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Farming GUARDIAN
NOVEMBER 2018
CROP
TOILER Pages 8-11
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NEWS
Keeping family tradition alive
INSIDE
PAGES 8 – 11 A CROP TOILER FROM WAY BACK
PAGES 12 – 14 DAMIEN O’CONNOR HAS A FAIRLY FULL PLATE
PAGE 24 A SHOW CHAMPION
The late Peter Hampton was often at his happiest exhibiting sheep or in his later years leaning over the sheep pens and watching the judging at the Ashburton A&P Show. His presence remains after the family presented for the first time the Peter Hampton Memorial Cup to the winner of the supreme champion meat breed ram hogget at the show last month. Hampton, who died last year, bought his first south suffolk ewe lambs as a 15-yearold in 1959. Five years later he started exhibiting sheep at the show pens and didn’t stop until his death last year. “As far as we know there has been a Waterton ewe ever since,’’ said son Chris Hampton, who presented the cup to the winner. Chris said the south suffolk, suffolk and charollais studs remain in the family, although a poll dorset stud begun in the mid-1980s was discontinued. Hampton’s father moved to Waterton near Longbeach when he was two years old and stayed there for 61 years
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
until in 2008 the family farm was sold and Belmont Station was bought at Cave. “We could see that sheep were getting pushed out of the flat country and into the harder country and we wanted to stay in sheep so we moved to Cave where we are farming sheep and beef and producing rams for the commercial industry. Dad died on March 20, 2017, and two days before that he told us it was the best decision we made to go down there and he was really happy.’’ In between those years, Peter moved into suffolk breeding, paying 100 pounds each for six purebreds in Australia in 1970. They ended up costing the same amount to ship them over to New Zealand, arriving on New
Chris Hampton presented a cup on behalf of his family in memory of his sheep breeding father. 241018-TC-0015
Year’s Eve. In 2012 father and son began a charollais stud. After Chris and his wife moved to Cave, Peter bought 16 hectares of land just south of Ashburton to run the charollais, putting an end to talk of retirement. Initially, they couldn’t bring them into New Zealand
because of a foot and mouth outbreak in the UK. Officials opened up importation from Australia and, after three generations had passed, they were able to bring in embryos. The family were among the first sheep breeders to start a charollais stud in New Zealand and their stud flock is number four for the breed in the stud book. At the show a Hampton purebred charollais ram hogget made the final of the supreme champion ram hogget competition. A charollais ewe made it to the super ewe competition. A third generation Hampton has started breeding stud sheep with Chris’ daughter, Elizabeth joining the family affair. Today the Hamptons have 200 suffolk stud ewes, 100 south suffolk stud ewes, 50 charollais stud ewes and 100 charollais suffolks. They also run a perendale commercial flock. A catalogue of 90 rams from the studs will be offered at their on-farm stud sale at Cave on December 18.
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NEWS
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Preparing for ploughing champs Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
Motorists could be forgiven for not giving a farm paddock a second glance when they pass down Wilkinson Road just outside of Chertsey. That was until a group of committee members, some of them wearing ploughing blazers, clustered around a whiteboard on a farm vehicle last month. On it was marked out the planning stages for the New Zealand Ploughing Championships to be held on the site from May 11-12. Farm owner Kate Wilkinson met with the group, including Ian Woolley who was third in the conventional class at the world championships. New Zealand Ploughing Association president Bruce Redmond said the Wilkinson family had generously allowed Rakaia qualifying events to be held at their farm and had now set aside paddocks for the national championships. The Chertsey soils would provide flat and even ploughing which would bring the best out of national finalists, he said. “There is a lot of planning on behalf of the landowners to get their rotation right to have a paddock of grass and barley for the event. We have quite regularly held matches here over the years, including our annual Rakaia qualifying event, so they have been very good.’’ Redmond said it was no stretch to say that some of the world’s best ploughmen would be competing in the finals.
The paddocks are in grass and autumn-sown barley, with the barley field to be in stubble when the first sod is turned. Among the finalists will be Woolley, who will defend his national conventional class title for the Silver Plough, and Bob Mehrtens, who will be doing the same in the reversible class. Ploughmen will also contest the vintage and horse-drawn ploughing titles. Not competing next year is Colin Drummond and his Erewhon Station clydesdales as he missed out in a two-way Canterbury qualifying event. A new addition to the programme is a young farmer class with three or four finalists lined up for the event. Redmond said a coaching day had been held for younger ploughmen in Methven and the event had been introduced to get younger people into ploughing. He was the world conventional champion in 2010, but will be concentrating on his president duties during the ploughing. “I am not sure whether I am retired or not,’’ he said.
Above - President Bruce Redmond (left) and owner Kate Wilkinson inspect the ploughing site with committee members. PHOTO TIM CRONSHAW 241018-TC-0012
A long family history Old clydesdale horseshoes are still being ploughed up at the Wilkinson family farm near Cherstey. The family has been on the fifth generation property since 1876 and Kate Wilkinson is the latest owner. Wilkinson, a former Minister of Conservation who held other cabinet positions, has a farm manager and staff member on the farm. She “comes out and helps now and then’’ when she is not on duty as an Environment Court commissioner. She said the long family run could be traced back to the first Wilkinson who arrived on the sixth ship to land in Canterbury and walked on to tussock country.
“We are the only ones who ever farmed here and we have photos of the first harvest. They had so many horses then and a lot of what we were doing was growing food for horses. We are still ploughing up the old clydesdale shoes.’’ When the family arrived the nearest water was at the Rakaia River, “six miles’’ down the road. Horse wagons would have to bring water to the farm until the family could put a roof up that would catch rainwater. Later, the Rangitata Diversion Race network supplied stock water and made a “huge difference’’ to the mixed cropping operation. Today, sheep are run on the
property and crops grown include barley, feed wheat, milling wheat, peas and malting barley. Wilkinson calculated that they grew enough malting barley last season to brew 690,000 litres of Heineken beer. She said the family was happy to support the New Zealand Ploughing Championships and the farm was big enough to fit ploughing paddocks into the crop rotation. “We have always had the local competition on the farm and to be honest I just love anything that encourages farming and encourages people to find out more about farmers.’’
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NEWS
Immersed in the Kiwi shearing culture
Adele Lemercier’s passion for shearing and New Zealand sees her returning each year. PHOTO TIM CRONSHAW 271018-TC-0011
It wasn’t the French love affair with lamb that brought Frenchwoman Adele Lemercier to the back country of New Zealand. Rather, the camaraderie of shearers and learning new skills in the shearing shed has kept her coming back each year from her home village of Rostrenen in Brittany. “About four years ago after my studies I came to see what farming was like over here,’’ said Lemercier. “I ended up wool handling, a rousie, and I loved that. First I was in Taumaranui and then Central Otago. I fell in love with the merino and I learned heaps down there.’’ Ever since, she has returned, spending four to six months here and slowly building up her shearing skills and refining them on her return to France. In her home country she started a “little lady run’’, shearing small flocks of 50500 sheep. “It fascinated me and I’m not too sure why. It was [addictive] and now I have worked for the last three
TIM ARU
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
years for Barry Pullin in Rolleston. The great point of coming to New Zealand is that obviously I love the people in the shearing industry but it’s great learning over here and building a business back in France. It’s also heaps of fun.’’ She remains grateful for the advice and support she has received from shearers and farmers. Despite the French fondness for lamb, especially in Easter, France’s national flock consists of about five million sheep. Lemercier was raised on a small pig and crop farm and it wasn’t until coming to New Zealand that the concept of becoming a shearer took hold. She said France’s sheep industry cannot support
shearing contractors and French shearers are mostly self-employed, calling on other shearers if they need a hand with larger flocks. Competitive shearing is a relatively new pursuit for her and she tried her hand at the Ashburton A&P Show competition. “I’m not like right into the competition, but [the Ashburton event] is close to home, good fun and it’s great to catch up with friends. I don’t think I did too well today, but in Rangiora I did better.’’ The next world championships are in France and Lemercier will represent her home country in wool handling at Le Dorat in July. It will be the first time that France is host of the event in its 40-year history. Southland’s national shearer Nathan Stratford won the show’s open title by 1.64 points overall from Mataura shearer Brett Roberts. Rakaia shearer Alex Smith won the senior title by 0.8 points from Chilean Luis Pincol.
