Farming GUARDIAN
JANUARY 2017
SUPERFOOD HARVEST N E P O
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Read the latest Dairy Focus online at guardianonline.co.nz We appreciate your feedback. Editorial Email your comments to Linda linda.c@theguardian.co.nz or phone 03 307 7957.
PAGE 22-24 IRRIGATION UPDATE
GIVEAWAY
Fancy a little summer reading? We are giving away a copy of Catherine Knight’s book New Zealand’s Rivers, thanks to our friends at Nationwide Book Distributors at Oxford. It is a history of how rivers have shaped our landscape, from the time of the Maori and European settlers to how water has been used for hydroelectricity schemes, boating and for agriculture.
Advertising For advertising enquiries Ashleigh email ashleigh.r@theguardian.co.nz or phone 03 307 7955. Post Ashburton Guardian, PO Box 77, Ashburton 7740.
Linda Clarke
SENIOR REPORTER
Driving along Boundary Road last week reminded me of the diversity of our farmers in this district. I had stolen precious time from Mike Read, who was busy getting his blackcurrant harvest under way and headed back to Ashburton via Boundary Road and Longbeach. Within a few kilometres I saw sheep, deer, dairy cows, a fair number of horses and some good-looking arable crops. I hope the sun plays ball as summer progresses and harvesting gets into full swing. It benefits us all when the money poured into crops during the growing cycle is not wasted if the harvest is a wash-out. Sun or rain, farmers are used to making decisions around the
weather. Some plan for both by investing in water and drying sheds. On behalf of the parents of university students everywhere, thank you to farmers that have also taken on students to help out around the farm or as part of roguing gangs. The money they earn will help offset their student loans but, just as importantly, it gives urban people a look at farm life, possibly igniting a passion for the environment or at the very least giving a basic understanding of the science involved in feeding the masses. Agriculture needs bright young minds. Combing huge paddocks of potatoes looking for plants affected by unwanted psyllids also makes young people sleep well at night. And that is a good thing.
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Blackcurrant power Harvesting of blackcurrants is under way on Mid Canterbury farms. Brothers Mike and Steve Read will be harvesting berries from 150 hectares of bushes near Hinds this season while on the Methven highway, the Tavendales are doing the same. It has been an average year, thanks to a dull spring. The farmers are among 21 commercial blackcurrant growers in Canterbury. The Reads will sell half their crop to Ribena to make into blackcurrant fruit drink while the rest will be exported, as extract, around the world. There is growing demand for the fruit, which researchers in the UK say is a superfood; athletes are taking supplements made from New Zealand blackcurrants to improve muscle recovery, performance and fat-burning. The benefits of the antioxidant rich fruit are no secret to the Read family, which has been growing blackcurrants for 35 years; Mike and Steve now run the Hinds operation set up by their parents Kerry
Left – Mike Read reveals blackcurrants waiting to be harvested.
Linda Clarke
PHOTO LINDA CLARK 100117-LC-016
SENIOR REPORTER
and Margaret. Mike Read said the workforce grew by 12 at harvest time, with the berries harvested by a grape harvester modified to carefully shake the blackcurrants from the bushes. The fruit is washed on an outdoor production line on-farm, packed in large containers and transported to its final destination by truck. Read said it would be an average yield because of the spring weather. The crop is considered high risk because its vulnerability to all kinds of weather, especially wind and hail. The plants also need reliable water. The Reads grow six varieties of blackcurrants, on three separate blocks in the Hinds area, to reduce risk
but the brothers also farm another 300ha in arable crops, which will be ready for harvest when the last of the berries are packed at the end of the month. It was essential to the longterm survival of the business to grow other crops in case the blackcurrants were wiped
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out, he said. Soils in the area are ideally suited to arable and horticulture crops. New Zealand is the largest southern hemisphere supplier of blackcurrants, and accounts for about five per cent of world production. Chairman of Blackcurrants New Zealand Geoff Heslop
says the berries have been declared a superfood in the UK. He said an article in The Telegraph recently told UK consumers what the blackcurrant industry here has known for some time, that athletes who take supplements Continued on next page
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made from New Zealand blackcurrants are benefiting from improved muscle recovery, performance and fat-burning. The article quotes New Zealand funded research findings, stating that “university studies have tested New Zealand blackcurrant extract, taken in supplement form for a concentrated dose, and shown it can increase fat loss by up to a third during exercise.” It may also dilate the body’s blood vessels, resulting in up to 20 per cent increased blood flow, and nutrient and oxygen delivery to cells. Rowers, runners, swimmers and cyclists are also claiming benefits after taking the blackcurrant supplements. Heslop, a Canterbury grower, said it is heartening to see the UK media picking up on the benefits of New Zealand fruit. “As an industry we have made a serious commitment to investing in scientific research that will support the use of New Zealand blackcurrant products, particularly by elite athletes. “Much of this research has been carried out by Mark Willems, Professor of Exercise Physiology at the
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Above – Steve Read operating a modified grape harvester which is designed to shake the blackcurrants from their bushes.
PHOTO LINDA CLARK 100117-LC-003
University of Chichester, using a supplement made of New Zealand blackcurrants. “His work with cyclists and runners has shown that taking the supplement can reduce lactate values and enhance blood flow during and after exercise, suggesting benefits for athletes in a
range of sports.” Heslop says Blackcurrants New Zealand is continuing to fund exercise physiology research with blackcurrants at the University of Chichester, and is looking forward to more positive research results and an uptake of blackcurrant products.
Blackcurrants (ribes nigrum) were first planted commercially in New Zealand in the early 1970s. The berries are now mostly grown in Canterbury and Nelson and while there are fewer growers, the planted area and production yields have continued to grow since
the late 1990s. In the 2016/2017 season there are 27 levy paying grower members of Blackcurrants New Zealand, with a total annual production volume ranging between 6500–9000 tonnes. Continued on next page
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Blackcurrant recipes There are plenty of ways to eat blackcurrants, both sweet and savoury. Try some of these: The ultimate anytime blackcurrant BBQ salad 200g frozen blackcurrants (readily available in supermarket frozen berry section)
Above – Blackcurrants are washed and packed on-farm ready PHOTO LINDA CLARK 100117-LC-020 for transport.
