Wairarapa Rural Outlook March 2022 by Wairarapa Times-Age

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An in-the-paddock perspective on plantain BY DAVID FAMULARO

Plantain also has potential to reduce on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

At the beginning of March, DairyNZ held a ÿ eld day in the Ballance district west of Pahiatua, looking at the real results of plantain research.

It is likely more farms will adopt plantain this autumn (2022), though the numbers are yet to be conÿ rmed, with the aim of having 118 farms involved in this project.

The ÿ eld day was hosted by farm owner Murray Holdaway and 50/50 sharemilker Troy Hughes. Troy is milking 435 spring calving Jersey cows on a 150 e° ective hectare milking platform. The key goals of the business include maintaining an e˛ cient and proÿ table system by focusing on utilising available feed, while reducing the environmental footprint of the operation. Holdaway Farm is one of 66 farms in the Tararua region which have been taking part in the Tararua Plantain Project, a DairyNZ-led project helping farmers adopt plantain on their farms, testing the beneÿ ts in pastures, and sharing the learnings with other farmers. The aim is to help farmers improve water quality by using plantain in their pastures as an animal feed.

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Plantain is showing great promise in improving waterways by reducing nitrate leaching. When cows eat plantain, less nitrogen is excreted via urine.

The handout at the ÿ eld day included some of the following conclusions across all the monitored Tararua farms: 1. Yield – (monitored on 16 paddocks across 5 farms) Using plantain within mixed pastures, plantain/clover mixtures and pure plantain crops will not result in a reduction in forage supply, and in some cases, an increase in yield is likely to happen. 2. Pasture quality – (monitored on 34 paddocks across 6 farms) The pasture quality data when plantain is added to ryegrass/ clover swards, or within plantain/ clover crops has equivalent forage quality as traditional ryegrass/ clover pasture swards. 3. Persistence – (monitored on 57 paddocks across 11 farms) Persistence assessments are based on visual cover scores. These assessments showed a seasonal pattern of relatively high plantain content in autumn. This pattern has a positive correlation with maximising plantain proportion in the cows’ diet during the period of the year

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when there is a higher risk of nitrate leaching. 4. Pest survey – (monitored on 12 paddocks across 7 farms) Pest surveys are completed annually. No pest insects were at levels of concern in 2019, but some paddocks were showing moderate to high numbers of (soil dwelling) pests in 2021. In these instances the pest of concern was grass grub. Pest issues are most likely to be seen in three-yearold pastures, and unlikely to be speciÿ cally linked to plantain. 5. Establishment Achieving high plantain content within ryegrass/clover swards appear to be most successful

when it is sown in autumn within the new pasture seed mix, or drilling plantain seed into the new pasture after application of post emergence weed spray.

After attending the ÿ eld day, I emailed the following questions to Janine Swansson, DairyNZ Extension Coordinator – Tararua Plantain Project. What have been some of the notable ÿ ndings speciÿ cally on Holdaway Farm? Some of

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the notable ÿ ndings at Holdaway’s were: 1) In the two paddocks where a within paddock comparison was assessed (this is a single paddock split between a plantain/ryegrass/clover and a ryegrass/clover treatment), the plantain/ryegrass/clover side grew more tDM/ha/year compared with the ryegrass/ clover side in the two years of monitoring. Wins occurred mainly in the autumn/winter period, but also some summer gains have been observed. 2) Persistence of plantain in the paddocks assessed at Holdaway

showed a decline after three years of measurements.

time when new pasture is being sown.

To simplify, our monitoring at Holdaway’s shows plantain is growing more at this farm when compared with the ryegrass/ clover, though it only stays in the pasture sward for 3-4 years before more plantain needs to be introduced.

Has any type of mix of plantain with other species like ryegrass and clover been shown to be the best? Plantain is a great complement to ryegrass/clover pastures. As per the previous answer we encourage farmers to consider adding plantain to their pasture seed mix whenever regrassing.

Has plantain been shown to provide as much ME as other species of grass? At Holdaway’s we have sent over 100 samples to the lab over the past two years for quality analysis. The sample results show adding plantain to the pasture mix achieves the same feed quality (ME). I noticed that Murray talked about preceding the plantain sowing with a turnip crop? For the Holdaway’s, turnips provide a valuable summer feed, and a strategic management tool as part of their regrassing programme. The crop acts as a break cycle to control weeds before these paddocks are sown into new grass. This crop cycle using turnips followed by sowing permanent pasture is very common. Our recommendation is to include plantain in the new grass mix (ie rye, clover, and plantain) after cropping – or any

Has using plantain been shown to improve water quality in these trials? Plantain has been proven to reduce nitrogen leaching when cows eat a consistent amount of plantain in their diet. In Tararua, farmers are now monitoring their own waterways to capture the environmental improvements being made. Water quality needs to be tested over an extended period to see improvement, for which this farmer monitoring of waterways will provide crucial information. Someone said that farms only need a ÿ ve per cent mix of plantain to be able to use Overseer? A huge win for plantain research and the Tararua project was achieving the recognition in Overseer of plantain as a nitrogen mitigation option. The more plantain on farm the greater the nitrogen leaching reduction. Our local Overseer modelling shows a 2-3kg N-loss/ha reduction for every 10% of Plantain on farm. The minimum percentage of plantain you can enter in Overseer is 5%.

