Success in farming and growing usually doesn’t come from big, FLashy triumphant moments. It takes constant decision-making and persistent effort to earn a series of smaller wins that add to something bigger.
Wins like having enough feed to keep stock healthy through summer; preventing a parasite outbreak; installing your water tank before the dry spell; or controlling weeds to give your crops the best shot at growth. We’re here to help with that.
That’s why, at Farmlands we offer expert advice and support, reliable products and timely supply, and a card that gives you all that and more at a better price. Because that’s what true partnership is all about - working together to help each person grow, because every win makes the co-operative even stronger.
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FARMLANDS PUBLICATION TEAM
Deborah Allan
Sally-Ann Fitzhardinge
Ben Zelas
CONTACT
Farmlands
535 Wairakei Road, Burnside, Christchurch
Ph: 0800 200 600
Email: farmlander@farmlands.co.nz
CONTENT & DESIGN BY SCG
Niko Kloeten
LauraGrace McFarland
Julian Pettitt
ON THE COVER
James Hunter with his dogs on Rangitoto Station near Porangahau.
Photography by Richard Brimer.
Design by Julian Pettitt
The information contained in this publication is given in good faith and has been derived from sources perceived to be reliable and accurate. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the information, Farmlands gives no warranties, express or implied, regarding the information nor does it accept any liability for any opinion or information (including the accuracy or completeness thereof) or for any consequences flowing from its use. The information and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views or opinion of Farmlands, its editorial contributors, freelancers, associates or information providers. Independent advice is recommended before acting on information or suggestions contained herein. Readers who rely on this information do so at their own risk. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service whether by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Farmlands. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher. Prices and offers apply only in the time-period stated on the front cover of this publication and while stocks last. Not all products are available at all Farmlands stores. All prices include GST unless otherwise stated.
Connecting past and present
As we head into the warmer months, this edition arrives right on the heels of our recent Annual Results announcement, where our return to profit is a huge milestone for Farmlands. This is more than just a number; it’s proof that the work we're doing to strengthen your co-op – from supply chain efficiencies to getting the right products at the right price – is absolutely paying off for our shareholders.
You'll notice something different about this issue: it's our very first online exclusive edition. By going digital for summer, we can now share timely and useful stories with you faster than ever before. You can read Farmlander wherever you are – on the farm, at home, or out and about enjoying summer –now there’s a win!
Of course, the spirit of looking forward while honouring our heritage was on full display recently at the Hastings opening and legacy event. What a fantastic celebration! It was truly special to gather with long-standing shareholders, staff, and directors to celebrate our 63-year history in Hawke's Bay and mark the new Omahu Road site. This hub, which brings together our retail, regional, and horticulture services, is a powerful symbol of our commitment to investing in the regions – especially as the community continues to grow and recover.
Inside this Summer Farmlander, you'll find fantastic stories celebrating the partnerships, innovations, and hard work that will help make your next season a success. From tips on summer feeding to new product lines and stories of resilience on the farm, we've packed the pages with content to help you achieve your goals.
By investing in our future, supporting our regions, and delivering a profitable return, we're strengthening the co-op for everyone. That's a win!
Enjoy the magazine and have a productive summer.
Ngā mihi o te raumati (Greetings of summer).
Tanya
Got something to share with the team at Farmlander ?
Email farmlander@farmlands.co.nz
Keep up-to-date with the latest news from across the co-operative via our website and social media. @farmlandsnz @farmlandsnz
Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited
Photo: Michael Farr
Photo: Sally Newall
Ted & Bluebell practice their leading for Pet Day.
The royal inspiration for a Marlborough
We speak to Farmlands shareholders hit by oncein-a-century flooding in Tasman.
Meet two of the up-and-coming rural leaders in key governance roles at Farmlands.
Assessing the options for making your marginal land more profitable.
How farmers can save an endangered native bird by looking after their wetlands.
Farmers share their experiences in the growing niche of ecotourism.
From familiar faces to new arrivals, meet some of the nationwide SealesWinslow nutrition team.
The Calf Experts show how to get weaning right and set your calves up for success.
Movember shines a light on men’s health, but don’t forget about your male animals.
With New Zealand set for a hot summer, Dr Rob has some tips for looking after your chooks.
Find out more about five new Technical Advisors who have joined the Farmlands Horticulture team.
We showcase the historic – and occasionally derelict – old buildings across rural New Zealand.
CLIPPINGS
ANNUAL REPORT
News from Farmlands and beyond
A year of focus: Our Annual Report is here
We’re thrilled to announce the release of the Farmlands Annual Report, marking another year of determined progress and strategic delivery for your co-operative.
Despite a complex environment for our shareholders, Farmlands remained sharply focused on our long-term strategy, and the results speak for themselves. The report highlights our return
YOUNG GROWER OF THE YEAR
to the black and confirms that our commitment to core business stability is paying off. These results demonstrate the value of staying the course and investing strategically to build a stronger, more resilient co-op for your benefit. We encourage all shareholders to visit our website and dive into the full report for all the figures and forward-looking detail. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Join us at the AGM!
The discussion continues at our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM), and we can’t wait to welcome you. This year, we're celebrating by hosting the AGM at our brandnew New Plymouth store later in November! It’s an exciting opportunity to connect directly with the Board and Leadership Team, review the year, and discuss our plans for the future, all while experiencing our latest retail hub. Keep an eye on our channels for the exact date and registration information. We look forward to seeing you there!
Farmlands team ace exam challenge
A group of Farmlands Technical Advisors played a key part in the New Zealand Young Grower of the Year competition, delivering one of the technical challenges.
This year’s task was a 60-question exam on botany, created by Grant McKay and supported by the rest of the team: Luke Hawthorne, Mike Darling and Mark Eder.
The exam tested competitors’ knowledge of plant science, physiology, and horticultural practice – all under the pressure of just 25 minutes to complete.
The competition, which featured seven national finalists representing regions from across New Zealand, was hosted at Lincoln University and run by the Horticulture New Zealand team, who did an outstanding job leading the event and creating a platform for young talent to shine.
After a challenging series of technical tests, Phoebe Scherer from Bay of Plenty emerged as the winner, showing exceptional knowledge and composure under pressure.
“It was a privilege to be involved in this year’s event and to see the depth of skill, commitment, and passion these young professionals bring to the horticulture sector,” Luke says. “Thanks to Horticulture New Zealand for their leadership and vision – the future of our industry is in very good hands.”
Mark Eder (left) and Mike Darling were part of the Farmlands team judging the challenge.
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COMPETITIONS
The Good Life
Two lucky Farmlander readers have won copies of Gillian Swinton’s popular book The Good Life. Gillian and her husband Hamish live on a lifestyle block in Central Otago. Her book includes more than 25 recipes for pickling, preserving and delicious meals to help you get the most out of your kitchen, garden and paddock.
Our The Good Life giveaway in the Spring 2025 issue of Farmlander attracted over 80 entries, with Helen Johnston of Kaikoura and Gerard Bourke of Upper Hutt getting their names drawn. Your copies are on their way!
INNOVATION
From feed bags to fashion
A Hawke’s Bay student has found an innovative use for empty McMillan equine feed bags, turning them into a fashion item.
Eve Hunter, a Year 11 student who boards at Iona College in Havelock North, originally made the bags into a dress for a school project. She has since worn it at several events, including the TOI Wearable Art competition in Hastings earlier this year, as well as at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Show and Equifest in October.
Eve estimates the dress took around 150 McMillan feed bags to make. Her family have a 960ha station in Pōrangahau and they are keen equestrians. Some bags were also donated by family friend Claire Wilson, a top-level horse rider.
Eve says she enjoyed getting up on stage with her dress, although she admits she was a bit nervous about the occasion.
“It was quite a big crowd. I've not really been on stage like that before, so it's quite different.”
EVENTS
Upcoming events
The rural calendar is packed with big events after the summer holidays, and we’re looking forward to seeing you. Join the Farmlands team at these events to get the latest updates on FarmlandsPRO, Farmlands Flex, Farmlands Card, Agronomy, SealesWinslow, NRM, McMillan and Fern Energy. Plus we’ll have the latest products from our exclusive brands on display (Top Paddock, Agstar, 1972 by Barkers and more).
Here are some of the upcoming shows around the country where you will get the chance to catch up with the Farmlands team:
Southern Field Days, Waimumu, Gore
• 11th-13th February 2026
• Site 174
• Join the Farmlands team for a free coffee and sweet treat
• SealesWinslow will also be there –right next door.
Northland Field Days, Dargaville
• 26th-28th February 2026
• Site K10
• Take a break and enjoy a free ice cold drink while you chat to the team
• Plus SealesWinslow will also be there, just round the corner from Farmlands.
Wanaka A&P Show, Wanaka
• 13th-14th March 2026
• Site S7
• Join your local Farmlands team for a free coffee and sweet treat.
• Head over to site G9 to chat all things equine and lifestyle nutrition with the team from NRM and McMillan.
Central Districts Field Days, Feilding
• 19th-21st March 2026
• Site O63-64
• Meet your local Farmlands team for a free coffee and sweet treat
• Stop in to chat to the SealesWinslow team for your on farm bulk nutrition needs, next door.
Horse of the Year, Hastings
• 24th-29th March 2026
• Site A9-A10
• Catch up with the NRM and McMillan team and get expert nutritional advice for your horse and pony.
Farmlands gets behind Waimate Trail
Farmlands Waimate has stepped up to support a walking and cycling trail linking the town with Waihao Forks, home of the historic ‘Ted’s bottle’.
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN
Farmlands, in partnership with Summit Steel & Wire and with the support of donations from generous Farmlands shareholders, has supplied the fencing for stage one of the Waimate Trail (Te Ara Waimatemate), which is 13km long.
Stage one finishes near Waihao Forks Hotel, home to Ted's bottle, the unopened bottle of beer left behind by local Ted d'Auvergne, who left for World War II in 1939 and never returned.
Jo Sutherland, Project Manager for the Waimate Trail, says once completed the trail will be a great recreational attraction for locals, and bring economic opportunity to the area along with extra tourism.
“The vision is a 67km loop which joins the three bushes together: Studholme, Kelsey's and Gunn’s,” she says.