ABOUT BLACKCURRANTS ■■ Blackcurrants are harvested in January, this year’s harvest has just begun. ■■ New Zealand is the largest Southern Hemisphere supplier of blackcurrants, and accounts for about 5 per cent of world production. ■■ 37 growers farm approximately 1700 hectares and produce around 8000 tonnes of fruit every year. ■■ The purple/black colour of blackcurrants indicates the presence of the anthocyanins, which have exceptionally strong antioxidant activity as well as other healthpromoting qualities. ■■ Research shows that blackcurrants rank significantly higher in levels of antioxidant activity than other fruits. ■■ For more information about New Zealand blackcurrants go to the BCNZ website or to http://blackcurrant.co.nz/ new-zealand-blackcurrants-a-champion-for-highperformance-athletes/
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■■ Place blackcurrants in a pot with 4t caster sugar and 1T white wine vinegar. ■■ Simmer till juices running and sugar dissolved (about 3 minutes). ■■ Take off heat and cool. ■■ Add: ■■ Handful finely shredded mint leaves ■■ 400g skinned/seeded diced tomato flesh ■■ 4 spring onions finely sliced ■■ Stir then let sit for minimum 30 minutes ■■ Salt and pepper to taste and stir briefly. ■■ Garnish with fresh shredded mint and serve. Delicious with a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc. Source: From Sophie Grigson’s™ Organic Cooking, New Zealand Blackcurrant Co-operative
Red onion and blackcurrant relish 100 g butter 4T olive oil 4 red onions, sliced 4C blackcurrants (frozen or fresh) 1C brown sugar 8T white wine vinegar ■■ Heat butter and oil in a large pan. ■■ Add onions and cook until soft. ■■ Add blackcurrants. ■■ Add sugar and vinegar. ■■ Stir occasionally for about 30 minutes. ■■ Pot when cold and seal. ■■ Best refrigerated. Blackcurrant marinade for chicken or pork kebabs
■■ Thread cubes with peppers, pineapple, onion onto 8-10 skewers. ■■ Cook on BBQ/in pan greased with oil or grill 8-10 minutes until golden. Blackcurrant Ice-cream 500 grams mashed blackcurrants 100-150 grams sugar Juice of 1 lemon 250mls cream ■■ Stir sugar into the mashed fruit until the sugar is dissolved ■■ Add the lemon juice. ■■ Beat the cream and add it carefully to the fruit mixture ■■ Freeze then serve with fruit or cake and cream!
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Zone committee member ideally qu The newest member of the Ashburton Water Zone Committee was once part of a special team investigating sites for a nuclear power station in New Zealand.
Linda Clarke
SENIOR REPORTER
“You’ll never know how close it came,” says John Waugh, a retired hydrologist who was part of the nuclear power investigation on the Kaipara Harbour in 1968. He says a large chunk of the north western part of the North Island would now be radioactive if the plant had gone ahead. The Kaipara is an enormous harbour with deep water in the main channels and the team had to undertake velocity readings with current meters, over a large range of depths. In order to keep parts of the equipment dry, they ordered a gross (144) of condoms that raised eyebrows at head office but did the job.
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Waugh joined the hydrological arm of the old Ministry of Works in 1967 and has worked with water all his life, studying low flows and major floods, and presenting hydrological evidence for water conservation orders and the Environment Court. He is also a member of the Ashburton branch of Forest and Bird, plays the fiddle in a Celtic orchestra and climbs with the Dog Tucker Group of elderly mountaineers. His four times great-grandmother Pakewa signed the Treaty of Waitangi on April 29, 1840. Waugh has been attending Ashburton water zone meetings since they began in 2010 as a member of the public and was invited to join the group in October last year. He wants to see water management decisions based on good science for the benefit of the whole community. He has much experience to share when it comes to water management and he has worked around the country learning how rivers work during both floods and droughts.
Above – John Waugh knows how water has shaped the land and its powe
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He was officer in charge of national hydrology while stationed at the Hydrology Centre in Christchurch during the late 1970s and in 1982 moved to Timaru to join the South Canterbury Catchment Board as a field hydrologist under Frank Scarf. As part of the job they installed permanent recorder stations on the Ashburton River and three South Canterbury rivers; telemetry added later would provide warning of both flood and low flows. Waugh said flow records showed there had not been much flood activity in the region for years and in March 1986 the overdue event arrived, a massive flood that caused about $60 million damage to bridges, stopbanks, roads, railways and farmland and flooded houses, especially around Pleasant Point and Temuka. After the flood, an extensive network of telemetered automatic rain gauges was installed giving six hours of flood warning, vital for farmers trying to move stock. In 1986 he was involved in producing the Rangitata River Water Management Plan, many features of which were later embedded in the Rangitata River Water Conservation Order. “The only thing we missed in 1986 was a cap on allocation.” Waugh moved to the Department of Conservation in 1990, and was involved in preparing water conservation orders and from 1995-2003 lived in Wellington and worked for consultants Opus. He has always tried to keep his evidence simple and use basic hydrological information that was clear and easy to understand. He always visits the “scene of the crime”. Waugh says hydrology has made a significant contribution to the
PHOTO LINDA CLARKE 011216-LC-0128
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Early results show the Mid Canterbury MAR is raising surrounding groundwater levels
development of the country, from nuclear and thermal investigations to examining the loss of nutrients and sediment after storm rainfall events. There are some challenges going forward in the Ashburton water zone, he says. Groundwater resources have been over allocated and there is no longer recharge from borderdyke irrigation systems. Today’s irrigation schemes are piped and spray irrigation is turned on only when needed, meaning a lot less water leaks into aquifers than before. He says Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) or groundwater replenishment projects, like the pilot MAR at Lagmhor, is one way to put water back into the aquifers. And it works. He saws MARs operating in San Francisco in 1976 and says the science is sound. Early results show the Mid Canterbury MAR is raising surrounding groundwater levels and diluting nitrate levels. They could be rolled out around Canterbury with success, he says. He says farmers’ attitudes to water use have changed a huge amount in the last 30 years. “When we first saw spray irrigation we thought no way, especially on the plains where rainfall was plentiful. Water when you need to is now the way and people are being much more scientific about it.”
