still excellent top new car choices for New Zealand motorists covering a range of potential uses.”

Free lessons for learners launched Three free lessons are being offered to learner drivers in $2 million project by the NZ Automobile Association.

To be eligible for the programme, called AA Ignition, participants need to have held their learner licence for two months or less and be an AA member of link to membership through a parent, son, daughter, aunt, uncle or grandparent.

AA Driving School general manager for development Nigel Clark says lessons from professional instructors are essential to improving driving standards in NZ and 50 new instructors have been recruited for the programme.

“For many young people learning to drive is a time that is filled with challenges and uncertainty.

“Professional driving instructors ensure new drivers have the best start on the road to getting a full driver licence.”

About half of New Zealand’s newest motorists fail their restricted licence driving test, which suggests they’re not adequately prepared for driving solo.

“We’ve made it our goal to help improve road safety

outcomes by ensuring new drivers are better prepared,” says Nigel. “Since the launch of the Free Driving Lesson programme in July last year, we’ve delivered more than 5000 free lessons to learner drivers. It is an invaluable step towards becoming the safest and most confident drivers on New Zealand roads.”

The initial free lesson gives parents who choose to ride along, a better understanding of how best to provide supervised driving practice for their children.

“Learner drivers need the right combination of professional driving lessons with plenty of supervised practice between them.

“This ensures they develop the necessary skills and knowledge to get through every stage of the driver licence process and become safe, confident and responsible drivers.”

AA has also launched ‘Learn to drive the AA way’ on its website, which provides information and guidance to new drivers.

“Our AA Ignition programme means the right steps are taken at the start of the learning to drive journey.

Improving roads and safer cars are crucial, but it’s equally important to have better drivers behind the wheel,” says Nigel.

COAST & COUNTRY

Page 35

RURAL WAIKATO/ BAY OF PLENTY

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FARM MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

Page 36

How to buy a ride-on mower Whether purchasing your first ride on lawn mower or upgrading old faithful, the search for a perfect ride on can be a time consuming or confusing process.

This is made worse by the extensive variety of different brands available on the market and conflicting “expert” opinions from neighbours, friends and salesman on the best machine for your conditions.

By taking the time to identify your mowing requirements you will narrow down the options considerably. The following questions can help you with this process before talking to ride on mower dealers.

How big is your mowing area?

Size in square metres, hectares or acres is ideal.

However using an easily understood size measure such as three tennis courts or how long it is taking to cut the grass with your current mower can give a good indication of the area.

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Take time to identify your mowing requirements before deciding which is the best mower for you.

Do you have width restrictions?

Generally the larger the cut the faster you will get the job done however if you have tight areas that you need to mow this is a major consideration. For example; will the mower fit between the house and the trellis or down a row of shrubs?

If a ride-on with a large cut will not get around half your lawn then more time will still be spent using a push mower.

How manoeuvrable does the mower need to be?

If you have a lot of trees and obstacles a ride on mower with a zero turning radius (ZTR or Zero Turn) should be considered. A Zero Turn can cut close around trees in one pass and save you a lot of time and effort. A narrow Zero Turn mower can mow a large area faster than a large cut machine if there are a lot of tight areas and obstacles.

Zero Turn mowers are always more expensive than a conventional tractor style ride on mower because they have two transmissions, one for each wheel.

If a Zero Turn ride on mower has a very low price then it is fair to expect the overall quality of the machines is lower.

Do you want to catch, mulch or throw the grass? Maybe all three?

Catching is very popular in New Zealand because it leaves a tidy finish with less cut grass left behind to be carried into the house by children and pets. The best catching systems have a powered blower which sucks the grass up and collects it.

With long grass or rough areas side discharge is best as the grass is thrown out quickly leaving more power for cutting.

Mulching can be very good for your lawn as the clippings are forced back into the lawn and fertilise the grass.

To get the best finish only the top third of the grass should be cut leaving two-thirds of the length for the clippings to be hidden in. In the main growing seasons it is harder to get a good finish with mulching because the grass is lusher, grows quickly and the cut grass doesn’t have a chance to break down between mows. Some machines have the flexibility of being able catch, throw and mulch.

Do you want to mow a single or multiple properties?

Mowing more than one property can mean considerably more work and therefore increased wear and tear so this should be taken into account when purchasing. For warranty purposes mowing more than property is usually considered commercial use so this is worth checking.

Engine horsepower?

Almost all ride on mowers have more than enough power these days. Engine horsepower can be used as a selling feature but it isn’t necessary to focus on this. Twin cylinder engines are better for larger cutting decks.

Taking the time to go through these questions should enable you to focus on what is important to you.

As with many products price is generally an indicator of quality and although no one wants to pay too much, no one regrets buying quality.

Get a demonstration. A ride on mower is a large investment for most people so it is worth getting a no obligation demonstration on your property to make sure the product will do the job. Reputable mower shops are happy to bring ride on mowers out and assist you with your decision. This allows full instruction in the use and everyday maintenance of the machine and indication of the annual servicing costs.

By Andrew Peacocke of ZTR Mowers

FARM MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

Blasting new life into concrete and steel

Be it dairy shed yards, bull dozers, classic cars or antique cream cans, Darryl Robinson of Coastal Sandblasting can give it a new lease of life.

The company offers a comprehensive, mobile high quality abrasive sandblasting service, drawing on Darryl’s extensive background as a sandblaster and also panelbeater and spraypainter.

His expertise is in demand from dairy farmers, who want the surface of their yards spruced up and made slip resistant, to operators of heavy trucks and machinery which need cleaning and rust removal, ready for re-painting – also a service Darryl offers, using Altex Coatings.

“We are a family-owned company and pride ourselves on our personal service and the use of high quality materials,” says Christina Robinson.

“We’re happy to do even small jobs for locals, like the antique bike Darryl recently blasted so it could be restored.

“Darryl also works on classic and vintage cars, and thanks to his skills in panelbeating and spraypainting, is able to advise people on how they can stage a restoration as finances permit.”

Coastal Sandblasting is aware of its environmental responsibilities and takes great measures to minimise the impact on the environment.

“As sand is not actually an environmentally-friendly product, we use a Super Garnet that has quality certificate for meeting ISO standards.

“We will always recycle our materials and look for the most efficient way to complete your service without damaging your environment,” says Darryl.

About 18 years ago, when working for Waihi Spraypainters, Darryl helped establish Waihi Sandblasting.

After marrying Christina, the couple moved out of the area and Darryl continued contracting sandblast-

ing work elsewhere.

“After moving back to the Bay of Plenty, we bought Coastal Sandblasting only to discover that it was our original Waihi Sandblasting business renamed by a new owner.

“It has been a great surprise to find

out I’m continuing my original business in the local area.”

Coastal Sandblasting is based in Katikati and its mobile service it available to clients as far away as Whitianga, Ngatea, Matamata,Tokoroa, Rotorua and all places in between.

Page 37

Katikati’s Coastal Sandblasting offers a mobile service to clients as far as Whitianga, Ngatea, Matamata, Tokoroa, Rotorua and all places in between.

Page 38

FARM MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

Mowing time in comfort Sitting comfortably on a Ferris mower is not only good for the body – but also for business.

Darren Mayo of Briggs & Stratton New Zealand, owners of the Ferris brand, says commercial lawn mowing

operators who use Ferris mowers are more productive, mowing a greater area in less time.

“The increase in productivity is because of the unique Ferris suspension system, which isolates the operator from the bumps and bangs they might

otherwise experience, meaning they continue at a constant speed while operators on other machines who are getting jostled around slow their speed.”

People who use Ferris mowers to maintain their own lawns or lifestyle blocks find similar gains in time.

“In many cases a mowing job which might take all day on another machine, can be reduced to just three or four hours with a Ferris, giving you more time to enjoy other things.”

Darren says the suspension also protects moving parts in the Ferris mowers, reducing their wear and tear. The zero-turn mowers are built to last and only high quality materials and components are used in Ferris mowers.

The mowers have a number of safety features, including isolation switches. “If the driver comes off the seat without parking the mower in a particular

The suspension in Ferris mowers is about more than comfort.

way, the mower automatically turns off.”

Domestic users of Ferris mowers benefit from a four-year warranty and there’s a two-year commercial warranty for commercial operators, which Darren says reflects the company’s confidence in the mowers which may be used for up to 40 hours mowing a week by commercial operators.

Health and safety seminars for farmers Serious harm accidents and deaths are too high in the agricultural sector says Chris Lewis, Federated Farmers Waikato provincial president.

It is to help address these issues that Federated Farmers Waikato

is holding interactive sessions on the importance of health and safety onfarm, in the coming weeks, following a successful session held earlier this year.

The next session will be on November 4 between 6pm and 7.30pm at Te Awamutu Rugby Sports & Recreation Club, 420 Albert Park Dr, Te Awamutu and on November 11, also from 6pm to 7.30pm at the Waitete Rugby Football Club, Waitete Rd Te Kuiti.

Guest speakers at both events will include representatives from Waikato Federated Farmers, Cross Country Recruitment, Hazardco, FMG and KPMG. “These sessions are about enabling farmers with the right health and safety tools and that they better understand their obligations.

“Serious harm accidents and deaths are too high in the agricultural sector

and with the increased enforcement presence on farms, it’s just as important as ever to ensure farmers have a plan and that it’s implemented.”

Chris says Waikato is the agri capital of New Zealand, and while health and safety reform is being discussed in Parliament, when the bill is passed it is the farmers who will need to be brought up to speed to implement the changes on-farm.

“Rural work places must implement a health and safety plans to eliminate, isolate or minimize hazards, but there is little out there to teach them how to do that so that they are compliant and operating at best practice.

“Federated Farmers Waikato is bringing the tools to farmers so that they can set up a plan and make their farms safer.