“The idea is for it to be a big loop that we could do planting in between, and then have all this lovely corridor for bird life, and then it goes over Mount Studholme, where you get that amazing view at the top.”
Jo says the project would not have been possible without the support of local businesses like Farmlands, or the farmers who have allowed the trail to go across their land.
“The support has been amazing — from sponsors and community groups to local donors and key partners. We’re so lucky to have a community that always pulls together to make things happen.”
Rachel Rooney, Farmlands Waimate Branch Manager, says when Jo approached her for support, fencing seemed like the logical thing to help with.
“Shareholders can donate by buying a roll of netting or wire, which is charged to their account, but the physical product goes directly to the fencer to be installed along the trail,” she says.
“That's been a really nice and straightforward way for shareholders and customers to come in and buy product to support the trail.”
Rachel says they have had huge support, including from one shareholder who paid for the last 3km of fencing on stage one.
“I had no hesitation getting involved in it because it brings shareholders off farm, and it champions the values of getting people together and enjoying the outdoors.”
Rebecca Liemburg, Lower South Island Territory Manager for Summit
Steel & Wire, says the Waimate trail is a great project to be part of.
“I pop down there every time I go to the Waimate store, and just check out the progress,” she says.
“It's awesome to be a part of a local project that is so strongly supported by the local community, and I think it's going to bring a lot of people to Waimate. I do a bit of adventure racing, so I'll definitely be cycling the trail.”
The fencing for stage one of the trail was installed by local contractor Jamie Wratt, who says the project has been great for the community.
“It’s incredibly generous of the landowners to donate the land for the trail. Their support makes projects like this possible.”
From left: Rebecca Liemburg (Lower South Island Territory Manager, Summit Steel & Wire) Jo Sutherland (Waimate Trail Project Manager), Rachel Rooney (Farmlands Waimate Branch Manager) at the Farmlands Waimate store.
Farmlands celebrates Hawke’s Bay heritage
Farmlands is looking to the future with its purpose-built new store in Hastings, while reflecting on the co-operative’s rich history in the Hawke’s Bay.
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN GRANT MAYER
Founded in 1962 in a meeting at the Eskdale Hall, Farmlands opened its first store in Hastings soon after and has been a fixture in the region for the past six decades, while it expanded around the country.
The recent opening of the new store on the corner of Omahu Road and Barnes Place (right next to the Farmlands Horticulture Hub) was a chance for long-time Farmlands shareholders, staff and leaders in the area to get together and share their stories.
Retired farmer Alec Olsen has a close personal connection to the co-operative: his family farm was next door to Farmlands founders Max de Denne and Tom Cranswick, who were shareholders number 1 and 2.
Although he was only a child at the time, Alec proudly carries the
Alec Olsen.
shareholder number of 31 passed down by his late father, who was an avid Farmlands history buff and collector of memorabilia.
“The first Farmlands shop was operated out of the Federated Farmers office in Queen Street. It only amounted at that stage to a few drums of drench and weed sprays, as well as orders for fertiliser.
“The stock firms were charging booking fees per ton of fertiliser, which is the same effort whether you write 1,000 tonnes or five tonnes, so Farmlands negotiated a standard booking fee.”
Alec says stock firms were “quite hostile” towards the newcomer, even threatening their clients who had overdraft facilities until the “wave of enthusiasm” from Farmlands customers forced them to acquiesce.
Although the Olsen family’s farm was a mix of sheep and beef and forestry, Alec says one of the big trends in Hawke’s Bay since the arrival of Farmlands has been the growth of the local horticulture industry.
Patrick O’Rourke is another local Farmlands shareholder with a close connection to the co-operative: his late father, also named Patrick, was another attendee at the fateful meeting in the Eskdale Hall in 1962.
“He went to the original meeting, and he joined up three days later because he didn't really want to
commit on the night, so he ended up with Farmlands number 57.”
Farmlands Hastings has changed a lot since Patrick was young, when it was “just a shed”, he says.
“When I went in there as a kid, they only ran very basic product lines, and I think they got in a big heap of Atlas freezers when hydatids became a problem. I remember seeing those stacked to the roof in the shop. We had one for probably 35 years before it died.”
The family’s original shareholder number has now passed down to the
third generation of O’Rourkes, with Patrick and his wife Lesley recently completing the process of selling their farm to their son Andrew and his wife Julia.
“I've been using that number for many years, and we are proud of it,” Patrick says. “It's very convenient to go into the shop and just say number 57, and the staff do make a special effort to get to know those guys with the original numbers.”
Hawke’s Bay farmer Erin Train has a long connection to Farmlands, through her own family and her late husband Pete’s parents Brett and Pam, who held the shareholder number 56.
Erin says they inherited that shareholder number as well as their farm in Waihau, which celebrated 70 years in the family this year.
“Brett went to the meeting in the Esk Valley when they all decided to try and do something. There aren’t many shareholders with a really low number like us, but I think there's that pride of being one of those early shareholders.”
Erin has another Farmlands connection: she assessed the replacement insurance for several Farmlands buildings over 20 years ago, when she was working as a valuer.
Patrick O’Rourke.
Erin Train.
“Even back then they were proactive with creating purpose-built stores that facilitated what customers needed, and the new store is just an evolution of that.”
Farmlands moved around a few times in the early years before building its own Hastings store. Mike says regardless of the location, the staff were always eager to help shareholders get whatever products they needed.
“If people wanted something they would say ‘yes, we can get it’ and away they would go.”
Mike says the products stocked at Farmlands have changed over the years, as well as the technology.
“When they built their first building in Hastings they had a whole room for their computer. Each time they got a new computer it was smaller, until they could fit it in the cupboard. Now you can fit all that information in a phone in your pocket.”
Long-serving staff
The Hawke’s Bay is home to many long-time Farmlands shareholders, and some of the co-operative’s longestserving team members as well.
Napier Assistant Business Manager Scott Ross has been with Farmlands for 36 years, while his colleague David Gowan is one of only three Farmlands staff members nationwide to have hit the 40-year milestone.
“Even back then they were proactive with creating purpose-built stores that facilitated what customers needed, and the new store is just an evolution of that.” ERIN TRAIN
Scott says he loves the “diversity” of his job, including the different products and industry sectors, as well as the growing number of lifestyle customers in the Hawke’s Bay region.
“You often do a different thing each day, and you’re dealing with different client bases. Also, I have always found our Card part of the
business interesting, interacting with our Card Partners.”
David says Farmlands is not only bigger but much more high-profile than it was when he got his first job there four decades ago.
“When I started off in Dannevirke, we had curtains on our front windows and people couldn't see in. A lot of people would come in and asking if they could actually shop there.”
David says one of the highlights of working for Farmlands has been the shareholders he’s got to know over the years.
“They’re quite proud of their numbers and they’ll often remind you that they are an early shareholder of Farmlands,” David says.
“I’ve been in the Napier store about 23 years, and I’ve known a lot of the current shareholders since they were children. You get to watch people grow up.”
Scott Ross.
David Gowan.
Hastings homecoming
Farmlands celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art new Hastings store in September with a series of events, including one for legacy shareholders.
The Big Picture
In this section
From innovative wine experiments to devastating floods and environmentally conscious farmers looking to save species, we bring you the big trends in New Zealand’s rural sector through the eyes of Farmlands shareholders.
Photo: Richard Briggs
16 How a wine brand steeped in history is looking to the future by trying a new variety.
24 Visit Tasman farmers and growers recovering from the recent heavy flooding.
38 From endangered birds to sinking peat, find out what farmers are doing with their wetlands.
Ben McLauchlan wrote a paper on “The Mindset of Change” for his Nuffield Scholarship.
GRAPE GROWERS look to a sparkling future
A stint supplying wine to the British Royal family has helped inspire a Marlborough grape grower’s bold move into prosecco, the world’s most popular sparkling wine.
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN RICHARD BRIGGS
Balvonie Wines, owned by Farmlands shareholders Ben and Helen McLauchlan, is currently the only maker of prosecco in the region known as the Sauvignon Blanc capital of New Zealand.
Balvonie is based in Rapaura, north of Blenheim on the banks of the Wairau River, and its journey into prosecco began on the other side of the world.
Ben started his career in sales, and when he and Helen went on their OE, he found himself managing
some high-profile clients for brewing company Scottish & Newcastle.
“Two of my customers were the Houses of Parliament and the Royal Household, so providing alcohol for Balmoral and Sandringham, which was pretty cool,” he says.
“That was where we saw the explosion of prosecco, so that started the vision for where we are today. After coming back to New Zealand we’ve seen the same explosion happen here in consumer awareness and love of that sort of flavour profile.”
Early bud break means frosts can be a problem for Glera, the grapes used in Prosecco.
A bold experiment
Ben and Helen took over the Balvonie vineyard, named in honour of the McLauchlan family’s Scottish heritage, from Ben’s uncle Bruce in 2017.
Balvonie has about 113ha of vines, mostly Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay grown on contract for Marlborough wineries.
When their grapevine supplier Ormond Nurseries gave them the opportunity to try growing Glera (the grape that prosecco is made from) they jumped at the chance, handplanting 600 vines in spring 2021.
“We had a small block of about half a hectare, and we were looking for something to do with it,” Ben says.
“Two of my customers were the Houses of Parliament and the Royal Household, so providing alcohol for Balmoral and Sandringham, which was pretty cool.”
McLauchlans have an extensive history in Marlborough, dating back to 1859 when Lyell’s grandfather Alexander first bought land in the region.
While the Balvonie brand is steeped in history, Ben says it’s also about adapting and looking to the future.
“The prosecco fitted really well with our brand around some of our key values of honesty and integrity, but also innovation.”
Open to change
Ben’s willingness to try something new seems to run in his family.
Balvonie was originally a sheep and beef farm (with a Southdown stud and Hereford cattle), then his uncle Bruce became one of the first people in Marlborough to grow kiwifruit (on a neighbouring property).
“Unfortunately, the climate at that stage was not very conducive to kiwifruit. Then the wine wave arrived, so Bruce started planting grapes about 30 years ago,” Ben says.
“With the knowledge of how successful prosecco has been internationally, we thought we’d get the plants in the ground and see how they grew. They did fantastically well.
“We then thought about how we take this grape and tell our story around our legacy and our history on the property, through a product for the consumer. That’s where we came up with Balvonie.”
