Dairy Focus | July 2018

Dairy Focus WATER JULY 2018

MATTERS Pages 3 – 11

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EDITORIAL COMMENT

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Next month Dairy Focus will move into an exciting new phase with renowned rural journalist, Tim Cronshaw at the helm.

Cronshaw will be well known to many in the dairying sector for his work in the industry from a media perspective and his acquisition to the Ashburton Guardian Ltd business is the first step in taking our rural coverage to the next level as we work toward the future.

With a wealth of experience, spawned from 15 years of work as a reporter in the rural sector – largely for The Press in Christchurch where he was the editor of the farming section and more recently as the head of the rural section for Stuff, Cronshaw is renowned in his field and holds multiples awards at a national and international level in agricultural writing.

As a South Island wide publication, one of Tim’s real goals will be telling the stories of dairy farmers from all corners of the Mainland and ensuring that no stone is left unturned as the sector faces difficult and challenging times.

Matt Markham

EDITOR

The introduction of Tim also gives us the opportunity to bid farewell to Colin Williscroft who has handled this publication for the past year. Colin has moved on to work for The Press in Christchurch.

This month Dairy Focus has an underlying focus on water – and it’s impact on the dairy sector as we put the spotlight on just how much water matters in the dairying sector. With new innovations and some farmers stepping away from the normal to try new and innovative ideas, it is exciting times.

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3

Water matters – for everyone Dairy farmers have been in the gun in recent years over water use and the effect of their farming practices on fresh water quality, so it was no surprise the issue was top of mind for many at last month’s South Island Dairy Event (SIDE) in Dunedin. Given that focus, it was timely two farmers shared their experiences, opinions and views of the future in a session that ran under the heading “Water Matters”.

For North Otago farmer Lyndon Strang, water is a precious resource, not only for his business but also because he does not want his generation “handing over a problem to our children”.

With his wife Jane, Strang runs Maruakoa Farm at Five Forks, about 20 minutes inland from Oamaru. They milk 430 cows on their 230ha effective farm, as well as raising all replacement stock and wintering their cows.

Chairman of the Kakanui Water Allocation Committee and until very recently Federated Farmers North Otago dairy chair, he has been active in the re-establishment of the North Otago Land Management group, which aims to actively improve water quality in their catchment.

Strang told his SIDE audience that the management

where everyone can get what they want.”

Just another problem

Colin Williscroft

RURAL REPORTER

and care of New Zealand’s water resources is an issue that is of high importance to a significant amount of the community, as well as our international customers.

“These desires impose a pressure or tension in how we manage the quantity and quality of our water.

Irrigation, recreation and cultural activities sometimes pull in opposite directions and it is sometimes overwhelming to see a way to a solution

Water quality is no different to any other issue the farming sector has had to deal with, Strang said.

“We will fix this problem and we will come through this stronger. It will take a change in the way we do things, it will take leadership, it will take education of the wider community and it will inevitably cost us but it must be done.”

He said the alternative is increased regulations, negative public perception and possibly marketing problems if farmers’ provenance story does not match the reality.

“Water quality is a long game and the negative results did not happen overnight.

Lyndon Strang.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Likewise it will not be fixed instantly. The on-farm changes we make today may not result in a positive water quality outcome right away, so it is important that we communicate and educate other stakeholders on what is being done on-farm and our acceptance to resolve the

issues as we continue down this journey.

“This education includes local and national politicians and policy makers on what we have done and what we are in the process of doing.

Crawling into our holes and keeping our head down is not going to make things better.”

Strang said discussions around water have changed immeasurably over the last 10 years. A presentation then would have focused on irrigation infrastructure but now it’s more about water management – irrigation is just the bricks and mortar that puts the water on the ground, while water management includes securing water resources, monitoring and managing water quality, and future proofing the resource and farmers’ businesses.

continued over page

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From P3 Jane’s family, the Isbisters are fourth generation farmers in North Otago and in 2006 the Strangs were a long way away from that, instead moving in the corporate world at that time.

However, that year it all changed and, deciding they wanted to run their own business and give their children the opportunity to grow up in the country, threw in their big city jobs and went to work for Jane’s parents as dairy assistants.

They faced some real challenges in the first few years.

Five Forks is in the shadow of the Kakanui ranges and has very low rainfall, less than 500mm a year. Like most of the east coast, drought is common.

“Our irrigation water came from a run-of-the-river consent off the Kakanui River, which just when we needed it went on restrictions or off completely.

“We had a cycle of drought with good payout that we couldn’t maximise, followed by a drought with a low payout which dropped us into a financial trench.”

After several years

sharemilking for Jane’s parents, the Isbisters, saw that the door to freedom was slightly ajar and made a run for it, Strang said.

“Succession planning went into full swing and we bought the farm in 2010.

“Our future was now in our hands and we set in motion a plan to manage our risks and put more certainty in our income. We needed to remove drought as one of the risks to our business.”

Work out your priorities

The Strangs prioritised their approach to water management in the following way.

1. Quantity – secure water supply through

water storage and seek alternative more reliable sources, such as Waitaki River water through the North Otago Irrigation Company; 2. Optimisation – use the water they had as efficiently as possibly through smart technology, improved application efficiency, proof of placement for increased accuracy, moisture monitoring, night-time pumping and infrastructure upgrades; 3. Secure the future sustainability of their water – that included quality issues, environmentally friendly farming and getting involved to

control their destiny, including Federated Farmers, catchment groups like North Otago Sustainable Land Management and the Kakanui Water Allocation Committee.

As Strang said: “If you’re not around the table you are on the menu”.

“This approach was designed to allow us to achieve our goal of running a fully self-contained unit: 200,000kg/ms per year from 430 cows; all cows wintered on farm, R1s and R2s grazed on farm all year and enough supplement made for lactation and winter.” They are not quite there with their production target and they

have bought in grain, but Strang is confident their goals are achievable.

“Our system was put to the test during the last downturn.

We found it good to have all stock classes on farm, which allowed us to keep our FWE low during tight times.”

The farm is 289ha, with 230ha effective on 30 per cent river flats, with 70 per cent heavier clay soils on rolling hills. This season the milking platform will be 150ha, with 80ha dedicated for support.

Strang said securing the long-term sustainability of the farm’s access to water is directly linked to the economic success of the business.

“Without reliable and costeffective water, our farming business would be severely put at risk.”

With that in mind, several years ago they redirected some of their focus into predominately off-farm activities around the water space.

In his presentation, he focused on four main areas in and around sustainability: the risk of doing nothing; good management practices; leadership; and collaboration and education.

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The risk of doing nothing Farmers need to understand and accept that others have a say and hold a value in the water that flows through or around farms, he said, adding that it may be cultural, recreational, or even just a belief or desire on the state they want water to be in.

Central government have and will continue to set regional councils goals or targets to be achieved for freshwater, he said, and as long as the public (through government) believe that freshwater needs improving, these targets will continue to be churned out of the policy machine in Wellington to be interpreted differently by regional councils and set to play out in plan change after plan change.

“We need to be under no illusion that plan changes will occur in the future if we do not meet the water quality targets. Doing nothing is not an option and we must demonstrate that farmers are doing their part.

“A lot of good work has been done already and we need to continue to communicate these successes without resting on our laurels.

“Doing nothing is not an option. We do not have the luxury of standing still.”

The Strangs’ catchment group contains a wide cross section of farmers, not just dairy, which he said was a real plus.

“The majority of them accept that all land use contributes to water quality issues in some way and we are all part of the solution.

“I believe that it is important that agriculture and dairy get some quick wins on the board

5

in the water quality space.

We need to look at what the public and the government are focused on. It is “swimability” and the visual presentation of waterways.”

He said there are fixes available in this area that a lot of rural communities have or are already putting in place and these may be some of the easier challenges to address.

“Success with E. coli,

sediment and stream bed enhancement will demonstrate that the issues are being addressed and also open the way to a robust conversation around other limits such as NNN (nitrate nitrite nitrogen) and DRP (dissolved reactive phosphorus).

“We must let the independent data do the talking through regional councils or state of the

Better pellets.

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Good management practices Good management practice (GMP) is better than “I’ll do what I’ve always done” management practice, Strang said.

“Implementing good management practice on your farm is important. Most agricultural organisations, regional councils and catchment groups have lists of proven GMP that will benefit water quality on your farm.

“Keep up to date with the science and be brave to try something new. The science and research community are scrambling to keep up with farmers’ demands on how we meet environmental limits or consent conditions – give us N reduction feeds, a drench that will reduce excreted N, cost effective precision equipment, increased Overseer accuracy, the list goes on.

“We are in the unenviable position where we do not have time to wait for all the science to catch up or be published.

We need to try some of these new technologies.”

It is important to keep in mind the idea that if everyone makes a small change or improvement, the cumulative effects of this will be significant, he said.

“Many hands make light work and the same applies in catchment management.”

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environment monitoring.”

If farmers can demonstrate that improvements have been made it provides a strong platform for discussion, he said, especially if some of the other levels are just not obtainable in certain catchments.

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From P5

Leadership Strang told his SIDE audience that the fact that they were there gaining knowledge demonstrated leadership.

“You are arming yourselves with tools to improve and enhance your dairy business.

We now need to bring environmental considerations further up the ladder in our core decision-making process.