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Fewer farm sales fit national trend Canterbury’s fewer farm sales are in line with a national trend with a few exceptions. Regions such as Northland had 14 fewer sales and Auckland was shown in the latest Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) figures to be down by nine sales for the three months to September. Other provinces had increased sales with Wellington posting 10 more sales than previously, Southland was up with another four sales, and Manawatu/Wanganui, up by three sales. Nationally, there were 250 farm sales, down 7.7 per cent from 271 sales for the three months to September last year. The median price per hectare for all farms sold was $25,447 compared with $27,363/ha previously. Only three dairy sales during the three months could point to farmer concerns about mycoplasma bovis disease. Across the year to September the trend has continued with the 1460 farms sales down 12.4 per cent from
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
the year to September 2017. REINZ rural spokesman Brian Peacocke said Canterbury would be experiencing much the same conditions nationally with farm sale volumes continuing to ease and down 35 per cent across the country compared with two years ago. The three months to September were traditionally quiet selling months, he said. “Based on what’s happening in the North Island there are quite a few large properties coming on the market, but I’m not quite sure what the listings are for Canterbury. The market has been fairly passive for a while.’’ Compliance related proposals for water quality and effluent had put pressure
on farmers combined with the mycoplasma bovis outbreak and weather and income volatility. Labour shortages in Canterbury and other areas was exacerbated by the Coalition Government’s living wage programme. A lower dollar brought in more export income, but also pushed import costs up and rising fuel prices were being felt on and off the farm. Also, there had been a “jolt’’ in dairy farmer confidence from Fonterra retaining 5c a kilogram of milksolids to strengthen its balance sheet. Peacocke said farm buyers were “taking stock’’ of the factors and were being more cautious and increasing their due diligence before committing to sales.
However, sheep and beef prices were good with venison values close to record levels and that pointed to better prospects, he said. He said the early spring had so far been one of the best for several years, with enough rain to stimulate grass growth which had resulted in corresponding increases in production. “Whilst most farmers are enjoying the mild temperatures and contractors are busy with silage and crop planting activities, the cautious operators are maintaining a close watch on rainfall figures as they factor in the possibility of a dry period ahead.’’ Over the three months there was minimal sales activity for
dairy farms with only three sales nationally and 14 for the three months. Demand was solid for finishing properties in Waikato, Manawatu/ Wanganui and Canterbury. Sales activity in other regions for the properties was quiet. There was also demand for grazing farms in Northland, Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. Apart from Southland there was little appetite for arable farms. However, there was good sales for mostly smaller orchards in the Bay of Plenty, some horticulture sales in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay and a burst of sales in Marlborough. Grazing farms accounted for 34 per cent of all sales over the three months, finishing farms 30 per cent, horticulture properties 17 per cent, and forestry properties 6 per cent. The median sales price per hectare for 14 dairy farms was $30,876, compared with $37,812 for 22 properties in the three months ending September 2017.
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OPINION
EDITORIAL COMMENT Two close shaves over the weekend have reminded me how careful you have to be on rural roads. I was driving back from the upper Rakaia River area on a road off the beaten track, travelling the legal Tim speed limit, and came up to Cronshaw a slow-moving backpackertype wagon far too close for comfort. The hilly stretch had many bends and it was too risky to overtake until we approached a straight. In the meantime I followed the van and looking at my speedo saw it was travelling at 25 kilometres an hour. For several minutes it maintained this
Farming GUARDIAN
speed and made no attempt to pull over on the berth so I could get past. I checked to see if they were in need of help when overtaking, RURAL but all I got was a REPORTER blank face from the driver. He and the passengers were clearly tourists. Admittedly, there was some amazing scenery or maybe they were trying to save fuel. Neither excuse was good enough for going so dangerously slow. The second incident on the same day was again on the open road and the car in front of me was doing 100km/hr and I was trailing it at a safe distance. I could just see ahead a campervan approaching to the left from Old
West Coast Road. The campervan driver made no attempt to stop and pulled out in front of us. We both had to slam on our brakes to maybe 50km/h, far too quickly for my liking. I always remember an advanced driving safety course I did and the instructor telling us the first thing you do in a risky situation is to brake and reduce/avoid the impact of a collision by reducing your speed. Ahead of us, the campervan driver carried on his merry way, maintaining a speed of 70km/h and erratically swaying over the white line on the left side. The driver ahead of me overtook him soon afterwards, but I wanted to keep my distance and it wasn’t until he pulled over to the side that I could get away from him. A quick glance showed he was
a tourist. Now I‘m not going to lump this person with every tourist as many foreign drivers put us to shame when it comes to driving safely. However, it amazes me how often tourists are at fault when I see drivers cutting corners, overtaking dangerously, speeding up to 110km/h on the straights and slowing to 80km/h on anything remotely resembling hilly terrain so it’s impossible to overtake them. Any rental car I see coming out of the Christchurch airport I take a wide berth as its driver will likely be new to the country and new to our roads. So for all you farmers out there who come across these situations daily you have my utmost sympathy. It’s a reminder that not just speed kills – slow and dumb driving can be equal killers.
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Confidence likely to return
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Confidence in million up. Following agriculture has the change of softened in the past government, few months. new overseas This is particularly investment rules evident in the dairy took a significant sector. proportion of the In the 12 months potential buyers Calvin PGG Wrightson to September, the of these properties Real Estate Real Estate Institute Leen out of the market. dairy farm price Local interests with index fell nationally by 15 per cent, sufficient equity to purchase in this although there is no evidence of price bracket have substantially prices falling yet in our local spring reduced in number. market. In rural property, we have With fewer buyers at this end of seen plenty of excellent local farms the market, for the New Zealandlisted for spring sale, with buyers based purchasers who remain, hesitant to respond. Although reduced competition has eliminated there is interest, there is no great any pressure to buy. commitment to buy, at least, not For those with sheep and beef just yet. Dairy is an important part property, tightening environmental of the picture. In Mid and South regulations are influencing the Canterbury, several dairy properties market. Regional land and water are on the market. In our region, use plans and nutrient budgets, dairy properties often exceed are an important factor for anyone the national average size of 178 purchasing, or financing, these hectares. farms. Local farms, typically 250-400ha, Whether it is possible to farm could range in price from $12 profitably within the property’s
Read the latest Dairy Focus online at guardianonline.co.nz We appreciate your feedback Editorial Email your comments to tim.c@theguardian.co.nz Advertising For advertising enquiries email cushla.h@theguardian.co.nz or phone 03 307 7955. Designers Travis Cheesman and Yendis Albert Post Ashburton Guardian, PO Box 77, Ashburton 7740
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prescribed environmental limits is the first question purchasers, and banks, will ask. Those who have not paid heed to environmental regulation over the past few years may be penalised when they come to sell in the years ahead. While these elements of caution over-shadow the market, several positive factors also prevail. Meat companies are paying $8 per kilogram for lambs, the beef schedule is holding firm, the weakening currency suggests returns should stay positive for some time, and interest rates remain at all-time lows. A payout forecast of $6.50/kg of milksolids means a profitable season is a prospect for most dairy farmers. These factors suggest the prevailing caution around local rural property should be overcome in due course and farmers will soon begin to buy and sell land again with more confidence. Calvin Leen is Mid-South Canterbury sales manager for PGG Wrightson Real Estate.
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PROFILE
David a crop toiler from way back Mixed cropping farmer David Butterick leaves the show ring for others, writes Tim Cronshaw. Over David Butterick’s 62 years of going to the Ashburton A&P Show he has never really exhibited his sheep or any other livestock. Other members of the Butterick family have entered the show ring, but having a crack at a red ribbon hasn’t appealed. The Lauriston farmer has taken enough pleasure in visiting the sheep, cattle and horse sections each year as a spectator. The attraction for him has always been to attend the agricultural event and over the past 25 years to act as a volunteer. Catching up with old
David Butterick has a long associaiton with the Ashburton A&P Show. PHOTO TIM CRONSHAW 191018-TC-001
“
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
farming mates and chatting to people is enough to mark down the show in the family calendar each year. This year was no different and the president of the Ashburton A&P Association, 63, continued a remarkable run at the show on October
26-27 which began when he was a babe in his mother’s arms. Born in August, he would have been a few months old when he first went through the turnstiles. “We have never missed one that I can remember. October is always a busy month for a farmer and there are no holidays to be had so the show is a break for a good day’s outing that doesn’t cost that much.’’ The arable farmer grazes beef cattle, heifers and some sheep at Glenafton farm and is a big show supporter. His first show memory was when he was a young child.