Meaning ‘farm in the foothills’ in Scottish, Balvonie was the name given to the land by Ben’s grandfather Lyell McLauchlan, who bought the property back in 1935.
Hailing from the McLauchlan clan (the Scottish Highlands’ oldest clan), the
“My grandfather, a very staunch sheep and beef farmer, was quite hesitant about this new wave. However, I think Bruce probably showed him a couple of the grape cheques and changed his mind.”
Although Ben grew up on a sheep and beef farm in the nearby Wairau Valley (which his parents still farm), he has long held an interest in winemaking, earning a Postgraduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln after completing his Commerce Degree at Canterbury University.
Since taking over the Balvonie vineyard he has also completed the prestigious Nuffield Scholarship, with his research project titled ‘The Mindset of Change’.
“I was intrigued with tech transfer from broadacre agriculture. I thought,
there's so much research done in broadacre, how can we bring that into what we do in viticulture?
“Early on in that process I realised that the actual tech transfer wasn't the issue. There was a blockage in between and it was really about change, and what as primary producers our mindset around change was.”
Different flavour
The McLauchlans have embraced change, not only with the new Glera grapes but with the winemaking process itself.
Ben says Balvonie offers a “Marlborough take” on prosecco, with their wine being made slightly differently to the usual method.
“We bottle ferment and make our prosecco in the champagne style, and we feel it gives real complexity and depth of flavour,” he says.
“The cool thing is all our processes are done in Marlborough
- everything from the winemaking to the marketing - so it's all about being local, using people we know and trust, and it's very Malborough-centric.”
Although their Glera vines have performed well, Ben says there are some “nuances” between varieties that can present their own unique challenges.
“We find Glera is a very vigorous variety, so it grows quickly and has very large leaves, and can overproduce as well. That affects the pruning style we have to use during the season.”
Glera also has a very early bud burst, which means it can be susceptible to frost, Ben says.
“It's about three to four weeks earlier than sauvignon blanc. We had a frost event recently where it dropped to -3°C when we already had shoots about 1-2cm long, while nothing else was out on the other vines.
“That was a stressful night. I was out at about two o'clock in the morning, lighting frost pots.”
Double-edged soil
Having the Wairau River on their doorstep means Balvonie has deep, fertile soils laid down over many years, but there’s a catch, Ben explains.
“The challenge that gives us is our soil is variable, because the river flows east to west, while our rows go north to south. That’s something we need to manage, but it gives us a unique place.
“Our philosophy is that our most important asset is our people, and our second most important asset is our soils.”
To make the most of this vital asset, Balvonie has been implementing regenerative farming principles to enhance the soil and the microbes within.
This includes rotational grazing (they still run about 60 cattle on the property), and cover cropping using the likes of chicory and plantain, Ben says.
“We use a lot of black oats - which get bulk within the soil - and clovers to add nitrogen, but we also use buckwheat in a couple of blocks where
Ben's parents Joan and John McLauchlan still farm in the nearby Wairau Valley.
we have challenges with Mealybug, because the buckwheat supports a parasitic wasp that targets them.”
Ben says much of their work in this space is expanding on what his uncle had previously been doing on the property, although he admits it took them a while to understand why Bruce had done things in a certain way.
“Coming into the business and taking over from our uncle, we pretty much changed our whole system,” he says.
“Three or four years into taking over the business, we reverted to a lot of what Bruce was doing because it worked. And once I got over my youthful enthusiasm, I could see ‘that’s why Bruce was doing it’. It was almost back to the future.”
Giving back
Ben has also been putting his commercial experience to use outside the family vineyard, spending nine years on the board of the Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative (three as Chair) and serving as a Farmlands Board Observer in 2021/2022.
The McLauchlan family has a strong connection to FarmlandsBruce served as a director of CRT in Marlborough prior to the merger - and Ben says his year as a Board Observer helped “demystify” what goes on in the boardroom at big co-operatives.
“The understanding and knowledge that I gained around that table has given me the ability and confidence to go for other governance roles in the future. To anyone else that has the opportunity, I would suggest they definitely put their hat in the ring.”
Helping organisations handle change has been a big focus for Ben, who says one of his biggest strengths is the ability to look outside the farm gate.
“I've got the understanding of the whole of our industry from finance to selling to the consumer, to the marketing aspects as well as the actual growing.”
The McLauchlans are regular Farmlands customers, purchasing everything from development materials to sprays through the co-operative,
“My philosophy is I'm caretaking our land for future generations, so I don't want to literally risk the farm. I want to have controlled innovation and growth within that innovation. We are still a start-up.”
while making good use of the deals available at Card Partner stores.
They have also called on the expertise of local Farmlands Technical Advisor Dominic Missen, who has helped them navigate the challenges of growing a new grape variety.
Despite the promising early results with their prosecco, they still only have about 1ha of Glera planted, 1% of their overall grape crop.
Ben says there’s a fine balance to be struck between looking to the future and keeping the family farm alive for the McLauchlans to come, including their three children.
“My philosophy is I'm caretaking our land for future generations, so I don't want to literally risk the farm. I want to have controlled innovation and growth within that innovation. We are still a start-up.”
Artur, one of the team at Balvonie New Zealand.
AI TOOLS TACKLE FARM ADMIN
Farmers could be spending less time in the office and more time out in the paddock, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can tackle administrative tasks.
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN
With so much discussion around AI, we sat down with Farmlands Chief Digital Officer Andre Scheepers to separate hype from reality.
His overall assessment of AI in agriculture is that it has some useful functions, but more work is needed for it to become the paradigm shift its promoters envision.
One aspect he says can help farmers and growers today is ‘agentic AI’, where AI software can be programmed to process information and perform routine tasks.
While agentic AI is not in use in FarmlandsPRO or other Farmlands tools yet, there are some farm administrative apps that are beginning to incorporate it.
“That would be a use case for generative AI: the gathering of the information, the interpretation of the information, the placement of the orders, the tracking of the orders. Previously, you or a member of your staff would have to do that every morning,” Andre says.
“This means no wasting time on administrative tasks, so you can be out on the farm and actually doing what you love. If you think about what those agents are, that's a 24/7/365 admin person, and you can have 20 of them.”
Precision predictions
Andre says one of the biggest impacts from AI on farming currently is around supporting the decision-making process.
“It's understanding signals that are coming in and then being able to act on those signals. The other component is being able to ask questions around problems that you're trying to solve.
“I think we'll see a massive jump in the next year around predictive modelling. So what are the effects of climate change? How would that change the way that I'm farming? All of those kinds of things will start showing up.”
That's where Farmlands differentiates itself, Andre says: it's not just about the product, it's all about the people and the services that sit around that.
“We've got world-class agronomists who work with you, and we are starting to know that information as well.
Not only that, as products change and as products get better, we can also recommend that you try something else because you'll get a certain advantage from it.”
Personalised service
Farmlands customer surveys have made one thing clear: they want a more personalised experience, and Andre says AI can help deliver that.
“They want to have better product recommendations that are specific to the time of year that they're in and the type of farming they do,” he says.
“This is where we can really use the AI to refine that data and make sure that what we present to you in that interface is really what's relevant to where you are.”
Andre Scheepers.
Photo: Aaron Lee
Double dose of DEVASTATION IN TASMAN
The Tasman region was hit hard by two severe floods in quick succession during winter.
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN OLIVER WEBER
After a ‘once in a century’ flood at the end of June, and another intense storm only a couple of weeks later, it sounds strange to say things could have been worse. Blueberry growers Donald and Nicola Heckler, who have two sites along the Motueka River, are counting their blessings that the devastating weather events weren’t a few weeks earlier.
“It couldn't have come at a better time in regard to the fact we had just finished production,” Donald says.
The Hecklers grow 17 different varieties of blueberry, each with its own four-to-five-week harvest period, giving them a long harvest season that ranges from the start of November to the second week in June.
“It’s good having such a spread, because everything goes up and down: the markets, the weather, whatever it may be. That's the beauty of living in the Motueka region –we've got a long season compared to other areas.”
Although their income for this year was not affected by the floods, Donald and Nicola still face a hefty clean-up bill and reduced production for the next few seasons.
They estimate they have lost around 5ha of their 30ha, planted on two sites: Mill Creek Orchard (their home farm, which is where they pack the fruit) and Motueka Berries, which is 10km upriver.
Their 6ha of tunnels were relatively unscathed, but much of the netting on the plants close to the river was washed away. Their plant nursery on the home farm was badly damaged and they lost a shed at their Motueka Berries site.
“The main thing was just the sheer amount of water and silt that was over the property,” Donald says.
“We had the first event on the 27th of June, which was the largest volume the Motueka River has ever experienced. Then on the 11th of July, we had another event which wasn't as significant in regard to water, but we had 15,000ha of forests that got blown over around Nelson.
“It wasn't slash, it was actual trees rolling through the property, which flattened structures and plants. The first
one was bad, but we were two weeks into cleaning that one up when the second one hit and it was catastrophic, to be perfectly honest.”
In the aftermath of the floods, their top priority was clearing off the surviving plants so the buds could start expanding and burst into flower.
“Each blueberry bud carries, depending on the variety, between five and 11 flowers, so the main thing was getting all the grass and debris off them, and the silt because it essentially seals the ground off like cement,” Donald says.
Due to the delicate nature of the plants, they couldn’t just jump into bulldozers to clear up the mess, meaning it had to be done by hand.
“We've had anywhere between 30 and 90 people a day working at Mill Creek, raking and clearing, just taking the stuff off the plants,” he says. “It's been a very labourintensive winter.”
Dealing with the floods has taken an emotional toll, but Donald and Nicola have had the support of family and friends, their dedicated staff and the community, as well as their local Farmlands Technical Advisor Richard Clarkson.
“Richard's a very supportive and positive person and he's very knowledgeable on everything hort, because he has been involved with it for so long,” Donald says.
“He has been bloody excellent. He brought us a homekill beast and cooked a feed for about 30 of us, which was very nice of him.”
Quick action needed
For dairy farmers Kevin and Kyla Freeman, who milk about 700 cows across two farms in the aptly named Rainy River Valley, the floods left them in a race against time to fix as much as they could before spring calving.