“This is about making it easier for farmers rather than ticking boxes.”

Go The Extra Y Go The Extra Yard Go The Extra Yard FARM MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

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Page 40

FORESTRY

Best practice award for forestry company Wood Marketing Services has won the Waikato Regional Council Forestry Site of the Year award for work in two forest blocks near Te Uku, between Hamilton and Raglan.

This year the council extended the awards, which highlight and promote environmental best practice and innovation on earthworks projects to four categories covering small, medium and large sites.

These include forestry-related developments, which show a greater effort to carry out earthworks projects in an environmentally-sensitive way.

“It is great for our forest harvesting and earthworks to be recognised in this way by WRC and gives good satisfaction to our contractors for the daily work that goes into maintaining high environmental standards on difficult sites,” says Duncan Mills, from Wood Marketing Services.

“Too often we see the results of poor planning and management on private forest blocks, resulting in negative feedback on for environmental standards for the forest industry in general, so good on WRC for recognising when high standards are set.

“We encourage those with forest blocks to use recognised experienced companies and contractors to undertake forestry work, to ensure the best economic and environmental outcomes are achieved,” says Duncan.

The location Wood Marketing’s award-win-

ning projects are forestry blocks in steep clay country, known for high intensity rainfalls and with numerous sensitive waterways that run into the Raglan Harbour.

Significant environmental work has been undertaken in recent years to improve the water quality of catchments running into the Raglan Harbour, so the award is recognition that with sound forest harvest practices, forestry too can contribute to water quality improvements, through reduced sedimentation run-off.

Operating under strict resource consent conditions, Wood Marketing Services used experienced and suitably qualified contractors, for the sensitive earthworks undertaken to establish forest roads and skid sites.

Careful planning and management of earthworks in steep clay country is essential, with a limited summer season to complete construction work, but also have all roading infra-structure rehabilitated and stable prior to the end of April each year.

The rehabilitation of the earthworks is important in order to minimise sedimentation and erosion events The rehabilitation of the that occur with earthworks earthworks was an important left exposed to weather. Correct techniques aspect of this award-winning Wood such as hay mulching and hydro-seeding were Marketing Services forestry project. used at these sites to protect new earthworks.

Wood Marketing’s award-winning projects are forestry blocks in steep clay country, with sensitive waterways that run into the Raglan Harbour.

It’s a gender thing It’s not commonly known but a number of nonliving objects are actually either male or female.

Freezer Bags are male, because they hold everything in but you can see right through them.

Photocopiers are female, because once turned off it takes a while to warm them up again.

They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong buttons.

Tyres are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated.

Hot air balloons are also male object because to get them to go anywhere you have to light a fire under their backside.

Sponges are female because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.

Web pages are female because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.

Trains are definitely male because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.

Egg timers are female because over time all the weight shifts to the bottom.

Hammers are male because in the last 5000 years they've hardly changed at all and are occasionally handy to have around.

The remote control is female because it easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push he just keeps trying.

FORESTRY

Page 41

Confidence up in forestry industry Prices have stabilised and there is a lot of confidence in the future of New Zealand’s forestry industry says John Lee, general manager of Matatika Forestry Resources Ltd. “The exciting performance of China stimulated increased logging export volumes in the past year. In fact the market has been buoyant in the recent years and prices have levelled out following the drop in April.

“The sturdy Chinese demand for New Zealand logs encouraged a reasonable value growth for the forest owners.

“Export prices are holding up on the price for the seasonal effect in this year’s fourth quarter. Prices are now at a level which most exporters believe is where they should be at around $125 to $130 JAS – (or Japanese Agricultural Standard measurement), and shouldn’t be dropping significantly more. We don’t want to see the ups and downs of the past.”

Matatika Forestry Resources Ltd offers a range of services to forest owners.

New Zealand’s forestry trees are in demand in China.

Post-fumigation period extended Some of the tight scheduling pressures around log exports for ports and log marshalling companies have been eased, thanks to research that shows that fumigated logs are not re-infested by pests as quickly as once thought.

In June, the Ministry for Primary Industries extended the maximum post-fumigation exposure period for export logs during winter from 72 hours to 21 days for all of New Zealand ports except Northland. This is the period logs can be held after fumigation before having to be re-treated due to the risk of re-infestation.

The decision, which was based on research by Scion into phytosanitary pest behaviour, will have huge economic benefits for the export log industry.

At present New Zealand's international trading partners require log exports to have approved treatments applied year round. Research leader Dr Steve Pawson says the extended post-fumigation exposure period is a positive step towards achieving a treatment free, low risk winter period and responding to mounting global pressure to reduce the use of methyl bromide, a widely known and accepted phytosanitary treatment.

"Our forest protection scientists have been gathering information on distribution and population levels of forest pests throughout the country for the past two years," says Steve. "We have installed traps at forest sites and ports around the country, and the data we collect on insect flight activities are matched with meteorological conditions. This pest activity data supports MPI's decision-making on post-fumigation exposure periods."

The new regulation provides log marshallers with far greater flexibility to schedule fumigation treatments between periods of bad or cold winter weather.

It will also largely eliminate the need to fumigate a buffer volume of logs, traditionally up to five per cent of the cargo.

"Extending the time between having to re-treat logs means we will reduce costs in the supply chain

and have more flexibility around getting our goods to market," says Don Hammond, chairman of the organisation Stakeholders in Methyl Bromide Reduction. "Importantly, we can also improve our environmental performance. These are all of great significance to the forestry industry. The sector can build on this achievement and apply it across other export products.

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John says demand for timber in China has grown dramatically over the last 12 months so now around 65 to 70 per cent of New Zealand’s log exports are going there.

“Korea, which is a mature and steady market, is also important.”

MFR’s parent company, based in Seoul, Korea, is a well-established shipping company which has been transporting logs from New Zealand to international markets for a long time.

MFR has offices in Auckland and Tauranga and offers a range of services to forest owners. The company is interested in talking to owners of forestry blocks containing a couple of thousand tonnes upwards.

“We have several options available. We can purchase the whole block, or if the owner wishes, pay a stumpage per tonne fixed rate.

We can also manage the harvest for the owner and market the logs and export them.”

MFR works with experienced forestry contractors and is happy to advise forestry owners in the Bay of Plenty, South Auckland and Northland regions about the best options for harvesting their trees.

Page 42

SOUTH AUCKLAND

Building blocks for feed storage Counties Ready Mix is a family owned and operated ready mixed concrete supplier based in Drury, South Auckland.

The company has experienced strong growth since its conception in 1999, due to its customer service and high level of quality control. As an independent business Counties Ready Mix has developed unique core values.

One of these values is reducing its environmental imprint.

“Because we work and live locally, we care about the environment we live in,” says the company’s managing director Andrew Payne.

“We have gone to great lengths to recycle all our water, we have developed an environmentally-friendly concrete that includes fly ash – a pozzolan from coal burning power stations – to reduce the cement content and carbon footprint of concrete,” says Andrew.

“But one of our major environmental reductions has come from taking our surplus concrete and recycling it into our interlocking precast blocks, rather than finding

its way into landfills. It’s also been proven that concrete re-carbonates over time so it’s nice to know these blocks out on farmers’ paddocks are slowly soaking up greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.”

Counties has developed a range of three precast interlocking blocks; a small block, a standard and a large block. Each block positively interlocks with the one above, adding strength and speeding up installation.

“This system is basically a big version of kid’s building blocks. It’s fast, simple and very cost-effective; each standard block is nearly one metre square of wall so it doesn’t take long to put a structure together.”

Concrete producers have been manufacturing blocks of various

descriptions for some time but Counties has two full-time employees ensuring quality control in a purpose made building.

The blocks have vertical voids that allow the blocks to be reinforced with steel continuously from the top of the wall to the bottom, if required.

Main uses for the blocks so far have been retaining walls, temporary traffic barriers, dividing walls and feed bins for farmers.

“Farmers have really adopted this system because they can easily extend or alter their feed bin as their needs require or as their business grows. Especially now that more intensive farming has demanded quality feeds that are expensive, so better storage systems are required.”

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“Pulling the tarp off the feed or fertiliser bunker, especially in the middle of winter, is no fun for any farmer so our sliding roof was designed to make the job easier. The new automatic sliding roofs can be opened with a remote control much like an electric garage door.”

While in the past sliding roof solutions have come with a hefty price tag, by heavily investing in research and development, Coast has come up with a cost effective pre-designed solution, which is available for under $10,000. The product is fully engineered and made from high quality materials right here in New Zealand.

“Up until now farmers have had to individually get

The new Coast automatic sliding roof can be opened with a remote control their retractable roofs designed and made. But by designing and producing a standardised range we can mass produce the bunkers and sliding roofs to bring farmers a significantly cheaper price,” explains Scott.

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BUSINESS

Page 43

Freddy’s perplexing pony tax problems take some sorting Freddy recently acquired a horse float for Chestnut the mare, the new pony he bought for his grandchildren – expenditure he’s convinced he’ll be adding to the year’s business expenses.

“These are both farm assets. That float will come in very handy if I need to move bobby calves around or take stock to the yards.

“You could say that Chestnut’s a bit of a work horse considering the kids often ride her out the back to bring in the cows.”

On this basis, Freddy’s looking to claim back most – if not all – of the costs of the horse and float along with costs of feed, veterinarian bills, saddles and shoes etc – for tax purposes.

Certainly, where a horse is used for serious farm work such as mustering or as a pack or saddle horse the relevant expenditure usually meets deductibility tests. In this case farmers can capitalise and depreciate the costs of horse gear such as saddles, where it exceeds $500 – and the cheaper gear such as bridles can be classed as low value farm assets and expenses. Likewise, feed and vet bills and so on can be claimed as general ‘horse and dog’ expenses.

