Ashburton Guardian Farming 2701

Farming GUARDIAN

WEDNESDAY, JAN 27, 2021

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F

armers aren’t always the best at looking after themselves, so it’s great we have people like Craig Wiggins advocating for them.

Mid Canterbury-based Wiggins wears many hats, including being a farmer, MC, rural commentator and clerk of the course at race meetings and he keeps adding to that list.

However, he still seems to find time to arrange events designed to get farmers off their farms and socialising, such as the Farming Families’ Day at the Races.

In conjunction with Rakaia GP Dr Sue Fowlie he also organised to provide health check-ups for rural people at events such as stock sales.

Unfortunately, farmers rate high on the list when it comes to statistics for suicide and workplace injuries and deaths.

Many also don’t go to the doctor as often as they should for a check-up or when they are feeling unwell.

Farmers like to be independent, but it can be easy to become socially isolated on a farm.

When times get tough, such as during a drought, farmers can get even more entrenched at home, when getting off the farm and sharing their experiences and a yarn with others is

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

actually the best remedy.

Some of the traditional events and activities that used to get rural people off their farms don’t happen anymore as more transactions and communication becomes digital.

Covid-19 restrictions last year also put a halt to many rural events such as A&P shows, field days and conferences.

Rural districts are also continuing to lose services, such as churches and schools, so there is not always that regular connection with others.

Wiggins, along with some other like-minded individuals and sponsors he has roped in, already has plans for some rural events this year.

Make sure you head along.

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Wiggy on a mission for farmers Heather Chalmers

JOURNALIST

F

armers are feeling more socially isolated than ever and Mid Canterbury-based man of many roles, Craig Wiggins, is on a crusade to fix this.

He’s on a mission to rejuvenate rural social connections and communities, which he believes will in turn improve farmers’ wellbeing.

“Times are tough out there and farmers don’t have venues to go now where they can get offfarm and just chew the fat with each other.

“Stock agents do all the buying at sales. The beer on a Friday night at the local doesn’t really happen as often now.

“So we don’t have the same number of people in our space, looking after us and us looking after them.”

Farmers were being put under stress by the mycoplasma bovis cattle disease eradication programme, extreme weather events like drought and floods and tightening requirements and time-frames to meet water and environmental regulations.

Wiggins said that while there was a lot of emphasis on mental health these days, this was only a small aspect of overall wellness.

“I believe rural wellness involves community, social connections, and mental and physical health.”

As an MC and rural commentator, Wiggins has been at the forefront of many rural events over the past 30 years, including rodeos, jet sprinting and Young Farmer of the Year regional and national competitions.

As part of his goal to get farmers off their properties more often to participate in social events and health checks, he’s now initiating his own community events, roping in

Craig Wiggins hosted the Young Farmer of the Year regional and naPHOTO SUPPLIED tional competitions for six years.

like-minded people and sponsors to help out.

He drew on his love of horses and racing to establish a Farming Families Day at the Races, which attracted hundreds from throughout Canterbury to mid-winter Ashburton Trotting

Club meetings in 2018 and 2019.

With free admission on to the course, a free race book, entertainment and activities for children, the day provided much more than the usual race meeting.

While the 2020 event was

scratched because of Covid-19, more events are in the pipeline for this year. With the assistance of Bruce Taylor of Farmlands Ashburton and Rabobank senior rural manager George Lumsden, he is planning another three to four similar rural support events over the next 12 months in Mid Canterbury.

“They are designed to get farmers off their properties, chew the fat and enjoy themselves.

“I’m driven to make sure farmers feel like they are supported. What farm service businesses are seeing out in the community as they travel around and what I am hearing back from other rural support agencies is that there is a big need.

“There are farmers that are suffering in silence at home and their partners as well and we need to have those conversations.

It could be banking pressures or farm succession planning. A lot of women also put everybody else ahead of themselves.”

Wiggins has teamed up with Rakaia GP Dr Sue Fowlie to take wellness check-ups to farmers in their own setting. Realising that some rural people do not make the time to visit their doctor – even when they are feeling unwell – and may even consider it a bragging point, the two decided to instead take checkups to farmers. Using a horse float and then a specially refitted caravan as a consult room they attended rural events such as the Coalgate stock sale and Waimate shearing show.

When the Covid-19 lockdown hit, Wiggins who has a small farm near Ashburton, found that for the first time in 30 years his busy schedule disappeared overnight and he no longer had an event he needed to MC, commentate or compete at.

He turned to digital technology, starting up a Zoom meeting for farmers every Thursday evening, called Whatever with Wiggy.

“It started off with 15 connections – farmers behind computers – and it now has up to 100 farmers regularly turning up.

“I wasn’t the only person sitting at home, not sure of what to do.

“Sometimes we just have a general discussion and other nights we hit some serious topics such as the freshwater reforms.” continued over page

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From P3 Whatever with Wiggy attracts everyone from sheep farmers playing pool in a woolshed, to Federated Farmers’ board members and farmers from Keri Keri to Invercargill.

Some topics raised have ended up on the agenda of Parliament’s primary production select committee.

“We have regular attendance from politicians from all sides of the house, including Chloe Swarbrick. So, we had 50 farmers talking to a Green MP from central Auckland about the cannabis referendum.

“It’s a rural forum and a support network for a lot of farmers.”

Wiggins acts as a facilitator for discussions and has just been joined by North Island-based Hopkins Farming Group chief operating officer Heidi Sixtus who will assist with funding and background work.

From a sheep and beef farm at Raetihi near Mt Ruapehu in the central North Island, Wiggins still manages some farm work between his other roles, buying calves and rearing them to yearling cattle.

He met his wife Annabelle on the rodeo circuit, when she was a competitive barrel racer and he was a commentator and after initially living in the North Island, they decided to move south.

“In the year we moved down here I had more than 50 domestic flights for commentary work and four international jobs so I needed to get close to an airport.

“I needed to downsize the farming and upsize the commentary and agricultural support work.”

As Annabelle’s family farmed at the Rakaia Gorge and now Staveley, they decided to settle in Mid Canterbury in 2007.

They have two daughters Genevieve (8) and Millie (5).

Horses remain an important part of their lives, for both work and play.

Four years ago Wiggins was approached by horse trainers Ricky and Judy May to clerk the course at the Methven races.

Since then, the role has

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Above – Craig Wiggins (left) and Craig Harrison prepare for the Farming Families Day at the Races, which attracted hundreds from throughout Canterbury to a mid-winter Ashburton Trotting Club meeting.

PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

Right – As clerk of the course on six Canterbury race tracks, Craig WigPHOTO SUPPLIED gins sometimes has to catch runaway horses.

expanded with Wiggins now the clerk of the course at six race tracks in Canterbury for harness racing – Timaru, Orari, Ashburton, Methven, Rangiora and Addington.

As clerk, Wiggins is on horseback, dons a distinctive red coat and is responsible for retaining order before, during and after the running of a race.

His skills were called into action at the last Ashburton harness race meeting when he had to catch a runaway horse and sulky after its reinsman was tipped out.

“I’ve always been a horseman.

When I first came to Ashburton I did a lot of breaking in of

horses and horsemanship lessons.

“I’ve commentated rodeos throughout New Zealand, Australia and Canada for the last 30 years.”

He also commentated jetsprint events in New Zealand and Australia and hosted the Young Farmer of the Year competition for six years.

“I was involved with 45 regional and six grand finals.”

However, other work, including encouraging people into careers in agriculture and his rural advocacy means horse training is now taking a back seat to other priorities.

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Rakaia GP Dr Sue Fowlie uses a horse float as a consult room to do health check-ups on farmers attending the Foundation for Arable Research Crops field day at Chertsey in December.

PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

Rural health team take to the road

By Heather Chalmers

T

aking health check-ups to farmers at rural events is proving a successful formula for Mid Canterbury rural commentator and advocate Craig Wiggins and Rakaia GP Dr Sue Fowlie.

The two have paired up to provide wellness check-ups for farmers and other rural people in their own setting, such as at stock sales, shearing competitions and field days.

Initially using a horse float and then a specially refitted caravan as a consult room, the pair have been taking their message on the road.

Fowlie said that both were quite passionate about rural health and wellbeing.

“Rural people in general and farmers especially can be bad at looking after

themselves. So it is a way to encourage people to get out and get a health check.”

The checks include blood pressure, weight and a breathing test for smokers.

Blood tests may also be requested for blood sugar and cholesterol.

A “how are you” question is asked for mental health screening.

“It’s a basic health check and a chat.

Sometimes you can end up talking about other health concerns that they have and are unsure about how to address and what to do,” Fowlie said.

“We want people to connect with their general practice, whether the GP or the nurse and to remember if they are not feeling well to go and see someone.

“If you have not been for a check for a while or if you are not feeling great,

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don’t ignore it, go get a health check.”

For privacy reasons, no details of patients are kept, except statistics on the numbers seen, numbers of smokers and ex-smokers, and abnormal readings.

“All I take is a first name and phone number if I need to follow up on a person,” Fowlie said.

To date, 20 to 25 per cent of people seen have been advised to visit their GP for a follow-up.

“At some events it has been up to 30 to 40 per cent. And most of those people have known they are not right,” Fowlie said.

At the first event, the Coalgate stock sale, 47 checks were done.

“We directed around five people to their GP for blood pressure checks as well as suggesting to several others they should consider cardiovascular

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Mental health and physical health went hand-in-hand, Fowlie said.

“Neither is more important than the other.

“Often, one impacts on the other.”

Fowlie plans to help out with the health check caravan in future and hopes that other health professionals will also come on board in other areas.

A special caravan refitted to carry out health checks around New Zealand was provided by Global HQ (Farmers Weekly) owners Dean and Cushla Williamson and while this has been parked up over the last few months because of Covid-19, plans are under way to get this back on the road.

As Wiggins said: “Your health is the most important cog in your business machinery, get yourselves checked farmers.”

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Research impacted as M. bovis confir Heather Chalmers

JOURNALIST

D

airy herds on two Lincoln University research farms will be culled after being confirmed with the cattle disease mycoplasma bovis, potentially impacting on research work.

Lincoln’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Edwards said the news was distressing for the university.

In November, the university’s Ashley Dene Research and Development Station (ADRDS) and the Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm (LURDF) were confirmed as having M. bovis following a detect result from the September Bulk Tank Milk screening and placed under a Restrictive Place legal notice under the Biosecurity Act 1993.

Ashley Dene, 15km west of the Lincoln campus, was largely a dryland research farm for 100 years until more than half of it was converted to an irrigated dairy farm for the 2016-17 season.

The dairy farm on Bethels Road, near Springston, has a herd of 450 to 500 cows on 190 hectares. Its purpose is to conduct farm systems research to improve the profitability and environmental and welfare performance of dairy and livestock farming systems.

Converted from arable to dairy in 2009, the Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm on Weddons Road, adjacent to the campus, milks about 200 cows on 72ha. The cows are milked through an advanced milking system capable of identifying and recording milk production and flow characteristics of each individual cow. The herringbone shed has also been purpose built, the extra wide pit and removable inline milk collection system allowing individual milk samples to be taken at frequent milkings, with room in the pit for several technicians alongside

Above – Lincoln University’s Ashley Dene dairy herd will be culled after being confirmed with mycoplasma bovis.

Right – Lincoln University’s dairy farm at the Ashley Dene Research Development Station is on a PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN Restricted Place notice as shown on the smaller sign (far right).

the milker.

Another high-profile university farm, the Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm (LUDF) on Ellesmere Junction Road has to date tested clear of M. bovis.

LUDF supervisor Jeremy Savage, a farm consultant with Ashburton-based Macfarlane Rural Business, said it was on a Notice of Direction because of the shared university ownership, restricting cattle movements on and off the farm.

The herd was undergoing testing.

“All of our tests to date have been clear.

We have one more blood test,” Savage said.

The farm, known for its high performing herd, attracts hundreds of people a year, but the restrictions meant it was closed to visitors.

The next LUDF field day, scheduled for February, is planned to go ahead at a different venue, possibly Mid Canterbury.

Edwards said that under the guidance of the M. bovis eradication programme the university was in the process of depopulating, decontaminating, and restocking Ashley Dene and LURDF.

“Due to the specialised objectives of the research dairy farms, care is being taken to minimise any potential impact on current or future research.

“Movements of cattle from and to the farms are being worked through by the M. bovis Programme casing team.

“Stringent biosecurity measures and practices remain in place on all Lincoln University farms.