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Passionate about agriculture Federated Farmers senior policy advisor Kevin Geddes was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in the New Year’s Honours. The Ashburton man is not only passionate about agriculture, he has a long history of serving his community as a Justice of the Peace, member of the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust, warden in the Anglican Church and was a trustee for 10 years of the Advance Ashburton Community Trust. Geddes, 78, still works three days a week for Federated Farmers and the organisation has been a major interest in his life, firstly in the Maniototo where he grew up, then in Mid Canterbury. He has served at branch and national level. Geddes says it’s part of his DNA to do things for other people, from the farming area to the JPs’ association, St Stephen’s Church or Mid Canterbury Choir. His own mother died when he was three and his grandmother and aunt stepped in. He says his volunteer work
Linda Clarke
SENIOR REPORTER
would not have happened without the support of wife Lorraine, who has been his long-serving PA over the years, as well as holding down family and farming life. The pair met at the Ranfurly Dramatic and Music Society, married in 1962 and farmed the Geddes sheep and beef operation in Maniototo until moving to Carew in 1973. The year before Geddes had spent seven months in the UK as a Nuffield Scholar and came back seeking an alternative to sheep farming. They put in borderdyke irrigation and set up a dairy unit on the Mid Canterbury property. “Our aim was to develop 100 acres a year and it nearly killed us,” he said. Within 25 years the
Above – Kevin Geddes, with wife Lorraine, was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in the 2017 New Year’s Honours. PHOTO LINDA CLARKE 301216-LC-011
borderdykes were gone and spray irrigation installed. Spray irrigation was a no-brainer, with the careful use of water able to increase drymatter four-fold. The 1980s were challenging times for farmers, with many struggling to make a living. Geddes was rural co-ordinator of the New Zealand Rural Trust at the time and at the
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coalface helping farmers forge new lives. With son Steve making a good career as a commercial airline pilot, Geddes put a manager on the farm; he and Lorraine moved to Tinwald 15 years ago. He says through Federated Farmers, he has been able to put his passion for farming to good use. Technology and
the political landscape around agriculture has changed hugely in 50 years but he says the industry has a sustainable future and Mid Canterbury will remain a big player with its diverse strands. “This is a great area of flat land with some fertile soils and it is extremely well farmed. We don’t have wallto-wall dairying, you see all farming types cheek by jowl, cereals, sheep, beef, dairy.” He said people, no matter where they lived, modified their environment and a district once described as barren wasteland was now a high-producing agriculture region. “I am hugely proud of agriculture and what it has achieved.” Geddes says he is blown away by younger farmers’ grasp of technology and it would be a tool they would need to meet environmental challenges and ensure the industry was seen in a positive light. He says farming, like his own vegetable garden in town, is a work in progress.
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Hunters help with TB research Contracted professional hunters have been procuring wild pigs for bovine TB research this year. Pigs captured in the northern South Island are being examined after they have been killed for signs of TB so authorities can track efforts to eradicate the disease. Professional hunting contractors working for the organisation that manages New Zealand’s TB free programme, OSPRI, are out this year looking for feral pigs that can indicate the presence, or absence, of TB in an area’s wildlife. Northern South Island programme manager for OSPRI Josh King says that pig surveillance is one of the best tools available for understanding the geographical location of TB infection. “When TB is present in possums in an area, it is highly likely that it will also be present in local pigs,” he said. “If we can pinpoint where disease is, we can be specific about possum control.” In the next 10 months, pigs
PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN
will be taken from across selected areas of North Canterbury, Marlborough, Tasman and the West Coast to better understand the pattern of disease. This is important surveillance work for the new
TB free programme, which is on track to eradicate bovine TB from wildlife by 2040, from farmed cattle and deer by 2026 and from all New Zealand by 2055. While possums are known to be the main transmitters
of disease to farmed livestock and to other wildlife, pigs do carry the disease but don’t pass it on. To gain access to areas of pig habitat, our contractors will request permission to enter farmland. Farmers can
help by granting access and informing them of any known hazards that could endanger their safety. Much of the work will involve helicopter hunting, although some traditional hunting methods will be employed. Once feral pigs have been collected, post-mortem examinations check for tuberculosis in the lymph nodes just below the jawbone, and this can indicate the presence of disease in the area where the animal was taken. King said it was crucial for contractors to correctly dispose of skins and offal after they had removed the head. Farmers can help by offering the use of their covered offal pits. “Disposing of offal properly is really important for containing any disease a pig might carry,” he said. As more areas of New Zealand are cleared of disease, pigs can also confirm the effect of good possum control. “The absence of TB in pigs is also useful – to demonstrate that possum control has been effective and that disease has been eradicated from the area.”
