Dairy Focus MARCH 2017
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Linda Clarke
SENIOR REPORTER
It’s getting to the business end of the annual dairy industry awards and by the end of this week, all the finalists across the sharemilker, manager and trainee categories will have been found. Hats off to them for being top operators, good work to all who entered – sometimes you can spend more time working in your business than on your business, and the awards offer a chance for someone else to have a look at what you’re doing and maybe offer advice. It’s brave putting yourself out
there, especially when it is often a small town’s nature to shoot down the tall poppies. The winners come from eight regions in the North Island and three in the South, representing nearly 12,000 herds with a collective 5 million cows. For the record, last season there were 8696 herds in the North Island, with an average 343 per herd; in the South 3222 herds with an average of 624 cows. Comparing dairy farms, big and small, won’t be easy and each will have unique challenges. The farmers themselves all have different stories about how they came to be in the cowshed; a surprising number don’t come from farming backgrounds. A dairy farmer who will have one amazing story when he returns to Mid Canterbury is Greg Roadley, who has been taking part in a brutal footrace across the Arctic Circle. Watch this space.
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Dairy farm operators fined Environment Canterbury removed 17 truckloads of ponded effluent from a Rangiora dairy farm, where the farm owner and contract milker were later prosecuted for offences against the environment. Two sucker trucks worked for eight hours to remove effluent that had overflowed from an effluent pond and onto a paddock. Mairangi Dairies and milking contractors A and H Dairies both pleaded guilty to discharging dairy effluent from a transfer system onto a paddock when they appeared in the Christchurch District Court earlier this month; they were both fined $29,000, plus around $3000 more for court costs. The maximum penalty for the offence is a $600,000 fine. Judge JR Jackson said both companies had been responsible for the maintenance of the transfer sump and stone trap and were equally culpable for the malfunctioning system. He said that a clear lack of
The extent of the effluent spill, photographed by Environment Canterbury staff.
communications between the dairy farm owners and the milking contractor about the state of the stone trap and sump was also a factor. “The defendants each say the other was responsible for the maintenance. In the meantime, the system failed. “While they were standing back failing to take responsibility this unnecessary discharge occurred. That is an unacceptable deferral of responsibility.”
Mairangi Dairies has a herd of 1350 cows at Boundary Road, Springbank, near Rangiora. The spill was discovered by a Canterbury Regional Council officer on a random visit to the farm on March 30 last year. During the site inspection, the officer noted the effluent transfer sump and adjoining stonetrap were submerged in effluent. A large amount of effluent had spilled over and onto a
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concrete track from where it flowed freely onto a paddock. The effluent had accumulated into a hollow in the paddock and extended a distance of approximately 200 metres and in part was 20 metres wide. Judge Jackson, in his judgement, noted the contract milkers had called an electrician a week earlier and a replacement pump was connected. “Enquiries established that
the original pump had burned out from having to pump out the build-up of solids contained within the transfer sump and stonetrap. “The loaned pump could not cope with the amount of solids so had to be continually reset as it kept cutting out.” The contract milker said the farm was milking more cows than the system could cope with. Environment Canterbury principal resource management advisor, Richard Purdon said the ponding of dairy effluent in this way is unauthorised because it can both flow overland into surface waterbodies and also saturate the soil, increasing the likelihood of effluent leaking into the groundwater. Nutrient management is a key factor when it comes to meeting the Canterbury Water Management Strategy targets. “Environment Canterbury pursues this kind of offending through the courts to make it very clear to the parties responsible, and the industry as a whole, that they need to be vigilant when managing their dairy effluent.”
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Growing good heifers pays dividends Linda Clarke
SENIOR REPORTER
Dairy farmers have got in behind moves to re-energise the annual on-farm heifer competition. Around 30 farmers followed the Methven A&P Association’s annual contest earlier this month, and there was also good interest in the Rangiora and Ellesmere judging days last week. Interest in the contest had been flagging and only five associations are taking part this year, but there is already talk of a bigger uptake next year. Mayfield will hold its contest on Thursday and Mackenzie tomorrow. Winners from all five associations will then compete for Canterbury honours. The contest has sections for owners/ sharemilkers and for graziers.
The Methven heifer judging day attracted a good crowd of about 30 people, all keen to improve their own grazing operations. PHOTOS ANDREW ORAM
One of the three farmers leading the push for the revitalised Canterbury Dairy Heifer Competition is Methven dairy farmer Trevor Monson. He said judges viewed around 10,000 stock in the Methven competition. “It was a great day and it was a close competition. The judges were impressed by how many good graziers are out there.” The day-long judging tour attracted a travelling group of
up to 30 supporters, all keen to see other grazing operations. “Everyone’s been talking about it, which is great to hear, and there’s talk Ashburton will be back next year.” Rangiora’s was the first on-farm heifer contest in eight years and Monson said people were already talking about growing numbers next year. “All around every region there have been good stock, well grown and looking a
picture. It’s a good time to get around the farms before they start getting busy again and people are able to show what they have been doing.” The Canterbury winner will be announced at the Mackenzie A&P Show on Easter Monday. It is the first time the association has taken part. “It was new for them and they have 16 entries, which is fantastic.” The 2018 contest is expected
to draw more entries from pedigree breeders and winter milkers. Judges for the Methven contest this year were Richard van Wynbergen from Farmlands and Hannah Wentworth, from World Wide Sires New Zealand. Co-organiser Phil Lowe said the pair were both passionate about the dairy industry and visiting farms to see stock was an important part of the network.
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s METHVEN A&P ASSOCIATION WINNERS
RANGIORA A&P ASSOCIATION WINNERS
Rising 1yr Heifers, 2016 born:
Rising 1yr Heifers, 2016 born: C Bailey
1. N and G Currie 2. J and S Duckmanton 3. R and K Turney
Rising 2yr Heifers, 2015 born: M Hurst
Rising 2yr Heifers, 2015 born: Wentworth was a judge at this year’s national Dairy Event and evaluates cows for the World Wide Sires Mating Service (WMS) all over New Zealand and is the sales consultant for North Canterbury. She grew up in the USA and has been showing cows since she was young. She has judged cattle in both New Zealand and the US. “It is always good to have
young people, enthusiastic and passionate and there is a group of them about. Her expertise opened our eyes a bit. You can have big, fat lovely looking animals but there’s more to it than that.” Lowe said van Wynbergen was equally passionate about desirable traits that would help the industry. He will judge the final with another young judge Charlotte Flay. Monson and Lowe said they
Judges Richard van Wynbergen and Hannah Wentworth compare notes on the desirable traits of these heifers. PHOTO ANDREW ORAM
were indebted to companies who had provided prizes for the competition and their sponsorship would help the event going forward: Farmlands, Ravensdown, Agrisea, LIC, Balance, Merial, Zottis, SealesWinslow and Allflex.