Someone told me the type of plantain being used in the trials is a New Zealand developed one. Yes, the fact that plantain has been bred in New Zealand to achieve both productivity and environmental outcomes is a great story. Weed control is apparently an issue but research is being done on this. Is there anything worth saying about this? We recommend farmers work closely with their trusted farm technical sales rep who can provide the best options to tackle weed issues. With or without plantain, making a good plan will always result in the best productivity – an example of this is how Holdaway’s go through a turnip crop rotation as part of their weed control strategy. Why was Tararua chosen for the trial and given that it is a fairly wet environment, will the ÿ ndings of these trials be applicable to other regions including Wairarapa? Tararua farmers on the back of Horizon’s One Plan were/are looking for a pasture-based solution to reduce nitrogen leaching and to show their commitment to farming practices with reduced impacts to the environment. Southern parts of the Tararua district see typically wetter conditions while further north farmers often experience much drier conditions. Plantain performs well in a dry climate, so areas like Wairarapa would be a great place to include plantain in a productive pasture system. The fact that it can still be

farmed successfully in the wetter parts of the Tararua will provide farmers across the whole country conÿ dence that the use of plantain is likely to be successful wherever they farm. What is the next step in the programme? The project has some unanswered questions currently being addressed, including results due over the next few months on a programme testing the e° ectiveness of establishing plantain in spring using broadcasted plantain seed on to pasture. We are also making sure everyone in Tararua has had the opportunity to access our learnings. We encourage anyone who is not yet connected to the project to do so. The project in the Tararua district is scheduled to ÿ nish in June 2023. Nationally, plantain research continues through a new project called the “plantain potency and practice project”. The Tararua Plantain Project builds on the ÿ ndings of a DairyNZ-led cross-sector research programme, Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching. This programme showed plantain has the potential to reduce nitrate leaching by more than 20 per cent. The Tararua Plantain Project is led by DairyNZ, with partners Agricom, MPI, Fonterra and Nestlé. Delivery partners include AgResearch, Horizons and Massey University.

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Co-ops work hard to blunt fertiliser price roller-coaster

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BY SIMON EDWARDS War in Ukraine, disruption to global supply chains, galloping shipping prices, food security concerns…it’s hardly surprising that when Ravensdown’s Mike Whitty is asked for a fertiliser situation outlook he says “extreme volatility, and that’s not going to change for the foreseeable future”.

Farmers and growers in New Zealand use 2.7 million tonnes of nutrients annually, and the combined revenue of the two big fertiliser co-ops total $1.6 billion. So what are the factors behind rising fertiliser prices in the past couple of years?

Mike, Ravensdown’s General Manager Supply Chain (right), was the expert speaker in a Federated Farmers ‘What’s up with fert?’ webinar earlier this month. As the host and Federated Farmers Arable Chairperson Colin Hurst commented, New Zealand farmers are fortunate to have two co-operatives – Ravensdown and Ballance – which work to smooth out the rough edges of sudden spikes in global prices and supply shortages. The RSS Remy Enterprise: Ravensdown’s shipping joint venture has paid huge dividends in the past two years, both ÿ nancially and operationally. The co-op has been able to get ships to ÿ ll the gaps that have arisen with supply chain disruption around the world.

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alongside the costs of labour and capital, Colin said.

Fertiliser features in the top three expenses for most farmers

Mike described a massive amount of stimulus around the globe going back to 2020, with a focus on food. Shortages and rising prices for wheat and other grains, on the back of low inventories internationally, have sparked food security concerns in several countries. While New Zealand has beneÿ ted from strong returns for meat and dairy “we’re starting to see the likes of Vietnam, Turkey, Egypt, Russia and China bring in regulations to look after their own security, particularly around nutrients and food”, Mike said. China, the largest producer of fertiliser in the world and a signiÿ cant exporter, put fertiliser export controls in place last year and the e° ect on supply and price was immediate.

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The covid pandemic is punching big holes in workforces, and transport and infrastructure sectors have been hit really hard. “At the same time we’ve seen sanctions – in the past on Iran, a big producer of nitrogen, and on Belarus, so that’s potash.” Now we’ve got Russia’s attack on the Ukraine. Both countries are signiÿ cant producers of fertiliser, and exporters of gas and fuel to Europe. A 400-500% surge in energy prices in Europe has curtailed their nitrogen production and they’ll be looking elsewhere for product. When the constraints from China came in, the free-on-board urea price went from about $US350 to as high as $US950, but eased in January and February as demand also eased. But prices are now surging again with the war in Ukraine. Ravensdown’s ability to insulate shareholder farmers from the worst of this global bu° eting is because the co-op has pursued a strategy of enduring supplier relationships, a bulk shipping joint venture, and a strong stock position, Mike said. Ravensdown also works hard to place orders with signiÿ cant lead time, and suppliers appreciate the surety. Strong stock positions mean the co-op was able to hold the superphosphate price through to 31st May. Ravensdown also anticipated the reduction in urea

prices that came about in January and was able to hold its prices until that occurred. “All of our autumn purchases are either in store or on the water. So currently we don’t see any issues around supply going through the autumn and into winter.” Ravensdown expects China to come back into exporting fertiliser in the about the middle of this year, which will be positive on urea and phosphate prices. The co-op is getting most of its potassium out of Canada from Germany-owned company K+S AG. Mike said those two nations account for nearly 40% of potash exports and Europe relies heavily on this. He thought it unlikely that sanctions would totally ban fertiliser and potash imports from Russia – if they did there wouldn’t be enough potash supply anywhere in the world. The next four to eight weeks would show more clearly the impacts of the Ukraine con˛ ict and sanctions on Russia on fertiliser supply and prices. Mike’s ÿ nal advice to farmers was that with good fertiliser stocks in store it could pay to be proactive about getting nutrients on paddocks if levels justiÿ ed it. Reprinted with permission from FedsNews, the monthly newspaper of Federated Farmers of NZ.

