Ashburton Guardian Farming, Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Farming GUARDIAN

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021

INSIDE

LIVING NZ FARMING DREAM

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PAGE 34 LAST OF THE HARVEST

Sector split on trade

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overnment’s call to end live animal exports by sea has drawn a mixed reaction from the agricultural community, with many farmers already having misgivings about the trade.

Not surprisingly, it seems those directly involved with the trade have been the most vocal about its phasing out over the next two years. Those farmers who breed animals suited to the export trade receive a welcome premium over the local market price, providing a useful income boost to their main dairy or livestock earnings.

While more rigorous animal welfare and reporting requirements have been introduced over the years regarding the transport by sea of animals, this has still not stopped disasters such as the sinking of Gulf Livestock 1 in the East China Sea last year with 43 people and 5867 cattle on board after sailing from Napier.

There is also disquiet about what happens to the animals once they arrive at their destination. These are usually much hotter climates than New Zealand, where animals are housed indoors, in contrast to our pastoral grazing farming systems.

Hundreds of New Zealand and Australian cattle were reported to have died in 2017

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

after being shipped to farms in Sri Lanka.

The trade has already significantly downsized from 20 to 30 years ago when thousands of sheep were shipped from the Port of Timaru. This stopped when exports of live sheep for slaughter were banned in 2003, with cattle added four years later. The remaining trade of cattle for breeding will now cease in 2023.

A concern is the lack of industry consultation before government’s call to halt the trade. While Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor initiated a review of the live cattle exports in June 2019, many key players in the trade were never consulted and for them the ban has come as a surprise.

This leaves agriculture open to other farming practices being axed by the stroke of a politican’s pen, with little or no consultation, if the government believes mounting public pressure on animal welfare concerns warrants it.

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Windwhistle farm targets top meat-eating experience Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

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rowing animals that will produce the best meateating experience at top-end restaurants is the aim of a Central Canterbury foothills sheep and beef finishing property, even if it requires more time and work.

Valehead at Windwhistle is a finishing farm for the 3000-hectare Quartz Hill Station, 10km further up the road in the Rakaia Gorge owned

by Colin and Hilary Guild and Dan and Gee Harper.

Quartz Hill runs sheep, cattle and deer.

All non-replacement animals come to Valehead and are finished there, apart from deer as there are no deer fences.

As Valehead borders the Rakaia River and Central Plains Water’s intake canal, in 2015 the owners took the plunge and installed 200ha of irrigation from the community scheme.

“It was a big job and I would be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t stressful. It has changed this property,” Dan Harper told a Beef + Lamb NZ field day at Valehead.

Rather than just taking animals from Quartz Hill, more animals are now needed to fill the gap because of the surplus feed provided by the irrigation.

The property now trades lambs, finishes wagyu cattle and has added cropping, including potatoes and hemp.

“It has taken a few years to get our heads around how this property looks with irrigation

Dan Harper (right) with Valehead farm manager Richard Lee.

and we are still learning,” Dan Harper said.

The owners have sought more specialist lamb and beef finishing options. Although these require more management and upfront costs, they are hopeful that by producing meat destined for top-end restaurants and retail they will earn increasing premiums in future.

Business goals are to generate an EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) of $1500 a hectare at Valehead.

To supply Te Mana lamb, specifically-bred animals must

spend their final 35 days being finished on a chicory dominant forage and meet a narrow weight range.

Similarly, slow-maturing wagyu cattle take two-and-ahalf years to finish and must meet strict criteria for meat and fat colour at slaughter to qualify for a premium.

Both products are processed and marketed by export meat company Alliance Group.

Headwaters Group chair and Rakaia Gorge farmer David Harper (no relation) said that over the past 20 years, the

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New Zealand sheep industry had focused on increasing lamb productivity and yield, selecting animals for lower fat levels. However, reducing fat had unintended consequences.

It also affected processing, cooking and the taste of red meat, as much of the flavour of meat comes from fat.

Lower sheep fat (condition) also affected how well ewes perform through the season and their ability to rear good lambs.

As a result, Te Mana Lamb was developed by The Omega

Lamb Project, a seven-year Primary Growth Partnership between Alliance Group, Headwaters NZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries aimed at breeding lambs that increase returns for farmers, while meeting growing demand for premium healthy, tasty food.

This draws on 15 years’ research into putting the fat back into lamb in a healthy way by breeding animals with higher levels of Omega-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids (the “good” fats). continued over page

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Headwaters’ lambs are finished on a chicory-dominant pasture to produce the best profile of good fat in their meat.

From P3 Te Mana Lamb is a highvalue new-style lamb with finely marbled healthy intramuscular fats, delicate flavour, texture and succulence, which chefs and consumers across the globe are already paying a premium for.

The combination of using the same Headwaters’ sheep genetics, chicory dominant finishing feed and a very tight weight range meant chefs were guaranteed a consistent product, David Harper said.

“Chefs continually tell us that they love it.”

Fourteen different forages as well as different grazing lengths were trialled before deciding that a chicory dominant finishing feed produced the best profile of good fat in the meat.

Desmond Davies, executive chef for Te Pae, the Christchurch Convention Centre which will open later this year, told the field day that

if meat portion sizes were the same there was no wastage and everybody’s plate looked the same.

Te Pae will cater for seated banquets of up to 2000 people at a time.

“This product is great to cook. It makes my life a lot easier.

It’s also the story behind it.

It’s not just any piece of lamb,” Davies said.

David Harper said that all Te Mana lambs are required to have an EID tag before going on to chicory to prove they have spent a minimum 35 days on the crop.

“It there is no data on a lamb’s EID tag, then it doesn’t go into a Te Mana box. So, it is all about the proof and integrity of the product.”

This year farmers supplying Te Mana lambs were getting a $15 a head premium above schedule.

About 50,000 lambs are being

Rising two-year mixed sex red wagyu cattle are slower growing than other cattle but fetch a premium price.

supplied under the Te Mana brand this season, a number expected to grow to 120,000 next year. “A huge amount of work and investment over many years has gone into this.”

Premiums were expected to rise with increasing economies of scale as more Te Mana lambs came on stream.

Dan Harper said that Quartz Hill previously had a Perendale sheep flock but decided three years ago to switch to only Headwaters’ rams.

“I am a staunch Headwaters’ fan now.”

It cost $900 to $1000 a hectare to grow the chicory and clover crop required to finish the lambs, which lasted 18 months. In comparison, lucerne cost $1100/ha to establish, but could last eight years.

“Chicory is an expensive crop to grow, so we need to get the returns to justify this. The current $15 a head premium is good, but we are hoping to get a

lot higher in the future.”

Lambs must also meet a tight weight range of 17.5kg to 21.5kg carcass weight.

Valehead farm manager Richard Lee said the property had 30ha of chicory and the aim was to stock 100 lambs/ha on irrigated land and 60 to 70 lambs/ha on dryland.

Te Mana lambs could only be slaughtered from November to May-June so all product was frozen so it could be marketed year-round.

“The six to seven month window makes it a bit challenging, but it also fits with the growth curve of chicory which is starting to slow down now.”

At Valehead, lambs are put on the chicory at 35kg and sent to the meat works at 41kg to 42kg liveweight.

“We weigh them each week and load the information on their electronic ear tags so we can see every week what they

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are doing. Last week we drafted 400 lambs which had averaged weight gains of 290 grams a day over three weeks.”

The Te Mana programme specifies no ram lambs, only wether or ewe lambs which have been sired by a Headwaters ram.

This season Valehead will finish 3500 Te Mana lambs, with average lamb growth rates on chicory of between 216g and 320g a day.

Valehead’s cattle finishing programme is also targeting high-value markets which attract substantial premiums over the schedule price.

Dan Harper said he was a big believer in buying bulls with high intramuscular fat (IMF) scores. Bulls were bought from Kakahu Angus stud at Geraldine and Taimate at Ward.

The property was targeting Alliance Group’s premium 55day aged beef brand, achieving a 87 per cent hit rate with its

www.guardianonline.co.nz prime animals. “So our marbling is coming through in the carcass which is very pleasing.”

As the meat’s pH was a key criteria, related to stress levels in animals particularly as they were loaded and trucked to slaughter, the property took a “softly, softly” approach to handling cattle.

To meet the 55-day aged beef premium, accredited graders hand select the meat from prime cattle of any breed.

Only a fraction of the very finest beef ever makes the grade. The selection is based on quantifiable meat quality characteristics such as marbling, fat cover, fat colour and pH. Alliance selects from prime animals only (steer and heifer), and the meat must have a marbling score of 4+, and pH of 5.7 or lower. Selected cuts are aged in a vacuum bag for 55 days.

Alliance global customer manager beef development James Hadley said a 21-day aged product had also been developed, predominantly for the North American market.

An extra $1/kg above schedule was paid for cattle meeting the 55-day aged specifications and 80c/kg for the 21-day aged market.

“So it can equate to an extra $300 an animal.”

All animals must be grass fed with no grain finishing.

“We are only selling this

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product domestically at the moment and want more cattle to qualify for this programme.

“If we can push this programme out we have huge demand off-shore,” Hadley said.

Valehead is also about to start killing the first of its red wagyu cattle, which take two-andDan Harper (left) and Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre executive chef Desmond a-half years Davies prepare Te Mana lamb for farmers to sample at the Valehead field day. to finish. The with red wagyu genetics to targeting a $3000 to $4000 farm has about increase returns per hectare by carcass at the end of it.

350 wagyu steers and heifers in producing a calf before they are “You only get to kill them rising one, two and three year killed. once, so if the marbling score age groups.

The farm is targeting a 700kg or fat colour is not right then It has been an expensive to 720kg liveweight which they drop out of the premium investment, with the wagyu equates to a 370kg to 380kg market. It is a big leap of faith arriving as 90kg calves at a carcass. until we see the kill sheets,” Dan higher cost than a friesian calf.

“So it’s a big animal, but what Harper said.

They are also slower growing the market is looking for.”

Irrigation water is sourced than other cattle on the farm.

Once the cattle reach 600kg from CPW’s intake canal, with “Friesian bulls on the farm are the family combining with averaging growth rates of 1.1kg they are sent to a feedlot at Geraldine for their final 70 to neighbouring properties to a day, compared with wagyu at 100 days for grain feeding to install a 120 litres per second 0.7kg to 0.8kg a day through ensure they have the white fat pipe to pump water up the hill. their lifetime. So we are giving colour sought by the market.

“We spent a lot of money up a bit on growth rates, but “It is early days, but the initial getting the water initially and trying to target meat quality,” numbers look promising. It is now have lower running costs Dan Harper said. costing us $400 to $500 to send than the main scheme. Our Wagyu heifers have been them to the feedlot, but we are biggest cost is electricity, lifting artificially inseminated

the water 120 metres up the hill.”

Two centre pivots are on Valehead and another four on the family’s neighbouring property, The Terrace, with 100ha watered on each.

The two biggest pivots have variable rate irrigation, with plans to install this on a third. Variable rate irrigation, which enables sprinklers to be turned on and off and different rates of water to be applied in different areas, provided more options around cropping. It also meant that farm tracks weren’t watered, reducing maintenance.

As the farms are in a district known for its high winds, all pivots are high clearance so that hedges could be retained, apart from holes punched through for the wheel tracks.

For the last two years, hemp has been grown in conjunction with Carrfields. The crop is harvested for seed, used in food products. Dan Harper said the crop suited the property as it was not sown until late November. “We like hemp as we don’t have to put it in too early.

It’s a simple crop to grow.”

Land has also been leased for growing potatoes, which will not be harvested until August or September. “So they use our paddocks as a cool store all winter.”

Fodderbeet, kale and rape are also grown for wintering livestock.

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Have a winter feed plan

Winter grazing is under the microscope so have a plan for when adverse weather hits.

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hen I came to Mid Canterbury in 1994, a near memory for locals was the droughts of the 1980s.

Our first few years seemed to be marked by a succession of dry autumns, with a real cracker in 200001. I clearly remember a meeting held

by MPI in the Staveley Hall in early May with farmers searching for ideas on how they were going to feed their ewes for the winter.

Very fortunately that year it rained soon after, followed by a warm May and explosive winter feed growth.

It may well be time for MPI to run such a meeting again and bring along some canny luck!

Fast forward 20 years and it’s dry.

It might even be thought of as a drought, or it sure will be if it doesn’t rain in the next couple of weeks with a nice Indian summer in May. Before anyone remarks about the perils of Climate Change, the thing about autumn droughts is there is nothing unusual or new about them, it’s just we haven’t really had one for a while. With that goes a whole bunch of our current flock of farmers who haven’t seen one before, not a decent one anyway.

Now is the time to plan, not when we get to a crisis meeting in the local hall. Now is the time to do a feed

budget to work out how much feed is required to feed your stock until spring and if you have a deficit, now is the time to secure feed while it is still available.

Mid Canterbury is blessed with a diverse farming system of dairy farmers, dairy support farmers, lamb finishers and arable farmers and together we provide solutions for each other. We are also blessed with reliable irrigation and a micro-climate that is much more benign than our northern and southern neighbours.

For them, this autumn is grim.

There is feed leaving Mid Canterbury to assist those farmers meet their feed requirements and so there should, however, don’t be caught short yourself.

Now is the time for a plan. Not only for feed supply, but how you are going to winter your stock, cows in particular. We are under the microscope, rightly or wrongly.

Public perception drives policy, or politics drives public perception.

Either way, the images that have been promoted by activists are unacceptable and won’t be tolerated by the wider public. How much those situations are an aberration, the result of an abnormal storm or was a one in a thousand photo can be debated.

What’s important from here on is making sure we all plan our winter grazing programme to ensure we aren’t next year’s photos.

There are a couple of very simple principles, your stock can’t be up to their knees in mud and your soil needs to stay in your paddock.

Let’s support each other to do this winter well.

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Warning of privacy risk from plans

Jamie McFadden leads the Rural Advocacy Network which is calling for a national campaign to block access for surveys on private rural land.

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

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armers should reject mandatory Farm Environment Plans (FEPs) as planned under new government legislation until issues around privacy of information are resolved, says farmer advocate

Jamie McFadden.