“We had 20 days from flood to first calf, so it’s been about just making it happen as much as you can while you can, and then in the summertime we can make the farm back to how it should be.”
“It wasn't slash, it was actual trees rolling through the property, which flattened structures and plants. The first one was bad, but we were two weeks into cleaning that one up when the second one hit and it was catastrophic, to be perfectly honest.”
Kevin estimates up to 10km of fencing was affected across the two farms, and fixing the fences has been not only expensive but time-consuming.
“We had two staff that went solely on fencing and another one that helped out as well, so you had two and a half people, and it was probably four or five weeks of actual labour.”
Kevin says both farms were hit hard but the smaller farm, which has about 300 cows, came out slightly worse off, including nearly losing a bridge during the first flood.
“That flood caused the most damage on that farm, and then number two just blew out a couple of stop banks that had been repaired.
“On the second event, it was the other farm that was worse affected by tree fall. We had a lot of forestry around us, and we had a massive number of trees fall because the second one had the strong winds. It was more of a wind event.”
While they didn’t lose any stock due to early warnings of the incoming floods, the Freemans did lose a sizeable amount of land close to the river.
“We do everything to make good, fertile land with great grass, and a lot of that’s been washed away. If you've got topsoil, it's gone, but if you keep your topsoil, it's covered in rock,” Kevin says.
“My first call was to my insurance company, and my second call was to Farmlands to ask if I could add another 100 tonnes of palm kernel to our winter contract, and they were able to do that, which was great.”
Kevin says they have also been grateful for the support of Farmlands TFS Ben Moore, who flew down to help direct the recovery effort with Federated Farmers, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and local contractors.
“They helped us fix our bridge, and they put a bulldozer across some of the worst affected paddocks that were just covered with logs and debris.”
Blueberry grower Donald Heckler inspects flood damage to his plants.
Dairy farmer Kevin Freeman suffered heavy damage to several of his paddocks.
Experienced fixer
Ben, who is based in the Waikato, has vast experience helping rural communities deal with weather events ranging from droughts to storms, and for two years post-Cyclone Gabrielle he contracted to Federated Farmers as Adverse Events Coordinator.
He flew down to Nelson soon after the first flood hit Tasman, as part of a collaboration between Federated Farmers and Farmlands.
“Federated Farmers wanted boots on the ground, so I flew down and worked closely with their Adverse Events Coordinator Sue Kinsella to support affected rural communities.”
When a region is hit by a severe flood or other kind of civil emergency, it goes into ‘response’, which lasts for about a month to six weeks, with “every three-letter agency that you could possibly imagine, other than the FBI and the CIA,” Ben says.
“You're dealing with the rural advisory groups, which are run by Rural Support Trust, then you’ve got MPI on-farm support teams, local councils, MPI animal welfare teams… my job was to go down there and make things happen.”
Ben, along with Federated Farmers representatives and members of the local Farmlands team, visited farmers
affected by the storm to assess the damage and see who needed urgent help. Although many of the farms had sustained damage, Ben says there were two shareholders that needed work done immediately.
“One involved a bridge leading to a no-exit road that had three dairy farms with a combined 1,200 cows. If that bridge went out due to that next weather event, then we basically wouldn't be able to get a tanker up there, so I pulled an animal welfare card.
“I got a hold of the mayor, and he gave me a direct line to his river team lead with Tasman District Council. They then got an engineer out there and they got machinery in there within the next 48 hours.
“That relationship worked really well, because Farmlands and Federated Farmers acted as their eyes and ears for the farmers and growers they couldn’t get out to.”
Ben worked closely with Nelson-based contractors Solly’s to get bulldozers and diggers out and clear debris from affected farms. He says compared to Cyclone Gabrielle, the damage was slightly less widespread.
“With Gabrielle, there weren't many places that weren't affected, whereas with Nelson and Tasman, it was area specific, depending on the river catchment.”
Sudden setback
The floods have left a repair bill of at least $150,000 for Farmlands shareholders NE Parkes & Sons, who have a 950ha sheep and beef farming operation in the Eighty Eight Valley, south-west of Nelson.
However, fifth-generation farmer Ian Parkes says they got off lightly compared to some other farmers in the area.
The flooding was a setback for Ian Parkes and Chrissy Harley after a profitable start to the year.
Ben Moore.
“We didn't lose a lot of fencing, probably only a kilometre or two, but we lost 18 floodgates. Plus a heap of gravel – thousands of tonnes – from several large areas of paddocks that were gouged out.
“The second flood was worse because the ground was waterlogged already and we had some trees come down due to the wind, but fortunately we had no slash in our river because there’s no forestry here.”
Ian says the floods set them back by several months financially, during what looked like a turnaround year after a tough period for farmers.
“This is the first year since Covid we've actually made money. We’ve spent the last few years paying back from the losses over that period of Covid and high inflation. We had years of low pricing, and we had a dry season, so we lost big money one year.
“You can see light in the tunnel, and then this happens. At least we're getting good money for our lambs and our beef, which has taken some of the pressure off.”
‘Incredibly challenging’
Federated Farmers Nelson president Kerry Irvine says it’s been an “incredibly challenging” time for many in the region.
“The floods have taken a big physical and emotional toll on farming families – but they’ve also shown the strength of our rural community,” he says.
“Since the floods hit, Federated Farmers, together with Farmlands, MPI, FMG, and generous farmers nationwide, have worked hard to get practical support where it’s needed most.”
Kerry says getting boots on the ground, shovels in the dirt, and heavy machinery rolling quickly was essential.
Farmlands shows its support for Tasman farmers
Farmlands is proud to have supported farmers and growers in Tasman following the recent flooding. Post Your Support, created to help farmers recover from Cyclone Gabrielle, was re-launched to help Tasman and raised $50,000.
This included nearly $20,000 contributed by over 600 shareholders from across the motu and a further $30,000 contributed by the co-operative.
Farmlands also hosted a special shareholder event on October 6 at the Moutere Hills Community Centre, offering an evening of fun, food, light refreshments and a chance to mix with fellow shareholders and Farmlands staff.
The event, held in association with FMG, Farmstrong and Federated Farmers, featured a hilarious performance from comedy duo Emma Newborn and Amelia Dunbar, AKA ‘The Bitches’ Box’.
“In extreme events like this, what affected farmers need most is hands-on help, fast.
“We’re proud to have been able to get stuck in. Within days, our team called all members in the impacted areas, gathered damage information, and rolled out practical support.”
“We’re also deeply grateful for the generosity from outside the region – donations to the Farmers Adverse Events Trust, fence posts from the Tokoroa Lions, and three truckloads of hay from Canterbury farmers and supporting organisations have made a huge difference.”
In extreme events, farmers need help fast, says Federated Farmers Nelson President Kerry Irvine.
Comedy duo Emma Newborn and Amelia Dunbar perform as ‘The Bitches’ Box’.
Claim advice
Storms and flooding can be devastating for rural businesses and households. Here are some tips from Jacqui McIntosh, Head of Claims – Strategic Operations at FMG, on how to handle the claims process*.
It’s important to lodge your claim and talk to your insurer as soon as you can. If you need to carry out urgent work to make your home safe, sanitary, secure, and/or weathertight, keep track of costs incurred and take photos as you go. Your safety is the most important thing, so only do the work if it is safe to do so. Take all reasonable steps to minimise your claim and avoid further damage.
Contact your insurer before you engage any tradespeople or complete any non-urgent repairs on your property. It is then likely your insurer will ask you to gather information to help with assessing your claim:
Photos of the damage
• In large scale events take roomby-room pictures, and clearly mark and display the water level if there has been flooding
• If you have any unusual or highvalue items, ensure you take good photos of these
Quotes for repair
• If repair is not possible, a likefor-like replacement
• As detailed as possible, including a breakdown of costs
A list of damaged items
• Include the ages and (where possible) model numbers Invoices (if your damaged contents are already repaired or replaced)
• Where possible, a damage report from your repairer
Talk to your insurer or check your policy to see if it covers for the removal of damaged contents from your home. We recommend only throwing away spoiled or perishable items (once you’ve taken photos) and then waiting until your claim has been assessed before arranging for the removal of damaged contents. If any costs are incurred in relation to remediation or continuing your
farming operations, we recommend keeping track of these costs as your insurer may be able to consider these under a claim. Basically, photograph, document and maintain receipts as much as you can. This will all help with the claims process.
FMG, and most other insurers, act as an agent on behalf of the Natural Hazards Commission (formerly EQC) and will manage your NHCover claim to make things simpler for you. It is worth noting, only residential land has NHCover for storm and flood damage.
Farm fencing
Again, lodge your claim as soon as possible and before repairing the affected area if possible. Where repairs are required urgently and before you can contact your insurer, please take clear photos of any damage, and outline on a farm map where the damage has occurred.
Keep receipts for materials you have purchased, and all invoices if you have engaged a contractor to repair the fencing.
Flood damage
Cleaning and drying your house as quickly as possible is key. Floodwater can be contaminated with harsh chemicals and raw sewage, so please ensure you stay safe by wearing heavy duty gloves, boots and a face mask when removing your wet carpet. Document the damaged carpet by taking photos of each room affected before proceeding.
*Note: This is general FMG advice for damage from flood and storm and may not be applicable to all insurers. Contact your insurer if you have questions about your cover.
For more detailed information about the claims process, go to FMG’s Disaster Information pages: www.fmg.co.nz/advice/disaster-information
After storm events like Cyclone Gabrielle, lodge your claim as soon as you can.
FARMING MADE EASIER
Check prices, order, and manage supplies — from paddock or desktop
Farmlands bringing young leaders on board
Leading a co-operative with a turnover of $2.6 billion is no easy task. We spoke to the next generation of rural leaders stepping up to governance roles at Farmlands.
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN
For Farmlands director Will Clarke, his mission on the co-operative’s Board is clear: ensure the voice of the farmer and grower is heard.
“The perspective I bring to the boardroom table is of someone who puts boots on in the morning and whose family rely on their farm for their living,” he says.
“It's important that on-the-ground voice is heard within the boardroom, and it is reflected in what happens within the organisation.”
Will’s family dairy and beef business Clarke Agri Limited is based near Clinton in South Otago.
He was elected to the Farmlands Board in 2023, after completing To The Core (a governance development programme for shareholders of Farmlands, Silver Fern Farms and LIC) in 2019 and serving as a Farmlands Board Observer in 2020 and 2021.