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Shade plans part of the future for dairy farms

BY DAVID FAMULARO

Welfare 2014 includes a provision for shade among its ‘best practice’ guidelines for New Zealand milk suppliers.

From animal welfare to improved milk production – there are a lot of reasons for farms to have a shade planting plan.

Farmers, being practical people, tend to combine a shade tree plan with other purposes. Well-designed plantings can also be beneÿ cial for:  soil conservation and slope stabilisation

Katie Saunders (right) is a qualiÿ ed veterinarian with a background in clinical practice as well as research settings.

 water quality

She has been part of the Animal Care Team at DairyNZ for the past six years and has been its Lead Adviser for the past 12 months.

 more amenable summer working conditions.

DairyNZ places a strong importance on animal welfare, and six months ago initiated the Animals Have A Good Life Project. “The project looks at ways to measure and improve animal care on farms, building on previous work in similar areas,” says Katie. “Providing enough shade is a core part of this.”

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All regions of New Zealand experience summer temperatures and humidity that at times are likely to cause heat stress in livestock, with climate change predicted to make this situation worse.

 habitat for wildlife, especially birds and bees  fodder in times of drought

All planting on-farm is better when it’s planned and takes a whole-farm approach. STUDIES HAVE FOUND PROVIDING SHADE HAS NO NEGATIVE IMPACT ON GRASS CONSUMPTION BY COWS “Temperature is not the only threshold. Humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation are other factors,” Katie points out. Cows are ruminants, so they are particularly prone to heat stress as fermentation in rumen produces heat, says Katie, “so they will feel hotter than we do at the same temperature.” Cows’ sweating mechanisms are poor too, and they rely on respiration to cool themselves. This means that in a hot and/or

humid environment, they cannot dissipate this heat load e˛ ciently. Livestock with black or thick coats are particularly at risk. In Hawke’s Bay, skin temperature on black cattle exposed to natural levels of summer sunlight, has been measured at 50°C. “Friesian and Friesian-cross breeds tend to be a˜ ected above 20 degrees,” says Katie. “Jerseys are a bit more tolerant to around 25 degrees.” Contrary to common opinion among farmers, providing

shade does not result in animals spending less time grazing, Katie says. “It has been a common misconception in the past that cows in shade spend less time grazing but research has found they eat more over the whole days. “When cows get too hot they stop eating, they stand idle and not grazing. “When you give them shade they use it, and when they are ready, they go back to eating again.”

Heat stress can reduce feed intake and milk production. Heat can also a˜ ect reproduction performance, Katie says. “In some regions mating occurs in quite hot environments so that is deÿ nitely a factor to consider. “But animals eating less, leading to lower productivity is deÿ nitely the biggest negative impact.” Premium meat markets now insist that livestock have access to shade in summer. The MPI Dairy Cattle Code of

DairyNZ has an excellent PDF “Trees On Farms: Trees For Shade available on its website dairynz. co.nz that covers all the many aspects of planting that should be considered. It says farmers should think about how they would like their farm to look in future and how shade plantings could provide other beneÿ ts on farm. There are a huge number of design aspects to consider such as the position of the sun throughout the day, how to avoid nutrient loading, soil compaction and pasture loss, what species to plant, how many trees to plant, and where to plant them.

The challenge in getting farmers planting shade trees is not so much the cost as the fact that they won’t see the result of their e˜ orts for some years. That is one of the reasons she believes having a plan works best. “You don’t get an immediate beneÿ t but it gives you a lot of beneÿ ts over the longer term. “Having a plan is good way to make sure all present and future sta˜ are singing from the same song sheet, Katie points out. “Every farm is di˜ erent and there is no one-size-that-ÿ ts-all plan,” she says. “It can be helpful to talk to your vet and local rural professionals to get helpful advice, too.” There are also things a farmer can do immediately that will make a di˜ erence. A dairy cow’s body temperature typically peaks during and after the afternoon milking. This is due to the long distances walked, exposure to sun on the races and a large number of animals being in close proximity to each other. “Supplying drinking water, and alternating milking times so the cows are not walking and standing in the yard in the heat of the day, are some immediate ways to reduce heat load for cows.”

