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EDITORIAL COMMENT

A SIMPLE PREVENTION

griculture may have been an essential service during the autumn Level 4 Covid-19 lockdown as a vital source of food production both domestically and internationally, but this doesn’t mean it’s getting any priority treatment from the Government.

With other industries such as tourism and the education of foreign students hamstrung by border restrictions, agriculture is again shouldering the burden of being New Zealand’s main breadwinner.

However, the Government seems reluctant to make concessions that would maximise agriculture’s productivity and earning ability and ease the stress and workload on farmers and rural contractors.

Agriculture may have been essential during the lockdown, but according to Immigration NZ it’s not when it comes to bringing in badly needed skilled workers like experienced senior dairy staff and machinery operators across the border.

Instead exemptions have been allowed for America’s Cup sailors and for workers making movies and laying synthetic tracks for horse racing.

With the jobless rate rising in response to border and community lockdowns, the Government doesn’t want to be seen to be giving priority to foreigners at the expense of local workers.

While training courses have been set up for dairy industry trainees and farm machinery operators, the number of applicants so far has been in the tens rather than hundreds. And there can’t be any expectation that graduates will start in anything other than entry-level positions.

Dropping people in the deep end too quickly with big machinery or animals could lead to

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

health and safety and animal welfare issues.

Why can’t Government set aside one or two quarantine hotels for skilled workers on a user-pays basis so that they can enter New Zealand. Maybe a separate facility could be set up somewhere for this.

Many of these workers are just as desperate to return to New Zealand as their employers are to get them back; many have lived here for many years but just got caught overseas when the borders shut.

They deserve at least the same priority as returning New Zealand citizens – and they or their employers are prepared to pay for the twoweek quarantine.

Rural contractors calculate that without its annual influx of highly-skilled drivers and operators to drive machinery during the busy spring and summer months there would be a 32 per cent downturn in activity, worth $65 million.

Hay and silage might not get made and the timeframe needed to get these workers in is starting to get critical.

While there is obviously a bottleneck at the border, with the need for the mandatory two-week quarantine, Government needs to start making provision for these essential agricultural workers.

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Arable – the forgotten industry S

upermarket shelves left empty of flour as people turned to the comfort of home baking during the autumn Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown was possibly the first insight many New Zealanders had of an often- overlooked agricultural industry.

For many years, the arable sector has been viewed as the invisible partner of New Zealand agriculture, says Foundation for Arable Research chief executive Alison Stewart.

“However, I believe the

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

‘invisible partner’ image is slowly changing and could change even more if the entire sector worked together to make it happen,” she said.

“Think about Covid-19, what was the first food to fly off the supermarket shelves as New Zealand moved into lockdown?

Not meat, not milk, not fruit, but bread, then flour and pasta.

“What was the thing that Kiwis were hanging out to do once lockdown was over?

Head out to a local café for a decent coffee and cake or tea and biscuits. Suddenly the New

Zealand public recognised the value of having a local grains industry, something that they had been taking for granted for years.”

Add to that the challenging drought conditions in the North Island over the past six months, which have driven a strong demand for more

locally produced animal feed and the role of the New Zealand arable sector in sustaining the New Zealand economy is starting to become more obvious to a lot more people.”

The next three to five years will be crunch time for the arable sector, Stewart said. continued over page

Wakanui arable farmer Eric Watson on the way to beating his own Guinness World Record for highest wheat yield last harvest. His feed wheat crop yielded 17.398 tonnes a hectare.

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“It can choose to stay under the radar and let the larger primary sectors direct New Zealand’s agri-economic and environmental development, or it can stand up and be counted by promoting the benefits of arable cropping to the other sectors, to the Government and to the wider New Zealand public. As a sector, we have strong messages that should resonate with each of those groups.”

As well as producing food for human consumption and feed for livestock, arable could also be a leader in a move towards more diversified and integrated farm systems, Stewart said.

“The much tried and tested mixed cropping and livestock system suddenly becomes an attractive option when you are looking for a business model that has a positive environmental footprint and delivers the resilience and adaptability that we know will be required into the future.”

New Zealand Grain and Seed Trade Association general manager Thomas Chin said that unlike the dairy, meat or kiwifruit industries, arable was not made up of a single crop or product.

“Arable have upwards of 30 to 40 different crops, so it is difficult to profile one. This makes our task a little more challenging.”

Arable crops also tended to be ingredients in other products and “people don’t necessarily connect the raw material to the end product”.

The arable industry was a vital part of the New Zealand primary sector, with more than 180,000 hectares of land under crop, Chin said.

It encompassed the production of various cereal grain crops such as wheat, barley, oats and maize for the domestic market, ryegrass seed, specialist small seed and vegetable seed crops, forage brassicas, and seed for multiplication in the international market.

“Our arable industry supplies key downstream industries such as the milling and baking industries with about 25 per cent of the wheat used grown in New Zealand.

“All of the beer brewed in New Zealand is produced using

domestically sourced malting barley and growers also produce a significant amount of feed which goes into dairy, beef, sheep and deer sectors, as well as pig and poultry production.

“The arable sector creates huge flow-on effects to our various heartland communities such as Canterbury, Southland, Manawatu and Wairarapa.

“Our reach into the daily lives of New Zealanders is underappreciated,” Chin said.

The arable industry harvests more than one million tonnes of grain and seed each year, predominantly in Canterbury.

About 100,000 hectares is

Ryegrass seed is grown for international and domestic use.

planted in cereals each year and another 40,000ha in pasture and vegetable seed crops, including ryegrass and clover, carrot, radish and beet and other brassica seed.

In 2019, the export seed trade was worth almost $240 million, a growth of 38 per cent from $173m five years earlier.

In the North Island, arable is dominated by the maize crop, with 16,700ha of maize grain and 55,837ha of maize silage grown in the 2019 harvest.

Last year Business and Economic Research

Limited (BERL) prepared a report highlighting the significant economic importance of the arable industry in and to New Zealand. The report was commissioned by the Arable Foods Industry Council.

The BERL report said that arable’s economic contribution to New Zealand was $863 million. While arable represented 0.3 per cent of GDP, its products go into industries that represent 5 per cent of GDP. The arable sector attracted national and international attention when Ashburton

farmer Eric Watson beat his own Guinness World Record for the highest wheat yield last harvest.

Watson produced a 17.398 tonnes a hectare wheat crop, with the feed wheat Kerrin, beating his previous record crop grown in 2017 of 16.791t/ha. The average irrigated wheat yield in New Zealand is about 12t/ha.

The Arable Food Industry Council, an umbrella group for the industry, has set an aspirational goal to become selfsufficient in the milling wheat used to make bread by 2025.

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Far left – Foundation for Arable Research chief executive Alison Stewart says that for many years the arable sector has been viewed as the invisible partner of New Zealand agriculture.

Middle – Chairman and grower Murray Turley (left) and former Prime Minister Sir John Key open Farmers Mill in Timaru in 2013, the result of 12 South Canterbury arable farmers teaming up to mill their own grain.

Left – New Zealand Grain and Seed Trade Association general manager Thomas Chin says the arable industry has more than 180,000 hectares of land under crop.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

sold in New Zealand is made from grain grown overseas, primarily Australia. Only 100,000 tonnes of milling wheat is grown in New Zealand, compared with the 400,000 tonnes imported.

One main issue is the cost of freighting grain from the main growing area of Canterbury to the big North Island population centres, with Auckland flour millers and bakers finding it more economic to import bulk tonnages from overseas.

However, a growing movement for countries to be more selfsufficient in food production and for consumers to buy locally has led to more bakeries seeking New

Zealand supply.

Countdown’s head of bakery Alton Gullery said that since July 2018 the supermarket chain had used Canterbury-grown wheat for all its in-store baked bread and rolls. “This is to help give the industry a much-needed boost and also because it’s great quality wheat grown right here in our own backyard.”

Farmers Mill general manager Mark Lawrence said the flour mill, based in Washdyke, Timaru, again recorded a lift in demand for flour from supermarkets as soon as the Covid-19 alert level was raised earlier this month.

This followed unprecedented

demand for flour during the autumn lockdown when supermarket shelves were left bare as people chose to spend their extra time at home reviving their home-baking skills.

Farmers Mill supplies 5kg bags of flour to both Foodstuffs and Progressive supermarkets.

Opened in 2013, Farmers Mill was the first independent grower-owned and operated flour producer in New Zealand, the result of 12 South Canterbury arable farmers teaming up to mill their own grain.

This was now paying dividends with the business attracting more enquiries from people

wanting to source a 100 per cent New Zealand-grown and milled product, Lawrence said.

“We supply all the flour for food manufacturer Griffin’s, so all Griffin’s biscuits are 100 per cent New Zealand flour.”

It also supplied all the South Island bakeries of Goodman Fielder which produce bread brands such as Molenberg, Nature’s Fresh and Freya’s.

Flour for Foodstuffs’ South Island supermarket instore bakeries is also supplied by Farmers Mill.

FAR chairman Hugh Ritchie said that for the arable industry to gain the next level of

recognition and market value for its product, both within New Zealand and from its international consumers, the entire industry “does need to pull together in a way that we haven’t done in the past”.

Federated Farmers’ arable chairman Colin Hurst said that while the arable industry had a lot of different groups these had been working well together “but we want to make it more visible”.

Newly-elected Hurst said one of his aims was to lift arable’s profile. “I am very keen to push ‘buy local’. Covid-19 has reinforced this and it is also about food security and using locally-grown grain to displace imports.

“Arable farming goes under the radar and a lot of people don’t understand what we do.

It all starts with the seed which goes on to produce pasture for livestock and winter feed crops and wheat and barley that produce bread and beer. These are all real staples.”

Arable groups were aware of the need to lift the industry’s profile and were working towards this, Hurst said.

Plans were under way for Ministry for Primary Industries’ officials to visit arable farms in Wairarapa in mid-September and Canterbury farms later in the year.

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Lincoln company turns wool into health A

Above – Banks Peninsula farmers, Sam Manson (left), and Ian Richardson (far right), are shown how keratin is made in Keraplast’s Lincoln factory by its operations manager Mark Nuthall (centre).

Below – Banks Peninsula Farms wool growers visiting Keraplast are (from left), Chris Chamberlain, Sam Manson, Ian Richardson, George Masefield and Lloyd Chapman.

Lincoln-based wool products company is defying the negativity pervading New Zealand’s strong wool industry, with innovative research fuelling its expansion into the booming global nutraceuticals market.

Keraplast Manufacturing is the world’s leading innovator of keratin protein technology. It processes New Zealand strong, or coarse, wool into natural keratin proteins.

Keratin is an essential component of hair, finger and toenails, and skin.

The company sells its keratin products as an ingredient in health (wound treatment), and skin, hair and nail beauty products world-wide.

Keraplast general manager Paul Sapsford said a recent innovation involved a bioactive keratin product – keraGEN-IV Nutraceutical – that’s taken in tablet or drink form to “supercharge” the body’s production of collagen, promoting wrinkle reduction and supporting hair follicle and nail strength.

Keraplast has signed an exclusive agreement with AIDP Inc. which will distribute Keraplast Natural Innovation products into United States and Canadian markets.

All wool sourced by Keraplast is grown in New Zealand, including Banks Peninsula Farms, a collective of strong wool growers.

Keraplast employs 20 staff and has export orders to the value of about $4 to $5 million annually.

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“One of the key promotional tools we use to tell the Keraplast story is our strong connection with New Zealand wool growers, where we introduce a customer to a single farming family,” Sapsford said.

“The customer can then work with that farm for promotional purposes, showcasing real people and the natural way wool is grown on what are often very scenic properties in New Zealand.”

“Our farmers are fully on board with this and are great ambassadors for New Zealand wool products. Even better, we can guarantee customers that the keratin in their specific products is made only from that farm’s wool.”

This story of connectedness – from farm to end user of the health or beauty product – was an attractive proposition, showcasing New Zealand farmers to the world in a very personal way, Sapsford said.

“The link from farm to the end customer has worked very well.

Nutraceutical sales are increasing, with substantial opportunity for expansion.”

The success of Keraplast is good news for the New Zealand strong wool industry, which is in serious decline with record low prices for coarse wool.

Earlier this month the New Zealand Government released Vision and Action for New Zealand’s Wool Sector, a new plan to revitalise the struggling strong wool sector developed by the Wool Industry Project Action Group.

Among other things, the plan calls for

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7

and beauty products innovative technology and research to identify high-value uses for wool that reduce reliance on simply providing bulk coarse fibre for the likes of the carpet industry.

“Given the amount of wool we buy each year (up to 80 tonnes), we will never be able to single-handedly rescue the New Zealand strong wool industry,” Sapsford said.

“However, our success and the scientific innovation behind it is exactly what the Government and our industry is looking for. The great thing is that we’ve been in this innovative space for more than 20 years and we keep finding new ways to add value to this excellent and unique wool product.

“It’s this continuous development and innovation that has seen Keraplast become one of the bright lights in the strong wool industry where more

traditional coarse wool markets face serious questions over their future,” Sapsford said.

Keraplast Manufacturing was the world’s leading innovator of keratin protein technology, bringing the natural benefits of real keratin protein to hair, wound and skin care, and nutrition.

Keraplast, a combination of New Zealand and American research and innovation, has secured more than 180 patents for its unique processes and end products.

In the United States, Mississippi plastic surgeon Dr Robert Allen Smith observed unusual properties of keratin materials, such as hair, during the course of his surgical practice.

From this pioneering medical research he was able to prove the potent woundhealing properties of keratin protein, leading to the foundation of Keraplast in 1996.

New Zealand-based research, supported by the New Zealand wool industry, identified industrial processes for the isolation of functional keratin proteins, and formed the company Keratec to commercialise these discoveries in 2001.

When the two companies – Keraplast from the US and Keratec from New Zealand – met in the early 2000s, a strong partnership evolved.

This resulted, several years later, in the merging of the businesses into one entity with an international patent portfolio involving 36 patent families.

Above right – Goughs Bay, Banks Peninsula farmers George and Emma Masefield with wool and beauty products containing keratin by Keraplast.

Left – Keraplast general manager Paul Sapsford.

Right – Wool processing at Keraplast to produce keratin, used as an ingredient in wound treatment and skin, hair and nail beauty products world-wide.

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ADAMA FEATURE

Phoenix Fungicide steps up against Ramularia

Lessons to be learnt from SDHIs’ defeat

F

or barley growers, and the industry, the most surprising thing about the uncompromisingly thorough defeat of SDHIs by Ramularia was how suddenly it happened.

The implications of that for ongoing crop security and the protection of existing and emerging chemistry won’t have been lost on anybody.