“The discovery of a positive test for the cattle disease M. bovis has been extremely upsetting and disappointing for us, especially for all our farm staff, and

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7

rmed at Lincoln

Lincoln’s Deputy ViceChancellor Professor Grant Edwards.

support is being offered through the Rural Support Trust in conjunction with the university.

“The university remains fully committed to supporting the M. bovis programme,” Edwards said.

All 10 active confirmed M. bovis properties are in Canterbury, with the other eight in the Ashburton district.

M. bovis was first detected in New Zealand in July 2017, after cattle in a South Canterbury dairy herd began displaying symptoms of a novel disease.

Since then, 164,661 cattle have been culled and $189.1 million paid in compensation to farmers in a national bid to eradicate the disease. Nationally, 250 farms have been cleared of the disease.

When the Ashley Dene dairy farm was established, Edwards said the farm’s size allowed research at a larger farm systems scale than the research dairy farm.

The lighter soils at Ashley Dene were also relevant for Canterbury dairy farms, since many of the region’s dairy farms were on the same kind of soils.

The ability to integrate both the wintering and support systems in the research station meant research would also be applicable to dairy support operators.

A feature of the farm is a large standoff pad able to be divided to research different options, such as the suitability of various surfaces.

A large concrete feed pad is similarly divided into fenced bays to allow controlled feeding of different types of fodder.

Underground lysimeters located around the farm are used to measure nitrate leaching losses on its free draining soils, using a system that can measure a much larger area than was possible previously.

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Yield more important than ever T

raditionally farms generations. always sold on X factor, When ascribing a value with farmers relying on to a property, dairy farmers capital gain made over 30 were always more inclined or 40 years of ownership than their pastoral farming to fund their retirement, neighbours to look at largely overlooking a farm’s spreadsheets and assess financial performance year return on investment.

Calvin PGG Wrightson to year.

Sheep and beef farmers Leen Real Estate Those considerations have also changed their dominate the rural property outlook and the basis for sector less and less as the focus for farm agreeing a value on most farm sales is valuation falls more heavily on to yield. now tied to what income the property can In the pandemic-influenced world of generate. low bank interest rates, sales valuations In the modern era, when we go into take return on investment ever more into negotiations with parties over the sale and account: a commercial approach now purchase of a farm, typically we will take overshadows the traditional rural mindset the vendor’s last three years’ accounts into and emphasis on capital gain. the discussion.

This is partly due to the present Analysing those and identifying what prevalence of dairy in New Zealand profit is made year on year is the key. agriculture compared to previous Capitalising that figure, typically at

somewhere between 5 and 6 per cent, is the starting point for the all-important conversation about price.

We are involved in that process on several property transactions at present, most of which have been in negotiation since prior to Christmas.

For anyone considering selling a farm, being aware that this is how purchasers will almost certainly evaluate the property is essential.

Providing good documentation on business performance will enable a buyer to do due diligence, therefore strengthening your hand as a vendor.

At one level, by emphasising yield the rural sector is falling into line with the way commercial transactions are done more broadly.

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

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Stormy waters ahead.

No sugar-coating of water reforms O

ver the Christmas New Year period, welcome rains gave a chance to finish crops, grow grass and allow for a break in irrigation, which has been good for man, beast and machine.

Although sunshine and fine weather are desperately needed for arable farmers.

I must say, I have been somewhat amazed in talking to farmers over the past few weeks at either the blasé or oblivious attitude of many farmers towards the freshwater regulations.

Views range from “it’ll never happen, they can’t impose such ridiculous rules”, “we’ll all go broke, so they won’t”, or to the most common “it’ll get sorted out”.

So, my response to these views are clear, they (the current

David Clark

President of MC Federated Farmers

government) have imposed these rules, yes likely many people will go broke, and it may get sorted out, but it will only get sorted out once we all start having an honest conversation about what these rules mean for our community as a whole.

I can also assure you this will only “get sorted out”, or at best morphed into something slightly less devastating with the hard work of representative organisations such as Federated Farmers. Over the past few

weeks, the view has also been expressed that we should possibly take a less negative view of these regulations and work positively to implement them.

It is my view as provincial president that my responsibility is to tell it like it is. I am not going to blow smoke at you while I hold this role.

My understanding is that to achieve the National Policy Statement bottom-line that equates to a Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) level of about 2.4mg/l in all waterways, including the likes of the Hinds drains and Hinds River, the maximum catchment load would relate back to a nitrogen loss of somewhere around 8-12kg/N/ ha.

Now whatever farm system you can employ that provides a

maximum loss of 8-12kg, then knock yourselves out. But I am not about to tell you that any amount of on-farm mitigation, tweaks to farm systems, adoption of good management practices or investment in onfarm technology is going to give you any hope of reaching the NPS. I welcome the Ashburton District Council’s decision to extend its report into the economic cost of meeting freshwater regulations to ensure we fully understand the social and economic implications.

It would be irresponsible to blunder blindly into a future that may require a reversion to 1970s farm systems in this district.

It is also essential that work is done to develop a sound scientific understanding of the

catchment loads required to achieve 2.4mg/l.

Environment Canterbury did so for the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan Hinds zone and the Selwyn Te Waihora catchment.

As far as we can tell, none of these assessments were done by the Government prior to implementing these rules, or certainly not that they were prepared to officially release.

Once this information is compiled, it will be time for honest conversations, it will be time for the Government to take ownership of their decisions.

That is how this will be “sorted out”.

In the meantime, I have no intention of sugar-coating this.

Whatever 8-12kg/N/ha looks like on your farm, that is the reality for your future and mine.

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FARM SAFETY FEATURE

ACC is offering a cash-back deal on crush protection devices for quad bikes which are proven to significantly PHOTO SUPPLIED reduce the severity of injuries.

Incentive for crush protection devices E

very year quad bikes are a major cause of death and injury in rural workplaces with many incidents associated with accidental rollovers.

In 2020, more than 35 farmers didn’t make it home safe to their whanau because of a work injury caused by a quad bike accident. Seven of those accidents were fatal.

ACC is supporting the farming industry by offering a $180 (+GST) cash-back deal on Quadbar, Quadbar Flexi or ATV Lifeguard crush protection devices for quad bikes, which are proven to significantly reduce the severity of injuries.

On average, five people die

in work-related quad bike incidents every year, with ACC receiving over 1000 claims.

ACC, along with WorkSafe New Zealand, strongly recommends the use of crush protection devices (CPDs) on the back of quad bikes.

Crush protection devices can be fitted to a quad bike to provide a survivable space should a rider be pinned underneath it.

“Data reveals that these accidents can happen on almost any part of the property – and to experienced and inexperienced riders.

“In many of the incidents the worker is crushed or unable

to escape due to the weight of the bike, contributing to fatal or life-changing injuries,” said WorkSafe’s general manager of better regulation and legal Mike Hargreaves.

“If you have no reasonable alternative to using a quad bike, WorkSafe strongly recommends you get a professionally designed and manufactured CPD installed permanently.”

In 2014, WorkSafe said fitting CPDs was a matter of personal choice.

A subsequent review of research and the lack of improvement in incident numbers prompted the regulator to revise that position

in 2019.

“It’s our view that CPDs are likely to prevent serious and fatal injuries.

“It’s important that farmers and others don’t treat these as a fit and forget solution.

“The devices do not take the place of training, maintenance, protective gear, vehicle selection, or the careful use of quad bikes, but they can provide some protection in the event of rollover,” Hargreaves said.

For more information on the ACC cash-back offer and participating retailers visit the ACC website.

From July, 2019, until June, 2020, there were 23 work-

related fatalities, which occurred as a result of injury from work in the agriculture industry.

Injuries in the agriculture industry that resulted in more than a week away from work saw 2229 people affected in 2019.

The agriculture sector was an important focus for ACC’s injury prevention work through investments like the rural wellbeing programme Farmstrong, an ACC spokesperson said.

“An ACC-funded study for Farmstrong showed 58 per cent of recently injured farmers linked their accident to stress associated with farm work.”

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12

Farming

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Sheep and beef farm A

Yield maps unlock further potential Y

ield maps are one of the most powerful – and under-utilised - tools for decision making on an arable farm.

Yield maps are a record of how your crops performed under that season’s constraints, taking into account nutrient variability, soil moisture variability, application variability and much more. The final result is that often yield varies more than we care to admit and we quicky remember the good parts of a paddock and forget the poor parts.

Farmers making the most of their yield data insights annually are fine tuning base fertiliser applications through the use of variable rate, identifying zones of productivity potential or risk to monitor throughout the season and really enhancing not only their final yield across a paddock but also their profitability. Profit mapping is uniquely available to arable

farmers and it proves a fast way to identify areas of a farm or crop rotation that need improvement. It also allows critical, justified decision making to take place based on the dollars and cents.

As the harvest season commences, it’s important to ensure that you’re capturing all your yield information, even if you have no intention of acting on the information this season. Multiple years’ worth of data is far more useful than one year of data.

To find out more on how to ensure your yield data is being captured correctly, to save data for your future use for you or to book in your yield mapping requirements for this season, give the expert team at Vantage NZ a call on 0800 482 682 or visit https://www.vantage-nz.com/yielddata

new voluntary sustainability and continuous improvement standard developed by the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) has been piloted by sheep and beef farmers.

Building on the success of the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP), the piloted NZFAP Plus Standard covers land and water management, greenhouse gases (GHG), biodiversity, biosecurity and people management.

Thirty-three farmers took part in the pilot programme to determine the achievability, costs and benefits of the draft standard, with the results highlighting support for the initiative and potential gains. The farmers also provided valuable insights that will help with programme implementation.

Project manager Alan McDermott said the draft standard gave many of the pilot farmers the confidence to act, including reinforcing and validating they were on the right track, opportunities for improvement and a clear direction and framework to follow for making decisions about resource management.

“This is something farmers have been seeking, with farmers saying it is necessary and timely. Farmers reported the standard provided a foundation for clear, precise and consistent communication with their farm team, including their bankers, advisors, employees and communities, and supported proactive and planned decision making.

“It also provides a very clear means for farmers to underpin the Fit for a Better World and Te Taiao strategy, as well as

processors’ marketing strategies.

“The standard supported them to make farm system changes to protect and enhance their natural resources, which will ensure sustainable production in the future, and meant they felt much more prepared for the coming regulatory environment.”

Most of the pilot farmers were now looking at their land and business differently as a result of the trial, he said. ”The existing knowledge of farmers

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13

mers pilot voluntary standard

Above – Most of the pilot farmers are now looking at their land and business differently as a result of the trial.

Right – Project manager Alan McDermott said the draft standard gave many of the PHOTOS SUPPLIED pilot farmers the confidence to act.

must be acknowledged – there are many examples of excellence highlighting that many farmers are well down this path already.

“This includes relatively mundane things such as siting water troughs to avoid negative impacts, but also connecting all the various aspects of natural resource management of land, water, GHG and biodiversity and seeing how addressing those in an integrated manner makes good

business and environmental sense.

“The areas in which farmers have the most progress to make are biodiversity management, GHG management, nutrient management, having the detailed and precise base understanding of their natural resources through comprehensive farm mapping and biosecurity management.

“The pilot assisted a number of farmers to identify additional biosecurity risks, especially from plant pests, and new ways

of managing those. Biosecurity procedures were rarely documented in the past beyond an animal health plan.

“Documentation was the main area requiring attention, and this does require one or more digital solutions that farmers can use to simplify planning, record keeping and monitoring. Establishing such solutions needs to be a high priority for the sector.”

Farmers made good progress on soil health assessments using the Visual Soil

Assessment (VSA) approach and winter management recording, reflecting the value farmers saw in these activities, he said.

“Implementation was relatively straightforward, and these areas have a strong connection to their farming business.”

The costs faced by farmers to prepare for NZFAP Plus also varied widely from a few hundred dollars to up to $16,000 where farmers needed to bring in professional support to map their farm, complete a nutrient/GHG budget and develop a comprehensive action plan covering land, water, GHG and biodiversity. There would also be some ongoing costs associated with outcome monitoring, but the greatest costs for farmers would be the continued implementation of their environmental action plans.

“There is no doubt that constructing such a comprehensive farm plan is a challenge, will take time, and many farmers will require significant support.

“However, it is the best pathway through which farmers can create a legacy and own their future. Farmer ownership of farm planning is essential for widespread uptake and success,” McDermott said.

The RMPP programme ends on March 31 and the NZFAP and NZFAP Plus programmes have transitioned to NZFAI, an incorporated society comprising 15 meat processing companies, a wool company, a dairy sheep milk company, Beef + Lamb NZ and Deer Industry NZ. NZFAI is now further developing and refining the standard into an operational assurance programme.