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ELLESMERE A&P ASSOCIATION WINNERS Rising 1yr Heifers, 2016 born: G and R Pinny Rising 2yr Heifers, 2015 born: S and G Litchfield Rising 2yr Heifers (for graziers): J Cromie
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Rugged, rural fellas wanted Fieldays Are you a gallant rural gent who is more at home in the cowshed than in a city cafe? Then you might just have what it takes to be the New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays’ Rural Bachelor of the Year.
Eight finalists will be selected for the popular competition, which takes place during Fieldays at Mystery Creek Events Centre from June 14-17. The rural bachelor competition is now in its seventh year and entries close at the end of March. Finalists have their farming skills, attitude and all-round charisma put to the test during a series of rural-themed challenges, including fencing, cooking, wood splitting, dog handling and health and safety. The winner walks away with a prize pack worth more than $20,000, along with the coveted Golden Gumboot trophy. Last year’s Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year, Paul Olsen, said he entered because his mates encouraged him and he had “nothing to lose”. The potato and dry stock farmer from Opiki in Manawatu said the week was full on, exciting and filled with opportunities. “The socialising and networking opportunities are huge. I met a great bunch of blokes, and ladies, and we still keep in touch,” said Olsen.
Paul Olsen - winner of the 2016 Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year.
People’s choice winner, Australian angus stud farmer Rob Ewing, agreed. “I thought it’d be a great opportunity to do something I’d never done before, and it turned out to be the best thing I’ve ever done.”
He said it was his “great yarns and practical jokes” that secured him the people’s choice title, but he wasn’t out there to win. “I just thought it would be a chance to meet some new people, see a bit of New
Zealand, and meet some lovely Kiwi girls,” said Ewing. “And I tell you what, if I lived in New Zealand I’d have a hard time deciding which girl to take out for tea.” Olsen said he’s ready to hand over the title.
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Rural Bachelor of the year Left: Te Pirita dary farmer Angus Thomas was in the running to become the 2016 Rural Bachelor of the Year.
Paul Olsen, the 2016 winner.
“My advice for this year’s guys is to give it a go, it’s a brilliant experience. It really pushes you out of your comfort zone, but in a good way.” He’s also technically not a bachelor anymore, having met someone a few months after the
competition. “Yep, I was fortunate enough to meet someone,” Olsen said. “She’s in the rural industry too – she’s pretty awesome. But I’d better not throw her under the bus by saying too much!” This year’s competition kicks
off on June 12 with the Farmlands Road Trip. Starting in Auckland, the eight finalists will make their way across Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, visiting rural Farmlands stores on the way and taking part in activities
and challenges. Once Fieldays officially starts on June 14, the finalists will take part in daily challenges with the winner announced at the official prize giving on June 17. Two titles are up for grabs again – Rural Bachelor
of the Year and People’s Choice Award. NZ National Fieldays Society CEO Peter Nation said the rural bachelor competition was a chance for agricultural blokes to showcase their farming skills and love of the industry. “NZ Agricultural Fieldays is a premier international event that celebrates the best of our rural industry, and with Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year we are looking for someone genuine and hardworking, who personifies that passion and will be a great ambassador for both the competition and New Zealand farming,” said Nation. Applications are now open in the Fieldays Rural Bachelor of the Year competition and close on March 31. For more information and to enter visit fieldays.co.nz/ enterruralbachelor
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Equity farmer Wendy Croft loves life on the farm with her family, including Thomas.
Farm life has plenty to offer young family From city girl to sharemilker to equity farmer, North Canterbury’s Wendy Croft has come a long way in a sector she says allows young people to work hard and prosper. “I was working in a bank before I got into farming. I had never milked a cow, but we got into sharemilking to save money, and it was easier for me to manage it than to get someone else to do it.” While husband Ben was raised on a sheep and crop farm, Wendy had to upskill quickly. Some three years ago she enrolled in Ara Institute of Canterbury’s NZ Diploma in Agribusiness Management, which is a practical qualification designed for working farmers, predominately delivered online with face-to-face tutorials held in Culverden. “It was very useful. We moved to the new farm and took over from another equity manager. When we came on to the farm there were no policies and procedures left behind, so we spent the first 12 months setting up health and safety plans, environmental plans and human resourcing plans, so the timing for doing the diploma was perfect. “It was something I was doing every day and I’m passionate about farming, so the programme was very rewarding and easy because I was applying what I was doing straight away. I was completing work and then physically printing something out and putting it on the wall and using it, not tucking it away into a folder and in a drawer.” The Ara programme is run in conjunction with the Primary ITO and recently received a high vote of confidence from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), which rated Agribusiness training
at Ara Institute of Canterbury as “excellent” in a recent report. NZQA found that the programme is providing high value to the industry and to students. “The standout features of this programme are the positive way in which the programme matches the needs of the students and the clear value that students and other stakeholders are deriving from it,” the report said. “Students are able to study alongside the demands of their employment and attend regular tutorial support workshops in their local area at times that fit in with farming commitments.” The programme is delivered in modules that target the range of management specialisations and are relevant to aspiring owners like the Crofts, as well as to leading corporate farm operators or younger farmers looking to upskill. With two young children and a business to run, Wendy learned to balance her studies with her family and work commitments. “I think my husband and I worked together every day for three years! It was hard and it’s not for everyone - it’s challenging but it’s really rewarding.” For now Wendy and Ben will focus on their equity farm, however, they have big plans for the future. “Eventually we want to buy a dairy farm. The current focus is on making the farm profitable and increasing equity so that we can buy a farm of our own.” Does she miss her city lifestyle? “Yes, sometimes I miss the city, but I love the lifestyle here – I have good neighbours and good staff. You surround yourselves with like-minded people.”
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When Twitter spats go wild Craig Hickman
ELBOW DEEP @dairymanNZ
One of the greatest gifts the internet has given us is the ability to tell complete strangers they’re wrong, and let’s face it, they often are. Sometimes they’re so wrong the rest of the internet lines up behind you to tell them exactly how wrong they are. I recently tweeted that a Kiwi job applicant had failed to turn up for a job interview, I then doubled down on that by betting the Uruguayan applicant would be on time. He was and he got the job. For reasons known only to him, a senior Labour MP thought it would be a good idea to tell me my working conditions were so atrocious that Kiwis wouldn’t even apply and I was exploiting immigrant labour with slave wages.