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SHADE TREES for a not-so-summer-safe climate Just south of Mount Bruce, Jason Christensen is carrying on the tradition of planting shade trees that his father Henry started in the 1980s on the family’s 536 hectare dairy and beef farm. Jason grew up on the farm which has been in the family since 1879, and has noticed the change in the weather since the 1970s. “It used to be summer safe but not any longer because of climate change. We still get a similar average rainfall, but now it comes in big lumps.” Henry started o˜ by planting deciduous trees like oaks for shade as well as shelter belts. In more recent years the father and son team have been doing riparian planting that also provides shade for the farm’s 370 dairy and 180 dairy replacements plus 50 beef cattle. This has led to more shade for the animals around the farm but Jason is uncertain whether that has in turn had a direct impact on feed uptake and milk production. “It’s hard to tell if it has led to greater milk production. We did it for animal welfare.” In future, the Christensens plan to plant more deciduous species around the property. “These give good shade in summer but allow sunlight through in winter so the soil dries out.

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NZ-UK Free Trade Agreement significant boost for red meat sector The signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between New Zealand and the UK represents a signiÿ cant boost for New Zealand farmers and exporters with lamb and beef eventually allowed quota and tari° -free access into the UK for the ÿ rst time in decades. Under the FTA, New Zealand’s beef and sheep meat exports to the UK will be fully liberalised over time, with no duties from the 16th year after the deal comes into force after ratiÿ cation by both countries. During this time, beef and sheep meat will be subject to duty-free transitional quotas with the quota for New Zealand beef increasing in annual instalments from a starting point of 12,000 tonnes until it reaches 60,000 metric tonnes in year 15, after which it will be duty and tari° -free. The transitional quota for sheep meat will reach 50,000 metric tonnes per year from year ÿ ve to 15 (in addition to New Zealand’s existing access of over 100,000 tonnes through its WTO quota).

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Both countries have also agreed provisions covering sanitary

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measures and customs procedures and trade facilitation, which include provisions enabling the faster release of goods within 48 hours of arrival. For perishable goods such as chilled meat, the FTA sets out a six-hour release timeframe.

Sam McIvor, chief executive of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, says sheep and beef farmers will be pleased with the outcome of the FTA, which will further strengthen New Zealand’s already diverse export base.

“New Zealand has not had tari° -free access into the UK since Britain joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 so this deal will deliver a major boost for sheep and beef farmers and exporters,” says Sirma Karapeeva, chief executive of the Meat Industry Association (MIA).

“This FTA will unlock value in an important market for New Zealand farmers. New Zealand’s free range, pasture-raised farming systems are highly regarded by UK consumers and the perfect complement to the United Kingdom’s northern hemisphere production season.

“This FTA realises our ambitions for a high-quality agreement with greater access to an important market for New Zealand beef and lamb. It is also a win for New Zealand chilled meat exports because it will ensure the produce can reach the ÿ nal customer quickly and in optimum condition. “The agreement provides a solid platform for closer co-operation between the New Zealand and United Kingdom red meat sectors and will help to strengthen the ties between the two countries.”

“New Zealand and the United Kingdom producers share a strong commitment to high production standards, particularly in important areas such as food safety and quality, animal welfare and the environment. “The FTA represents a strong commitment from both New Zealand and UK to free trade. Its outcomes re˛ ect tough negotiations on sensitive products for both sides, but the FTA will ultimately deliver beneÿ ts for the sheep and beef sectors in both countries.”

The agreement includes a signiÿ cant Animal Welfare Chapter, which recognises that while New Zealand and the United Kingdom’s production practices are substantively di° erent, each country accords a high priority to animal welfare in those practices, which provide largely comparable outcomes and welfare protection. The New Zealand Meat Board will be responsible for administering the transitional FTA quotas for beef and sheep meat in line with the robust system already in place for administering the existing World Trade Organisation (WTO) quotas for red meat. After signature, the FTA still needs to be ratiÿ ed by both countries before it can come into force. Andrew Burtt, Chief Economist for Beef + Lamb New Zealand says, “We should acknowledge the work of o˝ cials thinking about and negotiating on things such as the quality - not just quantity - of access to the United Kingdom providing opportunities for New Zealand exporters and processors and, in turn, farmers.”

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Demand strong as $1 billion wine grape harvest gets under way The ÿ rst grapes of the 2022 vintage have been harvested, with ongoing international demand and low stock levels meaning that winemakers are hoping for a signiÿ cantly larger harvest this year. The 2021 harvest, while of exceptional quality, was 19% smaller than the previous year, says Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers. Over the past 12 months this has forced wineries to draw down on stocks to maintain their place in market. New Zealand wine sales for 2021 were 324 million litres, meaning they were 48 million litres more than was produced in the 2021 vintage.

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“This stock drawdown highlights that we desperately need a bigger harvest in 2022, to replenish cellars, and help satisfy international demand. “Over the past 12 months many New Zealand wineries have faced tough decisions over who they can supply in their key markets, and the ongoing increase in international demand has placed huge strain on already depleted stocks. “For some wineries, there has been quite simply just not enough wine to go around,” says Philip.

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“Encouragingly, the ongoing demand for New Zealand wine has proven once again that the distinctive ˛ avours, quality and sustainability of our wines increasingly resonate with consumers around the world. “It is positive to see that during these uncertain times, consumers continue to choose a premium product they know that they can trust.” Increasing production costs and the on-going e° ects of covid-19 on the border, markets, and supply chains have continued to impact the industry, and over the past 12 months the availability of labour has been a huge concern for many growers and wineries.