“Does it make good economic sense, and does it make sound environmental sense?

“This is complex when there is no immediate value to an environmental decision and the scale of your impact is hard to quantify.

“Our businesses are just as much at risk to government legislators internally as they are to external market fluctuations.”

There are different sides to leadership, he said. It can be a neighbour making a change to their operation after looking over the fence to see what is being done on the other side of it.

“Sometimes leadership happens when you least expect it or you don’t even realise you are doing it.

“In 2010 I restricted all

stock access to part of the river that runs through our farm. It was grazed by dries when feed was a bit tight.

“Our neighbour casually asked why I did this and the following summer he had installed over 1500m of netting fence on the opposite side of the river to keep his sheep and cattle out.

“He was the type of farmer that didn’t go to field days or discussion groups but he had made a positive change towards enhancing water quality.”

For those with the inclination and skills, Strang said it was also important that

they took the lead and not be afraid to tell farmers’ stories and share their successes.

“There are so many ways now of communicating our message and not one source or method is the silver bullet.

The public and our customers need to be hearing the good stories from all angles - and most importantly seeing it in real examples and independent results or testing.”

Collaboration and education Water quality is everyone’s issue and there’s a real need to continue to push the idea that

we all can contribute to the solution, Strang said.

“Whether we are in the middle of Auckland city, a dairy farmer or a high country farmer, we all contribute to the issue in some way and are all responsible for its resolution.

It is not just a dairy farmer’s problem.

“At the start of our catchment group process it was amazing how little the other stakeholders knew about what we did on farm, the irrigation audits, farm environment plans, regional council spot checks, the Fonterra dairy inspections, not to mention the amount farmers had already spent on water quality related initiatives – effluent upgrades, riparian plantings and fencing.”

He said in his catchment group farmers also took the time to understand other stakeholders’ points of view: what was important to them, what values they placed in their river.

“Our catchment group facilitator went into the local schools to work with them on river projects. Rural children were encouraged to look at the river from other perspectives, which created some interesting questions around the dinner table.”

Farmers went to community planting days at the Kakanui township at the mouth of the river and they also got community assistance at similar days in the rural areas.

“This was symbolic to everyone. That we were all prepared to put effort into the water quality issue together.

The talk over planting a simple flax was breaking down barriers and contributing towards education on both sides.

“Continuing that relationship and education process as everyone goes through the water quality journey is extremely important, he said.

“We need to demonstrate to the wider community and other stakeholders the on-farm changes that we are making and the effort we are going to maintain or improve our water quality.

“It will be a long game and we need the understanding from the community that a lot is being done. It is not perfect but a great deal of effort is being made and we are a long way through the journey.

“It is going to take time and we may not see instant gratification. Be prepared for that.”

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Water matters - the Mid Canterbury Presenting alongside Lyndon Strang in Dunedin was Kieran McCall, who along with his wife Erin, is an equity partner in Midway Dairies. They run a farm, just south of Ashburton, as lower order sharemilkers, with Kieran’s parents Graham and June as majority shareholders.

The couple seasonal milk 620 crossbred cows on 162 flat hectares (effective), with all cows wintered off-farm and young stock grazed off.

The property is fully irrigated, with water sourced from bores, and irrigation equipment includes pivots, roto-rainer, k-lines and sprinklers. The farm’s effluent system includes an 800m3 above ground tank, spread by travelling irrigator.

McCall told his audience that water was obviously a critical resource for the farm’s operation, magnified because of the reliance on irrigation.

“Seeing as Olympic swimming pools seems to be the standard measure for water volume, I have done some calculations of what we use on our farm in a year,” he said.

“It is clear that irrigation is where most of the resource is used.

As an example of how important water is to the operation McCall examined the pasture growth rates during their first year of operation. It showed a feed deficit of approximately 136 tonnes, which he said was probably in the region of about $60,000 of feed.

The deficit was caused by a 21-day irrigation pump failure, which at that time meant an 80

per cent irrigation restriction.

What are the issues?

No matter where we live in the country, we all have issues to manage and resolve around the sustainable use of water, McCall said.

“The issues, questions that need to be asked and answers will vary from community to community.”

However, regardless of location, farmers are all facing increased public and consumer

scrutiny and the farming practices of the past will no longer be sufficient in the future.

Agreeing with Strang, he said the public have a strong connection with water, as it forms part of the nation’s identity. They want to know if farmers are using the resources efficiently, what effect farming is having on the environment, and are farmers doing enough?

There are also a number of issues particular to the Mid

Canterbury area, McCall said.

One of those was water allocation, in particular the amount there actually is available and the likelihood that too much has been allocated.

The farming landscape has changed dramatically in a short period of time, he said, with nitrate levels in surface water and shallow ground water at levels that pose risks to drinking water quality and aquatic life.

Although there are a variety of regulations that have been introduced that require farmers to make improvements, McCall said there was still a lot of uncertainty exactly what that is going to mean on-farm.

Part of the problem is that Overseer is being used beyond its current capability, he said, adding that in his opinion it’s subject to manipulation and is expensive to use.

On top of that, results from water quality monitoring can be difficult to obtain. These need to be more prominent, he said.

Then there’s the uncertainty

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experience Taking action: irrigation

as to whether farmers will be charged for water use and nutrient leaching.

What to do?

From what McCall can see, farmers sitting back and doing nothing brings with it a range of risks. Not only will problems being faced by different communities get worse, fixing them later will be more painful. And in the meantime there’s the potential that the regulatory stick will get bigger, with possible changes to input-based controls.

That’s not to mention a negative effect on public perception, a lost opportunity to get on the front foot and the potential to upset consumers.

However, there are also risks for farmers associated with taking action, he said.

These include whether choices made will actually be the most efficient use of capital; that rewards may not be immediate (through Overseer); and that in the meantime farmers may lose the ability to utilise improvements in terms of

regulation.

There were also benefits for farmers in understanding points of view held in the wider community, and to work towards solving any issues or problems, as doing so will strengthen relationships and build tolerance.

Considering the consumer was also important.

McCall said dealing with the media has also taken on increased importance, particularly as the advent of social media means it is no

longer a fact-based medium, having moved on to one where information can be shared so easily and quickly and where it’s difficult to establish its credibility.

That said, farmers need to acknowledge that they have not been as effective in this area that they could have been and that it’s hard to defend yourself without taking positive action.

Farmers depend on the environment for their livelihoods, so they need to be

able to prove their effect on it is manageable, he said.

Current Ecan regulations require the McCalls to have measured their baseline nutrient leaching, which is the average value generated from Overseer between the years 2009-13. These must be prepared in line with specific good management practices.

From here on they must operate below this baseline and make reductions of 15 per cent by 2025, 25 per cent by 2030, and 36 per cent by 2035.

With irrigation, McCall said there were lots of low-hanging fruit farmers can target, and a lot of the practices that improve environmental outcomes also improve financial ones.

Approaches Midway Dairies have taken include the installation of soil moisture probes and better scheduling, while installing water meters and a telemetry system to monitor water use, consent requirements and to provide text alerts when set parameters are breached is also recommended.

Installing more efficient irrigation systems, such as pivots, has also been worthwhile, as has decreasing irrigation intensities by spreading water wider: the bigger the pivot the higher the intensity.

They have also reduced the roto-rainer return interval to six days and re-nozzle down to 18mm minimum depth.

continued over page

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Looking ahead

From P9

The creation of sprinkler maps, bucket testing of systems and use of the IrrigationNZ app have also played their part he said, adding that avoiding soil moisture deficit will lead to a much more efficient use of water.

Plenty of lessons have been learnt along the way, he said.

There’s been issues with both new pivots with application depths, particularly end guns, with bucket testing playing a role.

Being able to set text alerts for the system has been a big help to manage consent requirements, instantaneous flows and combined pump volumes Get someone experienced to install soil moisture probes, he said, as location and ground re-instatement are very important. Having those probes calibrated, and spending time with providers to understand the information they provide is also worthwhile.

“Soil moisture probes have given us confidence about when to start and stop irrigation and have led

to water savings but effect is over-represented in the Overseer model,” adding that some of the changes they have made can be modelled in Overseer and some can’t.

Taking action: effluent McCall said there were many changes that were considered when the Midway Dairies effluent system was upgraded.

“We aimed to minimise capital input and do our best to consider future options such as running effluent through pivots.”

They increased effluent storage, using DairyNZ’s dairy effluent storage

calculator and an 800m3 storage tank, while decreasing shed water use by using a solenoid valve.

Effluent consent was also changed, which enabled it to be spread over the whole farm.

On top of that the effluent mainline was increased, while the pivot was modified so as to be able to run a traveller from a de-commissioned underslung line.

One of the things they learned, he said, was the importance of understanding soil types, as there is a big difference in the rules for application and storage between high risk and low risk.

The extra effluent storage has provided management

tolerance and in summer the farm can store enough to spread effluent over a whole paddock and so reduce N applications.

A cut-out system means it can be run at night time, two runs a day if required, while records keep an accurate picture of where effluent is spread, so fertiliser can be varied.

Issues with spreader performance can be identified from pressure/speed graphs, while it’s also possible to set up text warnings for pressure and speed.

However, one drawback of the larger storage and increased holding times is leading to a solids issue in the tank.