... I have been helping at the show for 25 years perhaps and that’s given me a lot of pleasure. I’ve never been an exhibitor, I’ve been a helper.
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PROFILE
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The show is a brilliant event on the Ashburton calendar and we have a bit of fun.
“What I can first remember is probably the family parking in the carpark which is now the trade space. It was only one third of the space that it is now. It was just being in the car and turning up at the show – that’s it, I can’t remember much else.’’ The trade sites have gone on to be among his favourite attractions. Butterick says he never had much inclination to compete in the show rings, but enjoyed visiting the pens. “My dad and I never did much exhibiting over the years. We weren’t into stud sheep and I think it’s born into you a bit, but I have been helping at the show for 25 years perhaps and that’s given me a lot of pleasure. I’ve never been an exhibitor, I’ve been a helper.’’
Someone asked him to be a steward in the sheep section and he went on to join the committee and then to be the chairman. He moved on to the general committee and several years ago became the senior vicepresident, progressing into the first year of a two-year term presidency this year. “I’ve got no regrets really. I
enjoyed going to the meetings. There has been times when it hasn’t been [all roses], but the show is a brilliant event on the Ashburton calendar and we have a bit of fun.’’ As many volunteer hours as he has stacked up, there are others who have put in more work.
Arable farmer David Butterick grazes beef cattle, heifers and some sheep at Glenafton farm. PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN
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from page 9 That’s an indication of the place the show has in Mid Canterbury people’s hearts. Becoming the president has always been an ambition of his as he is the first Butterick to achieve the honour. While he has never been a seven-days-a-week farmer, irrigation and particularly lateral irrigators always require a bit of extra work in the weekends. The Butterick family began farming in Wakanui and his father later moved to a property at Lauriston. Butterick took over his father’s farm in 1986. That was just before the removal of subsidies, a torrid time for some farmers who went broke and had to exit farming. Butterick can’t recall the family getting much in the way of government subsidies and avoided much of the pain endured by some farmers. Today, he and his wife Lis run their 372ha mixed farming operation with staff member Duncan Smith and it is home for their children, Michael and Zantha. Another 100ha was added 20 years ago that allowed the Buttericks to make Glenafton
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PROFILE
more efficient. “It seemed like I paid a fortune then for what I bought it for, but it seems cheap now. It’s amazing how much land prices have gone up and it’s diabolical now [for younger farmers]. I thought my throat was cut then, but it has given us a little more scope.’’ In the mid-1980s he was running a ewe flock and needed irrigation country to be able to finish lambs better. About 12 years ago a deep well down to 230 metres was put in. Where once they were restricted to sheep farming on dryland or paddocks irrigated by border dykes, modern irrigation has allowed them to grow a variety of crops and get more out of their soils. Land is leased for potato growing and Butterick grows maize for silage, and specialised seed crops such as radish, spinach and bok choy. The new well spelled an end to the 1700 coopworth ewes. Today he’s hardly got any ewes and is mainly trading lambs between March and November. They go on winter feed crops such as rape, oats and ryegrass and head off the property when they reach the target weight of about 20kg in September and October.
David is the first Butterick to serve as president of the Ashburton A&P Association. PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN
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“ Butterick enjoys the challenge of growing a good crop and the benefits modern irrigation has given him. “That’s what everyone did in Canterbury. Sheep was the big thing and now you can hardly find a sheep on the Plains. There are still a few floating round the foothills. Irrigation has changed a lot and Mid Canterbury has seen massive changes from sheep to dairy and mixed crops. The sheep numbers have plummeted.’’ Interestingly, that hasn’t been reflected to the same extent in sheep entries at the show. Over the past eight years they have stabilised at about 270 entries. However, the impact of irrigation and changed farming types can be seen in the trade area. “There has been an increase in the trade area and I think Mid Canterbury has got a lot more prosperous as well. There has been the dairy
PROFILE
11
I remember a few years ago some bright spark said Ashburton county would never get to 25,000 people and now I think we are sitting on 30,000 and we are looking for more
farming [factor] and it was perhaps 15-20 years ago when most of the conversions came through and the farmers buy a lot more inputs and the people who are selling have increased as well. ’’ The range of farming services can be seen in a short walk around Ashburton and many of them are keen show supporters. Butterick’s theme for this year’s show was irrigation because it is the lifeblood of Mid Canterbury. Before irrigation, farmers were vulnerable to droughts and restricted in their farming, but it has opened the way to dairying, potato growing, small seeds, maize and other types of farming, he says. The theme reflects irrigation of the past including the building of the RDR, Lyndhurst and Mayfield/ Hinds schemes. Their construction in the 1930s and 1940s created jobs
and much of the work was done by manual labour. “All the ditches which are since being piped are from the hard work of 80 years ago and we have moved to the modern up-to-date schemes which are as efficient as you will find anywhere. [The district] would be a bit bony, stony and dry without it and I think we take it all a bit for granted.’’ Butterick admits he has a soft spot for border dykes even though they might not be as efficient as modern lateral and pivot systems. “In their day border dykes were high tech. What I liked about border dykes was they were simple and you could fix it yourself as it was only ditches.’’ He is the first to agree though that modern irrigators have progressed farming and will continue to be part of farm investment for some time to come. “It will be interesting to
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see in 50 years’ time when all these new irrigators are rusted away what comes along next. Will they carry on or will we do something different?’’ He employs a company to carry out water monitoring on his irrigators. He has two laterals and a half circle centre pivot, installed 12 years ago, on the home block and the 100ha property has two lateral irrigators. Butterick says organisers have continued to tweak the A&P Show to ensure its appeal remains. Last year they changed the layout to ease over-crowding and that was a success. The growth of greater Ashburton is expected to support its future. “Ashburton’s population has increased. I remember a few years ago some bright spark said Ashburton county would never get to 25,000 people and now I think we are sitting on 30,000 and we are looking for
more. We have lots of unfilled positions and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Hopefully many of these people will [keep coming] to the show.’’ All the crowd favourites were there again as a show drawcard, with one exception. Butterick says the cancellation of cattle showing was disappointing, but necessary because of the risk of spreading the mycoplasma bovis cattle disease. The show continued with livestock exhibiting remaining a strong attraction, he said. “The risk of bovis was too much to handle. But I think the bovis thing is calming down and hopefully in the next few years cattle will return, but we have to take the precaution.’’ That shouldn’t stop anyone from coming to future shows. As in the past, it will bring townspeople and rural folks together.
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PROFILE
Plenty on O’Connor’s plate The complexities of mycoplasma bovis has occupied a lot of Primary Industries Minister Damien O’Connor’s time. What else is on his plate, asks Guardian Farming reporter Tim Cronshaw.
Primary Industries Minister Damien O’Connor said he had faith that MPI understands the importance of dealing with compensation for farmers with mycoplasma bovis as quickly as possible. “But [they] also have legal obligations under the Biosecurity Act, under the Nait Act and in terms of fairness to the taxpayers to ensure we are not paying money inappropriately.’’ The minister met with the MPI team handling M. bovis during a visit to Ashburton and spoke to farmers at the Ashburton A&P Show. Canterbury has been among the hot spots for the disease nationally. Farmers are grappling with the strain of dealing with the bacterial disease and working within the Government’s eradication programme. Among their main concerns are delays to compensation payments as their herds are culled. O’Connor was aware of valuation differences between animals being culled and
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
replacement animals being bought. “Mostly, farmers have been satisfied with those valuations and mostly compensation agreements have reached a fair deal for all parties. The process is sometimes frustrating but there are legal obligations on both sides of the equation to supply accurate information and to supply fair compensation.’’ He says there are still people claiming for costs inappropriately and further valuation debates could be expected. Farmers were being paid the full cost of feed where details were clearly identified and accurate, he says. O’Connor said he was aware Methven farmer Matt Walker
had contacted his office about compensation and other issues on October 23 and MPI was investigating the details and would report back to him. “The unfortunate reality is there have been a number of farmers like Mr Walker who’ve had to face the really harsh reality of culling large numbers of animals. We are really empathetic and sympathetic to that reality.’’ Walker revealed he had several million dollars in claims for extra feed, tractor hours and staff – and more lately for cows culled – as a result of dealing with the eradication programme. Delays in compensation payments has made it tough for farmers, he says. O’Connor says MPI and other staff have a better grasp of farmers’ positions and “absolutely understood’’ the cashflow issues they were dealing with before being compensated. Interim payments could be made if they were approached to allow for delays to final settlements, he says.