“The introduction of Omicron into the New Zealand community on the cusp of vintage 2022 is a very serious concern for growers and wineries, as this is our busiest time of year, and we are already facing a critical labour shortage in some regions,” says Philip. “The unavailability of skilled workers due to the ongoing closure of New Zealand’s borders means undoubtedly this vintage will be more di˝ cult to manage than normal.” Wine businesses that sell predominantly through the onpremise and tourism sectors also continue to experience signiÿ cant setbacks. “Domestically, red light restrictions on operations of hospitality businesses are a major challenge for wineries dependent on that sector. “Cellar doors have been hit hard by the collapse in international tourist numbers over the past two years. Positively, we have seen more New Zealanders visiting cellar doors, but there are long, lean periods as we move out of the traditional Kiwi holiday period.” The New Zealand wine industry is expected to beneÿ t from the free trade deal New Zealand has signed with the United Kingdom, says Philip. “The agreement is very positive for the New Zealand wine industry. This will help remove technical barriers to trade, and minimise burdens from certiÿ cation and labelling requirements. It will also support future growth in the market, and encourage exporters to focus on the UK.” “The UK is New Zealand’s second largest export market for wine, with exports valued at over $400 million over the past 12 months. “The agreement will reduce trade barriers on New Zealand wine exports to the UK, which will make a big di° erence for many within our industry.”

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their ability to move livestock o˛ farm when ÿ nished, as well as the possibility of holding livestock for longer and needing additional feed.

Beef & Lamb report leans towards the positive BY DAVID FAMULARO

A positive outlook for 2021-2022 season with record high red meat export returns is predicted by Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ). This is despite unpredictability in markets due to such issues as the Ukraine crisis, covid, in˜ ation and high fertiliser prices. The Mid-Season Update 2021–22 has a positive outlook for the global sheep meat and beef trade, supported by solid fundamentals in key markets and demand projected to continue to exceed supply. “The outlook is positive,” says B+LNZ’s Chief Economist Andrew Burtt who resides in Martinborough. “Strong demand from the United States and China has underpinned record highs in the ÿ rst quarter of the season for both sheep meat and beef returns, and a tightening of global beef supply has added fuel

to the global beef market,” he says in the report.

high and is 18 per cent up on the ÿ ve-year average.

Total combined sheep meat and beef export receipts for the 2021-22 season are forecast to lift 11 per cent on 2020-21 to $9.6 billion and be 21 per cent higher than the ÿ ve-year average.

Total lamb export receipts are forecast to increase by 13 per cent on 2020-21 re˜ ecting a 14 per cent lift in the average value of lamb.

“The positive market sentiment is supported by the outlook for the New Zealand Dollar, which is favourable for New Zealand exporters. A greater proportion of the strong prices in New Zealand’s export markets is expected to ˜ ow into farm-gate returns.” B+LNZ forecasts farm proÿ t before tax to lift 29 per cent in 2021-22 to an average $116,200 per farm (in˜ ation adjusted). “While this is a welcome increase, it’s from a low ÿ gure in 2020-21 and is less than in 2017-18, 201819 and 2019-20. “Strong farmgate sheep prices underpin an 11 per cent increase in gross farm revenue. However, in˜ ationary pressure is causing on farm costs to lift sharply with farm expenditure forecasted to increase 4.5 per cent.” The forecast average value of sheep meat exports is a record

“Farmers remain concerned about the speed of increasing environmental regulation and the encroachment of carbon forestry businesses changing the landscape of rural communities.” In an email conversation Andrew said his sense of the mood among sheep & beef farmers in the Wairarapa is one of “cautious optimism”. Near-term concerns for farmers tend to be around “input prices ie in˜ ation”, Andrew says.

Strong demand from the United States and China has underpinned record highs in the ÿ rst quarter of the season for both sheep meat and beef returns.

“They tend to go up and stay up, while product prices, which are at record levels, might be a bit more ‘responsive’. “There’s a lot of volatility globally, not least due to the Russia/ Ukraine situation and the ripple e˛ ects from that. “While New Zealand does not export any meat to either Russia or Ukraine, there is potential for indirect e˛ ects. It’s very early in the piece though.

Lamb export volumes are forecast to be down one per cent on last season as the lamb crop in spring 2021 is forecast to have been slightly lower than in 2020. Export receipts for both sheep meat co-products and mutton are predicted to increase six per cent. Beef and veal export revenue is expected to be $4.9 billion in the 2021-22 season (up 11 per cent compared with 2020-21), even

B+LNZ’S CHIEF ECONOMIST ANDREW BURTT though the volume of exports is forecast to decline two per cent to 493,000 tonnes. Imported beef demand in the US is expected to be strong, underpinned by declining US beef production. “Like many other industries,

Sheep & beef farmers feeling content as winter approaches Generally speaking, sheep & beef farmers are happy with how things are going at present, says Homewood farmer George Tatham. George runs a sheep & beef ÿ nishing farm near Riversdale and is also on the board of Beef+Lamb New Zealand. “Farmers are generally pretty positive. Product prices have been very strong, especially for sheep. Things have been great for farmers over the last 18 months.”

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However, George says there is concern around in˜ ationary prices for pretty

much all of farms’ inputs, most noticeably fertiliser where some products have seen a 50 per cent increase. “These are largely to do with problems o˛ shore.” Farmers are also having to get used to planning ahead for whatever products they want, he says. “Gone are the days of ordering something one day and getting it the next. Farmers now need to plan ahead to make sure they get what they need on the day they want it.”