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Trump’s deportation vow spurs Califo Days after Donald Trump won the White House vowing to deport millions of people in the country illegally and fortify the Mexican border, California farmer Kevin Herman ordered nearly $US600,000 ($NZ848,776) in new equipment, cutting the number of workers he’ll need starting at the next harvest. Herman, who grows figs, persimmons and almonds in the nation’s most productive farming state, said Trump’s comments pushed him to make the purchase, larger than he would have otherwise. “No doubt about it”, Herman said. “I probably wouldn’t have spent as much or bought as much machinery as I did.” Others in California’s farming industry say Trump’s tough campaign talk targeting immigrants in the country illegally – including a vast number of farm workers – spurred them into action, too. They’re calling on congressional representatives to educate the incoming president on the workforce it takes to feed the country, and they’re assuring workers
they’ll protect them. San Joaquin Valley farmer Joe Del Bosque recently gathered about 20 year-round employees at a Los Banos steakhouse for their annual holiday lunch. The festivities began in a serious tone. The topic of immigration took a bigger part of the conversation this year because of Trump, he said. Del Bosque told his crew he’ll make sure the new administration knows their vital role in the farming industry. It’s a message Del Bosque wants his managers to spread to another 300 seasonal workers needed at the harvest’s peak. Leticia Alfaro, a food safety supervisor at the farm, said in an interview that many of her friends who work in the fields don’t have proper documentation like her, and they take Trump’s threats seriously. “They’re terrified by his comments,” Alfaro, 53, said in Spanish. They fear being deported and torn from their children
Above – Farmer Kevin Herman stands next to an almond sweeper at his ranch near Madera, California. Herman says that Donald Trump’s campaign vow to deport millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally pushed him into buying more equipment, cutting the number of PHOTO AP workers he’ll need during the next harvest.
who were born here, she said. After Trump takes office, they wonder if it will be safe to make a simple trip to the grocery store, fearing checkpoints where they’ll be pulled over and have to show
their documentation. Trump’s remarks were felt sharply in California, which produces nearly half the country’s fruits, vegetables and nuts valued at $47 billion annually. Experts say his
words resonate nationwide. Texas, Florida and Georgia are examples of states with large migrant communities dominating home construction, health care, food service industries, said David
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fornia farmers into action
Above – A Donald Trump campaign sign along a highway near Los Banos, California.
Zonderman, a labour historian at North Carolina State University. “California might be ground zero,” he said of immigrant families living in the shadows. “But it’s not a unique California issue.” The fear stems from Trump’s campaign rallies, where he received a rousing response each time he vowed to deport people who are in the country illegally — up to 11 million. That position softened after Trump won the election, when he said
he’d start with 3 million with criminal records. Some farmers point to Trump’s postelection shift as a sign his campaign bluster won’t become reality. He is, after all, a businessman like them, they say. But others believe this shift underscores the president-elect’s unpredictable nature. “Our workers are scared,” said Joe Garcia, a farm labour contractor who hires up to 4000 people each year to pick grapes from Napa to Bakersfield and along the
Central Coast. “If they’re concerned, we’re concerned.” Since Election Day, Garcia’s crews throughout the state have been asking what will happen to them when Trump takes office. Farmers also are calling to see if they’ll need to pay more to attract people to prune the vines, he said. Garcia tells farmers not to panic. They’ll learn how many return from Mexico after the holidays. “We’ll plan around what we have,” he tells them. “That’s all we can do.” Roughly 325,000 workers
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in California do the backbreaking jobs that farmers say nobody else will do, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. Manuel Cunha Jr, president of the Nisei Farmers League farming association, estimates 85 per cent of California farm workers live in the United States illegally. Farmers for years have scrambled under a shrinking labour pool. Mexico’s improving economy has slowed the flow of migrant workers. The dangerous border, controlled by drug cartels and human traffickers, keeps away others. Herman, the farmer who bought three new almond sweepers, said Trump influenced him on top of California’s rising minimum wage and a new law giving farm labourers overtime rights that are equal to workers in other industries. Plus, Herman said, he’s heard too many workers question whether they’ll return from their holiday trips to Mexico. “It’s stories like that that have motivated me to
become efficient and upgrade my equipment,” Herman said. Tom Nassif, a Trump adviser and president of the powerful trade association Western Growers, said farmers shouldn’t fear the president-elect. Trump isn’t interested in deporting their workers, he said. Nassif said he isn’t privy to the details of Trump’s immigration policy. He’s recommended that Trump allow farm workers to stay by putting immigrants in the country illegally who are otherwise law-abiding residents on a period of probation under conditions that they pay taxes, learn English and obey all laws. “I think he’s looking at people who have committed more serious crimes and start with them first — and rightly so,” said Nassif, picked by Trump’s campaign team to serve on an agriculture advisory committee. “I think there’s less reason to worry than most people believe there is.” – AP
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Waste less – recycle more and build o Throughout New Zealand Christmas and the holiday season is the busiest time of year for recyclers. For many sites in popular holiday areas it takes several months to catch up with the sheer volumes of all kinds of reusable stuff as well as materials for recycling. Like many other industries the recycling industry has become more mechanised over the past 10 years which means that more types of materials can now be recycled as a result of the economies of scale. It’s very hard to find a market for a small pile of something but it has been suggested that if you have a large enough supply of any clean product you can usually find a market somewhere for it. Many regions throughout New Zealand now mingle or mix together plastics, cardboard, paper and cans for recycling collections. The Methven community recycling depot had increased volumes of 55 per cent when mingled recycling bins were put there in 2016 and these bins are now seen at the
Sheryl Stivens
ECO EFFICIENCY
12 rural recycling centres throughout the Ashburton district The plastics collected at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park are compacted in Ashburton as a mixed load for transport to Christchurch. These truckloads of products are transported to a large mechanised recycling facility where they are conveyored through a series of highly technical recycling sorting systems that separates the various plastics, as well as the cardboard, paper and cans, so they can be fed into high density balers ready to be shipped off to various markets both onshore and abroad. It has been suggested that the recycling industry employs more people in New Zealand
Above – Tinwald School students harvesting and tasting fresh food from their garden.