He was wrong, and I felt obliged to tell him so. He didn’t like that and kept arguing, so I let the rest of the internet tell him he was wrong too. It was beautiful to witness: Left, right and centrist Twitter were united in the common cause of telling a politician exactly
how wrong he was, in great detail, while other politicians chortled from the side lines. The next day I woke up to an apology tweet where he said he was very sorry for engaging with me (but not quite apologising for what he’d said). The next week Labour issued a directive
that all of their MPs should review their social media and delete anything potentially embarrassing. Nice try, but a friend in Wellington saw a National MP refer to the Twitter spat in one of their speeches. And the internet is forever. Not all my correcting of the
internet has been so successful or satisfying: I’ve been telling people for three years now that rainfall is measured in mm, not ml, and yet they persist. Even farmers who should know better continue to use ml, though I’m certain a percentage of those just do it to annoy me. It’s got to the stage I’ve had to create a hashtag, #splainfall, and write a series of explanatory tweets that I can pull out when needed. I’m sure the readers of this column understand that rainfall is a measurement of depth and not volume so I won’t replicate my tweets here. WeatherWatch took pity on my lonely crusade and enlisted the services of former MetSevice Weather Ambassador Bob McDavitt to help write a tutorial explaining exactly why I am right. Okay, that actually is quite satisfying. Occasionally someone will try to tell me that I’m wrong. There’s only one way to handle this of course, I covered it a previous column: I ignore them.
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Dairy Focus
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$1.2m to combat diseases Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed $1.2 million of funding for three projects to combat animal and horticultural disease from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Farming Fund. “I’m pleased to see investment in these three projects to tackle bovine viral diarrhoea virus, facial eczema in dairy and beef cattle, and infected potato seed tubers. These are serious problems which can cause a lot of suffering and cost. “The first project will investigate the prevalence of sub-clinical facial eczema and develop guidance on how to best monitor and manage the disease. “This is a nasty disease. When cattle ingest the fungus that causes it, it damages their liver and causes chronic wasting and death. Badly damaged liver tissue never regenerates. There is no cure so prevention is the only way of protecting animals. “This project will look at the production and welfare impacts of this disease and
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
encourage farmers to address the problem before it gets to clinical level. The aim is to help farmers to know how and when to treat their cattle. “This will ultimately lead to improved animal welfare,
productivity and sustainability of pastoral farming across the country.” The project will be led by the Facial Eczema Action group with representation from vets, farmers, researchers
and DairyNZ. The project will receive $395,000 over three years and begin in July 2017. The second project looks at Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVD). “BVD is a serious and
widespread disease in New Zealand with around 80 per cent of New Zealand’s dairy and beef herds having been exposed to it. Infection can cause reproductive losses, an increase in general disease, reduced growth rates, and lowered milk production. “Estimates put the annual losses for dairy farmers at over $100 million. “This project will include identification of key transmission pathways, development of a business case for coordinated national BVD control and the building of a national model to track BVD status of individual animals and herds over time.” This is the first time a BVD project has been funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund. $585,000 will be provided over three years and the project will be led by BVD Free New Zealand and will begin in July 2017. Another project involves $252,000 of funding to detect and target disease in potato seed tubers, which is an important challenge for our $500 million potato industry.
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SMART Irrigation gets the green light Irrigating farmers will soon be growing “more crop per drop” thanks to IrrigationNZ and the Government’s Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF). Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, announced the successful SFF projects this week, with IrrigationNZ awarded funding to develop its SMART Tools and Tips for Irrigators project. IrrigationNZ CEO Andrew Curtis says the project will enable farmers and growers to make a significant improvement in irrigation efficiency and for potential irrigators to have access to comprehensive information on developing irrigation. “We know from working with irrigators, and through analysing Farm Environment Plan audits, that environmental compliance, and particularly achieving Good Management Practice (GMP), are the biggest challenges faced by the sector. The Smart Tools and Tips project will be instrumental in helping irrigators achieve impending GMP regulatory requirements, while at the
Andrew Curtis
WATER WORKS
same time, improving their yield quality and quantity and minimising their operating costs.” Curtis estimates $1.5 billion in farm gate value could be created from the successful implementation of Irrigation GMP and this project “has a
“
has already made in irrigation infrastructure development and modernisation to get ‘new water’ to the farm gate. It also supports the investment they’ve made in freshwater management, ensuring New Zealand’s freshwater continues to support a full range of community values.” Irrigating farmers were coming under increased scrutiny around their water use efficiency and the SMART project would provide them with the knowledge and practical tools to be more efficient, without impacting growth, productivity and reliability of supply.
the project will enable farmers and growers to make a significant improvement in irrigation efficiency and for potential irrigators ...
significant role in helping to achieve this”. “The SMART Tools and Tips project complements the investment government
“Farmers and growers make a significant investment in irrigation infrastructure, but in order to benefit from that investment, they need to really
understand how to maximise its use and efficiency. The SMART project will give farmers and growers practical tools to help them make a difference in terms of efficiency, productivity and environmental outcomes.” The project attracted $534,400 over three years. It will see IrrigationNZ working with a range of irrigator user groups to understand the barriers and benefits to the uptake of Irrigation GMP and then pilot strategies to overcome the barriers and build on the benefits. It will also enable IrrigationNZ to convert its
current suite of ‘traditional’ knowledge resources and training into an e-learning format. “Farmers and growers are busy people and getting them off-farm for workshops can be a challenge. “Having all of our key resources available online will ensure they can develop an informed and clearer understanding of how to operate within new GMP regulatory requirements. “Ultimately, it will increase their efficiency gains, increase skills and capability and improve sustainability and reliability of supply.”
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Frenchman yearns for Kiwi life Frenchman Anthony Degouy secured himself a prime position at the ATS In-store Days in 2015 and landed a job on a Mid Canterbury dairy farm. He wants to return and has dreams of one day being a farm manager.
