EXPERIENCE AMAZING AWAY FROM THE FARM
LEXUS AND FARMLANDS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
INTEREST
5 Farmlands staff profile
5 From the CEO
6 Result showcases value of working with your co-operative
8 Chairman reflects on successful year
10 Thank you for your service
12 Farmlands Christmas Cashback
14 5 minutes with Joanne Turner
16 Special Feature – Balancing act
22 Christmas Stocking Stuffers
23 Co-operatives consider feedback
25 2018 – highs and lows, bouquets and brickbats
26 HeART of the Community arrives in the gumboot capital
32 The Farmlands Festive Ham Handout
54 Farmlands Christmas Hours
55 Assessing farm risks with a “child lens”
57 Is your rural property secure?
60 Buying Power Promise
61 Finding our next Future Field Experts
63 Future Farmlanders buzzing to meet industry experts
64 Farmlands Fuel
65 Century Farms – More than a century on-farm at Benmore
67 Farmlands Real Estate
80 Choices Rewards
PLAN365
37 Work smarter, not harder to control weeds
Taking the fight to yellow bristle grass 41 IPM compatible insecticides in forage brassicas 43 Know your bugs to maximise the benefits of IPM Plan365 Animal Management 45 Best practice for flystrike prevention and lice control Plan365 Horticulture 47 Go next level with testing
49 Smart science improves harvest management
51 Using seaweed extracts to power your plants
53 Innovation Vineyard Project investigates best practice
ON THE COVER
Greg and Rachel Hart of Mangarara Station in Central Hawke’s Bay aim to connect people to the land. Read more on page 16.
3-7
DECEMBER
HeART of the Community Head to Farmlands Mossburn to check out Mauricio Benega in action as he paints the latest HeART of the Community masterpiece.
6
DECEMBER
Timaru
8
FEBRUARY
Farmlands Cup
Remember to get your tickets to the BNZ Crusaders vs Pulse Energy Highlanders at Southbridge Rugby Club, Canterbury.
Mart Verstappen
Q: What is your current role at Farmlands?
A: Technical Team Leader – Viticulture.
Q: What do you enjoy about your job?
A: Engaging with shareholders and Farmlands Technical Advisors and ensuring they have the best technical advice available for growing the best grapes.
Q: Where are you from originally?
A: A little rural place in Holland.
Q: What would you do if you won $100,000?
A: Follow The Rolling Stones on their world tour and visit amazing places.
Q: What piece of technology could you not live without?
A: A digital temperature gauge for my BBQ.
Q: What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
A: SPAM – that famous “mystery meat”.
Mart’s Slow and Long BBQ Smoked Brisket
Ingredients
• A nice piece of good quality brisket from the farm or a good butcher
A rub combining the following:
• ½ cup paprika
• ½ cup kosher salt
• ½ cup light brown sugar
Method
• ½ cup granulated garlic
• 6 Tbsp granulated onion
• ¼ cup chilli powder
• 1 Tbsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. Fire up the BBQ/smoker with grapevine wood and maintain the temperature around 100-120°C.
2. Rub the brisket lightly with oil and liberally apply the rub. Place the brisket in an oven dish and place in the BBQ/smoker together with a pan of water to maintain high humidity.
3. Maintain the temperature. This is going to take a while but will be well worth the wait!
4. After a few hours, check the inside brisket temperature. When at 60 percent of desired finishing temp (65-70°C), wrap in butcher paper and place back in the smoker.
5. When the inside temperature reaches the early 60s, remove from the smoker, wrap the meat and rest. The brisket will finish cooking whilst resting.
6. Cut and serve with roasted potatoes, kumara and additional vegetables of your choice. Don’t forget a good quality BBQ sauce (homemade of course) and enjoy!
FROM THE CEO
Welcome to the final edition of The Farmlander for 2018. Our co-operative has had a positive year, emphasised by our annual result announcement last month.
While our performance will be discussed later in this issue, at this time of year it is appropriate to focus on the people that contributed to this result. That is of our course our shareholders, our staff, our partners and our communities. We could not have achieved what we have throughout the year without the effort and involvement of all of these stakeholders. We are appreciative of your support of your co-operative.
There is a sense of belonging that comes with being a member of a co-operative. We create a virtuous circle for our members –the better the solutions we provide, the more they spend with us, the better outcomes we get from our partners and the greater the benefits our shareholders receive. The Bonus Rebate distribution of $6.1 million is a demonstration of this.
We are all in this together. I was reminded of this recently at a Regional Muster event in South Canterbury, where I met a shareholder named Allan Andrews. He has written a book – 70 Years On – about the farming legacy of the Andrews family since his grandfather’s arrival in Glenavy in 1898.
Allan asked to pass on his thanks to the Farmlands staff in Oamaru, Waimate, Temuka, Timaru, Ashburton and Fairlie for supporting his book. Through purchases of his book, Allan was able to make a donation of $1,000 to the Cancer Society.
I have decided to pass on Allan’s thanks publicly because as an organisation we are here to provide solutions and support for our shareholders. Allan’s story may differ from everyone else but the end result is what we always hope to achieve – a greater shareholder experience.
I wish you a happy, enjoyable and above all safe holiday period for you and your families. After a holiday break of its own, The Farmlander will return for the February issue.
Thank you for your continued support of your co-operative and all the best for the New Year.
Kind regards,
Peter Reidie Chief Executive Officer Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited
Result showcases value of working with your co-operative
Farmlands Chief Executive, Peter Reidie discusses the factors that contributed to the 2018 Annual Result, along with the future direction of our co-operative.
The 2018 Annual Result clearly demonstrates how much we gain when you do more with your co-operative. Our revenue has grown by 10.7 percent to $2.4 billion and we have prudently managed our cost base. The increased revenue has gone to our bottom line, leading to profit growth of 128 percent to $12.2 million. Our performance has enabled us to re-instate a Bonus Rebate and we have rewarded the members of the co-operative who have supported the breadth of our business. By putting more of your farm inputs through Farmlands, your co-operative performs better and gets stronger. You, in turn, benefit through the strength that growth creates for us. It leads to better pricing, better innovation and stronger support from our suppliers. This year we will return half of our net profit before tax and rebate –$6.1 million – to our members, in a 50/50 split of cash and shares. We are seeking to take our co-operative from being very good at doing what you needed 5 years ago, to being very good at providing what you will need 5 years from now. To do this, we need to better understand the external factors that impact your success, your behaviours on the land and the inputs you put into your businesses. Farmlands is very well placed to understand this, given the amount
of transactions conducted directly within our store network, from our farm input business units and through our partnership model with leading suppliers and the Farmlands Card. We are investing to harness this knowledge. What we refer to as Whole of Business is really whole of land inputs. The more we can provide you, the better outcomes we can get for you – the co-operative becomes stronger and the returns we provide become greater. It is in our interests to build these benefits and our ambition is to keep doing this, to create a strong, growing and prosperous co-operative that you own. The challenge we have is that the way we have been doing things has not enabled this. That is why we have embarked on a major culture change programme, supported by significant system investment, new and consistent business processes and development of the capability and skills of our people. This will make us more successful going forward. We call this programme Braveheart. We are well into the journey and we look forward to being able to provide you with solutions that help you and your fellow shareholders to be more successful. This will be achieved through our market leading knowledge and expertise, ideas and solutions built on best practice and the skills and capabilities of our people.
Braveheart is a culture programme that incorporates the latest technology into how we interact and deliver services to our shareholders. Technology is going to have a larger role to play in
managing our land into the future than it has today and our investment in FarmIQ prepares us for that change. We see a platform by which all data collected on, around or for our land is consolidated through one platform to help you track and record and determine what are the best decisions to make for your land. FarmIQ is our first step in this journey. One of the highlights of the past 12 months is the way our people have responded to the need for this change by embracing the tools, training and programmes we are providing them. I personally see our people growing in their roles and find this highly rewarding and stimulating. To see confidence and capability building across everything we do for our shareholders is a credit to a great team who are seeking to be more effective and better at their roles.
Our reporting shows we are more effective in keeping our people safe. Significant improvements can be seen in the reduced number of injuries we have on our sites. The growing number of safety interactions and near miss reporting allows us to identify areas of risk and do something about them to prevent an injury from occurring. Having said that, we still have much to do in this area. Currently, Health and Safety is not the integral part of our culture that it needs to be to ensure our people leave their place of work in the same condition they arrived. We know we must – and have committed to – do more in order to make health, safety and wellness a way of life at Farmlands. Our commitment to “doing more” has also brought us recognition
from outside our co-operative, with three prestigious awards in 2018. We received the KPMG Customer Experience Excellence Award, the HR Institute of New Zealand Award for Talent Development and Management and the Cooperation Amongst Cooperatives from Cooperative Business New Zealand.
Regarding the KPMG Customer Experience Excellence Award, I really value the fact that it is a true acknowledgement of what our people in the stores, on the road, in our Contact Centre and those who transact with our shareholders do every day. The pillars of this award –Personalisation, Resolution, Integrity, Time and Effort, Expectations and Empathy – are what we do.
National surveys are usually taken up by a large representation of people from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch,
where we do not have significant (if any) operations. To get an award like this, with that “disadvantage”, is even more rewarding. Thank you to those of you who participated and articulated the Farmlands story.
The HR Institute of New Zealand Award for Talent Development and Management is once again a reflection of where we seek to take our cooperative. We need to understand the skills and capabilities of our people today and how we can build them to meet the needs of tomorrow. This award is validation of our approach. Recognition is great but we need to continue to adapt to what our members expect of their co-operative. We are very mindful – and indeed see it as an advantage – that our customer is our shareholder. We please our customer, we please our shareholder and vice versa. To be aware of the
needs of our customer, we have an “always on” survey that gives you the ability to provide instant feedback. This can be both good and bad, with our objective to build on the good and eliminate the bad. This survey is a very valuable tool that doubles as your voice and our pulse.
The challenge for the 12 months to come is to continue to build on our progress and to do that, we need to continue to show the tangible benefits that only Farmlands can provide. We have the breadth and depth of business to provide a complete solution to our shareholders. I encourage more shareholders to utilise their co-operative in more ways than they are accustomed to, as we continue to re-invent the Farmlands Co-operative Spirit, putting our shareholders’ future success at the centre of everything we do.
| Peter Reidie – Farmlands Chief Executive Officer.
Chairman reflects on successful year
With Farmlands announcing a net profit before tax and rebate of $12.2 million, Chairman Lachie Johnstone discusses the financial year and shaping the future of our co-operative.
The 2017/2018 financial year can be summed up with one word – progress. We often speak of the journey our co-operative is on and it is important to emphasise while this is another step forward, our attention remains firmly focused on delivering the benefits our 68,000 shareholders want and need from their combined buying power.
Our performance
The return to Bonus Rebate is a distinct highlight for this year. We achieved this through making the hard calls to get our co-operative back into a position to deliver a rebate to its shareholders after a number of challenging years in the market.
On 23rd November in Hokitika, I was able to stand in front of your fellow shareholders at our Annual General Meeting and discuss how the measures we have taken have produced a $6.1 million Bonus Rebate – half of our net profit before tax and rebate. This delivered on our objective from last year’s AGM, when we stated our intention to return to Bonus Rebate in 12 months’ time.
This is just one step, albeit one that is positive. It is an acknowledgement of improved performance but we are not satisfied. We distribute this Bonus Rebate with a considerable amount of humility, while accepting a tick mark at this stage of our journey. It shows we are on the right track.