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www.age.co.nz Thursday, March 31, 2022

Farmers are pleased with what the weather gods have been giving them in Wairarapa over the past few months, with a lot of rain meaning most farmers are heading into autumn and winter with very good feed stock, although “it has been a tough season for arable farmers because of the rain”. Rising interest rates will have an impact on farms, says George, “but the past few years have been good so most farmers should have their debt in control.” Overall, he says, “everyone is reasonably buoyant”.

global red meat trade faces several key challenges in 2022 including the ongoing pandemic uncertainty, continuing supply chain disruption – including high freight costs – the impact of tightening monetary policy in key markets on consumer demand

and the sensitivity of agricultural trade to geopolitical tensions. “While farmgate prices for sheep and cattle boost proÿ tability, farmers are wary about the impact of the omicron variant of covid-19 on processor space and

“There could be a range of threats and opportunities. The immediate impact will depend on two things: higher feed costs and far higher energy costs.

sun˜ ower oil and everyone hears about its importance in wheat trade. “Fertiliser could be the limiting factor, high costs reduce use, and therefore production.

– farmers, transport ÿ rms, processors and exporters to name some – have done over many years to establish strong reputation for New Zealand. The worst bits of news for them are: High input prices, speciÿ cally concern about fertiliser and other input prices and availability of inputs.

“There could be impacts from some countries limiting exports to manage domestic availability.

“Pressures on household budgets from higher energy prices might put a dent in global meat consumption.”

There are some parts of the report that Andrew recommends farmers take special notice of: The outlook for global sheep meat and beef trade. It’s positive.

Processing space in the near term as Omicron sweeps the country. B+LNZ encourage farmers to maintain good communications with their processors, think carefully about near-term feed supplies by doing feed planning taking into account the impact on longer term feed supplies …but that’s what farmers do: deal with all sorts of volatility. There’s a lot of useful information for farmers in the B+LNZ knowledge hub on the B+LNZ website.

2 3 4

The depreciation of the NZD relative to many currencies, notably the USD, helps too. The counter to that is the impact on already pricey inputs.

Livestock production is a key contributor to New Zealand’s economy. The whole sector works well together and does so extremely well overall.

Strong fundamentals about meat consumption. Economic recovery in New Zealand’s markets.

The best bits of news for sheep & beef farmers at the moment are: Feed supplies are good, thanks to mother nature, so that provides some ˜ exibility.

“Neither Russia nor Ukraine is a major meat exporter, but both are important grain exporters.

“Ukraine is a signiÿ cant grain and oilseed exporter, eg, It’s one of the biggest exporters of

Strong returns. The work that all in the supply chain

Uncertainty about the impacts of regulations and the costs those may impose on them – not only direct costs but indirect costs too. Uncertainty about covid-19 – on-farm implications and supply chain interruptions that may result. The meat processors and exporters have done a huge amount of work to continue to meet customer demands in challenging times when transport has been disrupted. The full report can be found on the Beef & Lamb NZ website beeflambnz.com

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Thursday, March 31, 2022 Wairarapa Times-Age

A heads-up on Freshwater Farm Plans BY DAVID FAMULARO

The time is quickly arriving when farmers will need to have their freshwater farm plans in place. According to the Ministry For The Environment’s website (http/environment.govt.nz/ acts-and-regulations/freshwaterimplementation-guidance/ freshwater-farm-plans/) the requirement for certiÿ ed freshwater farm plans will be phased in from mid-2022. Farmers who need a freshwater farm plan in place are: • 20 hectares or more in arable or pastoral use • 5 hectares or more in horticultural use • 20 hectares or more of combined use. Freshwater farm plans will identify practical actions on farm that help improve local waterways. Actions will be tailored to a particular farm’s circumstances, the physical environment and what is important in the catchment that farm is in.

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www.age.co.nz Thursday, March 31, 2022

Freshwater farm plans will build from existing plans, but are not

the same as farm environment plans. Beneÿ ts to having a freshwater farm plan • Provides a record of environmental actions (past, present and future). • Can support the development of an Integrated Farm Plan. • Links your farm to community of catchment group priorities. • Helps you inform future regional plans; may provide assurance to suppliers and customers. • Can list your existing resource consents and conditions. Elements of a freshwater farm plan • Catchment context (ie, catchment values, ecosystem health, community outcomes, farm management practices). • Risks/impacts assessment (ie, critical source areas, fodder crop management, wetlands). • Actions to reduce risks (ie, strategic fencing of waterways, wetland restoration, winter grazing paddock plan). • Catchment context: councils to notify freshwater regional plans by 2024 to give e° ect to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater 2020 including Te Mana o te Wai. • National Environmental

Standards for Freshwater 2020: (eg, practice standards for stock holding areas, interim intensiÿ cation rules, natural wetland rules, intensive winter grazing and nitrogen cap). • RMA S360 regulations - Stock exclusion from waterways: (eg, exclude stock on low slope areas and exclusion of stock on land from 5 to 10 degrees, in depleted grassland and tall tussock, and areas above 500m altitude will be managed by freshwater farm plans). How freshwater farm plans ÿ t in with the wider regulatory system Freshwater farm plans can demonstrate how regulatory requirements are being met on farms such as those from the: • National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (Freshwater NES) • nitrogen-cap policy • stock exclusion regulations • intensive winter grazing regulations • regional plans, consent requirements etc. Freshwater farm plans and stock exclusion regulations are complementary ways to manage stock exclusion.