A Frenchman who fell in love with dairy farming in Canterbury is desperate to come back. Anthony Degouy seized the initiative and hung out at the ATS In-store Days in 2015 and landed a job; he stayed nearly two years and went back to France a few months ago. But he was on social media recently looking for a job to come back to, saying he had fallen in love with New Zealand and wanted to be part of the Kiwi farming life again. The Guardian profiled his job hunt in 2015 and Degouy still has a cutting from the July 11 edition that called him “A Frenchman on the hunt”. He said he was not enjoying being back in France. “I knew when I took the plane from Christchurch that I would come back sooner or later. Moreover, I remember what my first boss told me after a few weeks during calving time: Some days are hard but you’ll love it and we will see you coming back. I dare say, that was true. I’m here because my own
Frenchman Anthony Degouy
country (excepting for my family) isn’t where I want to live anymore.” Degouy said he was grateful for the skills he learned in Mid Canterbury and was proud to be part of the community. “I enjoyed it so much and this job changed my way of life, of thinking and made me a better man.” He is appealing for farmers
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in the Mid Canterbury area to look him up if they need help on their farms. “I want to learn more and do the ITO course. Starting from the bottom once again and making my way to maybe one day become a manager. We all have dreams and I know mine are in your country.” Degouy came to New Zealand in 2014 on a working
holiday visa and did a few odd jobs, including fruit picking and trapping possums, until finding work on a dairy farm. He is from the Picardie region in France, which has many dairy farms. Degouy’s references and more details are on his Farmsource profile: https://nzfarmsource.co.nz/ jobs/profile/3474332888
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2 14
Farming Dairy Focus
PASTURE MANAGEMENT
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Advertising feature
Choosing your primary farm technology provider The technology to increase on-farm efficiency and profit improvement and decrease the burden of compliance is now here, rushing headlong towards farmers of every colour and strip. A number of farm management systems are well developed and proven, and deliver high returns on investment in financial, operational and compliance terms. Taking a “wait and see” approach is no longer necessary because good systems are available, so long as you can find them amongst a range of simplistic, overhyped offerings. Well-established ag tech companies already have proven GPS devices, soil moisture and temperature readers, weather stations, milk vat monitors, effluent monitoring systems, irrigation telemetry, ground spread and aviation fertiliser application systems and more. These firms generate, store, process and display farm data that contented farmers use daily to help run their farm businesses more efficiently. Now, the next generation “Internet of Things” means more data sources, more cheaply, generating more on and off-farm data that is live, complete, accurate, secure and automatic. And this new technology enables more communication of live information between farmers and their advisors, consultants, suppliers and contractors. It also enables aggregation of data from thousands of sources, which in turn supports farmers making optimal decisions based on pooled intelligence and insights. The global accounting and consulting firm, PwC, recently published a report titled “Futures of Food Provision”. Quoting from AgTech Insights and PwC’s own analysis, a chart in the report sets out 26 developments in three categories driving improved farm performance. Farmers have made amazing improvements in yields, productivity and sustainability over the last 200 years so most of the functional aspects of farming have already been optimised. Unsurprising then, that of the 26 options for improvement now, no fewer than 20 of them are directly technology related (refer to
Of the 26 options for improvement now, no fewer than 20 of them are directly technology related.
“
The second generation “Internet of Things” means more data sources, more cheaply, generating more on and offfarm data that is live, complete, accurate, secure and automatic.
image above). It’s imperative, therefore, for individual farmers to capture the benefits technology delivers by choosing the best primary technology partners. So, what are the main things to consider when evaluating which system to use? Here are four: 1. What aspect of your farming business offers the most potential for profit improvement in the fastest way? Is it in improving genetic merit? In improved milk, meat or fibre quality? Is it getting better pasture production while securing better enviromental compliance? Depending on what part of your business you most want to optimise, you can choose your primary technology provider. If pasture and crop growth and feed management are the most immediate opportunities for improvement, then choose a comprehensive pasture management system as
your primary tech provider. If improvement in genetic merit, milk, meat or wool is where the value is, choose a tech provider whose primary focus is in these areas. Or if livestock management is your best bet, begin by deploying a system that focuses first on livestock management. Once you’ve got your profit focus top and centre, any good system will add the standard functions of task management, health and safety, hazards, timesheets etc, either directly or through partnerships. 2. Auto-population versus self-population Once you’ve focused on your key focus area, then choose from the systems that have that focus. Look too how the date you need gets into the system. If a system you are considering boasts “you can store all your farm data in the cloud”, concentrate on the word “you” rather that on the word “cloud”. Every decent tech provider is in the cloud,
so that is not a differentiator. But if “you” means you have to type all the information in, then you’re the one doing all the work. If your records don’t change between the last time and the next time you log in, then you’ve got a self-populating system and you’re doing all the work, and the system is only telling you back what you already know. Rather, look for a system where the data originates from sensors, devices or GPS units installed in fert and spray trucks, on travelling irrigators, milk vats, weigh scales, yield monitors, pasture readers, etc, that electronically updates your records without your having to key everything in. Then you have an autopopulating system. 3. Is the system open or closed? Whatever brand you choose as your primary system, you’ll want it to communicate electronically with other systems. Closed systems are
IMAGE SUPPLIED
insular and don’t have any way of sending or receiving electronic data, so you’ll end up with several systems that don’t talk to each other. A reason for getting this right at the start is that over time, if you invest time and effort in storing your data, in a closed self-populating system, often you’ll get fatigued and want to change to an automated, autopopulating system, by which time you’ve got half a year’s data quarantined in a closed system. 4. Are records based on “As Intended” or “As Applied”? If records get made based on something you intend to have happen in the future, then that is a record of your intention. However, if records are based on an action that has been completed, like a fertiliser application or a milk vat temperature, or this morning’s soil moisture based on last night’s rain, then you have “As Applied” data. Research shows that in some farm activities, the difference between intended and actual actions can be up to 15 per cent different. You probably wouldn’t accept your banking records being 85 per cent accurate. There’s no reason you should accept your farm data being any less accurate.
2 16
Farming Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Finalist set to face off for New Zeala The North Island is naming some tough competitors to progress to the finals of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards in May. Winners from the eight North Island regions will join winners of the three South Island regions to be named this week in award categories for share farmer of the year, dairy manager of the year and dairy trainee of the year. Bay of Plenty share farmers of the year Cameron and Margaret Bierre see their academic qualifications and previous careers as a strength. The Bierres are 24% sharemilking 800 cows for Scottie and Jill McLeod at Whakatane. They have been in the industry nine years, with Margaret also working for Eastpack (Kiwifruit), utilising her BSc Ecology and Horticulture. Cameron holds a BSc Agriculture and Agribusiness and has previously worked for Dairy NZ. Both have numerous industry certificates and accreditations. “Our academic qualifications coupled with a proven
experience in running lowcost profitable dairy systems is one of our strengths, along with pasture management and tight cost control.” Their goal is to develop and maintain a resilient business that is profitable across variable payout years and to continue to build equity to have land holdings which will allow a rural lifestyle for their family. The Bierres entered the awards to analyse and refocus on their business and benchmark it against others in the industry to gain improvement. The winners of the Bay of Plenty dairy manager of the year, Hayden and Linda McCartie, hoped that entering the competitions would enable them to meet new people in the Bay of Plenty regions dairy industry. They are farm managers for the Gow Family Trust 215ha farm, milking 710 cows in Whakatane. “Taking a close look at how we manage the farm identifies our strengths and weaknesses and where we need to
Cameron and Marg Bierre
improve,” say the couple. The McCarties believe their strength lies in their team. “Everyone works well together, there’s good communication between everyone and it is a positive place to work,” says Hayden. “The layout of the farm and the facilities make our job easier, as there is good cow flow and everything is centrally located.” Whakatane farm manager Bridie Virbickas, aged 26 years, was second in the dairy
PHOTO SUPPLIED
manager competition. Bridie holds a Bachelor in AgScience, majoring in agriculture and would like to be contract milking by the 2018/19 season. Bridie is farm manager for Bernard and Linda Virbickas on their Whakatane property, milking 280 cows. She sees the family-orientated business as a strong foundation on which to build her career, with everyone working towards a common goal. Bay of Plenty dairy trainee
of the year, Hayden Goodall, says entering the awards has given him the opportunity to network with other entrants, farm owners, sponsors and their representatives. “It’s also allowed me to get my name into the farming industry and has helped with setting future goals.” The 24-year-old has been in the industry for three seasons and is currently herd manager for Matt Gow on his 750-cow property at Matata. Keeping a good work-
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www.guardianonline.co.nz
17
nd Dairy Industry Awards
Central Plateau share farmer of the year winners Carlos and Bernice Delos Santos.