So while Freddy may be stretching things a bit far to class Chestnut as a work horse and claim back all his costs, realistically he can look at claiming back a percentage of the expenditure based the proportion of time he expects her to ‘work’ in the farm business.

Where the tax law gets a little difficult is around the actual cost of the horse itself, as horses are defined as ‘nonspecified’ livestock so can’t be depreciated.

While there are a couple of options to deal with this, Freddy’s accountant advises the most pragmatic approach is to amortise the cost of the horse during its lifetime and claim back a percentage as ‘horse and dog’ expenses.

So in Freddy’s case, he’s decided to amortise the $2000 cost of Chestnut during her estimated useful life of five years and claim back one-fifth or $400 every year. While it’s not in the legislation, it is a practical solution to be able to claim what is a real cost.

With the float he can do the same as he would with a car, which has a mix of business and private use. That means coming up with some measure of the business use percentage and claiming that percentage of the

running costs and depreciation.

“Ah well,” says Freddy. “As usual, I suppose a bit of a claim is better than no claim at all.”

Freddy Farmer is a creation of BDO’s expert Rural Advisory Team – for more information and advice contact Jenny Lee, Director of BDO Tauranga Chartered Accountants specialising in rural and horticultural services 07 571 6280. www.bdo.co.nz

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Be prepared for health and safety reforms The Health and Safety Bill introduced into Parliament in March currently represents the most significant reform of New Zealand’s workplace health and safety in 20 years.

The Government intends to pass the Bill this year, with the new Act coming into force from April 1, 2015.

The Act, once passed, will have significant impact on business owners and their employees. This is because the duties under the Act fall upon a Person Conducting a Business Undertaking – referred to as PCBU. A PCBU has responsibilities to: a. Employees; b. Contractors who are engaged or caused to be engaged by the PCBU; c. Workers or contractors whose activities are influenced or directed by the PCBU. As there can be more than one PCBU

for an undertaking, this means managers and heads of departments will also all have duties to workers in the business.

The duty is to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers and any other person is not put at risk from work carried out as part of the PCBU’s business. This means taking steps to identify risk, even those unknown; and minimising those risks.

A due diligence duty is also imposed on officers of PCBUs, such as directors or chief executives. This is an active duty and requires officers to be proactive when it comes to matters of health and safety.

Business owners are going to need to be familiar with the Act and take active steps to ensure compliance. Special-

ist and legal advice is likely to be necessary.

Given the onerous and wide-reaching duties, those affected should monitor the passing of the Bill – and, if and when the Act is passed, steps should be taken to ensure compliance with the Act sooner rather than later.

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HOUSE & LANDSCAPE

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November is the time for anyone building a new homes to not only order natural wool insulation, but also have it installed free of charge.

Kane Burton-Brown, of Green Sheep, is offering free installation to everyone in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Auckland regions who confirms in November their order to have GreenWool-Rollform installed throughout their new home.

“This is a really great offer which will enable owners of new homes to enjoy all the benefits of wool insulation, without paying for instillation,” says Kane.

GreenWool-Rollform insulation is 80 per cent sheep’s wool and 20 per cent polyester, woven into a product which is laid into ceilings and stapled into wall cavities.

“Most other forms of insulation can’t be stapled in place and so can sag, but if for some reason the wall lining has to be removed in 10 or 20 years’ time, GreenWool Rollform will still be in place.”

GreenWool Rollform is an addition to the Green Sheep range, including its well-known “GreenWool 100%” NZ product is 100 per cent sheep’s wool and is used extensively to retro-insulate existing homes.

Wool has exceptional insulation properties and is also safer because it is naturally fire resistant.

“Wool handles moisture better than anything else.

It can get soaking wet but will dry out and still retain the same insulation properties.”

Wool is a natural, sustainable and environmentallyfriendly insulation solution.

It is non-irritating, non-toxic, absorbs sound and provides an amazing thermal barrier.

Unlike synthetic products, the wool fibre is hollow, enabling air to be trapped naturally.

The finer the wool fibre is, the more fibres there are in a given weight of wool.

This results in a greater volume of trapped air, hence the improved thermal efficiency.

“More than 40 per cent of a home’s heat is lost through the ceiling,” says Kane.

“Installing wool insulation in the ceiling is like wrapping the home in a woollen hat, creating a thermal barrier so the heat is not lost.”

Green Sheep has just become a ‘Card Partner’ with Farmlands and is offering a 2.5 per cent rebate on the purchase of all Green Wool products to Farmlands card holders in addition to the free instillation offer for November.

Kane Burton-Brown, of Green Sheep Insulation Solutions, with the company’s 100 per cent natural sheep’s wool insulation called GreenWool.

Tranquil meditation garden at show The Hawke’s Bay Home and Garden Show at McLean Park from November 7 to 9 includes a landscape design competition by EIT students, featuring a Zen tranquil meditation garden.

There will be more than 180 exhibitors offering the latest in home and garden products and services, free daily seminars, previews of the hottest trends and innovations, plus expert advice for those keen to enhance their homes and gardens.

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ens, bathrooms, flooring, appliances, landscaping, aluminium joinery, indoor and outdoor heating, solar, barbecues, and spas.

There’s a chance to win a $5,000 designer bathroom package from A.W. Holder and a range of show-only specials will be on offer.

The outdoor living section features landscaping, plants and outdoor furniture and there’s family fun with Resene Paint-a-Gnome contest for adults and Paint-a-Pot for kids.

COAST & COUNTRY

Post attracts queen bee Farmer Louise Shaw of Netherton made an unusual discovery when she went to bring in the cows early one morning in a cold, heavy, dewy fog.

“I was getting the herd out of their paddock at 4.30am when I saw this post and thought that is an odd growth, only to find it was hundreds and hundreds of bees asleep.

“It appears that the queen bee had taken off out of a hive that was too crowded and taken some of the worker bees to find another nesting area and my fence post was the attraction.”

Knowing the bees couldn’t stay on the post, Louise called for help.

“At 2pm a lovely lady beekeeper Raeann Steadfrom the Netherton Arataki Bee company arrived to access and start the collection of the hive,” says Louise who was so fascinated, she photographed the process.

“She carefully let the bees form over her hand then shock her hand gently over the spare bee hive box she brought, until she was sure she had the queen bee in the box. The rest of the worker bees followed, this process took around an hour.”

The bees were left in the hive next to the post waiting for the beekeeper to return and collect it at night.

“Beekeepers like to leave the hive next to the area they are found for a minimum of four days so that they settle into the box hive.”

The hive has been re-located in a new site more than five kilometres away from place they were found so the bees won’t fly back to the fence post.

Raeann says because of the apparent strength of the swarm, she decided to use the rather slow process of gathering the bees on her hands before transferring them to the hive box.

“Another way to get the bees

Beekeeper Raeann Stead of Arataki Honey carefully removes the bees from the fence post and places them in a temporary hive box. into the box is to give the post, or branch if they are in a tree, a sharp jolt and hope they fall into the box, but sometimes when you do that, they will fly off.”

It is not unusual for bees to swarm at this time of year, she says. “New queens are hatching in hives and when that happens the old queen will often leave the hive with some of the workers to form a new hive.”

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Page 46

POOLS & SURROUNDS

‘C’est belle’ country garden

La Grange garden is a little piece of Europe in Gluepot Rd.

The steep-roofed La Grange barn on this Gluepot Rd property has a distinct French style, which is reflected in its gardens.

There’s nothing like a ramble in a country garden to refresh the spirit – and there’s no better time to do so than during the NZ Garden & Art Festival in November.

The festival’s 94-stop Garden Trail has country gardens aplenty. By their very nature, country gardens on the trail may be prove a bit further to drive than some of the city and coastal ones –but the rewards will be

Courtyards have been created for relaxing and entertaining – one with a suitably rustic outdoor oven.

worth it. La Grange is a prime example of the treasures and pleasures to be discovered in the country during the festival, writes Sue Singleton.

Gluepot Road near Tauranga would seem an unlikely place to discover a little piece of Europe but that’s exactly what’s to be found at La Grange – one of the country gardens open for the coming NZ Garden & Art Festival – and it’s where Cherie Jeffery will share her Frenchinspired environment.

The barn

Italian Elders line the drive to the French-style steep-roofed barn above, which Cherie has made her home. One could be driving into a rural homestead in the Loire or Ubaye valley. La Grange has been 10 years in the making.

This is the third house Cherie has designed and with the help of her mum and dad, has been a project of passionate DIY. La Grange (the barn) itself exudes character with its high, gabled roof and grey rustic plywood walls.

It oozes French influence inside and out, from the lavenders and potager garden to the internal balustrading on the mezzanine floor. Downstairs was originally the stables for the horses and

room for Benson, Cherie’s everpresent faithful canine friend.

Wedding venue

Cherie and her father have created a multi-functional space, which can be used as a wedding and celebration venue. They’ve installed a kitchen and crated an ambient open area for holding the reception, plus installing a beautiful powder room.

This provides the flexibility to hold celebrations both in the courtyards and garden and undercover, to make it as formal or informal as desired. La Grange Café, open during The NZ Garden & Art Festival, will demonstrate its appeal.

La Jardin

The garden abounds with antique objects, around which flourish foxgloves and roses. One area features a late 19th Century hay rake, another dray replica made from recycled timber and surrounded by wild flowers.

Within the potager is a water pump, circa 1912.

All are displayed in a balanced fashion with quite formal structures of buxus hedging and brickwork. Liquid ambers and conifers are also used to give structure. White flowers feature strongly. Courtyards have been created for relaxing and enter-

   

EMILIO’S TIMBERS EST1981

taining, one with a suitably rustic outdoor oven.

