16 Highlighting innovation – 10 Billion Mouths to Feed
21 Farmlands CEO urges NZ to farm smarter, not harder
22 Farmlands and Toyota partnership brings success
24 Choices Rewards
25 Gulf Oil congratulates National Fieldays Society on 50 years
27 Keeping contractors safe during projects
29 Muddy great fun at AgFest
30 Let us know how we're doing and be in to win
36 Buying Power Promise
58 Farmlands Real Estate
PLAN 365
Plan365 Nutrition
33 Alpaca – unique animals with unique requirements
35 Annual cleaning of silos a must do
38 Magnesium supplementation for dairy cows
41 Forage fibre the key to winter feeding Plan365 Horticulture
45 Winter bee nutrition important for spring success
47 Farmlands adds further sugar syrup refill stations Plan365 Forage and Arable
49 Get ready for winter
51 Crop support a phone call away Plan365 Animal Management
53 Combatting selenium and cobalt deficiencies Plan365 Dairy Management
57 New design simplifies milking liner choice
ON THE COVER Fieldays has changed a lot in 50 years. We talk to some of the people that have witnessed these changes first-hand.
FARMLANDS STAFF PROFILE
Penny McLean
Q: What is your current role at Farmlands?
A: Card Account Manager for the Upper South Island.
Q: Tell us a bit about your family.
A: My Mum and Dad live in the North Island – Dad is a Farmlands Technical Field Officer in the Rangitikei, so we are keeping it in the family. My younger sister lives in Melbourne and works as a beauty therapist.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I love going out and riding my horse, Mrs Fox or having a few wines with friends – but building our house is starting to take up most of our spare time!
Q: What are you looking forward to most about National Fieldays?
A: I’m looking forward to meeting as many shareholders as possible and catching up with our Card Partners and Farmlands staff from around the country.
Penny's Lasagne
Ingredients
• 1kg beef mince
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ cup tomato paste
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Method
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 400g packet of lasagne sheets
Cheese sauce
• 3½ cups milk, warmed
• 100g butter
• ½ cup flour
• 1 cup cheese, grated plus extra for topping
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Brown the mince and set aside.
2. Cook onions and garlic until soft. Add the mince back into the pan with the oregano, tomato paste, tomatoes, stock, wine, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Simmer gently for 25-30 minutes or until reduced to a thick sauce.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add the warmed milk, whisking until smooth. Return to heat and stir until thickened. Add the cheese and mustard.
4. Grease the baking dish. Add a layer of lasagne sheets to the bottom and spread over a third of the meat sauce followed by a third of the cheese sauce. Repeat until ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of cheese sauce. Sprinkle with extra cheese.
5. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and cook a further 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
FROM THE CEO
Welcome to the May issue of The Farmlander.
Farmlands is proud to have a strong partnership with the New Zealand National Fieldays Society and on behalf of our co-operative, I congratulate them on 50 years of Fieldays.
Next month’s Fieldays will once again bring technology and innovation from here and around the world to our primary sector. As a small country in competition with others that can farm on a larger scale with lower cost, farming smarter is the reality we must face.
We can’t win on scale and low cost – and, in addition to that, the world is changing. What consumers want is becoming more demanding. We have to be aware of and manage the consequences of what we are doing on the earth. The role of technology is growing exponentially and the role and expectation of food is being redefined. All of these combine to drive us to a need to reset our success model.
In my view, it’s fundamentally about producing less that is worth more. New Zealand can only produce for 30 to 40 million people. Half of a percent of the world’s population. If we target the fussiest half a percent, this is what they are asking:
1. Where is my food from?
2. What has gone into my food?
3. Is my food good for me?
New Zealand is incredibly well placed to positively own the critical answers to these questions.
The reality is most New Zealand landowners look after their land, animals and people very well. We have to modify the behaviours of those who don’t, ensure those who do keep doing it and provide the means to prove it to those fussy consumers of the world. Technology will have a huge part to play in this.
You can read more about my thoughts on page 29.
Kind regards,
Peter Reidie Chief Executive Officer Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited
5 minutes with Peter Nation
CEO, NZ National Fieldays Society Inc.
This year marks the 50 th anniversary of Fieldays. As innovation continues at a rapid pace, how important is Fieldays to New Zealand’s primary sector?
That’s a bit like asking people when they win a gold medal, how do they feel? In 50 years we have a history of staging innovation and technology, we’ve built that to such an extent that we’re now one of the biggest agri innovation events in New Zealand. NZTE (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) have stated that 43 percent of agri-tech companies that are exhibitors at Fieldays release new technology every year. As we grow we’re going to see more technology and innovation and we’re going to have keep pace with that because that’s why we were created.
“
... the change in technology in the primary industry is increasing rapidly – and increasing exponentially.
We need to keep relevant. That takes time and investment, so the work we do internationally is important to keep up with what is happening internationally. For example, over the next 6 months I am going to Orlando and to Canada. These trips are about learning and reaching out to other parts of the world. This year we will host another 40 odd countries at Fieldays 2018.
Compare this year’s Fieldays to the first Fieldays. What were the flagship events?
Back in 1969 there was a theme of aviation, so they had aerial displays for both helicopter and fixed wing with spray and fertiliser demonstrations. Due to health and safety regulations we can’t do that anymore but that was a big feature in ’69. One of the main reasons exhibitors came was to show off the latest technology at the time – exhibitor numbers were under 100. Those flagship events in ‘69 were much like today – they’ve just morphed into something different, much bigger and far more diverse.
What is the theme of this year’s Fieldays and what can people expect?
The theme of this year’s Fieldays is the future of farming. The reason we picked that is the change in technology in the primary industry is increasing rapidly –and increasing exponentially. I’ve said in a couple of speeches that in the time it’s taken us to get to 50 years, we will expedite the same speed of change in 10 years – that’s the world we live in. We will still have a focus on health and careers, as they are important but this
year there is a bigger focus on food and food science. That’s the cornerstone of the primary industry. We’re going to emphasise that more at this year’s event because that’s why the primary sector exists – to produce food.
As the Fieldays event continues to innovate, so too must the Society. How has the NZ National Fieldays Society re-invented and evolved over the past 50 years?
I think we’ve stayed relevant and true to our core objectives through advancing agriculture to technology,
| CEO, Farmlands, Peter Reidie and CEO, NZ National Fieldays Society Inc., Peter Nation.
innovation and education. Our event is also focused on bringing town and country together also. Topical and innovative issues like sustainability, environment and in later years education and health and wellbeing and farming careers. We’ve innovated around that and from an infrastructural viewpoint we’ve spent millions of dollars putting in our big pavilion, as well as the roads so you don’t really need to bring gumboots. Even in the last 12 months we’ve created a new app that will replace paper – people will be able to map
their trip, know where the coffee and amenities are and that’s all based off GPS technology. Our learnings from overseas have helped us develop what our customers want.
NZ National Fieldays Society is one year into its strategic partnership with Farmlands Cooperative. How have the two organisations worked together to benefit New Zealand farmers?
Being only one year in we have achieved a small amount with more to come. It is really important for us to
have partners like Farmlands. It’s great having a national organisation reaching out to us, as a co-operative involved with thousands of people in the primary industry, not just dairy. With Farmlands’ layered approach they cover a big audience in the primary sector across the country, even reaching lifestylers. We know some of the things Farmlands is working on and there’s a big opportunity to work together to bring education around technology. I think our philosophies and objectives are really well aligned – watch this space.
| Peter Nation announcing the partnership last year.
NO MYSTERY TO SUCCESS
To commemorate 50 years of Fieldays, NZ National Fieldays Society Inc. CEO, Peter Nation reflects on the Society's journey.
What began at Te Rapa Racecourse in 1969 as a small event budgeted with under 100 exhibitors and a mere 3,000 visitors has now grown to a world class event.
The founding objectives back 50 years ago remain true today – advancing agriculture and bringing town and country together.
As a not for profit Society with charitable status the NZ National Fieldays Society Inc. that own the Fieldays event are immensely proud of what has been achieved. As the largest event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere, Fieldays now ranks as a world class event attracting countries from all over the globe along with many international exhibitors.