Our people
An overwhelming source of pride comes from the development of our people, which includes both our staff and our shareholders. We have been vocal in our desire to increase the talent pool of prospective Directors for our co-operative. An expanded, stronger talent pool has flow-on effects for rural governance throughout New Zealand. A strong co-operative needs to have shareholders thoroughly prepared to make the step up to the Board table. The past 12 months – and the year to come – highlight the importance of rural governance development to Farmlands. We have welcomed three new Directors – Julie Bohnenn, Warren
Parker and Murray Donald and at the time of writing, we will be welcoming more new faces to our Board table, with three more experienced Directors retiring – Joe Ferraby, David Jensen and Peter Wilson. While this is a considerable turnover in the space of 2 years, the fresh ideas and specialised skill-sets we are welcoming to the Board table means our co-operative governance continues to evolve. We have had success with two initiatives over the past 12 months that were designed to bolster our rural governance stocks. The Board Observer role, a 12-month tenured position that provides exposure to the Board for one Farmlands shareholder,
| Lachie Johnstone – Farmlands Chairman.
is now in its second rotation. Braden Hungerford spent 12 months with the Board of Directors, contributing to our meetings and learning how our cooperative functions. The new financial year has welcomed Robert Kempthorne into the Board Observer position. While our Board Observers have full speaking rights, they are unable to vote on co-operative matters at the Board table. However, we foster development through mentoring, exposure to the discussions that shape our direction and the opportunity to learn from experienced Directors. In addition to the Board Observer initiative, in collaboration with Silver Fern Farms, Farmlands hosted
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An overwhelming source of pride comes from the development of our people, which includes both our staff and our shareholders.
To the Core, a rural governance programme designed to expand the talent pool of prospective Directors even further. To the Core has been well received by both the participants and the broader community. The participation of Sir Eion Edgar, Stuart Heal, Maurice Noone and Juliet Maclean provided those attending To the Core with direct access to some of the most prominent figures in governance from rural and corporate backgrounds. I was chatting to a governance expert about To the Core and they commented on how good they felt the programme was. This was also formally recognised by Cooperative Business New Zealand, who awarded Farmlands and Silver Fern Farms the Cooperation Amongst Cooperatives Award for To the Core. It reinforces the value of our commitment to development initiatives that will continue to create governance pathways for our own Board and the rural governance sector as a whole.
Our future
Acknowledging the need to build the skills of our people for the future has also been a catalyst for continued investment in staff training and development. Clearly, the challenge of the social licence to operate as a farmer and a grower has changed. Our shareholders are being challenged across more fronts than ever before – political, economic, social and environmental. Having strong relationships with our co-operative provides our shareholders with the support they need to turn these challenges into opportunities.
Investing in our Farmlanders provides shareholders with a demonstration of our desire to improve our offer and the value that only our co-operative can add.
On top of that, working with people that love what they do adds perspective to your own life. At our last Board meeting at the Farmlands support office in Christchurch, I looked across at a group of people having lunch. There were about 20 people, all sitting together, having a communal lunch and engaging in conversation. There were no phones to be seen, which may only be an observation but it also shows that our people value each other. This is a people business, whichever way you look at it.
I look back on the 2017/2018 financial year with a sense of optimism. We have said to our shareholder base we would deliver and we have. We are not complacent on the back of this announcement. Farmlands needs to adapt and with weather patterns, commodity pricing and social licence shaping how we operate, your co-operative will continue to strive to bring you more.
The motive of Together Stronger that united like-minded farmers in town hall and pub meetings 55 years ago holds true today. They may never have envisaged how our co-operative would evolve but their founding principles continue to inspire us. The challenge rests with us to help our shareholders understand the breadth of opportunities and the true potential of the business they own and how we can all work together to unlock this.
Thank you for your service
Farmlands Co-operative would like to thank our three retiring Directors – Joe Ferraby, David Jensen and Peter Wilson.
All three were part of the original Board following the 2013 merger and between them represent more than 60 years of governance within our co-operative.
As Shareholder Directors, Joe Ferraby and David Jensen have been elected to represent their fellow shareholders. Independent Director Peter Wilson has complemented the elected representatives with his extensive boardroom experience.
The results of the 2018 Farmlands Director Elections were announced to shareholders in attendance at the 55th Annual General Meeting, held in Hokitika on 23rd November. To find out the results of the Director Elections, visit www.farmlands.co.nz
Joe Ferraby
Deciding what the biggest achievement was during his time on the Board is a difficult question for Joe Ferraby to answer.
“Over 38 years it is a tricky one.”
The Awatere Valley sheep and beef farmer has stepped down from his role as Director after playing a part in Farmlands governance dating back to the 1980s.
That involved seeing the business through the four mergers that have made it the nationwide co-operative it is today.
“I think when I first started we were making over $400,000 or something.
|
To be part of the merger – and that’s four mergers – and coming through to the business we are today is a big achievement.”
Joe says the 2013 merger between CRT and Farmlands was certainly the most challenging.
His extensive knowledge, previously holding governance roles at Silver Fern Farms, Destination Marlborough Trust, Marlborough Lines and Nelson Electricity to name a few, made his input highly valued. He is also the Chairman of publiclyowned Terra Vitae Vineyards.
Joe says retiring from the Board would be a big change but his time with the co-operative had been a “great journey”.
“I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s been a big part of my life,
you have to fit your life around making time to do these things.
“I’ve worked with and met some great people, both in governance and management.”
He says right from the start, the most important part of the cooperative was our staff.
“They’re the people our shareholders deal with and recognise.”
“
To be part of the merger – and that’s four mergers – and coming through to the business we are today is a big achievement.
Joe Ferraby.
David Jensen
The successful 2013 merger and servicing the needs of our shareholders nationwide were the two biggest achievements for David Jensen during his time on the Board.
The Pyes Pa dairy farmer and orchardist has retired from his Director’s role after 12 years in the job. Reflecting on his time with the co-operative, David says the merger was a big achievement.
“I think the merger would be the obvious one but probably the real answer is we’ve become a company of national significance and we’ve got nationwide coverage in terms of meeting the needs of our shareholders.”
David was part of the inaugural Farmlands Co-operative Board in 2013 after the merger with CRT. He is a Director of Livestock Improvement Corporation and was previously a Director of Satara Co-op and Chair of Eastpack Growers Forum, Satara Kiwifruit Supply Limited and AvoFresh.
Running his own dairy farm as well as 24ha of gold and green kiwifruit and 3ha of avocados also made David’s vast knowledge and business acumen highly valued around the table.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve met some really interesting people along the way, in Board Directors, staff and shareholders.”
Peter Wilson
After a decade of service, Peter Wilson has retired from his role of Independent Director on the Board. A guiding hand in the merger between CRT and Farmlands, Peter said it too was one of his biggest achievements.
“I think for all of us who are retiring, we were around at the time that the merger was being contemplated then initially discussed and finally agreed upon.”
| David Jensen.
He says it was a massive challenge given the systems, administration and practices that were in place.
“The challenge of the merger probably exceeded our expectations as for the complexity of it. It has taken some time to deal with the challenges.”
Peter, who lives in Otaki, is a chartered accountant and professional Company Director.
He has served on the Boards of several national companies, which currently included Westpac New Zealand Limited and Meridian Energy Limited, and previously, Westpac Banking Corporation of Australia.
His extensive business and pan-industry experience has proved invaluable to the cooperative in a role he enjoyed.
“I’m a Company Director – it’s the work that I do and you don’t do it unless you are happy with the people you work with and you’re happy with the organisation going forward. I’ve enjoyed it very much.”
| Peter Wilson.
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Cost+5%onselected products
when you purchase with your Farmlands Card at participating Card Partners. Twenty lucky shoppers to be selected.
*Terms and Conditions apply. Spend a minimum of $150 on your Farmlands Card at participating Card Partners between 1st November 2018 and 15th December 2018 to automatically go in the draw to win. Visit www.farmlands.co.nz/christmas for more information. Works for you
5 minutes with Joanne Turner
Secretary, Biodynamics New Zealand.
What is biodynamic agriculture?
Biodynamics (biological-dynamics) is a method of organic agriculture that can be applied to any farm, horticultural or viticultural enterprise by following a series of practical steps. The steps emphasise building soil fertility and are carefully tailored to the particular property. They include:
• Using biodynamic sprays to stimulate biological activity in the soil and improve retention of nutrients, such as animal wastes.
• Stocking with several different animal species to vary grazing patterns and reduce pasture-borne parasites.
• Widening the range of pasture species.
• Planting trees for multiple purposes.
• Crop rotation designs including the use of green manures to enhance soil fertility and control weeds and plant pests.
• Recycling organic wastes, where possible, by large scale composting.
• Changing from chemical pest control to prevention strategies based on good plant and animal nutrition and careful cultivar selection.
Biodynamics is based on the teachings of Austrian-born scientist and philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, who gave a series of lectures to European
farmers in the early 1920s that introduced the biodynamic concepts. Biodynamics is a systems approach to agriculture where the property is viewed as a living whole and each activity affects everything else. Management is based on the grower’s own careful observations plus the results of tests and analysis. In this way, modern technology and traditional knowledge form a highly effective method that’s unique to each location.
Biodynamics is a systems approach to agriculture where the property is viewed as a living whole and each activity affects everything else. “
Demeter model seemed to fit with our philosophy so we started towards certification for our berry operation. As a Demeter licensee, we are also members of Biodynamics New Zealand, which is an incorporated society and charity. Last year the previous Secretary retired after 27 years and I was offered the opportunity to take on the role on a part-time basis. This still allows me to manage our horticultural business. Part of the role of Secretary is responsibility for making sure all legal compliance is attended to. Among other things my duties include providing support to the Biodynamics New Zealand Council, overseeing the preparation of annual accounts, maintaining the website, sending newsletters to members, liaising with the editor of our members’ magazine Harvests and liaising with the organisers of our annual conference. The role also includes the position of Demeter Certification Manager.
What are the Association’s overall goals?
Why did you join the Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association (Biodynamics New Zealand) and what does your role entail?
My husband and I purchased a property in Kairanga, a farming district close to Palmerston North, in the late 1990s. We wanted to farm the property organically and to be certified. At that time, there were only two certification bodies – Demeter and BioGro. The
The objectives of Biodynamics New Zealand are to foster, guide and safeguard the biodynamic approach to agriculture and horticulture. We do that by holding an annual conference in different parts of New Zealand featuring local and international keynote speakers, along with workshops designed for further understanding of biodynamics at all levels. There are also regional groups that hold
local workshops and field trips.
Biodynamics New Zealand produces a yearly biodynamic calendar, the magazine Harvests for its members three times a year, along with newsletters on a more regular basis keeping the members up-todate with happenings around the country. Information booklets on a range of biodynamic practices are sent to new members.
Has the Association found membership has been growing in recent times?
Biodynamic methods in New Zealand were first used in 1928 at Havelock North and the Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association was
founded in 1939. Over that time the membership has risen and fallen as events have put organics and biodynamics into the public eye, for example, membership increased during the Royal Commission on genetic engineering. Currently there is growing interest within the wine producing community.
Membership is open to anyone interested in growing and/or farming biodynamically and our members include farmers, viticulturists, processors, orchardists and commercial and home gardeners. Our membership numbers are steady but we are finding an increasing number of followers on Facebook and Instagram. This is probably an indication of where society is moving to.
Why do you think the biodynamic concept is so important to the current agricultural climate in New Zealand?
Biodynamics uses very limited external inputs and re-uses most on-farm waste, so it has a low impact on the environment. It also provides an economical way of farming because most of the costs are met at the time they are incurred. One of the most easily-seen and dramatic benefits of biodynamic practice is the exceptional quality of the produce – flavour, appearance and keeping quality are all enhanced. Many of our members can relate stories about the marvellous feedback they receive from consumers and buyers.