“Governance development's really high on our priority list at the moment,” he says. “We look across pretty much all the rural co-operatives, and they're all doing something to try and educate people and prepare them for these governance roles.”
Although he started his professional career as a Chartered Accountant and spent time overseas, it should come as no surprise that Will took a keen interest in Farmlands after taking over the family business in 2012.
“My father was the 33rd member of CRT when it was established. We’ve still got the original shareholder number, which is an ongoing reminder of our long association with the cooperative,” he says.
Will has had a variety of other governance roles, but the complexity and size of Farmlands is on another level compared to what he has done previously.
He has relished the challenge, putting his accounting background
to good use navigating issues like changes to IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards).
Will admits he joined the Farmlands Board at a challenging time for the co-operative, when many of its shareholders were facing tough market conditions due to low prices and high interest rates.
“I joined the Farmlands Board when we had just launched our supply chain transformation programme. Over the last two years, Farmlands has
Will Clarke.
been going through a transformation and now the results are quickly being seen by our shareholders in the availability and pricing of products.
“Our hugely improved NPS score among both our core farmers and growers, and our lifestyle customers, shows we’re on the right track.”
Will says having a successful Farmlands Co-operative is incredibly important for New Zealand’s rural sector.
“A vitally important part of our role is to keep everyone else honest, because as a co-operative, the money stays with the shareholding members, and we've got different drivers to a corporate listed, foreignowned business.
“We've got over 80,000 shareholders, and our reach across the country means we touch most parts of rural New Zealand.”
Moving up the ranks
Another up-and-coming rural leader is recently appointed Farmlands Board Observer Penny Clark-Hall, who was in the same "To The Core" intake as Will back in 2019.
Penny grew up on a farm and now farms (sheep beef and dairy) with her husband in Culverden. Her background in film and telvision, video journalism and communications gave her a sound foundation in influencing perceptions.
Her experience dealing with the sector’s reputational challenges (such as the ‘dirty dairying’ campaign) inspired her to launch New Zealand’s first social licence consultancy in 2019.
“My goal was to support businesses and other industries to build higher levels of trust, ultimately removing barriers to get better outcomes for everyone impacted. I'm really interested in businesses getting less selfish and trying to collaborate more.”
Another aspect of the social licence approach to business is about bringing our "shared humanity" back into business and treating all three pillars of sustainability with equal respect, Penny says.
“I'm really passionate about humanising businesses to build resilience and long-term impact.
“Māori talk about ‘he tangata, he tangata, he tangata': ‘it's the people, it's the people, it's the people’.
“Being a grassroots farmer and a Farmlands shareholder, I have a strong connection to our local Farmlands store and I love the people in there, I want to see them thrive and in turn help local farmers thrive.
“You want that connection and that empowerment at the grassroots level, because the shareholder needs to feel that love and needs to feel empowered and supported. A huge component of that is how we treat our people and how we empower them.”
Penny recently attended her first Farmlands Board of Directors meeting and says that one meeting had a huge effect on her.
“Prior to my first meeting, I was unsure about whether governance would be the right fit for me, but I went away from the meeting feeling excited and motivated to pursue it.
“I didn't have the confidence before to put my name forward for other board positions, and now I know I could do that.”
Penny says she learned a huge amount about the internal workings of the co-operative, and its strategy, from just that one meeting.
“It was great to be on the inside hearing about how it's been positioning itself and where Farmlands is heading, I was really impressed. I was coming in with a different perception because I haven't been privy to what's been going on within the organisation.
“I’m really lucky that the Board are all very generous and open and inclusive, so it's a good environment to practice governance. However, as Rob Hewett said, it's not a charity: ‘You have to contribute, we picked you for a reason.’ So I'm really excited to contribute as well.”
As for Farmlands’ broader role in New Zealand’s rural sector, Penny says it's up to those leading the cooperative to determine the role it plays.
“A business can make itself indispensable or it can make itself replaceable, so it's up to the leadership. I think they are making the business irreplaceable at this point.”
Penny Clark-Hall.
MAKING MARGINS at the margins
It’s a question that has vexed farmers since agriculture was invented: what do you do with the marginal pieces of land on your property?
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN SUPPLIED BY FLEX & LARISSA TURNBALL
New Zealand has some of the world’s best land for farming, but not all of it is conducive to growing plants or animals. Even prime blocks with fertile soils and a friendly climate can have their rough bits: hilly, stony, or difficult to access.
For farmers, these unwanted offcuts are not only difficult to generate an income from but can even incur significant costs for weed and pest control, fencing or erosion prevention.
Fortunately, there are some land uses available that can bring in money from these problem child paddocks. We look at some of the ways you can make better margins from your marginal land.
Marginal land prime for solar
One increasingly popular option is solar power generation, which does not need prime land underneath, or even any land at all.
Farmlands FLEX, combines solar panels and batteries with tech that allows farmers to act like a ‘virtual power plant’ and sell surplus electricity to the national grid.
Solar has been on farmers’ radar for a while, but changes in technology mean the return on investment equation has improved markedly in the past few years, according to Farmlands FLEX CEO Andrew ‘Pegs’ Pegler.
“Solar panels now last 30 years rather than just 20 years, and the cost per panel has come down. When we first started talking to Tanya (Houghton), batteries were over $1,000 per kilowatt hour installed. We're doing it now for $600,” he says.
“And the technology and the chemistry of those batteries has got better, so we're no longer talking 10 years, we're talking a 14-year lifecycle. That just all helps with our business case, on top of the fact that we've got this cool little piece of software that does arbitrage.”
Although installing solar panels on farm buildings can be an option, Pegs says not all farm structures are suitable.
This is where marginal land comes into play, and with FLEX users achieving an average return on investment of 13 to 14 percent, otherwise unproductive land can become lucrative.
“It might be rubbish land next to the driveway or something at the back of a shed where it just doesn't have any function, it’s no-man's land. That's kind of where we start,” he says.
“It’s about turning energy into a crop, and for us that land is not on the margin – the marginal land for us is the good land. We don't really want to touch it if we can.”
Pegs says one factor that should be kept in mind is how close the land is to the nearest switchboard, as the cost of trenching and wiring can eat into the financial return.
“We usually work on 50-100m as standard, but those same bits of rubbish land can quite often be sitting next to the irrigation pump, so there's a meter there, in the middle of nowhere.”
Sophisticated customers
FLEX launched in June at Fieldays, and Pegs says there has been a noticeable change in just a few months in the conversations their team are having with farmers and growers about on-farm energy generation.
“The big shift is we don't actually spend a lot of time talking about the hardware: the solar or the batteries,” he says.
“People know that that's the enabler, that's the thing that's going to help generate and store. Our team now spend a lot of their time talking about what it's going to save the farmer and then how you can monetise a new revenue stream.”
Farmlands Head of Key Accounts and Strategic Partnerships Luke Fisher has had many of these conversations, and he says farmers are doing their homework before coming to talk to Farmlands FLEX.
“The most interesting one I had was with a dairy farmer who was really switched on and technically adept, and we put together a chunky proposal for him,” Luke says.
“We were running through it and he said, ‘The ROI on this is 16%, and I'll only ever get 10% with cows, so you make this as big as you can while keeping it above 10% and then let's have a conversation.’
“It's not just about solar, it's actually the business side of it that they're excited to talk to us about.”
Strategic use of trees
Forestry has been a controversial topic in New Zealand’s farming sector, but an expert says strategic planting of trees on marginal land can keep farms alive.
Allan Laurie, Director of management and consulting firm Laurie Forestry, says many farmers are motivated to plant trees taking into account practical as well as financial considerations.
“Often they're just sick and tired of spraying weeds on a particular portion of the farm, and rather than spending a lot each year on controlling weeds, they plant trees.
can help keep it in family hands.
“I've seen many examples in my 50 years of doing this, of farmers when they were young, planting blocks of trees and now reaping the benefit, enabling the whole farming operation to have more flexibility around succession planning, with the inclusion of tree crops.”
Although Allan encourages farmers to get out there and start planting, he says they should only do that where trees are the logical choice, not on good prime farmland.
“That just doesn't make sense to me. The professional body representing foresters, The New Zealand Institute of Forestry, have also consistently said they do not support whole farm conversions.”
Plenty of options
Allan says radiata pine remains the most popular option for on-farm forestry, as it is a very resilient species and tends to be the most profitable over the shortest length of time.
“I've seen many examples in my 50 years of doing this, of farmers when they were young, planting blocks of trees and now reaping the benefit, enabling the whole farming operation to have more flexibility around succession planning, with the inclusion of tree crops.”
“It also allows them to fence off problem areas from sheep movement, to stop them falling over cliffs or becoming cast in difficult spots, for example.”
From a financial perspective, trees are a good option on farmland where traditional pastoralism is less than profitable, Allan says.
“Farmers should be the ones who are being encouraged to plant trees, because if we want to avoid whole farm conversions, we need to get farmers planting.”
“If you're a flatland farmer on a dairy farm, then your opportunities are much more limited, but there are many hill country farmers who are looking at planting and diversifying into tree crops.”
Allan says taking this approach makes a farm intergenerational, by providing a future income source that
However, he says there are other tree species that can be good options, depending on the site.
“We now have a large number of clients planting redwood, which is a wonderful species, and the Farm Forestry Association have done a lot of work around improving the genetics of the Cypresses, particularly Macrocarpa, so that we do not have the same canker issues we've been experiencing in the past.”
Of the native species, Allan says Totara is a standout due to its versatility and toughness, which allows it to be planted almost anywhere in the country.
“It's a soft wood, therefore very malleable. It's great for joinery and furniture and more highly decorative end uses as well, but it’s very hardy,” he says.
George Finney of Eskvale Station has only planted forestry on low-quality land.
“It's a prickly plant when it's young, so it's very resistant to pest damage and it's just a good all-rounder for farmers to be considering for planting in gully systems or corners of properties they believe they can get to in the future to recover high value trees.”
As for the timeframes involved in growing Radiata, Allan says there is some dispute within the industry over the numbers, lamenting the growing role of accountants in forestry.
“We are there for the long haul, we should be growing radiata pine, in the South Island particularly, close to age 30 before harvesting.”