Crop protection company ADAMA New Zealand, a longtime advocate of adding multisites to control Ramularia in barley and Septoria in wheat, described the collapse as “dramatic”.

It was barley that was impacted this time, but ADAMA NZ also say continuing vigilance in wheat is vital. In the UK, often a bellwether for this country, triazoles are currently only giving around 35-40 per cent Septoria control in wheat, down from 80-90 per cent.

While multi-site protectant Phoenix® fungicide (Phoenix), has provided a very effective addition to the Ramularia control toolbox, the failure of SDHI fungicides was a sobering reminder of how rapidly a crop that looks very promising can be stripped of its value.

The issue of resistance set alarm bells ringing in the UK more than a decade ago.

Global fungicide expert and ADAMA UK Technical Specialist Andy Bailey was invited to visit New Zealand, in 2017 and 2018, to share

the Northern Hemisphere’s experience with Ramularia and Septoria resistance. Andy described Ramularia as a “massive disease” and said the single-site chemistries previously used to control it were “breaking”.

He made a very strong argument for multi-sites, such as Phoenix.

“They should be the first thing in the tank.” It is a recommendation that stands.

At the time Andy said that rather than something having

“

aggressive ability to mutate. The outcome was yield losses of up to 30 per cent.

It took just three seasons and the totality of the resistance is borne out by hard science.

According to FAR’s Autumn Round Up 2020, Plant & Food Research had identified three SdhC mutations that impacted on the performance of SDHIs against Ramularia in barley.

In 2019, microplate assays found that 100 per cent of the Ramularia isolates collected in the 2018-19 season were

better control of Ramularia than mixes of triazole with SDHI and, also, the highest yield.

That finding was reinforced in FAR’s virtual Autumn 2020 Round Up, which too reported good control from Phoenix mixed with Proline.

Andy said while Ramularia is still imperfectly understood, Phoenix is tested and proven.

The chemistry works at a cellular level using a multisite action; inhibiting spore germination and cell division and reducing energy production in

Ultimately, if you’re using single-site acting fungicides, resistance will develop and it develops over a period of time

gone particularly wrong to create the resistance, it is simply the almost inescapable outcome of the interaction between fungicides and disease.

“Ultimately, if you’re using single-site acting fungicides, resistance will develop and it develops over a period of time depending on things including disease pressure, and how many times the fungicides are sprayed.”

“We still have a lot of really good tools at our disposal, which we can and should use.

It’s all about carefully planned chemistry programmes.”

For New Zealand reality bit shortly after.

A “perfect storm” of a wet 2018 barley growing season and the resulting high disease pressure fed Ramularia’s

insensitive to this chemistry.

The failure of SDHIs against Ramularia saw growers rapidly re-assess programmes. As a result, ADAMA NZ’s multi-site Phoenix became a key part of disease control. Approved for Ramularia in time for the 2019 season Phoenix carried a weight of expectation, but was already proven in the UK and Europe, and in New Zealand against Septoria in wheat.

There is currently no recorded resistance to Phoenix’s active, folpet, anywhere in the world, and ADAMA’s testing has confirmed no sensitivity shifts against Septoria.

The FAR Crop Action Edition 134, 14 September 2018 reported that adding Phoenix to triazole Proline® in a two-spray programme gave significantly

the mitochondria. Phoenix does not inhibit DMI uptake, ensuring full availability and speed of activity of the applied dose.

ADAMA NZ recommends using Phoenix with all-rounder fungicide Bolide® or other triazole chemistry. Bolide is taken up via the stem and foliage and translocated upwards and outwards, providing some protection for new growth.

New Zealand trials with Bolide have not only shown outstanding control for a wide range of diseases comparable to industry standard SDHIs and DMIs, but also highly effective Ramularia control. This performance is strengthened even more when Bolide is tank-mixed with Phoenix.

Ramularia’s invisibility early in the season and its devastating

consequences mean it is always safest to presume it is already in the crop.

If only one spray of Phoenix is being applied in barley, then T2 is the optimum timing for it.

This ensures that leaves 2 and 3 are protected. For best results though, a programmed approach suggests even higher levels of Ramularia control when using Phoenix at both T1 and at T2.

These applications maximise the crop’s green leaf area index to maximise yields by promoting healthy spikelet and ear development.

While recent drier seasons may have reduced some Septoria pressure in wheat, there is still a risk to yields, particularly in the high-value and more susceptible varieties. ADAMA NZ says their advice, as for barley, is to ensure Phoenix is first in the tank. Application at T1, with a DMI such as Bolide is strongly recommended and supported by industry bodies.

ADAMA NZ says protecting existing chemistry is not only an imperative for the cereal industry as a whole, but also for individual growers, with multi-site fungicides having an essential part to play.

For more information on how to update your resistance management strategy for 2020/21 with ADAMA products, contact your local technical adviser or visit www.adama.com.

Bolide and Phoenix are registered trademarks of an ADAMA Group Company.

Proline is a registered trademark of Bayer.

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Growers know that effective fungicide programmes are critical to the success of any cereal crop. They also know that resistance issues can derail those programmes, allowing diseases like Septoria and Ramularia to run riot.

PHOENIX, the proven multi-site protectant and ideal partner for SHDIs and DMIs alike, and BOLIDE, the all-rounder DMI fungicide, are the answer. When combined, they’ll break through the resistance barrier and deliver the ultimate crop protection.

Contact your local agricultural merchant for details.

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See www.epa.govt.nz for approval controls. Bolide and Phoenix are registered trademarks of an ADAMA Group Company.

FUNGICIDE

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SPRING CULTIVATION FEATURE

Cultivation –

a walk back through time

TRADITIONAL CULTIVATION

Traditionally, land that was being converted from pasture into a crop was ploughed, which turned over the top 15 centimetres of soil.

The land was left until the existing vegetation had died and then the surface was worked with equipment such as a grubber or set of harrows – tools that are dragged over the soil to break down the clods.

Often this equipment would have a roller or crumbler device that further reduced the size of clods, and compacted and flattened the soil surface to reduce moisture loss. Depending

on the structure of the soil, two to four passes over the paddock might be required after ploughing to produce a seedbed with small, even-shaped particles.

MODERN CULTIVATION

There is a wide range of modern cultivation practices. For example, using power harrows or rotary hoes, which have moving spikes that are driven by the tractor’s power. These require powerful tractors and are energy-intensive, but may only require one to two passes to produce a suitable seedbed.

This can reduce the time between one crop and the next.

DRILLS

Once a suitable seedbed has been produced, the seed is sown at the correct depth using a drill.

Fertiliser may also be applied through the drill.

Although seeds should be evenly spaced, this is less important for crops like wheat, barley and peas than for maize and vegetable crops.

After sowing, the soil should be compacted with a roller to ensure good contact of the seed with the soil, and to prevent moisture loss.

About 75 per cent of wheat is sown in autumn (May) and the rest in early spring (August/

September). Barley is usually sown in mid-spring (September/ October).

DIRECT DRILLING

Towards the end of the 20th century some farmers began direct drilling, which doesn’t require ploughing. Existing vegetation is sprayed with herbicide and, after it has died, the seed is drilled directly into the soil. This saves cultivation costs and helps retain moisture.

Some direct drills have knifelike T-shaped tines (spikes) to create small slots for the seed and fertiliser, while others create a V-shaped furrow.

Rollers then cover the seed and compress the topsoil. As with conventional drilling, this is important to reduce moisture loss.

COSTS

The cultivation and planting methods used depend on the soil type, the previous crop and the available equipment.

Cultivation and drilling account for around 20 per cent of the costs of producing an arable crop. Seed makes up around 10–15 per cent of the costs, so it is important to create the best conditions for seed to grow into productive plants.

A full range of cultivation equipment These machines can operate at high forward speeds whilst maintaining a consistent working depth.

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SPRING CULTIVATION FEATURE

11

Get prepared early M

any factors need to be considered when planning spring sowing of crops and grass.

But there’s one decision that is particularly important – which paddock (or paddocks) to sow.

Often the answer is obvious, particularly after extreme weather events like floods or drought. But why not take the opportunity to assess the condition of all paddocks on the farm?

It’s a good way to find out how each paddock has come through the previous season and to identify any potential issues ahead of spring.

Assessing all paddocks will also help ensure those selected for spring sowing will provide the best financial return.

The easiest way to rank pastures is to use the Pasture Condition Score Tool from DairyNZ. It scores each paddock from one (worst) to five (best), with photos and

standard descriptions to make it easy to use.

One of the most important characteristics to look for is large, strong ryegrass plants and plenty of them.

For a profitable, high scoring pasture about 70 per cent of the plant population in any paddock should be good healthy ryegrass.

High weed populations can mean a lower pasture condition score.

Other low score indicators include lack of clover, pugging damage, insect damage and signs of poor soil fertility and/or low soil pH. Ranking paddocks according to their dry matter (DM) production and carrying capacity is also useful.

Key considerations are how often and when each paddock is grazed, the number of animals each paddock can support and post-grazing recovery times.

Don’t forget to allow for any supplementary feed that might have been made on top of grazing.

Once each paddock has been evaluated, there are many tools which will tell farmers what steps are required to maintain pasture condition, or restore it to full production in the short, medium or long term.

The benefit of checking all pastures at this time of the year is it allows farmers to get a head-start on planning for spring cultivation, including undertaking soil tests.

It is critical to address any underlying pasture problems before starting a renewal programme to ensure it delivers the best return on investment.

Using a summer crop as part of the programme will help control insects, provide an opportunity to eradicate difficult weeds and address any soil fertility issues.

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12

Farming

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FEATURE

A system approach to problem solving W

ith the new nitrogen limits starting in July 2021, shifting from a farming system that has been focusing primarily on production and yield, to a farming system focusing on quality, protein and stewardship, that benefits the environment, profitability and sustainability, is foremost in every producer’s mind. A system thinking approach takes the relationship between a problem and its cause. Asking why, instead of how, and makes us really think about what we are doing, and it’s that thinking that can lead to long term sustainable solutions with minimal unintended consequences.

Our food systems are complex, how I farm and what I produce, doesn’t just affect us personally, but effects our environment and human health, political stability and ultimately the stabilisation of our planet is important.

Taking a system approach for problem solving is a valuable tool of how to make our farming more resilient and profitable. System thinking makes us think on what we are doing, which is not always pleasant. Most of us have been

raised as a linear thinker, we have been taught to see a direct absolute relationship between cause and effect. An example of linear thinking, e.g., for lack of grass, is applying more urea fertiliser, or spraying a weed or pest, rather than understanding and changing the environment which created the problem in the first place.

A systems approach shouldn’t be about necessarily changing the tried and true, or resisting adopting new initiatives, it’s really an extension of what has gone on before, but with the opportunity for genuine growth and development. I

see the most success right now in growers who are looking to improve the sustainability of their farming operations. When they do that, they’re finding that they rely on fewer and fewer inputs. They are getting higher-quality food and feed production at a lower cost, and they are profitable in a time when agriculture is struggling in terms of profitability.

But those growers are not struggling at all.

It’s a challenge if you have spent most your life doing things a certain way, most have a gut feeling that the programme that they are on

was not necessarily long term, sustainable, but it used to pay the bills.

Success with a complete systems approach, comes with a real understanding and knowledge of what they are doing, when they do it.

Let me share with you what Top Soils are doing with our work on various farms using the Kinsey-Albrecht system of soil fertility. This system, by correcting and balancing the soils mineral content, based on the needs of that particular soil, along with diverse multispecies pastures, plus a system that feeds and supports the

soil biology, encourages and produces productivity through plant health, and is responsible for higher yields and quality.

In fact, the closer the soil gets to the ideal balance determined by the soil’s TEC, and by following the prescribed set of procedures and formulas, the greater the yield and quality that is achieved.

On one farm trial over several years we have produced more Kgs of milksolids and Kgs of DM per ha with half the nitrogen application, and a greater gross margin than a conventional fertiliser system.

On cropping farms we have produced record yields, decreased the amount of chemicals, pesticides, weeds and diseases. All this with the added benefit of being profitable, truly sustainable and meeting environmental goals within the 190 kgs /N limit.

We are making a real difference for our clients. So, let the results speak for themselves.

In the end, it’s common sense with good science.

D L Hart, Top Soils, Biological Farming & Soil Fertility Consultant.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

13

Our farm buyers of the future I

t would be easy to wallow in the low activity that the rural real estate market finds itself presently.

Sales liquidity and revenues have dropped to levels not seen since post GFC in 2009. The past 12 months in Canterbury (including Waitaki District) have seen a total of 232 farm sales of more than 20 hectares, with the Ashburton District having 28 sales.

Canterbury with a herd of 1.2 million cows has only seen three dairy farm sales, with two of these in the Ashburton District.

At these sales levels it doesn’t even get close to normal sales activity which would allow farm owners the ability to exit or sell their farm when they choose or for certain reasons.

There is no doubt a correction has occurred from the historical high years of 2013-2016 when direct foreign investment was full steam ahead with $555 million invested in Canterbury dairy farms alone. Plus, the associated trickledown effect from these sales, interest only and capital gain lending policies made farm prices reach levels

Greg Jopson

PROPERTY BROKERS

that will not be seen for a while.

Current prices are certainly not a train wreck, especially when you take a longer-term view with 10-15-year sales analysis still showing a positive trend.

Rather than be pessimistic, there are signs of market activity that give confidence an improvement is on the way. Recent Mid Canterbury sales of arable, dairy and dairy support/pastoral farms have demonstrated that sales have been achieved where buyers see value in farms that combine good core resources of irrigation, meet regulatory frameworks e.g. nutrient allocations and show stable and sustainable economic returns.

We have seen an increase in buyer enquiry over the past

We don’t just say team.

We promise it.

three months over all farm types.

Firm commodity prices coupled with a correction in farm values has seen interest grow as yields/return on assets (ROA) improve. Recent sales have seen an improving yield curve emerging with dairy farms for example albeit on a low sample improve to a ROA of 6.18 per cent.

Whether we have more road to travel with regard to farm values, the improvement in yield is giving renewed confidence for farm buyers to search for quality farms or farms with the ability to deliver sustainable and competitive returns. Investor enquiry has also been received in recent weeks which is a show of confidence and important to get new capital invested into agriculture.

There are still some headwinds to get the farm sales moving.

One that is very evident is the ability of our young farmers to obtain finance. Even with a farm price correction, current banking metrics requiring high equity levels are making the gap too tough for many of our talented young and future farmers.

This group includes contract milkers, sharemilkers, farm mangers, farm lessees and existing farmers wanting to grow their businesses who have a good track record and skills, but don’t have family or financial support. Many of these were burnt off in the low pay-out years of 2015/16 and 2016/17 and as a sector we can’t afford to lose this talent.