life balance is important to Hayden, enabling him to spend quality time with his wife and two young daughters. The major winner in the Waikato regional awards, Phillip van Heuven, strives to achieve in every area of his business and always looks for ways to progress. Phillip won the share farmer of the year category while Euan McLeod won the dairy manager of the year, and
Kobus Liebenberg the dairy trainee of the year. Van Heuven, 30, is 50% sharemilking 230 cows for Brett Coubrough at Tirau. His goal is to continue to progress through the industry by obtaining a bigger 50% sharemilking position, and he believes the strengths of his operation are in pasture and animal management. “I am always monitoring the pasture and achieving correct residuals and have
PHOTO SUPPLIED
an established regrassing programme,” he says. “For me, happy cows equals a happy farming life. Cow condition is a priority and growth rates of young stock are closely monitored.” He has been in the industry seven and a half years, and is a qualified joiner, working as a builder’s labourer before making the career change. “I entered the dairy awards to see where and how I can improve.”
Putaruru contract milkers Eoin O’Mahony and Sian Cecil, both aged 28 years, were runners-up in the Share Farmer competition. They work on Trinity Lands Ltd 165ha, 600-cow farm. Eoin is a sixth-generation dairy farmer from Ireland, who has spent the past six years farming in New Zealand. They believe the awards experience gave them good insight to improving and building on their farming career. Dairy manager winner McLeod said he was grateful for a farm owner with a wealth of experience and knowledge who is completely open to trying new things on farm. He is currently farm manager for one of Waikato’s most established AB dairy farming operations, Murray and Janet Gibb’s 122ha farm, milking 380 cows in Taupiri, where he has progressed from farm assistant to farm manager. “The herd on this farm have been bred to AB since the 1960s, and the heifers have been getting AB done
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since the early 1980s. As a result, the herd is one of the top Jersey herds in the country for body-weight, so not only do I have fantastic cows to milk, the farm also has an extra source of income from selling excess cows for which there is a strong demand,” he said. “The farm owner allows staff to take responsibility for their jobs and to have the freedom to make decisions within those roles. That kind of environment is great for business.” Dairy trainee winner Kobus Liebenberg has been in the industry for three seasons with the first six months being free labour and relief milking to get a foot in the door. He is currently herd manager for Campbell and Susan Thomas on their 420-cow property at Ohaupo. He says entering the awards is an opportunity to reflect on strong and weak points. “Areas that need work are highlighted by judges, allowing me to improve and strive for better.”
2 18
Farming Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Healthy hooves resist trauma It is still a widely held view that cows’ hooves can get bruised by standing on a stone and that the hoof can get sole penetration from sharp stones. These are the most common reasons given when I ask participants on our hoof trimming courses where the holes and haemorrhage in the hooves come from. I would like to explore these views a little today and present alternative senarios under which I believe these events could occur. There is a body of evidence that suggests that stones have nothing to do with hoof lameness other than creating the conditions for foot rot. It should be noted at this point that footrot is not a hoof problem but an infectious bacterial disease that is introduced via damaged skin between the claws. One argument I would like to focus on is the argument of adapting to environmental changes. It is well accepted that all organisms need to adapt to their environment if they want to stay alive. There are many examples
Fred Hoekstra
VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES
of species adapting to environmental changes. Even us humans. If we choose a lifestyle that involves hard physical labour, then our bodies respond by growing stronger muscles and more calluses on our hands. If we choose to start walking bare foot we may struggle initially and walk really tenderly over the gravel on our driveways. However in a couple of weeks we will have adapted to that and we can run over the same gravel path. Organisms can even adapt to poison. Think about the penicillin resistant bacteria, and what about the rabbits that are now immune to the calicivirus? When we see so many species adapting to their environment, why do we
Even as humans, if we chose to run with bare feet we would struggle initially but adapt over time
believe that cows would have so much trouble adjusting to being a domesticated animal. In the wild they would be encountering rocks, branches and tree roots therefore turning and pushing on concrete would seem to be a relatively small change? I would argue that a hoof in the wild encounters more trauma than the hooves of our domestic dairy cows. I can appreciate some individual
cows struggling with adapting but not the cow as a species. At Veehof, we start from the premise that a healthy claw can handle virtually any physical challenge that it encounters on our dairy farms. A healthy hoof is strong enough to do the job it is designed to do. With that being said the obvious question has to be, why then do we have lame cows on dairy farms where life
should be comparatively easy for them? I would argue that if a cow becomes lame, there has to be an underlying issue that relates to the health of the live tissue inside the claw. These are issues relating to dietary problems, animal handling related stress, stress related to mating and calving and lack of resting time. Even if we do not fully understand how those issues effect the health of the claw, we do know that they do. I would also argue that we should concentrate on these underlying issues and prevent lameness. A healthy hoof can then withstand whatever physical forces may impact upon the hooves exactly as it was designed to do. For many years we have tried to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. Clearly this approach is not working. Is there not value then in looking at other causes and addressing them? I would really appreciate your feedback on these views. Please feel free to contact me at fred@veehof.co.nz
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19 Advertising feature
Best investment Stewart & Holland is the best investment for all your milk cooling requirements. As of June 1, 2018 MPI has made changes to NZCPI in regards to milk cooling. Check details in the ad to the right. At Stewart & Holland we can advise, design and supply a complete milk cooling solution to suit your individual requirements. We believe in using existing refrigeration equipment where possible to assist in reducing capital expenditure to achieve the best results for the farmer. Previous experience has shown that with the correct design, we can have saving in water consumption, effluent discharge reductions, possible power savings and most importantly less capital expenditure. Most large single pass snap/glycol chillers require a major power upgrade which can include transformers, mains, switchboard and main switches. Added costs. With a storage system, this can be achieved most of the time without a major electrical upgrade. Solutions like the Packo Ice Builder, twin and single tank water chilling options are all well proven energy efficient systems on the market for cooling the milk in the secondary side of the plate cooler. Proper design of the plate cooler (primary and secondary) can reduce the overall energy requirements to cool the milk to the designed level. This can reduce your primary water volume use, reducing pumping costs and reducing effluent discharge volumes. This area of primary cooling has been mostly lacking energy efficient design in the past.