A well-managed crop can yield $30,000-$35,000/ha, while a zero managed crop or low managed crop can achieve $12,000-$15,000/ha, he says.
“You plant 100ha in total on a property and you have a milliondollar asset, which helps mum and dad to retire, buy a house and live comfortably off the farm.
“It also enables the younger generation to carry on successfully, not being burdened with debt to the degree had commercial trees not been in the mix.”
Saving the day
For Farmlands shareholders the Finney family of Eskvale Station near Amberley, forestry is not just a part of
the farm’s history but has saved them during tough economic times.
The 1,000ha property was purchased by Noel Finney in 1959, much to the displeasure of his wife Maisie, their son George Finney recalls.
“He said, ‘don't worry, Maisie, I'll knock it into shape’, and 66 years later, we're still working on it.”
The farm, now managed by George’s son Ben, runs about 3,500 sheep and 600 cattle – they also lease two support blocks totaling 300ha – but much of the property is challenging country.
To solve this problem, they have planted around 400ha of forestry on rough patches across Eskvale Station, a process Noel started by planting a small block of 30ha in the early 1960s.
“As the years went by and I took over, it became increasingly obvious that I was fighting a losing battle with the weeds. I started planting out all of the very steep weed-infested gullies with Pinus Radiata, which included new fencing and water systems,” George says.
“We now have 35 blocks of trees of many different age groups, but mostly in land use capability class six and seven land. No forestry in Eskvale has been planted on clean and productive farmland.”
This has created a patchwork of forest intersected by productive
farmland, which has provided excellent shelter for lambing and calving, George says.
However, he has spoken out against the trend of whole farms being sold and converted into forestry, which he says is not only a waste of productive land but is “killing” communities in affected areas.
“I want to emphasise that we've never planted good land. What wasn't vertical was almost overhanging, and it had every weed on it except seaweed. Some of the machinery operators that have worked here, you can only describe their work as borderline heroic,” he says.
“People over the years would say, ‘Why are you planting so many trees?’ I would say under those trees there was 100 percent weed infestation. What's better, gorse or timber? And if you take the trees out it will be weedinfested again within five years.”
Pest control key
One aspect that farmers considering forestry need to think about is pest control, which George describes as an ongoing process involving different specialists.
“We caught 2,500 possums last winter with professional trappers, who also catch mustelids. Wild pigs and deer are targeted by a dedicated group of hunters, plus helicopter shooting for hares, pre and post planting.”
Some of the earlier blocks planted by Noel have now been harvested twice, and George says the different ages of the blocks provides them with valuable diversification against often volatile farming prices.
“Those early ones that Dad put in were critical. We hit the market in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the log prices were very high and they helped us through some very, very difficult farming times, when there was just no money,” he says.
“There was also a big drought in 1987-88 when we had literally 18 months without rain, so that really helped. They were fairly small forests, but they were hitting pretty spectacular numbers back when there was no other money to be made.”
The forests at Eskvale Station provide excellent shelter for stock.
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Jenna Smith, Chief Executive of Pouarua and an expert on New Zealand's peatlands.
Wetland HEALTH in the spotlight
From saving native bird species to reducing flood risk and lowering carbon emissions, we look at why farmers need to pay attention to the health of their wetlands.
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN MARIE RICHARDS & RICHARD BRIMER
Few types of wetland pose more unique challenges than peatland, and few people in New Zealand know more about the subject than former Farmlands Board Observer Jenna Smith.
Jenna is Chief Executive of Pouarua, an iwi-owned agribusiness venture based in the Hauraki Plains, one of the largest areas of peat-based soil in the country.
The 2024 Nuffield Scholar explored the issues around peatlands in her research paper, Changing the Bog-Standard; Repeatable Solutions for Aotearoa's Peatlands.
“A large part of my job is ensuring the land use we undertake today doesn’t negatively impact the prosperity of the land into the future, and that's pretty tricky to manage on drained peatlands because they’re so volatile and there's a whole heap of challenges that come with them,” Jenna says.
“I’ve been in the role for a little over six years, and I’ve met a lot of experts
and other interested parties to learn about peatlands, and that led me on my quest to go, ‘There must be a better way’.”
Jenna says the subject doesn't get much attention in New Zealand because there simply isn’t that much peatland here, compared to other parts of the world.
“It's just such a small part of New Zealand's landscape. In Europe there are some countries where it could be up to 30% of their soil type, but we're talking about 1% here.”
Jenna says drained peatland is quite an “immature” soil type in New Zealand, as although we have drained around 80% of our peat soils, this has largely only happened within the last 100-150 years.
“In some cases, they've only been converted into pastoral land within the last 30 years. Changing their nutrient profile can be quite difficult as well. You can end up pouring on a whole heap of synthetic fertiliser and possibly losing a fair amount of it.”
Peat soils also act like a big sponge, meaning in winter they hold onto water and expand, Jenna says.
“And then in summer, they drain right out and they're dry and waxy. They feel the extremes more harshly than some of our other soil types.”
Climate implications
One of the reasons peatlands are starting to get more attention globally is to do with their potential climate benefits: peatlands in their natural state are a powerful carbon ‘sink’, while draining them releases a huge amount of carbon into the atmosphere.
“Globally peatlands are 3% of the world's soil type, but they store more carbon than all of our global forests combined,” Jenna says.
“People call the Amazon the lungs of the world. Well, peatlands could be easily referred to as the refrigerator of the world, because they have such an important climate infrastructure stored within them that often gets overlooked.”
However, Jenna says the issue has caught the attention of major global corporations including Mars and Nestle, who are important customers of New Zealand’s primary producers.
“They are now specifically calling out production from drained peatlands and saying, ‘This is actually quite a problem because we're creating food from this very high emitting soil type.’ So farmers need to understand what they've got and what they can do with it.
“Is there a land use that both creates an economic return but also lessens the intensity?”
Pouarua Farms has retired some parts of its land completely and has gone to horticulture in other areas, looking for a lighter footprint on the peat than their core business of dairy farming.
Jenna says the most important change has been around their management practices of the peat, with their “golden rule” being aiming not to cultivate the soil.
“Direct drill, lessen the mechanical drainage where possible and look for smarter fertiliser options. You need slower releasing products and little and often.”
That sinking feeling
Perhaps the biggest dilemma facing those farming on peatlands is that they shrink. Peat oxidises as it's exposed and it matures under drainage, causing the land itself to sink.
“The average subsidence rate in parts of the Waikato is around 2cm per year, so you're literally losing your land. It's slowly sinking away,” Jenna says.
“If you've got 40 metres’ surface elevation, then you probably feel fine. But for us down here in the Hauraki, we're at or near sea level already, so we are going below sea level, which increases your drainage needs and reliance on pumping to keep water out, which creates a vicious cycle.
“It also increases flood risks for towns and infrastructure that are sitting around drained peatland areas.”
Jenna warns that unless changes are made, farmers on drained peatlands may end up incurring significant costs for drainage via some sort of ‘landowner pays’ scheme.
“We can’t expect local government will keep paying for it. There were places I went to in Lower Saxony where they have been drained for 300-400 years, but they've now pumped themselves metres below sea level, and the cost to keep the pumps going was around hundreds of thousands of euros a year just in this one small drainage scheme.
“We're at this inflection point in New Zealand where we're not there yet, but we could start to slowly reverse ourselves out. At least, the conversation's got to happen – can we keep the peat wet?”
Saving a species
It’s one of New Zealand’s rarest native wetland birds, and you’ve probably never heard of it. The Australasian bittern (matuku-hūrepo) is critically endangered, and farmers have a key role to play in its survival.
“The ideal for us is meandering waterways. If we are creating lots of curves and bends, it's slowing the water down, but it also creates a diversity of edge habitat, and that means that we have a diversity of fish and invertebrates as well.”
Left: Tane, a young male bittern. Below: Wendy Ambury, national co-ordinator for the Love Bittern Project.
Photos supplied by Love Bittern Project
Wendy Ambury, national coordinator for the Love Bittern Project, says there are estimated to be fewer than 1,000 bittern left in New Zealand, and their decline has gone hand-inhand with the loss of around 90% of our wetlands nationwide.
“My mother is in her late 70s, and she says when she was a child, she would scatter bittern like we scatter pukekos today as she walked to school. That just shows the dramatic loss of this species.”
Wendy, who regularly tours the country educating farmers, landowners and conservation groups about the bittern, says it is an important indicator of wetland health.
“What we're doing is increasing biodiversity, but we are focusing on the species-led approach because if we meet the needs of bittern as an apex predator in our freshwater wetlands, then we are supporting other wetland dependent species as well,” she explains.
“That's why we use the bittern rather than something that's further down the food chain. For instance,
Making your waterways bitternfriendly
1. Catch predators: cats and mustelids (stoats, ferrets and weasels) are the bittern’s main predators.
2. Safe passage: make sure the fish bittern love to eat can pass through waterways and culverts.
3. Keep it clear: clear water allows the bittern to see their prey.
4. Slow it down: slow the flow of water and make sure the banks are gently sloped.
5. Hiding spots: plant lowlying grasses along the water’s edge and keep trees at least 10m back.
we might have protected and set up everything for the native fish, but we also need to have it set up for the things that eat the fish.”
Wendy credits her interest in the bittern to her daughter, a keen bird enthusiast who opened her eyes to how extremely rare and important this species is.
“More recently, when I found bittern in my own backyard, I discovered there’s actually not many people that know that they exist. How do you save a species that people don’t know exists in the first place?”
Getting the bittern off the endangered species list will take a team effort, so what can farmers, growers and other rural landowners do to help save them?
Wendy says the first thing is to record when you do see or hear one; the second thing is to ensure that any bittern living on your property have got enough cover and food to eat.
“Most of the bittern we find are starving, so a key thing we focus on is safe fish passage through those waterways and culverts, we check there is a gentle slope into the water and plenty of low stature cover like carex and sedges so bittern can access their food, the native fish and eels that will favour our riparian planted waterways.”
Once you get the fish flowing, the next thing is to make sure the water is as clean and clear as possible.
“The bittern is a visual hunter, so that means that they've got to have clear water to see their fish to be able to catch their food.”
Taking it slow
A growing number of farmers are taking an interest in the health of their waterways and wetlands, but Wendy says there are certain conditions the bittern need to thrive.