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Farming

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SIAFD FEATURE

SI Agricultural Field Days about connecti O

rganisers of the 2021 South Island Agricultural Field Days in March are looking forward to bringing people together in a celebration of the sector.

Chairperson Michaela McLeod said that as a result of Covid-19 the agricultural sector, like so many others has struggled.

“Not just from a financial perspective but from a social perspective as well,” McLeod said.

“There have been a number of A&P Shows and other events cancelled around the country.

They are such important events for farmers and traders, and I know it’s been very hard on a lot of people not having them.”

The South Island Agricultural Field Days on March 24-26 will be a big opportunity for the agricultural industry to get together. It will be a chance to celebrate all the latest developments and innovations in the sector as well as a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues. continued next page

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SIAFD FEATURE

15

ing farmers and industry Celebrating its 70th year in 2021, the South Island Agricultural Field Days is one of the largest and longest running field days in New Zealand. McLeod said the event will offer something to interest everyone not just those in the agricultural sector.

“I’d say the technology sector has continued to advance in the last year, even with Covid-19.

“There are some exciting new innovations which people may have read about, but at the field days they will have a chance to see them, not only on display but in action.

“The working demonstration area has definitely expanded and we have made it more accessible to people.

“There has also been a lot of work done on creating a fantastic lifestyle section which we are really excited about.

“It will be the place to find delicious food and treats as well as things like spa pools and other lifestyle products.

“We think it will be the perfect area for people to come together and catch up with friends over a beer and a bite to eat.”

The event attracts between 20,000 and 25,000 visitors over the course of three days to the Kirwee site on the outskirts of Christchurch.

McLeod estimates that if someone was to walk around

and visit every single attraction it would be about 10km of walking.

“That’s why we encourage people to come over at least a couple of days and take it easy. It is, however, doable in just a day.

Over the years we have had buses doing day trips from as far away as Blenheim and people have still had a great day out.”

This is McLeod’s first year in the role as chairperson and it’s a position she has worked towards after more than 10 years on the organising committee in a number of different duties.

“I really enjoy working with the fantastic bunch of people on the organising committee. I have got to know a lot of them well over the years in my various roles and they are some of the hardest working people you could ever meet.”

McLeod is a mother to two young children and along with her husband Ben runs an agricultural research business which conducts independent

trials.

When she took over the helm of the event for 2021 there wasn’t anything that needed changing.

“It’s already a very successful formula – I think the fact it’s been running for 70 years is testament to that. We had a social function earlier this year with past members from organising committees and stalwarts of the event.

“It was wonderful listening to their stories about what it was like in the earlier years of the event and just how much it has grown over the years.”

McLeod said a key component of the event’s success is the support from the local Selwyn community.

“We love all the support we get and it’s really important for us to be able to outsource jobs to community groups.

“We always need help with things such as car parking so if anyone wants to get involved, we would love to hear from them.”

Far left – Working demonstrations of machinery are a feature of the South Island Agricultural Field Days at KirPHOTO SIAFD wee, with an expanded area this year.

Left – South Island Agricultural Field Days chairperson Michaela McLeod says the event is a big opportunity for PHOTO SUPPLIED the agricultural industry to get together.

Canterbury

16

Farming

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SIAFD FEATURE

Exhibitor space heading for sell-out T

he 70th year of South Island Agricultural Field Days is shaping up to be one of the best events yet, with demand for exhibitor space heading for a sell-out and two months to go before the 2021 event.

The committee has been busy allocating sites across the 17ha, as well as the addition of 10ha of demonstration area, with exhibitors right across the agricultural sector lining up to showcase their businesses, products, services, innovations and opportunities.

2021 will see more companies demonstrating their machinery than ever before, headlined by Claas and Norwood.

“This is the place that farmers can come and see all the gear put through its paces before making a decision to purchase,” said grounds committee chairman Rodney Hadfield.

“Plus other big companies like Silver Fern Farms, PGG Wrightson, Farmlands, most of the vehicle and farm bike dealers, as well as the big banks etc will all be here,” he said.

It’s now been over 12 months since the last big agricultural show in the region and SIAFD organising committee chair Michaela McLeod believes that’s one of the reasons there has been a lot of interest from

This March’s field days will see more companies demonstrating their machinery than ever before.

exhibitors.

“Farmers and industry people love to come together and share their ideas, do business and look at ways to incorporate fresh ideas into their farming operations and the South Island Field Days provides that perfect opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their developments and opportunities.

“It’s also very healthy and

encouraging to spend time away from your farming operation and we’re really delighted that we can be that platform for people to meet up and connect.”

The event has moved to an online ticketing system for the first time. “... farmers use technology every day in their farms and businesses and we need to keep up with technology ourselves too,” McLeod said.

“We have a large site and by using technology this is one way we can send out exhibitor maps before the event starts, allowing the public to plan who and where they want to go when they arrive. Also, it’ll help us play our part in ensuring everyone’s safe around Covid-19.”

While the machinery demonstration area continues to be a cornerstone of the South

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Island Agricultural Field Days, the event organisers have also been working on an ATV demo course as well as incorporating a fencing competition, which will highlight some of the region’s most talented fencers.

“This is a way for other industries to showcase their talents to the public and prospective clients too,” McLeod said.

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SIAFD FEATURE

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Farming

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SIAFD FEATURE

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Dairy Focus

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

MORE RED IN

THE SHED

Page 20-21

20

Dairy Focus

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Ayrshire – the red beast of choice for

F

arming a dairy breed that makes up less than 1 per cent of the national herd means that Central Canterbury dairy farmers Donald and Anne Green’s cows are a different colour to most.

While their herd also contains the familiar black and white markings of holstein friesian and some jersey browns, the biggest numbers are the distinctive red and white of the ayrshire breed.

Donald Green, who has been farming for 49 years, said he grew up with ayrshire cows and has never seen the need to change.

With about 1200 of their 1640 cow herd being purebred ayrshire or ayrshire cross, they have the breed’s biggest herd in New Zealand.

The Greens operate Glenmore Farm in partnership with their sons Chris and Tim at Brookside.

Their daughter Sarah is an MRI radiographer in Christchurch.

The family has always lived in the Brookside area, between Dunsandel and Leeston, with Chris and Tim fifth generation farmers.

“It’s a location we enjoy. In the late 1990s, I had the opportunity to move to the outer plains, but Anne worked off-farm nearby and the kids were at Ellesmere College and we decided to stay put. I’m pleased we did. We have been able to extend our area around the home base,” Green said.

The area tended to have family dairy farms, rather than the larger corporate farms of the wider plains.

“It’s a diverse area. We have a neighbour that is a market gardener and another intensive cropping, as well as a horse stud and lifestylers, which means there are local people available for casual milking.”

The Greens started with a small farm of 100 cows on 70 hectares. “When we first started it was difficult to get finance.

In the 1990s and 2000s, finance opened up and bankers were calling on you.”

Expansion started just over 20 years ago as blocks became

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

available.

In earlier days Glenmore Farm was made up of 14 different dairy farms.

“If you look at the title of our farm it is made up of a lot of smallholdings. In those days, the herds might be 40 or 50 cows and they might grow some crop. It shows how things have changed.”

The Green family now farms three adjacent dairy units, with a total milking platform of 470ha.

The farm is self-contained, with a 230ha leased support block 8km away for wintering cows, raising young stock and growing supplementary feed.

“The farms are run relatively separately as each has road boundaries which is good in terms of biosecurity.

“In the late 1990s we were considering putting on a sharemilker, but the boys showed an interest and we ended up extending the business.

“Chris was a rural banker so brought home financial skills, while Tim is a qualified builder so is handy at fixing most things, including installing a herringbone shed bought from another farm.”

This season the farms are budgeted to produce 770,000kg of milksolids, with a per cow production of 470kg/MS. Tim oversees the two smaller herds which are predominantly ayrshire and are milked in herringbone sheds, while Chris runs the biggest herd, of 800 cows, which is more mixed in breed and milked in a rotary shed. All the farms supply Fonterra.

Cows milked in the rotary shed are fed 2kg a day of barley grain for most of the season, while the two smaller herds are fed palm

n g i s e D

From the county of Ayr in Scotland, ayrshires’ colour markings vary from nearly all red to nearly all white.

PHOTOS HEATHER CHALMERS

kernel expeller.

The farms are irrigated from reliable groundwater, with a mix of irrigators including 10 centre pivots. “Because of our heavy soils we don’t have the length of irrigation season you see on the outer plains.”

The soil type is heavy and predominantly clay based with some peat, which can cause problems in spring.

Glenmore Farm has nine fulltime staff. Of these, six are from overseas, five Filipinos and a Welshman, with three local women assisting with milking.

“Staff are very important to us and we enjoy working alongside them. We seldom have to advertise for staff.”

As part of the Gateway programme, a pupil from Ellesmere College also comes to the farm once a week for work experience. “You don’t throw them in the deep end, but try and

encourage them.”

Green said his role was now looking after the young stock as well as making breeding selection decisions. He is responsible for artificial insemination (AI) of the two smaller herds while an LIC technician looks after the 800cow herd.

Green also has a wider industry role, being on the board of Ayrshire New Zealand since 2009 and its president for the last five years. He said that while the breed was not big in terms of numbers it deserves its place in the dairy industry.

“It’s been the breed of choice for us for many years. They suit our farming system. They are a medium-sized animal, weighing 485kg to 490kg, which avoids issues with pugging. I have found they are a low maintenance animal.”

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markings vary from nearly all red to nearly all white. Ayrshire cattle are known for their foraging ability, particularly under adverse conditions and excel in udder conformation.

They are also known for low somatic cell counts, ability to convert grass into milk efficiently, hardiness and longevity.

New Zealand has 150 ayrshire herds, ranging from 12 animals to the Greens’ 1200.

In terms of milk composition, ayrshires have relatively comparable components of protein and milkfat, so are not as disadvantaged by swings in value between the two.

“Jersey breeders are currently benefiting from a swing back to milkfat, while breeders of friesians, known more for protein are suddenly finding themselves 25 cents/kg down on the company average.

“Ayrshires sit somewhere in the

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Brookside farmer

CUSTOMER CHRISTCHURCH VEIN CLINIC SALES REP BERNADETTE.CHRISTIE

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ROVE THIS AD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. NOTE THAT ANY A MUST BE FINALISED BY OUR MATERIAL DEADLINE. Right – Central Canterbury dairy farmers Donald and Anne Green farm the biggest ayrshire herd in New Zealand.

middle.”

Most dairy farmers choose not to use ayrshires because of their low Breeding Worth (BW) figures. This is because statistically, the low usage of ayrshire bulls means they don’t have the numbers and reliability to lift their BW figures anywhere near the popular holstein friesian, kiwicross and jersey bulls.

“The best ayshire bull will only have a BW of 100, whereas a lot of the kiwicross bulls will have a BW of 250.”

Instead, Green said he culled cows on production worth (PW).

“In earlier times, young dairy farmers and sharemilkers were encouraged to build up the BW of their herd, but profitability and the bottom line are becoming more important.”

Ayrshires could hold an important role in injecting crossbreeding into commercial dairy farms.

The national herd was now predominantly friesian, jersey, or kiwicross, a cross between the two.

“So ayrshires could be used to get a complete outcross to put a bit more vigour into animals.

“Some AI companies are bringing in overseas genetics such as Aussie red bulls and viking bulls from Finland.

Ayrshire NZ would prefer more use of domestically-bred ayrshire bulls, proven under New Zealand conditions.”

In the late 1980s, Semayr, a division of Ayrshire NZ was set up to give farmers the ability to buy semen with

different genetics to those then available from artificial breeding companies.

When LIC stopped sire proving ayrshire bulls in 1998, Semayr took over that role, with about 25 to 30 bulls proven each year. LIC now markets all Semayr bulls.

Semayr has 80ha of land at Taranaki used for grazing selected bulls until they are proven, which can be up to four years of age when their twoyear-old daughters come into milking herds. “It is rugged country and ideal for bulls to roam over.

“Members are invited to submit bulls, but the criteria is quite strict, particularly around fertility.”

Green said that while he had

contributed about six bulls over the years, he was not into bull breeding.

Glenmore Farm uses ayrshire genetics from Semayr proven bulls and younger bulls still being evaluated, as well as semen from Finland, which has the biggest progeny-tested ayrshire population in the world.

The friesian, jersey and kiwicross animals at Glenmore Farm are bred back to their own breed. “If you put a friesian over an ayrshire you end up with a black and white animal. You need a trained eye to know there is a bit of ayrshire in it.”