Packo Ice Builders have been cooling milk in Europe for over 50 years, so they are not new technology. Energy saving can be made with Packo Ice Builders thanks to the ice energy stored and built up during off peak. (Possible night rate electricity). Also due to this storage system a smaller refrigeration unit could be used, or the use of your existing refrigeration system, depending on your configuration and requirements. With the Packo Ice Builder we can deliver 4°C milk to the silo, this without the worry of freezing milk, expensive alarm systems and any chance of contamination from glycol getting into the milk. Packo Ice Builders can improve your milk quality through the snap chilling process and potentially adding profits to the farm. Water chilling systems have been available for years now. We have three systems installed in 2005 still operating as they were designed originally. Technology has changed, so have the designs of the earlier days, resulting in us being able to achieve 8°C milk into the silo with chilled water. Not the same as the 4°C you can achieve with a Packo Ice Builder but all farm configurations differ, as does the design of the required equipment and costs. A Operating Packo Ice Builder will be on display at Dairy Cooling Solutions, Site 220 at the South Island Field Days at Kirwee on the March 29-31. We will be on-site with them, where we can discuss you milk cooling options further.
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2 20
Farming Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Fonterra launches new platform
Fonterra’s chief operating officer, Velocity & Innovation, Judith Swales.
Entrepreneurial individuals and businesses have a new avenue for support with the launch of Fonterra Ventures Co-Lab. The open platform – www.fonterraventures.com – provides the opportunity for anyone, anywhere to collaborate with Fonterra on disruptive ideas for mutual benefit. Individuals, small businesses, or large corporates around the world, can submit gamechanging concepts that the Fonterra Ventures team will review and then potentially partner on to scale and succeed together. Submissions could relate to any kind of disruptive innovation, such as new business models, services, technologies or processes. The launch event at the Fonterra Centre, in Auckland recently, was attended by key stakeholders including representatives from around 80 major partners and suppliers. “Fonterra is fortunate to partner with some brilliant businesses in New Zealand and across the globe and
we’re looking to join forces with them in increasingly innovative ways to accelerate growth and ultimately return more value to our farmers,” said Judith Swales, chief operating officer, Velocity & Innovation. “We’re also actively looking outside our organisation and are open minded as to where
“
We want to collaborate with innovators ...
that could lead us. Through Ventures Co-Lab, we want to collaborate with innovators to think big and win big, together.” There is no set formula for the type of relationship to come out of Ventures Co-Lab, but the ultimate goal is to build long-term partnerships with companies that will work in synergy with Fonterra. Successful applicants can tap into the co-op’s global reach and know-how at every step
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of the supply chain, while also getting support from a dedicated team whose sole focus is to drive disruptive innovation. Fonterra Ventures, led by general manager Komal Mistry, is a passionate group of entrepreneurial enablers constantly looking for new ways to meet the needs of future consumers and customers. In addition to looking externally for innovative ideas, Fonterra is cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship internally through programmes like Disrupt. Disrupt harnesses the curiosity and talent of people within the organisation to create innovative businesses models. Staff are given the opportunity to submit ideas, proceed to a 12-week accelerator and potentially land a new day job, if their concept is implemented within the business. “We know that innovation and disruption can come from anywhere,” added Swales. “We invite people to join us on the journey and radically change the way things are done.”
www.guardianonline.co.nz
21
Design and build your own Design and build your own cultivators and rollers with Agrikit Palmerston North parts company Wearparts Limited has tapped into Kiwis’ doit-yourself instincts by developing a range of kitset cultivators and Cambridge rollers that farmers and contractors can build in their own workshops. The Wearparts AgriKit range includes heavy-duty Agitator cultivators and Consolidator Cambridge rollers in working widths from 3.0m to 6.0m. They deliver effective ground preparation as well as great value for money. As its name implies, Wearparts Ltd imports and distributes a range of wear parts for tillage implements, mowers, rakes and other machines. Sales manager Oliver Wycherley says the company first came up with the design for a custom-made cultivator after customers began asking for cultivator legs so they could build their own machine to suit their unique
The Agitator cultivator has a robust frame and can be specified with four different tines and 13 different cultivation points.
requirements. “We took that idea one step further and designed an ultrastrong and easy-to-assemble kitset for farmers who want to build a cultivator,” Wycherley said. “AgriKit machines give you the satisfaction of building your own machine, and they are great value for money. “Our Agitator cultivator costs about 30 percent less than an equivalent off-theshelf cultivator, and, with the range of options we offer, you
By building your own Agitator, you get a great cultivation tool that is 30 percent cheaper than a comparable off-the-shelf machine.
A 4.5m version of the Agitator with heavy cage roller for breaking down clods and levelling
can customise it to suit your specific needs.” Agitator cultivator can be used to chisel plough, rip or cultivate the soil. “We provide four different types of legs in varying sizes. Each of them can take three or four different points, and we offer 13 different points in total, so you can match your machine to any soil condition or cultivation technique.” The Agitator is also simple to put together. The steel framework is slotted and
tabbed for fast and accurate assembly. “We have designed it so to be extremely strong and easy to build,” he said. There are two rigid Agitator models, with working widths of 3.0m and 3.6m, and two folding models with working widths of 4.5m and 6.0m. The Agitator’s frame is 100mm x 100mm x 9.0mm box section, and it is extremely robust. The frame features a locking device on the ram, so once the wings are
in working position they are locked down. Both folding models fold to a transport width of 3.1m so they are fully road legal and do not require oversize signs. When they are folded for transport the wings are also locked up for safety. Marton-based farmer/ contractor Gary Belton runs a 3.6m Agitator 3600. Gary bought the AgriKit cultivator to rip the ground before cultivation. He says that assembling the machine was “easy as”. “You really can’t go wrong. Everything pretty much slots together and the instructions are easy to follow.” Gary says he is delighted with the performance of his Agitator. “We are really pleased with the way the soil is coming up. The cultivator is definitely meeting our expectations. It does exactly what we wanted it to do, and we are pretty thrilled with the results. The Consolidator range will be officially launched at South Island Field Days on March 29-31.
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Not all lime is created equal Lime quality can vary by up to 30% from one supplier to another, creating unnecessary expense for less results.
It is essential that you know the quality of the lime going onto your ground, and you need to trust the information you are being given. If you’re keen to know about the lime you are using, get on the phone to your Aglime supplier and ask to see recent results from a New Zealand IANZ accredited independent lab. If you get given a test or advice suggesting over 100% LE on an as delivered basis (or even near 100%) we would strongly recommend you seek some advice before taking that as gospel. Why? Quite simply, if the results show a percentage that high, the testing methodology has failed, it is being incorrectly reported or the results are fabricated.