One factor to consider is the speed at which the water moves: water needs to be able to change gear, be slower in some places and faster in others.
“The ideal for us is meandering waterways. If we are creating lots of curves and bends, it's slowing
the water down, but it also creates a diversity of edge habitat, and that means that we have a diversity of fish and invertebrates as well.”
It’s also important to have shallow water for the bittern to hunt its prey, but Wendy says many waterways on farms are designed with steep sides to let as much water go as quickly as possible.
“If we just simply slope even one side of that drain, then the bittern can find the optimal 15-25cm of clear foraging water no matter what the water does as it rises and falls in that drain way.”
A place to hide
Farmers also need to be mindful of the bittern when they are doing riparian planting.
Wendy recommends pushing larger trees at least 10m back from the water’s edge.
“What we're really looking for is vast areas of low stature vegetation, so things like grasses, sedges, reeds and rushes that are growing up to about 80cm tall.
“If we've got those along our waterways, that provides cover when they're foraging and if we've got those en masse, then that also provides a breeding habitat.”
One of the problems with having too many large trees close to the water’s edge is that bittern can get caught under a canopy of trees by predators, Wendy explains.
“They don't really like being under trees, they like a 360-degree view of the sky so that they can get away.
“If we push the trees back we have a nice open window of opportunity there, not only for bittern but for other small birds that like to feed on those same edges as well.”
Reversing the damage
When a farm has been in the same family for 170 years, each paddock is a piece of history and sometimes, a reminder of past mistakes.
Farmlands shareholder James Hunter’s family has owned Rangitoto Station near Porangahau since 1854, and he has run the farm since 1989.
“There are two paddocks named after the fencers who convinced my grandfather to use white pine for fence posts. They rotted at ground level, so it didn't work. But that's just a reminder of so much of what everyone does at the time that they consider to be okay or normal.”
James is passionate about saving the bittern, and much of his work restoring wetlands on Rangitoto Station has been undoing earlier decisions that seemed like a good idea at the time.
The mindset of the era was summed up by the ‘Land Development Encouragement Loan’ James helped administer while working for the Rural Bank between 1984 and 1987.
“The government of the day decided that we needed more animals, so the way to get that was to clear native vegetation to make more grassland, which is the story of New Zealand farming.” He says.
“That scheme cleared 940,000ha of indigenous vegetation, and there’s currently only 1.5 million hectares left on private land, so imagine if we hadn't had that.”
James says one of the catalysts for his passion for the environment was spending time travelling overseas, including in South America where he “watched the Amazon burn”. This made him think about the changes that had been made to his own family’s farm.
“We had an aerial photo taken in the early 90s, and if you contrast that with one from 1952 and one from 1972, what stood out was the amount of scrub we had lost, so we made a call to fence off all of the remnant scrub and bush.
“I also wanted to be able to drive over the bridge on the way to the beach, knowing that it wasn't my silt or nutrients going down the river. Part of that was just setting up these retired areas, leading into the waterways, and from there it's just evolved.”
James has protected 54ha of the 660ha property under QEII National Trust covenants for regenerating scrub and wetlands.
His hard work felt like it had paid off when he had a chance encounter with a
bittern while walking the property with Troy Duncan, the Hawke’s Bay QEII rep.
“We were looking to extend one piece. We'd started, but I was going to change it and expand the wetlands. Troy and I were sitting on a ridge above that area when a bird flew out and I said, ‘It's your lucky day.’ It wasn't even fenced off, but a bittern had been sitting there in these rushes.”
James is looking to expand the QEII-protected area of his farm to 90ha, and he has been working closely with Wendy to ensure the new areas are bittern friendly.
“Part of it is that it will have width. Instead of the big trees, it's just going to have a heap of the sedges and rushes. it's not about the big things, it's about your small things that make a successful habitat for the bittern.”
However, he faces a major challenge with pest control, blaming the conversion of neighbouring blocks into forestry for an explosion in the number of deer and wild pigs coming across his property.
“They'll collect all these carbon credits while I collect the costs.”
Valuing wetlands
Whether it’s the carbon-storing benefits of peatland, or the preservation of endangered species, looking after your wetlands can have wider benefits than just drainage and flood protection for your farm.
Wendy says the plight of the bittern highlights a bigger discussion around how we value wetlands, not just on farmland but in urban areas as well.
“It’s been ‘there’s some flat land, let's drain that and put some houses there’, or ‘let's have an industrial park there because it's a big flat area and it's no good for anything else’,” she says.
“With more extreme weather events, people seeing the value of wetlands now and are scratching their heads on how they put that thing back that generations ago was taken out.
“The turnaround is already there; now we just have to keep this momentum going around it.”
Framlands shareholder James Hunter is passionate about saving the bittern.
Challenge and Response
The way we think about day-to-day challenges can have a huge impact on how well we perform under pressure, says Farmstrong Ambassador Sam Whitelock.
The good news is that we can train our brains to think in ways that are more flexible and helpful when we are feeling ‘under the pump’. Just like you can go to a gym to become physically fitter, there are mental skills you can learn to strengthen the mind and build resilience.
Mental skills like avoiding common thinking traps, catching and changing unhelpful thinking and ‘reframing’ a bad day are all practical skills that you can learn and apply at work. Here’s a couple to get you started.
Control the controllables
Sometimes farming and growing can be an emotional rollercoaster. There are so many factors outside of anyone’s control, like the weather or market prices. A great way to relieve stress and worry is to work out what you can and can’t control.
A trap that many of us fall into is worrying about things way beyond our control, but worrying is not a solution. It only drains our energy and adds to stress.
It’s much more efficient to prioritise the things you can control and focus on them. Here’s how: Grab a piece of paper. Divide the page in two and on one side list the things you feel you have some control over on farm and on the other side list the things you don’t. Aim to let go ‘mentally’ of the things you can’t control.
Now prioritise the things you can control and influence. Focus on the top two or three things so you have a plan about what to attack first. This allows you to keep moving forward
with a sense of control, so you’re not overwhelmed by the scale of everything.
Catch it, Check it, Change it
When we notice something negative happening, it often triggers emotions such as frustration, anger or sadness. This can lead to a downward spiral where unhelpful thoughts, emotions and behaviours reinforce each other.
One way to break that negative thinking cycle is by applying a tool called Catch it, Check it, Change it.
When you feel upset or frustrated about a situation imagine standing outside yourself and hit the ‘pause button’. Take a deep breath and see if you can ‘catch’ your thought.
Now check your thinking and ask yourself whether it’s helping you to achieve your goal or not. If it’s not, change it for a more helpful thought.
This creates a much calmer space for problem solving. It’s also good for performance and productivity because it stops us getting bogged down mentally.
Add
some mental skills to your toolbox
Managing the ups and downs of farming is a lot easier when you approach them with the right mindset. What might this look like in practice?
It could mean learning how to better manage worries and deal with uncertainty. It might mean becoming more aware that emotions come and go, so you’re not swept up by them. Or appreciating the soothing effect of getting together with neighbours or becoming a better listener to help others. These are all skills you can learn.
Farmstrong’s put together a ‘toolbox’ of mental fitness skills to help farmers and growers perform under pressure and maintain a clear headspace. Head to the Farmstrong website today to download a free copy.
Developing a helpful mindset will have a positive, cumulative effect over time and make you much more resilient. Remember, you are the biggest asset to your farm and family. If you’re going well, everything else around you is going to go better too.
To find out what else could work for you and your team, head to www.farmstrong.co.nz for free farmer-to-farmer tools and resources.
Sam Whitelock.
Photo: Supplied by Farmstrong
Last issue, Farmlander looked at the rise of New Zealand agritourism. This time we delve into the growing niche of ecotourism.
WORDS
BY NIKO KLOETEN
As technology becomes more sophisticated, the list of places that have no cell phone signal is rapidly shrinking. For Cascade Creek Retreat near Dunedin, this lack of coverage is a feature not a bug.
In a world saturated with digital technology, Cascade Creek is one of a growing number of Kiwi ecotourism venues that offer screen zombies the chance to genuinely ‘switch off’.
Nestled in a picturesque natural setting next to native bush, the log cabin-style accommodation was built by Dave and Janene Divers on their 1,500ha sheep and beef farm back in 2011.
Janene says the lack of technology – apart from a UE boom speaker for playing music – has been part of Cascade Creek’s identity since its launch.
“Initially, it was about the preservation and the enhancement of the surroundings, so everything was environmentally friendly,” she says.
“However, we also made the decision to have a technology-free zone. It was 14 years ago that we made this choice, and technology has come a long way in that time and become a much bigger part of our world.
“There's no TV, there's no WIFI and there's no cell phone coverage, though you can get it a hundred meters away so parents can go ring their kids if they need to.”
Janene says when they started out, they sometimes questioned whether the decision not to have many of the technologies we use in daily life was the right one.
“In the first couple of years we had people saying, ‘why don't you connect WIFI because then we can come out and watch DVDs or watch tablets’, and we considered it, but then we decided that no, it's actually really unique to have a place of rustic luxury where people can be completely immersed in nature.”
Sticking to their initial vision has paid off over the past 14 years, with an “overwhelming response” from visitors during that time, Janene says.
“People have written back to us and said, ‘thank you so much for allowing me to connect with my husband again, to talk in front of the fire, to play a game of cards’, or ‘thank you for not having WIFI, so my teenage kids are not on their phone and I got to know them again over
the last weekend. It was the best memories we've created as a family.’
“Often, it's been farmers, and the wife says ‘my husband couldn't be on his phone, checking his work’. It's become a real point of difference and there’s a real appreciation felt by guests.”
Janene grew up on a farm near Mount Hutt, and had worked in the tourism industry before she and Dave took over his family farm.
“While Dave was living in Canada, he had worked on log houses, and he'd fallen in love with the whole concept. Then there was me with my tourism side, so we brought the two together.
“We were avid travelers and love seeing the world, but obviously when you're moving onto a farm, the world becomes a little bit smaller.”
They also have a passion for the environment and sustainability, which they have put into action with various projects around the property, including a tree-planting programme for guests and extensive trapping in their 300ha of native bush.
“We have regulars that have commented over the years on how much of an increase there has been in bird life because we've just continued to have that trapping programme,” Janene says. “The dawn chorus is amazing.”