Semayr bulls are being genomically tested, in line with the other main breeds, providing another level of selection criteria. “It could mean that

rather than 15 proven bulls, we concentrate on five.”

The Green family previously showed its ayrshire cows at the Ellesmere A&P Show, known as the Selwyn Spring Show, at Leeston, but stopped three years ago for biosecurity reasons after cattle disease mycoplasma bovis was found in the national herd.

“I have always enjoyed selecting, preparing and presenting an animal.”

As cattle numbers at A&P shows have dropped away, Ayrshire NZ has established an on-farm competition for individual and groups of cows.

This judges cows from Southland to Northland. “This gives people that don’t have time to go to a show a chance to exhibit their animals on-farm.”

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Dairy Focus

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Wanted: Environmental stars N

ominations to a national award that flushes out dairy farmers who demonstrate innovation and passion in their approach to sustainable dairying are open until March 20.

The Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award was introduced by the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards to recognise those dairy farmers who are respected by their farming peers and their community for their attitude and role in sustainable dairying. Entry for this award is by nomination only, via dairyindustryawards.co.nz The 2021 Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award farmer could come from any of New Zealand’s milk suppliers and any farmer or farming partnership who demonstrates a high calibre of performance and leadership in the areas of responsible and sustainable care of people, animals, ecosystems and communities are eligible to enter.

NZ Dairy Industry Awards general manager Robin Congdon

The 2020 Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award winners Nick and Nicky Dawson.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

said that was important to showcase the good work farmers are doing within the industry as it does not always get the exposure it deserves. “We have excellent, experienced dairy farmers creating and working on wonderful projects that have a positive effect on the environment.

“We want to hear about the people who are farming responsibly, both environmentally and socially, and showcasing excellence on a daily basis. This is a chance for people to nominate their neighbour, their employer or someone in their community.

“This award gives us the

opportunity to recognise farmers that have progressed to ownership, demonstrate leadership in their farming practices and are a role model for our younger farmers coming through,” Congdon said.

The industry awards received 366 entries in 11 regions, more entries than the previous year

and notably more Share Farmer of the Year entries, which are traditionally harder to come by.

“Waikato came out on top with 66 entries across all three categories, then Canterbury/ North Otago with 54 entries, followed by Southland/Otago achieving 39 entries.”

Hawkes Bay/Wairarapa farmers Nick and Nicky Dawson won the 2020 Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award and received the John Wilson Memorial Trophy.

The Dawsons impressed the panel of judges with their commitment and passion.

“We hear about succession being about family, however Nick and Nicky spoke about succession for the whole industry and dairy farming in New Zealand.”

From the nominations, three finalists will be selected and interviewed by a panel of judges at the national final to be held in Hamilton with the winner announced at the awards dinner on May 15.

High-tech collars keep cows connected H

erd improvement and agri-tech co-operative LIC has formed a distribution partnership with Israeli-based Afimilk to market its high-tech cow collars in New Zealand, supporting a global trend towards “connected cows”.

The AfiCollar, worn around the neck, collects data on animal health, wellbeing and fertility.

Afimilk is one of the dairy industry’s leading producers of cow behaviour sensors, farm management software and milk meters and supplies cow collars internationally. Afimilk and LIC were in discussions last year regarding a potential investment

by LIC in Afimilk which didn’t proceed.

LIC chief executive Wayne McNee said as sector leaders, the parties remained in contact

The AfiCollar, worn around a cow’s neck, collects data on animal PHOTO SUPPLIED health, wellbeing and fertility.

and recently reached a new agreement regarding Afimilk’s cow collar technology.

“We are working to build an integrated, collaborative

technology ecosystem that makes it as easy as possible for farmers to adopt new technologies.

“Farmers need to be able

to choose the technology and products that are best suited to them.

“Our role is to ensure that proven technology can integrate with LIC’s existing systems and herd management software into the future.

“The AfiCollars are among the best in the world and, we believe, well suited to meet the unique challenges of New Zealand’s pastoral dairy environment.

“Our proven work in genomics, reproduction and animal health is enabling farmers to be more efficient and their herds to be more productive each year.

“Cow behavioural monitoring devices like the AfiCollar will deliver complementary on-farm benefits such as more accurate heat detection and animal health and welfare monitoring.”

AfiCollar was developed by Afimilk to assist dairy farmers in monitoring cow rumination, eating and motion, in order to enhance and improve the health, fertility and nutrition of their animals.

“AfiCollars will integrate with Protrack, LIC’s farm automation technology, which will allow for increased efficiency and faster, more informed decision-making on-farm.

“There is already strong demand for cow wearable technology by our farmers, and for it to integrate with LIC’s farm automation systems.

“The ‘connected cow’, wearing this technology, will shape the future of the dairy industry and help New Zealand maintain its world leading edge in precision farming,” McNee said.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

23

A2 Milk latest to fall in high stakes game I

t is surprising how quickly a company’s fortunes can change; the A2 Milk Company (A2MC) played a dangerous high-stakes game, relying heavily on an informal network of Chinese students and personal shoppers to distribute much of its product into China.

It’s a game that has cost other companies dearly in the past.

Daigou, buying on behalf, is a network of Chinese nationals living in or visiting Australia who buy local products and ship them back home to groups of friends, customers cultivated via the social media app WeChat.

It is not uncommon for Chinese tour groups to visit stores like the Chemist Warehouse

Craig Hickman

ELBOW DEEP @dairymanNZ

and buy products in bulk, much to the ire of locals.

Such is the demand from China for Australian packaged products that in 2019 a Sydney store owner was found to have stockpiled 4000 1kg tins of baby formula ready for export.

Covid-19 has stopped daigou in its tracks with Chinese students and tourists no longer able to visit Australia now or for the foreseeable future.

In December, A2MC slashed its full year earnings forecast from $1.8 billion to $1.4b and saw its share price dive by 23 per cent, placing the blame squarely on interruptions to the daigou channel.

A2MC’s misfortunes are not, of course, confined to themselves. As a shareholder of Synlait and one of their largest customers, they are dragging Synlait’s share price and profitability down with their own.

Daigou grew from a handful of personal shoppers to a multibillion-dollar backchannel into China in the wake of the 2008 baby formula scandal, a disaster which left 300,000 Chinese infants sick. Confidence in local supply never

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recovered and demand for Australian product in the original Australian packaging skyrocketed.

The daigou channel has been the making and the breaking of more than one publicly listed company in Australia.

New e-commerce regulations introduced by China in 2019 saw many smaller daigou purchasers exit the market due to more onerous paperwork.

Some goods attracted higher safety requirements than had been needed before and were also subject to stricter tax requirements, regulations that had an immediate negative impact on vitamin maker Blackmores.

Blackmores, who had been experiencing double digit growth on the back of daigou transactions, saw sales immediately slump and their share price drop by 23 per cent while $531 million was wiped from their valuation, setbacks from which they never fully recovered.

Analysts at the time were concerned A2MC would experience the same troubles as Blackmores, but they were quickly assured that the new Chinese laws didn’t affect baby

formula and business continued apace.

A similar fate befell Bellamy’s organic infant formula in 2017. After a meteoric rise on the daigou wave and taking 21 per cent of the Australian market share, Bellamy’s started discounting their infant formula through their official online Chinese channels.

Bellamy’s had a strong presence on online retailer Alibaba and began participating in their famous “Singles Day” sales.

Daigou shoppers, who didn’t have access to these discounted prices in Australia, found their margins slashed and abandoned Bellamy’s Organic in favour of A2 Platinum infant formula.

Bellamy’s, who were suffering from other issues as well, never recovered from being deserted by their daigou shoppers and have now been taken over by the Chinese Mengiu Dairy Company. The A2MC stepped in to fill the void and have been reaping the benefits ever since.

Given the tensions between China and Australia and the uncertainty over when international students will return, it remains to be seen if the A2 Milk Company can buck the trend and survive the collapse of its daigou channel.

A2MC once had a unique, premium product, but now they’re facing stiff competition, with nearly every dairy company with a presence in China putting A2 products on the shelves as fast as they can to take advantage of the sudden void.

Once Chinese consumers abandoned Bellamy’s Organic in preference for A2 Platinum they never came back, it is not yet clear whether they’ll return to the A2MC fold once the Covid-19 induced dust finally settles.

24

Dairy Focus

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Claw blocks a life saver if done right Fred Hoekstra

D

VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES

o you understand the benefits of the claw block? It is quite interesting what sort of responses farmers give to this question. Some think they are wonderful; some think they are too expensive, some struggle to make them stick on for any longer than a few steps and some make comments like “just make sure you don’t have any lame cows”.

This last comment is very easy to say, but most farmers I know haven’t got easy answers to their lameness issues, but I better not get sidetracked.

Claw blocks are life savers for many cows. Without them there would be a lot more cows going to the works - that is if the blocks are put on correctly and, unfortunately, I have seen many instances where they weren’t.

Sometimes we come across cows where the block has been put on the sore claw and so it

would seem that there is a lack of understanding as to how claw blocks work. The idea of a block is to glue it underneath the healthy claw so that the sore claw is relieved from carrying any weight enabling it to heal up much faster.

You should see an immediate improvement in the way the cow walks when the block is correctly applied, because she is experiencing a lot less pain. A block should last for at least three to four weeks.

There are many different blocking systems available now, but my preference would be for the Demotec FuturaPad which uses a wooden block as opposed to the shoe design.

The main reason for that is because they are very easy to work with, are nowhere near as weather dependent in the time they need to set (cold and hot days) and, most importantly, we can position the block much better on the claw.

There are several other particularly good systems available such as the Hoof-Tite or Bovi-Bond blocking systems that also use a wooden block.

Often you find with the shoe type blocks that they sit too far forward and this makes the heel part of the block wear too fast or

With a wooden block, you can always place the block correctly on the hoof.

Photo supplied

they even collapse in that part of the block.

The cow has no choice but to walk on the heel of her foot which puts an enormous amount of strain on the tendon that is keeping the pedal bone down.

This can cause such considerable stretch in some cases that there is a degree of lasting injury. The Demotec Easy Bloc system has minimised this effect with their

shoe design making it a good choice if you prefer that style of block.

With a wooden block, you can always place the block correctly on the hoof. The back part of the block should be flush with the heel of the cow. It does not matter at all if the toe is sticking over the front as long as the heel is flush with the block. This way the block will wear much more

Paul Bailey

027 229 9774

paul@canterburylivestock.co.nz

evenly and that is much better for the ligaments.

The block should also be in line with the inside of the claw and needs to be as flat as possible and not on an angle. Just remember that the block is there to support the weight of the cow.

This can only be achieved if the block is placed nice and square and not too far forward.

Another benefit of the wooden blocks is that they are much more environmentally friendly than the foam or synthetic blocks and don’t usually need to be removed as they will wear down over the course of four to five weeks. If you do use synthetic blocks it is important to remember to remove them after no more than six weeks as having a block on for too long is also detrimental to the cow.

The price of a block is often challenged and it does pay to shop around as there can be big variations in the prices of the same products between retailers, but even if blocks were sold for $100 each, they would still be cheaper than a lame cow.

For more information, or to discuss the various options available call Veehof Dairy Services, freephone 0800 VEEHOF (833463).

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25

Family farm comes full circle F

our generations have farmed on John Totty’s 465-hectare property at Staveley, with jersey cows featuring prominently throughout the years.

The Staveley Jerseys stud was founded by John’s grandfather, a passionate jersey breeder, in the early 1960s. Back then the farm milked 150 cows and ran dairy replacements, sheep, beef, and crop.

When John’s parents took over the business the farm was expanded, purchasing a neighbouring property in 1995 which was converted the following year. A friesian herd was purchased and for 20 years the property supported a 750cow herd while continuing to run young stock.

In 2015 John purchased the dry-land farm, which today milks 1000 cows across two sheds with young stock grazed offfarm. Seven years ago, the farm was 50:50 jersey and friesian genetics, today the farm is about 70 per cent jersey genetics and breeding back towards a full jersey herd.

John says the transition to jerseys has been an easy decision.

“Every season we have increased the jersey content of the herd and managed to hold or increase per cow production without any farm system changes. This season we have increased production by 15 per cent while only increasing cow numbers by 10 per cent.”

John says the ultimate goal is to achieve efficient, profitable production.

“We are aiming to get to the point where we produce a

Staveley farmer, John Totty.

kilogram of milksolids for every kilogram of liveweight, while keeping farm working expenses under $4.

“Seven years ago, with a 50 per cent friesian herd, we were doing 265,000 kilograms of milksolids, now we are achieving 385,000 kilograms of milksolids with a predominantly jersey herd, at a lower cost.