The event's growth has resulted from a clear focus on innovation and technology along with education and showcasing topical issues and opportunities. Its success is a reflection of the primary industry it represents and the support it has received from the many exhibitors and visitors it attracts annually. Growth has been rapid, driven off the back of staying relevant to the industry and delivering what its customers want to see and hear.
The support by exhibitors has been enduring with many supporting the event from day one. Furthermore, the visitors that come back year after year, wanting to see what is next, what is new and wanting to see the topics of the day.
The primary industry in New Zealand is growing fast, driven by rapid change in technology, the way we farm and what we farm. Challenges of our rural communities' ongoing sustainability together with the social licence to operate, are just a few challenges that the primary industry face. But it is fair to say that every year there have been challenges to the sector and it is how we discuss, showcase and deliver on how we deal with the issues that makes the difference. We all appreciate the importance of the primary industry to the New Zealand economy and our dependence on primary exports. Fieldays continues to be the cornerstone for continued promotion, innovation and most
importantly offers a unique ecosystem of all things rural.
The Fieldays event is politically neutral and offers an ideal environment for debate, challenge and a platform for local and central government to visit, support and speak about the primary industry and the supporting services like health, careers and the innovation and business growth opportunities. Given the reputation and recognition of the Fieldays event on the world stage the attraction of International Government agencies and agriculturally related trade missions have become a regular feature. The event attracts dignitaries from around the world, as it did back in 1970 with the visit by the Queen and her family. Many a long lasting and enduring friendship or business relationship have been created at Fieldays. These relationships have resulted in new opportunities, growth or export business through distribution. We should not underestimate the health and wellbeing advantages of attending Fieldays, time off farm, making connections, looking at new technologies and networking are all good for the soul. From those early beginnings and humble ideas, Fieldays has delivered so much to so many. We can all be grateful to those few pioneers who had an idea which has grown to deliver huge financial benefits to the New Zealand economy and assisted in maintaining New Zealand primary industry momentum.
What Fieldays means to volunteers
Frank Sargent is celebrating a milestone of his own next month – it will be his 25th year volunteering for the National Fieldays.
Frank first put his hand up in 1993, simply because a friend asked him to come along to help out. His first task was being the ‘lollipop man’ and managing traffic at a busy corner. Since then he has covered almost every corner of the Mystery Creek site.
“I think I’ve done a bit of everything since then. I’ve become chairman of various groups and events committees and ran the Bachelor event for a couple of years,” he says.
“Basically, the volunteers have just become a family, a group of people who enjoy the camaraderie. In the early days we did a lot of setting up and all worked on just about everything.”
Frank believes the key to the success of Fieldays has been staying true to what the initial events were
Being part of it makes me feel pretty proud, to be honest. “
all about - town and country coming together.
“That was so important, to make sure you didn’t lose that agricultural event side of things. We’ve never lost sight of that and of course we’ve got more innovative,” he says.
“I think we have kept moving, kept changing and did not sit back on our laurels – that’s a royal we, by the way.
Everybody that got involved has watched it become a bigger event and it has got more exciting.”
Frank says watching the changes in technology and innovation has signified changes to the event itself, as interest from overseas in Fieldays continues to grow.
“It’s a place to do business, whether you are an importer or exporter from overseas. We have the biggest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere – I’ve been to a few Australian shows and they haven’t got anything on this.”
Frank describes his volunteering as “a job without a portfolio”. There are a group of volunteers that chip in wherever they are needed – but it is the allure of being part of something special that keeps bringing Frank back year after year.
“Being part of it makes me feel pretty proud, to be honest. This is the biggest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere – that’s nothing to sneeze at!
“I’m just a spoke in the wheel and everyone chips in to play their part.”
| No. 8 wire ingenuity has always been to the fore at Fieldays.
What Fieldays means to exhibitors
Fieldays is an important event for farmers around the country – it’s an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their latest innovations to the end user.
Someone who has witnessed the evolution of Fieldays firsthand is Allflex National Sales Manager, John Rutherford. Allflex has had a presence at Fieldays since its inception. Allflex started 63 years ago and John says the company identified from the beginning that there needed to be a collective place that farmers can go to and review the latest technology or make informed purchasing decisions.
“Whilst the regional shows are important, farmers attending the National Fieldays would see far more in one place,” John says. “You’re likely to get a lot more variation and the very latest technology at Mystery Creek.
“That’s why we were involved and to further reinforce this we built our own building there. It’s been there for about 35 years now, we occupy it during the Fieldays and the National Fieldays Society utilise it when running other events during the year.
John says the advantage of having our own building at the grounds was they have a “consistent canvas” every year, without having to put up a tent. “It gave us power, kitchen, toilet and a hospitality area for our guests to use – somewhere to sit down, chat and have a cuppa.”
In the early 90s Allflex owned many iconic rural brands. Along with visual and electronic identification they were manufacturing and selling animal handling equipment, weigh scales, animal health equipment, dairy plant and wool presses. Having a permanent building at Fieldays meant they could showcase all of that in one place.
“Personally, I’ve been involved with Allflex at the Fieldays for 25 years, I wasn’t on the stand the first 2 years but have been involved with the setup and staffing since then,” John says.
“In the early days there were power issues, traffic congestion and lots of mud.
“In that time, I’ve seen constant improvements by the National Fieldays Society. In the early days there were power issues, traffic congestion and lots of mud. Mother Nature can throw just about any weather at the event now, the new roads and good drainage make things much better. It runs like a clock.”
John says the focus of Fieldays from an exhibitor’s perspective has always been about “technology of the day and of the new". They have gone from displaying EID tags to electronic weigh systems to the latest SCR cow monitoring, where a farmer can observe a cow’s health, activity and heat status 24 hours a day.
John says Fieldays have played a principal role in seeing the latest technologies adopted by farmers. He thinks we will see a new wave of adoption going forward, especially so in dairy as we move to milking less cows, smarter and with a cleaner environmental footprint.
“How is the Fieldays going to change? I don’t believe there will a lot of change to the Fieldays itself, it’s the innovations and technology of the future that will change. It's exciting and worthwhile being a part of”.
What Fieldays means for Farmlands staff
From attending as a farmer to helping shareholders as part of the Farmlands team, Brian McMillan has seen a lot in his two decades at Fieldays. As the years have passed and he has transitioned to the other side of the farm gate, the Paeroa Technical Field Officer has watched it grow from a “very small farmer field day, to an exhibition like a city”.
“It’s always been a good way to engage with different customers. We’re getting a lot more involved from the Farmlands side of it – we’ve gone from having information sharing about Farmlands to having a retail site, to having all our business units to last year having a big site, fully engaged with all groups of our shareholder base and potential shareholders,” Brian says.
“Having Mr G there last year had a huge impact. We had people of all ages coming through, which was great to see.”
Brian says he enjoys Fieldays because of the interaction with shareholders and the general public, spending the event enjoying face to face contact with different people from all walks of life.
“You get to hear the different stories from our shareholders,”
Brian says. “Two or three years ago we had a couple of busloads of shareholders from North Canterbury, who a number of organisations – including Farmlands – had helped get away from the farm after being impacted by the drought.
“To see the response they got from Farmlands and other organisations was just tremendous, almost indescribable. They had a wonderful time.”
Brian says he also takes satisfaction from helping shareholders understand their co-operative more, especially the broad spectrum of the Farmlands business.
“We get shareholders saying ‘wow, I didn’t know you did this’. That’s transpired into getting wider engagement in the field,” Brian says.
“We’ve gone onto another stage where we’re totally immersed in our shareholder engagement as a co-operative. The feel good from our shareholders is tremendous. I get a great buzz from it, talking to shareholders that are farming 10,000ha or working on 1ha.
“You get the same feel good factor talking to the different shareholders. That’s whether they are walking in with their Farmlands hats, or them walking in with a different hat and walking out with a Farmlands hat!
“I just enjoy being part of the team at Fieldays.”
| Farmlands staff Brian McMillan and Rachel O'Brien at last year's Fieldays.
Highlighting innovation –10 Billion Mouths to Feed
New Farmlands Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Cooney, discusses agri-tech trends for the agri sector.