Future plans and options being considered include timer cut-outs for k-line and sprinklers to limit application depths; set sprinklers; GPS for sprinklers; soil mapping; and re-using treated effluent for yard wash. Being located in the Hinds area, McCall is also encouraged by the managed aquifer recharge project, which he said is looking positive.

The McCalls are also looking at effluent application being recorded in precision tracking, to combine with fertiliser applications for automatic entry into Overseer.

Whatever the farming system, he said it was important for farmers to understand the views of others and the risks to individual businesses.

“We can’t affect anything positively without taking action,” he said, urging farmers to act now to keep as much control as possible in their own hands.

The good that can be achieved by getting involved with the community to share stories and educate others should also not be underestimated.

“Our ultimate responsibility is to the next generation.”

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Nitrogen leaching reduction possible Significant reductions to nitrogen (N) leaching can be achieved by changing irrigation management practices, and new research has demonstrated just how big those benefits can be.

A desktop study led by Dr John Bright, Director Research and Development at Aqualinc Research Ltd, and funded by the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand, has shown that it is possible to achieve an average of 27 per cent reduction in N loss.

The research examined data from 12 case study dairy farms in Canterbury. Using computer models, including Overseer, the researchers were able to investigate the effects of different irrigation management rules on pasture production and nitrogen leaching.

“We looked at lower irrigation trigger points to see if they provided any benefits,” explains John. “This meant the soil was allowed to dry out more than usual. We also looked at different irrigation targets – varying the soil moisture content we aim to achieve through irrigation.

“

Before we started the project we didn’t know what the impact would be on pasture production, but this was not compromised. We were even more surprised by the consequences of changing the trigger level

“We looked specifically at targets that left quite a bit of capacity in the soil to store rainfall should it occur shortly after the irrigation finished.

We found that filling it up to 80 per cent of the plant available water capacity and leaving 20 per cent for rainfall was probably the best target level from the point of view of reducing the nitrate leaching substantially while avoiding pasture production losses.”

John was “pleasantly surprised” by the results. “Before we started the project we didn’t know what the impact would be on pasture production, but this was not compromised. We were even more surprised by the consequences of changing the trigger level.

We found we could use a much

lower soil moisture trigger value in spring and in autumn without having any significant effects on pasture production.

This was critical as it allowed the soil to dry out more by delaying irrigation and increased its capacity to store rainfall.”

The research team also deliberately tested target levels that did cause a reduction in pasture production to gauge the limits for irrigation triggers and targets.

Applying the principles of adjusting trigger levels during the season and using an 80 per cent irrigation target requires the appropriate irrigation system. It is essential to have a system that can be adjusted to relatively small application levels, with a short return period. Centre pivots and solid

set sprinkler systems were found to be the most suitable irrigation methods. These could most easily be operated using the irrigation rules developed through the research.

“About 72 per cent of the irrigated area in Canterbury uses methods that could easily implement these irrigation rules. The balance of the area would require a range of capital investments to modify them or to replace them to be able to implement these irrigation rules.”

Regional Councils are now requiring many farmers to significantly reduce nutrient leaching. These reductions are likely to be achieved using a number mitigation measures.

However, this research indicates that significant reductions can be achieved through better irrigation management.

A major key to this is good soil moisture monitoring.

There have always been some compelling reasons for using soil moisture monitoring, although this research highlights a further significant reason. The key however is to ensure that the data is ac-

curate, ensuring you’ll have confidence in the information being provided.

For telemetered permanent installations it is important that the correct type of sensors are used and that these are professionally installed. To improve confidence in the data provided by sensors they can be calibrated using a neutron probe.

To achieve the results highlighted by the research a high degree of reliance will need to be placed on the soil moisture monitoring. As such, ensure you partner with a provider that can add value by helping you fully understand the information collected and assisting you to make sound irrigation management decisions.

If you are thinking about starting to monitor soil moisture content, now is the time to do it. This is because it takes time to bed-in sensors, and for a neutron probe scheduling service, tubes need to be installed before the start of the irrigation season.

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Dairy Focus

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Pre- election immigration settings When last did you hear any New Zealand politicians talking negatively about immigration?

All the pre-election sabre-rattling on drastic immigration cuts have evaporated into an awkward silence as reality sinks in that our growing economy is hitting labour capacity constraints across many sectors meaning more, not less, overseas workers are required to fill the gaps.

With our unemployment rate dropping to 4.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2018 and labour force participation rates over 70 per cent, most economists feel we are now close to full employment.

Apart from tinkering with student visas, the Government has largely stood by and watched National’s pre-election tightening of immigration settings, take effect. And farming is certainly taking the brunt of those changes.

Our recruitment team has found this dairy recruiting season one of the toughest in a decade. The numbers of

Graydon Sharratt

OVERSEAS RECRUITMENT

available New Zealand-based staff to fill dairy vacancies are just not there. This labour market feels like that of 2008, pre-GFC. Farming is not alone, of course. Most industries, driven largely by construction and manufacturing expansion, seems to be sucking up the many young New Zealanders that may otherwise have looked to the dairy industry.

The debate “why” is for another day, but the fact is our farmers are struggling to find staff.

The new Federated Farmers survey has recently been published and shows that over 63 per cent of the dairy sector found it “not very easy” or “not at all easy” to find employees.

Labour market listings with WINZ are showing the same patterns - they can now rarely find suitable staff at any level now, in most regions.

Therefore overseas staff remain the short term solution for farmers. But this is also getting tougher.

The immigration changes implemented on August 28,

2017 are largely to blame.

The first issue is around the ability of staff to get the new mid-skilled (3 year) visas.

Case officers are required to assess every position against an applicable ANZSCO code (Australian and New Zealand classification of all occupations). The problem for farming is that we only have

two ANZSCO levels - Farm Manager and Farm Worker but nothing in between. Yet in modern day farming where farms are getting bigger and bigger, we all know there are multiple positions on farms, such as Herd Managers and Assistant Farm managers, which are highly skilled positions.

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13

starting to bite

To get longer term “midskilled” visas, these positions have to be judged as a substantial match to Farm Manager. Really? We all know many of our mid-tier staff are performing highly skilled jobs, but judging these against manager level is absurd.

If applicants are not assessed as mid-skilled then

D E IT

LIM

1 year (low skilled) visas result. The only exception (but not always) is if Immediate Skills Shortage lists are met (currently Farm Managers and Assistant Farm Managers), but this is hit-and-miss. So you are probably getting the picture - inconsistent immigration decisions are happening due to

happen in 2020. I can only start to imagine farmer’s anger in that election year as a large chunk of their loyal workforce starts to depart.

Not only that but new overseas employees on low skilled visas cannot bring their families out on partnership visas, as was the case before.

They can only get visitor

Graydon Sharratt is Director of Greenstone Global Immigration Advisors and Greenstone Recruitment, farm staff recruitment specialists.

TS I N

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A V A

poorly designed immigration rules for farm positions.

Which leads me onto the second, potentially devastating, consequence of the August changes. If overseas staff remain on low skilled visas for three years, they will have to leave New Zealand for a year. The first impact of this change will

visas and these are for limited periods of time. This means many overseas workers with families are now reluctant to commit to low-skilled positions in New Zealand, without the security of ongoing visas for their family members.

At last year’s SIDE conference my presentation warned about the negative effects of this policy on farming. I was certainly not alone and Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has heard from many other farmers and lobby groups.

The concerns seemed to have been heard with an announcement in January pledging that regions with “genuine skill shortages” will get the migrants they need.

But while we are waiting, the noose tightens.

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Dairy Focus

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EFFLUENT FEATURE

Breakthrough in effluent technology A breakthrough in effluent technology launched earlier this year by Ravensdown and Lincoln University could significantly lift the dairy sector’s effluent and water efficiency.

The emerging technology, known as ClearTech, looks to cut fresh water use, helps existing effluent storage go further, and reduces the environmental and safety risk linked with farm dairy effluent.

The pilot project, which is installed at the Lincoln University Demonstration Farm, is the result of detailed work and represents a $1.5 million investment to date by Ravensdown.

It is undergoing rigorous testing in the live farm environment, giving interested farmers a preview of the kind of technology that will be available in the future.

Jamie Thompson, Ravensdown’s effluent technology manager, said the emerging technology showed exciting potential to reduce the environmental impacts of effluent discharge on farms and to transform “green water” so that it can be confidently

reused as yard wash.

“About a quarter of a dairy shed’s fresh water use is on yard washing, so the potential benefits to New Zealand are enormous of safely reusing ClearTech-treated water.

ClearTech will look to save 42 billion litres of fresh water a year - the equivalent of 17,000

Olympic-sized swimming pools through the reuse of safer water for dairy yard washing.”

The new technology, which binds effluent particles together in order to settle them out from the water, is installed between the dairy shed and the effluent pond.

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ClearTech automatically monitors and treats effluent circulating in the system. The separation process kills up to 99 per cent of microorganisms such as E. coli and reduces smell.

Thompson said 70 per cent of dairy farmers’ environmental spending goes

on effluent management.

ClearTech would help dairy farmers to save money by making their effluent storage go further and help to meet their compliance obligations.

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15

competitive, farming needs to continue to find ways to enhance efficiency and environmental credentials.