Biodynamics is compatible with many aspects of modern farming practices and is a way of blending the best of the old with the new. It is a holistic approach that promotes soil health and regenerative ways of farming. It offers an alternative perspective of the farm that allows farmers to tailor practices to their specific property.
In an age where we are experiencing climate change because of many issues, biodynamic and organic farming can be a real tool to assist with lowering the amount of carbon in the atmosphere through carbon sequestration. By utilising practices that increase the organic matter of the soil through restoration of degraded soils and adoption of soil conservation practices, biodynamics can play a leading role in moving the primary sector to using more sustainable farming methods.
| Joanne Turner, Secretary, Biodynamics New Zealand.
BALANCING ACT
It’s no coincidence Mangarara Station is called the family farm. Local people and the wider family play a huge part in Central Hawke’s Bay regenerative farmers Greg and Rachel Hart’s lives.
Connecting people to the land is a driver for the environmentally conscious couple, who are partnering with the community to help make the world a better place for generations to come.
The Harts have spent nearly 20 years focusing on sustainability and say connection is vital, from healthy soil to healthy people to a healthy planet.
They believe farmers have the ability to mitigate climate change through their farming practices. As well as regenerative management that is resilient and profitable, the Harts have adopted a sustainable foundation across everything they do.
From tree planting to their Eco Lodge and retail meat, their bottom line is about bringing communities together in a way that supports and nourishes people and the earth.
Their journey began when they started questioning what type of future they would be leaving for their children, what sort of food their children would eat and how they could play a part in trying to create a healthy, regenerative future.
That thought process resulted in some significant shifts to their farming systems, particularly around agriculture.
“
We aim to be proactive rather than reactive and try to deal with the cause rather than the symptom.
Greg says their philosophy is about balancing relationships between nature and production agriculture as part of ecosystem restoration, including a focus on soil health, carbon sequestration and planting native and food-producing trees.
“We focus on the highest animal welfare and the use of holistic grazing and biological fertility management to ensure our livestock have a positive impact on our land and community. It’s about building resilience and reducing off-farm inputs, including the amount of fossil fuels it takes to grow food,” he says.
“Every mouthful of food we eat is either grown in a way that is degrading the planet, or it can be produced in a system that is regenerating the earth and we are focused on being part of the solution. Agriculture has the potential to capture carbon through sequestration, which means farmers have the ability to mitigate climate change. New Zealand signed up to the four per 1,000 initiative at the 2015 Paris Climate Change conference. This means that if soil carbon levels increase by 0.4 percent, or 0.4t/ha per year, in the top 30-40cm of soils, the annual increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere would be stopped.”
That is a very hopeful, positive message.
“Pastoral agriculture relies on importing nutrients
carrying 12su/ha, which is a lot longer than most farms.
“It’s about getting carbon deeper into the soil profile
| Greg and Rachel Hart at Mangarara Station, Hawke’s Bay.
and well rested pastures with longer roots pumping the energy produced through photosynthesis deeper into the soil to feed microbes, which in exchange supply moisture and minerals to the plant. A one percent increase in soil carbon results in the soil being able to store an extra 160,000 litres of water per hectare,” he says.
“We aim to have good pasture cover in front of us and by shifting cattle daily the animals are getting quality feed from a good base of clover. The cattle are trampling the dry grass and litter onto the ground and this cover acts like a mulch protecting the soil surface from being baked in the hot Hawke’s Bay sun. We have made big changes but they have to happen if we are going to give our children a lifestyle like we had.”
Mangarara is not a certified organic farm but the Harts are aware of the wider consequences of their decisions and the products they use.
“We give our animals a fantastic environment to live in. They have good food but if there is a health problem we will use conventional medication. We aim to be proactive rather than reactive and try to deal with the cause rather than the symptom,” Greg says.
“It’s about having a whole lot of tools in the toolbox and using the best one to suit the situation.”
Mangarara Station is a diverse mix of lakes, wetlands, peat flats, rolling and steep hills, pasture, native and exotic trees – and like a living organism, it is constantly evolving.
Stock-wise the farm carries 120 beef cows and
calves, 120 beef heifers fattened for their farm meat market, 220 dairy grazers and 600 ewes.
The Harts had been directly marketing the farm’s meat through meat boxes and an on-farm shop. In a bid to simplify the process, they are winding down their online shop and now supply their meat directly to butcher shops in Auckland and Hawke’s Bay.
They also milk 33 dairy cows once a day with the milk growing 115 calves. It is also fed to a dozen pigs and consumed on-farm. Seventy free-range laying hens in portable hen houses follow cattle around the farm adding their own layer of fertiliser to the land.
“We’re also incorporating fruit and nut trees into the pastoral farming system to create perennial fields of food to reduce reliance on annual crops and the fossil fuels it takes to produce them.”
Greg grew up on a Mid Canterbury mixed cropping farm and completed a Bachelor of Agriculture degree at Massey University. He worked in a farm consultancy firm in Ashburton before heading overseas. While he was travelling his parents sold the Mid Canterbury farm and moved to Hawke’s Bay, buying a 440ha property in Elsthorpe, half an hour south of Hastings. Greg returned to New Zealand, worked for a livestock export business and a grain company and met Rachel, who was a livestock clerk for a stock and station company. The couple married and went on to buy the 240ha farm next to Greg’s parents. They purchased the family farm in 2000 and now farm 600ha, having sold off 80ha around 10 years ago.
In 2007 the Harts realised they needed more trees and approached Air New Zealand, which was looking for an environmental project for its newly established Air New Zealand Environment Trust.
The project saw funding to plant 85,000 trees, including 60,000 natives, in a 20ha gully that connected to an existing native forest.
Greg says the 3 year funding project started by being about trees and environmental outcomes. But the project has created many friendships and resulted in people building a strong bond with the farm and family. The Air New Zealand Green Team still visits the farm to help with projects and 106,000 trees have now been planted.
The planting provides shade and shelter for livestock and habitat for insects and birds, as well as sucking up carbon and helping to prevent erosion and keeping water clean.
People are a passion and the Harts have an open gate policy for visitors. As well as being part of their agreement with the Air New Zealand Environmental Trust, the couple loves welcoming people onto their land, so they can get a taste of where their food comes from and how it is grown.
“We’re growing a community of ‘care holders’ who share the stewardship of the land, as people feel connected to the land and the ecosystem where their
“
We are observing a big change nationally and globally, as people’s awareness of our connection to the earth and other species we share it with is realised. Ecological literacy must become the foundation of all fields of study.
food comes from. They enable us to regenerate the land by supporting us by buying meat from Mangarara.”
The couple, who won the 2017 Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the Year, also successfully launched a Crowd Funding project that saw $32,000 raised to buy plants for the shores of the Horseshoe Lake Wildlife Reserve. The Mangarara Million Metres Stream Project aimed to see Horseshoe Lake surrounded by lush native forest, creating a paradise for wildlife and people.
In another effort to connect people back to the land, the Harts built their Eco Lodge in 2015. The accommodation sits on the shore of Horseshoe Lake and began as two old classrooms relined with macrocarpa that was grown and milled on the farm.
Rachel admits building the lodge was a big job but it enables them to share the farm – and the journey they are on – with others.
“Town people no longer have the connection to farms. The lodge provides an opportunity for people to stay and experience farm life, be immersed in farming processes, learn about farming and connect with the regenerating land,” Rachel says.
Education is a big part of the Hart’s philosophy, with regular visits from school groups and students, including many from overseas.
“We are observing a big change nationally and globally, as people’s awareness of our connection to the earth and other species we share it with is realised. Ecological literacy must become the foundation of all fields of study,” Rachel says.
Mangarara Station employs one full-time staff member plus WWOOFers and a Japanese family, who live on the farm, grow vegetables and help out with the grounds at the lodge. Greg and Rachel’s children, 15 year old George and 13 year old twins Bill and Emma, also play a major role in keeping the farm ticking over.
While the couple have made significant changes over the past two decades, they are humble about what they have achieved.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Rachel says. “This is a life-long journey.”
| The Harts farm dairy, sheep and beef across 600 hectares.
| Free range laying hens follow cattle around the farm.
STOCKING STUFFERS
Co-operatives consider feedback
To provide constructive feedback to the Prime Minister’s newly formed Business Advisory Council, Farmlands recently hosted a roundtable with representatives from 12 New Zealand co-operatives.
Arranged by Cooperative Business New Zealand CEO, Craig Presland, the attendees discussed threats and opportunities to future business and the role of technology as a key driver in developing new business.
When considering threats to future business, including via compliance requirements and legislative constraints, Craig says the group made a number of conclusions.
“At least 95 percent of businesses will want to do the right thing, however compliance costs (money and time taken) are far too high and are therefore restricting progress and the speed of change,” he says.
“There are frustrations with the Resource Management Act 1991 (consents), the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the Employment Relations Act 2000, including inconsistent interpretation of all three. Timelines on new legislation are taking too long. There are also concerns over more frequent and impacting strikes by our public servants, the looming prospect of fair pay agreements (with at least two more to come before the next election)
and raising of the minimum wage.”
The group deliberated the role of the media in helping to drive an unhealthy urban/rural divide. “This often involves the issue of environmental sustainability, including polluting of rivers and waterways. Yet sewerage and sedimentation are not driven by rural communities,” Craig says.
“Skilled labour is being lost, labour shortages are being met by overseas workers at an increasing rate.
There is a need for better industry training programmes and better communications with government.”
The group made several conclusions about future business opportunities and how the government may assist in developing these (including exports).
“We are looking for consistency and a level playing field with regulations, incentives and driving overseas trade,” Craig says.
“We see opportunities in further developing and promoting authenticity through utilisation of technologies, so that our products and services in overseas markets are easily traced back to New Zealand. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise promotes ‘New Zealand Inc.’ well overseas, however are our agri-exporters doing the same?”
With the future of work rapidly changing as new technologies and worker expectations continue to
evolve, Craig says we need to see the future more clearly and the New Zealand government can help.
“Contestable funding is also important to both fully understand and seek.”
The final discussion topic was the role of technology as a key driver in developing new business, as well as increasing the speed of business and support required from the government.
Craig says the group concluded that New Zealand businesses need to be better connected with central and local governments, including those living in remote areas.
“The roll-out of broadband has been good, however is the pipe big enough to meet future needs and what contingencies are in place if we have problems?”
Automation replacing human labour was another issue that was considered.
“Workforce skills and capabilities will need to change,” Craig says. “We need to utilise hard facts that are discovered via technologies, so that we are acting on clear proof or evidence. There are also concerns over cyber security and how we store and protect data.”
Following a similar meeting held in Auckland in November, an overview of the discussions was collated and sent to the Business Advisory Council, providing co-operatives with a strong voice in the feedback process.
2018 – highs and lows, bouquets and brickbats
ASB’s Senior Rural Economist, Nathan Penny takes a look at the year that was.
As we near the end of 2018, it is an opportune time to reflect on the year that has been. Indeed, it has been a year that has included record highs and record lows. Generally though, the highs have outnumbered the lows, although we still have our fair share of brickbats to hand out for the year.
Starting with the highs, lamb prices continued their dream run over 2018, breaking the $8.00/kg barrier for the first time on record in July. Prices then kicked on from there, reaching a shade over $8.40/kg at their peak. Lamb prices also look set to end the year in a healthy position, hinting that – come autumn – prices are still likely to be above $7.00/kg.
The kiwifruit sector has grabbed a 2018 bouquet, or at least it can afford one, with kiwifruit export values topping $2 billion on an annual basis for the first time. A healthy crop got the ball rolling but broad market strength and thus strong prices all added up to the record high export receipts.