The degree of how difficult it is to buy farmland is evidenced by the large number of young farmers who see leasing as a vehicle to farm ownership. While this is an option, the competition to secure a lease makes the return in some situations closer to buying a wage rather than building serious capital to put them into a position to buy a farm.

Is there a need for another tier of agricultural lending or a structure to get our young farmers into position for farm ownership? With 98 per cent of NZ’s agricultural lending funded by five banks nothing will change if banking metrics don’t change. Perhaps it’s time for a return to history or some

innovative thinking to provide a vehicle for farm ownership.

Recent conversations with farmers contemplating retirement has revolved around “what do I do with my capital when I sell”. The most often comment is “It’s not worth having money in the bank” so either we keep farming, lease, or provide vendor finance options for the right buyer.

All are worthy options however is it time for an option that allows retiring farmers once sold an investment vehicle to keep their capital in agriculture.

That serves to pay a competitive rate of interest, provides security and specifically finances our young talented farmers into farm opportunities.

Retiring farmers helping young qualified farmers through a specific finance facility which offers mentoring and a leg up to get on the ownership ladder.

Access to capital would provide a catalyst to maintain engagement of our best farming talent.

While offering retiring farmers a competitive return and an altruistic interest in the farmers of tomorrow. Food for thought!

When you list your farm with our South Island team, there are Property Brokers’ members across the country working alongside them to get you the best result. That’s because every one of them has signed a binding agreement to work together to sell your property. It’s a New Zealand first for the rural real estate industry that means we put your best interests first. Which is exactly where they should be.

Find out more at pb.co.nz/trueteam

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pb.co.nz Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008

14

Farming

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Milling wheat fast becoming a priority W

hile the total arable planting area is predicted to remain stable for the 2021 harvest, a shift by growers to milling wheat rather than feed wheat varieties is evident in the latest arable crop survey.

“Wrapped up in that is extra recognition for the quality of New Zealand wheat for domestic consumption. This shows that the work that’s been done around raising the profile of our own New Zealand product is paying dividends,” said Federated Farmers’ vice-chairman grains Brian Leadley, of Dromore.

“In tandem with that is the varieties we’re growing are yielding quite well – not quite getting up to feed variety yields, but they’re getting quite close. So, if growers swing to those, they’ve got choices in the market.”

Growers could put their wheat into the milling market, but if feed wheat demand was stronger,

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

they had that option. The reverse was not true: feed wheat varieties were generally not suitable for milling.

Survey responses indicated there could be a lessening of support around production of feed grains.

“That’s a little concerning.

While we’ve been pushing harder on those higher end value types we certainly still want to support feed grain demand,” Leadley said.

“With a significant part of New Zealand having suffered from a serious drought, quite a

bit of feed grain was consumed through that, but fair to say probably not as much as the arable industry would have liked.”

The July AIMI (Arable Industry Marketing Initiative) survey of growers reported 6200 tonnes of unsold malting barley.

Most malting barley was used in beer production and with bars and restaurants closed for six weeks during the Covid-19 lockdown, there was disruption to demand and production, especially for keg beer.

“I think this is a blip more than anything. Looking at the deliveries of malting barley last harvest, they’re better than I would have thought,” Leadley said.

Most malting barley was grown under contract and there was always the option of feeding it to stock if demand from industry was down.

Over the two-year period

(2019 harvest to predicted 2021 harvest), the harvest area for feed barley and feed wheat was predicted to decrease by 14 per cent and 6 per cent respectively.

Conversely, the harvest area for milling wheat was predicted to increase by 26 per cent and for malting barley by 14 per cent.

Final harvest data for wheat, barley and oats (milling/malting and feed) in 2020 showed yields were up 17 per cent overall across the six crops.

The report showed these results were from a reduced number of hectares planted (down 6 per cent) with the net result being a 10 per cent increase in total tonnage compared to last season.

“For context, keep in mind when making the comparison that 2019’s results were below average,” Leadley said.

“Nevertheless, we have those reported strong yields and even a new world record.

“While the 17.398 tonnes a hectare of Kerrin wheat harvested on Eric Watson’s Ashburton farm is testament to great management, it’s also a reflection of a pretty good growing season.”

The yield rises recorded in the AIMI survey compared to 2019 were: wheat up an estimated 26 per cent, feed barley up 12 per cent milling wheat up 11 per cent, malting barley up 1 per cent, milling oats up 5 per cent and feed oats up 6 per cent.

Weather conditions for autumn and winter sowing and establishment were reported as being very good in most regions.

Sowings and intentions were similar to last season, with the exception of malting barley (down 10 per cent), milling oats (up 32 per cent) and feed oats (down 14 per cent) – although less than half of these crops had been actually sown as at July 1, when the survey was conducted.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

BARENBRUG FEATURE

15

NZ’s newest plantain wins in winter

New release Captain CSP plantain is known for its cool PHOTO SUPPLIED season growth.

W

ith less than 12 months before pastoral farmers must comply with strict limits on nitrogen use, plantain is back in the spotlight for spring sowing this year.

One plantain, in particular, is head and shoulders above others for cool season growth.

That means it mops up soil nitrogen at the riskiest time of the year for leaching, plus it provides more feed when it is most needed on farm.

Pasture systems specialist Blair Cotching said Captain CSP (cool season plantain) had been

specifically bred to keep growing during the cooler months of the year, when traditional plantains are dormant.

This is very important for reducing soil nitrogen losses, particularly in the current regulatory environment.

But Captain’s value to both red meat and dairy producers extends beyond a strong environmental profile, said Cotching, who heads the pasture systems’ team at Barenbrug.

The newest plantain available to New Zealand farmers, Captain also grows strongly in other

seasons, particularly summer.

“In terms of stock performance, it’s palatable, easily digested and rich in essential minerals and trace elements.

So there are distinct animal nutrition benefits, on top of its use as an N-mitigation tool.”

Grazing utilisation is good, because the new cultivar remains obviously upright in the pasture year-round.

Captain has shown good persistence in mixed-sward trials.

Well-managed, it will survive for up to three years.

Cotching said a key benefit

was the ability to use the new plantain in different ways, depending on farmers’ individual priorities.

In red meat systems, for example, mixed with red and white clovers, Captain offers a high liveweight gain finishing crop.

Alternatively it can be part of a perennial pasture mix.

Dairy farmers can sow it as a specialist three to four year pasture, mixed with hybrid ryegrass and white clover; or include it with new spring-sown perennial ryegrass pastures.

“It’s also well-suited to oversowing into thin pastures in spring, once soil temperatures warm up.”

In situations where farmers want to over-sow clover seed into existing thin pastures, to improve their legume content, plantain can also be a useful addition, as it will occupy the space left by missing ryegrass.

“Plantain works well from spring sowing, because it is deep rooting, whereas without irrigation ryegrass can’t be reliably spring sown,” Cotching said.

Morrow MS red clover

Captain CSP plantain

Morrow multi-stemmed (MS) red clover’s high stem number gives improved grazing tolerance, with its deep tap root delivering high summer-autumn yield.

As well as reducing N leaching, Captain cool season plantain (CSP) has more growth in this period - the most valuable feed in farm systems.

facebook.com/BarenbrugNZ

@BarenbrugNZ

barenbrug.co.nz

0800 449 955

16

Farming

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Rural property market buoyed by low interest rates

A

lthough the wider economy is reportedly stressed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, interest in rural property in our region is stronger than for several years.

Low interest rates are encouraging both farmers and those who might not usually invest in the rural sector to recognise the benefits of purchasing land.

Activity is keenly focused on sheep and beef property. Buoyed by the continuing profitability of red meat, farmers have had positive choices for some time and are now making affirmative decisions.

Calvin Leen

PGG Wrightson Real Estate

Off-farm investors, seeking alternatives to lacklustre commercial property and unappealing bank interest rates, are finding rural property a compelling option. Anyone with sufficient equity will be encouraged by historically

low official bank rates helping business case viability.

One recent listing likely to sharpen the appetite for sheep and beef property is a 4500 hectare North Otago holding, comprising a mix of leasehold and freehold titles, and including a substantial proportion that is deer fenced. This is the largest parcel of North Otago land offered to the market for many years. Primarily a breeding property, with some potential for finishing, it will further elevate market interest.

Anyone tempted to take advantage of such an exalted

SPECIALISING IN DAIRY FARMS & MAINTENANCE

market and offer a sheep and beef farm for sale should be satisfied by the enthusiastic reception that will greet them.

Dairy property has also attracted attention through the winter, including a couple of Canterbury farms previously considered impossible to sell, finding willing buyers and changing hands during July.

North Otago, in particular, is brimming with regional dairy sector confidence, with demand driven by low cost water schemes and market interest from both those seeking to expand and younger farmers taking their

first step on the dairy ownership ladder.

Residential and lifestyle property sales in and around provincial towns are also strong, including within our region, suggesting that the economic challenges posed by Covid-19 are motivating many to re-evaluate where and how to live.

It makes for interesting times.

Calvin Leen is Mid-South Canterbury and North Otago Sales Manager for PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited

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17

Don’t panic about starting irrigating

Tony Davoren

HYDRO SERVICES

Y

es, we have had some glorious blue sky days and balmy daytime temperatures in the past few weeks.

Does this mean spring is here and are conditions truly that spring-like? Do the temperatures and lower than average rainfall in August mean that an early start to irrigation is required?

Meteorological winter is considered to be June 1 to August 31. In terms of crop growth, moisture use and evapotranspiration we should really think of the seasons in astronomical terms; that is, winter from June 22 to September 22, or between the winter solstice and spring equinox. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) caveats these dates by stating that these “may shift slightly from year to year”.

Regardless of when we think the seasons start and finish, just where did winter go?

With the weather we have had lately, especially the end of July and August it would suggest spring is nigh or even here.

All the signs are there – blossoms, daffodils well into flowering and in some places nearly done, bees out there working hard (as they have been in my urban hive now for two

to three weeks), woolly buds on other fruiting species.

Has it really been that warm and dry and/or are we in for an early start to the irrigating season? I’ve had second-hand, but reliable reports of irrigation already starting in South Canterbury.

NIWA’s seasonal weather outlook for the next three months indicates a continuing weak La Nina weather pattern, which would normally mean average to above average air temperatures.

Mean monthly temperatures in Mid Canterbury haven’t really deviated that much from the long-term average for June, July and August. Even the thought that the past week or so have been particularly warm is not the case – the mean daily temperature has been about 5.3°C or 2°C below the long -term average of 7.3°C. And while soil temperatures were very healthy in early August (up around 8.5°C) they have declined in more recent times – the result of some pretty severe frosts.

Those sunny days and balmy temperatures play on our mind – the reality is different. Without temperatures up around that base temperature of 10°C at 9am at 10cm, it is pretty risky applying irrigation and farmers are probably not going to get a great deal of response from nitrogen application.

After two big rainfall months in June (114mm) and July (106mm), August is looking like a struggle to get to long-term average (currently around 38mm compared to long-term average of 57mm).

Are these pointers to an early irrigation season? Don’t panic, it’s only late August. NIWA’s August-October climate outlook doesn’t hint at an early season either.

There is a La Niña watch which would typically bring periods of northeasterly winds and elevate the potential for

those sub-tropical low-pressure systems to swing down from the northern Tasman. These usually don’t produce heavy rain in Canterbury, though may provide some top-up rains.

With La Niña conditions, NIWA are suggesting average temperatures (50 per cent chance) are likely and for rainfall

to be near normal (40 per cent chance) or below normal (35 per cent chance). Just to cover off the southern environs, NIWA also suggest “cold snaps and frosts can be expected in typically colder locations” during the August-October period.

Hence my “don’t panic” message. I guess time will tell.

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18

David Clark

U

Farming

www.guardianonline.co.nz

President of MC Federated Farmers

nfortunately, we are facing the grim reality of renewed community transmission of Covid-19.

Many would say that the reemergence or re-introduction of Covid-19 was inevitable.

That may be so, but that then leads to a key question – how has our Government used the six-month head-start since the WHO’s first declaration of a global pandemic that the first lockdown has bought us?

What has been done to increase the capability and capacity of our hospital system to provide treatment when faced with widespread community transmission of Covid-19?

How many more ICU beds and respirators do we have nationally and how many military personal and medical students have been trained in their use? What is our contact tracing capacity and speed? Or is it still a clipboardat-the-door system doomed to failure?

As for the economy, renewed lockdowns will be bleak for many businesses already on their knees.

In this part of the world, we can only hope that the Level 3 lockdown in Auckland does not grow into heightened restrictions across the rest of New Zealand.

In Parliament, the Government has passed its Essential Freshwater suite of rules by decree of Cabinet. As you will all know, I have been sounding a view of caution as to the impact of what we understood the rules may require.

It would appear, on the analysis completed so far on what is incredibly complex legislation, that the rules are worse than we could have imagined, hoped for, or feared.

It may well be argued that the rest of the New Zealand economy is on its knees, or will be when the sugar rush of supplementary government Covid-19 spending dries up, and the agricultural and horticultural sectors may be our main source of foreign earnings, but this legislation takes a wrecking ball to that.

I would flag four key issues.

Firstly, the provision of Te Mana o te Wai which is intended to protect the mauri of the wai.

The legislative process of this requires all matters regarding the management of the environment to be judged in a hierarchical status.

“There is a hierarchy of obligations in Te Mana o te Wai that prioritises: – First, the health and wellbeing of water bodies and freshwater ecosystems,

– Second, the health needs of people (such as drinking water), – Third, the ability of people and communities to provide for their social, economic, and cultural well-being, now and in the future.”

Until now, communities, via national, regional and district plans, consultations and consent hearings were required to consider all these attributes with even weighting.

That is no longer the case and any argument of the economic contribution of an activity, of let’s say, dairy farming to the Mid Canterbury economy, would be only considered after the first two attributes were fully satisfied.

Secondly, stock exclusion requirements are now dictated by a map that designates all “low slope” land required to exclude cattle from all waterways wider than one metre bank-to-bank.

Unfortunately, this map has been vested in the RMA and would require a Decision of Cabinet to amend it.

It is not possible to apply to a regional council to amend or correct the map or its designation.

On one property in the high country of this district that has been designated as requiring stock exclusion, the fencing needed is closer to kilometres per animal than it is to animals per kilometre.

Solutions are best found when problems exist; solutions without problems are rarely of value.

I have other examples that will keep for another day of where this map fails as its assessment is based on a hybrid of land title area and the percentage of land slope that results in outcomes that are nothing more than a dog’s dinner.