with their plan or will they do it themselves and just go to the sources mentioned where necessary? • Whether or not a farm manager uses a farm adviser to help develop their freshwater farm plan is up to them and will depend on their capacity, personal expertise, as well as the complexity of their farming system. Many farmers already use professional advisers to help with compliance issues, resource consents, water metering requirements, or other data and reporting needs. Who is or can be a qualiÿ ed certiÿ er? Where can farmers ÿ nd them? We are working on the certiÿ cation and auditing system which will be in place when we start rolling out freshwater farm plans. Key points to note are: • Each freshwater farm plan will need to be certiÿ ed by someone who is accredited, to ensure it is ÿ t for purpose.

FRESHWATER FARM PLANS ARE EXPECTED TO START COMING INTO EFFECT LATER THIS YEAR ˜ BUT NOT EVERYWHERE AT ONCE.

I emailed the following questions to the Ministry for the Environment and received the following replies:

For Wairarapa farmers what are the practical things that they need to do in coming months to meet the requirements of the plan? • We are advising farmers to keep using their existing farm or environmental management plan to minimise any environmental

effects from their farming activities, until freshwater farm plans are introduced in their region. • Freshwater farm plans are expected to start coming into effect later this year – but not everywhere at once. • We are working with regional

councils to ensure the rollout meets regional priorities. • Farmers will be advised by their regional council when they need to start thinking about developing a freshwater farm plan. Do farmers need to hire a professional to help them

• A national system is being set up to ensure we have enough people with the right skills and experience to certify freshwater farm plans. • A national body will manage quality assurance of the system. • Regional councils will appoint certiÿ ers in their region. • Certiÿ ers will work with farmers and farm advisers to develop e° ective freshwater farm plans.

• Each freshwater farm plan will need to be recertiÿ ed every few years (time frame to be determined). What are some of the important things that Wairarapa farmers need to know or understand of freshwater farm plans at this time? • Most farms will need a freshwater farm plan – but the timing for individuals will depend on how we roll out the system across New Zealand. • Farm managers should make sure they are connected with their regional council which will provide updates on what they need to know and do around freshwater farm plans. • We expect that many existing industry and sector assurance programmes will be able to be used as a basis for freshwater farm planning, or else adapt and transition into the freshwater farm plan system. • For those who farm, freshwater farm plans will provide a practical way to identify, manage and reduce the impact of farming on the freshwater environment. • They will complement existing tools, such as resource consents, and should reduce the regulatory burden on farmers. • Freshwater farm plans will align with council regional plans and will be able to be used to demonstrate compliance with regional policies and rules.

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Thursday, March 31, 2022 Wairarapa Times-Age

Getting on-track with NAIT BY DAVID FAMULARO Last month Dairy Women’s Network held a webinar presented by Otago dairy farmer and OSPRI Regional Partner Louisa Sahin to understand NAIT’s timeframes for registration and movement recording, and why this is important for biosecurity, along with practical tips to improve on-farm practices and reading NAIT reports. A former lecturer in agriculture, Louisa has been a dairy farmer for the past six years with husband Jorg Sahin on their 750-cow farm at Clinton. Louisa is passionate about the role traceability has to play for on-farm biosecurity. In her introduction, Louisa said the ÿ rst rule or responsibility of a person in charge of animals is to register with NAIT which farmers can do on the website www.ospri. co.nz Louisa went on to say that two of the main questions she gets asked a lot are “Is it is okay to leave tagging calves until they are dehorned” (yes, as long as this is within 180 days of birth and the calves are not moved o° farm), and “If calves are sold at four days old, do they need to be tagged” (yes, they need to have NAIT tag ÿ tted and be registered in the system before moving, unless they are bobby calves).

MARCH EDITION

Two other common questions are “Can I use my unused birth EIDs”

Animals Registered before first Movement Year Animals Registered before ...

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30 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

2018 2019 2020 2021

compliance since the 2018 M.Bovis outbreak which exposed issues with the NAIT system and compliance overall. OSPRI has been working hard since then to ensure compliance is improved to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the data stored in the NAIT system and reduce the risk for disease spread.

Tagging Tips Tags can only be applied to animals at the NAIT number they were purchased for. All tags used on animals must be registered on NAIT by the PICA farmer or someone acting on their behalf. Position tag: to central/inner part between the veins. The female end should face forward.

We explicitly frame communications about NAIT in such a way that the messaging is to encourage best practice and educate farmers rather than threaten enforcement action.

100%

80%

Research undertaken by UMR (2018) on farmer attitudes towards NAIT compliance found that 92% of farmers surveyed agreed that ‘Farmers have a duty to their wider farming community to comply with NAIT regulations’.