PHOTO SUPPLIED
than the wine industry and as with other New Zealand commodity markets, recycled materials earn valuable export dollars for us. In the world of waste, foodwaste continues to be a global challenge. If you have food leftover from your holidays, check
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our soils with compost in 2017
Above – Longbeach School’s composting area.
soil supports 95 per cent of the world’s food production. It was great to work with schools, including Tinwald School, in 2016 as part of the Envirowaste and Ashburton District Council’s education programme. To see the joy of harvesting cabbages, potatoes, elephant
PHOTO SUPPLIED
you can in 2017. For help with composting your food waste or lawn clippings, come along to the monthly free compost demo on Monday, January 30, 12noon-1pm at the Ashburton Eco Education centre – Ashburton Resource Recovery Park. All welcome.
garlic and rainbow beet, and then preparing the food and tasting the freshness of these delicious vegetables grown in soil the children have made is so rewarding. So please, make sure you remember to recycle more and waste less and make as much quality compost as
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Email sherylstivens@gmail. com or phone 0800 627 824 for help with recycling or composting A Queensland worm farmer, Penny Mitchell, believes she has invented the world’s first commercially-produced solarpowered compost machine. Waste material is put into two bins that rotate with the power of the sun, breaking down the matter with time. Mitchell said the market for solar-powered compost bins was with environmentallyconscious businesses that wanted to reduce their carbon footprint. Griffith University in Brisbane recently purchased one for food waste, while the Sunshine Coast Airport has installed one in an attempt to reduce its carbon footprint. Sunshine Coast Airport has treated 14,500 litres of waste so far and turned it into compost to be used on the gardens surrounding the airport. The airport has named the machine On-site Composting Apparatus, or OSCA, based on the Sesame Street character Oscar the
Grouch, who lived in a bin. Bokashi Zing is an important ingredient in collecting food waste for composting at the Cultivate Urban Farm in Christchurch. The Cultivate Urban Farm is an enterprise well on its way to being established in Christchurch with some crops already planted. This organisation is using wheelie bins to collect food waste from a number of local cafes (four at present). This number is set to double now that a new trailer has been built to pick up full bins from cafes and deliver them back to the urban farm site. Bins are treated with Compost Zing at the participating cafes and picked up weekly. Compost Zing has the ability to stabilise food waste, preventing it from going bad or smelling putrid. When returned back to the farm site the treated food waste is placed directly into the ground or mixed with carbon substrates to help make a compost material for later addition to garden beds.
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Needle grass vigilance vital Farmers are being encouraged to be vigilant for the invasive pest plant Chilean needle grass. Environment Canterbury wants to stop the plant from spreading around the region and is asking farmers, contractors and others on farms to keep alert for it. About 350 hectares of Canterbury land is infested; known sites were confined to North Canterbury until last year when an infestation was identified in West Melton. Chilean needle grass is an invasive pasture pest that reduces crop yields, causes animal welfare issues and places trade restrictions on infested farms. Laurence Smith, Environment Canterbury Principal Resource Management Advisor Biosecurity, said the discovery of the pest in West Melton meant farmers everywhere need to be vigilant. “We need to stop the spread to protect our agricultural industry and environment. Managing on-farm biosecurity is critical for prevention.
Above – Chilean needle grass is an invasive pasture grass.
You can help by checking for Chilean needle grass this summer. Identifying an infestation early will make containing and controlling the
where there is less competition from desirable pasture species, such as dry hard hill country, areas with light soil, heavily grazed pasture and bare ground. Chilean needle grass can be spread by movement on contaminated machinery, vehicles, feed and stock. To prevent spread, only allow clean vehicles and machinery on to your property, and make sure any stock or feed brought on to your farm haven’t come from an infested property. Farmers wanting to protect their properties should put basic vehicle hygiene and farm biosecurity into place – make sure staff are vigilant from late October until March, ensure staff and farm visitors check their vehicles and machinery, boots and clothing of free of soil and seed before entering, and know where your stock has come from. If you suspect you have found Chilean needle grass, contact Environment Canterbury immediately. More information including identifiers: www.facebook. com/Chileanneedlegrass
PHOTO SUPPLIED
pest less expensive and more manageable.” Chilean needle grass is easiest to identify in spring and early summer, when
distinctive purple seed heads become visible. The seeds are dart like, with a sharp seed head and a long, kinked tail. It is most likely to be found
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Optimism likely to flow through Reflecting on what lies ahead for the local rural property market in 2017, as optimism in the dairy sector continues to gradually build, an increasing number of farms are likely to be offered for sale.