Thirdly, the Freshwater National Policy Statement 2020 has at Appendix 1A – “In a healthy freshwater ecosystem, all five biophysical components are suitable to sustain the indigenous aquatic life expected

in the absence of human disturbance or alteration (before providing for other values).”

That can be read that the application for, or renewal, or auditing of your resource consent could be required to meet a pre-human standard.

The fourth significant issue is winter grazing, with requirements for resource consents for winter grazing, including sheep covering more than 10 per cent of the farm or 50ha.

Among the requirements the consent will be judged upon is not more than 50 per cent of the field being pugged and no area of pugging greater than 200mm.

Pugging appears to be determined as a hoof penetrating the surface.

These two criteria can be exceeded if the farmer can demonstrate that the effects on the environment are not more than the prescriptive rule.

Cows on beet or kale will be hard pressed to meet these stipulations and that could

potentially have a major impact on the wintering of stock across much of New Zealand and, particularly, the South Island.

None of this is a suggestion that farmers do not want rules or have a flagrant disregard for the environment.

Far from it, New Zealand farmers have been investing for many years in waterway fencing and riparian planting, the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan sets out environmental targets that, while difficult to achieve, are obtainable and will have a marked benefit to the environment. The key, however, is that the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan is achievable.

Just before you think this only applies to agriculture, it would pay for those living in urban areas to remember that discharging stormwater into the Ashburton River is a “human disturbance” and the Lake Hood development could well be argued to be an “alteration” to the river and its environs.

It is my view that this legislation is a significant and serious threat to the economic well-being of our district and our country.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

19

Rural Contractors NZ has just finished surveying its members and has found that 57 contractors urgently need 206 skilled operators.

Roger Parton, Rural Contractors’ chief executive.

Worker shortage now past critical T

ens of millions of dollars’ worth of farm production and the jobs of other workers are at risk if the Government continues to dither on allowing a limited number of skilled agricultural machinery operators into New Zealand, says Federated Farmers.

The farmer lobby group has been working with Rural Contractors NZ on this issue for several months, Federated Farmers employment spokesman Chris Lewis said.

“It has almost gone past critical now because we’re on the cusp of spring activity and we need to get these seasonal workers on flights and into quarantine for two weeks.”

Exemptions have been allowed for workers laying synthetic

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

tracks for horse racing, for the movie industry, and others.

“The primary industries can help us pave the way to postCovid-19 economic recovery, but not if crucial cogs in our production systems are hobbled by key gaps in the workforce,” Lewis said.

Rural Contractors NZ has just finished surveying its members and has found that 57 contractors urgently need 206

skilled operators.

“They’re needed to service 8213 clients – and many of those will be Federated Farmers’ members,” Lewis said.

Rural Contractors’ chief executive Roger Parton said without this annual influx of highly skilled drivers and operators, it was estimated there would be a 32 per cent downturn in activity, worth $65 million.

“The effect of that would be the loss of nearly 28m tonnes of production, with a value in excess of $110m,” Parton said.

In a letter to the new Immigration Minister Kris Fafoi, sent last week, Federated Farmers said if managed entry can’t be found for the machinery operators, experienced senior dairy staff and a limited number

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of other skilled technical staff, there is significant potential for economic, health and safety and animal welfare issues across the primary industries that could otherwise be avoided.

“We share the government’s desire to train Kiwis for these roles, and action is happening on that front. The 40 places on the first of six planned agricultural drivers’ courses at SIT’s Telford campus have all been taken,” Lewis said.

They should graduate with the ability to safely drive a tractor, but not the combine harvesters and silage machines that can be worth a million dollars or more.

“You don’t train someone to use a chainsaw, then send them out to bring down tall trees the next week. Newer drivers need

to gain experience with tractors on basic tasks in simple country before they can move on to more complex machines.

“The majority of fatalities in agriculture involve vehicles and the last thing anyone wants is inexperienced vehicle operators put in situations where they end up having an accident.

“These skilled operators have been coming into New Zealand without problems in the past.

But the pandemic restrictions have caught everyone on the hop.

“These are extraordinary circumstances and government sign-off of managed entry of these highly skilled operators, with the quarantine paid for by contracting firms, is crucial,” Lewis said.

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20

Farming

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Geraldine farm creates wagyu magic A

farm in South Canterbury appears to have stumbled upon the magic formula for growing the highest value wagyu cattle in the country, on grass.

This season, Evan and Clare Chapman of Rockburn Farming have routinely produced huge 800kg-plus wagyu steers, and impressive marble scores, off their property near Geraldine.

First Light – the co-operative of farmers that the Chapmans belong to – processed the biggest animal the business has seen in recent memory, at a whopping 946kg.

Now, First Light is auctioning for charity one of the whole, marble score seven-plus ribeyes the Chapmans have produced, with all proceeds going to KidsCan. The ribeye comes from a sibling to the wagyu steer that delivered First Light’s World Steak Award gold medal win in 2019.

First Light managing director Gerard Hickey said the Chapmans – whose farm celebrated its centenary in January – were clearly doing something right.

“This isn’t a one-off. In the last month, Rockburn has sent us some of the highest yielding animals we can remember.

“This is the wagyu beef dreams are made of – beautiful meat, incredible intra-muscular marbling, and a generous payday for the Chapmans, who have made it happen for us.”

First Light’s farming model offers a guaranteed per-kilogram contract on each animal, so that farmers are able to forecast payments 12 months in advance and budget accordingly.

On top of the base price, farmers attract premiums for marbled meat – the higher the

Above – First Light managing director Gerard Hickey is auctioning off some special wagyu steaks to support the charity KidsCan. Left – A wagyu ribeye with a marbling score of seven plus.

Below – This season Evan and Clare Chapman of Rockburn Farming have routinely produced huge 800kg-plus wagyu steers, and impressive marble scores, off their property near Geraldine.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

marble score, the better the financial return.

What Rockburn Farming (who were named First Light’s Finisher of the Year in 2019) have achieved this season is nothing short of extraordinary.

“The meat they’ve produced is outstanding – tender wagyu beef, fantastic marbling – the sort of grass-fed meat that is extremely highly prized in our discerning offshore markets.”

One Rockburn ribeye has been held back from its scheduled

shipment, sliced into steaks and will be auctioned for KidsCan, a charity supporting New Zealand children.

Hickey estimates the beef, weighing about 6.8kg, would have sold to a United States restaurant for a minimum $500.

“We call these sorts of steaks ‘unicorns’ because to get anything above a marble score seven is rare and very much sought after.

“We’re keen to see this remarkable meat go to a wagyu

enthusiast here in New Zealand – and to support a charity doing important work in our schools and early childhood education sector at the same time.”

The auction is being hosted online until September 4 and bids can be placed here: https://www.32auctions.com/ FirstLightRibeye Established in 2003 by Hickey, Greg Evans and Jason Ross, First Light is New Zealand’s only commercial producer of 100 per cent grass-fed wagyu

beef and also markets premium venison.

The First Light team set out to create the world’s best grass-fed meat that delivers on flavour and succulence without any shortcuts, unnatural substances or interventions of industrialised production.

To achieve that, First Light developed a unique value chain model to produce and deliver grass-fed meats directly from the farm to the person who presents or consumes the steak.

Dairy Focus

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

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Dairy Focus

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Fonterra’s Darfield named best site T

op performance and innovations such as a reverse osmosis plant to reduce groundwater use and a biodigester to generate energy have helped Fonterra’s Darfield factory to be named the dairy cooperative’s best big site this year.

Darfield picked up the hotly contested award ahead of the 25 other Fonterra manufacturing sites throughout New Zealand.

Milk powder and cream cheese from the site is distributed to more than 40 markets.

Darfield’s general manager of operations Harriet van GenneKnape said her team were tremendously proud to receive the award which was based on criteria such as safety, product quality, staff engagement, improvements, sustainability, and energy, waste and water reduction.

The Darfield site, which opened in 2012, operates two milk drier towers, the second the biggest spray drier in the world, capable of producing more than 30 tonnes of milk powder an hour.

In 2018, it added a cream cheese plant to supply food service customers in China, where the product is quickly growing in popularity. As well as

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

being used in bakery goods, such as cheesecakes, it is also used in tea macchiato, a tea served with cream cheese and whipped cream on top, which is loved by China’s growing middle class.

While Darfield was already a highly automated site, new technologies were being implemented to make further improvements, both in terms of productivity and environmentally, van GenneKnape said.

Darfield is in the final stages of commissioning a reverse osmosis plant, a technique used to purify the water extracted from cow’s milk during the manufacturing process. Water is passed through a membrane filtration system which makes it drinkable and suitable for use in a range of onsite activities such as cooling, heating and cleaning.

“This significantly reduces the amount of water we are taking

Fonterra Darfield’s leadership team celebrate being named the dairy PHOTO SUPPLIED co-operative’s best big site this year.

from the bore. We are aiming at a 30 per cent reduction,” van Genne-Knape said.

As well as reducing water use, the new technology also decreases the amount of water the site discharges for irrigation.

The reverse osmosis plant would be fully operational this season.

Fonterra had also invested in the technology at other manufacturing sites, particularly where groundwater supplies were limited.

Another innovation being commissioned this season was a

biodigester which utilises whey by-product from the cream cheese plant to produce energy in the form of bio-gas. Until now the factory had no use for the whey which was spread on farmland surrounding the factory.

Installation of the biodigester, imported from Germany, was delayed by six months because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but was expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. Darfield was the first Fonterra site to trial the technology.

More work was needed to commission the biodigester, understand the composition of the gas and install a boiler to utilise the gas, before it could be used as an energy source for the factory, van Geene-Knape said.

The innovations were part of its Future Darfield programme, looking at new technologies that could be implemented to increase the efficiency, reliability and quality performance of the site.

“Winning the best site award highlights that we have a very engaged workforce and enthusiastic bunch of people that are willing to see how we can do things differently.

“When you come to the site you can feel that enthusiasm and productiveness, right from the management to the shop floor,” van Genne-Knape said.

Darfield employs about 280 people of which about half are milk tanker drivers.

Fonterra’s manufacturing sites employ close to 7000 people in a range of roles from factory process operators to tanker drivers, food safety and quality experts and environmental managers, turning farmers’ milk into products that end up in more than 140 countries around the world.

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SOLLUS FEATURE

23

Nutrition that makes the difference A

cow is exposed to many changes during the drying, run-off and transition period, making it important to try and anticipate her needs in advance.

During this period many things happen, including hormone secretion, metabolic changes and bone rebuilding.

We then add stress and low dry matter intake during the first days post calving.

We need to remember she moves many nutrients to produce milksolids during lactation and, as a result of this, she needs to rebuild her body and skeleton during the dry and transition period to start the next lactation without any metabolic disorders developing.

For each lactation, a cow can lose around 500gm of calcium from her natural storage, namely her bones.

This process means that she is mining her skeleton to put calcium and phosphorus into milk. This situation can explain why higher-producing older cows are more susceptible to milk fever. This means, like capital fertiliser, we have to put back what we take out.

Under New Zealand conditions, knowing the dynamics of the minerals in the different stages of the cow’s transition is the key to designing the proper transition programme.

“ Excess potassium affects magnesium absorption. You also need to take into account mineral ratios, vitamin levels and understand the difference between farms in order to devise the most beneficial strategy onfarm.

Based on that scientific knowledge and understanding of the New Zealand conditions, Sollus’s approach is very different to conventional mineral

company recommendations.

Sollus designs and formulates products to be the best transition supplements for the New Zealand dairy cow.

Along with the calcium, magnesium and salt that cows need, Sollus’s product Tranzsol incorporates antioxidants, magnesium and, most importantly, Rovimix™ Hy-D. This combination allows cows to safely transition, even when

consuming pasture and limeflour.

This enables less calcium to be lost from her bones.

Rovimix™ Hy-D is a molecule designed by world leading animal nutrition company DSM to manage calcium absorption. Calcium is critical for function of the smooth muscles of the uterus, rumen teats, and sphincters. If these muscle groups can’t function effectively we greatly increase

We no longer need to accept these diseases are a natural consequence of milking cows

the risk of metabolic disorders, and prevalence of mastitis and reproductive issues.

With Tranzsol, Sollus is helping increasing numbers of New Zealand farmers reduce metabolic issues, including milk fever, through functional nutrition based on proven science.

We no longer need to accept these diseases are a natural consequence of milking cows.

24

“

Dairy Focus

www.guardianonline.co.nz

RURAL WATER SERVICES FEATURE

Lack of water and dirty troughs can increase the risk of cattle refusing to drink enough water to maintain ideal milk production levels significantly

Don’t let milk production suffer due to dirty water S

omething we can all agree on is that one of the main drivers of quality milk production is stockwater. This makes the cleanliness of the water troughs your girls drink from vital in supporting important essential nutrients.

So why do we continually put the upkeep of our troughs at the bottom of our to-do list?

Let’s explore how Rural Water Services (RWS) get on top of this.

Your time is valuable and cleaning troughs is an everyday maintenance headache that gets dropped from the list so that you can get on with the running of your farm. That is the reason

why having us come on site to take care of this is the ideal solution.

We are completely self-sufficient, meaning once we are under way, you can continue on without you having to worry about us needing help with anything.

This leaves you to do what only YOU can do. Not only that, our equipment is GPS and that’s great for auditing purposes.

Now let’s look at some statistics. Dairy cows need 3 litres* of water per 1 litre of milk production at the trough and will typically drink an average of 75 litres per head per day.

Let’s say you have one trough

per 100 cows: that’s approximately an average of 7500 litres of water coming from a single trough every day.

What happens when 80 per cent of that trough is filled with mud, algae and a wealth of other things? You are only leaving 20 per cent capacity for drinking water. Lack of water and dirty troughs can increase the risk of cattle refusing to drink enough water to maintain ideal milk production levels significantly.

So how do we do it? We use our specialist equipment to remove the concoction of stagnant water, mud, last season’s medication, flavour-enhancer, probiotics and algae sitting in your trough

“

and chamber. We then remove the mud from the bottom and water blast the existing gunk from the bottom and sides of the trough.

It is then able to refill with clean, clear water for your herd.

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Dairy Focus

FIGURE 3: BASE WIDE

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FIGURE 2: COW HOCKED

FIGURE 1: POSTURE GOOD

26

Keeping a cow’s posture in balance W Fred Hoekstra

VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES

ith dairy cows, there is a connection between the posture of the hind legs in rear view and the condition of the claws.

Normally the hind legs are more or less parallel (figure one).

It is hardly surprising that in the course of a few years the difficult task of the

outer hind claws may affect the posture of the hind legs. When a cow stands and walks properly, there is less chance of the hooves being overloaded.