Tech Week is a week-long technology showcase event occurring in different centres across New Zealand throughout the week from 21st to 23rd May. It highlights latest innovations in technology across a range of sectors.
On 23rd May, “10 Billion Mouths to Feed” is the agri-tech industry component. This is just the second year of agri-tech having its own conference and already it's shaping up to be world-class.
I spoke at the event last year when it was “Farming 2020”. The thing that struck me talking to start-up companies and investors, having also been previously involved in forming partnerships between a large bank and start-ups innovating in areas of interest to the bank, was not only the great innovations being developed but also just how fragmented this important industry is in New Zealand. While there are pockets of excellence in various regions with amazing stuff being done, the reality is this effort is hard to scale to national, let alone global applications.
Another insight for me came from a conversation I’d had previously with an offshore venture capital fund targeting New Zealand agri-tech companies for investment. While New Zealand produces less than 3 percent of the world’s food, nonetheless they saw strong value potential in the potential of innovations in our agri economy to solve feeding the other 97
percent of the planet. They bring the capital connections and experience to scale these opportunities.
That’s great of course. But I thought if they can see that opportunity for scale, then why can’t we? And moreover, how do we develop the collaborations for identifying and growing these opportunities for export to the world from New Zealand owned by New Zealanders. This entailed looking into what we were doing to build a national vision and strategy to this end. It turns out, not much.
Let’s put this opportunity into perspective. Israel’s agri-tech industry, one of the top 5 globally is a $10b export industry in its own right. That’s more than 10 times New Zealand’s industry. A recent report singled out their “smart farming” businesses as growing 3 times faster than other segments of their agri-tech industry.
And Israel is two thirds desert with just 14 percent arable land. Their industry also attracts almost 7 percent of total global capital being invested into agri-tech. That’s a huge number. Ireland and the Netherlands have national strategies focused on driving value from their agri industries.
New Zealand by contrast has no national-level vision for this strategically important sector. One person deeply connected with Silicon Valley told me that his contacts in the US noted that they struggled to understand New Zealand agri-tech as an industry (unlike Israel). They see lots of parties from New Zealand but none when asked could talk to a clear New Zealand story or vision for their industry.
Having national coherency on this matters because it’s the basis for galvanising the networks and connections so critical for creating globally relevant companies off the back of our valuable innovations. Consequently, at that talk last year and other events showcasing agritech, I along with others called out the need for New Zealand to create a clear vision for the industry and to nurture a coherent nationalscale ecosystem for ensuring the discovery, growth and scaling up of our best tech ideas and companies. To get this moving, last year we formed a steering committee to scope a national agri-tech strategy, which we termed the agri-tech cluster, for want of a better name. Chiefly through the work of Peter WrenHilton, that has since morphed into New Zealand AgriTech. Peter and NZ AgriTech have been instrumental in organising “10 Billion Mouths to Feed”, including having some of the most influential investors in food and agri-tech in the world attending. US fund, Yamaha Ventures is a major sponsor of the event for example and have recently also announced an investment into a Bay of Plenty robotics business. Others include Bayer, Finistere Ventures and Pepsi. Their participation is a clear endorsement of the value in our agri innovations. We owe it to our industry to work with them to develop this and I plan on working closely with my colleagues in the co-operative to ensure this potential is developed for the future success of our members.
Introducing Kevin Cooney
Kevin was born and raised along with two brothers and three sisters on a small farm in Brydone, Southland.
The fourth generation on the property (after his great grandfather won it in a ballot more than a 100 years ago), Kevin’s father ran a mixed sheep and cropping operation, with a few (slow) race horses thrown in for good measure. With a double degree in Commerce and Law from Otago University, Kevin has worked as a chartered accountant, a lawyer (having completed his Masters in Law while raising two young children while his wife worked full time) and has sat on the boards of private equity funds both here and in Australia. Kevin joined Farmlands earlier this year from ASB Bank, where he had established the Agri Capital team before becoming Head of their Rural Corporate business.
“
Usable insights that help our farmers make better decisions that enable them to produce what high-end consumers want will be critical to the future profitability and relevance of the industry.
“My early experiences imbued in me a love of the land. I recall then a keen awareness of events influencing and impacting our lives, over which we had no control: politics, export prices, freezing works stoppages, removal of subsidies, access barriers to traditional markets and the change that followed. Resilience and adapting were then key to surviving and I believe laid the foundations for growth and scale of the last 20 years,” Kevin says.
“Going forward however, I believe strategic thinking, business and people-management skills, a stewardship mentality and embracing innovation – particularly with respect to technology and digital – are critical
to growing sustainable thriving rural businesses.
“Collaborating with the value chain to connect with and understand the end-consumer will be increasingly necessary to access and capture value from the new markets emerging from unprecedented structural consumer demographic and demand changes. Farming inputs that are not only relevant but that also satisfy sustainability will have a huge and important role in this change, particularly in supporting the co-operative’s shareholders’ ability to adapt, innovate and thrive.
“Usable insights that help our farmers make better decisions that enable them to produce what highend consumers want will be critical to the future profitability and relevance of the industry.
“I look forward to working with the Farmlands team and playing my part in and contributing to that success.”
| Farmlands Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Cooney.
Make Farmlands your first stop at Mystery Creek!
Visit us for helpful advice, knowledge, great deals and a range of activities for the whole family. Talk with the experts
Farmlands emerging technology
Join Farmlands and our innovative partners to learn about emerging and available technology.
Enjoy a specially designed lunch by Simon Gault
Meet celebrity chef Simon Gault on-site.
Purchase your tickets early at selected stores or at the gate with your Farmlands Card.*
Mystery Creek 13th – 16 th June
Rural Catch challenge 2.30pm Friday
The Rural Catch contestants will be on-site competing in our challenge. Come and witness a spectacular showdown!
*Terms and Conditions apply. See www.farmlands.co.nz/fieldays for selected stores.
Hot deals on wet weather gear, polar fleece t-shirts and more!
THEFT ADVICE WORTH LISTENING TO.
Theft in New Zealand occurs more often than you’d think. In fact, there’s a burglary every 10 minutes. What’s more, FMG receives on average 28 theft claims each week and we’ve paid out more than $23 million over the past five years.
Typically, farm theft claims peak in January, over the holiday period, with another peak coinciding with farm changeover in the autumn. The peak is due to thieves taking advantage of the movement of staff, gear and equipment.
NUMBER OF ITEMS STOLEN OVER THE
PAST FIVE
YEARS.
As we near farm change over day, now’s the time to take steps to reduce the chances of falling victim to theft.
Make sure you:
• keep gates locked and ensure that they can’t be taken off their hinges,
• use shadow walls to show when tools are missing,
• use high specification padlocks on sheds,
• remove keys and lock vehicles when not in use,
• keep vehicles in secure sheds and keep keys hidden,
• mark or engrave tools, vehicles and other farm property with an identifying feature such as your farm name.
KEY
Quads and farmbikes
Tools
General farm contents Chainsaws Fuel Trailers
Compressors, pumps and generators
Implements
Sprayers
Firearms
For more ways to protect yourself against rural theft, check out our Rural Crime Advice Guide at fmg.co.nz/ruraltheft. Or better still give us a call on 0800 366 466 to join New Zealand’s leading rural insurer.
We’re here for the good of the country.
Farm contents and vehicle theft only.
Farmlands CEO urges NZ to farm smarter, not harder
Farmlands Co-operative Chief Executive Peter Reidie has challenged rural New Zealand to meet the demands of a changing consumer base.
He told an audience at the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) graduation ceremony in Whanganui, where he sought to demonstrate the potential of a career in the primary sector, that the model that has driven New Zealand’s farming success for the past century isn’t up to driving success in the future. “We can’t win on scale and low cost,” he says.
“We have to change the model.”
Peter says New Zealand can never win the battle to produce the most at the lowest cost and instead should focus on meeting a new set of consumer expectations surrounding food.
“In my view, it’s fundamentally about producing less that is worth more.
“China, USA, and Australia alone each have around 40 times the land mass in agriculture. Other countries are prepared to have lesser standards when it comes to such things as factory farming, GMO’s, people practices and impact on the environment,” Peter says.
“Furthermore, the world is changing.