We give the first brickbat to President Trump, who over the year has done his best to slow global trade. In fact, he has put tariffs on Chinese imports cumulatively worth a whopping US$256 billion and has hinted there is still more to come.
This year’s weather gets both a brickbat and a bouquet. The year started dry, with drought declared across parts of both Islands. As a result, agricultural production limped into the end of the 2017/2018 season – dairy production
fell 0.6 percent compared to 2016/2017. Since then, the weather has improved over the winter and spring. So far, a healthy rebound in dairy production over 2018/2019 looks likely. Meanwhile, financial markets accounted for some of this year’s notable lows. Short and medium term benchmark interest rates have been at or near record lows, particularly in the second half of this year. In turn, low interest rates have contributed to the weaker New Zealand Dollar over 2018. At one stage, the New Zealand Dollar fell around 10 percent against the USD from the end of 2017, boosting farmgate prices across the board. While we are looking at lows, business confidence, including for the agri sector, has languished at low levels over the year. Factors that have contributed to weak sentiment include uncertainty
around the new government’s policies, Mycoplasma bovis and the ongoing creep in compliance. Fonterra’s poor results this financial year may have also been a factor weighing on sentiment – and so in my mind, the dairy giant gets a brickbat for the year. Indeed, 2017/2018 marked the first time in its history the co-operative posted a loss.
We close on a high note, with a bouquet for the forestry sector. Log prices in New Zealand Dollar terms have tracked near record highs over the year on the back of strong demand both locally and globally. Looking forward to 2019, the Year of the Pig, we anticipate another year of twists and turns. Overall though and from our perspective, we expect another positive year for the wider agri sector.
Article supplied by ASB.
| ASB’s Senior Rural Economist, Nathan Penny.
HEART OF THE COMMUNITY ARRIVES IN THE GUMBOOT CAPITAL
Taihape now has its own take on one of Andy Warhol’s most famous artworks, becoming the eighth rural town to benefit from Farmlands’ HeART of the Community.
The colourful Pop art mural painted by renowned artist Otis Frizzell on Taihape’s Farmlands store features portraits of six sheep pulling typical sheep faces.
Inspired by Andy Warhol’s famous 1962 Pop artwork of Marilyn Monroe, the mural was co-created with the help of Farmlands Taihape staff to reflect the town’s spirit, history and environment.
Otis says the idea to paint the sheep came from seeing so many when driving through and around the Rangitikei town.
“I wondered what it would be like to paint sheep as if they were having their portraits taken to show their fun and quirky side.”
He says the mural is Taihape’s take on Warhol’s famous work, known as Marilyn Diptych.
“It may not become as famous, but I hope the Taihape locals will enjoy looking at their version as much as I’ve enjoyed working with Farmlands to paint it.”
The work paints another picture of Taihape, known as the gumboot capital of New Zealand. A gumboot was not included in the mural’s design because the Farmlands store sits less than a kilometre away from the famous corrugated iron gumboot sculpture. More than 50 excited locals went to the mural’s public gifting ceremony in early November. Farmlands Taihape Business Manager Mike Collings says they were stoked to work with an artist of Otis’ calibre to create something for the community.
Locals are already saying how fun and quirky the mural is. It complements our gumboot capital status quite nicely and it will bring the community a lot of joy in years to come.
To follow the HeART of the Community journey, check out the Farmlands Facebook page, Instagram or www.heartofthecommunity.co.nz
Michael Collings, Farmlands Taihape Business Manager.
Articles in the Plan 365 section allow Farmlands suppliers to share best practice and the latest advances in rural technology, to help shareholders with their farming needs all year round.
Maintaining equine hoof health over summer
Many aspects of equine health and nutrition require extra attention over the summer months. Hoof health is especially important to uphold when the weather is warm and the ground may be harder than other times of the year. The age old saying, “no hoof, no horse” is especially true and the following recommendations should be helpful for keeping hooves as healthy as possible during this time.
Regardless of whether your horse is shod or remains barefoot, prevention is always better than cure when it comes to hoof health. Regular inspection of hooves by cleaning them, picking them out and examining them for cracks, bruises and any further damage is important. Using a quality hoof oil can be highly beneficial for preventing hooves from becoming too dry and brittle in the warmer weather. If paddocks have become particularly dry at a fast rate it is important to monitor hooves for abscesses, which can occur from mud entering cracks and becoming trapped when the hoof hardens. The bacteria in the mud can cause painful infections, which can make the horse lame for some time if not treated by a veterinarian or experienced farrier.
Investing in a reliable, trustworthy farrier is an important part of maintaining hoof health, as regular trimming of feet can also help to identify any problem areas and prevent cracks that can lead to hoof abscesses if left untreated. Often hooves can grow faster with the warmer weather and it is therefore worthwhile to stay on top
of regular trimming to keep them at an acceptable length. Shod horses may require re-shoeing more frequently in summer to avoid hooves becoming too long, resulting in losing shoes that can sometimes be expensive to replace.
Providing a balanced diet that includes all trace minerals and vitamins is important for every horse. The specific nutrients that are required for optimum hoof health include biotin, zinc and methionine. Zinc plays an important role in the health and integrity of skin and hooves, however studies have shown that feeding zinc at higher levels than requirements has little effect on hoof quality. Biotin is the most common nutrient supplemented for hoof health. While there have been some studies that have successfully shown
a difference in hoof health in horses supplemented with biotin, it is generally more effective when supplemented in combination with zinc and methionine.
In the case of a horse with consistent hoof problems such as cracks, abscesses or brittle hooves, additional supplementation with a hoof supplement that contains these three nutrients can be beneficial. Considering the horse takes 6 to 9 months to grow a new hoof, it is important to be patient with any hoof supplementation and allow significant time to see a difference in hoof quality.
For assistance with feeding plans to enhance hoof health and quality, consult with an experienced equine nutrition advisor.
Article supplied by Luisa Wood, Equine Nutritionist.
| Regardless of whether your horse is shod or remains barefoot, prevention is always better than cure when it comes to hoof health.
Dealing with the dry on smaller blocks
Managing ruminant livestock on a smaller piece of land can be more challenging than on a larger block when it gets dry and pasture quality and quantity starts to decline.
Larger farms are typically better equipped to take delivery of bulk loads of high fibre feeds (such as palm kernel), which can be used to fill a feed deficit. They may also have had more opportunity to conserve surplus forage during a pasture surplus earlier in the season and therefore may have plenty of silage on hand. It is difficult to manage feed supply for ruminants such as cattle, sheep, goats and deer, or pseudo-ruminants such as alpacas and llamas when there is a large feed deficit to fill. This is due to the presence of a rumen in these animals (where the feed they eat is fermented by microorganisms), meaning it is important to ensure that they always have some forage available. Care also needs to be taken when offering feeds that are high in starch or other readily fermentable carbohydrates, such as grain. Formulated feeds, designed for ruminant animals on smaller blocks, can be a useful tool to help manage relatively short spells of low pasture availability and can be useful in helping to stretch out available pasture when a dry spell is forecast. These feeds should always be introduced to animals gradually if they are new to the diet and they should never make up all of the diet at any one time. Make sure you check the recommended feeding rates on product labels and stick to
them. It is important to think ahead and if you are concerned that a dry spell is likely, it is better to start introducing a supplement early rather than to wait until there is very little pasture left, as this gives the animals very little time to adapt to the new feed.
Feeds such as NRM MultiFeed Nuts and Reliance Alpaca Pellets are well suited to this use and are an ideal complement to lower energy dry, stalky, summer pasture. When supplemented correctly they can help to increase the energy intake of animals, as well as ensuring they get all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy.
NRM MultiFeed Nuts with zinc are also a great way of ensuring adequate intake of zinc during the facial eczema season.
When in a more serious pasture deficit situation, where the available grass plus the formulated feed still isn’t enough to meet animal requirements, it is a good idea to introduce another source of fibre into the diet. This is where it becomes difficult for a smaller farmer who is unable to take bulk loads of high fibre straights (such as palm kernel), or where the farmer doesn’t have silage on hand or this is unavailable for purchase. In these situations, an option worth considering is the use of high fibre feed options designed for the equine industry. Many of these feeds are developed and promoted as a fibre replacer for horses but they can also help to replace some forage in the diet of ruminant animals. A great example is Maxisoy (available from
| Follow feeding instructions on bag labels. Introduce to animals slowly and don’t overfeed.
Farmlands stores), which contains soya hulls, a high fibre, low starch feed that is widely fed to dairy cows in New Zealand. Maxisoy offers flexibility in that it can be offered ad lib, with animals having access to and able to consume the feed throughout the day, with no risk of acidosis. When fed in conjunction with formulated feeds such as NRM MultiFeed Nuts (which have a higher fermentable carbohydrate component and which are typically offered in a more controlled manner, e.g. fed in small amounts once or twice a day to prevent excessive intake), Maxisoy helps to increase the amount of feed that can be supplemented per animal per day when pasture availability is low. As pasture availability improves,
Maxisoy can be reduced or taken out of the diet and just the grain based feed fed as a supplement to pasture.
A good rule of thumb if you need to use Maxisoy during a dry period is to feed as much grain based feed as recommend on the feed bag and then feed the same amount again as Maxisoy. For example, NRM MultiFeed Nuts are recommended to be fed to sheep at up to 150 grams per head per day, so you can feed 150 grams of Maxisoy either mixed in with the NRM MultiFeed Nuts or on its own, with the NRM MultiFeed Nuts offered separately. If the feed can be offered twice a day rather than once a day, this is a better option (e.g. half the NRM MultiFeed Nuts and half the Maxisoy in the morning, then the same again in the evening). It’s a good idea to also offer plenty of hay and/or silage to animals if you are able to source some.
If you are going to use a forage replacer (other than Maxisoy) that has been designed for horses to feed to ruminants on your property, always check with your Nutrition Specialist to make sure that the product is suitable for this use.
Other tips for dealing with a summer dry
• Ensure animals always have access to plenty of clean, fresh water. Keeping water as cool as possible is important.
• Ensure there is enough shade for animals and that any constructed shelters do not limit airflow, as a breeze can be useful for keeping animals cool.
• Reduce animal activity (e.g. moving stock) during the hottest part of the day. Your animals will thank you for it.
• Try to encourage feeding during the cooler parts of the day. Offer feed in the early morning or late afternoon and ensure that forage is always available.
• Be cautious when buying in baleage and silage. There may be a lot of high priced yet poor quality conserved forage for sale. Silage that hasn’t been fermented properly will not taste as good for stock and intakes will be lower than a good quality silage. In a worst case scenario, a very poorly fermented silage might be rejected by stock altogether.
• Watch out for drought related animal issues such as tooth wear from grazing short pasture and also nitrate poisoning when stock are grazing crops that come away well after a dry period.
• Continue to feed supplements to stock for some time once the dry has broken. Half the grass available is lost after rain because it is dead and decays very quickly, so you might not have as much green feed as you think.
• Think about having a pasture restoration plan in place if paddocks are very burnt off from a more severe dry period.
For further information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist.
Article supplied by Stacey Cosnett, Nutritionist.
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Maximise the potential of fodder beet crops
Whilst challenging, growing a fodder beet crop can be extremely rewarding in providing a high yielding, nutrient dense food source for your stock through the difficult feed budgeting months. Attention to detail through the whole crop growing season is critical to growing a successful fodder beet crop.
Intensive management from paddock preparation, crop planting, nutrient management and weed control is vital to get the crop established. Once the crop covers, the management intensity reduces as it tends to look after itself. However following crop covering in, growers should be alert for the threat of foliar diseases, which have been increasingly common in recent seasons.