Landowners should also refuse access for surveys of natural areas such as native bush and wetlands as they were not being informed of the full implications of how these will be used. “It is unwise in the current political climate to allow any environmentaltype surveys funded through public agencies such as councils,” McFadden told a meeting organised by farmer protest group Groundswell in Ashburton.

Previous actions-focused

farm plans, which many farmers already had, were very different to the one the government was mandating through the Resource Management Act (RMA), and being touted as an alternative to resource consents, McFadden said.

“Under New Zealand law, we are supposed to be protected from unjustified state control. The government are enforcing mandatory, certified, audited FEPs on every farmer, regardless of whether there is a freshwater issue in your catchment, or

whether your activity is having a more than minor effect on the environment.

“The only group of people being subject to mandatory environment plans are farmers.

“If the government was being consistent, then they would require everyone, including urban landowners, to do an environment plan as we all affect freshwater. But imagine the howls of protest against state control.”

McFadden said the government claimed that farmers need to do FEPs to

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reassure overseas markets.

“However, the RMA is related to environmental effects, not issues of market assurance.

The government is using this argument because it has insufficient justification under the RMA. “Market assurance should be progressed through our industry and exporters which is already happening with meat companies, Fonterra and industry groups.

“The government have attempted to sell their mandatory FEP policy with

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www.guardianonline.co.nz a $50 million sweetener and the promise (just prior to the election) of reducing compliance for every farmer.

They provided the example of an intensive farming operation that could avoid applying for a consent for winter grazing by instead having an audited plan that included good practices for winter grazing.”

However, a farm plan audit was compliance and a cost to farmers, many of the regulatory requirements cannot be covered by a FEP and will require processing through a consent process and consents will be more complex, difficult to obtain and cost more, McFadden said.

Privacy issues were a major concern with the new legislation, said McFadden, of Hurunui, North Canterbury, who leads the Rural Advocacy Network.

“When FEPs become compliance under the RMA it becomes public information.

So all that information on a dryland farm that was previously not accessible to the public now becomes public.

“Similarly, on an irrigated and/or dairy farm there will be a lot of information currently private that will become accessible to the public. This represents a major breach of people’s privacy rights.

“There are no protocols around your private property information and anyone or any organisation can access this information and use it without your knowledge or in ways that are detrimental to you as a landowner.

“It is for all these reasons we should reject the government’s legislation on RMA mandated FEPs and call on all farmers to refuse to comply until these issues are resolved.”

The Ministry for the Environment produced a summary of the freshwater

9

The government is enforcing mandatory Farm Environment Plans on every farmer, regardless of whether there is a freshwater issue in their catchment, says Jamie McFadden.

submissions on mandatory FEPs. Submitters in support included Irrigation NZ, DairyNZ, Fonterra, Environment Canterbury, Southland Regional Council, Federated Farmers and Horticulture NZ. Opposed were Beef + Lamb NZ and a large number of individual sheep and beef farmers, Deer Industry NZ, Alliance Group, NZ Pork, the Greater Wellington Regional Council and Taranaki Regional Council.

“If anyone denies we have a fragmented mess of a farming voice, then there is clear evidence.”

Since the close of submissions Beef + Lamb and other farming groups wrote to the government in February 2020 supporting mandatory audited plans and it was unclear

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why they had changed their position.

McFadden who has a farming background, runs a native plant nursery near Cheviot and has been involved with restoring hundreds of wetlands, as well as native bush and riparian plantings on rural land.

He said that under planned biodiversity legislation, councils needed access to land to map Significant Natural Areas (SNAs). This particularly affected hill country farmers.

“The criteria for what is regarded as significant is really broad, a lot broader than it used to be.

“So a lot of the hill country farmers in our North Canterbury area are looking at 30 to 50 per cent of their farms being identified as SNAs. “Some farms are up around 70 to 80 per cent. One of our

clients got 95 per cent and that is under the existing SNA criteria which is a lot narrower.

“The argument is often put in front of us that regulation is needed to stop one or two bad operators, but that is not the purpose of the rules.”

The Southland District Council has estimated that the cost of doing its SNA assessments on rural land was $18 million.

“We should instead give all the money to be spent on SNAs to the QEII National Trust, which has an annual spend of $6m and is a model for protecting indigenous biodiversity on private land.”

McFadden said he became politically active and studied the RMA after the Hurunui District Council in 1995 mapped 120ha of his family farm’s 800ha as an SNA. This

came after his family had protected bush on its land and allowed surveys. McFadden contested the designation through to the Environment Court at a cost of $10,000, which reduced the land under SNA to 17ha.

“I am passionate about our indigenous biodiversity and seeing it protected, but what I can’t align is all these government policies that are having a detrimental effect on our environment such as carbon forestry.

“FEPs and SNAs are all about capturing private land information and control. The government care more about control than they do about the environment.”

McFadden said that the Rural Advocacy Network was calling for a national campaign to block access to surveys on private land.

“It is an easy thing to do and it is low risk. A rates revolt is a bit more of a risky action to take.

“It is not a blanket no, but saying that we will take that action until these issues are resolved.”

McFadden said that landowners should always be polite and respectful when dealing with council staff and people doing surveys as they were just doing their job. “Be polite. Just say no.”

Regulations were putting a lot of pressure on farmers and this was leading traditional farming families to exit the industry.

“I’d say to the government and the public of New Zealand ‘be careful what you wish for’.

“If you keep driving farmers away with all these regulations and red tape then you will lose a lot more of these traditional family farms and they will be replaced with corporates, carbon forestry and internationals.”

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10

Farming

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Sharing cost of environment goals Paul Cunneen

I

PROPERTY BROKERS

have often wondered where the balance lies between the economics of conventional and organic farming.

Ultimately, I believe all human beings have a strong preference to being environmentally sustainable, rejuvenating our planet back to the point where the health of our atmosphere, seas, rivers and land can sustain future generations.

Intensive farming systems have to a degree, been a reaction to the 1990s food scares with international policy makers and subsidies providing incentives to increase production and intensify land use worldwide, while within New Zealand we intensified without. With food demand growing at a faster rate than supply, higher consumer product prices were inevitable.

The price premium for organics over conventionally produced foods is necessary due to higher production and distribution costs.

The food industry has evolved

into an array of diverse markets with consumers increasingly demanding healthy, nutritious and convenient food products.

Organics is one of the markets offering perceived benefits over undifferentiated commodity goods.

But who pays? Given the goods cost a significant premium, in my view it tends to be those 55 years and older with good incomes and an asset base, or younger people with an environmental passion.

They form a growing niche but still by far the great mainstream generally are price conscious and buy on a “need to have” rather than a “want to have” basis through necessity. The consumer decision comes down to price verses health goals.

There is also the increasing problem of “food waste”. I was staggered when it was suggested that 18 per cent of all fresh fruit and vegetables delivered by growers to our supermarkets are thrown out. This is over and above the food waste in orchards, vegetable grading rooms and the like around the country.

Mainstream consumers demand goods with no blemishes, which is difficult to achieve, particularly from organic farming. If we are serious about the environment then “waste food” would not be wasted.

We don’t just say team.

We promise it.

“

“I believe that environmental sustainability should be a community cost.”

I am absolutely convinced that we are all environmentalists at heart but do have different views on the rate of change and how we can mitigate the economic impact of that change.

There is a growing list of environmental compliance regulations being placed on farms that increase costs significantly.

I am impressed by the good percentage of farmers who are trying hard to adapt and implement these at personal cost to their businesses with a wary eye out to mitigating profitability.

I believe that environmental sustainability should be a community cost and not be entirely sprung on one sector.

By buying the product of conventional farms over many years we encouraged production.

The producers of our food naturally reacted to that behavior and provided the food we demand

of the highest quality at the lowest possible price. We are now increasingly demanding from them environmentally sustainable produce to which there is a cost.

Somehow, we need to ensure that farmers remain profitable and allow the economic benefits to flow back to our community to enable broader social and community goals.

Despite the reduction in subsidies in places like the European Union and the removal of tariffs, a number of our trading partners have both price premiums and government support payments for organic farmers; that is the community shares the responsibility.

Nicola Shadbolt, an Associate Professor in farm and agribusiness management at Massey University, has summarised the variables between organic and conventional dairy farming on dryland farms in Manawatu.

The data provided was over five seasons. It was noted that the average operating profit over that period on a conventional dairy unit was 14 per cent higher than an organic system. It also noted that the variability in profitability was greater in organic systems. The effects of climate on pasture production increased the vulnerability of organic systems

that cannot use the props available within the conventional farm such as buying in feed and utilising nitrogenous fertilisers.

There was a 23 per cent higher average cost of production on the organic farms as a result of 18 per cent lower production and the higher feed and fertiliser costs.

That was despite the organic system averaging an 18 per cent higher milk price. The cows produced 16 per cent less milk solids and with lower stocking rates 18 per cent less milk solids per hectare. With the higher milk price they averaged only 3 per cent less income per hectare but with a higher cost of organic farming the operating profit despite the milk premium was 15 per cent less.

We are all environmentalists at heart and we much prefer to have food produced in the most sustainable way possible so future generations can utilise the resources that we and our forefathers have enjoyed. In the near term to achieve our goals we may have to pay more for our food.

Having economically sustainable agriculture is at the forefront of New Zealand’s economy and the time to transition into sustainable agriculture is not a five-year game.

We all have a responsibility to share the cost of change to our environmental goals.

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

South Island Rural Team

pb.co.nz Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008

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11

You will love everything about building with timber

G Farming

Photo: Solid timber walls from Fraemohs Homes

Sustainable building has garnered a lot of But building sustainably isn’t the main priority When it comes to value, timber is particularly attention lately. Overdue perhaps, but good to for most people. Choice of building materials appealing to those who take a long-term view. see it enter the public conscience. needs to tick many boxes; value, durability, It is roughly in the middle of the building ustainable building has lowers the power bills of the materials needs to tick many assemble for one. Our heating bills, minimal The best solutions are often the maintenance requirements and so on. interlocking material price range, lower meaning cheaper options garnered a lot of attention owners because it’s naturally boxes; value, durability, timber system condensation, warmth and simplest ones, and one of the simplest ways And while timber has been do exist.

But value takes many forms; lower lately. Overdue perhaps, but so warm. maintenance requirements and basically knocks into place dryness, lower maintenance good to see it enter theis public Monni Fraemohs knew on. for its potential to play a like Lego. heating And in recent better qualitywarmth of life… to build sustainably building with locally recognised so lately bills, minimalcost, condensation, conscience. this when he founded our And while timber has carbon years we’ve taken big steps and if anothercost, earthquake grown timber. A renewable resource grown on leading role in reducing the hefty and dryness, lower maintenance better The best solutions are company in 1968. He’d been recognised lately for its to simplify the construction strikes, it might even save otherwise unproductive emissions of the building it’s really of life… another earthquake often the simplest ones, and land, which arrivedcaptures from Denmark and potential to play aindustry, leading role process forquality our kitset clients.and if you the cost of an entire new and stores carbon.

It requires minimal energy the other benefits of building with timber strikes, it might even save you the cost of an one of the simplest ways to couldn’t believe what he saw, in reducing the hefty carbon When it comes to value, house. build sustainably is building all our being of the buildingnatural timber is particularly If building with timber is to process and even lowers thewith power billsbest of timber which makeemissions it the most exciting entire newappealing house. withowners locally grown timber.

A shipped overseas instead of industry,on it’sthe really the other to those who take a longon your mind - or on the mind the because it’s naturally so warm. building material planet. renewable resource grown on being put to good use here at benefits of building with term view. It is roughly in of someone you know - get Monni Fraemohs this when he It’s seriously easyittothe assemble the middle of the building otherwise unproductive land, knew home. timber which make in is touch with us.

We’ve been If building with timber on your mind - or on founded our company arrivedsustainably for one. Our interlocking timber system material price range, meaning which captures and storesin 1968. He’d But building most exciting natural building around for over 50 years and the mind of someone you know - get in touch carbon.

It requiresand minimal isn’t the mainhe priority basically for most knocks material on the planet. options do exist. continue to innovate timber from Denmark couldn’t believe what into place like Lego. Andcheaper in We’ve for over 50 years energy to process and even people. Choice of building It’s seriously easy to But value with takes us. many forms;been around construction. saw, with all our best timber being shipped recent years we’ve taken big steps to simplify and continue to innovate timber construction. overseas instead of being put to good use here the construction process for our kitset at home. clients.

S

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12

Farming

BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION FEATURE

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Wool carpets a compelling yarn T

he Government is supporting a new project with all-wool New Zealand carpet company, Bremworth, which has its sights on developing more sustainable allwool carpets and rugs.

The Ministry for Primary Industries is contributing $1.9 million towards Bremworth’s $4.9m sustainability project through its Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) fund. Bremworth is a subsidiary of Cavalier Corporation.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the threeyear programme will involve research and development of natural and green chemistrybased alternatives to the few remaining synthetic components of woollen carpets.

“The rise of synthetic carpets has overtaken wool dramatically in the last few decades, which has severely affected the wool industry,” O’Connor said.

“I’m told that an average Kiwi household laid with synthetic carpet is estimated to have the equivalent weight of 22,000 plastic shopping bags on its floor. That’s a compelling reason to use sustainable wool wherever we can to make healthy homes for Kiwis and the world.

“More than ever consumers are considering the entire life-cycle of products. We believe this programme will spur demand for New Zealand strong wool and enhance our manufacturing competitiveness through strong environmental credentials that challenge industry norms.”

New Zealand wool is 100 per cent biodegradable, renewable and sustainable.

“It aims to keep New Zealand woollen yarn and carpet manufacturing capacity in New Zealand, preserving jobs, and protecting local communities and supply chains.”

O’Connor said revitalising the strong wool sector was a key part of delivering the “Fit for a better world – accelerating our

Carpet-maker Bremworth has ditched synthetics to return to its wool carpet roots.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor PHOTO: SUPPLIED

economic potential roadmap”, released last year. It included bringing forward $84m of SFF Futures funding for innovative and creative projects.

“This new project is a great example of an initiative that aims to create a step change in the wool products manufactured in Aotearoa and deliver on the Fit for a Better World vision.

“Ultimately, we hope it will benefit New Zealand’s strong wool sector, with better returns for our farmers and

manufacturers, and supporting their communities.

“If we get this right, then that’s a compelling yarn we can sell to our markets abroad,” O’Connor said.