Consumers are becoming more demanding. We have to be aware of, and manage the consequences of what we are doing, on the earth. The role of technology is growing exponentially and the role and expectation of food is being redefined.”
Peter says he sees Farmlands Cooperative being on a similar journey to the wider New Zealand primary
sector, compelled to acknowledge that what will work in the future is different to what built success in the past. For Farmlands, this means changing the focus from being very good at providing 66,000 shareholders with what they needed five years ago, to producing solutions now for what they need five years from now.
“Most New Zealand landowners look after their land, animals and people very well. We have to modify the behaviours of those who don’t, ensure those who do keep doing it and provide the means to prove it to those fussy consumers of the world. Technology will have a huge part to play in this,” Peter says.
Peter urges producers to be primarily focused on what the consumer is demanding – rather than the Government, the regulator or the manufacturer.
“The reality is the consumer is not going to accept dirty rivers, overuse of sulphates or bad animal practices,” Peter says. “By meeting the demands of the consumer we can deliver on this strategy for a prosperous primary sector for New Zealand.
“To deliver on this we need our country’s brightest and best. We need to understand who is doing it best and how we can make that consistent across our sector. We need developers and initiators of great products and ideas. We need challenge and forward thinking and we need the ‘can do, must do and will do’ of your generation,”
Peter told his UCOL audience.
“Please believe in our sector, join it, and make a difference and you can be an integral part in taking the New Zealand primary sector from good to great. Our sector needs you.”
| Farmlands Co-operative Chief Executive Officer, Peter Reidie.
Farmlands and Toyota partnership brings success
The Farmlander caught up with Managing Director and CEO of Toyota New Zealand, Alistair Davis.
Why did Toyota choose to team up with Farmlands?
Toyota has had a strong relationship with the rural sector for decades, with Hilux being an iconic truck since the days of Barry Crump. It was obvious that teaming up with Farmlands was an opportunity for us to further strengthen our commitment to the needs of rural New Zealand. We were very confident that our product would complement the Farmlands offer and our product range gives more purchase options for Farmlands shareholders than what may have previously been available. There are a lot of synergies in this
relationship. An example is there is a Farmlands store in the same community as each of our Toyota stores, so in many cases both can work together to strengthen local connections and support each other where required.
Each of our Toyota stores have at least one Farmlands specialist, who has been trained to ensure Farmlands shareholders get the best service and value when working with Toyota.
Why is the rural sector (e.g. Farmlands shareholders) so important to Toyota?
Toyota New Zealand thinks of itself as a New Zealand company that sells vehicles sourced from all over the world to best meet the needs of New
Zealand customers. Our customers fall into three main groups – those that live in the cities, the tourism and car rental market and the heartland provincial and rural customers. The heartland is where Toyota got its start: initially with the mighty Landcruiser and then with the Hilux which is sold all over the world. Toyota’s brand is associated with reliability, quality, honesty and dependability – all heartland values. This is the essence of the New Zealand character and it aligns with Toyota’s character as well. So the rural sector is very close to our heart. We also think there is great alignment between our products and services and the demanding role the rural sector expects from vehicles. When developing new products like the latest Hilux, Toyota Japan will send out engineers to visit New Zealand, to ensure our unique motoring needs are considered in the development process. Input from the rural sector has allowed us to feed suggestions up to Toyota Japan to contribute to the final product. Our Hilux and Land Cruiser models are a key part of our product mix and the success of these vehicles is largely driven by rural New Zealand.
What does the Drive Happy
Project you introduced in April mean for our shareholders?
The Drive Happy project is a step we are taking to improve the purchase and ownership experience Toyota customers can expect. This is built off five key frustrations that customers have told us they have
| Managing Director and CEO of Toyota New Zealand, Alistair Davis.
when buying a new vehicle.
The first and most prominent initiative is that customers will no longer have the pressures of negotiation and haggling with dealers over prices of new vehicles. Instead, the up-front price, referred to as the Toyota Driveaway Price (TDP), will be consistent in Toyota stores throughout the country. Farmlands shareholders will continue to receive a better price than a private buyer (based on our relationship with Farmlands).
We are also putting in place a number of initiatives to make the traditional car dealership a less ‘hard sell’ environment. We are radically improving our online presence to give customers a much better web experience, where they can build their own cars, select colours, options and accessories and indicate how much they will cost to own. We are also introducing more flexible test-drive options and a greatly increased number of demonstrator vehicles at each store – we are trying to give customers the opportunity to test vehicles on their terms. We are also introducing something
called the Toyota Care Service Advantage, which gives the customer certainty about their servicing costs in the first four years of ownership. And finally, we are giving customers some money-back options if they make the wrong choice of vehicle. Obviously there is quite a lot more depth than this to the project but this gives you a quick overview.
Can you tell us more about the Service Advantage product you mentioned?
To remove customer uncertainty about the future costs of servicing, Toyota have introduced Toyota Care Service Advantage to remove the uncertainty about future servicing costs. This guarantees the price for the future servicing of a motor vehicle for the first four years of regular use, assuming 15,000km travelled per year, in accordance with our scheduled servicing recommendations. Customers will be advised at the beginning of their ownership how much their servicing will cost each time in the next four years. In addition, if a Farmlands customer is regularly servicing at a Toyota
store under the Toyota Care Service Advantage, at the end of their first three years of ownership we’ll extend their warranty to five years.
How has the first 12 months with Farmlands gone from a Toyota perspective?
The first 12 months of sales have gone well and with an average monthly figure sitting just under 100 vehicles. As expected our commercial vehicles have dominated these sales, with Hilux making up 72 percent and our total commercial range sitting at 81 percent. It’s been great to see Farmlands shareholders taking advantage of the pricing across the Toyota range with Yaris, Corolla and some of our Hybrid vehicles contributing to the total volume. Last month we announced that Lexus would join the partnership and we are excited to be able to offer an even greater vehicle line-up with this addition of the Lexus brand.
We will continue to work with Farmlands to ensure we’re offering the best value possible to shareholders across our product range.
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Gulf Oil congratulates National Fieldays Society on 50 years
Like Fieldays, Gulf Oil is also celebrating a 50 th anniversary – 50 years since the first Gulf Oil victory at Le Mans 24hr in France. The Gulf Oil race cars were so successful at Le Mans, the blue and orange is now synonymous with victory and racing.
New Zealand motorsport legends Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme and Chris Amon were all supported and had partnerships with Gulf Oil during their careers. Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme were the first Kiwis to win at Le Mans in 1966, with Gulf Oil winning in 1968 and 1969 in the famous Ford GT40. Gulf Oil has a replica Ford GT40 that has been on display at many Fieldays since 2011. McLaren went on to develop his own Formula 1 and CanAm race business,
proudly supported by Gulf Oil. His cars were orange to pay tribute to the blue and orange of the Gulf Oil logo. Gulf Oil values its partnerships, as it is those connections that enable the brand to continue to grow. Farmlands is the exclusive distributor for Gulf Oil in New Zealand and this partnership has enabled the Gulf Oil brand to grow every year since 2011 – the Gulf Oil business in New Zealand is now the Global Gulf Oil Lubricants Partner of the Year for Gulf Oil International. Thanks to a strong Kiwi connection and 117 years in business, Gulf Oil is the market leader for lubricants in the agriculture sector today. Gulf Oil is available on the forecourt at all Challenge service stations nationally, in all Repco stores under
the iconic Steve McQueen image from his Le Mans movie, or from your local Farmlands store. The Gulf Oil portfolio has European quality lubricants for all markets and types of machinery – from cars, trucks and marine to heavy diesel, industrial lubricants and greases. Gulf Oil has a product with full OEM approvals and specifications to suit your needs. Check out the range today at www.gulfoil.co.nz For further information, or to get the good oil in your business today, contact your friendly Farmlands Territory Manager on 0800 666 626.
Keeping contractors safe during projects
Over the coming months, farmers will have a variety of maintenance and infrastructure jobs underway, from fencing to repairing and cleaning troughs or installing culverts.
“Some jobs are likely to involve bringing in contractors,” Al McCone, agricultural sector lead for WorkSafe says.