“In most situations where farmers have contacted me directly reasonable solutions have been found in a timely manner. There are often issues of information required for compensation and clarification, and sometimes that does delay the process but it is considerably more efficient and effective than when it was at the start of the whole M. bovis outbreak, but we accept there is always room to improve.’’ He is unware of any outstanding litigious debates about compensation and most of them had been settled fairly. Some had taken longer than sought by both parties, but the intent was to get farmers back to farming as quickly as possible. The minister is encouraging farmer organisations to be alongside farmers. “That hasn’t always been the reality and I will be encouraging once again both Beef+Lamb NZ and DairyNZ to work directly with their farmer members. These are the members who pay their
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levies and this is the time they need their support.’’ O’Connor said laboratory capabilities had been stretched to test for the disease and confirmed there still remained one strain source. Should another strain be found a reassessment would be needed of what was possible and it would likely require another tracking and tracing system. “I think we can be confident that we are not seeing any further spread of the disease and what we are identifying is the shifting and spread of animals prior to us starting this programme.’’ The message had got through to farmers that they had to fulfil their stock movement paperwork and Nait obligations. Infringement notices had been issued. Changes were being made to make the system more userfriendly and effective. O’Connor says everyone working to eradicate the disease is focused on achieving the goal. Lessons were still being learnt and there were legal restraints not designed for the unique challenge which would be reviewed. “We seem to be on track to be the first country in the world to eradicate a disease that
PROFILE
13
Left - Primary Industries Minister Damien O’Connor at the Ashburton A&P Show. PHOTO HEATHER MACKENZIE 261018-HM-0173
has serious implications for livestock management and farm systems. If we can beat this every farmer now and into the future will be better off and more profitable.’’ O’Connor is looking forward to when the programme to eradicate M. bovis makes enough traction that more effort can go into other projects.
The cattle disease has consumed a lot of the ministry’s time. O’Connor says the effort put into the M. bovis programme is justified as it is so important for the agri-economy and the hardship farmers were enduring. “It certainly has distracted MPI and myself from a large number of other projects, but
they are under way and as we get better at this we have time for these other things.’’ In biosecurity alone there is work to control other pests such as wilding conifers, wallabies, bovine tuberculosis, kauri dieback and myrtle rust. He is also keen for the new Primary Sector Council, led by lain Jager, to work with farmers and get a shift
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in direction that is more sustainable and profitable, assisting them with some of the challenges around water quality, nutrient management and animal welfare. “This has been captured in a One Farm Plan project where hopefully we can work with farmers in one exercise to identify their requirements to farm that meet all the base requirements from a local council, regional council and health and safety in base compliance. “We are told that half of dairy farmers don’t have a written budget, so a lot of farmers work intuitively, they understand their challenges but aren’t always great at documenting them so we have to work with them, to help them through that in what is a world which requires certification, it requires compliance, traceability so we can sell the highest quality produce to some of the world’s the most discerning customers. Continued over page
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Farming
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PROFILE
from page 13 “They want to know what they are buying, where it comes from and how it’s been made.’’ O’Connor says some companies, such as Synlait, have developed their own compliance programmes covering environmental management, climate change reduction and animal welfare. “They are leading the way by saying to the world ‘we can produce the finest quality products from New Zealand and we can prove it’. When we all shift into that kind of process we will get more value for what we do, not just end up doing more. I would suggest that has been the way farmers have operated for some time – to do more cows, more land, more production with the assumption that means they are better off and sometimes that hasn’t been the case.’’ There is an acceptance among Canterbury farmers that Environment Canterbury has the challenge of implementing environmental rules and there would be “limits’’, but they still had to make a better return to pay for the increasing cost of daily business operations, he says. “The planning process that
Primary Industries Minister Damien O’Connor.
farmers are going through for environmental plans – if that can be broadened out to cover health and safety and animal welfare then that forms the basis of our One Plan approach where we can actively help the farmers meet compliance. We are hoping we can develop a template that meets most of the compliance objectives of regional councils throughout the country. While
catchment management does require varied approaches, the principles and bottom lines should be consistent around New Zealand.’’ O’Connor says there might be module components added in the One Plan by companies because they might want more forms of compliance but there would be a “core’’ that everyone needed. MPI is gathering details from councils
and companies to work out what has been successful. “This won’t be an imposition, this will be a useful tool to assist. I think most farmers now and certainly the new generation of farmers understand that they are producing nutrition, food and fibre for a generation that wants to know exactly where it come from and how good it is and we just have to provide all that information.’’ O’Connor says meat, milk and other companies already have assurance programmes that would meet most of the requirements of any regional council officer, health and safety officer or animal welfare officer. These “pockets of excellence’’ had to be shared across the farming sectors so farmers and not just companies were driving this, he says. In trade, O’Connor is enthused that legislation was passed last month so New Zealand can become one of the first six countries to sign up for the re-moulded Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal known as the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership). This is expected to provide benefits in lower tariffs for
kiwifruit and beef into Japan, lower wine tariffs into Canada and access to high value markets. In the food space, a “small but significant step’’ has been pregnancy warning labelling for alcohol products in a transTasman arrangement. “Finally it accepts the scientific reality that alcohol can harm unborn children and pregnant women should not drink alcohol. There has been voluntary labelling, but now there will be mandatory pregnancy warning labelling on all alcohol … aimed at reducing the harm from alcohol pregnancy.’’ Standards have also been brought in for manuka honey and the ministry has embarked on consultation for bringing in a single national organic standard that will allow growers to sell certified organic products to the world. There has been organic certification, but not a single national standard accepted by trading partners. “The reality is people are more concerned about what they consume and there’s an international acceptance that organic is produced in a way that meets lower chemical inputs and higher ethical standards.’’
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Pick-Up O.R.C (On Road Costs) of $950 and GST are included to stated prices. Mahindra finance offer available for sales of new Mahindra Pik-Up’s. The maximum Finance period for Pikup is 60 months (260 weeks). A 20% deposit ($5659.80) is required to achieve a $115 per week price, and there are no balloon or residual payments. The amount financed includes vehicle recommended retail price $28,299.00, a $415 establishment fee, $10.35 ppsr fee and monthly administration fees. Vehicle and finance cost are financed and paid over 260 weekly instalments of $115 for the Pik-Up with an interest rate of 9.95%. Monthly instalments are also allowed and do not alter the finance rate offered. This Mahindra finance offer is only available with Auto Finance Direct Limited, is subject to normal credit and lending criteria and cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts or offers. Mahindra New Zealand and Auto Finance Direct reserve the right to alter, extend or withdraw offer at any time.
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16
Farming
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COUNTRY ROADS
Mahindra Pikup a complete farm ute Mahindra & Mahindra is a large company worldwide buying companies like Pininfarina (Lamborghini and Ferrari design specialists), having the controlling shares in Ssangyong (70 per cent) and being the world’s largest tractor manufacturer by numbers, having been around since 1945 with the iconic Willy’s Jeep. Mahindra have the background and grounding to move forward in a big way into the NZ rural scene. The Pikup now offers a complete farm ute that offers what nothing else does in the ute market currently does when taking into consideration the upfront price starting from $19,983+GST & ORC for a single cab, Cab chassis 4x4. The Mahindra Pikup runs a 2.2-litre diesel turbo intercooled engine producing 103kw designed under license by Austrian powertrain company AVL.