Cavalier Corporation chief executive Paul Alston said people didn’t realise how much plastic was going into their homes or that synthetic carpet was made from plastic.

“Like many things, used carpet often ends up in landfill and a synthetic carpet put into landfill today will still be there many, many years later.

With the support of the SFFF funding grant, Bremworth is seeking to create better and greener ways to manufacture wool carpet and an end product

that is healthier for the planet.”

Last year, Cavalier announced it would transition away from the manufacture and supply of synthetic fibre carpets which it said have “negative impacts on people’s health and the planet”.

Cavalier stopped ordering synthetic yarn and has sold down its remaining synthetic fibre stock as it returns to its wool carpet roots.

“Over the next 10 years, our vision is to become a global leader in designing and creating desirable, sustainable, safe and high performing interior products. Our 50 plus years of experience and exploration has taught us that, for design, innovation and performance on the floor, New Zealand wool is

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

the best fibre available, Alston said.

“This is why we have embarked on our journey to becoming a wool-only carpet and rug company.”

Bremworth’s strategy aligns with the work undertaken by the government-initiated Strong Wool Action Group in promoting New Zealand and was in line with the government’s strategic priorities of growing the sustainability, value, and reach of New Zealand’s exports, unlocking the potential for sustainable growth in the regions, transitioning to a clean, green, and carbon-neutral New Zealand; and investing for social wellbeing.

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13

BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION FEATURE

Westland to cut carbon emissions W

estland Milk Products will use government funding to accelerate plans to reduce carbon emissions produced by its Hokitika factory.

Westland will invest a total of $3.2 million, including $1.7m from the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund, administered by EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority), to reduce the Hokitika plant’s 116,000 tonnes of annual carbon emissions as part of work to be completed by October next year.

Westland chief executive Richard Wyeth said it was an important step in its journey towards a low-carbon future.

“This co-investment will allow us to reduce our emissions produced by our boilers immediately.

“Westland is very conscious of our responsibilities to the region and the role we need to play in navigating the path towards a low-carbon future.

“The West Coast faces particular challenges when it comes to decarbonising our local industries, but we look forward to working with the government to identify future alternative energy sources as

Westland Milk Products chief executive Richard Wyeth says funding will allow it to reduce emissions produced by its boilers immediately.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

we transition to that future.’’

Wyeth said two stages of work on technology solutions would allow annual carbon emissions produced by the factory to be reduced by seven per cent from 116,000 tonnes to 107,560 tonnes.

Work has already begun on the project, which involves installing new heat exchangers

to recover more heat from coal-fired boilers used in milk pasteurisation. Heat recovered by the exchangers will be reused for energy consumption, reducing the amount of coal the factory requires to run its boilers.

Energy efficiency projects will be progressed alongside the installation of the heat

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exchangers, including projects that will allow combustion air to be preheated, and heat to be collected from the refrigeration engine room and air compressors to preheat the cold-water feed to the boilers.

New control mechanisms to better manage product flow across the heat exchangers will also enable better energy

efficiency by reducing the amount of steam produced and therefore lost to evaporation rather than energy reuse.

The work will involve the use of local engineering firms as part of the fund’s guidelines to keep jobs in the region, stimulate the local economy and support local employment.

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14

Farming

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Installation of Luisetti Seeds’ new seed and cereal processing plant at Ashburton required highly-specialised technicians from Germany and Australia.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Luisetti Seeds unveils cutting-edge plant L

uisetti Seeds’ new multimillion-dollar seed and cereal processing plant at Ashburton has been officially opened by the Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor.

The Petkus plant is the biggest of its type outside of the United States and uses cutting-edge technology to process ryegrass, fescue, cocksfoot and cereals with minimal dressing losses and maximum efficiency.

Significantly reduced dressing losses will benefit arable growers and the machine’s increased efficiency and capacity will ensure shipping deadlines for international and domestic seed customers are met.

Operations director Vincent Luisetti said the Pektus machine represented a significant investment for Luisetti Seeds and will double the seed cleaning capacity at the company’s Ashburton site.

“The plant started operating

in mid-January, but it has taken a while to commission it and it is only becoming fully operational now.

“This cutting-edge machine reflects our belief in the importance of the arable industry and indeed agriculture – to the Canterbury and wider New Zealand economies.

“It will benefit our growers and our customers by ensuring the crops that are processed through our plant are of the highest possible quality.

“Our farmers do a fantastic job growing the crops and we can do justice to their skills, care and attention by using world-leading technology to process their seed and cereal crops.”

The Mid and Central Canterbury seed industry is world-leading. The combination of rich soils, reliable irrigation water and counter-seasonal production generates $329 million annually for the New Zealand economy. In 2019, seed exports were worth $260m.

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“Our farmers do a fantastic job growing the crops and we can do justice to their skills, care and attention by using world-leading technology to process their seed and cereal crops.”

The area in seed production is 37,000 hectares (most of this in Canterbury) of which around 85,000 tonnes of seed is harvested annually.

Ryegrass is central to the seed industry both for use

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domestically and for export.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has assessed ryegrass to be worth $14.6 billion to the New Zealand economy.

The Pektus plant is highly automated and incorporates cameras that enable production staff to view product flows and production remotely. Through wireless technology, the plant’s operation is supervised from Germany where Pektus technicians can fine-tune and adjust operations where required. It can also be operated remotely from Germany.

A state-of-the-art dust collection and management system has also been purchased from Germany which will provide a pleasant, almost dust-free environment for operational staff. The plant also features specially designed clean-down facilities that both minimise clean-down times and eliminate any possibility of contamination between lines.

To assemble the plant,

irrigation

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Luisetti Seeds had to seek special visa exemptions from the Ministries of Agriculture and Immigration to allow highly-specialised technicians from Germany and Australia into the country in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company has now employed an extra six people in its Ashburton branch to run the plant and handle the extra shipping and export requirements it will generate.

Luisetti Seeds is a familyowned and operated company located in Rangiora and Ashburton. Luisetti Seeds opened its doors in 1932 and today the third generation of Luisetti’s, along with their staff, keep the Luisetti name at the forefront of cereal seed genetics and arable production throughout New Zealand.

Luisetti Seeds is the leading supplier of seed peas for frozen pea production and milling wheat seed for bread production in New Zealand.

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15 23

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23

Manage herd nutrition on winter crop Manage herd nutrition on winter crop

A A

s the days get shorter and nights colder farmers are thinking to ashorter smoothand s theahead days get transition thefarmers winter dry nightsinto colder are period, and effective preparation thinking ahead to a smooth for next spring. transition into the winter dry Body and condition scoring, period, effective preparation increased bone storage of for next spring. phosphorus and calcium, Body condition scoring,and optimal and selenium increasedcopper bone storage of levels are high farmers’and check phosphorus andoncalcium, lists. copper and selenium optimal In autumn, mineral check levels are highcow on farmers’ requirements are reduced lists. making it the cow idealmineral time to In autumn, increase bone-stored levels of requirements are reduced both calcium making it theand idealphosphorus. time to This helps ensure successful increase bone-stored levels of both calcium and phosphorus.

This helps ensure successful

calving with minimal animal health issues.

It is also thatanimal copper calving withcritical minimal and selenium health issues. levels are checked in It April to give enough time to is also critical that copper increase supplementation and and selenium levels are checked boost stored levels priortime to dryin April to give enough to off. increase supplementation and It isstored important firstlytoknow boost levelstoprior drythe off. mineral concentration in your (both winter andknow It isfeed important to firstly spring). the mineral concentration in This then allows youand to plan your feed (both winter how to balance any deficiencies spring). found.

This then allows you to plan Calcium and phosphorus must how to balance any deficiencies be supplemented in combination found. at Calcium a ratio ofand 2:1phosphorus to ensure must be supplemented in combination at a ratio of 2:1 to ensure

optimal uptake and storage of both minerals.

Key trace minerals such asof optimal uptake and storage copper, selenium, boron and both minerals. chromium also critical Key traceare minerals such for as efficientselenium, weight gain, foetus copper, boron and development vigour, chromium areand alsocalf critical for and as a weight catalystgain, for maximum efficient foetus mineral uptake and storage. development and calf vigour, Minerals over the winter are and as a catalyst for maximum best supplemented a loose mineral uptake andvia storage. lick, dusted over on the orare Minerals thesilage, winter through the water trough for best supplemented via a loose soluble mineral blends. lick, dusted on the silage, or Correctthe mineral through water balance trough for soluble mineral blends.

Correct mineral balance

has a positive effect in maximising milk production, reducing metabolic and has a positive effect disease in minimising health costs. maximising animal milk production, If you would like disease further and reducing metabolic advice on mineral minimising animalnutrition health costs. talk your vet like or contact If to you would furtherthe Agvance directly. advice onteam mineral nutrition talk to your vet or contact the Agvance team directly.

Shaun Balemi, Dairy Nutritionist (M.Sc, NZARN) at Agvance Nutrition.

Shaun Balemi, Dairy www.agvance.co.nz Nutritionist (M.Sc, NZARN) at Agvance Nutrition. www.agvance.co.nz

Shaun Balemi from Agvance provides mineral nutrition advice and Shaun Balemi from support to balancemineral herd Agvance provides diet whenadvice transitioning nutrition and onto Fodder Beet orherd other support to balance winter crops. diet when transitioning onto Fodder Beet or other winter crops.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Farming

16

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FARM MACHINERY FEATURE

Quality farm machinery imports,

Q

uality is at the forefront of EuroAgri’s imported machinery range, backed up by an amazing service department, after-sales support and training.

EuroAgri are the exclusive New Zealand importers, dealers and service agents for leading European cultivation, drilling, spreading and spray equipment brands HE-VA, Mzuri, Bredal, Househam and Billericay. They are also the South Island dealer and service agent for Lemken and McConnel, and supplier of

Claydon V3.45 Drill

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Hardi Commander Plus Sprayer

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Ag Leader precision farming technology.

Since 2009, the Ashburtonbased, family-owned business has developed and maintained a reputation for excellence, not only regarding the quality of the machines it stands by, but also by the service it provides.

A key role is matching the needs of farmers and contractors, says general manager James McCloy. All machines brought into New Zealand are top-level products

HE-VA 6m Master Tiller

in their own countries.

“Because we are dealing directly with all of our family owned and operated franchise brands, there are no extra links in the chain. This means more competitive pricing, quality assurance and most importantly, products to suit contractors, farmers and smaller specialist operators.”

Eighty per cent of its business was from repeat customers, who were already sold on the quality of

HE-VA 6.3m Disc Roller

$54,995*

$19,995*

Heavy duty grader blade.

$31,500* As new. Hydraulic levelling boards. 24”, 10 spoke cambridge rings.

Fransgard 3m Grader Blade

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Workshop Serviced.

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Freephone: 0800 EUROAG

JAMES MCCLOY 027 782 7606

MARK SMITHERAM 027 292 5014

ELIOT SCHOFIELD 027 611 1892

Eliot Schofield comes from an agricultural contracting background.

All staff have a huge skillset, extending from a knowledge of machinery to its practical operation.

EuroAgri’s experienced inhouse servicing team can also custom modify machinery to suit individual customers’ needs.

“Machine setup, help and guidance are all part of our service and if the time arises, we are only a phone call away to

HE-VA 6.3m Cambridge Roller

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Househam AR3000

2004 Model. 24m boom, 3000L tank. Ag Leader GPS with auto section control. Excellent condition.

HE-VA 3m Disc Roller

$54,995* 2014 model. Levelling boards, rear drawbar. Tidy condition.

Heavy duty tined cultivator. One season old. As new.

EuroAgri’s brands and its sales and service.

Many of the staff have decades of experience in machinery sales and servicing.

This includes James McCloy, who has more than 40 years’ experience, after starting as an apprentice mechanic.

Product specialist Mark Smitheram has more than 35 years’ experience in the industry, including the last 10 years at EuroAgri.

Fellow product specialist

Bredal F2

$15,500*

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Optional loadcells & rate readout for $21,500+GST (total).

Househam Merlin

POA Arriving Soon

2013 Model. 24m boom, 4000L tank.

Auto steer ready.

Section control. Hydraulic Axle.

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FARM MACHINERY FEATURE

17

customisation and service

Service manager Terry Gordon completes a special fit-out for a Bredal fertiliser spreading truck, one of the many services and repairs available.

PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

answer any questions or provide further support.”

Currently, sales were particularly strong for Lemken Rubin 10 discs, which set new standards for compact disc harrows and offer a wide range of improvements. “We already have good forward orders for these.

“The size of the discs, configuration and spacing means it is one of the few suitable for both primary and secondary cultivation. It is ideally suited to Canterbury conditions.”

Behind the scenes in the office, operations manager Kellie Winter, marketing coordinator Jilly Woolsey and accounts administrator Di Ness ensure the company’s business operations run smoothly.

Servicing Whether you have urgent repairs or need to book scheduled maintenance, EuroAgri’s highly skilled and qualified service team led by service manager Terry Gordon will keep you running with minimal downtime.

EuroAgri’s workshop

supports the servicing and repairs of all its franchise brands or alternatively this work can be carried out on farm. The team knows its brands better than anyone else so you can be assured that all work is carried out to the highest of standards.

EuroAgri also do special fit-outs for Bredal fertiliser spreading trucks and Househam spray rigs.

An in-house engineer means other custom modifications can be done to suit individual customers’ needs.

EuroAgi’s experienced sales team (from left) Mark Smitheram, James McCloy and Eliot Schofield.

A complete after-hours service is also available.

Parts EuroAgri stock a comprehensive range of parts for all their franchise brands (Ag Leader, Bredal, HE-VA, Househam, Lemken, Mzuri, McConnel) as well as a huge range of other quality parts. If you need a common part or one less known, give parts manager Phil Webb a call. He will be able to help you find what you’re after for most makes and models of machinery.

EuroAgri also carries a range of spray nozzles, and a comprehensive range of spray parts for all makes and models, along with a full range of cultivation points and hardware.

All parts can be freighted New Zealand wide.

Spread testing Fertiliser proof of placement and spreading accuracy is vital.