PHOTO LINDA CLARKE 100117-LC-024
Susie Williams
PGG WRIGHTSON
In the weeks leading up to Christmas the PGG Wrightson Real Estate team, both in Mid and South Canterbury and further afield, noted an upturn in calls from potential buyers. These are mainly established farmers motivated by the dairy commodity market’s recovery to increase their holdings and their farming capacity by purchasing additional property. While this is not a torrent of hope and confidence just yet, it is certainly a step in the right direction. Meanwhile, over the past few months, a significant proportion of tentative sellers have held back to see what
the market will do as dairy returns improve. Although signals are positive, many farmers are not yet convinced that the cycle has passed its lowest point. These are mostly people who have held off on retirement through tough times. They are now looking at the market with more positive eyes, believing that if they do list their farm, they will achieve the sale that
will enable them to exit the industry. As their confidence grows, a significant number of dairy properties are likely to come to the market over the next few months. We expect these farms will meet steady buyer interest. Locally, a 235 hectare Rangitata property is a case in point. Offered for sale in late November, this productive
pivot irrigated farm only needs a milking shed and some accommodation to complete its conversion to a fully functional dairy unit. Interest has been solid, mostly from farmers already operating in the same vicinity and looking to expand or supplement their existing holdings. When it does sell, its value will provide useful intelligence to others thinking about entering the market, particularly those who have been thinking about retirement. With recent growing conditions more suited to crop and grass growth than summer holidays, and as long as meteorological predictions for a sustained warm period through the rest of the summer are correct, farming optimism should continue to grow. For those of us involved in buying and selling rural property, this is likely to make for a busy few months. Susie Williams is South Canterbury Sales Manager for PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited
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Native is not always natural The spaniard, a spiky shrub of the tussock grasslands, is a native species that we might presume has always been a feature of the high country. But the abundance of this native plant is not necessarily natural, they have become much more common in areas that have been burnt. They are able to colonise bare ground and their seeds must be able to withstand the heat of the fire. There are many places that have been repeatedly burnt that are now dense stands of spaniard, which makes walking through the area very unpleasant! The cotton daisy, a species of celmisia, is another native that has become a lot more common after burning, grazing and soil disturbance. They grow in a rosette form, which means their leaves cover the ground, making it unlikely that other species will be able to grow next to them. Tough leathery leaves and the densely packed leaf bases also give good protection from fire and grazing animals. Like the Spaniard, the daisy’s
Mary Ralston
FOREST AND BIRD
abundance has increased considerably throughout the tussock grasslands of the South Island because of burning and grazing. Some native animals have also done well from human modification of the environment. The southern black-backed gull, or karoro, is one of the native birds we often see around this area. It is a common sight on farms, feeding on worms or insects under the irrigator or behind the plough, and at the coast and on rivers. It is a big bird, weighing up to one kilogram, with a white body and head, black back and yellow beak. Juveniles are brown. Unlike the smaller and less-abundant black-billed gull and the red-billed gull, it
Above – The spiky spaniard is a common plant in tussock grasslands and tends to be more prolific after an area has been burnt. PHOTO JUDITH SOMMERVILLE
has thrived with the change of land use to farming, and it is a big and pushy bird, not particularly vulnerable to introduced predators. Although it is often thought of as a seagull, the blackbacked gull is also happy in many different places, from the coast, estuaries and
harbours to farmland and rivers, and around landfills and ports where they might scavenge from fishing boats. Anywhere in fact, except forests. This species is also found at our latitudes around the southern hemisphere, including southern Australia, South America, southern
Africa, and most subantarctic Antarctic islands. They nest in large colonies in riverbeds, such as the Ashburton River, or on headlands, sandy spits or outlying islands. They are such a successful and abundant bird that they are one of only two native bird species not protected under the Wildlife Act. They are predators and scavengers and may be responsible for predating the eggs and chicks of the less-common, smaller and rarer gull species, the black-billed and red-billed gulls. Their scavenging natures have led them to become very abundant in our farming environment and they are probably only at “natural” densities on remote islands. So, native species may not be natural! Or, to be more scientific, the distribution and abundance of native species is not necessarily natural. It’s an interesting thing to think about when you’re watching birds at the lakes, river or coast. Or when you’re tramping through spiky shrubs.
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17
Closure generates memories The closure of the Tinwald Saleyards generated plenty of interest in sales of old and sent one-time butcher Graeme Thomas to his garage, where he unearthed a catalogue for the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s 20th Annual Prime Stock Show and Sale. The event, held at the saleyards, featured sheep and cattle and though the programme has no date, Thomas said it related to the 1976 sale. Thomas ran the Regent Butchery at the time, one of 15 butcheries in the town; compare that to two in 2017. He said the sale in those days was a big event. “It brought all the people to the saleyards and competition was strong.” And how people sourced their meat, and the cuts they bought were very different. Thomas’ agent would buy the beasts, which were processed on Wills Street at the Regent. “It was mostly hogget and mutton, we didn’t do lamb. We had a lot of standing orders and we
supplied right around Tinwald and Ashburton. A typical weekly order for a family on the east side was half a side of mutton, two pound of mince, plus savs and sausages.” The more affluent bought steak, and chicken was considered a speciality meat
to be eaten at occasions like Christmas. Thomas was also in charge of making sure the kitchen at Ashburton Hospital had enough meat for patients there and at Tuarangi Home. He supplied meat there two days a week – a typical
Tuesday order was 150 loin chops, eight rolled beef, 14 rolled lamb, 15 kilo topside, 30 pork chops, five loins of lamb and five roast pork; it was followed on a Thursday by 15 kilo of silverside, four rolled beef, 12 rolled lamb, one case of rump, 40 pork chops, four
loins of lamb and 10 kilo of corned brisket. The Regent also provided a regular order for the Hermitage Hotel at Mt Cook. The meat was packed in boxes and stored in the luggage compartment of a passenger bus that stopped at Meads tearooms.
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Farming
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Irrigation scheme at critical stage The proposed Hunter Downs irrigation scheme is entering a critical period, with farmers now being asked to show their support for the scheme with money. Costings for the project were released last month; the total project build cost is $195 million, or $9285 per hectare. Meetings with potential farmer shareholders are being organised in the next couple of months, with an equity-raising prospectus planned to be out by early March. Farmers will have until the end of March to sign water-user agreements with a target date for the start of construction in May. The scheme involves taking water from the Waitaki River via the existing Morven Glenavy Irrigation off-take at Bells Pond. The intake and existing MGI races will be upgraded to handle the extra water volumes and the water will end up in two storage reservoirs, it will then be pumped by three main laterals, via pumping stations and buffer ponds, to shareholders.