“As a bonus, our Fonterra cheque is always ahead of the company average too.”

The flexibility of jerseys was reinforced in John’s first year on the farm when a severe drought forced the herd on to once-a-day (OAD) in December.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

“The jerseys powered through, but the friesians sulked and had to go back on twice a day when the drought broke to get their appetites up.

“Jerseys will hold production through tough times and recover a lot quicker in autumn.”

Up until this season the farm had previously split the herds by breed, but this year, for the first time, the herds have been split

by BW. “Mixed herds didn’t work well with big friesians. Over time we have achieved more consistency in size through the use of jersey artificial breeding (AB) sires and the sale or culling of higher

friesian content animals, and that has enabled us to split herds by BW instead.

“It has really simplified the operation. The top herd is mated to AB for six weeks using jersey sires followed by four weeks of jersey bulls and two weeks of short gestation dairy. Whereas the jersey bulls go straight out with the lower BW herd meaning we are only doing AB through one shed.”

John says the flexibility of the jersey breed also includes the adaptability to variable milking intervals.

“One of our business goals was to move to a 10-in-7 system – that is 10 milkings in 7 days, a variation of 16-hour milkings, but with more convenient milking times for staff. This season is our first employing the 10-in-7 system full season.

“Jerseys have around a 30-hour holding capacity versus a friesian at around 20-hours, and this is a big advantage when using variable milking intervals.”

In John’s business, the jersey advantage extends beyond just efficiency and profitability to management traits like calving ease, animal health, and mastitis.

“Jerseys have tremendous calving ease – we averaged one assisted calving per week this season. We also have very few down cows, and often they are our older F16 girls that are more prone to metabolic issues.

“This season we had just four cases of clinical mastitis in August and 30 cases total over calving.

“Our somatic cell count is currently sitting around 100,000.

“All of these factors contribute to reduced animal health costs, reduced labour costs, and more manageable hours for staff.”

Jerseys have also been key to cash flow in the business, with a ready market in the South Island for surplus stock.

“There is a good market for jersey bulls with everyone using them over their heifers due to the superior calving ease.

“We also sell our young empty cows as carryovers, as well as our lower production worth (PW) animals, bringing through higher breeding worth (BW) replacements that better meet our herd goals.

“We’ve even had instances where people have come to look at our surplus friesian or crossbred stock and ended up buying our surplus jerseys because of their breeding worth, type and proven efficiency.”

The jersey cow is also gaining a growing reputation for its lower environmental footprint.

In the South Island where wintering practices have come under the spotlight, a lighter cow could be beneficial.

“In our business the environmental picture is becoming more and more important, particularly around pugging and winter grazing.

“We always try to have an eye to the future and a lighter cow that has less impact on the soil structure could be critical going forward.”

It’s that foresight that has seen the business go from strength to strength and build on the foundations set over the past four generations.

26

Dairy Focus

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NUTRITION FEATURE

Managing facial eczema

O

nce sporidesmin pasture spore counts are above 20,000/g nutritional strategies are a vital tool to reduce the impact of facial eczema in a herd or flock. The use of zinc in the diet of grazing stock, as a drench, in water or in feed, has long been recognised as one of the most effective methods of minimising the impact of facial eczema. The use of zinc as a means of prevention was first discovered in the early 1970s by Mrs Gladys Reid. It’s sometimes thought of however, as the only tool available.

And the challenge with facial eczema is that when spores are in really high concentrations, zinc is often not enough to prevent damage. What’s more,

like many strong medicines, zinc comes with some unfortunate side effects. For example, therapeutic doses of zinc are likely to be antagonistic to other minerals, especially calcium, increasing the likelihood of hypocalcaemia (milk fever).

With a bit of planning however these side effects can be minimised and other means of bolstering immunity and minimising exposure to spores can prove highly valuable additions to the tool kit.

Feeding non pasture feeds during summer allows for the amount of spore intake to be reduced, effectively diluting intake. Sollus customers will have already made a lot of silage this spring as they realised the

benefit of feeding non-pasture feeds during peak grass production in spring.

There is another benefit of feeding meals/silages during this period. It enables zinc oxide to be used in feed instead of water dosing with the much more aggressive zinc sulphate (ZnSO4).

It has also been demonstrated that feeding the right proportion of micro minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, in particular vitamin E, can further contribute to the resistance of animals to facial eczema (Munday et. al.).

Sollus incorporate antioxidants and key nutrients that aid in the repair of damaged organs caused during the inevitable oxidative stress produced by

sporidesmin.

Sollus also incorporate Hy-D. Hy-D increases active absorption of both calcium and phosphorus, helping offset the antagonism of zinc, thereby reducing the risk of hypocalcaemia.

Also, remember to watch the level of copper intake while spore levels are high. Free copper is thought to be critical to the creation of the superoxide radicals.

TO SUMMARISE:

•

• •

Zinc may inhibit the generation of the superoxide radical by sporidesmin.

Copper is required to enable damage by sporidesmin.

Zinc reduces the absorption of copper which

• •

•

catalyses the reaction.

The use of non-pasture feeds over supper will help limit spore exposure.

Zinc may be antagonistic to calcium, thereby increasing the risk of hypocalcaemia. The use of Hy-D can improve calcium absorption.

Vitamin E has been shown to have a separate mode of action to zinc in helping to prevent damage by free radicals involved with facial eczema .

Talk to your Sollus account manager about how you can deal with inevitable stress during this period as well as continue to build stronger cows – ready for next season.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

27

Left – Weatherzone.com.au SOI monthly data.

Below – Winchmore rainfall 1988-89 and 202021).

Timely rain dismisses drought comparisons L

ate December and early January has sort of put paid to the comparison I had been drawing with the 1988-89 La Niña drought.

The persistent La Niña in 2020-21 has brought “near normal or below normal” rainfall in the north and east of the South Island, quite the contrast to 1988-89.

Christmas-New Year 202021 brought with it some timely rainfall – up to 40mm Christmas week and another 25mm at Winchmore and 40mm further

Tony Davoren

SWIMS CONSULTING Ltd

inland.

The total of 65-80mm was in stark contrast to 1988-89 when there was just 30-35mm over the same period.

Furthermore, for the irrigation season to date 2020-21 no longer has that similarity to 1988-89 with nearly 2.5 times the rainfall this season.

The Christmas-New Year rain gave (or should have given) everyone a break from irrigation for over 10 days and at a time that was not too disruptive for any harvest.

But the dribs and drabs of rainfall that have continued in January and the north-easterly (La Niña) conditions have challenged the harvest of early

ryegrass and fescue seed crops.

Murphy’s Law I think to myself, as I write this with my mind on the La Niña conditions, we have a raging north-westerly – at least that is good for harvest and Niwa did suggest some westerly flow which may be strong at times though that was back in October. The SOI strengthened in December 2020 and the Weatherzone weekly values (18.8 to January 3 and 19.9 to January 10) suggest La Niña is here to stay for a while yet.

The Niwa climate outlook for the first couple months of 2021 suggest “air temperatures are very likely to be above average” and rainfall is about equally likely to be near normal or below normal in the east of the South Island”.

Given that (other than pasture irrigation) the peak irrigation demand has passed, below normal rainfall coupled with above average temperatures is perfect for arable and horticultural growth and harvest.

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28

Farming

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CROP PROTECTION FEATURE

Biodiversity funding will enable two forested stream gullies on a Banks Peninsula PHOTOS SUPPLIED sheep and beef farm to be fenced.

Farm’s gullies gain protection T

wo forested stream gullies on a sheep and beef farm on Banks Peninsula will be fenced to protect water quality and biodiversity.

The Goughs Bay Haley fence project will receive more than $15,000 of Immediate Steps (IMS) biodiversity funding over the next two years to exclude stock, improve water quality and instream habitat and allow native forest to regenerate.

The Christchurch City Council’s Biodiversity Fund has also contributed more than $17,000 towards this project.

The funding, recommended by the Banks Peninsula Water Zone Committee, will complete protection of upper Goughs Bay

2

stream catchment, contributing to the vision ki uta ki tai (mountains to the sea).

Committee chair Benita Wakefield is proud local landowners are taking action to protect and enhance biodiversity and water quality in the zone.

“Projects like this highlight the collective effort that’s going on to improve the waterways and biodiversity values in our zone.”

Landowner Marie Haley was looking to regenerate the farming operation and find natural systems to “take some of the hard work out of farming”.

The project will complete the fencing of all streams on the property.

“For me, this brings about

a lifelong goal of fencing the bush on both sides of the main homestead, blocks of bush that I played in as a child and then built my ecological skills within,” she said.

“Once I realised how degraded the understory was by grazing, I wanted to protect them to see them fulfil their fullest abundance and beauty.”

The gullies provide habitat for several at risk or declining native species, which will be further enhanced by fencing them off to allow the understory to regenerate.

The gullies are upstream of significant mahinga kai sites and already support a diverse range of native species – birds,

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Haley also runs tours showcasing the protection of biodiversity on her property – making the work she is undertaking visible and accessible to the public.

In future, she is exploring options to covenant the area, legally protecting the land so that all current and future landowners must manage the land for conservation purposes.

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invertebrates and lizards, with several bully species, koaro and banded kokopu.

The regenerating native plant species – matai, totara, and others – will provide essential habitat for this life within the gullies. “Already without the fencing being completed I am heartened by the spread of tomtit, falcon and morepork, a spill-over effect of Hinewai Reserve.

“Just the other day a tomtit came into my garden and landed right by my feet, it felt like a blessing of the forest protection I am doing for them,” she said.

Ongoing weed control is carried out by Haley but is not a major issue and the fence will

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CROP PROTECTION FEATURE

29

Concern at emergence of velvetleaf V

elvetleaf is a pest weed that’s been found on farms across New Zealand.

It’s a serious cropping weed that can affect many arable crops.

Velvetleaf has been reported as causing up to 70 per cent reduction in crop yields overseas.

The main entry pathway was through imported fodder beet seeds that were contaminated.

MPI has a list of seed lines they know are contaminated.

However, they do not know what the entry pathway was for the earlier incursion associated with maize growing in Auckland and Waikato. This incursion seems to have happened more than 15 years ago, and it may never be found out how it arrived.

If you’re a farmer (and especially if you sowed fodder beet seed in 2015), you should check your property carefully.

Velvetleaf is difficult to control – it’s resistant to many herbicides, and normal weed management practices don’t work at controlling it. It keeps emerging over summer and autumn, and its seeds can survive for up to 50 years. Seeds can lie dormant in soil and then germinate years later. This often happens in response to cultivation and movement of soil. A single plant can drop up

to 17,000 seeds.

How to identify velvetleaf: • Velvetleaf is an annual broad-leaved weed that grows between 0.5m and 2.5m tall.

• It has buttery-yellow flowers

about 3cm across. It flowers from spring through autumn.

• Leaves are large and heartshaped and are velvety to the touch.

• The plant has distinctive seedpods with 12 to 15

segments in a cup-like ring.

Each seedpod is about 2.5cm in diameter.

What velvetleaf looks like in the early stages: • Velvetleaf seeds will often

stay dormant in the soil for years if left undisturbed.

• Keep a look out for young plants such as these after cultivation, or other events that disturb the soil like earthworks.

30

Farming

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Specialty crops trialled in Canterbury T

rials of three novel crop types - buckwheat, soybean and quinoa – identified as having high potential have been undertaken in Canterbury.

Four on-farm buckwheat trials, supported by Carrfields were initiated for a Japanese customer with exacting specifications for buckwheat noodles.

Soybean lines were imported

by Plant Research as part of its ongoing trials to identify the best soybean lines for New Zealand conditions. Quinoa trials also got under way, with Kiwi Quinoa looking to expand its grower base.

These trial crops comprise three of the six “star” specialty grains and pulses identified by Our Land and Water research as having high potential for New Zealand farmers: soy, chickpeas, buckwheat, hemp, oats and quinoa. All have minimal environmental impacts (and in some cases benefit land and water) and can be included as part of mixed farming systems that includes animals.

Connections with these food companies, farmers and seed importers were supported by research completed by the speciality grains and pulses workstream of Our Land and Water’s Next Generation Systems programme, led by Susan Goodfellow, director of Leftfield Innovation.

Next Generation Systems aimed to support farmers to develop new farming systems and land use options that are feasible and practical in the eyes of rural communities, in response to intensifying demand to adapt to new market opportunities, technological innovations, regulatory limits and consumer demands.

The researchers connected with farmers who were interested in exploring new land uses associated with reliable water, provided by the new Central Plains Water irrigation scheme in Canterbury.