That’s why we have Spreadmark accredited assessors in our team to ensure your spreader is up to standard. www.euroagri.co.nz

RANGE OF PRODUCTS AVAILABLE Machinery for sale

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Seminar on rural mental health Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

R

ural professionals and others servicing the rural community are being invited to a seminar in Ashburton on May 19 aimed at providing them with the tools needed when faced with farmers struggling with stress and mental health issues.

Mid Canterbury-based rural advocate and commentator Craig “Wiggy” Wiggins said well-known mental health advocates such as Sir John Kirwan, Mike King and Doug Avery had gone public with their personal stories to make it OK for people to speak more openly about their own turmoil and anxiety.

“This means those who need help are feeling they can come out and seek help.

“Recently I have been approached by a few farm service providers and rural professionals such as environmental advisors stating that they and their staff are regularly finding farmers who want to discuss their mental state of mind. Some are very emotional.

“The people I have spoken to have realised that they are dealing with a turning point in a client’s life, a cry for help or a desperate plea to relieve the pressure. This is not every farmer, but with the increased pressures of freshwater legislation, winter grazing regulations, farm succession planning, staffing issues and their own physical health taking a toll on many a farmer, more

Craig Wiggins says he has been approached by farm service providers and rural professionals who are regularly finding farmers who want to discuss their mental state of mind.

PHOTO: ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

are opening up to those they trust.

“The professionals that I have been approached by feel they are untrained and nervous about the situation they or their staff find themselves in and don’t know how to get out of the professional space and into a personal space with their clients. Is what they are seeing serious and what or where do they go for help?”

To support and educate rural service people that are the link to the rural community, the seminar would provide information on what to look for, what questions to ask and where to direct farmers for assistance when they were asking for help.

Slade McFarland, a former Maori All Black and now field officer for Mates in Construction, which offers a similar service in the construction industry, will speak at the seminar, along

with a Rural Support Trust representative, a rural GP, a suicide prevention group and mental wellness coach.

Mates in Construction was aimed at significantly improving mental wellness and reducing suicide in the construction industry.

McFarland has spoken on Wiggins’ online farmer forum group “Whatever with Wiggy” which runs on Thursday nights on Zoom.

“This industry, like farming, has huge issues with suicide and mental illness and Mates in Construction has a proven programme which teaches and develops people’s skills in spotting those that need help and how to support them into the right help. This programme works, it is our people looking after our people and delivered at a grass roots level,” Wiggins said.

“We don’t need to develop a rural programme with bells and whistles we can just take Mates in Construction’s programme and put Red Bands on it.”

In rural New Zealand, one of the biggest contributors to mental stress was the isolation of people, Wiggins said.

“Many farmers or farming families only have a small number of people they associate with, due to isolation, hours worked and closed social life.

It may be a stock agent, a vet, a rural mechanic, their bank manager, and rural merchandise representative, for example.”

These people had a relationship of trust with the farmer, for example, a stock agent asked to purchase a thousand lambs at $100 each and were the link to breaking down the isolation and recognising if a farmer was struggling, Wiggins said.

The seminar will be on May 19 at the Ashburton Racecourse starting at 10am. Registration details will be available soon.

Rural ball a chance to swap Swanndris F

arming families are being encouraged to get offfarm and socialise at special get-togethers planned for the district over the next two months including a Mid Canterbury Rural Community Ball.

Quiz nights will also be held at Methven and Hinds in the next month.

Mid Canterbury-based rural advocate and commentator Craig “Wiggy” Wiggins has helped initiate the events, supported by Farmlands, the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust and Federated Farmers.

Wiggins said it was important to rejuvenate rural social connections and communities, as this, in turn, improved farmers’ wellbeing.

“One of the problems we are seeing in rural New Zealand is that farmers are isolated and are not talking to each other enough. Now we all have cellphones we talk to each other a lot less.

“The most important thing you can do is be part of your community, as everything you put in you get back in spades.”

Horse racing meetings, rodeos and A&P Shows had been attracting greater numbers since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, as people realised they needed to get off-farm, though people were still tending to stay local, Wiggins said.

Previously, a Farming Families Day at the Races had attracted hundreds from throughout Canterbury to mid-winter Ashburton Trotting Club meetings in 2018 and 2019, but after last year’s event was

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scratched because of Covid-19 restrictions, organisers decided to try something different this year.

The quiz night at Methven racecourse’s Goodwin lounge on April 30 at 7.30pm will have a duck shooting theme, while the second, at the Southern Rugby Clubrooms at Hinds on May 7 will have a sports theme.

Teams of four to six people will have the chance to test their knowledge, with prices for best dressed in the theme of the night. Plans were to have “local heroes” speak at both events.

To register, contact farmingfamilies4u@gmail.com or check the Facebook page @ farmingfamilies4u.

The Mid Canterbury Rural Community Ball on June 12 at the Hotel Ashburton was an opportunity for people “to get their glad rags on”, Wiggins said.

“We invite everyone to come and bring your teenagers, as it is a family event.”

Ticket numbers were limited to 400.

Early bird tickets at $65 for people with a rural address go on sale on April 19, with remaining tickets at $75 on sale from May 1. Tickets can be booked online at www. trybooking.com. The ticket price includes a buffet dinner, with a cash bar for beverages.

The ball will feature entertainment by popular Wanaka-based country singer Jody Direen and local schoolgirl Molly Harrison. A charity auction will run throughout the evening, with giveaway prizes also on offer.

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Move to NZ pays off for award-winning couple Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

H

ard work and sacrifice have paid off for Mid Canterbury couple Dinuka and Nadeeka Gamage who are realising their New Zealand farming dream.

From Sri Lanka, the couple were attracted by the farming opportunities available in New Zealand and a better future for their family.

Having worked their way up the dairy career ladder, the Gamages now contract milk 980 cows on a 245-hectare Dairy Holdings’ property at Ealing, just north of the Rangitata River. Their efforts were recognised when they were named winners of the 2021 Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmer of the Year competition.

“Agriculture has always been our career of choice,” said the Gamages. “We love working outside with animals and nature.

“It was challenging at first to learn the skills required to be a New Zealand dairy farmer, but we have overcome that through continuous education and experience.”

Obtaining an agricultural engineering qualification in Sri Lanka, Dinuka got a job selling veterinary animal health products which involved visiting farms, increasing his interest in agriculture. The couple decided to move to New Zealand as it was a peaceful place to bring up their family.

To make the shift required sacrifice, with the family spending two years apart when Dinuka first arrived in 2008 to

Dinuka and Nadeeka Gamage discuss safe operation of machinery with staff members, second-in-charge Janaka Mallawa Arrachchi (second from left) and assistant herd manager Chandana Hettiarchchige (third from left).

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

take on a dairy role at Kaikoura.

His wife Nadeeka and two sons, Anuhas, now 14, and Thejan, 10, stayed in Sri Lanka, not joining him until 2010. The family became permanent residents in 2013 and New Zealand citizens in 2018.

Dinuka had only two trips back to Sri Lanka over the two years, returning with his family the second time.

Communicating via the internet was more difficult 10 years ago, with no reception on the Kaikoura farm where he worked. This meant talking via Skype required a trip into town to an internet café, something Nadeeka also had to do in Sri Lanka. While they could talk on the phone, calls were expensive.

“If we wanted to talk a bit

longer, we had to go to an internet café,” Nadeeka said.

Arriving in New Zealand, Dinuka had to borrow money to buy a car and to survive the first month before he got his first pay.

After one season at Kaikoura, Dinuka then spent eight years at a 950-cow Culverden farm, where he moved up the farming ladder from assistant herd manager to herd manager and second-incharge to farm manager. He has backed up his experience with agricultural qualifications, achieving Primary ITO Level 5 production management and Level 4 dairy farming. He has also completed a NZ diploma in agribusiness management.

Wanting to learn all he could

about New Zealand dairy farming he became an avid reader of NZ Dairy Exporter magazine.

When at Culverden, Nadeeka, who has a diploma in early childhood education, worked at a Hanmer Springs’ preschool, but at Ealing she works onfarm.

In 2017, the Gamages moved to the hybrid contract milker role at Ealing, with the 980-cow herd producing 330,000kg of milksolids.

The irrigated system-two property is farmed in line with Dairy Holdings’ philosophy of running a low-cost predominantly pasture-based farming system. The farm uses no bought-in supplementary feed unless necessary to fill a

feed deficit. Pasture surpluses are cut for silage and used later in the season to push the round length out.

In 2019-20, only 270kg of drymatter/ha was imported, compared with the DairyBase Canterbury benchmark for contract milkers of 2.4 tonnes/ DM/ha.

After four years of managing a system four farm at Culverden, it had been a challenge to change to system two, Dinuka said.

Previously applying 220kg of nitrogen/ha, the farm has dropped to 200kg/ha this season without a drop in production, in preparation for the government’s new nitrogen cap of 190kg/ha starting on July 1.

www.guardianonline.co.nz As Buddhists, the Gamages believe that it is wrong to hurt or kill animals, so rely on an external person to euthanise animals.

Their farm business is called Luckcow Dairy Ltd. “Lucky cows means well fed, well bred and well looked after, because we care,” the couple said.

The Gamages’ multiple income streams and equity growth was recognised when they won the Westpac business performance award.

Judges said it was clear they had a good understanding of their finances, past, present and future. “You have analysed good growth opportunities which you are now starting to act on,” the judges said.

In addition to milk income from their contract milking role, the Gamages are also buying and rearing calves and leasing these to Dairy Holdings once they enter the herd.

When they moved to the Ealing farm they only had 14 calves. Since then they have reared 50 heifer calves every year, paying for these to go to grazing until they are ready to start milking. They now own 250 animals.

Last year they also bought 70 risingtwo-year heifers. They also rear and sell bull calves.

To spread their financial risk, they also bought a rental house in Ashburton in 2018.

Future goals are to save enough equity to 50-50 sharemilk a 600-cow herd by 2023.

The Gamages also won the Federated Farmers’ leadership award for being advocates and mentors for the Sri Lankan community and helping multiple immigrants to establish their careers in the dairy industry. “You should be proud of your leadership and mentoring in this space,” the judges said.

The couple have offered jobs and introduced new people to the dairy

Dinuka and Nadeeka Gamage offer locals a taste of Sri Lankan food during Ashburton’s Waitangi Day multicultural Bite event. Money raised went to Sri Lankan charities. P HOTO: SUPPLIED

21

industry. “We have introduced three new people in the last four years to the dairy industry and helped them successfully settle in the community.

They are now well settled and happily working for Canterbury farmers,” Nadeeka told a Dairy Industry Awards field day on their farm.

“We specially help immigrant workers to settle in the community since 2014 by offering basic things when they first arrive, even if they don’t work for us. We talk to them and listen to them when they are having a hard time.

“We do this because when we arrived in New Zealand with kids it was challenging to find places like schools, doctors, Plunket and playcentres.

“When a new overseas person starts a job, we offer food for two weeks until they get their first payment. We offer them a cosy warm house with other basic needs like furniture and appliances, bedding and pots and pans.

“We encourage staff to pursue career progression from a junior level to a senior one. “ Their staff are predominantly Sri Lankan, which meant they learnt things quickly as they all spoke the same language.

“However, we encourage them to talk English, so that they are not at a disadvantage when they go off-farm, or move to another farm,” Nadeeka said.

The couple have donated calves to the Carew Peel Forest School, as well as donating to the Samadhi Sri Lankan Buddhist Temple in Christchurch for a water project.

They also have an ongoing commitment to a cancer hospital in Sri Lanka, sending funds raised from a food stall at the 2019 Waitangi Day multi-cultural Bite in Ashburton.

Nadeeka visited the hospital in January 2020, just before the Covid-19 border closure.

This year, funds raised from Bite were spent on grocery items for people affected by Covid-19 in Sri Lanka.

“We have been participating in this since 2019 and look forward to doing this for many years to come,” Nadeeka said.

The Gamages are enjoying their New Zealand life and like travelling during school holidays. They go camping every summer and like to watch cricket matches, especially when the Black Caps play Sri Lanka.

“We live our dreams so far in New Zealand and are proud to be New Zealanders,” they said.

Winners of the 2021 Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmer of the Year competition Dinuka and Nadeeka Gamage, with their sons Anuhas (far left) and Thejan.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

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What farming practice will be next Craig Hickman

ELBOW DEEP @dairymanNZ

O

n August 14, 2020, Gulf Livestock 1 left the Port of Napier bound for China carrying 43 crew and 5867 cattle.

Seventeen days into its journey, after sailing into the path of a typhoon and losing power to its engine, Gulf Livestock 1 capsized with only one crew member surviving and all the animals on board perishing.

This tragedy spurred the Government to suspend live export shipments while a review was undertaken.

Two months later shipments resumed but the writing was on the wall, public sentiment had been heavily against the practice for years, and the Government announced shipments of live animals would be phased out over the next two years.

It doesn’t matter that the sinking of Gulf Livestock

Government has announced that the export of livestock by sea will cease after a transition period of up to two years.

1 was a maritime disaster unrelated to its cargo, the vessel had been flagged in both Indonesia and Australia for poor engine maintenance and improperly filed voyage plans, or that it was the only vessel to head directly into the typhoon while all the other ships in the vicinity sought shelter.

Nor does it matter what the conditions were like on-board more modern livestock carriers; how much feed is available; how many vets are on call or even if that the animals gain weight on their journey. What matters,

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especially to a Government that seems to have lost its way and is treading water on more pressing issues, is that banning live exports will make a lot more people happy than it annoys, and the people who do get annoyed by the ban probably weren’t going to vote for them in the first place.

Halting live exports has been Green Party policy for a very long time so it was inevitable a Labour Government would eventually enact it; after all it’s much easier to ban things than to actually do things and,

providing our trading partners don’t take exception, there are no downsides.

Activities that we farmers undertake without second thought may in fact be very large risks to our industry, and the live export of animals was one such risk. If enough people object to a farming practice, regardless of the facts of the situation, we slowly begin to lose our social license to operate. We lose public support, and it becomes increasingly more attractive for the Government of the day to

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

take action.

Objections to a particular activity don’t always come in the form of protests from people with a penchant for chaining themselves to trees, sometimes they come from a displaced people overseas lodging papers in our very own High Court.

The Western Sahara Independence Movement are currently suing the New Zealand Superannuation Fund for investing in farms that are fertilised with what they claim is illegally mined phosphate,

www.guardianonline.co.nz

23

to be banned by government? and before you dismiss this action you should know they’ve already had success in South African courts and stopped phosphate shipments from leaving port.