It comes standard with a Rear Eaton Locking Differential, 6-speed Aisin gearbox, 2.5T tow rating, Spicer Darner Truck axles,
there’s top-class Bosch electrics under the hood and a Borg Warner electric shift 4x4 system with a 2H/4H/4L option backed up with a three
year/100,000km warranty. The Mahindra Pikup, affectionately known as the Mumbai Cruiser, is an honest, no frills ute that with its
current pricing competes in the side-by-side market and quad sector, offering the safety of dual airbags, ABS braking and is road legal to take between the farm gates and also offers savings in servicing when comparing resale too. Lance Morrison at Morrison Cars Mahindra is the man to see, and the Morrison Automotive onsite Mahindra workshop carries a full range of parts and extras including Blackwells wood/galvanised decks and removable towbars, factory Mahindra winch, airbag compliant bullbars and nudge bars, lift kits, Rugged Valley canvas car seat covers and aftermarket rims and tyre packages Lance at Morrison Cars Mahindra will sort out an on-site, no obligation farm demonstration, and he believes that once you have had a drive (why not?) and put it through its paces where you would take your own truck, you will be very impressed.
Help needed to find missing Mk I Lotus Calling all enthusiasts, collectors and car hunters worldwide – Lotus needs your help in tracking down the long-lost Lotus Mark I, the first car built by company founder Colin Chapman. As the British marque continues its 70th celebrations, it wants fans from around the world to pick up the trail of the most elusive Lotus ever – the competition car that the young engineer hand-built in a small London garage owned by his then girlfriend’s parents. Overcoming the standard car’s limitation Chapman applied innovative approaches to improve its performance in challenging
trials competitions. Despite its existence being well documented, the current whereabouts of the Mark I remain a mystery. Built by Chapman, with the help of friends and his girlfriend (who later became his wife), Hazel, he entered a number of events in 1948 with immediate success. However, Colin was constantly innovating, and was soon hard at work on the Mark II. The first car was sold in November 1950 but, from there, the car’s trail goes cold. Joining Lotus in the hunt for the origin of its species is the son of the company’s founder,
and director of Classic Team Lotus, Clive Chapman. “The Mark I is the holy grail of Lotus’ history,” says Clive. “It’s the first time that my father was able to put his theories for improved performance into practice when designing and building a car. To locate this landmark Lotus, as we celebrate the 70th anniversary, would be a monumental achievement. “We want fans to take this opportunity to look in every garage, shed, barn and lock up they’re allowed to. “It’s even possible that the Mark I was shipped from the UK, and we’d love to know if it survives in another country.”
Hazel Chapman in the Lotus Mark I.
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COUNTRY ROADS
Which vehicle suits your lifestyle? New Zealanders are buying more all-wheel-drive (AWD) and four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles than before — partly because of widespread availability, and partly because the latest advances in drivetrain technology are making running all or fourwheel drives more efficient and effective. But why do manufacturers use different terms? Isn’t 4WD and AWD the same thing? We often get questions from AA members about which system will suit their lifestyle, so let’s break it down. Fulltime 4WD Fulltime 4WD is a system where torque is delivered to all four wheels evenly and constantly. The driver usually has several drivetrain options, depending on the conditions. Under regular driving conditions (around town), the front and rear axles are split by a differential which lets the wheels operate at different speeds when required – such as around corners. In most vehicles you’ll also have the option of ‘diff lock’. This locks up the centre
differential and restricts any rotational difference between the front and rear axles. It is a feature commonly used when off-roading to gain maximum traction. Part-time 4WD Just like fulltime 4WD, the driver has the ability to change the way the vehicle behaves. If you’re getting groceries with the kids, then power to two wheels is more than enough. But, if you plan to head down Ninety Mile Beach, you have the option of selecting 4WD mode by mechanical or electronic means. It’s important to note that because these part-time systems may not have a centre differential, we advise against driving in 4WD on regular tarmac as this can put stress on the drivetrain. All-wheel-drive (AWD) All-wheel-drive is a relatively recent innovation and a little more complicated. It works automatically to send torque to all four wheels only when the car senses extra traction is required. In many situations,
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the AWD system will be working only part-time through a viscous coupling or electromagnetic clutch. This clutch allows the vehicle to have more control over where the wheels are powered. Like any 4WD system, a disadvantage of AWD is that it’s more expensive than a two-wheel-drive drivetrain and added friction between the tyres and road as well as frictional losses in the transmission system leads to increased fuel use. AWD grip is only as good as the car’s tyres and, with electronic stability control mandatory in all new cars, it won’t necessarily be that much safer than a two-wheel-drive variant in everyday conditions. Next time you’re on the hunt for a vehicle, think about your driving requirements before committing to an AWD or 4WD vehicle. Remember that, regardless of which four-wheel system you choose, there will be additional maintenance requirements as well as increased fuel costs.
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Robin McClimont
Ashburton Water Zone Committee
Ashburton farmers making environmental progress on-farm Since early last year, farmers across Canterbury have been working with Environment Canterbury staff as part of its ‘Farming to Limits’ environmental management programme. The programme targeting farmers that require a land use consent to farm, started with those with more than 50 hectares of irrigated land. Of these, 99% have now taken the action appropriate for their farm, including many in the Ashburton region. More recently, the programme has targeted 450 farmers in and around Hinds and Selwyn with fewer than 50 hectares of irrigated land. Around a quarter these are either already consented or on-track to be, or operating as a ‘permitted activity’, with no requirement for a land use consent to farm. Environment Canterbury’s Ashburton Zone Lead Janine Holland says a few farmers still need to determine whether they need to apply for a land use consent to farm. “Farmers requiring land-use consents to farm are required to model their nitrogen losses, meet
nutrient limits, and complete and audit Farm Environment Plans to ensure environmental improvements continue to be made,” she says. “Consent applications are now overdue, and there are a few farmers we are yet to hear from. These people need to check in with us immediately, to ensure their farm is not placed on our schedule of compliance follow ups.” Janine says that she has seen a change in local farmers’ approach to the new rules. “Farmers are recognising that dealing with environmental risks before they cause damage also has benefits for their farm management systems and bottom lines. And it doesn’t stop at the consent application. The next step is an audit of the actions in the Farm Environment Plan. We’re hearing from auditors that they are noticing a growing willingness to engage in discussions around nitrogen limits, record keeping and the audit process,” says Janine. “As an example, a Farm Environment Plan auditor recently let us know about a farmer in Mayfield who
was using a reasonably large amount of nitrogen fertiliser on his dairy farm. After their discussions, the farmer decided to reduce his use and undertake regular pasture walks to monitor the results. He sees this as an opportunity to save costs as well as reduce his nitrogen losses and is very happy with how things are progressing.” Advice for farmers is available through the Ashburton Zone team (see contact details on this page) or by visiting canterburywater.farm
Photo: Recent remodelling at our Ashburton Depot added an extra meeting room and some extra space for visiting staff – feel free to come along and talk to one of the team – see below for details.
Meet the teams Ashburton water zone delivery team Janine Holland
Terry Hewitt
Stephen Howard
Sarah Heddell
Nick Vernon
Liam Tarpey
Zone Lead Email: Janine.Holland@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 205 7128
Land Management & Biodiversity Advisor Email: Sarah.Heddell@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 406 3858
Donna Field
Land Management & Biodiversity Advisor Email: Donna.Field@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 021 914 828
Lachie Ashton
Resource Management Officer Compliance & Monitoring Email: Terry.Hewitt@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 406 7429
Resource Management Officer Compliance & Monitoring Email: Nick.Vernon@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 406 7430
Resource Management Officer Compliance and Monitoring Email: Liam.Tarpey@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 200 4694
ASHBURTON FIELD SERVICES TEAM Ryan Dynes
Area Supervisor - Central Email: Ryan.Dynes@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 435 1476
Land Management Advisor Email: Lachie.Ashton@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 248 1339
Facilitating sustainable development in the Canterbury region E18/7049
Resource Management Officer Compliance & Monitoring Email: Stephen.Howard@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 405 8472
www.ecan.govt.nz
Blair Jones
River Works Supervisor - Central Email: Blair.Jones@ecan.govt.nz Phone: 027 582 1866
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Farming
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ENGINEERING FEATURE
All your agricultural engineering solutions Leave it to us! With Barnhill Engineering’s mobile trucks and engineers, you’re in good hands. Services we offer: • Dairy shed rotary platforms • Dairy shed maintenance and servicing • New dairy shed yards • Dairy shed alterations • On farm repair and maintenance • Agricultural and forage equipment • Dairy platform earthquake repairs • On call emergency breakdown service Barnhill Engineering is based in Sheffield, Canterbury. With mobile-equipped trucks our trained engineers, can carry out engineering services within Canterbury. Alistair and the skilled engineers at Barnhill Engineering are proud to
offer a quality service to their customers at our site or yours. Should a replacement part be required right away, we will no doubt have it on-hand, on-site. Alistair has an extensive 20-year engineering career, with farm and contracting knowledge, covering agricultural and forage equipment. Barnhill Engineering
specialise in dairy shed maintenance, dairy shed platforms, new dairy shed yards and dairy plant fitting. We work in conjunction with Read Milking System and Donald Dairy Platforms for any repairs or servicing. Call Alistair and the team at Barnhill Engineering today! Advertising feature
Above and left - Barnhill Engineering specialise in dairy shed maintenance, dairy shed platforms, new dairy shed yards and dairy plant fitting.