What Cherie doesn’t find in antique shops she manages to treat, to achieve the distressed and ‘aged’ appearance.

Festival visitors will be fascinated, intrigued and enchanted by the sheer creative difference of this home and garden. Cherie, herself, emanates an ethereal and floaty quality giving the impression she might have stepped out of a Renoir painting.

She explains she looks for difference and that her designing is a way of being totally herself.

Her home is truly an extension of who she is; and there are no limits to what she’ll create in order to display the differences and passions which drive her.

The kitchen is her favourite part of the house with its hooks and hanging things, again the obvious French flavour. She also loves cooking.

Cherie speaks of the neverending process with a wisteria pergola; just one recent addition to the garden. La Grange will be open during The NZ Garden & Art Festival to garden trail ticket-holders on Wednesday, November 19, then Friday to Sunday, November 21-23.

For more information, see www.nzgardenandartfest.co.nz or www.lagrange.co.nz

RURAL AGENT

Page 47

Solutions for our children’s money expectations After last month’s dissertation on our children wanting our money, there have been a number of requests from friends and foes for some solutions.

In that article I talked of the possible causes of the expectations we build into our children. That day I went out for coffee only to read in the NZ Herald that children with few or no boundaries can choose to do anything they like, which I’m noticing is a general problem and overlays the issue I’m talking about here.

It seems there’s no guidance from the parents on where are the boundaries, and good old-fashioned solid advice.

That sort of set the theme for this report, because part of my solutions are to ensure our adult children have boundaries – and that we have a robust discussion with them about how it might look when we are ‘gone’ and what our expectations are.

Putting this aside, however, to me there seems to be a few things we can do to make transition of our assets to the next generation better: 1. Have a distinct and clear plan of how it is and how it will look.

2. Put in place the best structures you can find and afford, to protect the surviving spouse.

3. Put in place the best structures you can

find and afford for when you are both gone.

4. Try to visualise how it might look when you have gone. Pretend you are dead and think how it might appear.

5. Appoint the best trustees you can find. They need financial literacy, an understanding of farming – or whatever business you are in – plus law, but most importantly they must be objective.

Yes, you probably want to make your children trustees of your estate, but do they have the objectivity and the skills?

I struck a case recently where all the children were trustees.

Ideal in a perfect world, but this is no longer a perfect world and it is proving to be less than ideal.

You need to find the best independent trustees you can and expect to pay them.

6. If a farm is involved, medium to long-term leases that have a right to caveat the title may protect the farm from being sold immediately upon one party’s demise.

7. Talk to your family if you can. Explain how and why you have done things in a certain way.

8. Leave some notes or explanations with

your will, then maybe your children can follow your logic (remember by now you have left the earth).

9. Explain to them the difference between capital and income. Explain they may be better to keep the asset and divide up the disposable income, rather than sell the asset and spend the cash which is actually capital.

10. A friend pointed out the best way is to spend everything and leave nothing for the children to fight over.

And finally, we can only really do our best on the day – as we see best.

Finding solutions for succession is an ongoing, long and arduous task.

It takes time money and a lot of courage. Don’t be put off and silence isn’t a solution.

So feel the fear of discord and possible family controversy, take courage and do it anyway.

It’s impossible to cover every eventuality.

When we have departed this earth they may still fight over it.

Farm sales down for quarter There were 347 farm sales in the three months to end of September 2014, compared to 407 farm sales for the three months ended August 2014 (-14.7 per cent) says the Real Estate Institute of NZ. In total 1,917 farms were sold in the year to September 2014, 21.8 per cent more than were sold in the year to September 2013. The median price per hectare for all farms sold in the three months to September 2014 was $26,000 compared to $22,851 recorded for three months ended September 2013 (+13.8 per cent). The median price per hectare fell 2.2 per cent compared to August.

The REINZ All Farm Price Index rose 0.1 per cent in the three months to September compared to the three months to August, moving from 3,126.1 to 3,127.7.

These are the opinions of Don Fraser of Fraser Farm Finance.

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

Don Fraser is the principal of Fraser Farm Finance, and a consultant to the farming industry. Contact him on 0800 777 675 or 021 777 675.

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TAUPO

Page 48

Taupo shed company relocates to Miro Street In two years, Shed Boss Taupo has grown so quickly, it’s moved to new premises in Miro St. The company, independently owned and operated by Andrew and Trudi McHale, began from the couple’s home – but as their reputation for quality custom-designed sheds grew, so did the need to relocate.

“We’re on the corner of Miro St in a prime location and you can’t miss our bright orange and green signs,” says Trudi.

The Shed Boss Taupo range extends from garden sheds to large 200 square metre rural or commercial buildings, carports, patios and awning for outdoor living areas.

“We custom design our buildings to meet clients’ needs. Shed Boss buildings feature NZ steel and modern, independently engineered designs that meet New Zealand standards.

“We use only proven quality steel fabrication, first class materials, including superior hold-down brackets which are cast into concrete, world class designs,

and qualified trades people.

“Our reputation is built on offering a versatile, affordable range of quality steel structures with superior design, independent engineering and exclusive systems including our patented Morinda Bracket systems.”

The Morinda Glove Section Bracket System includes fully wrap-around knee and apex joints made from heavy galvanised steel and feature pre-punched screw holes for quick and correct installation.

Non-welded and corrosion-free, Morinda brackets are securely fixed with galvanised bolts to make sure they stay strong and last.

Trudi says Shed Boss buildings can be supplied as kitsets with a full set of easy to follow assembly instructions, or constructed by experienced professional builders and qualified tradespeople who know what they’re doing.

“Clients use our buildings as boat sheds, tractor and implement sheds, for storage or even offices and accommodation and much more.

Our buildings can be fully lined and wired to clients’ requirements.”

Shed Boss Taupo has moved to a new site in Miro St where it’s easy to find because of its bright orange and green signs.

Relay ‘best team building exercise’ Entries are open now for The 20th New Balance Great Lake Relay to held at Taupo on February 21 2015.

The running or walking event is around or along the length of Lake Taupo and is expected to attract 4500 competitors. Renown as being the best team building exercise of all time, the ultimate team relay has been described by participants

as the most social and scenic event in New Zealand.

The New Balance Great Lake Relay covers the 155km around Lake Taupo.

Each team consists of 10 to 18 members, either running or walking the entire distance around Lake Taupo.

The Nature Valley Length of the Lake Relay caters for teams of five to eight who can run or walk to complete the eight legs, 67km

from Pukawa on the southern end of the lake back to Taupo.

For those really up for a challenge, the Length of the Lake Solo event offers an ultra-marathon 67km option. Individuals will run or walk from Pukawa on the southern end of the lake back to Taupo.

The official charity of the 2015 New Balance Great Lake Relay is the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

Larger-than life butterfly sculpture for park A butterfly sculpture designed by a talented Taupo-nui-a-Tia College student will be brought to life on Tongariro Domain.

Taupo District Council agreed to the construction of the sculpture of a monarch butterfly which will stand at the entrance to some flower gardens opposite Tuwharetoa Street in the south of Tongariro Domain.

The aptly named sculpture, Butterfly, was designed by then-Year 11 student Tessa Ralfe at last year’s

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Tessa Ralfe with the model of the sculpture she calls Butterfly to be built for Taupo’s Tongariro Domain. sculpture design competition run by Taupo Sculpture Trust. It was chosen for construction by the trust because of its “simplicity and beauty”, chairperson Claire Anderson says. It is also an appropriate sculpture for a site where butterflies were ubiquitous in summer. “It had to be suitable and cost-effective to take to construction.”

A few minor changes have been made to the sculpture to safeguard it against vandalism and ensure it lasts a long time. The butterfly will be over three metres high.

Under the council’s Public Art Policy, the council can fund half of the total cost of the sculpture, with the other half met by the Taupo Sculpture Trust.

Councillors agreed to help pay for the construction and installation of Butterfly. Lake Steel will build the sculpture and is expected to have it completed by early December.

TAUPO

Page 49

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TAUPO

Page 50

Quirky mosaic garden magic at Taupo cafe Walking into the “living room” at L’Arte Café and Gallery is like stepping into a story-book – I quite expected the Cat in the Hat to be reclining on the sofa.

The quirky, colourful mosaic outdoor room is the creation of artist in residence Judi Brennan, who in 1998 began transforming an open paddock into what is today – among Taupo’s most popular attractions.

Art has always been part of Judi’s life and for several years she ran the Clay Art Studio from a studio in Mapara Rd, Acacia Bay, while working to transform the one hectare bare site into a wonderland of gardens and art.

She developed techniques to create outdoor mosaic sculptures, forming the framework of furniture, a fireplace, lamp and walls, plastering it with concrete and applying thousands of pieces of tiles to create intricate and colourful mosaic patterns.

The living room even has a mosaic mat, and the big-enough-to-sit-on furniture provides a favourite photo opportunity for visitors.

Almost too big to sit on is Alice’s Chair, complete with lamp, which Judi created and has installed on the corner of Mapara Rd. It was during an oversea holiday with daughter Jo the idea for the L’Arte Cafe was born.

“We were at a cafe in Barcelona, which had a mosaic counter, and Jo said: ‘That’s what we should do’ – so we did.”

Mosaic counter

In 2005 Judi’s former art studio became the cafe, complete of course with mosaics on the counter

front and in the toilets.

The studio moved to the garage of Judi’s home and during time has itself grown to include a shop selling Judi’s work and other New Zealand artists’ pieces.

Always evolving, Judi’s art is no longer focused solely on mosaics. Now she creates a diverse range of art works from ceramic bird houses on decorative totems, bright flowers, vibrant, whimsical bird baths and quirky clothing wall art.