New Zealand has hardly covered itself in glory in the past when it comes to sourcing phosphate. Today the Pacific island of Nauru is 80 per cent barren wasteland as a result of phosphate mining and Ocean Island is in an even worse state, being left largely uninhabitable and most of the residents displaced to Fiji.

Having completely depleted those sources we now import the essential mineral from the Western Sahara.

The Western Sahara was forcibly occupied by Morocco in 1975 and the ownership of the mineral rights are contested to this day. The occupiers are not internationally recognised and we remain the only Western country in the world that still allows imports from this region.

I won’t make any predictions as to when we will join the rest of the world in an import ban, public awareness isn’t yet great enough for the Government to feel pressured into making a move. I sincerely hope both Ballance and Ravensdown are

live exports and even more poorly understood than palm kernel; bobby calves.

For a cow to produce milk it must first become pregnant and bear a calf.

About a quarter of the resulting calves are reared as replacements for the dairy herd and a good portion are sold to be reared for beef production.

The remaining Surplus bobby calves, sent for slaughter in the first week of their lives, are an emotive calves, some issue with no easy solution.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED 1.8 million each year, are sent for working hard on a Plan B. by banning palm kernel would slaughter in the Long before the Government be like trying to reduce beef first week of their lives. moves on phosphate I suspect consumption in New Zealand by An enormous amount they will set their sights on banning leather sofas, though I of work has been done to palm kernel; the use of the suspect a leather sofa ban would ensure these calves’ welfare; supplementary feed is widely upset significantly more people from rearing to transport to publicised and debated though I than one on palm kernel. slaughter, but an increasing feel it is poorly understood.

Much like live exports, portion of the public are finding Banning its use would win halting the use of palm kernel the practice unpalatable. almost universal public support would allow people who are The only reason I can think despite the fact palm oil, the unaffected to feel good, and they that it hasn’t been moved driver of plantation expansion by far outweigh the number of on sooner is there’s no easy in Indonesia, is in almost every people who use the stuff. solution. Simply banning the product we consume. Trying to Unfortunately, there is an activity would only see the limit deforestation in Indonesia issue at hand just as emotive as calves slaughtered on farm and

requiring them to be reared for longer before transportation would probably see a similar result.

I have seen well-meaning people suggest the use of sexed semen as a way of eliminating bobby calves, but this just highlights the lingering misconception that bobbies are bull calves and only killed because they cannot produce milk, in fact a bobby calf is any calf that is surplus to requirements regardless of sex.

The use of sexed semen, which may ensure every calf born is a heifer, would just mean more of the surplus calves were female. We’re not in a position to rear more replacements, the Climate Change Commission makes that very clear, and exporting the extras to China is no longer an option.

Just because there are no easy solutions to issues like bobby calves or where we source our phosphate from doesn’t make them any less of a risk, and it would be far better if the farming community could come up with solutions before public pressure forced the Government to take action. After all, it’s much easier to ban things than to do things.

24

Dairy Focus

BULL AND CALF SALES FEATURE

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Breeding mastitis out of herds D

DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Jane Lacy-Hulbert; need to reduce antibiotic use.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Paul Bailey

027 229 9774

paul@canterburylivestock.co.nz

airy farmers are being encouraged to carefully consider the bulls they select for mating this season to help them address ongoing herd health issues like mastitis and reduce the need for antibiotics.

Udder health was the topic of conversation for CRV’s podcast featuring DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Jane Lacy-Hulbert and CRV breeding programme manager Aaron Parker.

Lacy-Hulbert said mastitis was a costly condition for farmers to manage and its treatment often meant using

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antibiotics.

“Farmers are coming under increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use on farm, particularly because bacteria are developing antimicrobial resistance.

“It’s a normal phenomenon, but our problem is that we cannot develop new antibiotics fast enough to keep up with the rate at which they develop resistance. So, it really comes down to us and how we use the existing products we have in a wise and prudent way.”

Farmers worldwide were making changes to the way they use antibiotic products, Lacy-Hulbert said.

“We’re looking at ways to try and reduce the amount of antibiotics we use, particularly at drying off. This is a time when we’ve traditionally used dry cow products to prevent infections.

Now there is a trend towards using more non-antibiotic alternatives, such as the internal teat sealants, to prevent new infections.”

Lacy-Hulbert and the team at DairyNZ have been working to help farmers and vets do things differently.

“We’ve been carrying out research over the last few years to give vets more confidence about using internal teat sealants, give them more information about cow selection, and which cows to reserve the dry cow therapy for.

DairyNZ has healthy udder resources available to help farm teams to do a good job at drying off.

Lacy-Hulbert said using herd testing data and identifying cows with a high Somatic Cell Count (SCC) can help farmers choose which animals should receive dry cow antibiotics and make wise culling decisions.

“A key part of mastitis prevention is actually removing from your herd cows with high SCCs or those with long-term infections.” A lower incidence of mastitis not only means more milk in the vat, but also better animal health.”

Parker said that CRV incorporated SCC traits in its breeding programme.

“We’ve put emphasis on SCC in our breeding programme to address the issue and that’s exactly what farmers can do as well. Farmers can use their herd testing data to target their high SCC cows and use low SCC bulls as part of their breeding programme to

improve that.

“Selecting the right bulls to use will absolutely help reduce the incidence of mastitis. It’s a slow process, but it is also a permanent one and you never lose the gains you make.

“Sub-clinical mastitis is not visible and can go undetected. Using data from herd testing is crucial for identifying cows with subclinical mastitis. This information is valuable in terms of identifying the right cows to treat, but also informs farmers’ breeding decisions to help reduce SCC in their herds.

“While the trait for lower SCC is only about 15 per cent heritable, it is still high enough to make a significant difference. For example, if a farmer has a cow with a 150,000 SCC and mates her with a sire that has a breeding value of around negative one, that would reduce her SCC to 75,000, which is a massive improvement.”

Somatic Cells is a trait included in BW, which means farmers who select for index, will be improving the somatic cell count of their herd.

Parker said there were also other traits that influenced cell count.

“There is a strong link between fertility and high cell count. Healthy cows generally have less issues and produce more milk. A high SCC, therefore, is a really good indicator of other health-related issues a cow might have.

“From a breeding point of view, when we’re looking at elite cows, we use milking speed as an indicator because it is related to SCC and mastitis. Farmers like cows that are quick to milk so they can move them through the shed quickly. However, we know that high milking speed can result in high SCC and that is undesirable.

“We look closely at a cow’s udder in our breeding programme. It’s not just about her good looks. It’s about her longevity in the herd. Obviously, if she has a good udder, you want to keep her because she’s easy to milk.

“This is a global problem facing our industry and it’s up to us to play our part. That means using whatever tools are available to us. Adopting short-term on-farm management practices will help but breeding for an animal that is healthier and more resilient should be our ultimate goal,” Parker said.

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BULL AND CALF SALES FEATURE

25

Pay for your bulls with the extra days in milk

W

hy buy average or long-gestation bulls, when you can buy shortgestation bulls and harvest the extra days in milk?

John and Liz McKerchar of Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords, South Canterbury, have been breeding for short-gestation for more than 20 years, tailored to service the dairy industry.

In the current environment, dairy farmers stand to gain over $60 extra per cow per lactation, from simply using their shortgestation genetics.

On September 29, Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords will present 200 R2 registered hereford bulls at auction, on farm at Cave. A limited number of bulls are for sale right now, for winter mating.

All bulls are in the top 1 per cent of the hereford breed for gestation length (GL) and the top 10 per cent for calving ease (CE). Not only is GL and CE vital to dairy farmers, but the white face left by herefords is a very

easy marker, to identify the beef cross calves at calving.

Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords are exclusive suppliers of SGL hereford semen to LIC. According to LIC’s annual progeny testing of their bulls, they have this year identified the shortestgestation herefords ever used in the dairy industry. The semen will be available this spring.

Through LIC, the Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords genetics are used in 10 different countries around the world. The feedback supplied is very valuable, in consistently selecting useful new genetics.

Shrimpton’s Hill 19-126 was selected amongst six other hereford bulls to trial in Beef + Lamb NZ’s dairy sire trial. At the time of selection, he was the only hereford in the top 1 per cent in all breed indexes. He will also be progeny tested

by LIC this year along with seven other yearlings for future semen duties at LIC. Sire 126 has been used in the

herd in both the spring and autumn AB. In 2020, John and Liz McKerchar donated the proceeds of Lot 20, to Meat the Need, an organisation set up during the lockdown to provide meat to families in need, through food banks nationwide. This year Lot 21, 2021 will be donated to this very worthy cause and they encourage all livestock farmers to get on board.

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

Today the herd consists of 750 females and about 750 support stock. Their native tussock block of 900ha is home to their stud cows for the winter.

The family also has a border leicester sheep stud that was established in 1869 in Southland.

Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords is the first in the world to sell one million straws of hereford semen.

John and Liz McKerchar of Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords, South Canterbury, have been breeding for short-gestation for more than 20 years, tailored to service the dairy industry.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

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Dairy Focus

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CALVING PREPARATION FEATURE

27

Colostrum – the essential first feed B

ovine colostrum delivers better calf health and performance, according to a report

by Ajmal Khan and Sue McCoard, of the animal nutrition and physiology team at AgResearch.

Their report calls colostrum an “essential first feed” for calves as they are born with an under-developed digestive system and no ability to fight against disease-causing organisms.

To overcome this, immediately after calving, colostrum is produced in cows’ udders for their calves to feed on. The colostrum gives the calf defense molecules critical for their survival for the first six weeks of their life before their immune system starts to develop.

“Colostrum is an essential first feed for the calf and is rich in nutrients and biologically active substances, such as immunoglobulins (defense molecules), hormones, and growth factors. Along with the importance of calves acquiring immune molecules from their mothers, colostrum has broad importance for the health, performance and development of calves,” the report said.

AgResearch found calves removed from cows within 24 hours of birth and fed highquality colostrum have reduced incidence of scours and electrolyte use, and improved feed efficiency when compared to calves fed low-quality transition milk.

The production of transition milk follows that of colostrum in the

first four days of calving and is a mixture of colostrum and milk.

Though this transition milk contains a substantial amount of nutrients and growth promoters to support health and growth of calves, it’s recommended that transition milk is not used as a substitute for colostrum. Rather, it should be fed on days two to four after birth or longer if available.

High-quality colostrum has a Brix value of 22 per cent or higher, while transition milk has a Brix value of 12 per cent.

To ensure calves get the most from colostrum, Ajmal and McCoard suggest pooling colostrum from different cows before feeding it.

This is because “the concentration and type of defense molecules in colostrum can vary between cows because of their genetics, parity, stress, vaccination and nutritional status”.

When pooled, Ajmal and McCoard suggest using a refractometer to measure colostrum quality.

Not only does pooling colostrum improve the quality fed to calves, it also helps to ensure calves get the required amount when they need it. A calf ’s ability to absorb antibodies decreases by 30 to 50 per cent within six hours of birth and stops between 24 and 36 hours.

Because of this, Ajmal and McCoard say it’s “a race against time because of the declining ability of the intestine to absorb antibodies into the bloodstream”.

“Recent research indicates that leaving the calf to suckle on the cow for 24 hours does not guarantee sufficient colostrum intake. Recent research also shows that one-third of New Zealand calves fail to acquire the desired levels of antibodies (>10 mg/ml of immunoglobulin G or ≤ 52 g/L of serum total protein) in their bloodstream from colostrum.”

This failure is known as “failure of passive transfer”, and Ajmal and McCoard suggest it “may be the result of not feeding sufficient amounts of colostrum, feeding poor quality colostrum or transition milk, or feeding too long after calving”.

Research recommends a calf should ideally have two feeds of highquality warm colostrum, equivalent of 15 per cent of its body weight, in its first 12 to 24 hours.

After colostrum is harvested, it should be stored in clean containers and can be kept in the fridge for 72 hours or in the freezer for a few weeks.

And while this early calf care and colostrum management can be logistically challenging with whole herds calving over a few weeks, it is worth the investment.

“Investing in calf care and good colostrum management will reduce labour and veterinary costs associated with treating sick calves and improved calf health and welfare with potential lifetime performance benefits.”

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FARM ADVISORS FEATURE

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uccession planning is a vital task for the long-term success of any family farming business, but it can be a daunting exercise. The following considers four possible succession structures commonly used by farming families.

Trusts Perhaps the most wellknown option, placing farming property into a trust, provides the following benefits: • protection for assets from claims from third parties; • increased protection from claims by spouses under the Property (Relationships) Act 1976, or other family members under the Family Protection Act 1955; • the potential to benefit from welfare entitlements, without trust assets being affected; and • protection from tax on 2189807 2189807

death or capital gains tax, should these be introduced.

However, there are disadvantages to relying on a trust structure alone. Commonly, farming couples have one child who wishes to work on the farm, while other children pursue other careers.

If the farm is sold upon the death of both the parents, and the proceeds split evenly between the siblings, the farming child may feel they have received no benefit for all their hard work. Alternatively, if the farming child continues to farm the property, the nonfarming children may feel they have been overlooked.

A will cannot apply to property in a trust.

Trustees should leave a Memorandum of Wishes outlining a desired succession plan for trust 2189807

assets. This is not legally binding, but trustees are highly likely to follow these wishes.

While the trust provides some protection from claims by former spouses, claims against trust property can succeed in certain circumstances, for example: • if the trust is part of marital property, the court may exercise its discretion to distribute trust property as it sees fit, under section 182 of the Family Proceedings Act; and • a claim of a ‘constructive trust’ over trust property, where despite the property being in a family trust, a former spouse may be entitled to half the property due to contributions made leading to a reasonable expectation in an interest in trust property.

www.guardianonline.co.nz Companies Farms are businesses, and companies were made for trading. Incorporating a company to own the family farm means that day-to-day decisions will be made by the directors or employees. Advantages to the company structure include that: • it is simple to transfer a share in the farm through sale of shares in a company. It’s much more complex to transfer proportionate shares owned by an individual, a partnership or a trust; • selling shares may avoid tax payments that would otherwise be required on sale of assets; • companies have a set tax rate of 28 per cent, which is lower than individual tax rates for income over $48,000; • shareholders’ liability is limited to the amount they paid for their shares; and • the Companies Act 1993 sets out clear rules for operating companies.