60%

Qtr 1

(yes, but these can be confusing best used in cull cows), and “What if a cow loses a tag at grazing” (the cow should be tagged with an EID issued to the grazing property’s NAIT number. If the tag uses a participant code as part of the visual ID, they can contact us to transfer tags to their NAIT number ). The “fourth” rule which is “to record and conÿ rm movements” is where people struggle the most, Louisa said. “Any movement to another NAIT number needs to be recorded

Qtr 2

in the NAIT system. NAIT is not about ownership of the animals but about the location, so even if ownership isn’t changing the movement needs to be recorded.” The timeframe for recording movements is within 48 hours of the movement taking place, Louisa pointed out. “There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, and those are bobby calves, which you do not need to record a movement for, and NAIT accredited entities who will record the movement for you. A NAIT accredited entity is usually

Qtr 3

Qtr 4

a sale yard or a meat processing plant.”

I followed up the webinar by sending some questions to the media team at OSPRI: The title of the presentation was “Getting back on track with NAIT”. Have some farmers got o˜ track with NAIT, and if so, how? We have, in fact, seen improvements in NAIT

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www.age.co.nz Thursday, March 31, 2022

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Are there any areas where farmers could improve? A key focus area for compliance has been to ensure that NAIT animals are tagged and registered before the ÿ rst movement o° farm. As you can see in the graph below, compliance in this area is trending upwards, but we still have work to do to keep this momentum going, especially when the prevalence of disease in cattle is low. But some work is also required to ensure movements are recorded in a timely manner for animals throughout their lives. We need to ensure farmers are committed to keeping their records up-to-date to prevent the need for manual tracing which happened in the M.Bovis outbreak owing to poor NAIT compliance.

When tagging: Scan the calves tag number and register the animal in NAIT. Record their year of birth, NAIT number, the location of birth and select beef for production type.

Use NAIT approved tags with the correct applicator. Birth ID’s aren’t just for dairy calves. All calves must be NAIT registered within 180 days of birth.

Don’t have a scanner? •

Use tags in numerical order. This makes it easier to bulk register animals in your NAIT account.

•

Use a secondary panel tag. You can match a secondary visual identifier to the NAIT tag in your NAIT account.

•

Scanner hire. Call the OSPRI Contact Centre on 0800 482 463 for more details.

Failure to compy with NAIT obligations may result in fines or prosecution issued by the Ministry for Primary Industries. For more information about your obligations as a person in charge of animals, please visit our website ospri.co.nz. NAIT in an OSPRI programme

We aim to achieve high rates of lifetime traceability as this will mean we will be able to respond quickly and e˛ ciently if another disease hits New Zealand livestock. We target periods of time like Moving Day for our campaigns as opportunities to remind farmers

info@ospri.co.nz

0800 482 463

of their obligations. When so many animals are moving around the country and PICAs are incredibly busy with other moving logistics, NAIT is often forgotten, which is a big risk to biosecurity. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

OTAGO DAIRY FARMER AND OSPRI REGIONAL PARTNER LOUISA SAHIN

Thursday, March 31, 2022 Wairarapa Times-Age

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

What are the key things you would like farmers to understand or do better in regards to NAIT? What we aim to achieve is the understanding that everyone has a part to play. Just because you have not had a disease outbreak on your farm, does not mean you do not have a risk now or in the future. Incorporating good on-farm traceability practices into your day-to-day biosecurity management is a great habit to develop. It helps protect your farm and livelihood in the event of a disease outbreak, and reduces the chances of you not meeting your legal obligations and any associated ÿ nes or prosecutions for non-compliance. Farmers should be clear on what their NAIT obligations are. What are some of the main struggles and frustrations farmers are having with NAIT and how can they be improved? We acknowledge that the NAIT system needs work, but it is still possible for PICAs to meet their obligations in the system and so until we have made

improvements, we encourage farmers to keep doing their bit to build a strong biosecurity system that protects them, their farm, their community, and the industry. We are also aware that tag retention is a signiÿ cant concern for a lot of farmers. One of the major causes of tag loss is incorrect tag placement or using

an applicator that is not designed for the tags they have purchased. If fencing systems are resulting in tags getting caught and torn out, consider changing the tags you use to a more ° exible tag. What are some of the key points in the presentation for farmers to be aware of? Keep the important NAIT timeframes

in mind. There is help available in the regional partners. OSPRI has decentralised its operating model to ensure we have people on the ground in rural communities ready to help farmers. We have a fantastic Support centre. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call.

Warmer temperatures, average rainfall predicted for autumn

BY DAVID FAMULARO Warmer-than-normal temperatures are being predicted by Niwa in its Seasonal Climate Outlook from March to May 2022.

MARCH EDITION

In Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, temperatures are most likely to be above average with a delayed transition to cooler temperatures during April and May.

April may feature a period of unsettled weather and more climate variability, Niwa says.

Rainfall totals are most likely to be near normal. Frequent onshore wind ° ows may contribute to more days with light rain, drizzle, and cloud.

The marine heatwave conditions that have occurred around New Zealand will ease o˜ over autumn, but delay the seasonal transition to cooler temperatures, and increase the odds for stormy weather.

An elevated chance for atmospheric rivers and ex-tropical cyclone activity may increase the risk for heavy rainfall events in April.

Expect more-than-usual northeasterly wind ° ows, and more variability overall, Niwa says. There is also the possibility of extreme rainfall events.

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Soil moisture levels and river ° ows are likely to be near normal. AUTUMN MAY SEE MORE CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND EXTREME RAINFALL EVENTS

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