The challenge

Professor Hong Di said; “We are really encouraged to see the willingness and desire to collaborate from dairy industry stakeholders as we engage with them in the development of ClearTech.”

Ravensdown’s chair John Henderson said dairy farmers he had talked with were

determined to work together to tackle issues related to water use.

“This new technology is one important step that follows the sector’s commitment to continuous improvement in the sector and is a real example of why Ravensdown exists – to enable smarter

farming for a better New Zealand.”

Colin Glass Chief Executive of Dairy Holdings Limited said, “This technology has the potential to transform the use of water in dairy operations and provides another tool for reducing nitrogen losses. As a shareholder, it makes sense

Ravensdown is the driving force behind it because they are increasingly seen as nutrient efficiency specialists instead of being purely a fertiliser maker.”

Three years ago, a key challenge that emerged from talking to dairy farmers was the ongoing management of farm dairy effluent (FDE).

Some of this effluent can now be captured at the dairy shed and yard during milking and recycled rather than being irrigated on to paddocks. FDE is 99 per cent water, but it is the 1 per cent of effluent particles held in suspension that makes the FDE a source of contamination.

If this 1 per cent could be separated out and the microorganisms largely removed, then the treated water could be recycled to wash down the dairy yard (which typically represents about a quarter of a farm’s daily fresh water usage at the dairy shed).

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Dairy Focus

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EFFLUENT FEATURE

From P15

Well-managed dairy effluent forms a key part of the nutrient cycle on farm.

However, during wet winters or in spring, when cows calve and start milking, effluent ponds can come under storage pressure.

If maintaining a set stocking rate, there are currently two ways to manage this volume of dairy effluent.

Firstly, the traditional and more cost-effective method of irrigating or spreading effluent over a larger part the farm, or secondly, building a bigger more expensive effluent pond.

The issue with effluent spreading is that the amount applied and the control over timing is critical because putting too much on, too rapidly, at a wet time of year can result in ponding, runoff or leaching which causes an unintended breach of consents.

The Ravensdown and Lincoln University partnership recognised that better management of the effluent challenge would be the right choice for an

industry that was determined to do more to reduce its environmental impact.

The solution Lincoln University began by researching what was occurring overseas around water purification for treated municipal drinking water use and how this was achieved.

One method used a coagulant to separate the fine solids from clear water. The university

team identified multiple coagulants to assess for onfarm application and tested them within the laboratory to determine if they would separate dairy effluent into clear water and treated effluent.

After the right coagulant was found, algorithms were developed so that the computer perpetually monitoring the flow and “cloudiness” or “turbidity” of the effluent could deliver the

correct amount of coagulant to apply into the mix. The research then moved from the lab to further testing and development within an existing dairy farm environment. ClearTech was born.

The science ClearTech is a fully integrated system comprising computer processors, controllers, tanks, pumps and

pipes. It can be retrofitted between a dairy shed and the effluent pond. It uses coagulants to bind effluent particles together which allows them to settle out from the water. The recycled water can then be reused on the farm for yard washing and the remaining treated effluent is stored in the existing effluent pond.

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calculates and mixes the right amount of specifically formulated liquid coagulant to bind the fine effluent particles together. The components of the proprietary technology have been calibrated to work together to dynamically monitor effluent cloudiness (turbidity) with the ClearTech system and adjust the level of coagulant required to effectively bring the effluent particles together.

The system can be

configured for each farm and will be installed by a licensed installer in conjunction with Ravensdown’s support.

•

The benefits •

Better management of effluent storage.

Recycling water to wash the yard reduces the volume of effluent produced each day. The result is a reduction of effluent going into a

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farm’s effluent storage pond.

Less likelihood of environmental breaches from effluent ponds overflowing or effluent needing to be applied to land in sub optimal soil conditions.

Less fresh water used for dairy yard washing.

The clear liquid portion of the treated effluent is sent to a holding tank to be reused for the next

EFFLUENT FEATURE

•

dairy yard wash. The reuse of water could reduce fresh water use for cleaning the dairy yard by up to two thirds.

Fresh water is still needed for cleaning the milking parlour, where milk is handled.

Reduces microorganisms and odours.

Research indicates up to 99 per cent reduction of E. coli in treated dairy effluent

17

When assessing microbiological quality of treated water, the development team use the same indicators as regional councils and Ministry for Environment use when issuing water quality guidelines (number of E. coli coliforms per 100ml of water).

Ravensdown and Lincoln University Partnership Lincoln University and Ravensdown have been working on ClearTech for the past three years. Ravensdown’s role is to take ClearTech to market and Lincoln University is the research partner in developing the system.

The teaming of private enterprise with research, development and educational organisations helps to ensure the continuous improvement of the farming sector within New Zealand.

Such relationships support agribusiness development and provide examples of best practice research and development to the rest of the industry.

Other outcomes include joint research projects and collaboration on the development and commercialisation of innovative products and technology.

Dairy Focus

18

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EFFLUENT FEATURE

Keeping tabs on regular tasks pay off A regular maintenance regime will help to ensure the accurate and reliable performance of an effluent system.

Maintenance tasks should be part of day-today management, rather than something done on an occasional basis.

Staff will need to have maintenance requirements included in their training and induction.

Make maintenance a routine which all of the farm team is involved in.

Have a maintenance schedule posted in the farm dairy and sign off on maintenance tasks as they are done Leave a list of important phone contacts at the farm dairy in case of equipment failure.

Below is a list of common maintenance tasks for ponds and storage facilities.

Before and after milking, check that the storm water diversion is in the correct position

the pump stays level Make sure guide wires are not rubbing on any pond lining surface

Six-monthly to annually •

• • •

•

•

Daily •

•

Prevent rubbish entering the system -provide enough rubbish bins in the farm dairy and yards Clean grates over drains

Weekly to monthly •

Check that the pond walls are stable and

• •

that there is no seepage (visible wetness or pasture that is growing exceptionally well are indicators of seepage problems) Control weeds in and around ponds Check that the fencing remains child- and stock-proof

• •

•

Make sure that stock do not have access to the pond wall embankments Check levels on storage ponds, and that float switches are clear and working Ensure guide wires that secure pumps, stirrers, and pontoons are correctly aligned so that

Remove trees and other woody vegetation growing near the pond.

There should be no large trees within 40 metres of a pond bank Remove solids from the weeping wall (if you have one) Assess whether the pond requires desludging Maintain drains around the storage facility so that rainwater doesn’t enter the pond

It is good practice to keep records of maintenance tasks, including any breakages and repairs, for compliance purposes. This may demonstrate that any issues which arise are dealt with quickly and preventative maintenance is occurring.

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EFFLUENT FEATURE

19

ECan gives M.bovis farmers a break

“

We know this is a stressful time for many Canterbury farmers, and we understand some will not be able to comply with all resource consent conditions because of this unexpected disease

as a result of mycoplasma bovis, as well as those who haven’t been under formal restrictions but are still impacted,” Daniels said.

Any farmer worried about complying with their resource consents in light of mycoplasma bovis should get in touch with their zone team or ask for a referral from their MPI case manager.

“We do not have the list of farms impacted by mycoplasma bovis as this is confidential information held

by MPI. That is why we are asking impacted farmers to contact us so we can ensure they get the support they need to manage their resource consents.”

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Environment Canterbury has been forced to accept some farmers will be unable to meet their resource consent conditions due to mycoplasma bovis.

And as a result, they are open to working with those affected by the disease on a case-by-case basis.

ECan’s senior manager of Service Delivery, Nick Daniels said that Environment Canterbury was compassionate about the problems facing dairy farmers affected by the disease.

“We know this is a stressful time for many Canterbury farmers, and we understand some will not be able to comply with all resource consent conditions because of this unexpected disease,” Daniels said.

“For example, farmers under legal controls may not be able to move cattle off their home property for winter grazing, resulting in the potential for higher nutrient losses than what their resource consent allows.”

Daniels said Environment Canterbury could help affected farmers by delaying Farm Environment Plan audits by 12 months or by delaying the completion of some consent conditions.

“We want to work with farmers and independent farm auditors on a caseby-case basis – this includes those who have been under legal controls from Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)

Dairy Focus

20

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EFFLUENT FEATURE

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Robsons work in close conjunction with Ecan through our resource consents making sure all waste goes to an appropriate home.

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EFFLUENT FEATURE

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Modern alternative to ponds With over 400 tanks on the ground, Kliptank is proving itself as the modern alternative to traditional ponds for the storage of onfarm dairy effluent.

With capacities of up to 4,000,000 litres and tanks up to 6m high, Kliptank can work with you to create an efficient way to manage your effluent for optimal storage (during days when you are unable to irrigate) and treatment so the effluent you do irrigate is the best it can be for pasture growth.

Having just celebrated our 10th year exhibiting at National Fieldays it was great to reflect on how far the industry has come in their understanding and management of dairy farm effluent. In the early days, as the first New Zealand owned company to introduce above ground storage for effluent, the conversations were around the benefits of tanks versus ponds – ease of leak detection, straight high walls for safety, ease of connecting fittings, no large machinery on site for weeks at a time and

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being suitable for soft sites such as peat. With industry and environmental pressure building, the traditional ways of farming and managing effluent, or having any effluent storage at all were being challenged.