L’Arte Cafe and Gallery also displays the works of a number of other New Zealand artists, including Nathan Hull’s impressive life-sized bull with a ‘skin’ made from old copper fire screens.

The enterprise is very much a family affair. Judi’s daughter and son-in-law Andrew Blewett run the L’Arte Cafe and take pride in making their own bread and preparing all meals on-site, using the best NZ produce.

Son and fishing guide Chris Brennan is the parttime gardener; and Judi’s good friend Kelly McRobbie has worked with her in the pottery and art studio for 10 years.

Cheerful ceramic flowers are among Judi Brennan’s garden art.

Whimsical bird baths are among Judi Brennan’s art on display and for sale at L’Arte Café and Gallery in Taupo.

By Elaine Fisher

Nathan Hull’s impressive life-sized bull, created from old copper fire screens, is among the artwork in the garden at L’Arte Café and Gallery in Taupo.

Judi Brennan peeps through the ‘window’ of the outdoor living room she created in the garden at L’Arte Café and Gallery in Taupo.

Local service for local farmers the aim Pritchard specialises in cultivation.

Taupo clients are the focus for Pritchard Contracting.

Providing a first class agricultural contracting service for the Taupo district is what Pritchard Contracting prides itself on.

“We concentrate on looking after customers in the Taupo area and don’t go much further afield than about a 40 km radius, so we can meet the needs of local farmers and provide a quality, timely service,” says Clive Pritchard.

Pritchard Contracting specialises in cultivation and has the equipment, operators and expertise to cultivate for crops or new pasture.

“At this time of year there’s a lot of re-grassing being done and planting of lucerne, plus preparation and planting of summer crops. A bit later on we’ll begin cultivation for winter crops.

“There’s an interest in fodder beet too and we’ve had to dust off the plough to prepare for planting that crop for a client.”

Direct drilling is another service Pritchard Contracting provides, and in the right circumstances it can be an effective means of re-sowing pasture, says Clive.

Making round bales of silage is another specialty and among the company’s contracts is making silage on Taupo District Council land.

The company employs up to five staff at peak times and its range of equipment includes: three Massey Ferguson Tractors, two Fendt Tractors and a baby Case Tractor along with two Kuhn Combination Balers, Lely Triple Mowers, Claas Rakes and Lely Tedder.

Cultivation equipment includes a set of 4AG 4M Offset Discs, 5M Kuhn Power Harrow, Roll, Seed, Roll with an Air Seeder and 4m Kuhn Triple Disc Direct Drill.

TAUPO

Page 51

Clark has made his mark on the landscape Clark Tickle of Taupo loves his faithful working dogs.

Phyllis and Clark Tickle on a trust farm, tucked under Mount Tauhara.

The Taupo landscape has altered significantly in the 50 years Clark Tickle has lived there – and he’s been responsible for some of those changes.

“I worked on Lochinver Station for the Stevenson Family when the station had just 100 head of cattle and 250 breeding ewes,” says the 79-year-old, who now manages a drystock farm for Gardon Ltd which leases the drystock block from a number of Maori trusts.

Today, the livestock at Lochinver Station includes 19,000 breeding ewes and 1323 mixed age breeding cows plus young stock.

Among Clark’s tasks at Lochinver was driving a bulldozer breaking in new ground for pasture and crops.

“I sat on the bully all day for days on end and was so covered in dust I didn’t realise I’d got badly sunburnt. I’m paying for it now with skin cancer but back then you didn’t think about that.”

Clark also built kilometres of fencing at Lochinver and at Landcorp’s Rangitaiki Station, also on the Napier Taupo Highway.

He learnt his craft from his father, who taught Clark to split posts from native timber. “The best timber to use for fencing comes from trees which grow on the cold side of a hill because they are slower growing, with stronger grain.”

“Early on, one old mare broke right through some rails like a cowboy entering a bar in a John Wayne movie; so we had to make the rails stronger,” says Clark.

“I was happy to be part of the muster, and have been ever since, even though some people protested against it. The first horses we brought in were skinny and many of the mares had swollen muzzles and joints and other symptoms of calcium deficiency because they were giving all they had to their foals.

“Now when we bring the horses in they are healthy with foals with bulging bellies because they are so well fed.

It’s great to see.”

The Kaimanawa horses are mustered every two years to keep numbers to about 300, a level the Department of Conservation says will ensure the horses remain healthy and reduces their impact on the fragile environment of the Desert Rd region.

Homes are found for the majority of horses rounded up and many are making a name for themselves in pony club and show jumping circles.

Clark remembers the early musters, when protesters climbed onto trucks or handcuffed themselves to the vehicles to stop the horses being taken away.

“Some of them even kicked in the doors of my ute because they didn’t like what we were doing. We had to call the army in to keep things safe.”

Horse muster

Splitting posts

Clark used those skills and knowledge to design and build yards for the first controversial muster of Kaimanawa horses from the Central Plateau in 1993.

“My mate John Tullock asked me to help design and build the yards; and we did it in 12 hours, in a snow storm.

Those yards are still in use, although we’ve had to replace some of the rails.

Clark was born in Greenhithe, Auckland, but later his family went farming at Onewhero.

“My schooling was through Correspondence School and we had to ride a pack horse four miles to get the bread, groceries and mail. Dad split posts for fencing from the bush and we brought the timber out by horse and dray.”

That was the beginning of Clark’s

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love of horses and for most of his adult life he rode horses, including droving cattle across the central North Island.

Though he no longer rides or own horses Clark does have four working dogs; three of them are his beloved ‘beardies’ and one huntaway rescued from the Taupo pound.

With wife Phyllis, Clark lives on the trust farm tucked under Mount Tauhara at an elevation, which enjoys stunning views of Lake Taupo.

He may be well passed formal retirement age but Clark says urban living is not for him. So long as he can walk the pastures and work his dogs, he’ll continue to do so.

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Page 52

COAST & COUNTRY

PROUD LOCAL

RETIREMENT

Time for important decisions Retirement is often a time eagerly looked forward to, but there are a number of decisions to be made about how to live out retirement years and how to manage financially.

The Retirement Commission website www.sorted. org.nz has a wealth of useful information for people of all ages, planning ahead for retirement.

The SuperGold Card which is a discounts and concessions card is available free to all New Zealanders who are aged 65 years or over, and those under 65 years receiving NZ Super (as a non-qualifying spouse or partner) or the Veteran’s Pension. Using it regularly can help you save money on day-to-day expenses.

A Community Services Card can help you with the cost of healthcare. If you qualify, you’ll pay less on some health services and prescriptions.

If you are eligible for a Community Services Card, this will be indicated on the back of your SuperGold Card.

Everyone can benefit from having a budget – a plan of what money you expect to receive and how you expect to spend it.

A budget is one of your best tools for managing your money, whatever your age.

If you need help making a budget, contact the New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services.

To find a local budget service, you can call 0508

BUDGET (0508 283 438), look it up online, or look in the White Pages under Budget Advice Services. Their services are free and confidential.

Later in retirement, you may have to rethink where you want to live.

One option is to move to a retirement village, although there are other choices.

You could choose to stay home, modify your house with ramps and rails and get home-help – but take into consideration the costs of doing so.

Taking in a boarder or moving in with family or friends is a way to have some companionship and security, and possibly some help in the home as well.

Downsizing to a smaller home that’s closer to facilities may be an option.

Apartments and townhouses often provide security and maintenance although they also charge body corporate fees to cover these things.

Make sure you know what the fees will be and how often they’re charged.

When making your decision, take your time. You need to think about what you need to live a good life.

If you’re moving house, make sure you consider the costs of moving – legal fees, real estate agent fees, and the move itself.

Page 53

Balancing super plus interest Relying on income from savings in addition to NZ Super means investing money you have saved so that it generates income through interest or dividend payments.

You may also plan to spend some or all of the money you have saved to help fund your retirement years. Generally speaking, the higher the return expected from an investment, the higher the risk. This is not just the risk that you may lose some or all of your money, but also the risk that the return you actually receive can vary from year to year.

The amount of risk you can afford depends on how much you rely on the income from your savings to pay for your basic living expenses and what you’re comfortable with. (Source www.sorted.org.nz)

Page 54

RETIREMENT

New Cambridge facility nears completion Residents moving into the Bupa St Kilda Retirement Village are marking the first stage of an important new development for Cambridge.

levels of respite care.

Each of the 80 rooms has an en-suite. Another feature will be a cafe for residents, friends and family.

“This will be a great place for a family member to enjoy some social time, giving their spouse or carer time out for shopping or

By January, the village of other activities.

67 villas will be comple“When you move into a mented by the opening of Bupa facility you are jointhe 80-bed care home on ing a family, which includes the same site, creating the residents and staff,” says first comprehensive facility Minoo, who has worked for of its kind in Cambridge.

Bupa for 10 years.

“We have residents “Bupa doesn’t have moving into five brand new shareholder but reinvests villas before Christmas and all profits to provide better more in the New Year and healthcare to our customare thrilled at the response ers and communities,” says to the village,” says village Minoo. manager Christine Bax. Bupa has a strong comResidents have the choice munity focus, reflected in of five different villa The Radio Theatre Show it designs. “We have one and Family and community are important focuses is staging in the Cambridge two-bedroom villas; and for the new Bupa St Kilda Retirement Village at Town Hall on Thursamong the two-bedroom Cambridge. day, November 20 from options are an extra guest toilet, 1.30pm-3.30pm. exactly what facilities they want.” or two bedrooms and a study, or There the audience will be transThe best thing about moving a larger option, with a study and ported back in time to the days into Bupa St Kilda Retirement guest toilet too.” when radio ruled the airwaves.