The ideal cow makes optimum use of her legs and hooves; her body weight is distributed evenly over her legs and hooves.

This does not happen in reality, as dairy cows tend to put most of the load on their outside hind claws, so that is where most of the problems occur.

Heavy loading and contusion of the quick in the outer hind claw will in the end cause sensitivity or pain.

The cow will try to compensate for this by walking on her heels and by placing or turning the foot more outwards by adopting a base-wide (figure three) or a cow-hocked posture (figure two), thus making the inner claw bear more weight and the outer less. This decreases the height of the heel, makes the angle of the front wall more shallow and causes the cow to walk with her hocks closer together.

Such an adjustment of posture is frequently observed. Thus the posture of the hind legs of our dairy cattle is only partly inborn, and to a great extent adopted. The latter is due partly to the unfavourable loading on the outer hind

claw and to domestication, but probably for the greater part to the claw diseases that can afflict the claws.

As a matter of fact, the effect of this adjustment of posture is relative: measuring shows that in adopting a cow-hocked or base-wide posture, the cow relieves her sensitive outer claw of its overload, only to a certain extent.

Mostly this claw remains more heavily loaded than the inner claw, albeit less than before. This must be ascribed to the difference in height.

The longer-term effects of laminitis may eventually be seen as an upward rotation of the toe and a convex shape of the anterior hoof wall.

Improving the weight distribution, together with restoring the foot to its correct shape and weight-bearing surfaces is the main aim of preventative hoof trimming.

Due to preventative hoof trimming being very time consuming we have found that many farmers are recognising the benefits of contracting their trimming out to professional hoof trimmers, resulting in a reduction of severe lameness incidences in the herd and reduced lame cow numbers; thereby increasing productivity and bottom line profits.

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HERBICIDE

28

Dairy Focus

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Rare accolade for 18-year-old cow A

n 18-year-old dairy cow in North Canterbury has achieved a rare accolade.

Belbrook Dynamic Vanessa EX5, who is owned by Belbrook Holsteins in Rangiora, has been classified excellent for a fifth time.

The result propels her into an elite club of bovines who have been recognised for their superior traits and longevity.

Vanessa was the only holstein friesian in New Zealand to receive an EX5 classification in 2019.

The achievement has left her owners, brothers Robbie and John Wakelin, elated.

“It’s been two decades since we’ve had a cow classify EX5, that was Belbrook LD Annabel EX5 in 2000,” John said.

“It’s quite rare. Dairy cows work a lot harder these days and don’t often live long enough to meet the required criteria.”

A holstein friesian cow is not eligible to receive her first excellent classification until she has calved at least three times.

“Vanessa is a very youthfullooking cow. She looks like a nine-year-old, even though she’s much older,” John said.

Vanessa was born in 2002 and was the oldest cow in the Wakelins’ milking herd in 2019-

Rangiora farmer John Wakelin and Belbrook Dynamic Vanessa EX5, an 18-year-old holstein friesian cow still PHOTO SUPPLIED in the milking herd.

20.

Her production peaked at 513 kilograms of milksolids (kgMS) in 2013.

“Vanessa is the smallest cow in our herd. She goes back to a different time when our cows weren’t as big,” Wakelin said.

She classified excellent for the

first time in 2009.

The bovine beauty has produced 13 calves. Five of her heifers were reared.

Two of her daughters, Belbrook TKO Veronica EX2 and Belbrook Talent Victoria EX2, have both classified excellent twice.

Her youngest daughter, Belbrook Bankroll Viva VG88, who was born in 2016, produced 449kg/MS as a two-year-old heifer.

“Vanessa was the last cow we had in the ‘V’ family for about five or six years,” John said.

“We thought we were going to

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lose the family, then she started having daughters and the family rebuilt.”

“The V family has never been outstanding for production, but they’ve been easy to work with and live a long time,” Wakelin said.

Longevity is a trait found on both sides of Vanessa’s family tree.

Her grand dam Belbrook C E Valerie GP84 lived until she was 12 and her great granddam Pinevale P V Vesta lived until she was 15.

Vanessa was sired by Bellview WM Dynamic, a bull bred by the Wakelin brothers before they took over their parents’ stud name.

“He was an outstanding bull.

He produced about 17 daughters who classified excellent.”

The bull’s dam Cresslands Ambition Dalia EX4 was still milking at the age of 15 and was classified excellent four times.

Her production peaked at 636kgMS. She still produced 520kgMS as an 11-year-old.

The V family at Belbrook Holsteins will continue to expand.

Twin granddaughters sired by Walnutlawn Solomon are set to enter the herd this year.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

29

Gut-wrenching heifer injury I

t’s a little daunting starting a new dairy season when you’re coming off the back of the best season the farm has ever had; record production has the effect of setting high expectations of yourself and your staff, and the desire to beat the previous year’s results is foremost in your mind.

Mid Canterbury has had the perfect start to the 2020 season; pasture covers lifted in June thanks to mild temperatures and good rainfall while all the cows were off farm, and the continuing mild and dry weather since the cows came home has made this one of the easiest calvings I can remember.

While I’ve been making the most of the fine and settled weather, I’ve also been waiting for something to go wrong, after all nothing this good can last forever.

I’ve been maximising the benefits of the great conditions while simultaneously bracing myself for an adverse event along the lines of the snowfall of 2006, the one that left this farm without power for 12 days and others in the dark for much longer.

Sure enough things did go wrong. Awfully, spectacularly and terribly wrong in a way I never imagined they could.

Around June 20 each year I walk the heifers back from grazing at my neighbour’s place so they can calve conveniently next to the cow shed.

This year my neighbour called to say there were three heifers lame on their front feet and, being the conscientious man he is, he’d scoured their paddock for anything that might have caused them physical harm, but found nothing.

Those three animals weren’t going to make the trip home unassisted, so we left them

Left – The cause of the lameness; spontaneous humeral fractures.

The heifers had broken shoulders.

PHOTO SHANNON THOMSON-LAING, VETLIFE ASHBURTON

Craig Hickman

ELBOW DEEP @dairymanNZ

behind and made the short journey back to the farm with the rest. By the time we’d finished the two kilometre walk I had two more heifers limping on their front feet.

I’m no stranger to lame cows, but I’d never seen anything like this so, after my own inspection revealed nothing obvious, I administered pain relief to all five animals and called the vet.

Shannon from VetLife Ashburton arrived in short order and it was clear from the look on her face as she got out of her truck that she knew what was up and it wasn’t good. A quick examination of the closest animal confirmed her fears, spontaneous humeral fractures; all five heifers had broken shoulders.

I was horrified and asked if there was any chance they could recover.

Shannon had heard this before and was quick to point out I’d been fooled by the benign nature of the term fracture, in reality the bones had exploded in spectacular fashion and the only course of action was to put the heifers down.

There doesn’t need to be any great physical exertion on the animal’s part for the bone to break, they can be walking normally down the track and suddenly pull up lame. The fracturing truly is spontaneous.

The exact cause of the fractures isn’t fully understood;

though copper deficiency as a calf is known to be a factor preventing animals from reaching peak bone mass.

Fracture doesn’t convey the full horror of what happens in these instances and Shannon took

a bone to display in the clinic to help raise awareness of the severity of the injury.

It’s an issue unique to New Zealand, first reported here in 2008 and affecting some 4 per cent of dairy farms.

About 5000 heifers are thought to be lost to the condition each year.

Affected farms all over the country have reported losses ranging from 1 to 25 per cent of their replacement heifers, though I have heard anecdotes about a farmer who suffered losses of 50 per cent.

I was bitterly disappointed when a liver biopsy confirmed copper deficiency as the likely cause. Our copper supplementation regime hasn’t changed in years and we’ve never had any issues before.

We’ve lost 10 per cent of our heifers to spontaneous humeral fractures this year, a fact that I find very upsetting and quite embarrassing, not to mention the distress of the afflicted animals and the need to act quickly to end their suffering.

Until now I’ve kept this situation to myself, sharing it only with people who absolutely have to know, but seeing Shannon’s frustration at getting farmers to understand the severity of the problem and the simplicity of the prevention convinced me to put my feelings aside and talk about it here.

Very few people check the trace element status of their young stock, but this is one of those situations where you definitely don’t want to find out about it the hard way.

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Farming

30

www.guardianonline.co.nz

WINTER HEATING FEATURE

Four steps to a warmer, drier home W

hether you own or rent your home, you can make it warmer and healthier this winter.

Insulation, heating, ventilation and tackling 3. dampness work together as a system, with each facet one part of the solution.

However, as the nights grow longer and temperatures fall, the trick is finding a balance between a cosy home and a power bill that won’t break the bank. Follow our step-by-step guide below for a warmer home this winter.

1.

2.

Insulation is the first step to making your home comfortable this winter. An insulated home is easier and cheaper to keep warm

as the insulation helps prevent heat dissipating faster than you can generate it.

Insulation makes your home more comfortable, as well as easier and cheaper to heat.

INSULATION

DAMPNESS

By tackling dampness, you can reduce the growth of mould, mildew and dust mites.

A drier home is healthier and needs less maintenance. Also, the air is easier (and cheaper) to heat. Many of the steps for removing dampness are cheap and easy fixes.

In your quest for a warm and healthy home, you need to see dampness as enemy number one.

Most of us could improve comfort by reducing dampness in our homes. A damp home is an unhealthy home. But it isn’t just that - damp air takes more energy

4.

to heat than dry air, so it pays to remove moisture from your home.

VENTILATION

Once you’ve dealt with the main sources of dampness, the next step is ventilation.

While some old homes have too much ventilation, modern homes can be too airtight. Getting the balance right helps maintain good air quality while removing day-to-day moisture.

There’s an important reason to ventilate your house - to remove damp and stale air.

But ventilation is a balancing act. If you have too much ventilation, you’ll struggle to keep your home warm. If you have too little, your air quality will suffer.

HEATING

Heating keeps your home warm, dry and safe to live in.

An insulated, well-ventilated home will still be cold without a source of heat. But be aware that your choice of heat source and fuel can ramp up your power bill during winter.

It’s likely that a third of your energy bill will go towards keeping your home warm this winter.

Your choice of heater and heating fuel has a big impact on

that bill.

To get the most out of your heating dollar, you should consider the amount of heat you need (and how you use different rooms in your

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31

Fibre links to fix West Coast black spots

W

ork has begun on two regional fibre links funded by the Provincial Growth Fund which will enable upgraded communication services on the West Coast and Southland, as well as improving resilience in the event of network damage, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones says.

The links will run between Fox Glacier and Lake Hawea for about 240km and from Te Anau to Milford Sound for about 120km.

Both fibre links will provide connectivity to mobile towers covering a combined 187km of mobile black spots on State Highways 6 and 94, and 21 tourism sites in both areas, improving coverage for tourism

emergency services in these scenic but isolated areas.

“The upgraded capacity and resilience these new fibre links will provide to the West Coast and Southland are a further example of the Government’s ongoing commitment to improving critical telecommunications infrastructure nationwide, as well as specifically boosting investment in the regions,” Jones said.

“Investment in high-quality communications infrastructure proved its worth to New Zealand during the Covid-19 lockdown and will also underpin the economic recovery.”

As well as enabling new and upgraded broadband services

and providing backhaul to mobile and wireless sites along the route, the Fox Glacier to Lake Hawea link will also provide an alternative route to existing fibres which are primarily on the east coast of the South Island. The new link will generally follow State Highway 6.

This link will also enable Haast township to be added to the ultra-fast broadband rollout. Crown Infrastructure Partners is providing further Provincial Growth Fund money to Chorus to build fibre to the homes in Haast when the link is completed.

Businesses in Milford Sound and along the route to Te Anau will also benefit from

enhanced broadband and mobile services. This new link will generally follow State Highway 94.

Chorus will ensure coordination with other Government-led projects in the region, including working with NZTA and the Milford Road Alliance to align the build with repairs being made to the Milford - Te Anau Highway and the recently announced shovelready Homer Tunnel upgrade, and working with the Rural Connectivity Group to make the fibre available to mobile sites along the routes.

It is expected that the Fox-Hawea fibre link will be completed in the first half of 2022 and the Milford link by

the end of 2022. Fibre backhaul services over both fibre links will be available to other telecommunications operators on an open access basis.

Fibre links provide ‘backhaul’ connections between cities and towns and back to the core telecommunications network.

They will enable ultra-fast broadband to be deployed to towns on the West Coast and will provide the basis for generally better, more reliable broadband connections on the coast and in Milford Sound. They will also provide connections to mobile towers being deployed on the coast and in Milford Sound under the rural broadband initiative phase two/ mobile black spots fund.

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32

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Harness spring fever to grow your own veges Left – Set yourself up with a mini greenhouse for seed raising.

Below – An easy way to grow potatoes; cover all with thick pea straw or lawn clippings.

Sheryl Stivens

ECO EFFICIENCY

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

D

o you feel the silent wonderment of spring.

There is something positively unique about the first blossom or daffodils that appear in spring especially amidst the intense change and uncertainty that has appeared in 2020.

Getting your fingers in the soil and your thoughts into growing food is a tonic.

Have you tried growing your own seedlings? It’s so rewarding to watch the first shoots appear and the little plants form. And you can choose to grow your own heritage organic seeds. All you need is some decent seed raising mix that you can either buy or make yourself, some seed trays and seed of your choice.

Once you have sowed the seed according to directions on the packet and gently watered the seed trays, try putting them inside a clear plastic bin with a lid.

In this way you can create your own mini greenhouse and keep the bin of seedlings inside your living areas where it’s warm so you can watch them get growing.

It works well to get seed started with a more even temperature than outside and it’s fun to peek at them and see the progress.

Now is the time to get seedlings such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, silver beet, spinach and kale under way. Wait till later for tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

Outside in your garden, po-

tatoes can be put in the ground anytime from now on.

We’ve found a simple way to grow potatoes using flattened cardboard boxes and mulch or lawn clippings. It works so well whether you have a raised garden bed or you are utilising a new area to grow food.

Cultivate a strip of ground about 10-15cm wide and place your early seed potatoes 20cm

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apart and 20cm deep (in case of heavy frost). Lay flattened cardboard boxes along either side of the row of potatoes. Cover the area with slices of pea straw or other mulch.

Feed with liquid fertiliser or worm juice. The green shoots will appear when the time is right.

You will need to cover them overnight with old sheets or frost

cloth if there is a threat of frost If you have a compost heap turn it so you can use the compost that is broken down at the bottom to grow your potatoes and enrich your garden soils.

If you have a worm farm get a bag of pony poo for a spring feast for your worms.