We’ve been in the lime industry for a very long time and we pride ourselves on producing a consistent, high quality product and we use independent IANZ accredited labs that specialize in fertilizer testing to regularly test our products. Reporting our quality honestly is key, as it’s this information that a customer can use to understand how much lime they need to apply and when the pH change will be achieved. As you would expect, we know a lot about the science behind lime and the ways in which its quality can be tested, and recent claims by competitors have, quite simply, got us shaking our heads!
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www.guardianonline.co.nz
23 Advertising feature
Smart yards find favour Long-lasting cattle crushes and yards for a fair price is the cornerstone philosophy of Riverdown Steel – it’s all part of their quest for happy customers. The farm equipment company is based in Rolleston’s IZONE and supplies crushes, gates, yards, feeders and troughs to farmers all over Canterbury. Operations manager Greg Dawber said sales were also growing in the West Coast, Southland and in the North Island. Riverdown Steel was founded by Keith Baker six years ago and operated from a farm site at Rakaia Gorge until moving recently to Rolleston. The company imports its galvanised steel products from a leading manufacturer in the UK. Dawber said the move to Rolleston meant it was closer to customers and cut down transport costs, and these savings were being passed on to clients. Advice is a key part of the service and the pair make sure they talk through current and
“
Advice is a key part of the service and the pair make sure they talk through current and future needs with their farmer clients.
future needs with their farmer clients. Dawber said it was important to match needs to budgets. “I have always been keen to see everyone gets a fair deal. I like to make things happen that have a good outcome for everyone involved. My role is to get what the client wants at the price range that is suitable for the product needed. At times, we cannot fit a product to the description needed, but it is the opportunity to help that is just as much appreciated.” The company prides itself on its smart design and quick turnaround, as well as providing good advice. Farmers can find product details on their website, at the
Rolleston base or by phoning. “There are some major changes coming on the website and the way our core business is done but Keith and I look forward to being able to keep bringing in agricultural, equestrian and fencing equipment from the United Kingdom’s leading manufacturer. You are guaranteed maximum build quality with excellent value for money, all our steel products are galvanised in our stockists’ own galvanising plant.” Riverdown Steel’s Operations manager Greg PHOTO SUPPLIED Dawber.
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ROTATING RUMP BAR CRUSH
FULL ACCESS CRUSH
SARACEN DRAFTING CRUSH
M1000 CATTLE CRUSH
Heavy duty crush with a tread plate floor and hinged side doors.
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NEW WEBSITE: www.riverdownsteel.co.nz
LIVESTOCK HANDLING AND FEEDING EQUIPMENT
2 24
Farming Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Advertising feature
New milk cooling regulations You don’t need to spend $80,000 to comply with new milk cooling regulations! Reputable refrigeration companies are seeing more farmers in recent times who are under the impression they need to spend $80,000 to $100,000 upgrading existing refrigeration equipment to comply with the 2018 MPI regulations.
THIS IS NONSENSE! So, what are the facts? The new regulations, while being somewhat more stringent than the existing regulations, require a shorter cooling period and not instantaneous cooling to storage temperature. 1. Many existing farms are already compliant with the new regulations 2. A number of farms are so close to compliance, a smaller investment such as installing silo insulation wraps or
electronic expansion valves will be enough to enable compliance. As these are energy saving products and, in the event this is not quite enough, the investment will pay for itself in a reasonable time in energy savings 3. A number of farms may only require installing additional refrigeration on the milk silos to ensure compliance (with or without the addition of the energy saving products in No. 2 above) 4. Where more capacity is required to achieve compliance than can be achieved with the above, instantaneous chilling will be required, although in most cases compliance may be achieved by installing water chilling systems (starting from around
$28,000 excluding plate cooler) and accepting a milk entry temperature of 8 to 10 degrees C. 5. The remaining ‘High Level’ chilling option will instantaneously cool milk to storage temperature and (contrary to some misinformation in the marketplace) reliable, energy-efficient systems can be installed from $50,000.
Useful Suggestions Talk to a couple of reputable companies about your options. Look for companies who can supply a range of options and who are looking to supply the most suitable options based on your current farm compliance level and personal requirements. Each site is different and it is not a case of making a single product type fit every site. Consider leaving your
INSTANT MILK COOLING
existing refrigeration on milk silos as this provides a back-up in case of fault. A trend is to remove and dump existing equipment to free up power loadings and make an expensive system appear more cost effective. Consider what happens when the system breaks down and the location of the service base a service technician will be responding from. – Murray Hollings, Dairycool Ltd
3 MONTHS DEFERRED PAYMENT
Milk cooling regulations will soon change. Dairycool offer instantaneous milk cooling systems. Milk cooled instantly prior to entering the milk silo.
TALK TO US TODAY terms and conditions apply. offer valid till 1 June 2017
PLUG & PLAY From $29,500 installed • Simple solution to milk cooling regulations • Easy installation • Small footprint, no bulk storage tank needed GLYCOL SNAP CHILLER • Superb milk quality • Tidy package • 4 - 5o milk entry • Low running costs • Fully installed and performance guaranteed • Industry proven system
www.dairycool.co.nz 03 307 8903 • 027 334 4365 enquiries@dairycool.co.nz
• Easy installation
BLOCKED DRAINS
Dairy Saucer/Wedge/Sump and Drain Clearing.
Allen’s Ashburton offer a great service
SEPTIC TANKS, SUMPS, WEDGES AND PONDS
Does your Septic Tank need to be emptied?
CALL THE POOCRU
Locally owned and operated
Phone Darryl Burrowes on 03 308 5293 or 0274 333 563
www.guardianonline.co.nz
25 Advertising feature
Improve your repro performance naturally Have you had disappointing results after pregnancy testing this season? What are the factors influencing 6 week in-calf rate and empty rate on your farm? Poor heat detection is continuing to be a common problem, despite recent advances in technology and increased industry focus on this area. Poor heat detection directly impacts on in-calf rates; teaser bulls will help with this problem.
calves born at the start of calving, meaning you miss out on valuable replacements. Because teaser bulls don’t get your cows pregnant, they will enable non-cycling cows to be seen on heat and inseminated, so you won’t miss out on AB calves. We recommend teaser bulls are run with the whole herd for the month prior to PSM to reduce the number of non cycling cows at PSM. We suggest farmers use a ratio of one teaser per 100 cows.
What is a Teaser Bull? Teaser bulls look like, behave like and have the same effect as bulls but they have had a surgical procedure to make them infertile (vasectomy), so won’t get your cows pregnant. Teaser bulls are becoming more common as a valued part of mating plans.
Why use Teaser Bulls? Teaser bulls will help with heat detection in your herd prior to, and, once AI has started.
Our bulls are:
They will pick up ‘quiet’ cows, make heat detection decisions more obvious, and will increase the size of the SAG (sexually active group) particularly when numbers of cycling cows dwindles after the first round. Find the teaser bulls and you will find the on heat cows!