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ENGINEERING FEATURE
21
A wide range of engineering services Engineering Solutions Ltd is located at 201 Alford Forest Road and offers a wide range of services for the engineering, dairy and pumping sectors. Between the owners Luke Maginness and Hayden Bonnington they cover a wide range of skills and experience. Luke has a background in machining and maintenance while Hayden is experienced in fabrication and maintenance. With a growing staff of seven, we are able to handle a wide range of projects from large design and build projects to smaller repair jobs. Recent projects include a large rotary screen retrieval system, dairy yards and feed pads, structural steel, rebuilding and machining components for oil press machines and completing maintenance for irrigation schemes. Engineering Solutions has always produced backing gates and dairy yards, and these services have been on the increase over the past four years. Engineering Solutions have
Engineering Solutions provides a comprehensive engineering service which include design, fabrication, and machining.
a solar-powered wireless backing gate for rectangular yards, which is the only product like it available. Engineering Solutions also build rotary backing gates and
top gates for round yards with their own set of centre posts and water glands. These rotary backing gates and top gates are built extremely strong and
designed using the latest technologies and our centre posts are quite unique, you can run a separate line for green water and clean water. Recently we have been upgrading many existing centre posts in yards to include rotary water glands and electrical glands. These upgrades can be customised to the existing set-up and to the customer’s needs. Engineering Solutions also has a lot of work on in the pumping side of the business, as the service agent for many of the local irrigation schemes, including Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation, Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation and most recently have earned the maintenance contract for Amuri Irrigation. A big part of our pumping service is setting up maintenance schedules for our clients. We do vibration testing and pump performance tests and record all the data to give scheme providers a good idea of the current condition of all the pumps. This data allows us to make
informed decisions on future maintenance requirements and helps improve reliability and downtime. Along with the irrigation schemes, many farmers are also taking up this option. The irrigation pumps are spread right across the district, from rivers and ponds, to boost pumps on private properties. As an agent for Southern Cross Pumps, Engineering Solutions is able to supply pumps and parts to the schemes or to farmers direct from the supplier, which allows the company to offer a good service at a good price. Engineering Solutions provides a comprehensive engineering service which includes design, fabrication, and machining, and is happy to take on most projects. We have a well-equipped workshop and a dedicated professional team who prides itself on being innovative and building quality products that will benefit our customers. Advertising feature
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201 Alford Forest Road, Ashburton Hayden 027 346 8173 | Luke 021 689 432 facebook.com/engineeringsolutionsltd/
Agents for Southern Cross & Onga Pumps
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Farming
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Checking your soil moisture sensors A decent rainfall event should seemingly “check” that your soil moisture sensors are working and sensing rainfall and/or irrigation. The sensors or their calibration are often blamed for not “seeing’ an irrigation pass or rainfall. There is more to it than blaming the sensor or calibration. The rain over the past couple of days has demonstrated if it is working. We are often asked to “take a look at the sensor calibrations if they didn’t register” the rainfall, or more commonly irrigation. There are physical reasons why a sensor may not register an event and it may be a combination of reasons – like interception, by-pass flow, application rate and depth, and soil type. All of these factors have an effect on whether or not a soil moisture sensor will “sense” an irrigation or rainfall event. 1. Canopy interception, from the leaves of a crop, can result in rainfall or irrigation
Tony Davoren
HYDRO SERVICES
not reaching the soil or only a small proportion getting there. The rainfall or irrigation intercepted by the leaves of a crop will be successively evaporated from the leaves later. The rainfall/irrigation that is not intercepted will reach the soil as throughfall or stemflow. Don’t worry about the latter two processes – interception of rainfall and/or irrigation water is not all bad because it will satisfy some or all of the evaporative demand from the crop, meaning soil moisture isn’t needed. 2. Soil type and by-pass flow sort of go “hand-in-hand” because our light and stony soils have large pores (macro-
pores or the gaps between the soil particles/stones). Water can pass straight through these gaps - known as bypass flow because it doesn’t become absorbed in the micro-pores of the soil. Because the sensors won’t be in contact with the soil/stone particles in these macro-pores they may not respond or have only a small response. 3. Irrigation application rate is an important factor on most of our irrigated soils for the lighter and stonier soils. The rate water arrives at the soil under irrigation will mostly be greater than the infiltration rate. This will “drive” bypass flow and once again the sensor may or may not show a response. Rainfall on the other hand rarely exceeds the infiltration rate – most of our significant rainfall arrives at 3-4mm/ hour, less than one third of the infiltration rate. This allows the soil to wet slowly, the micro-pores take in the water and the sensors will respond.
4. Application depth (how much is applied) may not be sufficient to exceed the amount intercepted by the leaves of the crop and the moisture may not make it to the soil. How much can be intercepted depends on the height and percent cover of the crop. There is no defined amount that can be intercepted, other than as the height and cover increases so does the amount intercepted increase. Some studies show that for events of 16-17mm up to 3-4mm could be intercepted – that is only 12-13mm might make it to the soil. If the application depth doesn’t exceed the interception depth then there will be no change in soil moisture. The dielectric type sensors commonly used for measuring soil moisture (like Aquaflex, Decagon, Acclima, Aquacheck) need “perfect” contact with the soil particles and have relatively small zones of influence - they don’t measure the soil moisture very far from the sensor (usually a few
centimetres). So any water applied that ends up as bypass flow won’t result in a sensor response. Science huh. That it might be, but the take home is – when the sensor doesn’t respond or doesn’t respond as much as expected, don’t immediately blame the sensor or the provider. Take a look back at the last decent (10-15mm or more) rainfall event and see what happened or better still as shown by the October 29-30 rain check the response. If there is a response from the rainfall then the sensor is functioning as expected. If there is no response to the rainfall, then yes the sensor needs attention – either reinstallation or replacement. Also, give some thought to how much cover there was. If there was 2000-2500kg of dry matter pasture cover then potentially 4-5mm or more might have been intercepted and there may be no response to a small rainfall or a muted response to larger rainfall or irrigation events.
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NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURAL SHOW FEATURE
23
Steeped in over 150 years of history The Canterbury A&P Association has introduced a new name for a show that has more than 150 years of history. The New Zealand Agricultural Show, as it is now known, will continue at the Canterbury Agricultural Park from November 14-16. Once again, it will champion all that is great about the rural communities of Canterbury and further afield, open the doors to new technologies and continue to represent an everdiversifying industry. Steeped in over 150 years of history, the event, formerly known as the Canterbury A&P Show, welcomes more than 100,000 visitors through its gates. Today, it is a forum for innovation, exhibition and provides a feeling of community like no other. The earliest record of the first show held by the association is on Thursday, October 6, 1853. Called the Cattle Show, the event was held in temporary yards in what is known today as Victoria Square.
Over the next few years, its site varied, until land was bought by the association in Sydenham in 1863.
As its popularity increased, the need for a bigger home became evident, prompting a move to grounds in
Addington. The first show was held there in 1887 and continued for 109 years. Then the event was moved to its
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existing site at Canterbury Agricultural Park. Continuing this year will be the live entertainment, carnival competitions, parades and favourites on the daily programme. Must-go-to attractions will be the Sheep Maternity Ward and City Farmyard. For farmers it will be the livestock show rings that will catch their eye. Visitors are spoilt for choice after that with crowd favourites often the dog trials, shearing, rare breeds, demonstrations, endurocross, woodchopping, gumboot throwing and the list goes on. Show organisers say the event must continue innovating and growing. The association has weathered many years of dynamic change and the move to rebrand reflects and builds upon its history to shore up its future. They are confident the best years of the New Zealand Agricultural Show are ahead of them.