Foliar diseases including rust, powdery mildew and cercospora leaf spot can significantly reduce the potential of fodder beet crops. While being unsightly, foliar diseases reduce green leaf area, reduce leaf retention and palatability and ultimately reduce bulb and leaf yields. Following covering in, crops should be regularly monitored for any signs of disease. Timing is important and a fungicide should be applied immediately when the first signs of a disease infection are seen in the crop. Escolta® fungicide from Bayer Crop Science is highly effective in controlling foliar diseases in fodder beet. Use throughout New Zealand has clearly demonstrated the disease control and crop greening effects from Escolta applications. The
benefits of increased yields from Escolta applications have also been demonstrated through commercial farmer block trials. All the trial blocks received standard farmer management except for Escolta treatments – strips were left untreated or received two applications of Escolta. The trials were yield assessed by independent crop assessment companies using industry standard methods. Yields were assessed as a combination of the leaf and bulb measurements in tonnes of dry matter per hectare. The trial strips that received two applications of Escolta demonstrated outstanding yield benefits of 15 percent, which equated to an average yield increase of 3 tonnes of dry matter per hectare. Using a value of 20 cents per kilogram of dry matter, this returns
a $600 per hectare advantage over the untreated. Visit www.hardtobeet.co.nz for more information about the trials. Best results are seen if Escolta is used protectively, so don’t wait for significant disease to become established before applying the first treatment. If required, a second application can be used 3 weeks later. Ensure a 42 day withholding period is observed after the final Escolta treatment before allowing the crop to be grazed. The Escolta rate is 350ml/ha and can be ground or aerially applied. For further information on foliar diseases in beet crops, contact your local Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Escolta® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Article supplied by Bayer Crop Science.
| Use of fungicide in fodder beet demonstrating the disease control and crop greening effects.
Untreated
Treated
PRICE
Work smarter, not harder to control weeds
When looking for ways to maintain the non-productive areas of the farm, farmers often turn to common knockdown herbicides to keep these areas weed free. As time pressure mounts on-farm with these ongoing maintenance tasks, it is worth considering what you are trying to achieve and finding out if there is a smarter way to achieve the result.
Maintaining non-productive areas on-farm has a two-fold effect – not only getting rid of invasive weeds and grasses but also showing that pride is being taken in the appearance of the property. The most common areas to be maintained generally include driveways, electric fence lines, stock yards, farm tracks, culverts and areas around buildings.
Herbicides containing actives such as glyphosate will get rid of the weeds and grasses but will not control them long-term. So farmers may find that they are returning to spray the problem areas all to often. Mowing, trimming, or slashing can also be effictive in getting rid of weeds in these problem areas. However, as with the use of standard herbicides, these methods will not provide long-term weed control. There are a few herbicide products on the market and along with use of mechanical mowing, trimming, or slashing, these methods make up the predominant toolbox for farmers looking to maintain non-productive areas.
However, when looking for long lasting
results, think about working with smarter tools instead of working harder. The use of a smart tool such as Tag G2, a powerful knockdown herbicide, will provide long-term control of unwanted weeds. Formulated and designed in New Zealand for New Zealand’s specific requirements, Tag G2 contains a combination of four complementary broad spectrum herbicides –terbuthylazine, amitrole, oxyfluorfen and glyphosate. The overlapping modes of action will provide immediate knockdown and longer term residual activity to give longevity of control. This superior formulation can keep treated areas weed free and looking smart for up to 12 months, as well as providing results that assist with the day-to-day management of the property. An example of this is when Tag G2 is used under electric fence lines. It is a necessity to remove vegetation to stop weeds and grasses encroaching and touching the wire. If left untreated, this vegetation can cause a disruption or shorting of the electrical current and over a period of time, will lessen the effectiveness of the electric fence system containing livestock. Therefore when thinking about total vegetative control on-farm, think smarter and don’t work harder by employing the correct tool for the job. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Lonza.
Taking the fight to yellow bristle grass
For farmers affected by yellow bristle grass, one of the key recommendations for best practice control and management is to encourage better pasture competition – particularly between October and December, which is the time of year that yellow bristle grass germinates.
By reducing or avoiding pasture damage before and during the period of yellow bristle grass germination, there are less likely to be bare patches where yellow bristle grass has enough space and light to take hold.
But what can you do about paddocks that are known to be infested? From now on, the focus turns from stopping yellow bristle grass germinating, to stopping it setting seed. This is a critical step in preventing the weed from spreading further.
Techniques to stop the spread of yellow bristle grass include early mechanical topping (before viable seeds are set), heavy grazing or chemical control with a herbicide.
In addition to effectively controlling yellow bristle grass, a new herbicide option available from Nufarm, Dockstar ®, has no grazing withholding period (when used on its own).
Paul Addison, Technical Specialist for Nufarm, says as a result, sprayed paddocks can still remain in a grazing rotation as short as 21 days.
Up until now, the earliest return time for paddocks sprayed for yellow bristle grass control has been 28 days, with a further 7 days required between grazing and spraying. Dockstar also
requires at least 7 days between grazing and spraying, plus a gap of at least 14 days after spraying to the next grazing – this ensures maximum translocation and efficacy.
Paul says at this time of year, a 21 day return time is easier for farmers to fit into their typical early summer grazing rounds. Recommended rates for Dockstar are 1.5-2.0 litres/ ha, with no adjuvants or other products added to the herbicide.
“Our trials have shown this gives excellent, cost-effective control of yellow bristle grass, with consistent results year to year,” Paul says.
After spraying, Dockstar is likely to cause temporary yellowing and growth suppression of some pasture species, including ryegrass and clover. Keeping stock off treated paddocks for at least 14 days after application
allows the active ingredient in Dockstar (asulam) to take maximum effect on yellow bristle grass and minimises any check to pasture growth.
“For best results, we advise spraying yellow bristle grass after it has emerged from the ground but before seed heads are visible,” Paul says. Seeding plants will not be controlled.
“Seed heads are easy to spot but identifying the weed as a young plant can be more difficult. Look for a flattened, hairless leaf sheath – long hairs at the base of roughedged leaves and reddish-purple colouring at the base of the sheath.”
For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Nufarm.
| Mechanical topping, heavy grazing or using a herbicide can stop the spread of yellow bristle grass.
IPM compatible insecticides in forage brassicas
The adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) compatible insecticides is growing rapidly, as growers become increasingly aware of the benefits of using selective insecticides that target key pests, while allowing beneficial insects to thrive.
Insect pest damage can reduce forage brassica yields by over 3,000 kilos per hectare of dry matter, costing farmers more than $500 per hectare in lost feed. A few years ago the main options for pest control were broad-spectrum organophosphate (OP) sprays, which killed everything, including beneficial insects. But now a range of selective insecticides are available that can provide effective control of forage brassica pests, without harming beneficial insects (i.e. ladybirds, lace wings, predatory wasps and spiders).
One of the latest IPM compatible
insecticides approved for use in forage brassicas is Minecto Star, which contains two IPM friendly active ingredients – cyantraniliprole (the active ingredient in Exirel®) and pymetrozine (a selective aphicide with systemic activity). The addition of pymetrozine, with translaminar and systemic activity, provides superior aphid control compared to cyantraniliprole alone and offers built-in resistance management for aphid control without harming beneficial insects. Farmlands Technical Field Officer based in Winton, Jim Beer, was quick to realise the benefits of Minecto Star after seeing how it performed in field trials on both aphids and caterpillars. “Farmers don’t want to smash an OP over the top anymore and smoke all the beneficials,” Jim says. “But until Minecto Star was available we had to use a combination of selective
insecticides to control both caterpillars and aphids. Nine times out of ten if you can see caterpillars in a crop then aphid numbers are also building. Now we can use just one product to do both pests.”
Because it controls a wide range of pests, Jim says he would recommend Minecto Star as the best product to have in the shed coming up to Christmas. “Using an IPM compatible product like Minecto Star gives a better return on investment, because if you look after the beneficials they work for you for free – it’s almost like free labour,” he says.
“Selective insecticides may cost a bit more but with old OP chemistry you would expect re-infestation after 7 to 14 days. With Minecto Star you can come back after 14 days and the crop will be as clean as a whistle. It ticks all the boxes and also has a low use rate, which means not having to lug around heavy containers of liquid. It’s easy.”
Jim says he would recommend using forage brassica insecticides in at least 200 litres of water per hectare, with up to 400 litres on tall and dense crops, with the addition of a non-ionic surfactant to improve leaf coverage.
“It’s also important to keep an eye on the weather forecast, because you know pest numbers will increase when it’s hot and dry and getting the product on early gives peace of mind.”
For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Syngenta.
| Farmlands Technical Field Officer, Jim Beer.
Know your bugs to maximise the benefits of IPM
The term “IPM” is being used more frequently when considering insect pest control in forage brassicas. Even though the term IPM is being used often, the meaning is not always understood.
“IPM” stands for Integrated Pest Management, the use of three pest control methods together in a compatible way. The three methods are biological, cultural and chemical control.
Biological control – the use of beneficial insects that naturally occur in the crop and making sure they are not disrupted by using pesticides that may impact the various life cycles of the beneficial species.
Parasitic wasps and hoverfly larvae are two important examples.
Cultural control – any farm management technique that disrupts the pests and enhances the beneficial population. Examples maybe the variety of crop selected and its insect tolerance, timing of planting, weed control along fence lines or the use of irrigation.
Chemical control – IPM is not about eliminating all pesticides but rather utilising them in an effective way that minimises disruption to beneficial species. It is important to understand the impact a product has on all the beneficial species at each of their life stages. In the example of the hoverfly, it is the larvae not the adult that preys on aphids. The mixing of insecticide active ingredients can also have a negative impact on the beneficial species by the mixture causing greater disruption than either of the ingredients
used on their own. For the target pests, a mixture can also increase the risk of pesticide resistance.
The Sustainable Farming Fund and Plant & Food Research New Zealand recently carried out a project, titled “IPM strategy development and demonstration for forage and seed brassicas”. Exirel® was the selective chemistry chosen for the project. Results from the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons (multiple trials) showed an IPM approach provided a financial benefit with a lesser number of insecticide applications being made while retaining crop health. To avoid disruption to beneficial species in your crop, there are some key points to be followed:
• Understand the pest and beneficial species present at each crop stage – and have a plan from establishment through to late crop stages.
• Use broad spectrum insecticides at the establishment stage of the crop leaving Group 28 insecticides (Exirel) for mid to later stages of the crop when beneficial species are present.
• There are many selective insecticides available but that does not mean they are safe to all beneficial species. Gather data on each product used and its impact on beneficial species.
• Use a hand lens to monitor the crops and identify the eggs of both pest and beneficial species, along with early juvenile stages, to help plan treatment application timing.
• Once the crop is established, apply Exirel early at the first sign of pest pressure to minimise impact on yield and spread of insect transmitted disease. At the same time establishing beneficial populations.
• Continue to monitor the crop for signs of beneficial activity, such as mummified aphids and parasitised caterpillars, along with overall reduction in pest population.
For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by FMC.
| IPM at work in an Otago swede crop – parasitic wasps retained in crop, puffed up aphid bodies now wasp cocoons, young wasp emerging from aphid cocoon.
Drive your cows to drink!
A lack of water in a cow’s diet can result in reduced milk yield, loss of body condition, loss of appetite and death in extreme causes of dehydration.
Summer can be stressful on cows with heat so ensure your girls drink plenty of water. This is especially important if you are dosing zinc sulphate for facial eczema control. Cows hate the taste of zinc and will reduce their water intake if the water is bitter. Use Caramillo Masking & Flavouring Agent to encourage your cows to drink more water as well as masking the unpleasant taste of zinc, bloat oils and magnesium.