The start of construction in May is now dependent on enough farmer support. If the project goes to plan, work on the pipelines could begin in September, the scheme could be commissioned by spring 2019. The scheme, which has been talked about for 10 years, has
been designed for 161 water users from Waimate, north to Timaru and west towards the Hunter Hills. The irrigated area is 21,000ha out of a total command area of 68,000ha, at an application rate of 2.65mm/day. In a newsletter to farmers recently, Hunter Downs
Water spokesperson Stacey Scott said the time frame was tight but farmers have had many years to consider the prospect of being part of the scheme. “And now we have a proposition in front of us at a realistic price. We’re now entering a critical period
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So, where to from here? At this time of year this question always seems to pop up: “Where to from here?” Looking back on last year there really were some things that happened that certainly did leave you asking what next. In the political zone we had Britain leaving the European Union, then we had Trump become President of America and, of course, we had our own John Key step down from being our prime minister (not forgetting also that Ashburton changed mayors). How will these former three things affect farming in New Zealand? We will have to wait and see. Add to that we had our own council back down on selling an industrial section in the industrial zone to a water bottling company that had great plans for employment and growth in Ashburton. In my personal opinion I believe that the council should have grabbed this company or one similar and given them the ground and consent to bottle the water and taken a share in the company which would then help fund the council and
Chris Murdoch
PROPERTY BROKERS
county spend on things like the art gallery. Then there are the questions of where the dairy payout will end up this season. What will happen to beef and lamb values and, of course, then there is the arable side. Will prices improve or stabilise? And guess what, as I write this there really is the question over weather and harvest, rain seems to arrive every day or at least every second day! The North Canterbury farming and business communities I truly feel sorry for, as they really must be hurting at present and still sitting on a knife edge. Another quake last week and no tourists for those restaurants, cafes, fuel stations etc. How long can
Donald Trump
they last without customers (a nightmare). Bills to pay and no money to pay with. All these things have a role to play out over the next 12 months. Some of these things won’t affect us and some most
certainly will ... and then of course there are still the unforeseen ones! The markets today respond much quicker than in the old days and farming was never easy and I don’t believe it will get any easier, but it will go on.
There will be highs and lows as always, but remember it is still a great way of life so concentrate on things you can have an effect on inside the farm gate and produce as much as possible for as little cost as possible.
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IRRIGATION FEATURE
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Do it once, do it right One of the best ways to protect your investment in irrigation is to ensure you only use accredited companies to design, install and maintain it, IrrigationNZ CEO, Andrew Curtis said. “Designing and installing farm dairy effluent or irrigation systems is a technical job requiring specialist knowledge. You wouldn’t get an unregistered builder to build your house or cow shed, so it doesn’t make any sense to let an unqualified person loose on your FDE or irrigation investment. “We hear horror stories from farmers who have bought in cheap gear from overseas or used companies that aren’t accredited to design and install their systems. “On paper, you might save a bit by using cheap gear or low-cost suppliers, but when you factor in what you’ll end up paying for repairs, for not meeting consent requirements, for having to re-design or replace systems, then you’d be far better off doing it once and doing it right using
Andrew Curtis
WATER WORKS
accredited companies. It’s simply a smart way to protect your investment in irrigation.” IrrigationNZ has established the Irrigation Design accreditation programme and, in partnership with DairyNZ, the Farm Dairy Effluent Design accreditation programme. Using accredited companies means farmers are assured that their irrigation infrastructure and practice is highly efficient, targeted and sustainable. “Using accredited companies means your system will meet regulatory and consent requirements and it will meet performance and efficiency targets. You don’t have to worry about the Council turning up and you can sleep easier at night knowing you’ve
got a fit-for-purpose system that’s environmentally sound and contributing to your bottom line.” Both accreditation programmes demonstrate that irrigating farmers and the wider irrigation industry are moving towards irrigation good management practises. “Farmers are all about efficiency because that’s what drives their production and profitability. Accreditation works for them because it
contributes to these drivers. For the irrigation service industry, accreditation proves their value to their customers – it shows they’ve been assessed as meeting industry expectations so customers know they’re getting a quality product and service.” Companies providing irrigation and farm dairy effluent designs gain and keep accredited status by being assessed and then regularly audited by an independent
panel on their design skills and workplace systems. Accreditation is held by the companies, not the individuals, as the company is accountable for the service being provided. Accredited companies are also subject to a complaints process by both clients and regulators which provides an extra level of accountability. Andrew Curtis is chief executive officer of IrrigationNZ
Do it once, do it right! Designing or upgrading your irrigation or effluent system? Using an accredited company means your irrigation infrastructure and practice will be efficient, targeted and sustainable.
A full list of accredited companies is published online at: www.irrigationaccreditation.co.nz
Effluent separator
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IRRIGATION FEATURE
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Technology moving water For the most up-to-date technology and GPS guided centre pivot and lateral move irrigation systems, you need to contact Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings. They will help you with your decision making in ensuring you have the most up-to-date travelling irrigator system available. There are numerous Reinke swing arm corner centre pivot and lateral move irrigators operating with Trimble GPS guidance in New Zealand. These systems have had many years of being hassle free. Our factory trained service personnel are on call 24/7 to ensure all irrigation problems are attended to promptly and efficiently. There are numerous Reinke lateral and swing arm corner systems operating on the same property from a single GPS base station. Our skilled staff understand how to set up these, sometimes, “tricky” systems as they have had considerable experience in these situations. Trimble GPS is regarded
23
Left – New centre pivot irrigation build on steeper ground in the Oamaru area. Below – Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings on display at the Ashburton A&P Show. PHOTOS SUPPLIED
as the world leader in GPS technology and has been a partner with Reinke Manufacturing for many years in irrigation GPS guidance technology. Ray Mayne Hose & Fittings has a large inventory of all
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2 24
Farming
IRRIGATION FEATURE
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Irrigate for farm and environment Carrfields Irrigation is investing in people and technology to design and install spray irrigators that work best for farmers and the environment. National sales manager Brendan Hawes said design was critical and the agricultural company was one of just three in New Zealand who are design accredited by Irrigation New Zealand. Design credibility is an important consideration for farmers, operating under strict resource consent conditions, Carrfields bought out Busch Irrigation in 2014 and has grown the irrigation business to include premises in Waipara and Alexandra, as well as a main office on the corner of William and Dobson streets in Ashburton. Around 30 staff are employed across the three sites, including sales, design and service staff. Hawes, who was involved in the piping of the Ashburton Lyndhurst and Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation Schemes before coming to work for Carrfields, said the company
Above – Checking an irrigator prior to delivery are Sam Baynes PHOTO LINDA CLARKE 130117-LC-002 (left) and Brendan Hawes
has invested in equipment and technology that would help farmers, and in growing the knowledge base of people working in the industry. Carrfields design and build a huge range of irrigation systems, from small hard guns to million-dollar centre pivot and lateral systems. “Design accreditation means we design systems responsibly and make sure they are right for the
farmers’ requirements, consent conditions and the environment. We take all relevant information and constraints into consideration and don’t just offer an off-theshelf solution.” The accreditation process has taken two years and helped shape the company’s philosophy of attracting bright young minds to the industry to help tackle the challenges of the future.