I place a handful of worm castings underneath each seedling I plant. Broad bean seeds can also

be sown for end of year feasting and taste just like edamame beans if steamed in the pods and eaten when young and tender sprinkled with salt. Delicious and so simple.

Try growing something new – enjoy getting your food garden under way and look forward to the simple pleasure of feasting and sharing food you grew yourself.

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33

A wee Kiwi treasure in danger Mary Ralston

FOREST AND BIRD

B

anded dotterels are starting to prepare for their breeding season.

They are one of the beautiful native birds that nest on the riverbeds and shorelines of Canterbury.

They’re a small bird, pale brown on top and white below, with a distinct wide brown band across their chest in the breeding season. Although well camouflaged against the river stones, they are highly vulnerable to predators who find the birds by scent.

Cats, dogs, rats, hedgehogs and stoats make a meal of the nesting adults, eggs and chicks.

The banded dotterel’s numbers in New Zealand are estimated to have fallen from 50,000 to 19,000 in recent years, mostly due to predators. Other factors are lack of suitable habitat – they need open spaces, clear of weeds.

A well-camouflaged banded dotterel sitPHOTO PETER LANGLANDS ting on a nest.

And although good camouflage gives the dotterels an advantage when dealing with native predators such as harrier hawks and black-backed gulls, it means walkers and drivers on the riverbeds don’t see them.

The birds, their nests and chicks are easily squashed.

In some places banded

dotterels nest in open paddocks where they are also vulnerable to being trampled by stock.

An experiment was done with wire cages to cover the nests and protect them from these bigger beasts, while allowing the birds to move in and out.

It seems to work: the cages stopped predation from hawks

and trampling by stock and also excluded cats; 70 per cent of the nests with cages successfully produced chicks, compared to 30 per cent of the nests without cages.

Control of predators is needed as well: stoats, hedgehogs and rats can still get in and the chicks are still vulnerable once

Achieve faster growth rates for foryour Achieve growth rates lambs faster this season.

your lambs this season.

they leave the nest. Numbers of dotterels are declining, even in places where the habitat hasn’t changed, probably due to predation. There are about 50,000 throughout New Zealand, which sounds a lot, but the rate of decline is the worrying statistic.

These lovely birds deserve a lot of respect – the ones that nest locally on riverbeds migrate in mid-summer to the North Island estuaries and other coastal wetlands around New Zealand and some even go as far as Australia. They return in mid-winter for the breeding season. The ones that nest on the coast may stay there all year if the food supplies are good.

They are mostly carnivorous, eating aquatic insects such as mayflies and caddisflies, and worms, spiders and beetles.

Berries are also sometimes eaten.

If we had great spotted kiwi nesting on the Ashburton River, most people would think it was fair enough to be asked to stay away during the critical breeding season.

Banded dotterels are as endangered as the great spotted kiwi – so it is crucial that we respect their space and keep vehicles, people and dogs off the riverbeds.

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34

Farming

FARM VEHICLE FEATURE

Getting it done safely

Getting the job done right is vital, but getting it done safely is paramount. Using the latest information available from Worksafe, we break down the best procedures and methods to ensure you get the jobs you need done on the farm, done – but also done safely.

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SAFE USE OF ALL VEHICLES

Safety is about eliminating the risk To be safe when using farm vehicles you need to: • Choose the right vehicle for the job • Make sure the vehicle is up to the job • Make sure the driver is up to the job • Read the vehicle owner’s manual • Wear a seatbelt, if one is fitted – on and off the farm • Wear a helmet when required • Watch where you are going.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT VEHICLE FOR THE JOB

The right vehicle is the safest one, it may not be the one that’s most convenient.

To choose the safest vehicle you need to think about: • Whether you plan to take

people with you • Whether you need to carry a load • What the terrain on the farm is like and what the weather is doing • Whether you need to tow something • What other jobs might come up.

Remember, the right vehicle yesterday might not be the right one today.

MAKE SURE THE VEHICLE IS UP TO THE JOB

Your vehicle supplier and the owner’s manual will tell you what needs to be maintained and when.

Before starting a task with a vehicle that you haven’t used in a while, or has been used by someone else, you should check it to make sure: • It has fuel, oil and coolant

FARM VEHICLE FEATURE

• The tyres are the correct pressure and have enough tread • Wheel nuts are firmly secured • The brakes work • Any active safety system, such as traction control, is operational • There’s no rust that affects the safety of the vehicle • The engine is clean • The lights work and are clean • The steering isn’t loose.

MAKE SURE THE DRIVER IS UP TO THE JOB

Don’t use a farm vehicle if you: • Are not familiar with the vehicle or have not been trained to use it • Don’t think the vehicle is the best for the task • Have been drinking, taking

drugs or are on medication that makes you sleepy • Are fatigued.

There are farm vehicle training courses run by providers in most parts of New Zealand.

Formal training courses are the best option to learn techniques to safely operate a farm vehicle. Get training and have regular refresher training to avoid developing bad habits.

You also need to get to know how the vehicle performs, especially before using it in a challenging situation.

READ THE VEHICLE OWNER’S MANUAL

This includes advice about trailers, loads, maintenance and passengers.

Stick to the limits advised by the manufacturer.

IF THERE’S A SEATBELT

35

FITTED, WEAR IT – ON AND OFF THE FARM

The simple action of doing up your seatbelt can be the difference between life and death.

Many fatalities we see show the seatbelt wasn’t used – and this simple action may have saved someone’s life.

WEAR A HELMET WHEN REQUIRED

A helmet is required when riding a two-wheel motorbike, a quad or when driving a side-byside.

WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING

Stay focused on where you are going and stop if you need to look at something else, or if you need to test the terrain.

Many accidents happen when the operator is trying to do another task or is distracted by something else.

36

Farming

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Using low-N genetics ‘a double win’ W

idespread use of genetics for low-N dairy cows could result in a reduction of nitrogen leaching of 20 per cent in 20 years.

CRV Ambreed head geneticist Phil Beatson said that breeding for low milk urea nitrogen and low-N was one of a number of options to minimise nitrogen leaching.

Lincoln University’s recentlypublished research was the first independent work carried out in New Zealand on pasturebased grazing systems to report that cows with lower Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) breeding values have a lower concentration of N in their urine and urinate less total N. “The results of the Lincoln study were very much in line with our prediction when we released LowN Sires, and it’s really encouraging to see,” Beatson said. “Farmers can have further confidence that breeding for reduced MUN by using LowN Sires will reduce the amount of N excreted in their daughters’ urine compared to daughters of “average” sires. Modelling predicts that N leaching would also be significantly reduced.

“What’s also encouraging is these cows that are peeing out a

CRV Ambreed head geneticist Phil Beatson says that breeding low-N cows will be particularly useful on farms with PHOTO SUPPLIED free-draining soils.

lower concentration of nitrogen are likely to be also putting less nitrogen up into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide.

With less concentration of nitrogen in the urine patch, leading to less nitrogen being leached and less nitrous oxide environmentally, it’s a double win.

“We envisage this strategy being useful across New Zealand, but particularly on the free-draining soils, where a higher proportion of the urinary

nitrogen ends up being leached.

Typically, that’s on the light, stony, irrigated soils – and that’s where we see the maximum benefit from these genetics.”

Beatson said the research points to the thinking that those cows that are genetically low for MUN are partitioning the nitrogen they eat differently – away from urine and into other outputs particularly milk protein and faeces. Less urinary N emitted per kg of feed eaten indicates increased efficiency

of how nitrogen is used by the animal.

This is a totally different mechanism to reducing the amount of urinary nitrogen per kg of milk produced, which simply involves having cows or farm systems that result in cows producing more milk per kg of feed eaten, therefore eating less nitrogen per kg of milk and producing less urine per kg of milk.

Breeding is one of a number of options to reduce urinary

nitrogen and minimise leaching.

Farmers can affect milk urea – and therefore urinary nitrogen – through feeding.

The bonus of breeding is that it is a permanent and easily implemented solution for farmers in their efforts to reduce nitrogen loss and protect our waterways. Breeding for low MUN is likely to be effective across a range of feeding systems.

Beatson said there was no one silver bullet for nitrogen reduction, but putting together a range of techniques and adopting a range of technologies will enable farmers to produce current volumes of milk within acceptable environmental constraints.

“New Zealand dairy farmers have already made great strides over the past 10 years to mitigate the effects of their farming operations on the environment and protect water quality.

“Many dairy farmers understand that they need to make an investment in new innovations that will enable them to farm sustainably. We’re excited about the part that CRV Ambreed’s LowN Sires can play towards a solution,” Beatson said.

OVERHEAD LINES

UNDERGROUND CABLE

UNDERGROUND CABLE

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37

Better for farmers and environment T

rials on two Mid Canterbury irrigated dairy farms this autumn show that applying nitrogen as controlled release fertiliser, rather than urea, is a more cost-effective option while also improving environmental outcomes.

The trial was carried out

by Viable Agriculture, a small independent Ashburton-based fertiliser company.

Viable Agriculture imports high quality granular fertiliser, specifically selected for New Zealand growing conditions, from leading overseas manufacturers.

Viable Agriculture South Island territory manager Ian Ferguson said the trial showed the cost effectiveness of CRN44, one of the products in its Rustica Time Release fertiliser range, on dairy pasture.

Its controlled release fertilisers incorporate environmentally-friendly biodegradable plant-based polymer coatings for superior nutrient recovery, greater nitrogen use efficiency, (NUE) no volatile losses, reduced leaching, fewer applications and at lower application rates compared with conventional fertilisers.

In the trial, from January

Controlled release fertilisers incorporate environmentallyfriendly biodegradable plantbased polymer coatings.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

to May this year, the coated and granular product CRN44 was applied once only, at an equivalent rate of 0.8kg/N/ha/ day on dairy pasture on Lismore soil.

Urea was applied after every grazing round at an equivalent rate of 1.0kg/N/ha/day. The control was nil N applied.

Grazing and irrigation management was normal farm practice, with all product applied by the usual spreading contractor.

The trial was measured independently by Agricultural Consulting Services, with pasture measurements conducted weekly.

Results showed that CRN44

produced 62 per cent more dry matter (DM) per kg of N applied than urea in the trial.

This was achieved with 13 per cent less N applied.

The cost of CRN44 was 12 per cent less than urea per kg of DM produced, so was significantly more cost-effective at supplying N to the pasture, Ferguson said.

This is because nitrogen is released from the coated granule at a controlled rate, dependent on temperature and moisture.

“Volatilisation and leaching is reduced to very low levels, significantly improving pasture production and environmental outcomes.”

are lost to the atmosphere as ammonia (NH3) gas.

This enables farmers to minimise any N losses and show large improvements in environmental compliance while also improving pasture production.

N applied as CRN44 at a rate of 0.8kg/N/ha/day produced 4186kg of DM/ha, a cost of 20 cents a kg/DM. N applied as urea at a rate of 1.0kg/N/ha/day produced 3836kg/DM/ha at a cost of 22 cents per kg/DM. The economic margin over the cost of N applied in the trial was $31/ha more for CRN44.

For more information: www. viag.co.nz

Paveco.

RUSTICA TIME RELEASE

he ,

CRN44’s rate of release closely matched pasture uptake, with one application supplying N for 90 to 120 days.

“This can save up to four applications compared with urea, reducing spreading costs.”

The same trial was duplicated on a second farm, with the pasture response curve identical in both cases.

Ferguson said that volatilisation losses made urea very inefficient and therefore more expensive when compared to actual DM produced.

Broadcasting urea in warm and windy conditions will lead to volatilisation even under irrigation, which is when significant amounts of N

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Long N Release overdays 90-120 days Long Term term sustained N release over 90 – 120 Ideal pastures and crops Ideal for forboth pastures and crops HigherNN recovery recovery and and efficiency increased yield Higher No volatilepotential N losses,leaching minimal risk of leaching Reduced UseVolatile at 65 –N75Losses % of standard Urea No Reduces N inputs Overseer Use at 65-75% of in standard Urea rates Spread once per 100 days only Reduces N inputs in Overseer Stay under the 190less N cap Less applications, cost& increase production More environmentally sustainable Environmentally friendly

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APPLICATION RATE GUIDELINES: Rustica® Time Release is a range of Controlled Release Fertilisers (CRFs).

Release rates will vary according to grade selected, the soil temperature, and the availability of adequate moisture to activate them. In excessively wet conditions, these CRFs do not release any faster which means low losses to leaching.

Because in the case of CR-N44 and CR-NK, there is no volatilisation of N, they provide much higher N efficiency due to the metered release of N over time.

Because there are no gaseous losses, application can occur in dry conditions.

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* Dairy yards *CONTROLLED Wintering barnsRELEASE * Silage/feed pads FERTILISER * Driveways * Floor slabs * Paths/patios

Kale: Apply 110kg/ha (Dryland) or 210kg/ha (Irrigated) Rustica CR-N44 at 4-6 weeks post emergence. This should carry the crop through without the need for further applications.

Maize: Depending on deep N soil test results, paddock history, and amount of starter N applied, aim to supply a total of 220kg N/ha for a 20mt crop. Apply the balance of N as Rustica CR-N44 calculated at 65% the rate it would be applied as Urea. e.g. 100kg N =220kg Urea x 0.65 = 145kg/ha Rustica CR-N44.

No further dressings should be required.

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For high quality concrete placing, contact Martyn Wheeler on 027 4508196 today.

Apply Rustica CR-N44 at 65-70% the rate of standard Urea/Sustain/N-Protect in ONE application 208 Havelock Street | PO Box 29, Ashburton 7740 which should be enough to last 90-120 days, ie., if 3x 100kg Urea normally applied, use 1 x 195-210kg CR-N44. As there are no volatile losses M 027 836 3727 | P +64 3 307 7100with| ERustica ian@viableagriculture.co.nz CR-N44, dry weather application is fine, and N efficiency is superior standard alternatives. As less N is applied, that counts in Overseer to reduce N W www.viableagriculture.co.nz toloadings overall.

REDUCES N INPUTS IN OVERSEER

®

Fodderbeet: This crop has a high demand for Potassium so Potash should be applied in the base dressing, especially in second and subsequent years on the same ground. Drilling with Rustica® Kickstart is an ideal starter fertiliser with a balance of NPKS to get the crop established. Rustica CR-NK is sidedressed @ 210-250kg / ha at 4-6 leaf stage, and before canopy closure. No further dressings should be required.