“Managing safety of contractors on farms is one of the issues WorkSafe’s Safer Farms team receives quite a few enquiries about – but in fact the requirements are not onerous and good communication between farmer and contractor is a big part of the process.”
Farmers must make sure that any
risks from farm work are reasonably managed to protect the health and safety of contractors. That includes taking all practicable steps to ensure that farm buildings and anywhere work is being carried out – apart from the farmhouse – is safe for everyone, including contractors.
Contractors must also make sure that any risks from their work, that could affect the farmer, farm workers or other contractors on the farm, are reasonably managed.
“The key to both farmers and contractors meeting these requirements is to consult, cooperate and co-ordinate duties with each other,” Al says.
“It’s about working together to meet those overlapping duties every time a contractor comes on-farm.
“A face-to-face meeting or phone conversation before work begins, will help farmers and contractors to reach a common understanding and establish clear responsibilities and actions. It will also prevent any gaps in managing health and safety risks.”
In these conversations, the farmer should discuss where the contractor will be working, what they will be doing and let them know about any expected or unexpected risks.
That will include any other work activity on the farm that could pose a risk to them – or recent work, such as spraying of hazardous substances and discussing how to manage those risks. They will need to know about farm rules, for instance around speed limits or alcohol consumption and
expectations about behaviour on the farm. They need to know the farm’s emergency procedures and all parties should have each other’s contact details, to ensure swift contact if needed.
It’s also a good idea to discuss time in and time out reporting and agreed procedures for working in areas without mobile phone coverage.
Al says it’s also important to discuss vehicle safety with your contractor.
“Evaluation of ACC data from the past 17 years has shown almost 80 percent of fatalities on farms were related to use of vehicles or machinery. Over the past 3 years, this has become closer to 90 percent,” he said.
“You should talk with your contractor about what vehicles it is best to use in certain areas – and flag up hazards, such as slopes which become slippery in wet weather and the locations of streams and ditches.
“A lot of farmers now provide a farm map, marked up to show hazards, which they can print off for contractors. That includes marking up pastures which certain vehicles should not be used in, or those which should only be accessed by foot in certain conditions.
“Once you have had these conversations with your contractor, you simply need to make a note in your farm diary that it’s been done.”
For a copy of the contractors on farms Staying Safe on Farms factsheet, see www.worksafe.govt.nz
Article supplied by WorkSafe.
| Farmers must make sure that any risks from farm work are reasonably managed.
Muddy great fun at AgFest
A little bit of mud didn’t stop the Farmlands team from making this year’s Farmlands AgFest a huge success.
After three events at Cass Square in Hokitika, this year AgFest shifted to a larger venue – the Greymouth Aerodrome – with more than 300 exhibitors in attendance. This year was Farmlands’ second event as naming sponsor.
Wild West Coast weather ravaged
the AgFest site at the Greymouth Aerodrome only a few days before the event, leaving behind collapsed marquees and staff scrambling to get the site ready for visitors. Rain continued to pour right up until the first day of AgFest (and even a little on the first day), meaning gumboots were the footwear of choice for all.
That was no dampener on the spirits of shareholders and visitors though –they rugged up and trudged through the mud to see the AgFest exhibitors.
It was a busy couple of days for the Farmlands team, as the Farmlands site was the place to be, with all the gear needed to brave the weather available under one roof.
Gumboots, socks, gloves, beanies and jackets were flying out the door and the stock of wet weather gear was completely sold out.
Our suppliers on the Farmlands site were also on-hand to assist shareholders with their on-farm solutions.
The Farmlands team enjoyed catching up with shareholders and are already looking forward to the 2020 event.
| Gareth de Garnham, Farmlands Card Business Development Manager, chats to shareholders at AgFest.
| The Farmlands team at AgFest.
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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.
Alpaca – unique animals with unique requirements
Alpaca are interesting animals that are popular on small blocks in New Zealand. Alpaca are domesticated animals from South America and belong to the group ‘camelids’ along with camels and llamas. Their high quality fibre is renowned for its softness and lustre, which is used to make luxury clothing items. They also make great pets with friendly personalities. Interestingly enough, they are used as herd protectors for grazing animals in some countries around lambing or kidding time, as they protect the newly born animals from predators such as foxes, eagles and canines, attacking them with their front feet. Alpaca have even been used in New Zealand to protect chickens on free range farms from hawks.
Alpaca are unique in terms of their digestive system and they are classed as ‘pseudo-ruminants’, as they have a similar digestive system to traditional ruminants like cows or sheep – however they have three stomach compartments rather than four. Alpaca do have some specific nutritional requirements that need to be taken into consideration when keeping them, as they are particularly prone to several nutrient deficiencies here in New Zealand.
Vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D (the ‘sunshine vitamin’) deficiency is common in alpaca. This deficiency is exasperated in the winter months due to decreased sunshine hours and the thick fleece of alpaca. Vitamin D plays an important role in bone development and deficiency during pregnancy and lactation can cause rickets in young cria, due to low vitamin D in colostrum and milk. Symptoms of rickets include bowed legs, shifting leg lameness, joint inflammation, a humpback appearance and a slowed growth rate. Supplementing pregnant and lactating alpaca with vitamin D is a necessity, however non-pregnant and male alpaca will also benefit from vitamin D supplementation year-round too.
Thiamine deficiency
Polioencephalomalacia (PEM), inflammation of the brain due to a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, is a condition more commonly seen in alpaca compared to other animals. The gut flora of ruminants and pseudoruminants usually produce enough thiamine to satisfy animal requirements,
however thiamine production can be reduced in certain circumstances –for example when there is too much sulphur in the diet, or if the rumen is not functioning optimally. Some weeds are also suspected to play a role in thiamine deficiency, due to the presence of an enzyme that breaks down thiamine. Alpaca also seem to deplete their body’s supply of thiamine much more rapidly than cattle, sheep or goats, so show signs of the disease much more rapidly compared to their ruminant cousins. Stress and poor weather are also thought to play a part. Symptoms of PEM include lethargy, low appetite and/or neurological impairment (head and ear twitching, drooling and staggering). Once an animal is showing signs of neurological impairment, injected thiamine is required quickly to avoid death. Regular supplementation of thiamine for alpaca is the best way to prevent PEM cases arising.
Opting for an alpaca specific feed such as Reliance Alpaca Pellets or Reliance Alpaca Conditioning Mix, which both include nutrients such as vitamin D and thiamine, can help to keep your alpaca as healthy and productive as possible – providing vitamin D and thiamine every day, along with a vast profile of other nutrients essential for optimum alpaca health. Note: during the year, additional vitamin D and thiamine may need to be administered to alpaca as per vet recommendations particularly for pregnant alpaca and young cria. For more information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist.
Article supplied by Stacey Cosnett, Nutritionist, Farmlands.
| Alpaca are domesticated animals from South America.
Annual cleaning of silos a must do
Storage of animal feed in vertical silos or bins is the most common form of dry feed storage on New Zealand farms. Silos can be a great way to store feed, as they reduce wastage and protect feed from climatic events and from pests such as birds and vermin. Silos also allow farmers to reap the financial benefits of purchasing feed in bulk and feeding it easily through in-shed feeding systems or into troughs and feed-out bins. Silos do however need to be cleaned thoroughly at least once a year, to ensure that the feed stored inside them is kept as fresh as possible. A great time to do this is just before the start of a new season.