Carrfields has been working with engineering students from the University of Canterbury on a project looking at running centre pivots off water pressure alone and is working on another project still under wraps. “Innovation and sustainability were key now and for the future,” Hawes said. The company also prides itself on helping farmers get maximum value out of their irrigation systems. The commissioning process is thorough and a host of data can be extracted to support farm environment plans or irrigation scheme audits, the latter now compulsory for farmers. “Farmers needed to have confidence their irrigation systems were operating as designed and sold,” Hawes said. Service is also crucial and Carrfields runs a seven-day response team if an irrigator breaks down. The company holds a huge range of spare parts and stock to ensure
repairs can be made as quickly as possible. The company is the exclusive New Zealand dealer for T-L centre pivots, made in Nebraska. These pivots are designed to be continuously moving, which minimises wear and tear, and are backed up with an eight-year warranty on gearboxes. Carrfields Irrigation also supply, install, commission and support Trimble IQ Variable Rate Irrigation systems on new and existing TL irrigators. Hawes said the smaller Irtec hard guns were also proving popular with farmers on smaller blocks, with an efficient water delivery and appealing price tag. He said irrigation systems of the future would need to integrate data from moisture sensors and soil mapping to create irrigation prescriptions and Carrfields was among those leading the way.
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Cobra easier to use than pods Southland farmer Bevan Jones recalls that when his 400 cow farm was converted to dairying in 2011, their effluent system included pods and four lines which he used for a few seasons. “We had four different lines and a lot of time was involved in moving them around every day and it was also hard to get a good even coverage of the paddocks and avoid circles. We tried to speed things up by towing a couple of pods but they’re heavy and that didn’t work very well.” Bevan visited the Hi-Tech Enviro Solutions site at Fieldays and saw the Cobra Travelling Raingun and decided to get one on trial. “I was told I might need a bigger pump to drive it but we tried it with the existing one and it worked really well, it was a lot easier to use, so we bought it. “It’s easier to transport around and use than the pods and the coverage is great. We don’t get any crop circles and get a really nice light skim on the paddocks.” Bevan says they use the
“
25
ADVERTISING FEATURE
We haven’t had any problems with it since we’ve had it - it just gets a clean and grease but otherwise just keeps running. It saves a lot of time and everyone enjoys using it
Cobra from around September each year and try to get it going every day for five days and then maybe have a week off.
“We’d be running it four out of every seven days – it doesn’t have much down time. “We haven’t had any problems with it since we’ve
had it – it just gets a clean and grease, but otherwise just keeps running. It saves a lot of time and everyone enjoys using it.”
Above – The King Cobra Travelling Raingun in action PHOTO SUPPLIED
LOCAL LAUGHS A man’s car stalled on a country road one morning. When the man got out to fix it, a cow came along and stopped beside him. “Your trouble is probably in the carburettor,” said the cow. Startled, the man jumped back and ran down the road until he met a farmer. The amazed man told the farmer his story.”Was it a large red cow with a brown spot over the right eye?” asked the farmer. “Yes, yes,” the man replied.”Oh! I wouldn’t listen to Bessie,” said the farmer. “She doesn’t know a thing about cars.”
X U L I h W E N L L A E H t NER
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If you have any funny pictures, jokes or comments about life on the farm which you would like to be published in Guardian Farming, please send these into Ashleigh at ashleigh.r@theguardian.co.nz
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2 28
Farming
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Look out for velvetleaf Farmers are being urged to make an effort to look for velvetleaf plants as the weed pest begins to grow. Velvetleaf was one of three biosecurity incursions faced by farmers last year and has been found around the country; it arrived in contaminated fodderbeet seed. FAR is among farming groups reminding farmers to be vigilant for the weed, which will be seen growing on any ground sown in fodderbeet last year. Federated Farmers is urging farmers who know they planted the contaminated lines to check their paddocks for the presence of velvetleaf. The lines were: Kyros 128, Bangor 126, Bangor 079, Bangor 114, Feldherr 131 and Troya 112. Velvetleaf will be germinating and growing now and the young plants look similar to mallows. The Ministry for Primary Industries is working with primary sector groups to contain the pest, which is widely described as one of the world’s worst cropping weeds. It also poses a risk to the
dairy industry as it can survive ingestion by cows. Velvetleaf was first detected in a Waikato maize crop in 2011. It was discovered in Mid Canterbury fodderbeet crops last summer, but a Federated Farmers proposal to rogue all suspected sites was thwarted by MPI officials, who cited privacy concerns. Individual velvetleaf plants produce up to 17,000 seeds. Plants undetected last season could result a major explosion of the weed this season. Authorities continue to work on developing a plan for managing velvetleaf through until June, when the response will focus on long-term management. Velvetleaf is mainly spread by stock and agricultural machinery. Good on-farm biosecurity management will help control the pest into the future, says MPI. It has developed guidelines for machinery hygiene, feed management, stock movement future management of affected areas and re-inspection in future growing seasons.,
WHAT TO LOOK FOR ■■Velvetleaf is an annual, broad-leaved weed that grows between one and two-and-ahalf metres tall. ■■It has buttery-yellow flowers about three centimetres across. It flowers from spring through autumn. ■■Leaves are large and heart-shaped and are velvety to the touch. ■■The plant has distinctive seedpods with 12 to 15 segments in a cup-like ring. Each seedpod is about 25 millimetres in diameter. For more info: mpi.govt.nz/alerts
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