Thirteen farmers participated in multicriteria decision-

Below – Trials of (from left) buckwheat, soybeans and quinoa (and above) were undertaken in Canterbury, three of the six ‘star’ specialty grains and pulses identified by Our Land and Water research as havPHOTOS SUPPLIED ing high potential for New Zealand farmers.

making interviews, a framework developed by Next Generation Systems researchers to explore the drivers and barriers for land use diversification.

These interviews found the farmers generally considered financial factors more important than social, environmental and market factors, which were rated above regulatory

and knowledge factors. The research team reported that most farmers understand what can be grown, but find it challenging to fit the pieces of the value chain together, such as consumer demand and the availability of processing capability to transform raw materials into desired food products.

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Leftfield Innovation sought to connect market insights with these farmer insights.

Speciality grains and pulses had previously been identified as a land-use opportunity of high interest to Central Plans Water farmers. Researchers gathered information on a wide range of ancient and specialty grain and pulse crops and looked

at the market to determine which grains and pulses were increasing in demand, had attributes consumers desired, and potential as ingredients in high-value snack food products.

The resulting Specialty Grains and Pulses Report shortlisted six grain/ pulse categories and identified further steps required for opportunities to be realised.

This work provided assessment criteria that Leftfield Innovation drew on in work with Plant Research Ltd who evaluated 50 soybean seed varieties imported and grown for the Canterbury trial. Five soybean varieties were selected

by Leftfield Innovation to fit their identified market and consumer expectations, and further trials will be planted by Plant Research over 2020–21.

The report also supported Leftfield Innovation to communicate to farmers the exacting market specifications for buckwheat. The Japanese customer subsequently requested an increased tonnage of New Zealand-grown buckwheat to meet these standards in 2020–21.

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31

Regenerative ag shouldn’t be dismissed Mary Ralston

FOREST AND BIRD

R

ecent comments by Lincoln University scientists dismissing regenerative agriculture as a “fad” are unhelpful.

Water quality and climate change are crisis issues in New Zealand. We need to investigate all avenues that may improve water quality in rivers, lakes and aquifers and reduce the consequences of climate upheaval.

The farmers using regenerative agriculture practices and principles are drawn to change because they recognise all is not well with the current agricultural model.

There’s a lot of great things about the traditional New Zealand grass-based farming system. But we have moved so far away from this traditional model that what we have no longer suits the environment: we have modified farming to maximise returns to the point that many modern New Zealand farming practices have major negative consequences.

The reliance on fossil-fuel-produced soluble fertilisers instead of legumes, removal of long-term stocking rotations on cropping farms, the replacement of traditional stock and cropping farms with irrigated dairy farms, loss of native biodiversity, importation of palm kernel extract to maximise the number of cows per hectare ... farming is not what it used to be and that has come at a huge environmental cost.

For a top scientist to say that “actually, what we’re doing is pretty good”, is irresponsible and ignores lots of elephants in the room.

Why isn’t there an acknowledgement that things are actually pretty dire?

Welcome ideas that can be explored to improve environmental outcomes?

Encourage research? We need to do

Long-term pastures with a variety of species repair soil structure, sequester carbon, fix nitrogen and are good for stock health.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

better and time is of the essence.

Regenerative agriculture may help and can’t make it worse.

Regenerative farmers are using practices that add more carbon to the soil by reducing tillage, they use diverse cover crops and incorporate animals back into cropping systems. This improves soil water-holding capacity as well as removing carbon gas from the atmosphere, reduces fossil fuel use and improves soil structure. That sounds good to me.

Improving biodiversity on-farm is also another goal of regenerative agriculture. This can lower the need for chemical inputs and we’ve all read the news stories about the loss of beneficial insects and the impact of modern life on crucial pollinators such as bees. And lower chemical inputs are probably a lot better for human and stock health; both for the workers and the consumers of the food.

There’s little data on whether these practices can make a significant difference to New Zealand’s farming footprint because it’s a relatively new thing. There hasn’t been enough time or recognition so it’s petty to complain

• • • • •

Locally owned and operated Locally owned

and operated T

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there’s a lack of evidence to support the principles of regenerative agriculture.

There needs to be encouragement for farmers experimenting with regenerative practices.

Help with design and the funding of research trials should be a priority for Lincoln academics, rather than dismissal of genuine attempts to make a positive difference to our valuable farming sector.

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32

Farming

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RURAL CONSTRUCTION FEATURE

Deciding the best dairy design and size T

he rotary and the herringbone are the two main dairy designs used in New Zealand. If well designed, both rotary and herringbones can provide a productive working environment that is both cow and milker friendly.

When deciding on dairy type it is important to start by defining what you require from your farm dairy, and then select the dairy which best suits your needs. In 2013, 72 per cent of dairies in New Zealand were herringbone and 27 per cent rotary. The size of the dairy should be considered at the same time as selecting a dairy type.

SIZING THE DAIRY

As the life of a dairy is at least 25 years, when building a new dairy it is important to give a lot of consideration to the size, particularly with rotaries as

they do not lend themselves to expansion.

When considering the optimum number of clusters the following should be taken into account: • Labour efficiency • Cow numbers • Capital cost • Other factors such as personal preference and the potential for increasing herd size in the future.

Planning is important to ensure that you get a dairy which suits the needs of your business and the people in it.

CONSIDERATIONS

The optimum cluster number in a dairy is dependent on cluster through-put in relation to milker through-put. It needs to be recognised that at the upper limits people are working to a high level of efficiency which they

may not be able to maintain. Also that whatever limit is suggested there will be farmers gearing up to exceed it!

USING LABOUR EFFICIENTLY

Although other critical factors include availability of capital, perception on practical milking times and personal preference, a key driver for dairy size should be efficiency of labour utilisation.

It was once thought that people could only milk about 10 rows of cows in a herringbone without getting tired and also needed to leave enough ‘free’ time to do the rest of the farm work. Now there are dedicated milkers doing little other farm work.

In this situation it is best that milkers are rostered in shifts so that although the milking time may be extended – thereby making more efficient use of capi-

tal - individual milkers are not working for prolonged periods of time. Note that it is still possible and desirable to provide work of varying responsibility and variety to relieve monotony; to help create interest and challenge.

When considering labour in relation to dairy size, think about the following points not only with present staffing in mind, but for the future: • How many people will normally milk?

• Will a number of different people milk during the week?

• What type of labour is available long-term?

Skilled or unskilled? Fulltime or casual?

• How long should the milking take? Is it important for the milking to be restricted to less than two hours? Can the dairy

operate for much longer at each milking shift?

AUTOMATION

The use of automation can have a large impact on labour efficiency and the sizing of the dairy.

Automatic cluster removal and automatic teat spraying on a rotary can remove the need for a person at the clusters-off position for much of the lactation period. In herringbones, it removes the risk of over-milking and makes it possible to extend herringbones to about 30 clusters and still be managed by one milker. Automatic teat spraying in herringbones also makes milking easier.

Automatic drafting is becoming the norm in all large dairies, herringbone or rotary, due to labour savings and stress-reducing attributes.

Dairy Type

Maximum cluster numbers*

Herringbone

Without automation

With automation

1 person

18-22 clusters

up to 30

2 people

26-44 clusters

up to 50

Rotary

Without automation

With automation

1 person

-

50-60

2 people

50-60

up to 80

®

We believe in being loyal, committed and dedicated to the success of our customers. Contact Trident Homes Ashburton to start your build journey!

Ph 03 308 2127 | www.tridenthomes.nz

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BUILDING IN FLEXIBILITY

• •

•

• •

Change in farm size and / or changes in herd numbers; Increases in average production/cow; Changes in milking frequency, e.g. to once-aday or 16 hour interval milking Availability of skilled labour; Changes over time in average size of cows in the herd;

•

•

•

RURAL CONSTRUCTION FEATURE

Changes in the rate of milking, at different stages of the lactation, in seasonally-calving herds; Changes to feeding systems in the bail due to automation or increase in quantities; Distance to the dairy from the furthest paddocks i.e. walking time for the herd.

Two smaller dairies rather than one large could be more effective e.g. on a narrow farm milking 1500

cows, it may be better to consider building 2 one milker, 50 bail rotaries rather than 1 two milker, 80 bail unit where cows need to walk a long way.

For a more detailed examination of techniques to use when sizing a new farm dairy see the document on the previous page “Sizing a dairy to maximise milking efficiency”.

SUMMARY

•

Try to be open-minded about dairy type - start

Making the building process easy and stress free

•

•

with your requirements then choose the dairy to meet these.

When deciding on a new dairy give yourself time to gather information and advice. Good planning will ensure that you get a dairy which fits all your requirements.

Seek expert advice. With the range of skills needed in developing a new dairy, advice is needed from several different sourc-

33

es. These include: dairy builders, the local authority, milking machine companies etc. In particular, consider the benefit of specialists in milk harvesting who may have a better understanding of the details of design and their impact on cow flow.

Allow plenty of time to analyse, double check and test any advice.

Source DairyNZ

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Farming

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RURAL CONSTRUCTION FEATURE

70 years of quality, style, performance Q

uality, style and high performance never go out of fashion. There is only one name that has, for seven decades, consistently delivered all three when it comes to housing. That name is Lockwood Homes.

Combining the natural advantages of solid wood construction with a range of designs from the classic to the contemporary, Lockwood has proudly produced homes and commercial buildings since 1951. The real testament to quality, style and performance is that Lockwood buildings, whether in Central Otago or the tropical South Pacific, have stood the test of time, taking the toll of the years in their stride.

Every Lockwood home is created on principles and fundamentals of Good Design: simple, thoughtful, beautiful and effortlessly functional.

“Avoiding fads and trends, we focus on details contributing to durability rather than those leading to maintenance overheads”, says managing director, Andrew La Grouw.

“For us at Lockwood Homes, every building is an embodiment of our brand. The name Lockwood is your guarantee of a home built on integrity, family values and a reputation for outstanding quality.”

A light-filled modern Lockwood home with bold statement feature walls.

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resulting in the highest standard of finished homes.

Because it is solid wood, a Lockwood building offers unique advantages, including natural earthquake and extreme weather resistance. Thermal efficiency comes as part of the package; wood ‘breathes’, contributing to air circulation and a warm, dry

home. It also forms a natural insulating layer (beefed up by insulation sandwiched between solid timber) delivering energy efficiency 50 per cent greater than the NZBC requirements for solid timber homes.

Wood also does something else better than just about any other construction material. It handles the knocks and bumps of daily living without damage, avoiding many maintenance and redecorating tasks, and leaving Lockwood homeowners with more time and money for quality living.

In addition to beautiful interior timber finishes, Lockwood encourages new home builders to combine the benefits of the Lockwood system with a range of textures and colours. Market development manager Sarah Smith says “Adding stonework, painted feature walls, or plasterboard features gives maximum flexibility and provides fabulous interior options for clients to showcase their own style.”

Contact our Lockwood South Island Sales Office on 03 344 0299, see their Madrid Show Home in Hornby, Christchurch or visit lockwood.co.nz for more inspiration.

Contemporary, open, bright and low maintenance are all hallmarks of our distinctive solid timber homes. With our commitment to consistency, communication and superior quality, we pride ourselves on creating high quality, low maintenance homes for discerning clients.

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35

Positive start for rural real estate in 2021 Chris Murdoch

PROPERTY BROKERS

H

eading into 2021, general confidence to invest in the rural real estate market appears to be very positive, in stark contrast to the previous three years.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still serious challenges ahead of us, particularly the uncertainty around tightening environmental regulations, bank credit, export product prices and Covid-19.

However, very low bank deposit returns seem to be putting more investment capital into the agriculture space, especially since most forms of agribusiness seem to be able to achieve a healthy return on capital.

Property Brokers Canterbury finished 2020 with a bit of a flurry, selling three dairy farms and another out of the district.

A dairy farm was also sold by another real estate company.

We also have another dairy unit

under contract which is going through a due diligence process.

That’s more sales than happened all of the last selling season.

What’s brought these sales to light you may well ask?

The answer is several different things including all the earlier mentioned issues and I believe a re-setting of the dairy market.

But most of all I believe it is the banks’ attitude towards putting money back into the rural market even though it may be very measured.

One thing that did set my mind working over the Christmas

We don’t just say team.

We promise it.

period was forestry. I was lucky enough to travel through the Tasman area and was surprised at the amount of forestry being harvested. This got me thinking – how come farmers are not allowed to cultivate land of over 10 per cent slope and yet trees can be planted on near vertical faces? The erosion, mud and debris that are displaced during harvest of these trees in one year must equate, you would think, to all the soil movement etc you get with normal farming practice over 25 years on similar soils.