Village is peace of mind, says The village includes a comThe show promises the best Christine. “You are in a community centre with a hair salon, music and comedy from the munity of like-minded people, residents’ workshop equipped 1950s and 1960s presented as with lathes and similar machinery, with 24-hour on-call assistance a fun-filled hilarious live radio if required and the assurance of Christine’s office, a library and a show, complete with ads and news continuum of care.” full dining area with a kitchen. flashes, and afternoon tea will be Care home manager Minoo There’s a ‘happy hour’ bar, lounge provided.

Baker says the care home is on area with large flat-screen TV and “It’s a free show, presented by a track to open in January and two patio/barbecue areas. professional theatre company, and will offer resthome, hospital “There’s room for more; and everyone is welcome,” says Minoo. and dementia care with all residents will have input into

BUPA ST KILDA RETIREMENT VILLAGE AND CARE HOME

NEW TO CAMBRIDGE Brand new care home and retirement village, located on St Kilda Road, Cambridge

St Kilda retirement village villa lounge area

Victoria St

To Morrinsville

St Kilda Retirement Village

St Kilda Rd

CARE HOME N NG I OPENI RY JANUA 2015

Thornton Rd Thornton Rd

Hamilton Rd Queen St

This image is of an existing Bupa care home bedroom

To Town Centre

To Taupo

Retirement Village • The village is open and ready to move in • Villas priced from $288,000 to $380,000 • 67 villas in five different styles Care Home • 80 bed care home and hospital • All levels of care available: rest home, hospital and dementia care • Now taking respite and day care bookings for mid January 2015 • Care home adjacent to the retirement village For retirement village enquiries Call Christine Bax, Village Manager on (07) 823 9026 or 027 886 1219.

For care home enquiries Call Minoo Baker, Care Home Manager on (07) 827 0371 or 027 836 5300. www.bupa.co.nz

RETIREMENT

Page 55

Waihi comedy of musical errors A bunch of ‘sassy Kiwi ladies’ who love to sing find themselves in more than a little trouble when they venture beyond normal routines in the musical comedy ‘Ladies for Hire’ presented by the Waihi Drama Society this month.

Written by successful New Zealand playwright Alison Quigan, the comedy is directed by Val Ferguson – herself something of a legend in Bay of Plenty and Waikato drama circles.

Val’s dramatic journey began more than 40 years ago, when she joined the Morrinsville Little Theatre as a seamstress, graduated to acting, then directing, producing some big shows

including ‘Oklahoma’, ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Stepping Out’ and ‘Hello Dolly’.

Since moving to Waihi 10 years ago she’s continued to produce musicals and has appeared in a number of shows for the Waihi Drama Society including playing the pig called Dolores in ‘Footrot Flats’.

“I love everything about theatre from costumes, to set design, to directing,” says Val, who believes ‘Ladies for Hire’ is the ideal entertainment for businesses, clubs or organisations planning a Christmas function.

Musical director for the show is Katikati’s Lynne Cotton and the comedy has a cast of experienced local actors and singers. The Waihi Drama Society has a great venue in Boyd Rd with seating for up to 80.

‘Ladies for Hire’ plays from Wednesday, November 19 to Saturday, November 29. Matinee performances are 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, November 22-23.

Plus, 7.30pm performances will be on Wednesday, November 19 to Saturday, November 22 and Wednesday, November 26 to Saturday, November 29.

By Elaine Fisher

The cast and crew for Waihi Drama Society’s production ‘Ladies for Hire’ are ready to perform.

Funding improves walking access The New Zealand Walking Access Commission is now accepting applications for the third round of its 2014-2015 Enhanced Access Fund programme, which supports projects that provide free, certain, enduring and practical outdoor access for the public.

Commission chief executive Mark Neeson says a total of $76,000 is available across four funding rounds this financial year, with a maximum of $25,000 available to any one project.

“Our highest priority will be initiatives that obtain new access and projects such as the installation of signs that inform the public about access opportunities.”

Projects that develop and improve walking access through the installation of gates, stiles and fences, creation of engineering reports, or support of community walking access initiatives are also eligible for funding, says Mark.

Applications are assessed on the quality of the project plan, the ability of the project team to complete the project and the quality of the outcome. Applications for the third round of 2014-2015 funding close November 30.

Earlier this year the Enhanced Access Fund allocated $8000 to the Hikuai District Trust for a walking and cycling trail between Pauanui and Tairua.

Northland’s Waipu Lion’s Club also received $8000 funding to assist completion of an extension to the Waipu Beach to Langs Cove Coastal Walkway.

Further funding recipients will be announced in December, once the commission assesses applications received for the fund’s second allocation of the year, which closed in August.

A decision on successful applicants for the third round of funding will be made in February 2015.

MATAMATA

Page 56

Christmas races at Matamata Historic building The Matamata Racing Club is promoting its Twilight Christmas at the Races Raceday as a “seriously good staff Christmas party”.

end of year celebrations.

It’s one of 13 race meeting held there each season, and the next one is the Dawson Insurance Race day on Wednesday November 12.

The club’s premier fixture in February The event on and an October Wednesday December Feature race day, 17 is at the attractive are staged by the racecourse two kilometres Matamata Racing For all your Building, Club on the leftsouth of the eastern WaiConcrete and Landscapinghanded track. kato township and with its on-course facilities, The MRC also requirements the day will be ideal for operates a highly

successful training centre, with an average of more than 700 horses prepared on the course in any month of the year. In recent years the MRC has undertaken an extensive programme to construct four on-site stable barns, with 140 horses now accommodated there.

As well as Matamata's own racing schedule, the South Waikato Racing Club conducts its popular annual race meeting at the Matamata course.

Facilities are available for non-race day activities, ranging from indoor functions such as weddings and funerals as well as outdoor gatherings.

central to rural retirement lodge

Matamata Country Lodge is a facility offering a range of options for retirement living.

• Herring Bone Sheds • Rotary Sheds • Feed Pads • Silage Bunkers • Covered Bins

Paul Lowe

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There are 20 two-bedroom chalets, six one-bedroom units and 12 onebedroom assisted living apartments, in addition to 74 full-care rest home and hospital beds, with friendly caring staff providing quality care.

The facility is set in more than two hectares of lovely trees and gardens and the main rest home is a gracious 90-year old former maternity home, which was purchased in a dilapidated state by Ron and Jamie Main in 1992, fully restored and with additions during the years now accommodates about 120 residents.

There are residents from many other areas of New Zealand moving to Matamata because of its central location – and the retirement village offers attractive and affordable options.

For those able to live independently the chalets offer a pleasant, peace of

mind lifestyle with emergency assistance on-call 24 hours a day.

As needs change, there are other options of care within the facility. This can make the transition easier, as residents have circle of friends at the lodge and know key staff members well.

A range of activities are on offer for all residents, including bowls on a raised table, to bingo, outings, weekly happy hour, entertainment and church services.

There is an on-site hairdresser and regular visits by a podiatrist and physiotherapist. Nutritious meals prepared on-site from a menu overseen by a dietician. Visitors are always made very welcome and encouraged to visit at any time.

MATAMATA

The value of good advice

Accurate advice and reliable performance is key to Blue Grass Contracting’s service to farmers.

When margins are minimal do farmers ensure your silage is well compacted with high quality inoculants is all about aim for higher production, or just to keeping stack temperatures lower and save costs? for a shorter period,” says John.

John Nettleton of Blue Grass Con“Every extra degree in temperature tracting argues the real value is in or longer periods of heat is seriously accurate advice with accurate perfordestroying availability of ME and promance. tein. Compost can test excellent in ME To demonstrate the gains or losses and protein with zero availability.” from good or bad advice – or good or Too often when a fertiliser, stock and bad performance –using maize silage station representative, or even a farm as an example, John quotes from the consultant, is asked who is a good website www.askanexpertaquestion. contractor they will say: “So and so is com where Scientist Alvaro Garcia of cheaper”, says John. the Dairy Science Department, South “I say bad advice costs you a lot of Dakota State University, provides the money. If you have to cut the price to following information. get the work, there is a good reason for “The difference between maize silage that. at 10.6 MJ ME/Kg and maize silage at “What makes a producer money is 11.6 MJ ME/Kg is 1 MJ ME/Kg, or a the quality of your maize and grass 1000 MJ ME per metric tonne of dry silage, the quality of your cultivation matter. in protecting your soils, the quality At 5 MJ ME per kg fluid milk there is 200kg energy equivalent milk per tonne of your germination of any plantings, the quality of equipment and staff, the of silage DM. services or response you receive from Every unit of MJ ME per tonne your contractor – that is the availability of better quality silage represents an or being always contactable. additional energy equivalent of 200kg “All add value while the final part of fluid milk. On kilogram of fluid milk is the equation ‘the cheapest price’ is about approximately one litre of milk.” saving you money. An accurate quality John says on today’s minimal marcontractor will make you more than you gins, the performance of all variables save.

– including the performance of your “We have a client producing more contractor – are extremely important. than two million milk solids with high At 8.3 percentage ms/litre, a tonne of better silage represents an extra 16.6 kg/ supplement input. The reason this works so well is the high quality supplems at $5 which equals $83. What you ment input. would gain from 1 MJ ME/kg of better “Old fellows have a reliable old saying: quality maize silage, at 22t/ha equals ‘You get nothing for nothing’. Some $1826 per ha or $8,300 for every 100 young fellows would say: ‘Poor quality tonne DM maize purchased. costs you dearly’.”

“The benefit of accurate ensiling to

Engineering company moves After 20 years at its present location, at 114 Broadway Matamata, Morley Engineering is looking forward to relocating to new premises at 5-7 Peria Rd Matamata in the Old Reid & Harrison building.

The move will provide a bigger shop, large workshop space and yard for storage, says Bruce Morley. “Building work is currently being undertaken, but should be finished by Christmas, with the final move planned for early January.”