Caramillo is available in 5L 20L, 100L, 200L & 1000L from your local Farmlands store
Best practice for flystrike prevention and lice control
Early summer is here and weaning of lambs in the North Island is underway. From now until late April, it is likely that at some stage flystrike will occur in New Zealand in most unprotected breeds and classes of sheep.
Timing of treatment(s) and correct application of products play an important part in preventing or reducing the damage that flystrike causes and the stress to flock owners. With animal welfare care and attention increasingly focussing on livestock farming, treatments to prevent flystrike and control lice combine as an important aspect of the management of the sheep flock. The new generation of flies that emerge after overwintering in the soil appear in the warmer temperatures. After mating, the females are attracted to sheep by the odour of wool grease, green dags or urine odour on the breech wool. Initial strikes mainly occur in these areas, e.g. shoulder strike from the wool grease odour and bacterial action at the skin level or dag strike/ urine strike around the base of the tail. Unchecked, these strikes occur with up to 200 eggs deposited by one female fly. The eggs hatch in less than a day and then larvae develop by moulting, with each larval stage aggressively damaging the skin layer and penetrating the tissues. All this damage is compounded by the attraction of more flies and sheep not previously treated with a flystrike preventative die a painful death. In the summer the complete life cycle of the Lucilia spp
flies can be as short as 4 weeks. Shearing, crutching and/or dagging lambs, two-tooths and ewes in the early summer months alleviates the risk of flystrike. The tell-tale signs of the flystruck sheep are biting, twisting and irritation from the early larvae attack and indicates the need to check the whole mob and use a flystrike dressing treatment on affected sheep after cleaning up the struck areas with a shearing handpiece. The best way to prevent flystrike is treatment by saturation methods, jetting or the use of pour-ons with a T-bar applicator along the backline and around the breech – preferably with a dual action (fly and lice) combination product. Examples of these are Unlock Combination, a saturation/jetting product and Unlock Pour-On, a product for backline/breech application. Both products have a dual action for flystrike and lice each time they are used. Timing of application for flystrike is important (generally within 4-6 weeks of shearing, when the wool length will retain the flystrike chemical for the claimed protection period on the dip label. It must be emphasised that the label protection period claim with flystrike dip products state “up to” a number of weeks. In certain periods of moist and warm weather, particularly in sheltered paddocks or locations where flystrike can be severe, shorter periods may necessitate shorter treatment intervals. One often-used procedure where these conditions prevail with lambs is to run the lambs through a jetting unit as they leave
the race (after drenching lambs with an anthelmintic in the race at 28 day intervals). Another method of ensuring efficient coverage of the backline and breech with chemical is the use of a conveyer to space the sheep as they are jetted or the pour-on applied. The application of a pour-on for flystrike also needs care. Coverage as indicated on the product label needs to be meticulous and done carefully, with recommended chemical-proof over trousers and not in shorts. Rushing large numbers through the application procedure often leads to some failures in the sheep receiving the correct placement of the chemical. Reading the application rate or the dip mixing rate is important, as is use on the same day of mixed dip wash – as overnight settling out of the active chemical will markedly reduce the protection benefit. Lastly, take care with jetting and showering to not allow run-off into waterways and good dipping this summer and autumn. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Animal Health Direct.
| The best way to prevent flystrike is treatment by saturation methods, jetting or the use of pour-ons.
Go next level with testing
It is easy to take the same approach year to year for high value crops. But this can mean missing out on higher yields and valuable information to help plan for next season. Plant testing can take high value crops to the next level.
Horticulture and Arable Specialist with Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Dusty Hulley says plant testing is a worthwhile complement to soil testing, especially for high value crops like avocados and kiwifruit.
“Soil testing shows what soil nutrients are available to the crop but it doesn’t show what nutrients the crop has actually taken up. Plant testing is a useful tool for diagnosing deficiencies and monitoring effectiveness.”
Diagnose early, monitor late
In kiwifruit, deficiencies are more pronounced early in the crop’s development, before plants adapt to their growing conditions. Testing leaves and petioles before fruit set allows you to correct any deficiencies for the season’s crop. Dusty recommends Basic Plant (BP) and Chloride (Cl) tests in September to October.
Autumn is the time to test kiwifruit plants once again, as nutrient levels will have stabilised. Late season sampling monitors the effectiveness of the fertiliser programme. Dusty recommends repeating Basic Plant (BP) and Chloride (Cl) tests in February to March.
Added value avocados
Testing avocado trees can reveal a number of potential deficiencies. Avocado leaves (blade and petiole) are best tested from April to May, after the summer flush. To diagnose an obvious problem, test as soon as symptoms appear. If a problem appears outside the usual testing period, test as soon as you notice symptoms and use a sample from a nearby, healthy tree as a comparison. Avocados need high levels of nitrogen for adequate flowering and fruit set. Too much nitrogen is problematic but not common in New Zealand. Make sure application follows regional authority guidelines. Adequate zinc levels are also important for healthy, young leaves.
Plant testing is especially valuable for detecting boron deficiencies. Deficient boron can prevent growing shoots from elongating, resulting in short internodes, poor pollination and fruit set and distorted fruit. Soil levels can be medium to high but leaf analysis can still show low levels of boron. Boron deficiency can be challenging, as standard application rates appear to be insufficient in New Zealand. Calcium is another vital nutrient for avocados. It is used to build cell walls and membranes, so plays a role in fruit quality, particularly after longterm storage and shipping. Gypsum provides calcium but also helps to improve soil structure, reducing the severity of Phytophthora root rot, to which avocado trees are susceptible.
Collect from Youngest mature leaf
Second leaf past the final fruit cluster on fruiting lateral
Shoots not flushing or fruiting, from canopy of non-boundary trees at shoulder height
Quantity per sample 2-4 leaves from each of 20 vines 4-8 leaves from each of 20 trees, taken evenly from sunny and shaded sides
Serpentine Super, sulphate of potash, YaraMila Complex and YaraBela CAN are recommended for kiwifruit and avocado orchards. For further information, or to have plant samples analysed, contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients.
| Plant testing can take high value crops to the next level.
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BioGro™ is New Zealand’s largest and best-known certifier for organic produce and products. New Zealand Seaweeds are proud to announce our KoBEE and KoLUSH products are allowed for organic production, meaning they are guaranteed to meet your organic requirements.
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• Plants • Pastures • Bees
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Smart science improves harvest management
For something that affects every apple on every tree in your orchard, ethylene keeps a very low profile. You can’t see it or smell it – but the closer you get to harvest, the more obvious its impact becomes, because ethylene is known as the ripening hormone.
An odourless, colourless, naturally occurring gas, ethylene is responsible for the changes in texture, softening, colour and other processes that occur as fruit ripens.
The effect of ethylene on plants was first noted back in 1864 but it was not until the early 1900s that plant tissues themselves were shown to produce it.
Today, ethylene is recognised as a powerful plant hormone that plays a critical role in seed germination, flowering, fruit development and disease resistance, among other things.
Modern science has provided tools to manipulate ethylene. In some crops, these are used to accelerate ripening but in apples they are used to do the opposite.
By applying a specialised product such as ReTain 21-28 days before the date of the first pick, growers can extend their harvest of treated blocks by up to 7-10 days, without affecting fruit quality.
ReTain is a naturally occurring plant growth regulator (PGR). It temporarily inhibits the production of ethylene in developing fruit, slowing maturation, ripening and development of abscission tissue while allowing continued fruit growth.
Mike Caplan, Technical Advisor at Farmlands Whakatu, says the result
is better, more efficient harvest management, which is the main reason his clients use ReTain.
“Some of them use it for increased fruit size but most of them want to stagger the harvest of particular blocks, so they’re not stressing out about getting over the whole crop at once,” he says.
This is especially important in the context of current labour shortages, as the New Zealand apple industry continues to grow both in size and value.
Last year more than 340,000 tonnes of apples, worth nearly $700 million, were exported from New Zealand and those numbers are expected to keep rising as new plantings come into production.
Mike says a consistent flow of work is critical for maintaining
pickers and post-harvest staff.
“You don’t want 20 pickers going flat out for 2 weeks and then having nothing to do for the next 2 weeks, because they will naturally go and find other work somewhere else. You’re better off with fewer staff and more continuity.”
His advice is to apply ReTain to blocks of apples that would naturally ripen later than others, to extend the harvest window as long as possible. Correct timing and application technique are critical for getting the best out of ReTain.
For more information, contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Nufarm.
| Manipulation of ethylene in apples can extend harvest without affecting fruit quality.
Using seaweed extracts to power your plants
Growing crops is complex. Many events can influence the growth and development of a crop from seed germination to bud burst or to maturity. Some of these events include nutritional deficiencies, presence of insects and diseases (biological stresses), as well as environmental stresses associated with intensive crop production, such as low or high temperature, drought and soil salinity.
Over the years many synthetic crop inputs have been developed to mitigate some of these challenges. However, natural biostimulants are becoming more popular – working at the cellular level to promote the production of growth-regulating and protective components within plants.
A seaweed called Ascophyllum nodosum is one particular biostimulant element that has proven its efficacy in plants. Ascophyllum nodosum marine plants are abundant in the cold, pristine waters of the North Atlantic inter-tidal zone – an area where the plants are above water at low tide and submerged at high tide. During the summer, these hearty plants lay exposed to direct sunlight and extremely high temperatures before the cold, salty ocean water submerges them again at high tide. In the winter, the plants withstand the frigid and icy conditions. Ascophyllum nodosum has adapted to the harsh, extreme conditions by
producing its own stress-fighting and growth stimulating compounds.
Studies have tapped into the science of these hearty plants, leading to the production of plant-derived, natural biostimulants to power plant growth and help crops tolerate stress.
Every crop experiences a variety of stresses during the season – including spring and fall chill stress, pesticide and herbicide application stress and mid-season drought and heat stress. Each stress event affects the plants’ vigour and decreases the crop’s yield. Reducing the effects of stresses leads to better yield at harvest.
For growers looking to reduce the impacts of stresses to their crops, adding a seaweed extract to the crop care programme is a viable option. There are several factors to consider when using a seaweed extract:
• Seaweed species and processing – ask for proof (in terms of field trials) of the benefits of products derived from species other than Ascophyllum nodosum
• Application timing and rates – as with most crop inputs, timing is everything. Application timing and rates vary by crop and growers should consult their Farmlands Technical Advisor to determine the best application practices for their practical crop in their specific region.
• Compatibility – growers should consult their Farmlands Technical Advisor to be certain that all their crop inputs are compatible.
• Plant and soil conditions – by knowing what you can about your plant health and soil conditions, you can tweak your crop input programme to meet your specific needs.
Acadian Plant Health™ has spent many years studying Ascophyllum nodosum, developing a unique process that essentially captures the beneficial compounds from the sea plants. The resulting extract serves as the platform for their fully water soluble, compatible and easy-to-apply biostimulant products – Acadian® and Stimplex® Hundreds of trials in greenhouses and field conditions, as well as growth chambers in laboratories and universities, on a wide variety of crops have proven that plants that treated with Acadian and Stimplex consistently produced higher yields and higher fruit quality. Acadian and Stimplex are also BioGro™ certified, meaning that organic growers can reap the benefits of these biostimulants without compromising the integrity of their organic produce. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Acadian Plant Health.
Innovation Vineyard Project investigates best practice
The Innovation Vineyard Project was initiated in 2017, as a collaboration between Marlborough Grape Growers and Farmlands. The vineyard itself comprises blocks at Ben McLauchlan’s Rothay Vineyard in Rapaura, Marlborough.