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NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURAL SHOW FEATURE
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Poll dorset crowned show champion Father and son George and Simon Lowe are taking their winning poll dorset team to the New Zealand Agricultural Show, formerly the Canterbury A&P Show. They ended up with a nice ribbon collection that culminated in their poll dorset ram taking the supreme champion sheep of show title at the Ashburton A&P Show. The Lowes entered the sheep judging with low expectations as their entries were the only poll dorsets in the sheep judging at the show. But the poll dorsets from Windermere Poll Dorset Stud kept on winning to their surprise and delight. They entered the sheep judging with low expectations as their entries were the only poll dorsets in the sheep judging at the Ashburton A&P Show. But the poll dorsets from Windermere Poll Dorset stud kept on winning to their surprise and delight. “That was amazing – we never expected anything like this because of the fact we were the only exhibitors for
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
the poll dorset,’’ George Lowe said. “As we saw, it’s the interbreed classes which create the interest so that was really satisfying to win,’’ he said. A good sized crowd thronged around the sheep pens to hear the judges’ comments and learn their final selections on the final day of the show. Runner-up was a border leicester owned by the Copland family at Dromore and third a suffolk exhibited by the Sinclair family from Wakanui. Judges praised the poll dorset winner, Windermere 82/16, as a ram demonstrating all-round “soundness’’, possessing a fine back end and
George and Simon Lowe’s poll dorset ram took out the supreme champion sheep title at the Ashburton A&P Show and will now head to the New Zealand Agricultural Show.
PHOTO TIM CRONSHAW 271018-TC-0022
carrying hardly any excess for its age. Lowe said the four tooth poll dorset was free-moving and a “big athletic ram’’ that
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finished second in its class at the Christchurch A&P Show last year. The Lowes also won the champion of champion mutton
breed ram hogget title and the champion meat breed dam class with a poll dorset that won its class as a ewe hogget at the Christchurch show. The two ram lambs at the ewe’s side were sired by the champion ram hogget. The stud was begun by George’s father, Tom, in 1961. He originally started with dorset horn sheep in 1937, and after buying a polled ram from Australia, moved to the poll dorsets. The breed is favoured as a terminal sire ram for producing fast growing and good cutting lambs. “The poll dorsets are just a good all-round doer and they seem to cope well on a big range of country,’’ Lowe said. “I suppose the biggest thing we are trying to do is increase the size of the eye muscle area in relation to the live weight and still keep the fat content at an acceptable level.’’ Most of their poll dorsets that were shown at Ashburton will contest the Christchurch A&P Show, now called the New Zealand Agricultural Show.
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NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURAL SHOW FEATURE
Technology that works for you Harvest Electronics offers a range of on-farm monitoring and control solutions. As a privately, and proudly Kiwi owned and operated business, Harvest has been a technology provider to the hort and vit sectors for 14 years and the ag sector for 10 years. Our product line is built on the principle of providing real-time information to end users to aid in management of assets. In recent years the industry has seen plenty of new compliance requirements – including water meters, effluent failsafe/tracking, nitrate management, milk vat temperature, soil moisture, management of waterways and most recently overhauls to health and safety. The current range of Harvest remote monitoring and control products include solutions for management of resources – eg. soil moisture monitoring, feed silo monitoring and weather stations.
Other products also achieve the dual purpose of meeting compliance, such as water meters, effluent failsafe/tracking and milk vat temperature. Collecting information is one part of the puzzle – access to the data is the other crucial part. Whether it’s on your smartphone, tablet or desktop computer, information needs to be presented in a way that makes it usable as part of a farm management plan. The ability to not just see soil moisture as a percentage of volumetric water content (VWC) but also being able to see the capacity and wilting points along with deficit (in mm) enables smart decision making around irrigation. Please give us a call on 0800 HARVEST to request a visit by our Canterburybased rep, Jeffery Farrell. You can also find us at The New Zealand Agricultural Show in the Blinc Innovation Hub. Advertising feature
Harvest Electronics offers a range of on farm monitoring and control solutions.
Visit us at The NZ Agricultural Show 2018 in the BLINC INNOVATION HUB
Weather Stations | Water & Irrigation Soil Moisture | Effluent Failsafe Electric Fence | Air Quality Frost Alarms | Frost Fans Milk Vats | Industrial
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NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURAL SHOW FEATURE
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Beltex lambs a profitable option Since the import of beltex embryos and about 60 purebred lambs being born in 2017, a further 120 purebreds have been born at Blair Gallagher’s Rangiatea property at Mount Somers this spring. Increased numbers will be available at the beltex sale 2019. In the UK the Beltex lambs continue to command premiums at auction – equivalent NZ$20 to 30/lamb compared with lambs from other sires. From our own data from some purebred ram lambs we slaughtered, meat yields were about 80 per cent. Experienced butchers at Pareora were astounded at the results and quality carcases. We expect that quarter Beltex (from a Beltex x Suffolk or Beltex x Texel or other terminals) will confer a 2 per cent higher meat yield, 2.5 per cent killing out per cent, and similarly a pure Beltex will confer about a 4 per cent higher meat yield or 5 per cent killing out per cent in the progeny from commercial ewes, in comparison with
existing terminal sire breeds in New Zealand. Consequently beltex crosses from existing terminal breeds will very much become the terminal rams of choice within industry as more and more purebred animals
become available. The higher meat yields are on current schedules worth another $4 to $8/lamb, and the greater muscling allows greater returns from the premium cut areas. Advertising feature
Above - Standard primal cut of the back-strap. Standard lamb on left, Beltex on right (significantly more meat). PHOTOS SUPPLIED
t e l e x B
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NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURAL SHOW FEATURE
27
Think about investing in solar panels As the saying goes, make hay while the sun shines. When you think about investing in a new asset for the farm, you probably think about buying a new tractor or silage wagon, you probably don’t think about investing in solar panels. The reality though is that you should be thinking about it. Most commercial and agricultural solar power systems sold by Sunergy Solar are generating returns of 15 to 20 per cent, based on the direct reduction in power bills due to the solar system generating that energy. This may sound too good to be true, but it’s easily demonstrated by the team at Sunergy, via the online monitoring of every solar system they install. The team at Sunergy Solar have a simple formula that is winning them big jobs all over the South Island, provide factual information, and back it up with evidence from existing systems. “How can we expect someone to make a decision
A 30kW solar power system installed on a dairy shed in Rakaia is generating excellent returns.
based on guesses” says Andy Wells, “we pride ourselves on providing accurate information, which allows our customer to make the decision to invest. “Our industry is hurt by our competitors over promising and under delivering, because when you’re asking someone to spend 60 or 70k, they do some research, and if John
down the road had a system installed but it’s not doing what the salesman said it would do, then that impacts on our customers’ decisionmaking process. “By providing factual information, and not over promising in order to get a sale, our customers are instead showing everyone that it’s doing exactly what we said it
AGRICULTURAL
would”. You can tell the team at Sunergy are passionate about the industry they work in. The owner has run an industrial and agricultural electrical contracting business for the past 13 years, and it’s this technical knowledge that makes all the difference. Sunergy Solar provide a free onsite consultation,
which is followed up by proposal specific to your site, including accurate solar power production data, based on an average of 15 years of NIWA’s recorded weather data. One example that they have of this is a farmer in Rakaia who had Sunergy Solar install a 30kW solar system as a pilot on one of their farms 18 months ago. In the first 12 months of operation the system produced 0.4 per cent more than Sunergy’s proposal suggested it should. This farm has saved over $10,000 in power in that first year of operation, based on an initial investment of around $55,000. In terms of investments, they don’t get much better really, with 10-year warranties on inverters and 25-year warranties on panels, a solar power system is a secure investment. For more information give the team a call on 0800 SUNERGY or visit their website, www.sunergysolar. co.nz. Advertising feature
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Sycamores a highly invasive weed We are all too aware of the seriousness of weeds in Canterbury. Conifers, gorse, broom and lupins were all planted without a thought about their potential to become established and now we are stuck with the consequences. Sycamores can be added to the list. It’s a very attractive deciduous tree but underneath those maple-shaped leaves lurks a monster. Each spring a mature tree can produce up to 40,000 seeds that are beautifully evolved to carry a long way on the wind. Moist sites like riverbanks and gaps in native forests are ideal for sycamore invasion and the foothills, rivers and streams are becoming fringed with thick stands of them. Most of the spread has originated from lone trees at old homestead sites and although most of the original specimens have gone, their offspring have established downwind and are producing the next wave of invaders. Sycamores have several characteristics that give
Mary Ralston
FOREST AND BIRD
them the ability to become weeds. They produce large amounts of seed that are wind-dispersed, tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions (cold, warm, shade, light), are long-lived, fastgrowing and produce seeds from a young age and they can sprout from the roots or a cut if the original trunk is damaged. Thousands of seedlings can germinate from a single tree, creating dense stands that will prevent native plants from establishing. Sheep can mop up seedlings on grazing land, but many seeds land in river corridors, riparian plantings and native bush. Early control of weeds always offers the best
Sycamores are a highly invasive weed tree. They have a distinctive five-lobed leaf.