Morley Engineering specialises in installing and servicing milking systems

and its large client base is predominantly farmers in the Matamata district and surrounding areas.

“Our highly skilled and competent team offer ongoing service and advice, with an on-call engineer available 24/7.”

As well as milking systems Morley Engineering also support clients through water pump sales, including DAB, Grundfos, SBI and Davies, and servicing of all water pump brands.

Other services include deep well lifting and servicing, stainless steel welding, Numedic sales and service, farm drench systems and general engineering.

Page 57

COUNTRY LIVING

Page 58

Right saddle crucial for equestrian lawyer Nick Brooks has found the perfect balance in life. The mornings are spent practising law and afternoons riding horses.

“It takes some juggling, but I’m loving the combination because as much as I enjoy horses, riding and teaching riding it doesn’t give me all the intellectual stimulation I need,” says Nick.

When it comes to riding Nick’s found yet another “perfect balance” in the three County saddles supplied by Linda Hawley, of County Saddlery New Zealand, for his high performance horses.

“I rate Linda’s work as a saddlery fitter extremely highly. I’m really tall and it can be hard to find a saddle which fits me well and is comfortable, but County saddles do all that.”

Nick says Linda’s passion for County saddles and the fact she decided to represent the company in New Zealand gives him added confidence.

“It is very important to me that the saddles I use are comfortable for both me and my horses. County saddles help the rider retain the correct posture, no matter the terrain; and that helps riders train their horses in correct posture too.”

Nick graduated with an honours in law from Waikato University and works part-time at Vosper Law in Cambridge. Afternoons see him teaching students at his Nick Brooks Equestrian school and honing his own riding skills.

“One of my students has recently bought a County saddle and even her dad, who is not remotely horsey, can see the improvement it’s made in her riding.”

Nick is a very accomplished rider, who has trained with Gill Watson, Mark Todd, Lucy Jackson and Piggy French in the United Kingdom.

Linda says many of the world’s top dressage and jump riders choose County saddles and remain with the County brand for years and years.

“Resisting the trend toward cheaper production methods, which use foam rubber panels and plastic trees, County saddles continue to be painstakingly handmade on laminated beechwood trees, covered in the world’s finest leather, and flocked with pure wool Accomplished equestrian Nick Brooks uses County to maximise your horses’ comfort and fit,” says Linda. saddles when riding his high performance horses.

“Our traditional methods take longer and require Photo -Take The Moment Photography. a higher degree of craftsmanship, but once you sit in a County saddle we know you will agree that the our commitment to quality and detail is reflected results are clearly worth it. “Although we customin every saddle we make, including the one we will make saddles for many of the world’s leading riders, make for you,” says Linda.

Kokedama art form on show The NZ Garden & Art Festival has a genuine hub this year. The Lakes Expo Pavilion beside the lake in The Lakes residential area at Tauriko will be the ‘go to’ place for festival visitors and families, with free entry to an exciting and visuallychallenging myriad of exhibitions and installations.

Many best seats world Wildare flowers planted back Many ofof thethe best seats inin thethe world are inin in May will be in full spring best seat world.bloom. You’ll pass into a thethe best seat inin thethe world. creative floral wonderland

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Forest and enter the world of Kokedama, where more than 1000 of these Japanese-inspired plant artforms have been created by Coraleigh Parker with help from her community.

Walk via moss borders, under a fernery ceiling and through plants of every description preserved by encasing their roots in a string-bound ball of sphagnum moss, a method which dwarfs the plants but allows them to thrive as well.

Then enter the delight world of The Pavilion Garden created by internationally-acclaimed local floral artist Francine Thomas.

Francine has created paths with arches and trellis into which windows give views of ‘rooms’ where she’s transformed everyday articles into the realms of fantasy.

Expect to see a couple reclining on a bed of flowers complete with side tables and floral lamps. A boy lies listening to a plant-covered piano, a chaise lounge becomes a blase of flowers and tables and chairs take on new personalities.

All demonstrate clearly why Francine was selected to represent New Zealand at the World Flower Show in Dublin, where she created a koru-based installation to evoke her country.

Brain Collecutt takes sculpture in a new direction with his Succulent Sculptures; the result of building frameworks for shapes resembling Kokedama, a Japanesefigures, monsters, dinosaurs and animals onto inspired plant artform will which he’s grafted succulents of all description be on display at The Lakes that have in turn grown to give the shapes new Expo Pavilion during The NZ life as ‘live’ works.

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Page 59

Staying safe in the sun in spring Spring is finally here. It’s that lovely time of year when we can enjoy outdoor sports, tramping, gardening, surfing and fishing as the days start to lengthen.

However, the ultraviolet index is also rising again – even on cloudy days there’s a significant risk of sunburn. Don’t get caught out. Make it a habit to apply sunscreen before leaving the house every day. It’s also wise to avoid sun exposure from 10am2pm, when the UV index is at its highest.

SPF30+ sunscreen should be applied 20 minutes before sun exposure and re-applied every two hours, as it is wears off during outdoor activities. Be especially careful to re-apply sunscreen on young children, as their skin is even more prone to sunburn.

Most fabric provides better protection than sunscreen, so cover up with long sleeves and a hat.

Cumulative sun exposure during time, even without significant burning, increases the risk of skin cancer. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

The commonest types of skin cancers

are basal cell carcinoma, known as BCC), squamous cell carcinoma, called SCC, and malignant melanoma. Both SCC and melanoma have the potential to spread internally and metastasise, while BCCs are locally invasive.

Stay vigilant and if you notice any changing lesions on your skin, please have them checked by a medical professional. Early diagnosis and treatment leads to better cure rates. For further information, contact the Skin Centre on 0800 SkinCentre or 07 754 623 or info@skincentre.com

Employment Law Services

By Dr Suyin Ong

Tips for developing emotional wellbeing at work While we don’t know what lies ahead, we do know financial security is important – as is our emotional and spiritual health.

Here are some strategies for helping you sustain greater health and wealth while at work.

Physical activity is linked to positive feelings. Exercise provides us with a feeling of control and success.

These positive feelings enrich our minds and attitude, making us feel more optimistic, flexible and goal-directed.

Physical activity also impacts on the brain, by acting as an antidepressant, and makes us smarter.

Positivity has a significant effect on a person’s wellbeing. Go to work with a smile on your face. Fake it until you make it.

To help you become more cheerful, notice how much time you spend focusing on your problems and concerns.

Having high expectations leads to disappointment.

Long-term disappointment leads to emotional exhaustion.

Start each day with a determination to let go of your expectations, and instead be joyfully surprised when little things go well, or people are friendly. Look for things to be grateful about. In time you’ll soon feel lighter and more cheerful.

Time out is important. Take time to do something you enjoy each day and that is playful. Taking time for play reduces stress, frees us from worry and increases productiv-

ity and our ability to solve problems.

Get Connected. The quality of our social connections is one of the strongest predictors of health and wellbeing and appears to be as important as diet and exercise.

To build high quality relationships: treat the people you work with as equals and look for common ground you share as human beings; look for ways you can help others to achieve at work; give others the chance to make decisions and contribute to the relationship in some way.

This in turn will make you more attractive to others and lead to greater connections, personal productivity and increased happiness.

This article is intended as a point of reference and should not be relied on as a substitute for professional advice. Specialist advice should always be sought in relation to any particular circumstances and no liability will be accepted for any losses incurred by those relying solely on this article.

Lakes Expo Pavilion – hub for NZ Garden & Art Festival Brian was commission to produce a body of work for the festival and has 10 works on display and for sale. A conversation-starter in any garden.

Flora Fashion is returning to the festival this year, this time as an exhibition in The Lakes Expo Pavilion where you’ll see what 10 local designers have imagined and made out of garden waste – shade cloth and bits and pieces you might be more likely to see in the wheelbarrow on its way to the rubbish.

In Floral Spectacular, the Bay of Plenty Area Floral Art Society exhibits entries and winners of their biennial competition, where floral artists have to create arrangements to themes.

The Bay of Plenty Designer of the Year is to be contested under the theme ‘Showing Off ’. Entry to this exhibition is by gold coin.

It may be time for a snack and a coffee at the festival Delicacy Cafe before exploring what’s happening outside.

One ‘must see’ will be the work by international environmental artist Elaine Clocherty, who is creating a large natural design based on the flora and fauna and gardens and environment this Australian artist discovers in the Bay of Plenty.

Elaine is arriving before the festival to forage for raw materials and it’ll be interesting to see her ‘take’ on our place.

There will be an array of gardens outside where you can compare the work of professional landscapers with that of our gardeners of the future – local school children.

Design Gardens at the Lakes illustrate how three very different landscape

designers will express themselves in three similar-sized patches. School Conceptual Gardens will be vibrant expressions of the way school children love and respect their environment. And lots more… The Lakes Expo Pavilion is open Friday-Sunday, November 21 -23.

Spot the difference?

Skin Cancer is by far the most common cancer in New Zealand and the number of diagnosed cases continues to rise each year.

Skin Cancer can be life threatening, specifically melanoma if not treated early, so ensure you receive the right analysis and treatment at an early stage.

Call the Skin Centre today to arrange an examination.

Skin Cancer EXCELLENCE IN DERMATOLOGY

The work of internationally-acclaimed local floral artist Francine Thomas features at The Lakes Expo Pavilion during The NZ Garden & Art Festival.

171 Cameron Road, Tauranga Freephone: 0508 578 578 www.skincentre.com

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‘You think this is cool? Wait till you see me cut the sides’ is the winning caption in last month’s Coast & Country caption competition Country Funnies sent in by Ray Reynolds of Tauranga.

The image of the driver cutting a hedge using a ride-on mower suspended by a crane inspired Bernadette Gallagher of Taupo to suggest the caption ‘Husqvarna a cut above the rest’.