Ten years on and the conversation has changed. Now, far more environmentally aware, conversations have moved beyond storage to understanding that effluent is a fantastic farm resource.

The biological benefits of aerobic, healthy effluent being irrigated on soils and the impact this has on pasture growth are now more widely understood.

Kliptank have developed and patented the KlipJet Aeration System which will stir, break down and aerate effluent through a low maintenance system that is safe and easy to operate. The KlipJet Aeration System introduces oxygen, treating the effluent prior to irrigation, reducing odour,

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creating a slurry that helps avoid blocked irrigators and has readily available nutrients for pasture uptake.

Feedback from farmers has been fantastic with noticeable improvements in pasture growth, more worms, better soil condition and stock that are willing to eat from the paddock within 24 hours of irrigating.

All farmers want to be compliant with their effluent management but in a way that is easy to manage and doesn’t

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Dairy Focus

EFFLUENT FEATURE

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Sorting good effluent from the bad Effluent is an inevitable part of any dairy farm system, but few farmers stop to think about whether their effluent is “good” or “bad” – and what makes it so in the first place.

So, what is good effluent, and what does it look like?

A healthy effluent pond is clear and free from crust.

When irrigated to pasture, the effluent is light coloured to clear with very little odour.

In contrast, an effluent pond with any form of crust on top demonstrates that the effluent within is tending towards poor. Underneath the crust is a section of “dead water”, and at the bottom of the pond, a sludgy build-up.

Poor effluent, which contains elevated levels of methane and nitric oxide as unprocessed solids, is dark and strong smelling when irrigated to pasture.

A pond sitting at rest with no stirring displays the true physical characteristics of the effluent. However, it may be difficult to ‘read’ an effluent pond that uses a solids separator or a weeping wall system; in these cases, a pH test will tell you if your pond is dominated by aerobic or anaerobic bacteria.

“

If your pond is anaerobic and you aerate it, it is a waste of effort as there is no aerobic bacteria present to breathe the air

Why is a healthy effluent pond free from crust and sludge?

The physical condition of the pond is dictated by the biological condition of the pond.

A crust on a pond is feed that has not been digested by the cow.

In a healthy pond, aerobic, or “good” bacteria thrive.

They naturally digest these solids, or undigested feed, creating clear, processed effluent that is ready for soil to absorb.

Raw or anaerobic effluent contains solids which still need to break down before the effluent can be utilised by the soil, using valuable energy

Top – good effluent. Bottom – bad effluent.

from the soil to break down.

What conditions determine the health of the pond?

The health of the pond is determined by its pH levels, and which bacteria is thriving under those conditions; a pond with a pH of 7.4 is ideal, creating a crust-free pond dominated by aerobic bacteria.

In these ideal conditions, the aerobic bacteria digest the undigested feed presenting as

crust and sludge.

“Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria have competitive exclusion - the further the pH drops below the equilibrium of pH 7, the thicker the crust and the higher the percentage of anaerobic bacteria,” Law says.

“In fact, you can calculate the pH of the pond by measuring the thickness of the crust.”

Law says contrary to popular belief, stirring does not change the biological makeup of the pond; it only

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

temporarily breaks up the crust.

“If your pond is anaerobic and you aerate it, it is a waste of effort as there is no aerobic bacteria present to breathe the air,” he says.

“Stirring a pond, even for eight hours a day, will not change the pond from an anaerobic state to an aerobic state; it simply disrupts the job of the aerobic bacteria to eat the crust and later, the sludge.

“If the aerobic bugs are not present, in the case of a very low pH, you must

change the pH to support the introduction of them in the short term, and follow up with a review of farm biology and systems.

“Research from Lancaster University has shown that an aerobic, crust-free pond produces 67 per cent less greenhouse gases than a crusted pond; with this information available, farmers have to start thinking biologically.”

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What gets transferred?

Every farmer is in business to make a decent return.

To have that healthy bank balance, you need to be producing enough milk, which is the by-product of your cows being healthy and productive.

• Nutrients get transferred: balanced or imbalanced • Organisms get transferred: both beneficial and disease-causing • pH levels get transferred: helpful or detrimental

For your animals to be healthy, your grass needs to be plentiful and nutrition-rich

3 things to grasp about this transfer of biology: 1. The transfer is unavoidable 2. The transfer can either work for you or against you 3. Every farmer chooses the state of his farm’s Bio-CircleTM

Your Soil is a grass-growing factory Just like a typical factory, your soil is filled with workers. Within 1m2 of soil live trillions of beneficial organisms: bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, anthropods, and earthworms.

These organisms are labouring to make tonnes of healthy grass for your herd. Without this underground workforce, nothing grows. Here are some of the crucial things they do: Mineralise nutrients into plant-available forms Release nitrogen and nutrients for plants to use Increase nutrient retention Suppress disease-causing pathogens Detoxify the soil by degrading toxic materials Improve the accumulation of organic matter Produce plant-growth hormones Ensure root architecture is correct and extensive Enhance soil structure to improve water flow

The single-most important concept to understand...

TM

Forward Farming helps farmers work with the Bio-Circle Effluent Management Remedial Advice Slurry Bugs Product

Slurry Bugs are aerobic microbes that eat pond crust and sludge. Slurry Bugs also convert pond nutrients into plant-friendly form, turning your effluent into an effective fertiliser.

Soil Pond

Bio Circle the

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Cow DX50 Dairy Sanitiser DX50 Water Treatment

Soil Testing Fertility Advice Fertiliser Recommendation Feed Quality Assessment

Grass

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to fertilisers.

A balanced combination of 16 nutrients are needed to feed the soil biology and animals.

Farm Management Plan Feed Balancing Pasture Management Feed Budgeting

Your farm is a Bio-Circle

TM

That simply means that every key area flows into and out of other key areas. What’s in the soil goes into the grass. What’s in the grass goes into the cow. What’s in the cow goes into the effluent pond.

What’s in the effluent pond goes back into the soil.

To read more: fowardfarming.co.nz To contact David Law: 027 490 9896

DX50 and Ultimate are sanitising products that are effective and eco-friendly – better at killing pathogens than Chlorine but without harming the good microbes that work for farmers within the Bio-CircleTM.

24

Dairy Focus

www.guardianonline.co.nz

EFFLUENT FEATURE

Let the POOCRU help you!

Locally owned and operated by Darryl and Kylie Burrowes since 2004, Allens Ashburton is a Liquid Waste Disposal company based right here in Ashburton.

We service all of Mid Canterbury and are Ruralco/ ATS suppliers and that gives members a 10% discount on all servicing.

We have a great, reliable team who supply prompt and friendly service. The boys are well trained and clean up after themselves!

We have two powerful, well maintained vacuum trucks, a jetting truck (high powered water blasting) and a drain machine also. If you are bunged up, blocked up, overflowing, or just plain full then Allens Ashburton can clean it, clear it and get rid of it for you!

If you need your septic tank cleaned and serviced, dairy, or any farm, effluent sorted, or even your residential drain unblocked just give the POOCRU a bell! We specialise in sucking!

Call Darryl direct on 0274 333 563 or track us down on Facebook, flick us a message and let the POOCRU help you!

MAINTENANCE CHECK? CALL THE POOCRU

• Septic tanks • High pressure drain cleaning • Dairy wedges and sumps

03 308 5293 or 0274 333 563

Locally owned and operated

10% DISCOUNT WHEN YOU USE YOUR RURALCO CARD // Phone Darryl Burrowes on 03 308 5293 or 0274 333 563

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EFFLUENT FEATURE

25

Slurry or effluent?

Quality is everything

Seven years ago Matt Lovett started out with a 24000ltr Joskin slurry tanker alongside a windrowing business. Now the windrowers have gone, we have three tankers, three stirrers and two muck spreaders.

Every pond acts differently, they are not all the same. Remember slurry is a nutrient that will grow grass. Over the years we have tried different slurry systems like umbilical. As great as the numbers sounded on output, we found it slow and restrictive, which is why we stuck with big tankers that finish ponds faster and more efficiently.

We have also tried disc injection of slurry, but found through the summer

In as few words as I can possibly cut it down to, here are the principles that guide us here at Sema: • Quality is not just the most important thing, it is EVERYTHING. • With good design and reasonable margins quality can still be affordable.

• If a customer finds one of our products difficult or confusing to set up it is not the customer who is wrong it is the design of our product.

• Test every function on every controller before it is dispatched..... then test them all again.

• The preferred sources for parts are in this order: Make it ourselves: Buy it in New Zealand: Buy it overseas

months the ground was too hard.

We are awaiting the arrival of a Veenhuis tanker with a 30 metre dribble bar and a few more features like rate controller and coverage maps, along with huge output increase.

Due to M. bovis we have been disinfecting our machines since late last year and have recently purchased a large hot water blaster to speed up our cleaning and disinfecting between farms.

Our business also has two muck spreaders which we mainly use for mushroom compost and are available for jobs on dairy farms.

Advertising feature

One final word - The rural environment where our controllers are installed is wet and has bad power. We design our controllers to be able to run in this environment.

At the time of writing this (May 2018) we have over 1500 controllers operating on dairy farms. Only three of them have ever failed because of power issues (these have all been severe power events, lightning strikes etc.) and none have ever failed due to moisture problems.