The Innovation Vineyard Project aims to facilitate participation and discussion of best practice that will improve crop quality and grower returns. In addition, blue-sky technologies are being demonstrated and assessed. Growers belonging to either Marlborough Grape Growers or Farmlands will benefit by engaging in and learning from this project. Outcomes from the project will be presented to Marlborough Grape Growers and Farmlands shareholders annually through field days, seminars and technical notes.
The actions implemented for this season include under vine mulching and planting, vine phenology and management practices, trunk disease, pruning wounds, vine replacement, nutrition monitoring, botrytis decision model application, spray coverage assessment, botrytis management with a biological product and bluesky technology investigation.
The scope of the Innovation Vineyard Project has been established by breaking down key vineyard tasks, so that best practice can be investigated and ultimately implemented for them.
The focus is on the following tasks: Data recording systems – recording
everything that is done. If it’s not measured then it can’t be managed. Information can then be compared with annual benchmark reports from New Zealand Winegrowers.
Soil type and topography recording – blocks have been mapped using AgriOptics electromagnetic ground survey, providing a GPS map of soil texture at 50cm and 150cm depths and soil surface data. The maps record aspect, depressions, soil texture variation (gravel/sand/clay), bulk density, water holding capacity and infiltration rates, elevation and landscape changes and slope percentage (relevant for water/nutrient run-off, safe machinery movement).
Pruning – with a focus on individual vine health and vigour, crop load and disease management.
Vine replacement and replanting – with several methods introduced for comparative assessment.
Crop monitoring – scouting to support pest and disease management decisions.
Spray timing – using a comprehensive programme, reporting will reveal planned vs actual applications.
Spray application – calibration, appropriate sprayer setup for changing canopy and targets and coverage assessment at key timings using water sensitive papers.
Canopy management – to aid spray coverage and optimise airflow for disease management.
Irrigation monitoring – using Sentek Irrigation Probes coupled with electromagnetic map data.
Nutrition – combining soil testing, electromagnetic maps and Integrape satellite imagery to finetune requirements. The Innovation Vineyard Project has subscribed to Integrape to assess its value on behalf of growers. Foliar nutrition, fertigation and foliage testing will be used to manage nitrogen and trace elements.
Under vine management – comparing conventional systems using herbicides, with under vine plant establishment and mowing. Ease of management, vine vigour and crop quality will be used as assessment parameters.
Blue-sky thinking – investigating the use of drones and satellites for crop health assessment, as well as the use of smart machinery and GPS mapped data for targeted application of agrichemical and nutrition.
The Innovation Vineyard Project is a new, dynamic endeavour aimed at delivering information to provide Marlborough Grape Growers and Farmlands shareholders greater vineyard returns.
Further information can be gained from either Mart Verstappen (Farmlands, Blenheim) or Johnny McMillan (Marlborough Grape Growers, Blenheim).
Article supplied by Mark Daniels, General Manager – Horticulture, Farmlands.
Monday 24th December
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Tuesday 25th December Closed
Wednesday 26th December Closed
Thursday 27th December
Normal store hours
Friday 28th December
Normal store hours
Saturday 29th December
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Monday 31st December
8.00am – 4.00pm
Tuesday 1st January
Normal store hours
Wednesday 2nd January
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Thursday 3rd January
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Friday 4th January
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Saturday 5th January
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Assessing farm risks with a “child lens”
Summer is finally here and farmers will be hoping for the optimal mixture of sun and rainfall – and children will be looking forward to helping with farm tasks.
It’s a pleasure that has been shared by generations of Kiwis – but which has also led to countless child accidents.
“All children living on-farm or visiting need to be well-versed in the farm rules but that isn’t enough to keep them safe and even the most sensible child can do something impetuous,” Agricultural Sector Lead for WorkSafe, Al McCone says. “Children have less strength, co-ordination and understanding of situations than adults. It’s entirely understandable they should want to explore farms and it’s a great way to be introduced to one of our most important industries. That can be achieved safely, with good planning and supervision.”
The main risks for children are animals, vehicles, water, machinery and agrichemicals. Children don’t have the judgement to deal with animals safely, or the size, speed or dexterity to get out of the way swiftly. They lack the judgement, body weight and strength to handle full-sized farm vehicles, like quad and farm bikes. According to ACC figures, more than 100 children hurt themselves on these vehicles annually. About 28 are hospitalised and between three and six killed. Rivers, creeks, troughs, dips, tanks, dams and ponds all pose risks.
Scalding water, especially in the dairy shed, is also a source of accidents. Measures farmers can take include
using safety guards on all machinery – but bear in mind small hands may still be able to get through gaps. Store agrichemicals safely out of children’s reach, keep doors locked, remove keys from doors and vehicles and never leave vehicles unattended with the engine running. Walk round a vehicle to check children are a safe distance away before starting the engine. Don’t let children ride on tractors, quad bikes or on the back of utes. Children should be in car seats or seat belts when in cars, utes or trucks, including on private roads. Erect safety fences around play areas, animal pens, work areas and water spots. Cover tanks and wells with child restraint covers or fill in disused ones. Walk around the farm with children and identify risks together. Make sure children wear high visibility clothing
and teach them to wash and dry their hands after touching animals. Lead by example, for instance, by always wearing an approved helmet on a quad bike – you’ll be setting young farmgoers up for lifelong good safety habits. Tie spare tractor wheels to walls or lie them flat. Ensure bikes children ride are appropriate for their age and height. If children are riding a smaller model farm bike, they need to wear an approved helmet and closed-in shoes and be supervised by an adult. “These things might seem obvious,” Al says. “But despite that, children are still killed and injured on our farms every year. Assessing the risks on your farm, with a ‘child lens’ and planning how to manage those risks and, above all, ensuring children are well supervised will help ensure all ages can enjoy your farm safely during the summer months.”
Article supplied by WorkSafe
| All children living on-farm or visiting should be well-versed in the farm rules.
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Is your rural property secure?
Now that the weather is warmer and the days are longer, the New Zealand Police are encouraging rural property owners to make security a priority.
Canterbury Rural Area Prevention Manager, Senior Sergeant Matt Emery says a lot of reported thefts are committed by opportunist criminals looking for that unsecure shed or a farm vehicle with keys in the ignition.
All the regular crime prevention advice applies to a rural setting. However, a few extra measures are required help keep your buildings, vehicles, machinery and stock safe:
• Check your boundaries and fence lines on regular basis.
• Clearly tag your animals.
• Remove keys from unattended vehicles.
• Mark or engrave tools with your licence number.
• Don’t leave firearms in vehicles.
• Keep in contact with your neighbours and let one another know if you see anything unusual.
Rural New Zealand has a reputation for tight-knit, supportive communities. You can help to keep safe by knowing your neighbours, exchanging contact phone numbers and keeping those numbers handy. Discuss what you could do to alert or assist each other in an emergency. It is also a good idea to let your neighbours know if you are going away on holiday or leaving your home overnight.
You should also have a detailed inventory of all personal valuables and household and business equipment, including model and serial numbers, inscriptions and other identifying features.
“We take burglary and theft incidents seriously,” Matt says. “If you see anything suspicious, contact Police immediately.”
It helps Police to know who is in the community or if there is a pattern of crime developing in an area that needs further investigation. Rural property owners can assist by reporting all instances of suspicious
behaviour or crime. This will also help the Police to decide if the rest of the community should be alerted too. Keep in mind police may need to travel long distances to get to you. Call 111 when you need immediate help with a life-threatening or time-critical emergency. Some emergencies will need more than one service (Fire, Ambulance and Police). Ask for the service that is needed most urgently. All emergency services have links to each other and the first service called will notify the other services if they are required. For non-urgent situations, call or visit your local Police Station.
Crime prevention in rural areas is most effective when it involves a partnership between rural people, Police, local authorities and local organisations. Further prevention advice can be found at the New Zealand Police’s Rural Hub at www.police.govt.nz
Article supplied by New Zealand Police.
We’re already among the most effective and innovative, why not aim to be the safest too? It’s an achievable goal.
As a first step towards this, we want to equip all shareholders with free safety software to help keep them, their workers and their families safe.
That’s why we’ve teamed up with FarmIQ, New Zealand’s most complete farm software, to create the Farmlands SafeFarms Pack containing innovative tools to help make Health and Safety management on your property easier and more effective.
To start your digital Health and Safety journey today, visit www.farmlands.co.nz/safefarms
Finding our next Future Field Experts
Farmlands Co-operative has welcomed its second intake into the Future Field Experts programme.
The purpose of the programme is to help Farmlands staff grow their skills, capabilities, practical experience and knowledge, so they can secure long lasting, strong and trustworthy shareholder relationships. The programme is designed for existing Farmlands employees who
aspire to develop a career in the field, or staff who are just starting their careers in the industry.
The 12 month programme helps staff gain a New Zealand certificate in Rural Servicing Level 4, while providing networking opportunities and the chance to attend technical workshops. The programme also helps staff with their personal growth, as well as assisting with the development of a personalised career plan.
The first intake of Future Field Experts graduated from the programme in October after presenting a summary of their year and their completed projects. The presentation took place in front of a panel of technical experts, the Farmlands Leadership Team and senior leaders from within the co-operative. Having put in a significant amount of time and effort over the previous 12 months, the group celebrated with a graduation in the evening.
Also in October, the second cohort of the Future Field Experts Programme kicked off their year with a sheep and beef workshop at the beautiful Flock Hill Station.
The participants had an opportunity to spend a few days hearing from speakers from across the industry along with farmers and Farmlands’ own technical experts as well.
The Future Field Experts programme is part of Farmlands’ continued investment in our people, which aims to provide market leading service and solutions for all shareholders.
| The second cohort of the Future Field Experts programme kicked off their year at the beautiful Flock Hill Station.
• 5% better mud traction1
• 8% better rock traction1
• 27% tougher sidewalls1
Source: 1. www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire/bf-goodrich/mud-terrain-t-a-km3 2. www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire/bf-goodrich/all-terrain-t-a-ko2 *Discounts valid as at 1 November 2018 and are subject to change without notice. Offers are only available to Farmlands shareholders. Transactions must be processed through Farmlands Account No:10001208 to be eligible for the offers. See in-store or online at beaurepaires.co.nz/farmlands for full terms and conditions.
Future Farmlanders buzzing to meet industry experts
Southland’s next generation of beekeepers learned the tricks of the trade when they got a special visit from some industry experts.
Farmlands Technical Field Officer
Mike Magennity and local honey makers Murray and Carol Buchanan visited Heddon Bush School to teach excited pupils about honey production and donate some new gear.
The small, rural school is made up of three classrooms and is about 15 minutes from Otautau.
Many of its pupils are children of Farmlands shareholders and their teachers and parents really valued hands-on learning for the kids.
The pupils were doing a project on honey production and parents and Farmlands shareholders
Katrina and Bradley Cook, who had their own hives, reached out to Farmlands Otautau for support.
The Buchanans taught the pupils all
they needed to know about honey production and beekeeping.
They also ran the pupils through the health and safety aspects of it and taught them about the life cycle of a honey bee.
Mike approached Farmlands supplier Ecrotek, which was happy to donate three branded beekeeping suits to the school. Another Farmlands supplier, Lynn River, donated some beekeeping gloves to be worn with the suits.
Mike presented the suits and gloves to the school during the visit and got some of the pupils to try them on to show them how to wear them properly. He says for many pupils it was their first time getting to try on a beekeeping suit and they were very excited. The pupils were very inquisitive of the honey making process and were eager to learn more.