A farming couple could own the shares in the company, and the child who wishes to work on the farm will have the opportunity to purchase shares over time. Alternatively, the couple could decide that on their death, specific numbers of shares could pass to each of their children.

Trust and Company A trust structure in conjunction with a company is a very useful option for farming families: • the farm and other assets are held by the company, and shares in the company are owned by a family trust (Trust A); • if one child wishes to actively farm the land, that child can purchase shares in the farming company and gift them into an inheritance trust established solely for the benefit of the farming child (Trust B); • a farming child with a spouse may establish a discretionary joint family trust to hold shares acquired during the relationship (Trust C).

Upon the death of the parents, the assets of Trust A can be distributed among all children, without the farming child feeling their work has been overlooked. The farming child may be able to purchase the remaining shares in the company from their siblings or come to an arrangement that works for all of them. A proportion of Trust A’s shares in the company will also be transferred to the farming child and as part of their inheritance can then be gifted into Trust B. Upon separation or divorce, a spouse will likely be entitled to only their share in the relationship property held in Trust C, with the shares acquired by the farming child in Trust B remaining protected against a relationship property claim. The assets owned by Trust C can be used for the benefit of the farming child’s whole family (including the spouse), and the assets of Trust B can benefit the children of the farming child.

The farming child and their spouse are able to enter into a Relationship Property Agreement contracting out of certain arrangements. For example, in the event of separation the farming child’s spouse would be entitled to money but not a share in the property. However, the court has the discretion to set aside this agreement if it considers it would cause a serious injustice, so it is essential that the agreed arrangement is fair.

By combining the two structures, the farming family benefits from both the trading advantages of a company and the protection afforded by a trust.

Limited Partnership Limited Partnerships are increasing in popularity as a tool for succession. The Limited Partnership has a separate legal personality, similar to a company, with the following features:

FARM ADVISORS FEATURE • it must consist of at least one general partner and one limited partner; • the general partner is responsible for the day-to-day management of the business, and is also liable for all the debts of the partnership; • a company is usually formed to act as the general partner, thus providing protection from individual liability; • each limited partner’s liability extends only to the amount of capital they contribute. To retain this limited liability, they must not take part in the management of the partnership; and • unlike companies, limited partnerships themselves are not taxed – instead, income and tax liability flows through to the partners.

The flexibility of this structure provides for different levels of

Property

involvement in the business. Children of farming parents who pursue other careers may wish to be involved as limited partners, while the parents and/ or any farming children may be involved as directors of the general partner company.

The Limited Partnership allows for easy entry and exit of partners, making it a smooth tool for succession purposes.

A Partnership Agreement must be created before registration of any Limited Partnership, but this Agreement remains a private document.

Where to from here?

The first step is for the farming parents to decide what they want to do in the next phase of their lives. To enable a family farming business to be passed successfully to the next generation, it

Agribusiness

Succession

29

needs to provide sufficient income to support two families (the retiring parents and the succeeding farming child).

No two farming families will have the same needs, and so succession plans need to be customised to suit each individual family’s specific circumstances. We recommend sitting down with your lawyer, banker and accountant to decide on the best succession plan for you.

Whether parents want to include their children in this conversation will be dependent on family dynamics.

It may also be helpful to have an experienced facilitator to assist with family discussions about succession before bringing succeeding children into the substantive business discussion with lawyers, bankers and accountants.

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Farming

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Beef + Lamb NZ wants more flexible, regional approaches to regulations excluding stock from waterways.

B

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Delete low-slope map, says Beef + Lamb

eef + Lamb New Zealand has renewed calls for changes to the stock exclusion regulations, specifically the low-slope map, saying the Government’s recent willingness to consider practical alternatives on winter grazing provides hope more workable options can be applied to managing stock around waterways.

Beef + Lamb chief executive Sam McIvor said its position had been clear all along on the regulations introduced in August last year. “We want the inaccurate low-slope map to be deleted and replaced with a general rule that regional councils would be empowered to give effect to. This could be

through either a slope-trigger rule based at the paddock scale or by undertaking their own regional mapping.

“We’re not against the ‘why’ – the intent of the rule is good, but we are concerned about the ‘how’.”

The government’s current low slope map currently identifies thousands of hectares of steep land as low slope and therefore required to be fenced.

“Tinkering around the edges of the unworkable and inaccurate national-scale map won’t get the right outcomes – we need regional approaches.”

McIvor said the government’s decision to support an industryled Intensive Winter Grazing (IWG) module to farm plans in

the coming year and to delay the implementation of the winter grazing rules shows that arbitrary rules are not the right approach.

“We have been very clear that farmers need workable and relevant rules and have been advocating for effectsbased approaches at the paddock scale to both IWG and to stock exclusion, delivered through effective farm planning.

“We ask the government to give certainty to farmers and to apply a commonsense approach to the low-slope map. We’re very willing to work with the government on getting this right.”

More generally, Beef +

Lamb is concerned about the blunt effect the 360 regulations (section 360 of the Resource Management Act 1991) approach to stock exclusion has and would like to see more regional discretion.

“By having strict rules there is no ability to consider whether there are animals in the paddock, how many or what type of animal, and it makes it harder for farmers to manage environmental risks. There are more effective ways of achieving the same, or even better, environmental outcomes.”

McIvor said the regionallybased approach to stock exclusion was consistent with the adoption of stock exclusion

rules, including a slope-trigger at paddock scale, in Hawke’s Bay and the recent introduction of similar rules in Waikato.

“These approaches take into account how intensively paddocks are farmed and provide farmers with an alternative pathway if there are legitimate reasons for not wanting to fence the waterways.

“These rules are specific enough for the regional council to take action on breaches but flexible enough to ensure that good environmental outcomes are the driving force.”

Beef + Lamb will continue to work with other industry groups in advocating for changes to the stock exclusion regulations

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31

Groundswell grows; call for unity Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

A

lack of a strong unified voice means the rural community is struggling to mitigate the impacts of increasing government regulations such as freshwater reforms, a meeting in Ashburton was told.

Groundswell founder Laurie Paterson said that agricultural industry groups needed to recognise the importance of all farmer representatives speaking with one voice.

“Neither Beef + Lamb NZ or DairyNZ should have entered into discussions with government about freshwater reforms without Federated Farmers being there. Farmers are tired of divide and conquer tactics and I’m talking to the government because I’m a favourite.”

Farmers faced a raft of challenges from central and local government. “It’s not just freshwater regulations, but biodiversity, the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill, the threat of significant natural area classifications being placed on huge blocks of farmland without compensation and a continuing rates burden,” Paterson said.

Groundswell NZ grew out of a protest late last year when 120 tractors were driven down Gore’s main street in response to new freshwater regulations.

Paterson said that while Groundswell was founded by a group of Southland farmers, farmers across the country were affected by the rules, which came into force last September.

Groundswell has asked for the national policy statement for freshwater management to be rewritten based on science and

Groundswell founders Laurie Paterson (left) and Bryce McKenzie spoke at a meeting in Ashburton.

best practice for each catchment and farm, rather than adopting a national blanket approach.

“The government should be getting behind a more catchment and farm-based approach and making it work rather than trying to introduce an EU-type regulatory regime that is taking money away that could be spent on improvements and biodiversity.”

The pace and extent of change required by government regulations was also putting a lot of pressure on farmers.

Paterson cited farmer apathy after a Groundswell petition attracted 2500 signatures, while a Greenpeace petition calling for the government to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser collected 33,000 signatures.

Groundswell was planning further action after holding meetings throughout the South Island.

Jamie McFadden, of Hurunui, North Canterbury, who leads the Rural Advocacy Network, said the tightening of national policy standards meant councils and communities had lost the flexibility to make decisions in their own area.

“We have shifted from an enabling legislation to a one size fits all dictatorship, unfettered power and a straitjacket on councils and communities. That is what we are seeing with freshwater, indigenous biodiversity and will probably see with climate change policy.

“The government care more

about control than they do about the environment.”

Farmers needed to get much better at recognising the issues their fellow farmers were facing, rather than thinking it was just a Southland, or high country issue, McFadden said.

“The state of the rural voice at a national level is a mess. Having industry good organisations like Beef + Lamb and DairyNZ in the advocacy space has been hugely detrimental to farmers.

“Federated Farmers are being undermined by having so many other industry players in the mix,” McFadden said.

“New Zealand farmers are leading the world with their environmental work. Our

PHOTO: HEATHER CHALMERS

leaders should be celebrating our efforts on the world stage, rather than demonising us because of our past.”

North Otago farmer Jane Smith said the blueprint of change was much greater than freshwater and told farmers not to get distracted by arbitrary dates and low slopes. She questioned why one ministry (environment) seemed to be completely overshadowing all other landbased and primary industry portfolios.

“This is not just about having clean water. It is about control We have extremist views that are being able to infiltrate Parliament, which is pandering to a lot of groups at the extreme edge,” Smith said.

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SPRAYING AND EQUIPMENT FEATURE

Safe spraying to keep bees healthy W

hen spraying, it is important to be aware of safe spray practices to help protect bees.

Bees are essential for the pollination of thousands of plant species – native and agricultural alike. As plant flowering and bee activity increases through the spring and summer months, the risk to

bees from spray application also rises.

Pesticides and herbicides can have a big impact on bees and their honey, this can severely impact pollination and put our valuable honey export crop at risk.

Small amounts of glyphosate residues have been found in some New Zealand honeys and while close to 80 per cent of those tested had no residue detections and there are no food safety issues linked with those that did, Promotes quick Apiculture NZ pasture growth and Federated Farmers were Only $6 per hectare concerned to see + GST delivered this occur.

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ensuring open communications between farmers and beekeepers when spraying occurs.

Those steps are: Consider whether spraying is necessary: • What evidence is there to support the spraying of this crop at this time?

• Consider pest pressure, weed size and disease symptoms. Survey your crop to determine if pests have reached thresholds where control with pesticides is necessary.

• Implement an integrated pest management plan to apply pesticides only when necessary.

Read the label carefully: • Read the instructions carefully to ensure you only use as recommended and follow all warnings on the label.

• Only use bee-safe products if risks to honey bees are likely.

• Take care in securing chemical tanks and dispose of used containers carefully.

Bees have been known to gather water from such sources.

• Similarly, avoid potential contamination of troughs or any other natural water source (particularly water sources that are still) Don’t spray chemicals near budding or flowering plants where bees are likely to forage: • Bees forage flowers to gather nectar and pollen, their major food sources. During this foraging action, bees successfully pollinate the crop, increasing its value to the farmer.

• Mow flowering weeds under fruit tree crops before spraying.

• Avoid spraying gorse and broom (winter flowering) when in flower. The herbicide may be safe to bees, but the surfactants (normally penetrants) are not. Many beekeepers experience severe hive losses during this period caused by spraying during the day on flowering weeds.

No spraying near hives and avoid spraying when its windy to prevent drift Spray after sunset, in dry conditions, or very early in

the morning. Bees forage during daylight hours when temperatures are warm. Avoid spraying at this time.

• If you have to spray a flowering crop likely to be visited by bees, we recommend spraying very early in the morning (day break) or at dusk (sunset), even spraying in the dark.

Bees are normally in their hives at this time.

Coordinate with local beekeepers before spraying so nearby hives can be moved or otherwise protected.

• Work with your beekeeper to keep them informed of intentions to spray good communications and cooperation all helps.

• Remind all of your staff and contractors of the risks to bees when spraying and make bee survival a priority this spray season.

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SPRAYING AND EQUIPMENT FEATURE

33

Christchurch hosts agri-summit S

erial entrepreneur and vodka magnate-turned farmer Geoff Ross and leading specialist in Maori and indigenous economic development Mike Taitoko are part of a leading line-up of speakers at The Boma NZ Agri Summit in Christchurch next month.

Geoff Ross is a successful serial entrepreneur. In the late 1990s Ross developed 42Below Vodka, steadily growing the brand from humble beginnings and ultimately selling in a multi-million-dollar deal in 2006. He went on to found and invest in lucrative New Zealand brands with his company, The Business Bakery, including Trilogy, Ecoya and Turners.

More recently, Ross has set about the restoration and conservation of land on his Otago high-country farm, Lake Hawea Station.

His vision is to lead New Zealand farming into a carbon positive, biodiversity-rich and profitable future while creating an ecosystem that works in reciprocity with nature.

Lisa Booth is founder and chief executive of Kete Kai, Aotearoa’s most accessible food box, borne out of her

frustration with the current food system. Her long-term vision is to be part of the change that accomplishes Kete Kai’s Kaupapa which is to end hunger in Aotearoa by 2030.

Mike Taitoko is of Maniapoto descent and is a leading specialist in Maori and indigenous economic development. He is an active and passionate leader within the regenerative farming industry.

He is a co-founder of Toha, an impact investment platform that funds projects solving climate and environmental challenges, as well as cofounder and chief executive of Calm The Farm, a Toha impact venture guiding farmers through making a safe, risk-free and affordable transition toward regenerative and biological practices by providing support from advisors, coaches and peers within the farming community.

Other speakers include Jono Frew a co-founder of Quorum Sense, a network that brings together farmers to share practical knowledge about regenerative farming systems and better agricultural practices.

He also developed Natural

Performance, which supports farmers all over the world, helping them increase profitability and restore joy and excitement to the sometimes lonely and isolating practice of farming.

Nicole Masters is the founder of Integrity Soils, a company specialising in regenerative agriculture.

She’s also an independent agroecologist, systems thinker, educator and published author.

She’s travelled across New Zealand, Australia and North America to help farmers and producers use regenerative agriculture practices to improve nutrient density and decrease their environmental impact while increasing profit margins.

Held at the Christchurch Town Hall on May 11–12, E Tipu 2021: The Boma NZ Agri Summit features two days of more than 20 local and global speakers, interactive workshops, panels, innovative exhibits, cross-sector networking and exclusive Canterbury experiences designed to tackle the huge questions that exponential change presents for New Zealand’s primary industries.

Jono Few, co-founder of Quorum Sense, a regenerative farming network, is speaking at an agri summit in Christchurch next month. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

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Farming

34

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Maori potatoes.