The slips, mud and rubbish that is falling off the side of

the hill during harvest is huge.

Surely tree harvesting is just the same as fodderbeet grazing or worse, yet we don’t hear from the green groups about that at all. Trees are planted to harvest as is wheat, barley, fodder beet and winter feed. Shouldn’t it be treated the same way?

So, I ask myself, what’s on the horizon for 2021?

Maybe we will get the new more infectious strains of Covid-19 before we get the vaccines, are we looking at major lockdown again, will the government revisit overseas land investment and increase them

from 25 per cent to 49 per cent, will the Labour government slow down the implementation of environmental issues and give us time to make the changes needed, is gold kiwifruit land going to continue to increase at the rate it did last year? These are just some of the unknowns that are in front of us.

All you can do is deal with the issues we know about and make informed decisions. That’s why if you are considering doing something in the rural real estate market at least contact an agent that has his or her hand on the pulse. Give me or one of my fellow agents in Property Brokers Rural a call and have a chat. Put us on your shopping list and I’m sure you will be pleased you did.

Please take the opportunity to consider participating in our Autumn Rural Outlook. We sold 68 per cent of listings presented in this format last autumn.

Our Rural Outlook closes on February 26, so don’t hesitate to get that professional second opinion, we are all back on deck and here to work through the options.

Let’s all have a great 2021.

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.

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pb.co.nz Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008

36

Farming

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FARM MACHINERY FEATURE

Cultivation: It’s Kverneland at Springdale T

wenty years ago a land agent told Bill Davey, “you’ll never buy a better bit of land than this.” Back then he suspected land agent spiel, but now Davey admits the agent was right.

Northwesterly winds that are so prevalent on the Rakaia plains bring high temperatures and gale force winds and if it’s blowing, Davey’s place gets it.

It is that wind that brought the precious Barrhill sandy silt loam to Springdale Farm, at Somerton, Mid Canterbury over millennia.

Keeping it where it landed is of paramount importance to Davey and his son Nick.

“We are probably on some of the best cropping ground in the country. I feel very fortunate to have been able to acquire these 487 hectares almost 20 years ago now. I don’t think I could have picked a better farm. Even though we need the insurance of irrigation we have got good soil that holds the moisture, we get some excellent crop yields.”

Previously Davey farmed in Lincolnshire, England, where abrasive soils and heavy wear on his plough parts eventually led him to a Kverneland plough.

“We were getting through plough parts faster than we would have liked and didn’t realise that a different brand of plough might offer a harder wearing solution. Talking to farmer friends we realised Kverneland seemed to have far harder steel in their products. I bought a five furrow Kverneland LD 100 reversible and those parts stood the test of time. Our ploughman of many years said, “Bill, now we have got a plough.”

“In dry autumn conditions we used to change plough points almost daily, but when we switched to Kverneland, plough points lasted almost four times longer in the abrasive soil.

“Soon after we arrived in New Zealand, I realised I needed a decent plough, so I started with a Kverneland seven furrow RG100 reversible. We replaced it three years ago with an eight furrow, semi-mounted KV PG100 reversible, with break-

Mid Canterbury farmer Bill Davey appreciates the difference a hard-wearing plough can make.

back legs, from Power Farming, Ashburton. I was looking for the same strength and durability I had experienced in my previous ploughs.

“The break-back system offers protection to the plough when off-farm contracting, where you are not always aware of what lies just below the surface. If the plough hits a rock, instead of breaking shear bolts or damaging parts, the individual furrow leg leaps out of the ground, over the rock and then back in. We operate the plough with a 340HP John Deere tractor and have the ability to cover impressive areas daily.

“Once the plough is set up correctly it is very user-friendly.

The ploughman can alter the furrow width hydraulically while on the move, depending on the conditions, headland finishes and crop residue inversion.

“It is far more versatile than it looks being such a big plough.

It is possible to plough into the corners of the paddock and the addition of maize skimmers

assists in burying crop residues perfectly. By incorporating these residues we have maintained and improved our soil’s biodiversity.

The plough is user-friendly, a great piece of kit and very much part of our farm’s artillery.”

Davey speaks highly of the Kverneland brand’s design, strength and durability. He has formed a close association with dealer principal Simon Jackson and the team at Power Farming, Ashburton. He rates them highly for their ability to provide parts and back-up quickly.

“They always have the part, or very occasionally have performed a miracle. They are a nationwide, family owned and run company and we get excellent service from them.”

Davey’s attention turned again to Kverneland when Nick’s contracting business required a machine to break down the tough residues of winter fed brassicas, which simply clogged up their tined implement. Demonstrations proved that the Kverneland Qualidisc cultivator managed the

job admirably.

The Qualidisc’s effectiveness is largely due to its large 600 mm discs with close spacing, giving excellent chopping and sizing ability. The reduced concave design and work angle of the discs ensure excellent penetration, incorporation and soil cultivation.

“We use the Qualidisc far more than we expected. It’s a trailed 6m machine which folds easily for road transport in between jobs.

We operate it with ease using a 200HP John Deere tractor and it seems to make a better job the faster it’s travelling. The speed that achieves the optimum results is between 12-15kmh, on our soils.

“Depth control is simple to adjust using the hydraulic ram and either adding or removing nylon shims depending on the working depth required.”

The Daveys have diversified and created great synergy between the strands of their business and the dairy industry.

Initially an arable operation

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with lamb finishing, Nick now runs a contracting business. He supplies local dairy farms with high-quality forage, a portion of which is grown on Springdale properties. Its success has given them scope to invest in quality machinery. Consequently, the Daveys run a fleet of the latest gear.

To add further diversity to their arable operation the Daveys winter graze dairy cows on kale for local dairy farmers.

“Planting spring-sown crops after the plough has buried the residue left behind by the cows, we have achieved some tremendous results. In fact, our soil tests identify quite clearly the positive effect the cows are having on our soil, whilst providing us with a short-term income.”

Nick runs a McHale 998 high-speed bale wrapper which complements his Claas 5300 square baler. So far it has completed three seasons and is regularly wrapping 70 bales an hour in peak periods.

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FARM MACHINERY FEATURE

37

Tractor industry optimistic for 2021 The tractor sales industry finished 2020 on a strong note with December sales up 18.4 per cent on 2019.

Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) president Kyle Baxter said that while 2020 definitely posed challenges for the industry, the current mood of members is positive.

Overall tractor sales for 2020 were down 15.3 per cent compared with 2019, with sales for the bigger machines (375 HP plus) particularly affected with a drop of 25 per cent.

Baxter said nobody in the industry was surprised with the reduction in sales for the highend tractor investments.

Tractor distribution companies had been envisaging a reduction in sales going into 2020, however, as a result of the pandemic sales reduced slightly more than expected.

Certain horsepower segments actually remained stronger than others over the year, particularly lifestyle tractors (20-30 HP) for which sales volumes were very similar to 2019.

Tractors sold in the viticulture and horticulture segments (80-100 HP) also bolstered annual sales volumes with a reduction of only about 5 per cent compared to 2019’s record breaking year. Harder

hit was the higher horsepower tractor segment traditionally sold into the arable/cropping and drystock farming sector (140-375 HP), with about a 20 per cent reduction in sales volume from 2019.

“This HP segment accounts for a lot of the tractors sold into contractors and hire fleets, which were affected by the general uncertainties around the pandemic.

“They also experienced further uncertainty in obtaining sufficient workers through the spring and summer season to operate these machines, with a consequential reduction in the yearly sales volumes of larger tractors.”

TAMA members are now reporting that demand for tractors and equipment is steadily building across the country, as customers are beginning to secure their machines for spring and summer 2021.

“However, the pandemic is continuing to disrupt the overseas supply chain across Europe, America and Asia.

While New Zealand TAMA members are doing everything they can to ensure machines arrive on time for the season ahead, there will be potential delays in global manufacturing and international shipping routes that could be felt during the first half of the year.”

Baxter has advised TAMA members to stay well informed of any shipping delays via their overseas manufacturers and shipping companies, and to liaise with their customers who may be affected by these delays.

“On a positive note for 2021, our members who manufacturer within New Zealand are reporting strong order banks for their equipment from customers.

“This is very good news and another sign that our primary industry is still feeling buoyant amongst the global turmoil.”

Tractor and Machinery Association president Kyle Baxter says shipping delays are possible for imported PHOTO SUPPLIED machinery.

38

Farming

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Colour my world in 2021 Sheryl Stivens

ECO EFFICIENCY

O

ne of my personal goals in 2021 is to colour my world by growing more colourful flowers, vegetables and herbs for insects and pollination, as well as for sheer enjoyment.

Colour is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood and even influence physiological reactions.

Certain colours have been associated with increased blood pressure, increased metabolism, and even eyestrain. Colour can affect how we feel. We all know how different we feel when the sun shines.

Colours can also affect our health and wellbeing in a number of ways.

Colour therapy, also known as chromatherapy, has been used in healing since ancient times.

Colours can influence emotions. For instance, people who often feel drained and tired may be advised to have more exposure to yellows and reds.

People who are always on edge may be advised to be exposed to more blues and greens.

Colour can have psychological effects on everything from human behaviour to mood to performance. Prisons in Europe have started painting their walls pink in an effort to calm aggressive inmates. Red sports uniforms have been linked to higher win rates.

So what colour symbolises health? Green represents health

and balance and is required by the body in large quantities. It calms the nerves and helps us feel comfortable. I remember when we spent a season living in the snow in Montana some years back and how I missed the greens of grass and trees in our surroundings until the snow melt came.

The green colour of plants comes from chlorophyll, the lifeline of plants. Green foods include leafy vegetables, eaten in salads and soups. Blue represents health and wellbeing and is the colour of the sky and of water.

Our bodies are composed of two-thirds water so the colour resonates with us.

Lighter shades of blue are often used to promote health and

wellness, travel and relaxation, while darker shades are often used by political organisations and sports teams. Blue foods include blueberries and grapes.

The colour grey is often used to describe anxiety. Grey is potentially a sad colour, but dark and muted cool colours like blue, green or neutrals like brown or beige can have a similar effect on feelings and emotions depending on how they’re used.

In Western cultures black is often considered the colour of mourning, whereas in some East Asian countries it is white. So, what is the happiest colour?

Yellow is widely recognised as the happiest colour in the world.

Many studies have linked the psychological powers of yellow

to the sun. Yellow foods include capsicums and citrus fruit.

You may have heard about eating a rainbow diet – that is, eating foods that represent all the seven colours of the rainbow.

Growing and eating rainbow beet is a simple way to eat red, yellow, pink and green foods.

Who could imagine a world without colour?

So why not plan to include colourful food and plants in your 2021 daily routines to make your life more colourful and see what a difference it makes in your life and for those you love.

Top left – Herbs provide food and colour in your garden.

Above – Buddleias provide vibrant colours and food for monarch butPHOTOS SUPPLIED terflies.

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39

China sales bright spot for venison S

trong sales of venison in China are one bright light in otherwise stormy seas, says Deer Industry NZ venison marketing manager Nick Taylor.

“September was a good month, with exports to China of 225 tonnes, by far the highest monthly total since Covid-19 emerged. Our marketers have built demand at food service, especially from high-end hotels in China’s more cosmopolitan cities, but a lot of sales are going to new customers who are ordering trial shipments of the whole range of cuts,” Taylor said.

“Importers are continuing to develop new butchery techniques, cuts and cuisines for venison that appeal to Chinese tastes. China has limited experience with venison cuisine, but because of the huge potential size of the Chinese market even a trial shipment can be quite large in the context of our total exports.”

China is now our third largest market for venison by value and volume. Germany and the United States hold first and second places.

Overall, venison prices are down because most of the prime, highvalue cuts are normally sold at high-end restaurants in northern Europe and the United States. With restaurants closed or operating at reduced capacity because of Covid-19, marketers are having to find outlets for these cuts.

“Marketers report that sales of chilled venison through retail outlets are continuing, but overall conditions in key venison markets remain challenging.”

The average venison schedule for a prime 60kg carcase weight stag is $5.50 per kilogram, compared with $8.50/kg this time last year.

“Farmers are working closely with their venison processors during this difficult time, so their venison is marketed in an orderly way. Because markets are not experiencing normal sales patterns for this time of year, marketers and their importing partners are needing to carefully manage product flows,” Taylor said.

Total venison export tonnages in the year to September 30, 2020, were only 2 per cent back on the 2019 year.

Despite Covid-19-related disruptions to shipping, airfreight and customers,

Consultant chef Shen is helping Deer Industry NZ develop new recipes for venison that fit traditional Chinese cooking styles and flavour profiles. He’s part of a market development initiative that has seen China become our third-largest venison market.