Robin and Colin Moore’s suggestion was ‘Please, don’t let me down’.

Diane Veza put a political spin on her caption: ‘Poor Mr Dotcom overspent on the elections. Can’t go home now because he had

FU to down-size the helicopter’.

For his winning entry, Ray receives a copy of the book ‘50 years of Trophy Hunting’ by Gary Joll, published by The Halcyon Press.

The prize for the best entry in the November Country Funnies caption competition is the book by Graeme Sturgeon called ‘Hunters and the Hunted’ published by The Halcyon Press.

When Graeme left the New Zealand

Hot-Net Electric Netting Poultry Net Complete with standards and ready to erect.

A lightweight and portable fence which is quick and easy to use. Available in 25m or 50m lengths. Can be used as a pen enclosure or fence keeping then in or out of set areas.

Requires electric fence energiser to electrify (not supplied).

Ph: 07 867 3091

email: contact@fencewright.co.nz Also find us on Trademe: fencewright_nz “No more chooks in my vege garden now!”

Army after returning from Vietnam he landed “the best bloody job I ever had”.

Graeme became a deer culler in the Ruahine Ranges, a job which was the perfect fit for a man with his background and training.

A roving inclination kept Graeme exploring and looking into new country until he came across the Mangaohane country, which became his spiritual home.

As the price of venison and possum skins increased, Graeme turned to meat hunting and possum trapping, along the way meeting his wife Julie.

When the helicopter borne venison recovery industry turned to

live deer capture, Graeme became Joe Keeley’s shooter and catcher and life became an adrenalinefilled roller coaster until he and Joe parted company. Graeme, however, went on to gain his own helicopter licence and flew both in Australia and New Zealand.

This, his third book, is an engaging read, illustrated with cartoons

by Chris Satherley and coloured photos.

To be in to win ‘Hunters and the Hunted’ email your suggested captions for the photo above, along with your name and address, and with ‘Country Funnies’ as the subject, to: elaine@thesun.co.nz Or put these details and captions

N NIE

on the back of an envelope and post to: Country Funnies, Coast & Country, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3110, to arrive no later than November 17.

The winning caption will be published in Coast & Country’s December issue.

If you have a ‘Country Funnies’ photo, we’d love the chance to publish it and invite readers for their caption suggestions.

Post you photos to Country Funnies, Coast & Country, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3110 or email elaine@thesun.co.nz with ‘Country Funnies’ in the subject line.

Don’t forget to include your name, address and phone number.

To list your rural event please email: julie@thesun.co.nz with Rural Event in the subject heading.

Friday October 31

www.fencewright.co.nz

Y

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Cutting edge captions entered in photo contest

S

CHICKENS

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Soil Foodweb & Visual Soil Assessment Held Oct 31-Nov 1. This two-day workshop includes a day with Soil Foodweb NZ director Cherryle Prew and a day with Graham Shepard, creator of the Visual Assessment Tools. Packed with the latest science on soil microbiology alongside the practical wizardry of the Visual Soil Assessment – not to be missed. Held at Chaos Springs

Farm, 131 Deam Rd, Waihi 9.30am-1pm. Cost $300.

Morning and afternoon tea provided – bring your own lunch. You’ll also need a spade, gumboots and raincoat. Registration required.

Ph 07 863 7975.

Te Awamutu Health & Safety Meeting Come and learn how to set up a plan and make the farm safer for yourself, your staff, contractors and visitors. Guest speakers include: Waikato Federated Farmers, Cross Country Recruitment, Hazardco, FMG, KPMG. Refreshments and nibbles provided. At Te Awamutu Rugby Sports and Rec Club, 420 Albert Park Drive from 6pm-7.30pm. Ph Gaylene 07 858 0820.

Tuesday November 11

Employers Group ‘Taking the Employment Bull by the Horns’ This event focuses on understanding compliance requirements expected when employing staff and some tools, resources and best practices that can be used to ensure you’re meeting requirements as an employer. Meet at Te Awamutu Club, 542 Alexandra St, Te Awamutu and on November 12 at Putaruru Kindergarten, 6 Glenshea St, Putaruru both 10.15am-1.45pm. Ph Wade 0272 859 273.

Te Kuiti Health & Safety Meeting Come and learn how to set up a plan and make the farm safer for yourself, your staff, contractors and visitors. Guest speakers include: Waikato Federated Farmers, Cross Country Recruitment, Hazardco, FMG, KPMG. Refreshments and nibbles provided. At Waitete Rugby Football Club, Waitete Rd from 6pm7.30pm. Ph Gaylene 07 858 0820.

Friday November 14 COSIO COSIO INDUSTRIES

ULTRA-PRO WHITE WINDBREAKS ECO-NET & KIWI-NET The Professionals Choice

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Enhances cane growth Increases production Larger fruit size Makes orchard warmer increases dry matter prior to picking

Comes complete with eyelets or can be hemmed with drawcord for pulling wire through. Custom made to your requirements.

Contact us for your nearest stockist.

Cosio Industries Ltd, P.O.Box 15014, New Lynn Auckland Email : sales@cosio.co.nz 27-33 Lansford Crescent, Avondale, Auckland Website : http://www.cosio.co.nz Ph 09 820 0272 Fax 09 820 0274

Farm Scale Composting This workshop covers the basics of farm composting including principles of thermal composting and vermi composting; compost pile types and construction; assessing compost quality; equipment options and more. At Chaos Springs Farm, 131 Deam Rd, Waihi 9.30am-4pm. Cost $150 – includes morning and afternoon tea. Bring your own lunch.

Course Tutor: Steve Erickson. Ph 07 863 7975.

Saturday November 15

Waihi A&P Annual Show The 76th show at Waihi A&P Showgrounds, SH2, Waihi. Alpaca display, horse and pony events, trade and craft stalls, sideshows and more. Ph Marilyn 07 863 5243.

COAST & COUNTRY

Page 61

trades & services personal

runon listings for sale

PULLETS Hy-line Brown, great layers. Phone 07 824 1762 www.eurekapoultryfarm.weebly.com ONLY $20+gst for 20 words to showcase your services as a Run-On Listing. Ph Tasha 07 928 3677 today!

house for sale

WATERFRONT PARADISE WHITIANGA Stunning private Waterfront Studio and spacious three bedroom home with unique harbour access and views, solid home, with double garage, internal access, 2 toilets.

Harbour views, large section. $680,000 Trades considered.

TradeMe Listing #: 797534785 Ph 0274 996 747

trades & services

Friday November 21

Introduction to Biodynamics This course will include the concepts and theories on how BD methods work as well as explanations on how to make the various biodynamic preparations and a look at the planting calendar.

We’ll also discuss other methods of energy management for farming and soil/plant management.

Held at Chaos Springs Farm, 131 Deam Rd, Waihi 9.30am- 1pm. Cost $20. Tutors: Steve and Jenny Erickson. Ph 07 863 7975.

Saturday November 29 Cambridge A&P Show The 111th show at Cambridge Raceway.

Family fun day, cattle, dairy and beef, alpaca display, children’s rides, trades and crafts stands, food stalls and more. Ph Robyn 07 827 5542.

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Wednesday December 3

Get to the Top of the Pile Give your CV a bit of a tidy up. Workshop lead by DairyNZ CO Moana and Mark Johnson at Woolshed Tavern, Reporoa 10.30am-2pm.

Presented by Dairy Womens’ Network Rotorua. Ph Tania 027 499 8510 or email: Tania.earnshaw@ dwn.co.nz

phone 07 578 0030

email ads@thesun.co.nz

web www.coastandcountrynews.co.nz

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Join Te Puna Hunting & Fishing club for only $10 per adult and enter our monthly competition Prime Explosives 500, you could win $500 Cash every month. Check out www.tepunahuntfishclub.co.nz or check out our facebook page to keep upto date www.facebook. com/tepunahuntfishclub

Page 62

COAST & COUNTRY

feature properties & auctions ADVANTAGE REALTY LTD MREINZ

www.harcourts.co.nz

Advantage Realty Ltd MREINZ Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Tauranga Central Office – 07 578 0879 Cherrywood Office – 07 576 8770 Bethlehem Office – 07 579 2206 Mount Central Office – 07 575 6384 Papamoa Office – 07 542 9012 Te Puke Office – 07 573 4754

COAST & COUNTRY

feature properties & auctions ADVANTAGE REALTY LTD MREINZ

Page 63

www.harcourts.co.nz

Advantage Realty Ltd MREINZ Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Tauranga Central Office – 07 578 0879 Cherrywood Office – 07 576 8770 Bethlehem Office – 07 579 2206 Mount Central Office – 07 575 6384 Papamoa Office – 07 542 9012 Te Puke Office – 07 573 4754

Page 64

COAST & COUNTRY

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS PRIZE UP FOR GRABS! Jessica, aged five, with ‘Betty’, who needs a cuddle. Sent in by Julie Mitchell.

Blake Fraser, aged one, feeding ‘Milly Lamb’. Sent in by Betty Bell.

Orson Coats and his calf ‘Marmite’ enjoying the sun together. Sent in by Jo Coats.

Hamish loves the sight of the calves, he calls them ‘Boo boo’! Sent in by Edaine Ignacio.

Grace can’t miss an opportunity to go out on the farm with her Dad and our dog ‘Roxy’. Even while wearing a princess dress. Sent in by Natasha Dunne.

Amy with her calf named ‘Daisy’ suckling on her hand.

Sent in by Courtney Mckavanagh.

Pictures and details can be emailed (high resolution jpgs) to sarah@thesun.co.nz “Country Camera” or posted to Coast & Country, PO Box 240, Tauranga. Please include a name, address and phone number with every entry.