A Canterbury trial demonstrated the effect of running teaser bulls with non cycling cows for the first three weeks of mating: • 7 per cent more cows came on heat in the first 21 days when running with teasers. • 6 per cent more cows were in calf after four weeks of mating when run with
Dairy Farmers Our Teaser Bulls are rearing to go and can’t wait to find your cows on heat this Autumn mating! • • • • •
How have your repro results been recently? Do you need to improve your heat detection? Do you want to reduce the number of non-cyclers? Is your 3 week submission rate below the industry target of 90%? How does your 6 week in calf rate measure up?
Gain the benefits of running Teaser Bulls with your herd; improved heat detection and decreased non cycling cow numbers.
Lease or purchase your Teaser Bulls from the Teaser Bull Company Phone us now to find out more about Teaser Bulls and how they can help you improve reproductive performance and profitability.
Contact Laurie Gray Ph 027 503 1588 E-mail teaserbull@outlook.com
WWW.TEASERBULL.NZ
teaser bulls. • The time taken to get cows back in calf after calving was reduced on average by 2.7 days in the groups using teasers. Some farmers already realise these benefits by running entire bulls with their noncycling cows. This results in white face
• 15 – 20 months old, crossbred or Friesian. They have a very high libido at this age. • BVD free • Vaccinated against Lepto, BVD and clostridial disease. You can either lease or purchase our teaser bulls. To ensure supply with bulls, reserve yours today, there is a limited supply. Please visit our website www.teaserbull.nz or contact us for more information.
2 26
Farming Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
HEALTH & SAFETY
Advertising feature
Worksafe is toughening up A year on from the implementation of the new act and have you got things sorted on your farm? OnFarmSafety managing director, Bronwyn Muir, is stating that farmers have had a year to become health and safety compliant, Worksafe will take a firmer line on enforcement if they have no or non-compliant systems. Muir said “farmers must become health and safety compliant, statistics show that over the last three years there has been little change in reducing the number of incidents and accidents on farm,” Muir said. Of late there has been a number of quad bike incidents and fatalities, this is something we cannot ignore or presume to be common-sense, farmers need to take action to make their workplace safer. When the legislation changed in April 2016, everyone in the workplace
has a responsibility to make sure their workplace is safe and healthy for all those who work there. It is a whole team involvement and no-one on farm can “pass the buck” anymore, everyone on-farm has a responsibility to report hazards and adhere to safety plans. “It’s important to have
regular meetings with staff ensuring health and safety is discussed, also inducting contractors onto your farm,” Muir said. Farmers should all now be aware of their health and safety requirements and should have robust systems in place. Health and safety covers a
wide range of possibilities from physical harm, chemical poisoning and effects that may take years to become apparent, such as those caused by asbestos. Implementing health and safety is no longer a box ticking exercise, more of a journey that is travelled for the duration of the business’s
existence, encompassing owners, employees, casual staff, contractors, visitors and customers. “Farmers will subconsciously be making health and safety decisions in their day to day activities, they just need to put pen to paper and make everyone on farm aware of the risks,” Muir said. The biggest hurdle to leap over is a change of culture and thinking around how good practical and workable procedures actual add value to any business regardless of size or activity. Reality is that small to medium size business owners already have the basis of a health and safety procedures and systems in place within their existing business systems, they just need guidance to know where to start to working towards being compliant. OnFarmSafety is a fully accredited health and safety provider who will assist farmers to become health and safety compliant.
NZ’s Premier Rural, Healthy and Safety Providers
0508 663 276 | www.onfarmsafety.co.nz
Gregg Peters
Sandra Cone
Mellissa Mathieson
www.guardianonline.co.nz
HEALTH & SAFETY
Who are Compliance Partners?
27
Advertising feature
We provide up-to-date solutions for all things people, health, and safety by offering customised policies and procedures while partnering with farmers to provide useful, ongoing support. Jane Fowles is our principal advisor based in Ashburton and Moira Briscoe is our Timaru advisor. Together we have over 30 years’ experience in helping employers reach their full potential through their people. Jane and Moira know a thing or two about delivering practical solutions that meet the requirements of current legislation. We are about keeping it super simple and partnering with you for every step of your journey.
What do we offer? We offer support for all HR or people management related matters – from performance development, disciplinary, policy and procedure development to change management. Anything you might need to help you get the best from your people.
We offer the development and implementation of any health and safety policies and procedures. We offer all occupational health, or drug testing
TRAILERS
Single and Tandem Axle
requirements and PPE fit checks.
Where are we? We’re local – we have offices in Ashburton and Timaru and
MADE IN NZ
Different size options as well as extras available
12 months warranty and WOF supplied
Call Allan on 308 4867 today for more information 92 Dobson Street, Ashburton Phone 308 4867 Mon-Fri 7am-5pm; Sat 8am-12pm
• Concrete Water/Feed Troughs • Precast Panels • Silage Pits • Water Tanks/ Effluent Tanks • Concrete Bunkers • Weeping Walls • Killing Sheds • Cattle Stops
service from Christchurch to Oamaru, mountains to the sea. Usually we are out and about and can be found visiting you at your farm! For a free, no obligation chat
about how we can help your farm, contact Jane on 021 942 150 (Mid Canterbury) or Moira on 021 947 730 (South Canterbury).
2 28
Farming Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Advertising feature
Check-list simplifies decision The farm dairy is the heart of the farm and the need to replace, renovate or build new is a significant event in the life of any farmer. Waikato Milking Systems has been designing and building dairy systems for more than 30 years and have developed the following checklist to simplify decision making.
Herd size
The new dairy needs to be performing optimally in 25 years, so how big will the herd be then?
Milking time How long do you want to be in the dairy? Most farmers agree that 2.5 hours is the optimum milking time.
Staff How many people will work in the dairy? Herringbones often require two or more staff whereas, with automation, one person can efficiently milk 1000 cows in a 60 bail rotary.
Technology/automation The dairy needs to be future-proofed with technology which is advanced, robust and easy to use.
Components â&#x20AC;&#x201C; design and robustness Components need to be tough clusters have the highest risk of
damage so ensure yours is backed by a warranty.
Local dealer Choosing the right platform and machine is one thing, but ongoing support is vital.
Total cost of ownership Consider the total cost of ownership over the life of the building, system and technology.
Footprint and location The type of dairy is often influenced by the site ie a herringbone usually occupies a smaller area than a rotary.
Herringbone or rotary? The general rule of thumb is herringbone for herds up to 400 cows, and above that rotary is the preferred system.
Milking systems for every farm type Waikato Milking Systems has won worldwide regard for its expertise in designing and manufacturing dairy systems for any farming type so if you are thinking of upgrading or building a new farm dairy, talk to the team.