chance of eradication. Despite presentations to the Canterbury Pest Management Plan review, sycamores were not declared a pest and have not been included in the list of plants that should be controlled by landowners. It is merely called an “organism of interest” because ECan does not have sufficient information on its distribution
throughout Canterbury. While we wait for staff time and resources to be allocated to collecting this information, sycamores will spread and the cost and difficulty of control will escalate. The Department of Conservation has rated the potential of sycamores to invade natural areas in Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury
as high and even casual visitors to our foothills native remnants can attest to that. They have been identified as a serious weed in Christchurch and Dunedin and in places in Southland they have been predicted to replace some beech forests in 100 years. It is considered an environmental weed in the moister parts of southern Australia and many other overseas countries. The Canterbury representative for the QE11 Trust, Alice Shanks, says sycamores are a “ticking timebomb’’. She says they have proved to be invasive and highly adaptable to different environments. She is calling for a control plan for sycamores throughout Canterbury, as has been done for conifers. In the meantime, farmers are urged to control sycamore on their properties. Tree stumps and even young saplings need chemical treatment as cut trees will shoot again. Specific information on herbicide control is available on the internet.
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30
Farming
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Recycling in full swing at Ashburton show What a great turnout for the Ashburton A&P Show. The trade sites were buzzing with activity, horses and ponies turned out looking their best, the produce shed had so many excellent entries to admire and so much to see all around the showgrounds. It was good to see the EnviroWaste wheelie bins for waste and recycling placed around the showgrounds and people using them. Wandering around the impressive displays of machinery and services in the trade exhibits area, I came across the Plasback farm recycling bins for sileage wrap and farm plastics. It was heartening to see a sample of the latest product made from mixed plastic waste. The more useful products we can make from plastic waste the less of a problem plastic materials will be in the long-term. Have you tried to make a compost garden bed and grow food? Making soil and feeding soils is one of the most
Sheryl Stivens
ECO EFFICIENCY
important things we can do. Healthy food is grown in healthy soils and soils are a major carbon sink and help balance life on our planet. So get your potatoes and favourite summer vegetables planted no matter how small your vegetable plot is. At this time of year I spread coarse composted materials on to soils and plant my seed or seedlings such as potatoes, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and pumpkins. Once covered with a mulch of newspaper, lawn clippings and/or straw, the earthworms and micro-organisms will continue to do their job making rich soil from your food scraps and garden waste. My favourite way to grow potatoes is to lay flattened
EnviroWaste wheelie bins were well used at the recent Ashburton A&P Show.
cardboard boxes along each side of the line of potatoes which are just covered by the compost materials. The cardboard can even be put over a grassed or weedy area so this minimises the preparation time for us speedy
gardeners. And there is no spraying required. Then cover the planted potatoes and cardboard with a thick layer of lawn clipping mulch. It works so well and stays moist, warm and dark underneath and the potatoes
grow really quickly. It’s a great idea if you are a bit late getting your potatoes into the ground as I am this season. And it’s a good way to break in new ground and avoid using chemical sprays or fertilisers. Happy spring gardening.
69 years of top service and top quality Ron Brown Jewellers has been a family business for 69 years. Stephen and Diana Brown, along with their experienced staff, are very passionate about their business. Ron Brown Jewellers is known for its manufacturing business and diamond-buying trips to Antwerp in Belgium. The workshop situated upstairs from the retail shop is where Stephen allows you to be confident in the process of having a bespoke piece crafted to your liking. Ron Browns is fortunate
to have exquisite brands such as the famous Karen Walker Jewellery, Najo, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Olivia Burton fashion watches and,
of course, the true and trusted Seiko, Bulova and Citizen watch brands. Situated on the busy sunny side of Stafford Street in
Timaru, Ron Brown Jewellers carries out all your repair work, whether it be watch battery fitting or repairs, jewellery repairs or grandma’s
heirlooms. At Ron Brown Jewellers we are happy to help with all your jewellery and watch questions or repairs. Advertising feature
Platinum and 18ct rose gold chocolate coloured and white diamond Halo design ring
18ct yellow gold Tanzanite and diamond ring was $8975
18ct yellow gold 1.00ct diamond solitaire was $15,450
18ct yellow gold 4 diamond ring 1.00ct was $5995.00
18ct yellow gold 3 diamond ring 1.00ct was $6250
7250
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304 Stafford Street, Timaru Phone 03 688 9835
“Where Quality and Service is guaranteed”
www.guardianonline.co.nz
31
Houston, we have a problem . . . Houston we have a problem… These words could be the catchphrase for our rural real estate industry right at this time. What should be a really busy selling season between the beginning of August through to April is off to what only could be described as a slow start. That’s not to say things have totally stopped and are not happening, but they are definitely slower than normal. And having recently spent two days at what could only be declared as an excellent A&P show (all credit to those involved in the organisation), the general feeling among the exhibitors was similar to what we are seeing and that can only be called a lack of confidence in where we are really going. During the two days I spent at the show I got to talk to a lot of farmers and their families. I was concerned that at least several of the wives spoke of being afraid to mention they were dairy farmers when out in the general public.
Chris Murdoch
PROPERTY BROKERS
They did not want to mention what they did for a living for fear of getting a lecture about dirty dairying and how they were the cause of unswimmable rivers, nitrate leaching etc. Unfortunately the farmers I am referring to are also the ones that are leading the way in tackling all issues in connection with dairying and dairy pollution. It seems everywhere you turn at the moment farming is a dirty word and I think some of these people need to be reminded where their tax dollars are from and how come our country is still moving along well and is competitive in today’s world. Almost every day there is a lobby group somewhere
having a say and being listened too, as so-called experts in their fields about such things as caged hens, crated pigs, shedded cows, feedlot cattle etc. I wonder if all these people think about where every egg, every piece of bacon, every cut of meat and every drink of milk their children and themselves consume come
from and maybe they are lucky enough to have the dollars in their pockets to buy only organic-grown produce because 90 per cent of the community cannot. Furthermore, do they think twice about getting in their cars or taking an overseas trip in a jumbo jet that is putting tonnes of pollution into the atmosphere just so they can
go on holiday? The sad thing is I believe that 90 per cent of today’s farmers are farming cleaner and smarter than their parents did and most are also farming better and cleaner than they were yesterday. How about giving some credit for the steps that have been taken and a pat on the back instead of a slap in the face?
Property Brokers Ashburton Rural Team
Putting your interests first. An industry first. A champion team will beat a team of individuals every day, especially in rural real estate. That’s why we’ve done something no other real estate agency has done before. Every member of the Property Brokers’ rural team has signed a binding agreement to work together to sell your property. No working in isolation and no guarding listings. So, while you’ll still have a lead agent when you sell your rural property, you’re guaranteed to have a true team of equally committed agents, marketing experts and support staff working for you, right across the country. They will put your interests first, to get you and your farm the best result. Find out more at propertybrokers.co.nz/rural
pb.co.nz Hastings McLeod Ltd Licensed REAA 2008
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Case IH 535 Quadtrac 6415 Hrs
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John Deere 7930 IVT
John Deere 6220
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Sam SI 3000 Sprayer
12,000Ltrs
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2014
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Vicon RV2160 RK Round Baler $18,000 + GST