Hens scratching in the harvested potato patch provide fun for the grandchildren.

PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

Capsicums, full of vitamin C, harvested from the garden.

Gathering the last of the harvest Sheryl Stivens

ECO EFFICIENCY

With the first frost forecast on the Canterbury lowland plains and a dusting of snow on top of Mt Hutt, the last few weeks have been spent gathering summer vegetables.

This season we have enjoyed growing seeds we have sourced

from friends or our own stock for capsicums; small red, orange and green peppers as well as chilli.

Soon after New Year, we harvested our small garlic crop, rejuvenated the soil with a good thick layer of worm castings from the bathtub worm farm and planted our peppers.

As the weather cooled we made a cover for the bed using recycled pieces of hose and pegs and covered it with a loose sheet of plastic to intensify the heat from the sun yet still allow some ventilation.

The resulting crop has been so rewarding. This week we

harvested a basketful of large green crunchy capsicums, some turning red. We have been picking the small red and green sweet peppers for a month or so.

Besides being delicious, peppers are loaded with vitamins containing double the Vitamin C of citrus fruit as well as vitamin A, potassium, folic acid, iron and fibre. The red peppers have 1.5 times the vitamin C as the green varieties and taste so sweet.

Not everyone likes eating hot peppers; however they do have their own health benefits including benefits to the heart, the digestive system, relief

from migraine headaches and improved metabolism. They are great for adding to an Indian curry dish or a Thai meal or making a raw salsa as a side dish for a Mexican taco dinner.

For many cultures hot chillis are the ‘spice of life’. The chilli plants require a longer growing season so we have dug up the pretty little bushes covered with flowers and small chills and planted them in pots on the verandah and in the house.

They look so pretty and will enable us to pick fresh chillis through the months ahead.

We have also been harvesting our potato crop including our

Maori potatoes or Taewa. They did very well this season under their recycled cardboard and lawnclippings’ mulch. We have now moved the laying hens onto this area to help us dig up the last remaining spuds and clear and fertilise the area ready for next season.

The potatoes are sorted for seed or for eating and stored in a dark dry shed in hessian bags or cardboard boxes. It all adds to school holiday fun at Free Range Farm as we prepare for the cooler months ahead.

Happy autumn feasting and school holiday fun at your place.

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35

Escapees become riverbed weeds Mary Ralston

FOREST AND BIRD

I

nnocent garden plants can easily turn nasty when let loose. Many of the weeds of riverbeds and parks were once someone’s lovely flowers or trees – lupins and old man’s beard are perhaps the best (or worst) examples.

Lupins are a common sight – choking the rivers, trapping gravel and changing an open shingly river with clear braids to one that has fewer braids and semi-permanent islands of vegetation. Bird habitat is compromised and the plants offer cover and protection to predators.

Nearly all of our lowland rivers have a serious weed problem. State Highway 1 from Christchurch to Timaru crosses many small rivers (Selwyn, Ashburton, Hinds, Orari, Opihi and others) as well as the big ones (Rakaia, Rangitata, Waitaki) and the problems are the same: riverbeds in various stages of degradation. Along inland Highway 72, the small rivers coming from the foothills – Pudding Hill Stream, the North Ashburton, Taylor’s Stream and others – are in the same plight.

Yellow lupins are a relatively new scurge; Russell lupins have been with us for some time.

They were deliberately sown along the roadsides by wellmeaning but ignorant types

Yellow lupins choke the Ashburton River.

who thought it was a good idea to give some colour to the landscape. Sowing of lupins for stock food has also been an issue and contributed to unwanted lupin spread in the MacKenzie basin, as has the movement of gravel for road projects.

We can’t rely on floods and freshes to flush the weeds from the rivers. If the plants become too big, it takes a huge and rare flood to dislodge them. We haven’t had one of those for

about five years and since then, lupins have flourished.

Environment Canterbury sprays some sections of the rivers on rotation every three years for flood management, which also helps improve bird habitat. But ECan does not have the resources to do the job more often and so the plants are well and truly established before the section of river comes up for treatment again.

Spraying every year when the plants were small (if there

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

hadn’t been a flood to clear them out) would make much more sense.

Endangered native braided river birds would benefit, there would be less seed set, it would take a smaller flood to keep the braids clear, and less herbicide would be required.

Away from rivers, other weeds are an issue. Along my local walkway, ivy and even the innocent violet are plentiful, no doubt the result of someone having dumped a trailer-load

of garden rubbish along the roadside. Sycamores flourish here too as they do in many parts of the district – these are wind dispersed and so are really hard to control. The only way is to remove them so they don’t spread on the wind.

Holly, cherry and cotoneaster are bird-dispersed weeds. If you have them in your garden, please be responsible and remove them before the birds take them to new places.

36

Farming

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Detail matters for correct trimming Fred Hoekstra

VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES

T

o make a profit in farming we need to keep every aspect of the business running at optimum. Hoof care is very much a part of that.

Lameness costs come directly off the bottom line and can add up very quickly. It is important to understand what factors play a role in lameness and how to control them.

Often it is believed that putting pressure on cows’ feet causes damage to the hooves which in turn causes lameness. Pressure on cows’ feet is indeed an important aspect but never a problem in itself.

There are underlaying issues that need to be acknowledged and understood to minimise lameness.

When this is understood correctly, a whole world of possible contributors to lameness opens up.

Knowledge gives power and creates opportunities to control problems that otherwise would have been overlooked. This is true when it comes to controlling lameness at a management level but is also critical at the trimming level. Understanding the anatomy and the function of the foot is crucial to be able to trim effectively.

Most cows recover from lameness after they have been trimmed.

However, often that is not because of the trimming but despite the trimming. Correct trimming is the most effective way to mitigate the cost of a lame cow, minimise pain for the cow and enhance recovery time. If trimming is not done correctly it can increase the cost, be more painful for the cow, increase the recovery time and make the cow more susceptible to lameness in the future.

The difference between the two is often in the detail. Knowing the correct way of trimming is important but there is a difference between knowing how to do it and being able to do it.

To gain that skill, one needs to be taught properly and practise a lot.

Fred Hoekstra trains farmers in the finer details of hoof trimming.

This is where the Dairy Hoofcare Institute comes in. Through the institute you will learn the finer details of hoof trimming and why it works so well. You will learn the 5-step functional method that was developed

by Toussaint Raven in the Netherlands through the University of Utrecht.

It is the most respected trimming method in the world as it is the most effective, and the easiest to learn because the same process is used for every hoof, regardless of whether the cow is lame or not.

The Dairy Hoofcare Institute collaborates with Professors and training facilities from around the world to improve on teaching material and methods all the time. It is truly a great asset to the NZ Dairy Industry.

Give them a call or visit www. dhi.ac.nz to see how you can gain knowledge and skills to improve animal welfare and bottom line profitability on your farm.

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37

Renewed buyer demand for dairy farms Calvin Leen

I

PGG Wrightson Real Estate

n the past few months interest in dairy property has risen markedly.

Making good money this year, dairy farmers have the confidence to re-invest. With bank interest rates low and returns elsewhere in the economy doubtful, external investors are also returning to the sector, driving demand for large-scale dairy property, which has been understated for several years.

We sold a tier one dairy property in March. Our vendors did not want profile around the transaction, so the

farm was offered discreetly to qualified purchasers. This was a successful campaign, swiftly identifying a willing buyer and closing in less than two weeks, at a price comparable to 2013 values.

This sale demonstrated unsatisfied demand. For motivated and well-resourced purchasers, reliability of water is the number one consideration. Assurance around environmental compliance and the farm’s capacity to remain profitable for the next 10 to 15 years is also important as more new land and water use regulations are established.

After that, buyers are looking at price and return on investment. Within those constraints, we are dealing with multiple genuine cash purchasers at present, parties who are determined to buy the right farm with the criteria they

Demand has returned for large-scale dairy property.

seek. Market intentions are clear, with no shortage of interest from motivated buyers who do not wish to miss out on the right asset.

Meanwhile, after a brief and noteworthy marketing campaign one of South Canterbury’s most sought-after farms changed hands in early April.

Stanton Station, at 1519 hectares carrying 7500 stock units and the largest South Canterbury drystock property to come to the market for at

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PHOTO: SUPPLIED

least three years, attracted potential buyers from Southland to the Far North. Several who have recently sold Hawke’s Bay farms to forestry interests checked it out. We put some 70 copies of the farm’s information memorandum in the hands of interested parties.

While Stanton Station’s new owners are a farming family with interests across Mid and South Canterbury, the interest shown indicates significant unsatisfied demand for store

stock properties with scale.

Anything else that comes to the market with similar credentials will attract buyer enthusiasm.

However, with sheep and beef farmers making the most of sustained returns, the likelihood of properties similar to Stanton Station listing for sale is not high.

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

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38

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Edible plant protein venture gets $20m boost Leaft Foods’ protein extraction pilot plant at Lincoln.

C

anterbury-based Leaft Foods is embarking on a $20 million research and development programme that could put New Zealand on the map as a leading leaf protein concentrate producer.

Through its Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, the Ministry for Primary Industries is contributing $8 million to the five-year programme, along with Leaft Foods’ $12m, to develop technology that extracts edible protein from New Zealand grown green leafy crops.

Leaft Foods’ technology will be used to produce high-quality protein in the form of gels or

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

powders that can be used in a range of foods in the fastgrowing global market for plant proteins.

The plant-based protein start-up will also produce an animal feed that is optimised for ruminant nutrition and has the potential to lower nitrogen losses and emissions on-farm.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said a growing number of global food manufacturers and consumers were demanding that their proteins come from a sustainable source.

“This could be a gamechanger for pastoral enterprises

seeking to take environmental leadership, by providing them with a low impact, locally sourced feed, and the opportunity to diversify into low emission farm systems.

Leaft Foods’ programme aims to build on New Zealand’s reputation as a trusted exporter of high-quality protein, while reducing the environmental impact of agricultural systems.

O’Connor said that Leaft Foods was building a worldclass team of experts to develop the technology. “We’re thrilled to be assisting them to expand and progress their successful laboratory and technical proof-

of-concept trials.”

Based at Lincoln, Leaft Foods was founded in 2019 by John and Maury Leyland Penno, both former dairy company executives.

Maury Leyland Penno said it was building on New Zealand’s reputation as a trusted producer of high-quality protein.

“Our vision is to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural systems and to meet the increase in demand for plant proteins that align with consumer values.

“More consumers are seeking out tasty and nutritious plant-based foods, which is

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Backing from MPI accelerates our ability to do that and places us in the leading pack of global food innovators,” Leyland Penno said.

General manager Ross Milne said he was being supported by a growing team of food technologists, process engineers and farm systems technicians to deliver the precommercialisation programme.

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AUTUMN CLEAN UP FEATURE

39

Best ballcock in the business T

he SIS Ballcock was a concept of Ray Collins. I have shot ducks on Ray’s farm for over 40 years and we have shared many (at sometimes crazy) engineering projects. Ray processes designs in his mind and with ballcock I couldn’t picture his design in my mind. So he made one.

We made five, then we made 10, then we made 50 – now we do runs of 1000’s. We now purchase the 35mm diameter stainless steel a ton at a time.

Ray has had a lifetime of frustration with ballcocks that prompted his comment “make the best ballcock in the world”.

They are all made from 316 marine grade stainless steel. They have no internal parts – the sealing face is on the exterior. Our design is so simple your children, your wife, your bank manager would be able to understand how the SIS valve works.

One large farm in our area is laid out in a manner that every time they leave the farm they drive past two thirds of their water troughs.

At least once a year as husband and wife left the property for an appointment, they would see a trough overflowing. There is no choice, these problems cannot be left – a water source pumped out can ruin a $7000 pump.

Their SIS Ballcock replacement programme is fixing this problem.

We are now 7years into producing ballcocks and not one has been thrown into a rubbish bin.

Many thanks to Ray Collins, Ross Symes and Terry Nelley. These farmers gave me access to their properties for the development process. Ray Collins gets free ballcocks for the rest of his life.

This ballcock is one of our original test sites – a dry stock situation – with a huge static head, in the bottom of a valley.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

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40

Farming

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Conflicting pressures on land – report I

ncreasing tensions around the best use of available land between food production and a growing population are evident in a new government report.

The environmental report released by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ, presents new data on New Zealand’s land cover, soil quality and land fragmentation.

The land cover data in the report, Our land 2021, provides the most up-to-date estimates of New Zealand’s land cover and associated land use and changes.

Overseas markets are a significant driver of land use, and with global populations projected to reach 10.9 billion by 2100, market-based pressures on land are set to increase. Most of our agriculture and forestry products are exported, and these activities currently cover about half our land area, the report says.

Housing development on the outskirts of Blenheim.

Our land 2021 explores the impact of New Zealand’s growing population, export-driven economic growth, and the demand for housing in the future.

While urban land cover continues to make up one per cent of total land area in New Zealand, the report shows that urban and residential expansion is outwards onto productive land, which creates tension between the use of land for housing and land for agriculture.

This results in a complex trade-off, as using land that is not highly productive for food growing results in lower yields unless more intensive land management approaches are used. Intensive land management brings with it the risks of degrading the quality and health of the soil and the wider environment.

Secretary for the Environment Vicky Robertson said the report shows how the health of our land impacts on the

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health of our rivers, lakes, oceans, air, indigenous biodiversity, climate - and our own wellbeing.

“Land is central to our identity as people of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is our turangawaewae, our place to stand.

“The choices we make for where we build, what we grow for ourselves, and what we export are creating tensions for the best use of available land. Climate change and a growing population are only going to make future choices more difficult.”

Robertson said.

Government Statistician Mark Sowden said that for Our land 2021, it made great strides in bringing together data from a range of other agencies and adding value through analysis, interpretation and presentation.

“In particular, we have developed new and updated indicators that provide invaluable information on changes to New Zealand’s land and soil.

“Nevertheless, there are still gaps.

We have an incomplete picture of the impact on the environment and our wellbeing of what we do on the land.

“We need better and more targeted data to understand the impact of intensive land use, particularly on native ecosystems,” Sowden said.

Key facts from the report: • The number of consumers in New Zealand is projected to reach 6.8 million by 2073 having passed 5 million in in June 2020. This will continue to drive the demand on land to supply food, housing, and opportunities for recreation.