Final, final word - if you buy one of our products I really hope that you like it because it’s designed to last for a long, long time!

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26

Dairy Focus

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Move first and seize the advantage With unemployment at its lowest level in a decade, it’s no secret that Kiwi employers are competing over a limited pool of capable staff.

Anecdotally, my conversations with customers indicate agri employers up and down New Zealand are battling with new recruits showing poor attitudes and serious behavioural issues.

Frustratingly, it sounds like there’s a wash cycle of unemployables floating from region to region, finding new employers to give them a go before “moving on”.

Enthusiastic and qualified employees remain in demand regardless of market conditions, but current lack of staff availability means some employers are desperate for anyone with a pulse. This problem isn’t going away.

With staggered minimum wage hikes looming, workers will have more options at better pay. Even if your team is sorted at present, it’s worth future-proofing your employment strategy.

In the short term, employers can choose to do more

“ Logan Tyson

PAYSAUCE

work themselves and wait for the right hire, but there’s no guarantee that employee will appear. This approach isn’t sustainable without a finish line in sight.

Option number two is to take a chance on a staff member they might not otherwise hire. I’ve heard enough horror stories over the past 12 months to be wary of this path.

A bad hire can be tough to move on from and can disrupt your business far beyond failing to properly complete their own tasks.

Option number three is to throw money at the problem, paying more than what you might think is fair for the right hire.

“Overpaying” never feels

A bad hire can be tough to move on from and can disrupt your business

good, but it might be worth reviewing how we think about a bump in wages.

Firstly, with labour such a critical input in your business, paying a small premium for a huge jump in quality is surely worthwhile.

Secondly, wages are going up anyway. If pulling the trigger early will help you assemble the right team, why not move now?

By seizing the initiative and bumping wages now, you’ll have a first-mover advantage to help attract top talent.

Stu Taylor of Millennium Farming believes when it comes to staff, you get what you pay for. Stu’s made an early move to increase wages paid on farm well above the incoming minimum wage levels.

Once you’ve got the right team, you can get to work on creating an attractive environment to keep them. Stu emphasises this last step.

“It’s not just the money that

REAL PET FOOD

attracts people. What’s the total package you’re offering?

How are your working conditions and culture? Can you offer greater flexibility? What are the non-cash items, like being a nice person and a good employer?”

Good employers do a good job in these areas already. But in a competitive market, it’s important to communicate how you look after your team.

Like it or not, you’ve got to sell yourself to potential employees. (Of course I think this. I work in sales. If all you’ve got is a hammer…) Stu cautions that this won’t be a quick process.

“Be deliberate about building your reputation as an employer in your local community. Be patient. It’s going to take time to find people that suit your system on farm.”

Chris Lewis, Federated Farmers Dairy chair, agrees it’s not just about the money.

“Dairy farming has to be a vi-

brant workplace with aspiring work conditions.

“We’re targeting a similar labour pool to other industries: healthy, hardworking workers who like to be outdoors. How are we attracting the best people to the industry?”

One initiative addressing this challenge is the Federated Farmers dairy apprenticeship scheme. Offering a training pathway and qualification will help dairy compete with other industries, while helping participating farms to be bestpractice employers and look after their people.

In Stu’s words: “what if we changed the image of farming to an industry where staff are tanned, ride a horse or motorbike, have the freedom to try new ideas, and anyone can have a go? It’s time to replace the image of the tired guy in blue overalls who one day might make some money.”

Sounds challenging, but worthwhile. Every employer in the industry plays a role in shaping this image. Selling yourself as an employer will help farmers compete individually and as an industry.

Buyers of unwanted cows for pet food Contact Bernard Hutton on 027 437 5114 or email: bahutton@xtra.co.nz

PHONE (03) 347 0626 Shop 4, 855 Jones Road, Rolleston (opposite Redpaths)

HOURS Mon-Tue 9am-5pm Wed-Fri 9am-5.30pm Sat 10am-1pm

www.guardianonline.co.nz

27

Industrial farming Greenpeace have been running a series of TV advertisements lately in which they oppose the development of land in the Mackenzie Basin for dairying.

It’s dystopian, dramatically shot in black and white and it pisses me off every time I see it.

It doesn’t annoy me because of their opposition, after all a fair chunk of dairy farmers find themselves in agreement with Greenpeace on this issue, even Fonterra have said they’d rather the conversion didn’t go ahead.

As an aside, Fonterra are legally obliged to pick up the milk from these new farms because of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act, despite their market share in the South Island dipping below 80 per cent some years ago. Maybe that’s a topic for another column.

No, the advertisement irritates with its use of the phrase “industrial farming”, a term that is never defined yet seems to have found its way into almost every discussion about dairy farming in New Zealand.

I personally think it’s

Craig Hickman

ELBOW DEEP @dairymanNZ

disingenuous and lazy language unsuitable for describing New Zealand’s pastoral dairying, but I was curious to see what Twitter thought.

“I move”, I tweeted, “the term ‘industrial farming’ be struck from use until the people using it can provide a clear, concise definition. It’s hyperbole, pure and simple.”

The response was immediate. “I move”, replied Amanda, the less funny half of the comedy duo The Fan Brigade, “the term ‘DairyMan’ be struck from use indefinitely”.

The other responses I got ranged from Wikipedia definitions (high density farming in sheds or feedlots) to outright pearl clutching

(the practice of farming where the operator is not entirely contained within its boundaries and can no longer be run solely by one or two people).

No two people could agree on a definition and the replies were characterised by a worrying lack of knowledge about how we actually farm.

Irrigation was a common theme despite most dairy farms in New Zealand not being irrigated, as was scale. When I asked if a one hundred cow farm stocked

at five cows per hectare was more or less industrial than a thousand cow farm stocked at three cows per hectare I didn’t receive a single reply.

Megan Hands, a Canterbury based consultant, chimed in with some facts and figures that were met with disbelief.

People simply couldn’t accept that the average stocking rate in this country is 2.9 cows/ha.

The replies came in for several days, it transpires the terms industrial farming and factory farming have been

used to great effect in the USA to demonise the agricultural sector there and it saddens me to see it being so eagerly adopted here.

I know Greenpeace saw my tweet, they liked several of the more negative replies I received, but they didn’t see fit to provide their own definition. As farmers all we can do is engage politely and try to educate others while understanding where they’re coming from, but it’s getting harder by the day.

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28

Dairy Focus

www.guardianonline.co.nz

ATV FEATURE

20 years of innovation Two decades ago, the Polaris Ranger was introduced to New Zealand, revolutionising the side-by-side utility vehicle category. Fast forward 20 years and the Ranger lineup is now recognised as the number one trusted partner by more farmers, hunters, and homeowners, and with 10 vehicles in the Ranger line-up there is a utility vehicle to suit any application.

The Ranger 500 is the best value for money on the market. With 680kg towing capability, True on-demand all wheel drive, a 32hp electronic fuel injected water cooled engine, and 4-wheel hydraulic disc brakes you won’t buy better elsewhere.

The Ranger 500 prices itself into entry level value, yet is tough enough to play against 700cc machines offered by competitors.

The Ranger 570 HD has been developed primarily for rugged farm applications and comprises all the great features of the Ranger 500, plus power steering, a handbrake, and engine braking with market-leading active

decent control. Notably the best system on the market for descending bar none, Polaris ACD allows the Ranger to travel down steep terrain, with or without load, in command whether in drive or reverse gear. The Ranger 570 HD also boasts an impressive 44HP twin cam EFI water cooled engine, making the tough jobs easy. This vehicle is the most capable sub $20,000 unit on the market and even out specs some competitor machines priced in the mid $20,000 bracket.

Polaris is the world leader in ATVs and the 2018 Ranger XP 1000 HD is their new benchmark product – their burger with the lot. This impressive new platform from Polaris re-invents heavy duty and does everything better than any other ATV on the market, there is no comparison. The new Ranger XP 1000 HD has been designed and built for New Zealand and includes over 100 owner inspired improvements, innovations and multiple driveline upgrades.

Everything is bigger, stronger,

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or while stocks last. Offer only available at participating Polaris Dealers.

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From left: Ranger XP 1000, Polaris EV, Ranger 150 Youth, Ranger 570HD.

and better.

Local Polaris dealerships, Drummond & Etheridge and D&E Outdoors, sell and service the complete range of Polaris off-road vehicles, including the new Polaris Ranger EV electric vehicle.

The Ranger EV features an ultra-quiet electric motor which delivers the true Ranger performance that users have come to expect.

Perfect for operating inside of sheds, commercial/ government applications and

for stealthy hunting trips, the Ranger EV never needs gas and requires very little maintenance. The Ranger EV’s strong, reliable, low maintenance electric motor delivers the performance you need to tackle the big jobs,

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or while stocks last. Offer only available at participating Polaris Dealers. Not valid with any other offer. Excludes fleet clients

www.guardianonline.co.nz

ATV FEATURE

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

plus the efficiency advantages of electric power.

In addition to the adult vehicles offered by Polaris, Drummond & Etheridge and D&E Outdoors also stock a line-up of youth off road vehicles, including

EV

the RZR, Outlaw and Ace youth machines and the recently introduced Ranger 150 Youth - featuring the industry’s first connected safety features, along with a protective cage, seatbelt interlocking system, nets,

safety flag and two helmets.