Ian Ferguson (South Island Territory Manager ) Viable Agriculture Limited

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13 Robinson Street, Riverside Industrial Estate, Ashburton Phone 03 307 6466 – www.paveco.co.nz

Spread through conventional equipment, however if any dust is observed, back off the spinner speed rpm until no further dust is evident. Some spreaders have an aggressive action that will damage the coating causing premature release of the

38

Farming

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Pork industry stars recognised T

wo staff at a large-scale North Canterbury outdoor pig farm have been recognised for their efforts to upskill and progress in the pork industry.

Jane Stanley and Whitney Ross, who both work at Patoa Farms, near Hawarden, were named as the winners of the Trainee of the Year award at NZ Pork’s annual conference.

Stanley joined Patoa Farms in October 2006 and has completed her Primary ITO qualification to level 4. She has spent much of her career with the company as a team leader in the nucleus breeding herd and recently moved into a herd analyst role, reporting on herd performance and manages the gilt selection process.

She works closely with the herd manager and senior management team as well as being part of the health and safety team.

Ross joined Patoa in February 2018. She quickly showed real aptitude as a stockperson and now works in the commercial herd. She has achieved her Primary ITO level 3 qualification.

Patoa Farms farms pigs outdoors with the aim of farming the animals as close to their natural habitat as possible.

Patoa Farms staff member Whitney Ross (right), receives her award for Trainee of the Year from Primary ITO PHOTO SUPPLIED training advisor Sharon Watson.

For the sows, this means roaming free range with small straw-based shelters in large paddocks for farrowing. Pigs being finished for bacon are housed in large eco-barns with deep litter straw.

NZ Pork chief executive David Baines said the two were “great examples of the opportunities offered to build and progress careers in the New Zealand pork sector”.

“The pork industry offers many career opportunities, on

farm, in manager roles, or in technical fields.

“There are entry level positions for people with or without experience and plenty of opportunities to undertake formal training and on-job training, leading to NZQA qualifications.”

Stanley and Ross were each presented with $500 in recognition of their training achievements, with the presentation made by Primary ITO training advisor Sharon

Watson and NZ Pig Breeders president Jayne Corlett.

One of the New Zealand pork industry’s veterans was also recognised with a major award.

NZ Pork technical advisor Ian Barugh was the recipient of the New Zealand Pork Industry Recognition of Outstanding Achievement and Contribution Award.

Barugh has worked in the pork sector for more than 50 years. He began rearing pigs as a teenager on the family farm

in Te Awamutu before gaining a Bachelor of Agriculture Science and a Diploma in Science from Massey University. His roles since then have included managing a pork production operation, a pork procurement and marketing company and working as an on-farm advisory consultant.

Barugh had provided more than 50 years of dedicated service to the industry, Baines said.

“Over the past 20 years, Ian has been a technical advisor for New Zealand Pork.”

“He has provided invaluable support for our staff, for pork producers, nutritionists, vets and others – there can be few people in the sector who have not benefited from his input.

“Industry training has been a huge part of Ian’s work.

“He has been involved for many years in delivering stockperson training programmes and is across every aspect of pork production including nutrition, management, animal welfare, environment, and regulatory issues, spanning the indoor and outdoor sectors,” Baines said.

The awards were presented at NZ Pork’s annual meeting and conference in Christchurch.

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39

Meat eaters prefer local – research T

he country of origin is the number one characteristic consumers use when choosing meat and they mostly prefer their own local products, a new Lincoln University study shows.

This emphasis on locallygrown meat was identified in new research by Dr Nic Lees and Joshua Aboah.

Lees said the results had significant implications for New Zealand meat exporters, as in many markets New Zealand was competing with local products.

“In these countries we need to provide consumers with a reason to choose our products rather than their locally produced beef or lamb.

“Traditionally we have been able to compete by selling at a lower price.

While the research showed that price was an important factor, there were other areas New Zealand could focus on to

compete.

For example, the fourth most important factor for consumers was the type of production system, Lees said.

“New Zealand has an advantage here because of our natural, grass-fed farming systems.

“There is an opportunity to take greater advantage of this, however this requires communicating these attributes directly to consumers.”

In the research, they sought to determine the most important indicators of quality that consumers use in their purchasing decisions and analysed the results of 47 recent research articles on the topic.

There were some exceptions to the “local products first” such as countries where their consumers do not have confidence in their own food safety standards, such as China and Brazil.

The country of origin is the number one characteristic consumers use when choosing meat, research shows.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Red meat exports up despite Covid-19 N

ew Zealand’s red meat sector exported $9.4 billion of sheepmeat, beef and co-products for the year ending June 2020, according to the latest analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA).

Despite the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector saw an increase of $639 million – or seven per cent – compared to the year ending June 2019.

MIA chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says export results are impressive, particularly given the challengPHOTO SUPPLIED ing global markets.

China remained the largest market for the year ending June 2020, accounting for $3.7 billion of New Zealand’s red meat exports. This was an increase of 24 per cent on the previous June year – and was partly driven

by China’s demand for red meat protein as a result of the impact of African Swine Fever.

Exports to the next two largest markets, the United States and the UK, remained buoyant, at $1.7 billion (down one per cent) and $453 million (down three per cent) respectively.

Exports to Japan rose by 15 per cent, to $418 million, and Taiwan was up seven per cent to $299 million.

The volume of sheepmeat exports fell slightly for the year, by three per cent, to 386,250 tonnes but strong global meat prices saw the overall value of these increase by four per cent to $4 billion.

Beef export volumes increased by two per cent for the year, to

460,170 tonnes and the value of these overall increased by 15 per cent, to $3.8 billion.

Co-products also continued to be an important source of revenue for the industry, with exports worth $1.6 billion, largely unchanged from the previous year.

For the month of June 2020, China was the largest market for New Zealand red meat although sales dipped by 13 per cent on the same period last year. However, exports increased by 54 per cent to the US and 46 per cent to the UK, compared to June 2019, and overall exports were up seven per cent.

MIA chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said the export results were impressive, particularly given the challenging global markets.

“Despite the global volatility, there is continuing strong demand for New Zealand red meat internationally.

“One of the strengths of the meat processing and

exporting industry is our product diversification strategy.

Companies are benefiting from close relationships with their customers and are working hard to match product to customer needs, capturing greater market value and delivering the returns to farmers.

“The red meat sector is generating significant export revenue for the country as we face economic headwinds as a result of Covid-19.

“New Zealand farmers and processors and exporters deserve a lot of credit for this outstanding performance.

“The red meat processing and exporting sector is New Zealand’s second largest goods exporter and largest manufacturing employer.

“We play a vital role in the economy and the industry’s continued success will be critically important to our country’s longterm recovery from the impacts of the global pandemic,” Karapeeva said.

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40

Farming

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Training helps handling-related stress A

n online programme to enhance positive interactions between pigs and stockpeople and minimise handling-related stress in pigs is being adopted across New Zealand’s pork sector.

The ProHand pigs stockperson training course, developed by the Animal Welfare Science Centre at the University of Melbourne, recognises the vital role that stockpeople play in the overall welfare of the pigs under their care.

Following an arrangement between NZPork and Australian Pork Ltd, ProHand is now available to pig farm and processing plant staff in New Zealand, free of charge.

About 186 stockpersons at 17 New Zealand pig farms have completed the programme so far.

ProHand focuses on minimising handling stress, as well as promoting positive human-animal interactions.

This has been shown to improve animal performance and welfare and to improve work motivation, performance, and job satisfaction.

It targets key attitudes and behaviours that have been shown to have a direct effect

Left –A new training course focuses on minimising handling stress, as well as promoting positive human-animal interactions between pigs and stockpeople.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

on pigs’ fear of humans, together with specific advice on when, where, and how stockperson behavioural change should occur, plus strategies to maintain this behavioural change.

NZ Pork animal welfare

scientist advisor Dr Kirsty Chidgey welcomed the growing use of ProHand in the New Zealand pork sector.

“Recommended best practice in the Code of Welfare for pigs is that stock handlers should have completed a training

course on understanding human-animal interactions to help improve animal welfare.

This is exactly what ProHand was developed to achieve. No other industry has anything like it.”

The programme includes a

questionnaire, which allows stockpeople to compare their attitudes towards pigs with others who have previously responded to the survey. It then provides individually-tailored feedback on opportunities to improve handling.

The computer-based training allows stockpeople to progress through the programme at their own pace and provides summaries and reviews to check progress.

Education is provided about recognising fear responses in pigs, and demonstrates how proper, positive behaviours towards pigs can improve their welfare.

The programme’s content builds upon key findings from extensive international research, both in livestock industries and research institutes on factors which affect the productivity and welfare of farm animals. It has been designed and tested on stockpeople at commercial farms around the world.

BOARDING OPTIONS AVAILABLE

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N

FEATURE

41

World 1st from hereford short gestation specialists

ot only are Cave, South Canterbury stud, Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords short gestation specialists, they are also the first in the world to sell 1 million straws of Hereford semen.

Established in 1969, the 1420-hectare Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords has gone from strength to strength in reputation and size.

Today the herd consists of 750 females and approximately 750 support stock and owners John and Liz McKerchar, with a native tussock block of 900ha, home to their stud cows over winter, aren’t just passionate

about herefords. They are also in the process of transitioning 200ha into regenerative multispecies pastures and setting up a hunting business on their tussock, to control wallabies and fallow deer populations.

At the end of September, the McKerchars hold an annual on-farm bull sale, featuring up to 200 R2 hereford bulls.“In 2019 we moved the sale site from the home property, to our bull farm and built a new selling complex.”

But perhaps the biggest success story for the McKerchars has been their short gestation breeding programme, established in 2001. Selection

was only for this single trait, specifically for the dairy bull and semen markets.

“Today we are the breeding leading herefords, both male and female in the Australasian market, for short gestation length (SGL). Recognising this, LIC (Livestock Improvement Corporation) entered into a breeding relationship with us in 2013, to supply semen exclusively to their SGL breeding and marketing programme, both domestically and internationally.”

In the 2019 season, SGL Herefords added $2.5 million to LIC’s customers’ milk payouts,

through the extra days in milk generated and that same season The Shrimpton’s team also run a 70-ewe border leicester stud, which was established in 1869 by John’s great great grandfather, making it one of the oldest flocks in the country of any breed, still in the same family.

Son, Hamish is the sixth generation to own the stud.

“In 2019 our border leicester stud was be 150 years old, our hereford stud was 50 years old and it was 100 years since the McKerchar family moved to South Canterbury, from Southland.”

Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords

has sponsored the Canterbury North Otago Sharemilker of the Year since 2007.

“We are so proud to be able to call so many of the past winners of this prestigious competition, repeat clients and friends.

Sponsoring, attending the presentation and the subsequent field days are highlights of our calendar,” the McKerchars said.

FOR CHARITY

At the 2020 bull sale on September 30, the proceeds of Lot 20 will be donated to Meat the Need, a wonderful cause providing meat to food banks around New Zealand.

170 R2 Registered Herefords Bred for high calving ease and short gestation

Exclusive supplier of SGL Hereford semen to LIC SALE VENUE: 427 Cannington Rd, Cave

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For enquiries, please contact:

Matt Gibbs 027 555 2307 - PGG Wrightson Barry Fox 027 439 3317 - PGG Wrightson Andy Cunningham 027 566 8243 - PGG Wrightson Peter Jackson 021 922 462 - NZ Farmers’ Livestock Ltd

Sale catalogues are available early September from: John and Liz McKerchar, Shrimpton's Hill Herefords Cave, South Canterbury Ph 03 6143759 Email shrimptons@farmside.co.nz Web www.shrimptonshillherefords.co.nz

Open Day 16th September 2-4pm Jim Hazlett 027 462 0128 - Hazlett Callum Dunnett 027 587 0131 - Carrfields Snow Buckley 027 561 4652 - Peter Walsh and Associates Mick Withers 027 473 0817 - Rural Livestock Ltd

42

Farming

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SPRAYING FEATURE

Tech game-changer for agriculture

A

“game-changing” four-step pathway to help unlock the power of technology for the agricultural sector has been outlined in a newly-released global report by Rabobank.

The report, Digital Pathway to Power: the Trigger for a Deeper Relationship between Farmers and the Supply Chain, outlined the key considerations for farmers, farm input companies and other supply chain businesses to increase accuracy in decision-making through technology.

The benefits would include an increase in return on investment in new technologies, as well as improved decision-making, said Rabobank agricultural analyst Wes Lefroy, report writer.

DIGITAL PATHWAY TO POWER – THE FOUR STEPS

The Digital Pathway to Power report outlined four steps to enhance the capacity of farmers and input companies to unlock the benefits of technology.

These covered: • Collection of the right data for all the physical onfarm variables in the required resolution and quality.

• The automatic transfer of data collected to an analytical platform in a safe and timely manner - currently “the main pain point for many farmers across the globe”.

• Analysis tools that processed a succinct answer/solution in a form that is easy for farmers with little or no experience to

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interpret.

• Autonomous execution of a response, with greater speed and accuracy than traditional execution techniques.

This type of framework – when up and running – could fundamentally change the way that decisions were made on the farm, with machines, or platforms that “do it all”, from data collection through to execution, Lefroy said.

“A drone could scout for pests, process and then analyse the data on an invasion and then ‘execute’ on that data by going and spraying them. All without farmer intervention.”

“Alternatively, we could see an ‘app-store’ style approach, where users can choose different

applications for each step in the pathway, and the platform facilitates that process along the pathway, from data collection to execution.”

STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS

It was important for farmers to assess the strategic implications of what this systemic change may mean for Ashburton them, such as their approach to data sharing, the types of skills employed within the business and the partners they engaged.

“In the area of data for example, farmers are going to face a growing number of requests from companies to share data – which also represents an enormous opportunity,” said Lefroy.

Range of spreaders available for all types of farming operations

“It is critical for both farmers and companies to assess their approach to data-sharing, and how they can work together to create a pathway of mutual value for sharing data.”

While some of these new platforms may be at least five years away, Lefroy said the Digital Pathway to Power approach could help provide direction for long-term investments in ag tech.

“We think those technologies that play a role in at least one step in the pathway and connect into a platform that can facilitate completion of the other steps are going to be best positioned for farmers to invest in,” he said.

– Information courtesy of Rabobank

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FEATURE

43

MolloyAg, making farmers’ lives easier T

he brainchild of many lockdown client conversations, Molloy Agriculture Limited have consolidated their brand and communications.

From July 1 this year, Mountainview Agronomy was permanently integrated and merged into Molloy Agriculture Limited. Going forward you will see one visible brand encompassing their many services.

As a result of these changes, they now introduce a new suite of service offerings to suit their clients’ needs.

What hasn’t changed is the faces of the team you deal with each day. They are still the same locally-owned, family business

offering the same top-quality service you’ve come to expect of them.