The storage of feed in silos is subject to large fluctuations in both temperature and humidity within the silo, which can lead to condensation forming on the inside of the silo from time to time. Both feed and feed dust will stick to the side of the bin, absorb the moisture and build up over time. This feed will deteriorate with mould developing and subsequent mycotoxin
production. When this spoiled feed falls off into good feed, consequences for the animal range from decreased feed intake and feed refusal due to the presence of mould (which animals can be very sensitive to the smell and taste of), right through to mycotoxicosis. This can occur when poisonous toxins produced by moulds are consumed at high enough levels to cause animal health issues. To avoid these problems occurring, silos need to be cleaned at least once a year and preferably every 6 months, to ensure that excessive mould does not build up on the inside of the silo and that feed delivered to the animal is as fresh and palatable as possible. Farmlands has developed silo cleaning procedure that describes the best practices for cleaning animal feed silos. There are two methods to use, either a wet method or a dry method. The wet method is the most effective and preferable method for cleaning a silo, however dry cleaning is a better option when the silo boot
cannot be removed easily or it is too dangerous to attempt wet cleaning. When using the wet method, using a suitable disinfectant such as Virkon® during the clean is worthwhile. Both methods benefit from dusting the inside of the silo with a liquid or powder mould inhibitor after cleaning to hamper future mould growth. Safety is the most important consideration and any attempt to climb up any silo requires suitable safety equipment. Suitable protective clothing including gloves, eye protection and masks should be worn at all times. A safety harness with suitable anchor points is also essential equipment. The Farmlands Nutrition team has created a factsheet that explains the steps for both the wet and dry methods of cleaning silos. Visit the Nutrition section of the Farmlands website to view the fact sheet, or contact your local Nutrition Specialist or Technical Field Officer for a copy.
Article supplied by Stacey Cosnett, Nutritionist, Farmlands.
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Magnesium supplementation for dairy cows
Magnesium (Mg) is an important macromineral that has many functions within the body including nerve and muscle function, immune system function and bone health.
As magnesium relaxes nerve impulses after transmission, a more minor deficiency can manifest itself as excitability and nervousness in cows, whereas excessive intakes can cause sedation, with cows becoming more lethargic and non-responsive. Ruminants have no readily available pool of magnesium in their body, so a fall in magnesium content of the diet and/or increased need of magnesium for milk production can cause blood magnesium levels to
fall quickly, leading to the typical signs of hypomagnesaemia. If cows do succumb to metabolic issues such as hypomagnesaemia, it can jeopardise their milk production for rest of the season or in worst cases cause cow deaths. Sub-clinical magnesium issues may also put a handbrake on milk production. Calculating how much supplementary magnesium should be fed can be difficult because the amount that is in the pasture depends on soil type, types of forages, weather and speed of growth. Availability is also reduced by high potassium and nitrogen levels.
Supplementation options
Being a reactive mineral, magnesium
is normally found in association with other elements as compounds, so it is important to know the percentage of the compound that is elemental (pure) magnesium. Magnesium oxide (MgO) is the most common magnesium supplementation product. The level of elemental magnesium is high at approximately 54 percent. Attention to sourcing high quality, reliable MgO is important. MgO is suitable for pasture dusting, drenching and in feeds such as compound feed and blends but is not soluble, so cannot be used for water treatment. Magnesium chloride and Magnesium sulphate are both readily soluble in water, which lends them towards use in animal troughs. However, the level of elemental
| Magnesium (Mg) is an important macromineral that has many functions within the body.
magnesium is significantly lower than magnesium oxide and they should be carefully used due to their bitter nature – ensuring the water they are dissolved in does not become so unpalatable that animals abstain from drinking it is extremely important. A multiple route to magnesium supplementation seems to be the most effective strategy, especially during the risky spring period. Use of MgO in feed and/or via pasture dusting, along with suitable Mg sources added to drinking water, will ensure that requirements are successfully met. For more information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist.
Article supplied by Stacey Cosnett, Nutritionist, Farmlands.
Magnesium requirements and supplementation recommendations
As you can see in the table, the magnesium level in pasture generally does not meet the requirements of lactating cows, so supplementation is important.
% Mg pasture
0.1-0.20% (not able to meet requirements) Supplementary Mg recommended
A table showing the most common magnesium oxide supplementation options
Mg Source
% Elemental Mg (approx. can different between suppliers) FeaturesLimitationsDosage
Mg Oxide 54 High in Mg content compared to other sources.
Very easy to supplement with low wastage if included in dairy feeds. Can be dusted on pasture.
Not soluble, so cannot be used in water troughs.
50% field loss if used for paddock dusting. Dusting can be labour intensive.
Mg Chloride11.7 Soluble, so can be added to water.Palatability issues if included in the water at too high rate.
Mg Sulphate9.8 Soluble, so can be added to water.Can have a laxative effect when used in high concentrations. Palatability issues if included in the water at too high rate.
50-80g if dusting/cow/day. Higher levels may be required in adverse conditions to offset in-field losses.
Very good utilisation if included in dairy compound feed and blends feed in-shed.
60-100g/cow/day (levels over this limit decreases palatability of water).
75-100g/cow/day (over this limit increases risk of laxative effect and can decrease palatability of water).
| Table adapted from Dairy NZ.
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Forage fibre the key to winter feeding
Whether you’re feeding an eventer or showjumper turned out for a winter rest, woolly pony club ponies, super-fit and clipped hunters or a dressage horse focussed on the local winter series, the principles of winter feeding remains the same. It’s all about quality forage fibre!
The lower limit of daily forage intake for any horse is 1.5 percent of the horse’s body weight in forage dry matter (Harris et al., 2017). This equates to 7.5kg dry matter for a 500kg horse, e.g. nearly half a bale of meadow hay. When winter bites, 2-3 percent of body weight in forage dry matter should be fed. Horses should have free access to forage fibre for an absolute minimum of 8, ideally 10 or more hours per day but in winter this may need to be doubled.
Low pasture growth limits supply in winter and combined with the low fibre, energy, mineral and often protein content of winter pasture, conserved forages are required to fill the pasture deficit. Hay is most commonly used for winter feeding of horses but the huge range in quality of hay or baleage leaves many horse owners guessing whether their forage is providing enough energy or protein unless it has been tested. By the time you notice that your horse has lost weight in winter, it’s too late to recover that lost muscle in under 6 weeks.
So it’s best to plan your forage supplies well in advance. Purchase and know the nutrient content of your bulk forage, e.g. hay, well before winter starts as well as feeding highly digestible forage fibre like FiberProtect, FiberEzy or FiberMix
in the feed bowl to boost protein and slow-release energy as required by the demands of each individual horse. Forage protein requires special consideration for the equine athletes taking a break, to ensure muscle built up during the season can be maintained during a spell. For young, growing horses it is important to prevent a growth check during winter and maintaining muscle mass is the key to longevity and soundness for old horses. The supply of amino acids (building blocks of protein) is critical for maintenance or growth of muscle mass and topline and to support the immune system challenged by winter ills.
If your horse requires additional energy added to the feed bowl, it’s easy to utilise a complete balanced foragebased feed such as FiberBoost, or add to the quality fibre already in the feed bowl some highly digestible concentrate (e.g. cooked formulated feed) at a ratio of 2:1 (forage fibre:concentrate) by weight and only add a small amount of fat/oil – as using this energy source in winter can reduce the heat of digestion and if horses are not well adapted to fat/ oil this can reduce fibre digestion. So why is forage digestion and metabolism even more important in winter than at other times of the year? Because the process of forage fibre digestion in the hind gut is what keeps horses warm. Rugging, shelter or stabling can help keep horses warmer and reduce their energy requirements but horses with wet heads and legs standing in mud can still lose a lot
of heat even when well rugged. By utilising the natural central-heating power of the heat of fibre digestion and metabolism, you can keep your horses and ponies toasty warm on the inside using continuous slow-release energy. Cereal grains or oils might be a more energy dense feed than forages but they do not warm your horse. Cereals and concentrates have a reputation for being ‘heating’ but this is in reference to horse behaviour, not their body temperature. When bad weather suddenly increases energy demands for body warmth, to reduce risk of digestive upsets and colic, this should be supplied by increasing the highest quality forage fibre in the diet to which the horse is already adapted. Even if your horse is a ‘good doer’ and keeps condition on in winter with almost no pasture and just plenty of mature meadow hay, a small feed of high quality forage fibre protein like FiberProtect with mineral/vitamin balancer will be required daily to meet nutrient requirements. Even just 1-2kg of highly digestible fresh forage fibre like FiberProtect, FiberEzy or FiberMix will nourish the beneficial bacteria supporting gut microflora balance, where it has been recently discovered that 70-80 percent of the immune system resides.
For further information, talk to your local Nutrition Specialist. Article supplied by Fiber Fresh.
Winter bee nutrition important for spring success
As winter approaches, beekeepers nationwide are now well into their feeding programmes and carefully monitoring their hives. The health of our bees going into winter gives a reasonably fair and early indication of how well we will be looking going into the new season this spring.