The school has its own beehive on-site and the pupils, along with their parents
and teachers, hope to produce their own honey with it. They would be able to wear their new suits and gloves while safely tending to their hive.
The visit demonstrated the close relationships Farmlands has with our rural communities along with our staff members’ willingness to help. It also reinforced how Farmlands communicates with and aids the next generation of young up-and-coming Farmlanders and supporters.
Mike says it was a great way to grow the kids’ knowledge of beekeeping and honey production in general.
“Any initiative like that is really cool. I think it’s quite neat.”
The Buchanans also gave the pupils a small sample of honey each so they could have a taste. They offered to help the school get its hive into full production so the pupils could eventually taste their own honey and reap the benefits of their own hard work.
| The pupils were inquisitive of the honey making process.
| Mike Magennity presented the suits and gloves to the school during the visit and got some of the pupils to try them on.
YOUR FUEL TO KEEP YOU MOVING.
Farmlands has partnered with Kingspan, the global market leader in diesel storage solutions, to bring shareholders a complete fuel solution on and off farm.
Which equipment offer suits you?
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Sign a 5 year equipment loan and supply agreement.
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Sign a 5 year equipment loan and supply agreement.
Receive a loaned 2,500L Kingspan tank.
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“ THE SIMPLICITY OF THE TANK AND THE FACT IT WAS DOUBLE BUNDED MEANS IT’S ANOTHER STEP FORWARD IN TIDYING UP WHAT WE DO ON-FARM.
Judge Valley Dairies Director, John Hayward
The New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards aim to capture and preserve the history of our country’s farming families. Each month we will share stories from Farmlands shareholders who have worked their land for 100 years or more.
More than a century on-farm at Benmore
The Peters family have farmed at Benmore in Tataramoa, Hawke’s Bay, since 1914.
In the undulating, lower hill country of Tataramoa, nestled between Dannevirke and the striking Ruahine ranges, lies Benmore farm.
James and Sarah Peters bought the land in 1914 and named it after the mountain Ben More, near James’ birthplace in the highlands of Scotland. The 1,459 acres were covered in dense bush of rimu, totara, maire and rata. The land had been milled for timber and many of the tracks used to haul logs are still visible. One of James’ first tasks was to clear the leftover logs and branches and establish pastures in the ash covered soil. Fires that ignited in the debris of fallen trees were a constant and dangerous threat for decades.
While raising a young family, the
couple built a house and woolshed that continue to be used today.
The early years were spent stumping, ploughing, cultivating fodder crops such as chou moellier and swedes and establishing pasture.
Sarah was a formidable force on the farm. While heavily pregnant, she cleared stumps with a crosscut saw and in later years, cooked meals for teams of shearers on a scorching wood stove.
James steered Benmore through many challenges including snowstorms, fires, earthquakes and economic depression, turning it into a productive sheep and beef farm. In
the 1930s, a dairy herd was added. In keeping with its Scottish name, Benmore was often home to traditional highland dances (ceilidh) and reverberated to the sound of bagpipes. In 1955, the farm was handed over to the three Peters sons – Donald, Robert and George. Since then, sections of the original farm have been sold and adjoining land purchased. These days, the farm successfully breeds Romney sheep, as well as running cattle and a dairy herd. Benmore farm is now owned by James and Sarah’s grandson, Murray, and farmed by their greatgranddaughter, Jane and her husband.
| Benmore Farm, 2016.
| Donald, James, Robert and George Peters.
| Packing out superphosphate on horseback, 1930s.
With NZ farmers For NZ farmers
At Genesis, we’re putting our energy into rural business. That means we’re making a promise to keep things simple, like being the only supplier for all your energy needs, for all your sites. We promise to health check your plan once a year and move you to a better one if needed. And we promise to develop tools that will make it easier to manage your energy more efficiently. Find out more about the promises we’re making to NZ farmers at www.genesisenergy.co.nz/rural
Mike - Dairy Farmer and Genesis customer
Classified as Greytown silt loam, some of the best growing soils in the country, this 8 hectare property has huge horticultural and livestock fattening possibilities. Just 4 minutes’ drive from Masterton’s CBD. The low maintenance, three double bedroom Lockwood home with two living rooms and two bathrooms is beautifully presented and sits in large, colourful gardens and orchard. Three decks facing a fully fenced, in-ground swimming pool. Deadline sale closing 4pm, Thursday 6 December 2018 (unless solid prior).
Tim Falloon Lifestyle / Rural – Masterton 027 449 2105 tim.falloon@farmlands.co.nz
Masterton | Top Wairarapa horticultural soils
| Seeing is believing
A must have 1.6 hectare, magnificently presented lifestyle property with unsurpassed, elevated sea views. Minutes from Mangawhai village amenities and commuter distance to the North Shore and the Auckland CBD. The spacious, stylish country home has a detached self-contained studio apartment, triple car garaging and boat parking area. Brilliantly positioned to optimise the spectacular sea views, large wraparound deck area, set amongst mature, park-like grounds, with a central water feature. Live the life. Tender closing 3pm, Friday 30 November 2018 (unless sold by private treaty).
Tim Holdgate Lifestyle / Rural – Wellsford 021
Mangawhai
Fully irrigated and drained orchard boasts avocado, cherimoya, persimmons, pomegranates, banana and passionfruit. 742 mature trees with room for expansion and increased production. Short walk to golf course and Ninety Mile Beach. Four bedroom, two storey home. Garaging, workshop and shed. Tastefully renovated, one bedroom selfcontained accommodation. Subdivision potential, previously approved plans. Price by negotiation.
Marr Lifestyle / Rural – Kaitaia 021 156 5966 sunia.marr@farmlands.co.nz
Ahipara | Avocado orchard − home and income by the coast
Sunia
Boundary indicative only
| Supporting all options
164 hectare, all flat vegetable production block with Waitoaf sandy loam soil and Puningaf deep loam soil. Main home is a split stone clad, three bedroom dwelling with attached internal access double garage. The second home has three bedrooms and an attached single garage. Given the location and the four titles the property is divided into, buyers are able to Tender for the total of four parcels or as individual parcels. Tender closing 2pm, Wednesday 13 February 2019 (unless sold prior).
www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz
Ian Morgan
Lifestyle / Rural – Matamata 027 492 5878 ian.morgan@farmlands.co.nz
Glen Murray
Lifestyle / Rural – Matamata 027 488 6138 glen.murray@farmlands.co.nz
Property ID: MT1069
Wardville
www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz
• One-man dairy unit or consider the grazing options
• Milking 230 cows
• Production around 90,000kgMS
• Subdivided into approximately 43 paddocks
• Three and four bedroom dwellings
• 24 aside herringbone dairy shed
• 5-bay calf shed, 4-bay implement shed and large gable storage shed
Tender closing 2pm, Tuesday 11 December 2018 (unless sold prior)
Ian Morgan Lifestyle / Rural – Matamata 027 492 5878 ian.morgan@farmlands.co.nz
Glen Murray Lifestyle / Rural – Matamata 027 488 6138 glen.murray@farmlands.co.nz
Tirau | Keeping it simple
Boundary indicative only
• 91,693kgMS from 340 cows (7 year average)
• 30 aside herringbone dairy unit (holding 400 cows)
• 4-bay gable calf shed with an attached lean-to implement shed
• 2-bay implement shed/workshop
• Four bedroom weatherboard clad bungalow
• Three bedroom dwelling with double garage
Tender closing 2pm, Tuesday 11 December 2018 (unless sold prior)
www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz
Ian Morgan Lifestyle / Rural – Matamata 027 492 5878 ian.morgan@farmlands.co.nz
Glen Murray Lifestyle / Rural – Matamata 027 488 6138 glen.murray@farmlands.co.nz
Te Aroha | Real value to be had here
www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz
179 hectare dairy farm with a superior range of farm infrastructure including a modern 40 aside dairy, 400 cow feed pad and two 300,000kg concrete storage bunkers. There is a Protrack Management System, 5-bay calf unit, 5-bay implement shed, 4-bay and 2-bay 1/2 round sheds. There are two comfortable homes, being four and three bedrooms. 430 cows produce up to 172,000kgMS with 1,000kg of input being palm kernel extract and maize silage. A great opportunity here. Tender closing 2pm, Tuesday 11 December 2018 (unless sold prior).
Ian Morgan
Lifestyle / Rural – Matamata 027 492 5878 ian.morgan@farmlands.co.nz
Glen Murray
Lifestyle / Rural – Matamata 027 488 6138 glen.murray@farmlands.co.nz
Property ID: MT1074
Te Awamutu | Pretty as a picture
1.2 hectares handily located on Wellsford’s southern town boundary. Structural improvements include a three bedroom period cottage, which has been extensively renovated since November 2016. Relined, internally refurbished, new kitchen fit out, modernised laundry and bathroom, together with new carpet and other floor coverings. Other improvements include a detached, 2013 built, one bedroom sleep-out and double bay garage. Do not be left wondering, call for a viewing today. Price $745,000.
Tim
Holdgate
Lifestyle / Rural – Wellsford 021 475 465 tim.holdgate@farmlands.co.nz
Wellsford | Best of both worlds
On the fringe of Ohauiti, in a secluded cul-de-sac is one of Tauranga’s newest developments. Three Creeks Estate has been carefully thought out to maintain a connection with nature in a sunny, north-facing valley surrounded by bush and streams. With terraced sections ranging from 400m2 to 800m2 and protective covenants in place, this is a wonderful opportunity to create your dream home. If you are looking to escape the traffic, transition to something easier to maintain or just wish to live in a beautiful location, please call today.
Vanessa Charman-Moore
Residential / Lifestyle – Tauranga 027 242 7646
Vanessa.Charman-Moore@farmlands.co.nz
Ohauiti | Tranquil, beautiful, Three Creeks Estate
| 637 Clifton Road, South Otago
Vendors are resolute in their decision to sell. Strong selfcontained dairy operation with two run-offs attached, totalling 507 hectares. Milking platform of approximately 235 hectares. 44 bail rotary cow shed with circular yards and a large new effluent pond. “Redpath” wintering shed built in 2016 is capable of holding up to 630 cows. Excellent re-grassing and fertiliser programme. Soil test results available. Four bedroom brick homestead with open-plan living. For the staff – three bedroom brick house and a two bedroom cottage. Price $9,800,000 plus GST (shares excluded).
Patrick Bowden Lifestyle / Rural – Balclutha 027 436 5161 patrick.bowden@farmlands.co.nz
Balclutha
Quality, 415 hectare, South Otago hill country property close to the coast, on the tourist route. Opportunity for diversification into tourist chalets and native honey without impacting on the existing farm performance. Extensive development programme has been undertaken – quality subdivision, pasture renewal and farm tracking. Vendor retaining house block − opportunity to build your dream home with several building sites. With 900mm of rainfall. Price by negotiation.
Patrick Bowden
Lifestyle / Rural – Balclutha 027 436 5161
patrick.bowden@farmlands.co.nz
Well presented dairy farm of 108 hectares. 74 hectare milking platform of rolling contour to broad tops with some steeper country that is used for dry stock grazing. Well raced and subdivided into 67 paddocks with good water reticulation. Milking 170 Friesian/Ayrshire cross cows through a 30 aside herringbone shed. Cows wintered on. Strong fertiliser and re-grassing programme in place. Three bedroom home with modern kitchen and renovated bathroom. 6-bay Alpine implement/calf rearing shed. Herd is available at valuation. Price $2,600,000 plus GST.
Patrick Bowden
Lifestyle / Rural – Balclutha 027 436 5161
patrick.bowden@farmlands.co.nz
Kaka Point | Huge potential on Karoro Creek Road
Te Houka | Great first dairy farm with strong production
Boogie