• About half of the total land area in New Zealand is used for agriculture, forestry, and housing: land cover exotic grassland 40 per cent, exotic forestry per cent, cropping and horticulture 2 per cent, urban 1 per cent, native land cover 49 per cent.

(Note: These percentages exclude lakes and rivers.)

• 87 per cent of the population live in towns and cities. About 80 per cent of our population growth for 2018–43 is expected to be in the main urban centres.

• 15 per cent of land is particularly good for food production. This highly productive land has a good climate, suitable soil, and is flat or gently sloping. Here, less irrigation and fertiliser is needed to grow food than in other areas. Highly productive land is often on the fringes of our cities.

• Highly productive land became more fragmented between 2002 and 2019, especially through residential development of land sized 2–8 hectares (lifestyle blocks are about five hectares on average). The area of highly productive land that was unavailable for agriculture (because

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

it had a house on it) increased by 54 per cent during this period, from 69,920 hectares in 2002 to 107,444 hectares in 2019.

• The total area of land used for agriculture and horticulture has been decreasing since 2002 with an overall reduction of 1,878,409 hectares (14 per cent) between 2002 and 2019, and a reduction of 207,747 hectares (2 per cent) between 2017 and 2019, and the number and size of farms has decreased during the same period, with a reduction of 19,980 farms (29 per cent) and 2,028,710 hectares (13 per cent) between 2002 and 2019. However, the export income from farming products has increased, from $23 billion in 2010 to $44 billion in 2019 (primary industries export revenue excluding seafood).

• Dairy cattle numbers have more than doubled since the 1980s, rising from 3 million to almost 7 million in 2015, with more than 6 million in 2019.

• The use of irrigation, especially on land used for dairy farming, has nearly doubled since 2002. In 2019, 5 per cent (735,073 hectares) of agricultural land in New Zealand was irrigated, with dairy farming making up 58 per cent of irrigated agricultural land in 2019.

• The sale of phosphorus fertiliser peaked in 2005 at 219,000 tonnes per year. It has reduced since then, with 154,000 tonnes sold in 2019.

The sale of nitrogen fertiliser increased sharply from 62,000 to 452,000 tonnes per year between 1991 and 2019.

• Nationwide, 80 per cent of monitoring sites failed to meet the targets for at least one soil quality indicator. No declining or improving trend in soil quality was observed for 1994–2018.

• Macroporosity - a measure of pore spaces in soil and a potential indicator of soil compaction - was below the target range in 65 per cent of dairy farming sites, 48 per cent of drystock farming sites and 46 per cent of orchard/vineyard sites sampled between 2014 and 2018. No decreasing trend or improvement in macroporosity was found in drystock farming or in dairy farming from 1995 to 2018.

• Levels of Olsen phosphorus, an indication of soil fertility, were above the recommended target range for 61 per cent of the dairy farming and cropping sites, and 46 per cent of orchard/vineyard sites sampled between 2014 and 2018.

High levels of Olsen phosphorus in the soil indicate that too much fertiliser has been applied.

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41

Call to protect productive land from urban sprawl H

orticulture NZ is calling on the government to act urgently to protect highly productive land for food production, following the release of a new land report.

The Ministry for the Environment’s Our land 2021 shows that between 2002 and 2019, 54 per cent of highly productive land was lost to housing while cities and towns have sprawled by about a third,’ HortNZ chief executive Mike Chapman said.

“This situation simply isn’t good enough, considering that the primary production sector is the backbone of the New Zealand economy and only 15 per cent of land is suitable for food production.

“The Government must act now to retain remaining highly productive land. Once houses have been built on it, that soil is lost forever.

“In August 2019, the Government launched its draft National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land.

Since then, no final decisions have been made, there has been no progress when clearly – as this government report shows – there is an issue, which has the potential to compromise New Zealand’s ability to feed itself fresh healthy food,” Chapman said.

The report said that “once land has been built on or is surrounded by houses it can be almost impossible to use for farming in the future”.

“You only have to drive south out of Auckland to see that this very thing is happening to the highly productive, unique soils around Pukekohe, just as it is happening across the country.

“Locally-grown produce is under threat. If New Zealand is not careful, buying healthy, locally grown fruit and vegetables will become even harder.

That will have a detrimental effect on many New Zealanders’ health and wellbeing, at a time when a lot of New Zealanders are worried about the future, in a post-Covid world.

“Covid has highlighted how fragile global supply chains are and the importance of domestic food security.

We need to act right now to protect our ability to grow healthy, nutritious fruit and vegetables in New Zealand.

‘With good planning, we can have it all. Healthy food for all New Zealanders as well as affordable housing. We can no longer just leave either of these things to chance,” Chapman said.

Federated Farmers’ environment spokesman Chris Allen said the report noted no decline in soil quality from 1994-2018, “and that’s worth acknowledging given the big jump in food production and value from a declining area in farmland.

“Farmers rely upon good soils, and we’re positive about soil quality improvements to come through good management practices. Federated Farmers would encourage the Ministry for the Environment to use a more current and wider soil data base to determine current soil health across New Zealand, as the data used in this instance seems too small to give an accurate picture.

“While the report indicates New Zealand’s soil profile overall is not improving, we’re at least holding even

“

The Government must act now to retain remaining highly productive land. Once houses have been built on it, that soil is lost forever. You only have to drive south out of Auckland to see that this very thing is happening to the highly productive, unique soil.

while farm good management practice begin to bear fruit for our land, our waterways and emissions,” Allen said.

The report also sends a strong message to central and local government that urban and lifestyle block expansion is eating away at our primary production potential.

Export earnings from land-based primary industries shot up 91 per cent from $23 billion in 2010 to $44b in 2019. The MfE report notes the government wants those earnings to grow by another $44b in the next decade to support post-covid economic recovery.

“That’s a hairy and audacious goal when you consider the report also shows that since 2002 nearly 1.9 million hectares has gone out of agriculture and horticulture production.

“Even more tellingly, of our most highly production land, the amount lost to urban sprawl and lifestyle blocks jumped 54 per cent from 69,920 hectares in 2002 to 107,444 hectares in 2019,” Allen said.

“Any encroachment of residential living onto productive farmland not only means a loss of that farming land, it also has consequences for those farmers who remain. They face higher land values and consequently higher rates, along with increased council rules and restrictions that fall upon them due to increased amenity expectations of those new urban residents.”

Between 2012 and 2017, cattle (dairy/beef) numbers flat-lined at 10.1 million and sheep numbers further declined from 31 million to 27 million.

Fertiliser inputs, including nitrogen, have also been plateauing over the last few years.

“New Zealand’s farmers have again and again proven adept at driving up production from less land and from management and genetic improvements but there comes a time when your run up against limits of nature and efficiency. The sector is being hammered with all sorts of new regulations and costs, and some farmers are at the end of their financial and mental wellbeing tethers,” Allen said.

Our land 2021 New Zealand’s Environmental Reporting Series

Another important point highlighted by Our Land 2021 was the changing climate and increasing incidence of droughts.

Between 2007 and 2017 it was estimated that drought driven by climate change cost New Zealanders $720m in insured damages and economic losses. Previous national reports have highlighted that annual rainfall was less than average in nine of the 14 years from 2000-2014, and droughts in 2008, 2013, 2015, 2016 took a

significant toll on agricultural production.

“Contrary to perceptions, Our Land 2021 highlights that only about 5 per cent of our agricultural land is irrigated, most of it in Canterbury. The other 95 per cent is dependent on increasingly unreliable rainfall,” Allen said.

“It really does add to the case for increased investment in community water security that Federated Farmers has been pushing for some time now.”

Hilux spares 93-2015 Hilux Specialists Hilux spares 1993-2019 Hilux Specialists 93-2015 Hilux Specialists

location: 68 Falsgrave Street, Woolston, Christchurch email: nzvanspares@hotmail.com | phone: 03 379 3932 / 0508 698 267

location: 68 Falsgrave Street, Woolston, Christchurch email: nzvanspares@hotmail.com | phone: 03 379 3932 / 0508 698 267

Farming

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Rain needed as dry autumn lingers Tony Davoren

SWIMS CONSULTING LTD

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ou might wonder what environment has to do with irrigation, soil moisture and water availability.

Well everything, as I sit and wait to appear in court to give evidence about allocations for water. The drive to Cromwell just confirmed thoughts of “will our water resource stand the test of reliability for next season”.

Everyone is wondering when the next significant rainfall is coming; it is dry and groundwater needs a significant recharge.

Cromwell might seem an unlikely place to be attending Environment Court, but the court is great at going to where the witnesses reside.

The hearing is centred around turning deemed permits into what we commonly know as resource consents. There are hundreds of deemed permits in Otago, especially in Central Otago. These date back to the gold rush days of the mid1800s.

“Heads” of water, where each head was sufficient to operate a sluice gun, were allocated to miners. Once the gold

rush ended the races and water • January rainfall 48mm PET 149mm were utilised for irrigation. What • February rainfall 26mm PET 94mm is problematic is that they were • March rainfall 31mm PET 91mm issued in perpetuity.

• April (so far) rainfall 17mm PET 32mm So many deemed permits were issued there is insufficient flow in streams and rivers for all the Since the start of the year PET has deemed permits to be exercised at any exceeded rainfall by 244mm and that one time – unless of course you were the puts everyone behind the eight ball. first issued permit(s). Now a pathway The nearly continuous demand for needs to be found to convert them into irrigation has put a strain on supply, both resource consents. Most are unreliable for groundwater and surface (stored) and various users have addressed this by water. This is despite demand for water installing storage, from small on-farm declining month on month as PET through to large storage for schemes, decreases, day length shortens and solar such as Falls Dam. radiation begins to wane.

That brings me to reliability and Discussion with fellow witnesses from where we have arrived at in 2021.

Canterbury and Central Otago had a No need to harp on about rainfall common theme – “we need rain and and the lack of it, just 122mm since plenty of it”, “where is the next rainfall” the beginning of 2021, well below and “I’m over irrigating”. average monthly rainfall and well below Looking at ECan’s observation bore evaporative (PET) demand.

L37/0022 on Hampton Road confirms

groundwater level is seriously low.

It is not quite as serious as 2008 and 2010 when after several years of very low rainfall recharge, water levels dropped to 38 metres below ground level (mbgl). This year it is 2m below.

To get back from the current low water level of around 36mbgl to around 25 mbgl and be assured of reliable supply for 2021-22 will take several large recharge events, not just one or two 6080mm events.

We also need to see these events by August to ensure aquifers from 60mbgl and deeper have time for the excess rainfall to reach them.

Let us hope for a wet rest of autumn and winter.

While we continue to enjoy the balmy dry weather, here’s hoping there is a change in the wind in the near future.

Annual Open Day on Sunday 23 May from 11am

We warmly invite you and your child to attend our Annual Open Day on Sunday 23 May from 11am.

Waihi School offers an independent preparatory education for boys and girls aged from years 4 to 8, with both day and boarding options.

Venue: 611 Temuka-Orari Highway, RD 26, Winchester, South Canterbury 7986 Open Day Begins from 11am. Student led tours from 11.30am. Headmaster and Head Teachers’ address (includes information on our unique Well Being programme) from 12.30pm.

Lunch from 1pm.

Bring your togs and mountainbike to enjoy our heated pool and purpose built mountain bike pump track after lunch!

To allow us to run the event as smoothly as possible we ask that you RSVP by visiting our website: waihi.school.nz/new-family/events/annual-open-day Or by contacting the Executive Assistant: executive@waihi.school.nz or 03 687 8014

Come along and see for yourself how we can Nurture Success in your child! - www.waihi.school.nz or ph 03 687 8071

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WINTER HEATING FEATURE

Remember the basics to burn smoke-free this winter

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sing a modern wood burner is a great start to improving air quality, but it’s equally important not to forget the basics to burn smoke-free – good wood and good fire lighting technique.

Mark Bourassa is one of Environment Canterbury’s better burning advisors and he stresses the importance of getting the basics right if you choose to burn wood as a heat source.

How do you light your fire?

An upside-down fire-lighting technique can save time and reduce air pollution.

The upside-down technique – also known as ‘top down’ or ‘Swiss style’ – is gaining in popularity and the team gets plenty of feedback that it’s working well for people.

“If you want a fire that gets going quickly, saving on time and excess smoke, then we’d recommend trying this technique, which uses larger pieces of wood at the bottom and kindling on top. You can walk away with confidence that your fire will be getting off to a good start and heating up fast,” Bourassa said.

If you prefer the traditional bottom-up approach, you can still get your fire going quickly and efficiently by using a good amount of dry kindling.

Resist the overnight smoulder Adding a log to your wood burner and turning down the airflow to slowly burn through the night is not only a big cause of air pollution but also an inefficient way to heat your home.

“If your wood burner is working well, and your house is well-insulated, then you shouldn’t need to leave wood smouldering overnight at a low temperature as this causes excess smoke,” Bourassa said.

He suggests getting your fire burning hot and smoke-free before going to bed but to accept and plan for it to burn out.

“Resist the habit of ‘keeping the fire burning’ overnight. If you feel your house is getting too cold overnight, then you may have an issue with insulation and draughts.”

Is your wood ‘good’?

It may sound simple, but having good wood is key to running an efficient fire that burns clean.

“If a chimney is smoking badly, it’s often the fuel that’s the problem.”

“It’s important to ensure the wood you’re using is dry and seasoned. Wet wood will simply not burn hot enough to heat your home well and will also smoke out your neighbours.”

Bourassa advises using a trusted good wood merchant to source wood and stocking up at least a season ahead.

If you’re unsure if your wood is dry enough to burn, call ECan on 0800 329 276 and we can arrange to test the moisture content of wood for you.

Support is available If you need to upgrade from an older-style wood burner, ECan’s better burning advisors are happy to talk through different financial options available for households.

Subsidies ranging from $500 to $5000 are available for low-income households who meet certain criteria.

In addition, the Healthier Homes Canterbury scheme means eligible ratepayers can apply for a rates advance of up to $6000 to help purchase home heating, insulation and ventilation.

Head to warmercheaper.co.nz for tools to help you burn smoke-free, including demonstration videos and a step-by-step guide, along with a list of Trusted Good Wood Merchants.

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