The feeding season varies around the country, depending when the plants in each region stop flowering. In general, the southern regions down into the South Island started in February, while many in the northern regions have only just started their feeding programmes.
Sugar syrup is considered the industry standard bee feed. However, as the complex nutrients that bees source from pollen become less readily available, more beekeepers look to add the vital amino acids, minerals and trace elements that bees need to survive through tonics, patties or other bee feed supplements.
One of the newest supplements now being used by many beekeepers throughout the country, K BEE Bee Nutrition, is a unique formulation of mixed seaweeds processed into a liquid concentrate tonic for adding to the sugar syrup feed in hives.
Hein Watt, National Beekeeping Manager for New Zealand Manuka Group, says that many regions have required extra supplementation this year as part of their feeding programmes. “The season in Wairarapa is now well over. Some land blocks now don’t have anything for the bees to forage, so we are supporting them with K BEE Bee Nutrition tonic,
which kept them strong and healthy between seasons last year,” he says.
Based in Waihau Bay, Cape Runaway, Mark O’Brien manages 1,050 hives, which are located on land from Te Kaha through to Omau and out to Te Araroa on the East Cape. Using K BEE Bee Nutrition for the first time in late 2016, Mark is still impressed with the results he is achieving today.
“The hives are a lot stronger and the bees are lasting a lot longer – they are just in better condition,” Mark says.
Incorporating K BEE into his regular feeding programme, Mark mixes 20ml of K BEE per litre of sugar syrup before placing it into the feeders. He credits using K BEE for making his bees healthier than he has ever seen them before.
“I have never seen them this strong at this time year. Even after a bad year, they are looking good. I’m utilising more sugar syrup because the bees are hungrier and stronger
and the hive is more active.”
K BEE is the only bee nutrition tonic in the world to incorporate mixed seaweeds delivering the highest value of essential amino acids, minerals and trace elements for optimum bee and hive health.
“We are in a unique position to be able to choose the seaweed species and combination of seaweeds closest to that of the bee’s natural pollen and food needs,” NZ Seaweeds Technical Manager, Kath Coopey says.
“The main question beekeepers ask is how often they should be use K BEE,” Kath says. “Our recommendation is that they should use it every time they feed sugar syrup. Just keep a drum on the back of the truck and add it in to every feed.”
For further information, talk to your Farmlands Technical Advisor or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by NZ Seaweeds.
| Many regions have required extra supplementation this year as part of their feeding programmes.
Farmlands adds further sugar syrup refill stations
Farmlands has the largest beekeeping retail footprint in New Zealand – with more than 30 beekeeping stocking branches from Invercargill through to Kaitaia.
Last year we launched our pilot sugar syrup fill station at our Waipapa, Kerikeri store. This was our response to our shareholders asking us for convenient access to a highquality bulk sugar syrup supply. We were overwhelmed with the support of this initiative as our beekeeping shareholders immediately recognised the convenience of being able to fill their own vessels with sugar syrup. The pilot fill station at Waipapa was
so successful that we immediately added fill stations to three more North Island Farmlands sites at Te Puna, Greytown, and Hautapu. These 20,000 litre fill stations allow our shareholders to simply call in to their Farmlands store when it suits them to have their ute or trailer mounted vessels filled with any quantity they require and charged by the litre.
This initiative actively addresses many health and safety, logistics, economic and timing concerns that our shareholders face in regional New Zealand related to bulk sugar syrup supply.
We have just further expanded our network of refill stations in the North
Island by adding them to Farmlands at Whakatu (Hastings) and Feilding.
Furthermore, we have just added refill stations at Farmlands South Island branches in Alexandra, Rangiora, Greymouth and Richmond.
These new refill station sites are already proving very popular with our beekeeping shareholders. We are actively improving and expanding our beekeeping offering. Watch this space for further details. For further information, talk to your Farmlands Technical Advisor or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Mark Daniels, General Manager – Farmlands Horticulture.
| Grant Engel from Revolutionary Beekeeping fills up a 1,000 litre tank with sugar syrup at Farmlands Waipapa, under the watchful eye of staff member Peter Kriz and store manager Rob Webb.
Get ready for winter
Is your farm well placed to endure the winter wet?
Avoiding soil damage
Wet soil is susceptible to pugging and compaction, which can have a longterm impact on production. Pugging and compaction reduce the number and size of pores in the soil, restricting the movement of water, air and nutrients. For maximum production, the macro-porosity of the top 5 centimetres of soil should be 16-20 percent but this is rarely seen. Below 10 percent, management changes are advisable. Every one percent increase in macro-porosity will increase relative pasture production by 1.8 percent1
Researchers found that after a single, moderate treading event (leaving 40 percent of the ground bare) pasture took 2 months to recover reducing production by 600kgDM/ ha (52 percent)2. In another study, clover N fixation was reduced by 60 percent 1 month after moderate treading and by 80 percent after severe treading3. Even 2 years later, total DM production can be 15 to 20 percent lower than pre-damage
levels. Reduced pasture growth makes paddocks vulnerable to ingression of weeds and less desirable grasses. Minimise soil damage by:
• Building pasture cover leading into winter. Autumn N can help.
• Grazing wetter paddocks with lighter stock before the wetter parts of the season.
• Limiting grazing time/ increasing time between grazings in wet conditions.
• Wintering stock off-farm or use stand-off pads when soils are wet. As a last resort, use a sacrifice paddock to contain pugging.
• Feeding out before letting stock in, so they don’t follow the farm vehicle.
• Keeping heavy machinery off paddocks when wet.
• Avoiding cultivating when regrassing. Cultivated soil pugs easily as there is no structure.
• Direct drilling instead of cultivating.
Managing effluent
Emptying effluent ponds is likely to be on the dairy farmer’s autumn task list. When applying farm dairy effluent
(FDE), soil must not be too wet to avoid ponding, leaching and runoff. Ideally, soil temperatures should be high enough so that pasture is growing and plants can better utilise nutrients in the FDE. Testing FDE nutrient levels is recommended. When using FDE boost covers before winter, be aware that 50 to 70 percent of the nitrogen in FDE is organic N. This takes time to convert into plantavailable N. The delay is masked when effluent is applied to the same area for a number of years but is relevant where you are using FDE for the first time. Keep stock off pasture after effluent application for at least 10 days and monitor potassium levels, as they can be high on effluent blocks. For more information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
1,2,3 Betteridge, K, Drewry, J, Mackay, A, Singleton, P. 2003. Managing Treading Damage on Dairy and Beef Farms in New Zealand. AgResearch. Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients.
Crop support a phone call away
The ability to pick up the phone for instant maize crop support is just one of the reasons Taranaki dairy farmer Wayne Neilson enjoys working with Pioneer and Farmlands so much.
Wayne, known affectionately as Willy, farms a 380-cow, split-calving herd on a 110ha dairy platform near Waverley with wife Sarah, daughter Chloe (8) and son Blake (5).
“We have been growing maize for silage for around 15 years – 10ha on the dairy platform has been in maize for the last 12 years, with only 1 year off,” Willy says.
“We generally get 20 tonnes/ ha yield, so it takes a bit to beat with the equivalent in grass.”
Willy’s parents, Roger and Rosemary, converted the home farm from sheep and beef with Willy in 1994.
The farm’s run-off – comprised of 100ha of flats, 150ha native bush and the remainder easy-to-very-steep hills – runs 110 beef breeding cows and 500 romney breeding ewes on the steep areas and dairy support for replacement autumn and spring heifers on the easier country.
On the cropable flat country at the support block they grow 6-15ha of maize, 5ha of barley silage and cut 900 bales of grass silage.
“This year we’ve also grown 8ha of Pioneer lucerne,” Willy says. “We grazed this with 600 weaned lambs in December and have been able to cut 20 bales per hectare in February.”
The farm has no particular challenges when it comes to disease or weather,
so Pioneer hybrids P9400 and P9911 are ideal for the environment.
“We generally stick the maize seed in the ground, keep an eye on it until it’s about a foot tall, and then forget about it until harvest time,” Willy says.