Molloy Agriculture can supply not only agronomy and application but seed and chemical and now provide proof of placement on your paddocks.

They can provide, apply and charge the farmer only for the chemical used.

Then they’ll upload all required data to their system so the farmer can log in and view their own records for full traceability if they wish.

As milk processors and even now banks move to favour farms that operate as both financially and environmentally savvy, farmers are asking for convenient compliance records

and Molloy Agriculture’s Crop Recording and Paddock Records provide this transparency which is included in the “end to end” service, from agronomy to application.

New this season, Molloy Agriculture is able to offer proof of placement for all applications going through their Topcon consoles.

The GPS log from their spray application trucks, will upload data straight to their systems.

This is easily accessed via a free log-in, or reports can be sent to the farmer to meet auditor’s requirements.

In the constantly changing regulatory environment, it is becoming harder and harder for farmers to meet their compliance

obligations and maintain all the certifications required to store and handle chemicals on-farm.

Molloy Agriculture do away with this need as they remove any unused product. Farmers no longer have to worry about unused chemical wastes and empty containers. An AgRecovery partner since its inception, Molloy Ag believes that sustainability should be embedded into every farming operation. It offers a collection site for agrichemical, dairy hygiene and animal health containers Molloy Agriculture Ltd is the only company offering a full, end-to-end service that allows the farmer peace of mind and the freedom from compliance

headaches.

Using Molloy Ag’s newlydeveloped Grow Comply service, offers farmers an agronomy, application and chemical supply package which is designed to minimise stress for the farmer, while maximising yield and providing clear, transparent documentation, including spraying dates and grazing withholding periods.

Call the team to discuss a service package to suit your needs from just Application using Grow Base or add in chemical with Grow Supply to including Agronomy with one of their Grow Comply or Grow Pro services.

Or get in touch and they can custom a package just for you.

44

Farming

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Planning begins for 2022 showpiece Heather Mackenzie

GUARDIAN REPORTER

P

lanning for the Wheat and Wheels Rally began this month, when a group of Mid Canterbury Vintage Machinery Club members met up at Anthony Hampton’s farm to check out the venue.

It may seem early to begin planning for an event that will not happen until April 1-3 2022, but in reality Hampton said he started his farm preparation two years ago.

Hampton said the rally site will take up 60ha, with 30ha of that being in late sown wheat for harvest displays, meaning careful planning of crop rotation is needed to make sure the wheat paddock is ready for the harvester demonstrations.

“We are a pure cropping farm here with no pasture, so I have to plan well in advance to get the ground and wheat crop set

Anthony Hampton (left) and dog Pete, meet with Mid Canterbury Vintage Machinery Club members met at the Hampton farm earlier in PHOTO SUPPLIED the month to check out 2022 Wheat and Wheels Rally venue.

up for the rally.”

The 2022 show will be celebrating all things machinery related with special attention being paid to the Massey tractor brand.

“Massey was invented in Canada back in 1847 so we

will be celebrating the 175th anniversary of Massey-Harris and Ferguson tractors.”

Along with the celebrated Massey brand, Hampton was quick to point out Wheat and Wheels is an all type of machinery show.

There will also be plenty of attractions on offer to keep the crowds entertained.

New and old cars, trucks, tractors, vintage machinery and the army will all be taking their turn in the show ring.

Hampton said the organising

committee are expecting overseas visitors, including a large group from America.

“Hopefully Covid-19 will under control by then. No one is going to want to quarantine for two weeks before they come to the rally,” he said.

Now offering Soil Mositure Products and Services Soil moisture is one of the most critical elements for successful plant growth and profitable agriculture. Vantage NZ are proud to offer reliable and robust products and services to the NZ agricultural market with a highly skilled and experienced team to back it. To find out about how we can help with all your on-farm soil moisture needs, give one of the Vantage NZ team a call today.

Chris Smith Agri-Services Operations Manager Phone: 021 796 876

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www.vantage-nz.com | 0800 4 VANTAGE | info@vantage-nz.com

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TRUCKING FEATURE

45

Trucking, it’s no straight road T

he road freight transport industry employs 32,868 people (2 per cent of the workforce) and has a gross annual turnover of $6 billion.

Trucks transport 92 per cent of New Zealand’s total freight by weight, with 6 per cent going by rail and 2 per cent on coastal shipping according to the Government’s 2017/18 National Freight Demands Study.

The study predicts that up to 2052 there will be very little change in modal share. The major areas of freight growth will remain the Auckland-

Waikato-Bay of Plenty triangle in the North Island and Canterbury in the South Island.

There are many reasons why road freight is the mode of choice for most people and businesses needing goods moved: • Most freight travels less than 100km. Rail, which is best suited to hauling bulk items 300km or more, is less fuel and cost efficient over such relatively short distances.

• Rail with its inflexible timetables and restricted network can’t provide the personalised, door-to-door,

on-demand service the modern truck delivers. It simply doesn’t go where much of the freight goes and when the customer wants it.

• Livestock, perishable items such as groceries, fruit and vegetables, refrigerated and dangerous goods, like LPG, aren’t suited to the repeated transhipping rail requires.

• The risk of breakage and pilfering is significantly lessened.

ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION

There’s a clear and direct

relationship between economic contribution and NZ trucking activity. New Zealand research shows that a 1 per cent growth in national output requires around a 1.4 per cent increase in transport services.

As New Zealand’s economy expands trucks will be needed to keep the country growing.

The road transport industry in New Zealand has a gross annual turnover of $6 billion, and transports about 70 per cent of New Zealand’s land-based freight measured on a tonne/ kilometre basis.

Because of the vital role trucks play, changes in road transport charges have a direct impact on New Zealand’s economic performance.

Road transport is particularly important to regional New Zealand and the export industries which drive these local economies.

Trucks carry: • 95 per cent of export fruit • 86 per cent of export wool • 85 per cent of export dairy products • 65 per cent of export logs • 35 per cent of export meat

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46

Farming

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Farm biosecurity a good BVD insurance

B

iosecurity is high on most New Zealanders’ minds this year, thanks largely to Covid-19 and the need to keep it firmly on the country’s border edges to avoid it spreading throughout the community.

For New Zealand farmers there is another disease that does not affect humans which can, also with good biosecurity, be avoided.

Estimates are about 80 per cent of this country’s dairy and beef herds have been exposed to Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD).

Over the past decade as more herds have cleared it, they have again become susceptible, or “naïve”. This leaves them with no resistance to a disease that can account for a variety of undiagnosed ailments.

Zoetis veterinary operations manager Greg Chambers said comprehensive control of BVD relied upon three key

planks in any farm campaign – testing/culling, vaccination and biosecurity.

He says biosecurity is best described through the BVD Steering Committee’s definition, “in, out and over” for managing a farm’s biosecurity challenges.

Stock coming onto a farm, particularly service bulls can be a critical source of BVD infection, and avoiding them bringing it in demands some attention well before the day they hit the unloading ramp on farm.

Having bulls vaccinated for BVD before coming on farm two to three months prior to using them will reduce risk of them infecting the herd.

A blood test for BVD’s presence should also be required from the bull supplier, along with the vaccination.

He cautions against the “buyer beware” principle and recommends farmers specifically

ask vendors and agents if bulls have been tested and fully vaccinated before trucking.

When it comes to stock heading off the farm, young heifer calves can be particularly high risk for bringing BVD back home.

“They leave, will usually get pregnant before coming back, and can come back pregnant with a calf that is infected (socalled “Trojan calves”), even if the mother is not – it can be a real tough one to detect until it is too late.”

Vaccination of young stock before leaving the home farm will provide biosecurity peace of mind not only for the grazier, but for the stock owner when those pregnant heifers come back home.

“The problem of having persistently infected (PI) calves is even greater for dry stock cattle farmers.

“Many PI calves leave at four days of age on dairy farms. But that’s not the case with beef farmers, so those PI calves can be in herds for years, shedding and spreading BVD.” The third element of biosecurity control, the “over” component, involves stopping stock from getting into neighbouring properties or encountering neighbouring cattle through the fence.

“Typically a double boundary fence with a gap of at least two metres is the best solution to avoid this. It requires more than just an out-rigger along the edge, but it can be difficult to do depending on contour and terrain.

“There is also the problem of deliberate contact, through sharing yards or milking facilities at different times of the year for whatever reason.”

Chambers cautioned that BVD,

Zoetis veterinary operations manager Greg Chambers says comprehensive control of BVD relies upon three key planks in any farm campaign – testing/ culling, vaccination and biosecurity.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

like Covid-19 in people, was a relatively contagious disease and easily spread between livestock.

“So if you were forced to share something like a milking shed due to a breakdown, you would want to make sure you have given it a really good hose down between the two different herds going through it. It’s the same story for cattle yards too.”

Vaccination was a critical part of on-farm BVD control.

“But all your effort and expense there on the milking herd will only extend so far if attention is not paid to biosecurity – it’s something you want to always have in your mind, and plan ahead for well before you need those bulls in, or have to send those young stock away,” Chambers said.

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47

New recycling rules for farm plastics N

ew rules supporting farmers to preserve the environment by offering alternatives to the harmful disposal practices of burning, burying and stockpiling of waste have been welcomed

by Agrecovery.

The new rules will mean all manufacturers of agrichemicals and farm plastics sold in New Zealand must be part of a recycling scheme. These products will become priority products under the Waste Minimisation Act, putting the onus on manufacturers to take responsibility for any plastic packaging and left over product. Other products include tyres, e-waste and refrigerants.

Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said that the regulated product stewardship helped “put the responsibility for waste and what happens to products at the end of their useful life on manufacturers, importers, retailers and users, rather than on communities, councils, neighbourhoods and nature”.

Agrecovery, which runs such a scheme voluntarily, commended the government for making the recycling of farm plastics a priority.

The programme’s general manager Simon Andrew said it sent a strong message to those who refuse to take responsibility for their products and signals the government’s commitment to making harmful disposal practices a thing of the past. “It’s a bold move and one that will benefit our land and environment for decades to come.”

For Agrecovery, clearing waste from farms and finding new ways of making end of life packaging useful again is the “very centre of our existence”.

“Our absolute focus is to support farmers and growers to recycle and reuse the materials to make useful new products.”

The not-for-profit organisation works hard to ensure that there were streamlined processes for container and drum recycling, and sustainable agrichemical treatment and disposal – and the results were paying off.

“We’ve seen huge uptakes in recycling in the last few years. We are now collecting close to half of all the agrichemical containers sold and are making them into useful new products right here in New Zealand. Collecting the other half is our top priority.

“

Our absolute focus is to support farmers and growers to recycle and reuse the materials to make useful new products

“We have the systems in place to do it, we have the backing of industry to do it, and we look forward to making it happen.

“Keeping a system that works for our rural communities, being responsive to their needs and removing barriers to recycling is vital. This responsiveness and efficiency plays a large part in our rising recycling rates.

“We have overwhelming support from the manufacturers who fund our programmes and we are eager to welcome all brands to participate.”

Removing free-riders will level the playing field and allow all products to be recycled – eliminating the confusion for farmers and growers over which products

Farm plastic containers go into the Agrecovery truck for shredding.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Agrecovery general manager Simon Andrew says it is collecting close to half of all agrichemical containers sold, making them into useful new products.

can be recycled for free. “This will be a huge bonus for our rural communities,” Andrew said.

“Having some products which can be recycled and others that can’t has long been a hindrance on the farmers who want to do the right thing.”

The Agrecovery Foundation started in 2006, setting its sights to clear plastic agrichemical containers and drums from farms and orchards around the country.

The agrichemical industry chose to fund the programme so its waste could be made into useful products in New Zealand. The programme also sustainably disposes of unwanted agrichemicals.

Over 70 manufacturers of crop protection products, veterinary medicines, dairy hygiene and liquid fertiliser products support Agrecovery through a voluntary levy.

Agrecovery has high ambitions to clear more rural waste by partnering with industry groups, manufacturers, product stewardship schemes, government, councils and farmers to make it easier for rural communities to recycle.

Agrecovery and its stakeholders will work quickly to align the scheme with the government’s requirements. It must put farmer and grower needs at its core and be implemented by a competitively neutral industry body that ensures that the interests of the entire supply chain are represented.

“We operate for industry and are run by industry so are ideally placed to rise to the challenge. This is not to line our pockets, but to try and meet the needs of our primary industries as well as the environment,” Andrew said.

Boosting solutions for recycling softer farm plastics like silage films, fertiliser bags and smaller seed, feed, and fertiliser bags, which are harder to recycle, are also welcome. “This will involve a commitment to scale up local infrastructure to deal with the plastic and stimulate demand for the recycled product,” Andrew said.

Save time and money by utilising farm saved seed Seed treatment is your first line of defence against pests and disease Operating 6 length separation indent cylinders combined with a high capacity gravity table to get the best quality seeds for re-sowing and contract specs Mobile trailer with indent cylinders for fine cleaning and length separation with cereals or rye grass Twin rotor screening machine with aspiration for screening all types of seeds for contract specs

johnny@jwneilholdings.co.nz OAMARU

48

Farming

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FEATURE

The future of irrigation

I

rrigation Logistics has been based in Darfield since 2010 and operates the Pierce dealership.

The business has a great team of staff and pride themselves on back-up and service to all their customers.

Director and design sales manager John Quirk advises customers with irrigation plans and designs.

Farmers looking for options for dry corners use John’s knowledge and experience to

come up with a micro pivot design and quote, including solar-powered options.

Irrigation Logistics pride themselves on offering products to farmers that no other competitor can offer.

The Micro Pivot (pictured below) is the only product of its kind on the market. It requires minimal amounts of water to run and is ideal for smaller areas.

A customer in Hororata has had his Micro Pivot for 25 years

and said “it’s been low maintenance and used in a specialised cropping operation”.

The future for Irrigation Logistics will include focusing on pivot sales and service, but will include compliance software.

And with this in mind they decided to resource a specific package to assist farmers with soil moisture, soil temperature and leaching recording.

The product can report on a daily basis and store info so

farmers can access it for farm environment plans or farm audits. And the best thing of all, farmers no longer have to manually record the stats.

The software is sourced from the USA and the pivot control software allows farmers to upgrade the old panel on any pivot and run it remotely from their phone.

Irrigation Logistics sees huge potential in the market for the upgrade, as it records data daily, as well as also showing proof

of placement.

All this data is required for FEP or farm audit.

Farmers, keep your business simple, let Irrigation Logistics design and quote you for a suitable pivot design.

Or upgrade your technology on your pivots so you can remotely control and record daily data automatically.

What could be more appealing than being able to control your pivot from your device anywhere.

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