Powered by cutting-edge Ride Command technology, parents have unprecedented control over riding safety for their kids such as geofencing and speed limiting via a password protected app on their phone.

With a 150cc engine and 8 inch ground clearance, the Ranger 150 is ready for all-day fun out on the back block.

D&E Outdoors boasts the largest ATV workshop in Ashburton, servicing all makes and models of ATVs

alongside their comprehensive marine workshop. They also offer the convenience of onfarm servicing, and currently have a second fully equipped on-site service vehicle and trailer under construction.

These custom-built service trailers allow D&E Outdoors to service a wide range of ATVs and side-by-sides on-site, without the added downtime of transporting machines to their Moore Street workshop and back to farm.

The Polaris parts supply on offer at Drummond & Etheridge and D&E Outdoors is as big as ever and includes a new range of competitively priced, aggressive ATV tyres and light bars. A full accessory catalogue is available for all requirements, from hunting, fishing, farming and everything in between.

For more information on Polaris utility vehicles, or to book a demo, visit www.dne. co.nz or contact your local Drummond & Etheridge or D&E Outdoors Polaris branch.

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150

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30

Dairy Focus

www.guardianonline.co.nz

ATV FEATURE

Farmers needs covered

Count on us

Honda Country Ashburton – we are situated at 740 East Street in Ashburton.

For over 40 years, Honda has been a fixture on farms around New Zealand.

With a range of products designed for New Zealand conditions, you can rest assured that no matter the task your Honda is up for it.

Honda Country carry a full range of Honda motorcycles, parts and accessories and offer a fully equipped workshop service, plus two especially designed on farm service trucks to service your bikes on your property.

Honda Country has been operating for over 40 years and we have a commitment to excellence in sales and service and take pride in the professionalism and the experience of our staff. We are all keen

motorcyclists and presently are or have been involved in motorsport in various forms.

Honda Country have always been proud to be a farm-based dealership and we carry a full range of farm ATVs, two wheelers, and Pioneer sideby-sides with demonstrators available of these fantastic utility vehicles.

In addition we also supply the full range of Honda kids’ dirt bikes from the CRF50 up to the big kids’ CRF250 and CRF450 MotoX and trail bikes.

We also have a good range of preowned farm quads and 2 wheelers available.

We go the extra mile to make sure your motorcycling experience is an enjoyable one. Whether it be sales or service, you can count on us.

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Jeff Marshall motorcycles started business in 1995, with a staff of three and has since grown now to a staff of 13.

In our large bright West street premises beside subway, our Suzuki brand of farm motorcycles has grown, to a range of motorcycles that fits New Zealand farming conditions perfectly. From the Suzuki TF125 Mudbug, an icon on New Zealand farms because of its Japanese built strength and basic and cost effective make up, to the New Zealand designed Suzuki DR200 farm bike, our biggest selling bike by far.

Our showroom is full of four and two wheel farm models, scooter and road bikes, Trail bikes and something for the kids as well. A workshop with five service technicians, and an easy

access drive through to our service department. We can all so offer on farm servicing to our clients. We are proud to be a supplier to Ruralco and farmlands.

In 2015 we added Stihl shop to our business, offering all types of outdoor power equipment to our customers.

From Stihl Chainsaws, brush cutters and hedge trimmers, to Honda Generators and water pumps, Hustler, Rover, Cub cadet and Masport mowers, Jeff. Marshall Motorcycles and Stihl Shop Ashburton have all farmers needs covered.

Call in to discuss your farming requirements with us at any time.

Jeff Marshall Serving Ashburton as a volunteer fireman also for 33 years.

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32

Dairy Focus

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Calving is under way and most of you will be busy starting to train your freshly calved heifers into your milking routine. From experience, I know this can be a highly stressful time for a farmer. But how often do we remember that it is also a very stressful time for heifers in particular?

Much the same as their older herd mates, calving is very hard on a heifer, but the experience of calving is brand new to a first calver. Her body and hormones are doing things that have never happened before and from her mindset it must be quite worrying and stressful Add to this the new experience of now going into a big shed with new noises and things moving and someone touching her udder which she most likely has never experienced before.

We have for many years been saying that stress is one of the leading causes of lameness in cattle, and that stress comes in various forms.

So, what can you do to help your heifers have a less stressful time this calving and minimise incidences of lameness?

Post-calving, cows and heifers need plenty of good quality grass and ample clean water available at all times.

Pinching cows now will certainly extend your round and ensure you have plenty of grass available for

the second round, but it isn’t very beneficial to the cow. Finding an equilibrium is essential, with prior planning the previous season, you can ensure that the grass is available from day dot.

We mustn’t overlook rest on a freshly calved cow. Just because the calf is now out and she’s ready to be milked doesn’t mean that she is ready straight away for those long walks to the back paddocks. Post-calving, a cow needs time to recover, after all, she has just pushed a 30kg+ calf out.

The most important factor of poorly behaved heifers and indeed cows can be directly attributed to our handling of said animals. With new staff on farm, some of those being completely “green” to dairying, we must really focus on teaching good, safe and proper animal handling techniques.

We need to be patient with cows and learn how to move them in a controlled manner. There is some fantastic material out there for teaching new staff on animal handling.

My favourite way I learnt in the past was by working in my spare time for a stud farm and learning to train R2 bulls for the show ring.

Article written by Perry Costen, Professional Trimmer at VeeHof Hoof Care Specialists

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CALVING FEATURE

33

Enerpro welcomes new team member Less than five years since being established, Ashburtonbased Enerpro Feeds has become one of the South Island’s foremost suppliers of customised dairy feed.

Built on the principles of innovation, integrity, professionalism and excellence, Enerpro takes great pride in its quality-based approach, along with its focus on service and speed.

Owner-operators Noel and Nikki Dew say they can customise their products by changing blends and adding minerals at the drop of a hat, so dairy farmers know they can get the feed they need for their cows quickly and without fuss.

Enerpro can also supply farmers with straight commodities like palm kernel, soya or corn-based products.

Although they offer product right throughout the South Island, Enerpro has recently added to its team by taking on Charlotte Flay as a sales rep.

Charlotte, who graduated with a bachelor of agricultural science from Lincoln in April, freely admits that she loves cows, so being able to help farmers with their stock’s nutrition is something she takes great pleasure in.

Born and raised on a North Canterbury dairy farm, Charlotte recently moved to a dairy farm near Dunsandel with her parents.

She says her parents love their cows “and I suppose I’ve just grown up around that”.

“They’re pretty cool animals. We ask so much of them and all we have to do in return is look after them.”

Charlotte has been around cows since joining a calf club when she was four.

She stuck with it and over the years developed a passion for Holstein Friesian cattle,

“

Charlotte Flay and Jazz.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Charlotte Flay studied at Lincoln and has a background in farming.

today having 20 of her own cows in her parents’ herd.

That interest has extended to becoming an associate judge for the breed, something that has taken her to events around the country and even to Australia.

However, she appreciates any good cow no matter what breed it is.

Charlotte’s focus is on breeding and feeding cows to

ENERPRO Calf Meals have been developed to provide a highly palatable and well balanced calf feed supplement.

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increase the overall efficiency and productivity of a farming system, something she believes she’s well-placed to help farmers with.

Understanding the nutritional requirements of a cow is very important to gain the most from the animal, Charlotte says.

“It is so important to maintain cow condition coming into the spring

Owner-operators Noel and Nikki Dew say they can customise their products by changing blends and adding minerals at the drop of a hat, so dairy farmers know they can get the feed they need for their cows quickly and without fuss

post-calving and pre-mating to ensure the cow can recover and be at ultimate condition score at mating time to increase chances of conception.”

The full potential of a cow’s productivity and profitability is determined within the first few weeks of the calfs’ life. This is where it’s important to look after the development of the intestinal tract and rumen growth. The introduction of grain/meal is important within the first week of life to encourage rumen papillae growth and intestinal development which determines the volume of feed physically absorbed and utilised by the animal later on in life, Charlotte says.

“It’s also really important for farmers to know how much energy their cows are using.

They need to meet those requirements.”

Charlotte says farmers should be able to see a return “and then some” on money they invest in their stock’s nutrition.

Having a farming background complements the knowledge Charlotte acquired at Lincoln, where her studies were wide-ranging, although she had a particular focus on animal health, welfare and nutrition.

“I understand what farmers are doing and what they are trying to achieve. I really do get it and I can help.

“When I’m not here (at work) I’m on the farm, so I do understand.”

She’s a firm believer in the quality and value for money of Enerpro Feeds’ products, adding that there’s nothing like the company’s calf meal on the market.

She also enjoys working for a small operation. “It’s great.

I’ve got a good relationship with everyone from the factory through to the owners.

“I can follow everything through from the start through to the finish. I love that part of it.”

Nikki and Noel are extremely pleased Charlotte has joined their team.

“We’re really thrilled,” Nikki says, adding that Charlotte will be helping to cover the Ashburton and wider Canterbury area.

“She’s vibrant and energetic.

“On top of that there’s her degree, her dairy background and the fact that she just loves cows.

“She’s a wonderful addition.”

So whatever your dairy feed requirements are, contact Enerpro. You won’t be disappointed.

They’re perfectly placed to deliver top quality, customised blends at prices that are more than competitive.