“Even the storm earlier this season had little effect on our crop. Our contractor told us our crop was one of the taller, better crops he had seen.”
The maize silage is mixed with grass silage, molasses, minerals and occasionally palm kernel in the mixer wagon and fed onto the farm’s feed pads to minimise wastage. Feeding extends from roughly the end of May until after Christmas, depending on the season’s grass growth.
Despite his lengthy experience with maize, Willy works closely with Pioneer Regional Manager for Taranaki and Rangitikei, David McDonald.
“Dave is really good,” Willy says. “I just ring him whenever I
like, for support or advice.”
Willy also enjoys a good relationship with Farmlands Technical Field Officer, Jason Wing.
“We’ve only been with Farmlands Wanganui for around 2 years but it’s been an enjoyable experience,” Willy says. “I have a great relationship with Jason – I can ring him at any time for any information I need about the crop. Having great support is a key factor for me.”
Jason says his customers, like Willy, are encouraged to take advantage of Farmlands’ strong customer focus, advice and support.
“I hear from Willy probably every second day,” Jason says.
“He’s a very good farmer.”
For more information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Pioneer.
| Wayne Neilson with his daughter Chloe (left) and son Blake (right).
Combatting selenium and cobalt deficiencies
The trace element deficiencies of selenium and cobalt are well recognised in many regions of New Zealand. Deficiencies in these trace elements and the effect on livestock production and health is well documented with supplementation using a long acting source benefitting both the ewe and lambs. Long acting supplementation has been shown to be more beneficial than short acting ‘spike’ treatments.
Deciding whether ewes, two-tooths and hoggets require a pre-lamb drench is not a particularly black and white exercise, with adult ewes being
more capable of managing a parasite challenge than ewe hoggets or twotooths. There are strong opinions for all options and in the end, you need to make the decision that is best for your farm. Factors like worm resilience or resistant genetics of your flock, grass covers, BCS twin or single pregnancy and pasture larval challenge all play a part in the decision-making process. There are situations when the use of long acting drenches is high risk (e.g. in situations with low refugia) and there are also management factors that can help to manage some of these risks (e.g. FECRT, primer and exit drenching).
The options that suit you will be unique to your farm – an effective parasite management plan incorporates the use of all the tools available including effective drenches. If there is a significant parasite challenge present mid-winter as indicated by faecal egg counts and BCS then treating earlier than pre-lamb may be more beneficial. Centramax is a production enhancing tool that may be suitable for your farm system, maximising the utilisation of feed offered and countering the effects of sub-clinical parasitism. When used as part of your parasite management plan and in conjunction with adequate nutrition, it can help boost production. In a continuous delivery mechanism, Centramax contains the anthelmintics abamectin and albendazole, along with trace elements selenium and cobalt. A major feature is killing susceptible adult and larval parasites for 100 days. This can improve the appetite of the treated sheep (the major production limiting mechanism seen when parasites are present), aiding with increasing body condition score (BCS) in light ewes and higher milk production, resulting in greater weaning weights of the lambs. A further possible benefit is less pasture contamination with parasite eggs, which can be an aid for sheep subsequently grazing these pastures by reducing their parasite challenge. Talk to your Farmlands Technical Field Officer for strategies to help determine the most productive use of these products in the farm system using the Wormwise ® principles.
Article supplied by Agritrade.
Exclusive shareholder pricing on all new Toyota’s is now a Drive Away Price – this includes all on road costs and Toyota Care Service Advantage, which gives shareholders the certainty about their servicing costs in the first four years of regular use.
New design simplifies milking liner choice
Replacing liners at recommended intervals is an important job to protect milk quality, cow health and milking efficiency. With more than 100 different variations of liner used on New Zealand farms, it’s not always easy to know the right one for your situation.
It’s taken time to get every detail right but as test farmers have already found, the latest dairy release from Skellerup NZ is worth waiting for. It is a new range of unique multi-fit milking liners that can be fitted to either standard (10-12mm) or large (13-14mm) claw milk inlet nipples. In other words, if you or your staff have ever found it time consuming and/or confusing picking the correct liner for your situation, there is now one less thing to have to remember. Multi-fit makes this process more convenient and more accurate, so you don’t waste time that could be put to good use on other farm requirements. When it comes to actually installing them, these liners have another important benefit – they are easier to physically fit to the claw, again saving time and reducing hassle. They also come with a splined bumper for improved resistance to impact damage, so they are more robust and less likely to get punctured if cows kick the claws off and stand on them.
From 1st May 2018, all Skellerup VacPlus Square and Reflex liners will feature the multi-fit design, with or without vacuum shut-off options.
Farmers who helped Skellerup trial the new concept appreciate both the convenience and the performance of multi-fit. Perry Davis, Skellerup NZ
National Manager, says the re-design has allowed Skellerup to downsize its liner range from 14 different options to nine. These are capable of covering 90 percent of the different milking plant configurations on New Zealand farms. “We’re always looking for ways to simplify liner choice for farmers and their staff, to make it easier and faster without compromising results,” Perry says.
“We know there can be quite a bit of confusion around picking the right liner and yet it’s such a key part of smart milking. Multi-fit is our answer to this challenge.”
It’s no overnight success, however. Skellerup first rolled the concept out in 2011, with the Reflex M22.
This was followed by the VacPlus Square M23 2 years later.
Response to both was very positive but successfully applying the design across the whole range meant going back to the drawing board more than once to get it right.
“These were very small refinements but we had to be 100 percent sure multifit would work in most configurations, so it took time to prototype and test the different sizes for both VacPlus Square and Reflex liners.”
For more information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Skellerup NZ.
| Replacing liners at recommended intervals is an important job to protect milk quality, cow health and milking efficiency.
Everything you could want
12.9 hectares. This well maintained home boasts four bedrooms, three bathrooms, separate kitchen and three other living areas, as well as an entertaining deck. Set up as a small farm with a large number of sheds, including a studio, chook house, greenhouse, hay barn, workshop, large stables, tack room, mare and foal boxes and five mare and foal shelters. Twelve large paddocks, eight smaller paddocks and two sets of yards. Some native bush. The studio is in the process of being converted to a minor dwelling with Air B&B potential, $860,000 incl GST.
First class organic dairy farm
154 hectares. Immaculate 54-bay rotary cow shed with automatic cup removers, automatic plant wash, flood wash yard, rectangular square yard and meal feeders (not used). This is a reliable productive unit in excellent heart. Two dollar premium paid over and above current pay-out. Two good homes and fantastic array of support shedding and calf rearing facilities. Consented and permitted until 2022 for 550 cows with 90 day storage tank in place. Well laned and set out, offering a very good unit for someone wanting quality. Deadline sale closing 4pm, 17 May 2018 (unless sold prior).
287.0888 hectares freehold. 500,000kgMS predicted this season from 1,100 cows on 320 hectare platform. 40 hectare of adjoining land is leased and used as platform. Very well sheltered and subdivided with two troughs in most paddocks. 70 bail rotary shed, Gascigne Stocker plant and in-shed feeding, 281 MGI shares included in sale price. Two brick houses main homestead five bedrooms and second three bedrooms. All the key ingredients – location, water and quality dairy soils. Deadline sale closing 4pm, 2 May 2018 (unless sold prior).
Super support, or sheep and beef
732 hectares. Presently used as an extensive dairy support block. Very attractive main homestead, plus two other houses. Well subdivided, with road access along two sides, plus extensive tracking. Buildings include excellent woolshed and covered yards, 3 bay implement shed, four hay barns, workshop, second woolshed and cattle yards. 23,624 litres stock water per day from Waihaorunga District Scheme. Deadline sale closing 4pm, 2 May 2018 (unless sold prior).
Kopuera Land Company has developed this substantial land holding of 1,014 hectares into a modern and efficient dairy farming enterprise over the last 7 years. The Company is being offered for sale by negotiation for Land and Buildings with an option to maintain the current lease arrangement with the lessee owning the livestock, plant and machinery. Lease quantum represents an expected commercial return with a 3-year term and two further rights of renewal. Price by negotiation. www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz
Ian Morgan Lifestyle / Rural – Waikato 027 492 5878 ian.morgan@farmlands.co.nz