Photo supplied

Statistics NZ reports that 11,300 tonnes of venison was exported.

However, value was back 20 per cent to $153 million, reflecting the fall in price of all premium proteins due to the impacts of Covid-19 on restaurant sales and consumer confidence.

“Lower export prices have helped marketers and their market partners find new customers and boost sales to established customers. They’ve really been putting in the hard yards,” Taylor said.

“For example, some manufacturers of some retail items – such as prepackaged cuts and pre-cooked ready meals – had moved away from New Zealand venison as prices rose over the last few years.

Some of these firms have now been wooed back to NZ venison. Indeed, sales to Europe have increased this year as more volume has gone into this traditional market for boneless venison.”

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

BOARDING ROAD SHOW Visit stac.school.nz for further information and to register online

2 March

ASHBURTON MATT PARR – Director of Boarding

40

Farming

www.guardianonline.co.nz

EARTHMOVING FEATURE

Building and maintaining farm tracks W

Land Development and Civil Siteworks Done Right 30 years of local knowledge and experience makes us the right people to talk to when it comes to earthmoving and civil siteworks. We explore every angle of a project upfront to ensure it runs smoothly and efficiently. For us, being the best isn’t about getting a job done fastest, or cheapest. It’s about getting it Done Right.

Find out how we will get your project Done Right at tarbotton.co.nz

hy are good tracks important?

Tracks, races and accessways are crucial for getting around farms and rural properties.

Having the right tracks for the job will minimise maintenance requirements and help day-to-day operations to run smoothly.

Many of the farm tracks in use today were designed for less intensive farming systems.

Herds were much smaller and most tracks weren’t originally intended for heavy vehicle use so they are often too narrow, poorly drained and require a great deal of maintenance.

Having stable, safe, effective tracks should be a key priority for any landowner.

multi-axle vehicles.

Deciding on the primary use for your track and tailoring construction accordingly are important first steps.

THE RULES

Drainage is vital when you’re planning a farm track.

If there’s no drainage, a track is unlikely to stand up to wear and tear. To create good drainage: • Build drains along both sides of the track to prevent water seeping into the base from the surrounding ground.

The drains must have the correct grade and the water needs somewhere to flow – preferably to an area of stable land (a wetland is a possibility).

• Fence off drains to avoid damage from stock. A single-wire electric fence will work as a minimum.

• Put in a culvert where a track crosses a small watercourse or where water needs to be drained under the laneway (this is a requirement). Culverts of 300mm diameter are good for most situations.

• Wherever possible, ensure the water table is at least 600mm below the track surface. The higher the track above the water table, the better, as this will allow it to be used in a range of conditions.

You generally don’t need a resource consent to construct farm tracks, races and access ways on your land (except in the riparian management zone or if you are moving more than 5000m3 of earth in non erosion-prone land or 1000m3 in erosion-prone land within a 12-month period) but there are some regional rules that you’re required to follow.

• All practical measures must be taken to avoid creating erosion and disturbing vegetation (side castings from digging or grading can find their way into waterways and worsen flooding).

• The race must not allow agrichemicals to get into water courses.

These chemicals can bind onto silt and sediment particles and washed into waterways during rain, causing pollution and reducing water quality.

• Care must be taken not to interfere with sites of cultural significance, such as pa sites, urupa (cemeteries) and any early European buildings or structures.

• Earthworks can’t be done in wetlands or influence water levels that affect wetlands.

A well-built farm track will provide a surface that gives good foot and wheel traction in a range of weather conditions.

Farm tracks should be based on sound construction principles and allow for planned expansion of stock numbers and vehicles.

The type of track you build depends on what it will be used for – a track for the quad bike to access the back of the farm will be different than a forestry block access road which needs to support heavy,

• Bulk and Flat Deck Cartage • Machinery Hire • Earthmoving • Transporting • Rut Busting • Locally Owned and Operated • Service Guaranteed

CALL TODAY FOR AN OBLIGATION FREE QUOTE Office: 03 308 9821 | Mobile: 0274 391 556 | Email: admin@mjdcontractors.co.nz

PRINCIPLES OF BUILDING GOOD FARM TRACKS

• Whatever type of track you need, there are some key principles to follow for building good tracks: • Remove grass and topsoil • Build a sound base • Compact the surface well • Use suitable surface material, i.e. metal • Crown the race – make sure it slopes off to the sides and is high in the middle • Build drains along the side.

DRAINAGE

MAINTAINING TRACKS

Once built, tracks should be maintained as required – building them the right way will save money on maintenance in the long run.

Even a well-constructed farm track needs regular maintenance if it’s to continue to function effectively.

Cows often cause a build-up of manure and track debris along the edge of tracks – which prevents water draining away – so running over the race once a year with a grader blade will remove blockages and improve flows.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

41

Acland chases Beef + Lamb role M

id Canterbury farmer Kate Acland, of Mt Somers Station, is seeking a place on the board of Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

Acland is standing in the northern South Island ward against director Phil Smith of Culverden, who is seeking reelection.

Acland and her husband David Acland own and operate the 3800-hectare Mt Somers Station, a large and highly diversified farming operation running sheep, cattle, deer, dairy and a standalone honey operation in the Mid Canterbury foothills.

Three years ago, Acland spent a year as an associate director of Beef + Lamb NZ. “It is a great organisation that has an important role to play. I’ve always been keen to be further involved.”

Incumbent Phil Smith had been a director for six years and made a great contribution, but it was important that other people were keen to be involved and positions were contestable, she said. “So, it is good for all of us if there is an election.

“I have a broad farming background as well as a commercial background from my involvement in the wine industry, so I feel like I have a lot to offer.”

Kate Acland with husband, David.

In addition to their farming operation, the Aclands run Sugar Loaf winery in Marlborough, founded in 2004 by the then 23-year-old Acland, who studied viticulture and oenology at Lincoln University.

Mt Somers Station runs 9000 romney ewes and 3000 hoggets as well as 200 hereford beef cows.

They also run an 850-cow dairy farm on the station’s lower terraces.

“We consider ourselves sheep

PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

and beef farmers but do have a dairy farm on Mt Somers as well and dairy farmers contribute a significant amount to the beef levy.”

Deer farming on the station originated from wild deer captured in the 1970s and early 1980s.

The Aclands, who also own the Mt Somers and Staveley stores, took over the running of the station from David’s parents, the late Mark and Jo Acland, who bought the first part of the

station in 1983.

“We have a great team of people that help to run our different ventures which enables me to do other things like stand for Beef + Lamb.”

Acland said she was keen for Beef + Lamb to work alongside other industry good organisations such as DairyNZ. “The organisations worked well together with the Covid-19 response and I’d like to see more of that, particularly around the environmental space.”

As well as being a Ruralco director since 2018, Acland is a member of the Strong Wool Action Group tasked with identifying commercial and consumer-focused opportunities for the depressed strong wool market.

Acland acknowledged that it was not the first time an effort had been made to fix the wool industry.

However, a resurgence in interest in wool as a natural fibre and a willing government meant it was a good time to seek solutions. The group was working with the Ministry for Primary Industries and some overseas companies to develop business cases for strong wool.

“There is cool stuff happening around new uses for wool,” Acland said.

Wool has not been part of Beef + Lamb’s mandate since 2009, after farmers voted against paying a levy for its promotion and research funding.

Candidate profiles and voting papers for the Beef + Lamb election will be posted to livestock farmers in early February and the election will be conducted by postal and internet voting.

The final voting day is March 12.

42

Farming

IRRIGATION FEATURE

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Water projects expected to create jobs

A

package of 19 projects will help clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs, Environment Minister David Parker says.

The projects have been awarded $36 million of Government funding. Together with council and other contributions, the package will see more than $70 million invested in improving Aotearoa’s freshwater.

“From the high-country slopes in Canterbury to sensitive wetlands in the Nelson region, rivers in Northland, Taranaki, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Otago – this funding will help our freshwater systems right across the country,” Parker said.

Te Mana o Te Wai, the guiding

principle of the Essential Freshwater reforms, means protecting the life-supporting capacity of freshwater. It gives priority to the health of freshwater, then the needs of people and then commercial uses.

“The funding will support councils and landowners to implement the new freshwater regulations and give effect to Te Mana o Te Wai by supporting stock exclusion, fish passage remediation, the development and implementation of freshwater farm plans and sediment control activities like riparian planting,” Parker said.

Across the 19 projects, up to 413 jobs are expected to be created over the next five years.

The funding comes from the Freshwater Improvement fund, which is part of the Government’s $1.245 billion Jobs for Nature package that aims to create significant environmental benefits and employ thousands in our regions to help accelerate the recovery from the impact of Covid-19.

“With over 100 other Jobs for Nature funded projects already announced, and more than 800 jobs created so far, this programme is having a swift and powerful impact on our regions and the environment. The projects announced will build on the great work already happening across New Zealand,” Parker said.

Funding deeds will be negotiated with the successful recipients, with boots on the ground expected in the second quarter of 2021.

In Canterbury, projects include high country wetland and waterway protection in conjunction with North Canterbury Fish and Game. The $784,000 project will protect valuable, yet vulnerable high country wetlands and waterways. The project will work with landowners to retire land in strategic areas and protect sensitive instream habitats and water quality through targeted riparian management.

A further $2.1m will be spent to restore a whole catchment along Te Waikekewai stream,

which flows into Lake Te Waihora/Ellesmere. The project will compete riparian planting along the entire length of Te Waikekewai, recreate a significant wetland, improve fish passage and provide a whole of catchment restoration approach that can be used by other projects.

In Otago, a $4.5m project will preserve, protect and enhance water quality, recreational, cultural biodiversity and economic values in the Upper Taieri catchment. This will be achieved by catchment scale fencing, riparian planting and weed control. This also includes restoration of recreational areas and development and promotion of walking access to the river.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

IRRIGATION FEATURE

43

Water – it’s what we specialise in

T

hey always say ‘It rains after a drought’, how true! This year we were shaping up for dry old summer, but then it rained.

The week between Christmas and New Year produced some astonishing rainfall, particularly in South Canterbury and North to Central Otago Regions.

It has eased the irrigation pressure in those areas, in some places causing damage to fruit and crops. But in other parts of Canterbury, you could hear the farmers out there dancing in it!

At Boraman Consultants that has allowed us to relax a bit (just for now). We spend much of our days monitoring irrigation and measuring minimum flows. The

rain has given us a bit of respite with the minimum flows, and soil moisture strips have been reading at their upper limits. This means less irrigation, but also an opportunity for us to catch up on verification of flow meters now the irrigators are starting to turn back on.

The days of saturating borders are drawing to an end, where a more efficient use of water is expected. The borders are being ripped out and spray is replacing the races, and of course the trees are going to allow for the pivots.

Boraman Consultants specialise in measuring water — river and stream flows right down to small irrigation races

Dave and his staff install flow meters and are ‘‘Blue tick’’ approved to take care of water flow meter verifications.

The business stocks a range of flow meters to suit all situations. ‘‘We carry the latest technologies for flow measurements — traditional current meters, ADVs, ADCP, salt dilution, and STIV methods using drones.’’

The latest gadget is a radar water meter which is contactless to measure liquid velocity on the surface of the water.

BCL also provide and install on-farm monitoring equipment including soil moisture sensors, rain gauges, and weather stations.

Automated irrigation gates are another important product in the line-up. These can be operated remotely by cell phones or computers. It saves a drive to the race to turn your irrigation on.

Water quality testing has become a major part of our role, we do base-line testing for major irrigation schemes, to testing for household bores.

Boraman Consultants’ main office is based in Timaru, where it has three staff and two contractors. We have a satellite office with one of our team working out of Christchurch.

Dave says “We have a steady client base, and if you look after them they stay with you, isn’t

that the key to repeat business?”.

The staff are able to handle the current workload efficiently, but there are a few exciting projects on the go, which will require some expansion. ‘‘We are a small team, and when it’s small it’s easier to manage — there is more attention to detail when it’s managed well. ‘‘The team take pride in what they do. As a business owner, you can’t ask for more than that.’’

Contact Dave and the team today to take advantage of the extensive knowledge and range of products available from Boraman Consultants.

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OF HEAVY CARGO

You’ve got a long to-do list. The Can-Am Defender Pro will help you finish it. With its 2,500 lb towing capacity, 94 gal of storage space, and the industry’s biggest cargo box (easily converted to a flatbed), this machine is tailor-made for your toughest jobs. Just lock in and load up, the Defender Pro will do the rest.