Don’t delay, call them today.

Advertising feature

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20% protein ex Ash, $755+GST p/ton 16% protein ex Ash, $725+GST p/ton

Noel 021 611 848 | Nikki 021 888 197 | Charlotte 021 895 506 charlotte@enerpro.co.nz

PHONE 03 352 0301 | www.enerpro.co.nz

34

Dairy Focus

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Managing irrigation has big impact It’s good to see a range of new research out there on options to reduce nutrient losses.

Almost every week some new research emerges which makes us rethink some of our farming practices.

The past few weeks are no exception as a new study by Aqualinc and the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand has highlighted how irrigation can be adapted to reduce nitrogen losses.

This has the potential to help farmers and growers significantly reduce their environmental impacts. The study showed that on 12 Canterbury dairy farms, an average of a 26 per cent reduction in nitrogen losses could be achieved through changing when irrigation was applied on the farms.

Many irrigators now have challenging targets in their Farm Environment Plans to reduce their nitrogen losses.

And where these targets are not yet in place, the new government has signalled they would like to see them introduced in the future.

The message for farmers

Andrew Curtis

IRRIGATION NZ

from the study is that how you manage your irrigation in early spring and autumn has a big impact on your overall nitrogen losses. In wetter, cooler conditions there is more risk of nitrogen leaching through soils as pasture growth is slower so you need to adjust your irrigation as a result of this.

In practice we would recommend that farmers should look at not irrigating in September or April, as the nutrient losses may outweigh the benefits of some additional pasture growth. Very dry years would be an exemption to this rule and soil moisture monitoring technology will help you identify how dry the soil actually is. In October and March, we would recommend not irrigat-

ing as often as in the height of summer and allowing soil moisture levels to drop to around 40 per cent - lower than the 50 per cent level recommended in summer.

Given that the nitrogen loss reductions made in the study were significant, we would like to see further research undertaken on how to adjust irrigation for different annual climate conditions.

Irrigation Pump Sheds/Storage

Overseer modelling simulates conditions in an average year, but we know that variations in rainfall and temperature affect growing conditions and irrigation use every year.

IrrigationNZ carries out training courses and we already recommend that irrigators adjust their irrigation in the spring and autumn to apply water less often to reduce nutrient losses.

The new study provides evidence on the value of altering irrigation patterns in the shoulder season and the reduction in nutrient losses that this can achieve.

There are a lot of things to be considered when you plan your irrigation over the season. You need to understand irrigation system capability and requirements, how to use soil moisture monitoring, crop and pasture requirements, long-term and short-term weather forecasts and how to appropriately schedule irrigation.

The new study highlights how the careful management of irrigation systems can make a significant difference to a farm’s environmental footprint, so it’s definitely worth investing some time to understand how you can best manage your irrigation.

IrrigationNZ covers different aspects of irrigation management in regular training courses, with our next sessions coming up in September in Ashburton and Lincoln – see www.irrigationnz.co.nz/ events for details.

WINTER INSPECTION TRACTOR & LOADER

These sheds are made to be easy to install with the middle piece of roof iron having been left off for easy Hiab onto your concrete pad. A 50mm overhang has been allowed to fit over your concrete pad so that you have no leaks.

There is hex bird netting over the ventilation gap across the front. Made from quality H3 90x45 framing timber and finished with either zincalume or your choice of colorsteel.

Sheds can be made standard or to your individual requirements.

All sheds are made to order and individually priced - large & small we make them all!

Adams Sawmilling Co Ltd ISPM 15 accredited for Export Pallets

Malcolm McDowell Drive, Ashburton Ph (03) 308 3595 Fax (03) 308 5649

Winter is the perfect time for a full safety and function check on your tractor and loader.

ON SITE INSPECTION INCLUDES: Comprehensive 50+ point check of; • Engine • Fuel System • Electrics • Cooling System • Steering & Brakes • Hydraulic System • Transmission • Chassis, Cab & Tyres • Loader • PLUS full grease of tractor and loader

• Concrete Water/Feed Troughs • Precast Panels • Water Tanks/ Effluent Tanks • Silage Pits • Concrete Bunkers • Weeping Walls • Cattle Stops

Preventative maintenance is a cost effective way of heading off trouble before it happens.

ASHBURTON | BLENHEIM | CHRISTCHURCH | GREYMOUTH KAIKOURA | NELSON | OAMARU | TIMARU

0800 432 633 | www.dne.co.nz

www.guardianonline.co.nz

35

Why regenerative farming?

Improving production per hectare with a system of farming that focuses on healthy, mineral-rich, biologically-diverse soils that grow healthy mineral-rich food while improving soils, crops and the livelihood of farmers, is the principle behind regenerative farming.

Biological farming, is another way of referring to this farming system, which focuses on balanced soil nutrients, soil life and biology to promote soil health to produce a crop instead of focusing on soluble fertiliser chemistry. Biology is regarded as the mediator for what is happening in the soil and what is happening in plants. Improving soil health is needed and necessary to allow biology to function in the soil, so plants can function.

Regenerative agriculture is not only about regenerating soils, but regenerating the thought processes and models around what we are doing in agriculture.

A lot of the research undertaken in the past 40 years has concentrated on the biomass above the ground, ignoring

the other half of the plant, below ground. If farmers are to focus on soil health and soil fertility there has Influencing Photosynthesis to be an underby managing what we can standing of what control. the impact of IMAGES SUPPLIED

excessive nitrogen, soluble fertilisbecause of the negative interers, chemicals, ference and impact on the soil seed treatments, biology and the composition insecticides and of the carbohydrates produced excessive tillage during photosynthesis, being has below ground compromised. on the productivity T O T A L S O I L F E R T I L I T Y S O LFarmers UTIO S looking areNalways and profitability on to improve the sustainability their farms, these of their operations, they often affect the are open to progress, but soil aggregation often reluctant to change. to such an extent The conflicting advice that plant roots feed the soil biolthat it has made the growers receive, is more ogy with the carbohydrates soils compacted, with shallow often, selling them products produced from photosynthesis. that actually are contrary to root systems that are drought and the soil biology regulates prone and chemical reliant. productivity and sustainability. and supplies the nutrients the Photosynthesis and root The use of soluble fertiliser plant needs for its growth exudates is really what drives has been one of the most stages. bacterial action digestion disruptive practises in Soluble fertilisers, chemiwhich increases mineral availmainstream farming. The cals and farm management ability. harm those products are practises can interfere with The plant is always in conactually doing to the soil trol, because of the symphonic the whole system, with the biology are contradictory result of the plant failing, to relationship between the to sustaining a beneficial reach its full genetic potential, microbial community. plant and the soil biology, the

To o s

It’s possible to exhaust the supply of nutrients to the plant in compacted soils with shallow root systems. But management systems that create a mineral balanced healthy soil which allows plant roots to go deep into the soil profile to access the needed minerals, will never deplete the soil nutrients.

Regenerative agriculture provides an exciting, profitable opportunity as an alternative system for producers to reduce fertilisers and chemical reliance, by influencing photosynthesis in the field by what we can control, whilst improving production per hectare.

To take agriculture to the next level we have to think differently about what’s happening in the fields, and to understand what contributes to the suppression of soil biology, soil health, soil fertility and the systems and practises necessary to restore it. With the understanding how important improving soils are to increasing productivity.

Total Soil Fertility Solutions Top Soils specialises in fertility programmes to make a real, environmental, sustainable and economical difference to our farming clients.

This is done by balancing soil nutrients using the Kinsey-Albrecht system of soil fertility and using a Regenerative, Biological approach to Agriculture.

– By Don Hart, Top Soils Advertising feature

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with over 20 available to blend on site This is done by balancing N, P, K, S, fertility programmes to make using a real, environmental, Kinsey-Albrecht system of soil nutrients Macro and Miner soil amendments the Trace minerals sustainable and soil fertility andŸ using a Bio-grow products a economical real, environmental, Kinsey-Albrecht system Golden Bay Dolomite =11%Mg, 24% Caof differenceGOLDEN to our farming Regenerative, Biological BAY Golden Bay Dolomite =11%Mg, 24% Ca Ÿ High Quality sustainable and economical soil Lime fertility and using a High Quality Lime clients. approach to Agriculture. l Guano 10.5 P Do 10.5 mPltBiological e Phosta Phosphate difference to our farmingŸ Guano Phosphate Regenerative, K = 30% K, 9% S, .9% P, 8% Ca, 2.4% Ÿ approaches Phosta K = 30% K, 9% S, .9% P, 8% Ca, 2.4% For Regenerative, Biological, Organic and Traditional fertiliser NZ s Finest Magnesium Fertiliser clients. approach to Agriculture.

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To o s For Regenerative, Biological, Organic and Traditional fertiliser approaches Don Hart 027 432 0187 Don Hart 027 432 0187 skyfarm@ruralnet.co.nz Lydia-Beth Gundry 027 698 9907 lydia@ruralnet.co.nz

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Winter is here...

and it’s wet Mt Somers Rock is the ideal aggregate for dairy lanes, silage bases, feed pads and gateways.

It’s an economic choice, long-lasting and less slippery than lime or clay-based lanes.

Prepare for winter now. Contact Victory Lime to place an order.

0800 303 980 • www.vlime.co.nz