A hike or a bike
While some tourists just want to relax and enjoy nature, others like to work up a sweat while experiencing the beauty of rural New Zealand.
Blackburn Ridge Homestead, sitting on a 1,000ha sheep and beef farm in Ongaonga bordering the picturesque Ruahine Ranges, offers guests farm walks and even e-bike tours of the surrounding area.
It has had strong visitor numbers since being launched by the farm’s owners Clem and Mickey Trotter earlier this year, and Mickey says the story began when they bought the neighbouring farm three years ago.
“We approached them about expanding our farm here, and the extra 400ha we bought came with a house. It hadn't been lived in since about 1980, but it was like the whole property was preserved in time.”
After extensively renovating the house (while preserving its heritage),
Cascade Creek Retreat owners Dave and Janene Divers have kept it tech-free.
The design was inspired by Dave's time working on log cabins in Canada.
they weren’t quite sure what to do with it. Mickey says neither renting nor AirBnB were suitable options.
“Our farm is stunningly beautiful, we thought we'd love to share it with others, so we decided to create an agritourism venture to help us keep doing what we're doing,” she says.
“We've done a lot on the farm in terms of riparian planting and we've got pine tree blocks, redwood stands and we've just planted 1.2ha of Manuka. We've fenced off some dams and planted them out, and we have also done extensive poplar planting for erosion control. All of that costs money, so we just thought we need to make the most of what we've got. It was a logical step.”
With the local roads being so quiet, Mickey “bit the bullet” and bought 10 e-bikes so guests could journey beyond their farm, including visiting the historic village of Ongaonga.
“This place is like stepping back in time,” she says. “These farms around here rarely change ownership. We found an old plough in the trees up by the new house in good condition, but it's probably from 1900.”
Blackburn Ridge Homestead can accommodate between four and 10 guests at a time and is fully catered, with a big emphasis on locally produced food and beverages.
“We've got Chef Kate de Latour who's this amazing local chef, so you just turn up and everything's done for you: all your meals, all your provisions for packed lunches, home baking. We've also got a mini bar in the house, which has local wine and beer. We really want to support local.”
Although they are still new to the agritourism business, Mickey says Blackburn Ridge has been getting rave reviews, with their isolation being a popular feature.
“We’ve had Aucklanders that have come down and they're all blown away with just being able to go for a walk
Blackburn Ridge Homestead offers scenic vistas with no crowds.
and not see anybody else. Usually if they went for a run in the morning, they’d be running past people or dodging traffic. I guess we take that for granted a bit, living out here.”
Going upmarket
Ecotourism covers a range of tastes and budgets, and Lavericks Bay on the Banks Peninsula now has a trio of different accommodation options to choose from.
Lloyd and Harriet Chapman’s 970ha farm has been in her family for seven generations (their three children being the seventh), and they have been doing agritourism for over a decade.
They recently completed construction of a brand-new luxury clifftop cabin overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and Harriet says it will complement their existing accommodation offerings.
“One is a tent, so that's pretty cheap and cheerful. One is a beach cabin, an old farm cottage that's right down by the beach, so it's a really good location. That can sleep five, so we get heaps of families and lots of couples as well. But this one's going to be a bit higher end again, more for special occasions like wedding anniversaries.”
While modern marketing has been getting more sophisticated and datadriven, Harriet sticks to using a focus group of one: herself.
“What I've always done is I've done what I like; I haven't tried to read the mind of the next person. I just want to offer what I would like myself, and the people who like it will come.”
Harriet had previously worked as a town planner, but it was hard to do such a role while living in such a remote spot, especially before working from home became more common.
“I didn't want to get sucked into being a farmer, so I needed to think of something for myself and that's why I've done tourism.”
Even with her town planning background, Harriet says the process of getting consent for their new build was challenging.
“We had to get landscape assessments because of its natural beauty, and it’s not cheap as you can imagine. We used a local contractor who we've used a few times and he's brilliant.”
Diversifying on-farm income with agritourism can help with succession planning, but Harriet says it’s too early yet to say which if any of their three children (who are at boarding school in Christchurch) will take over the farm.
“We've been really conscious not to put that expectation on them. It's quite an isolated place, so it's quite hard to live here. You have to want to live here.”
“People have written back to us and said, ‘thank you so much for allowing me to connect with my husband again, to talk in front of the fire, to play a game of cards’.”
Growing niche
Marijke Dunselman, Founder and Chief Executive of industry body Agritourism New Zealand, says ecotourism is a rapidly growing part of the overall agritourism industry and is popular with a wide variety of demographics.
However, she says getting started in ecotourism can be a daunting process for farmers, who need to figure out what they should offer, who their target audience should be and how they should market to them.
“The biggest challenge a lot of farmers have with tourism is that they are starting in a completely new industry, and if you want to have a profitable business you have to learn what’s involved,” she says.
“Once they understand how it works, they can make informed decisions on what direction to take.”
One of the big topics Agritourism NZ’s Agritourism Academy works with farmers on is marketing. Marijke says this can be a challenging subject, as
many farmers produce products that are marketed by someone else.
“There are many different marketing channels available, from owned channels like social media to international tourism publications and trade agents.
“A lot of agritourism operators start out with the domestic market, then it’s about how you can tap into the international market because they’re often happy to spend more. Between 40 percent and 70 percent of overseas visitors book through agents.”
Farmers can learn a lot from other farmers who have gone down the agritourism route, who are often willing to share their knowledge, Marijke says.
“Farmers are not used to competing with each other; they’re used to working together. When we have our weekly online sessions, everyone’s helping each other and sharing tips. It’s not something you see in other industries.”
The new cliff-top cabin at Lavericks Bay has stunning water views.
Photograher: Lisa Sun
Farmlands customer satisfaction
Farmlands’ efforts to improve its supply chain and customer experience are paying off, with a big increase in satisfaction across the co-operative’s customer base.
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN
When Te Puke-based shareholders John and Debbie Ryan needed help with their avocado orchard, their local Farmlands team came to the rescue. The Ryans spoke about their positive experience in their response to a Farmlands 'Have Your Say' customer feedback survey, and data shows they are far from alone in being satisfied with the co-opeartive's service.
Farmlands’ Net Promoter Score (NPS), a measure of how likely customers are to recommend a brand, jumped to 52 this financial year, up from 41 in 2024 and 38 in 2023.
The biggest increase was among farmers and growers, nearly doubling their NPS score from 20 in 2023 to 39 this year. Meanwhile, the NPS for lifestyle customers rose from 51 in 2023 to 62 this year. NPS measures the number of customers who feel positive about a brand (‘promoters’), minus the number who feel negative about the brand (‘detractors’). It can range from 100 to -100.
Among farmer/growers there was both an increase in promoters (from 47 percent to 58 percent) and a reduction in detractors (from 27 percent to 18 percent) over the past two years.
Farmlands also saw an improvement in its retail iNPS score, which rose to 58 this year after dipping from 54 to 49 between 2023 and 2024.
Miriam Gottschalk, Voice of Customer Lead at Farmlands, explains the difference between the metrics: “The NPS is how we measure how likely a customer is to recommend Farmlands
to others, while the retail iNPS is more interaction/experience based.
“We track them both because they measure different things: one is a brand-level metric and one is a touchpoint-level metric. We get feedback from all the different channels customers interact with Farmlands, including in-store experience, interaction with a Technical Field Specialist, our e-commerce shop and our customer hub calls.”
The survey data also shows an improvement in retail stock availability, which fell from 90 percent to 86
percent between 2023 and 2024 then climbed to 92 percent this year.
“This shows the big role our supply chain transformation has played in centralising our product ranges, after an initial adjustment period,” Miriam says.
Customer service focus
The improvement in the retail iNPS score reflects a focus on customer service and training for retail staff members, according to Farmlands Head of Technical Training, Learning & Development, Nova Knight.
Farmlands shareholders John and Debbie Ryan with Te Puke Technical Advisor Molly Donald
“PEDROC is our customer service programme for all our teams that are working with shareholders, whether that's in store, in the field, as well as our customer service team,” Nova says.
“It's our guide as to how we want to interact with our shareholders, to ensure that they've had a great interaction with us. The idea is that we've got a common language across all of our team.”
Pip Broadbridge, Regional Retail Manager – Southland-Otago, says the PEDROC programme has been tailored to meet the unique demands of the retail environment.
“We've got some really experienced retail team members out there, but we've also got a lot of newbies and a lot of young ones coming through,” Pip says.
“What this gives us is a really simple tool all about customer service that shows ‘as soon as that customer walks in the door, this is what we should be doing’.
“It gives you a chance to reflect: what just happened in that situation? Did you follow all the PEDROC steps or what could you have done better? It isn't all about what could have been, it's actually ‘you nailed that mate’ and ‘this is what I heard you do really well.’”
Farmlands has also been upskilling in-store staff with a series of ‘Champ’ product training courses. Nova says they started off with nutrition and now offer courses in water and fencing as well.
“We bring the teams together out in the field to get hands-on with these products and meet the suppliers.
“They also learn from each other because in a lot of instances, this is the first time that the team have come out from their own store and had the opportunity to meet other Farmlanders from other stores.”
Pip says product training is also tailored to each region, and even down to the nuances of individual stores within regions.
“The Cromwell and Alexandra teams need a real focus around horticulture and making sure their team are trained up in those areas, but we probably wouldn't spend the time doing that in Winton.”
Quick response
The Ryans of Te Puke are firmly in the promoter camp, thanks to the quick work of the Farmlands horticulture team.
They have about 1.8ha of avocados and 1.8ha of green kiwifruit, and have managed their kiwifruit fertiliser programme through Farmlands for the past two seasons, working with Technical Advisors Mark Loeffen and Molly Donald.
While they have been pleased with the results, they were still getting their avocado fertiliser recommendations elsewhere.
“When we had a last-minute change of circumstances, we went to Farmlands asking for help urgently,” says John. “I must have had a squeak
in my voice because Molly got right onto it and punched out a fert programme in only two days!”
Molly says it was a team effort to get the fertiliser recommendation sorted so quickly.
“I spoke to Mark and also Josh Cousins from up north for some outside expertise. It was really good; the team wrapped around me and it means we’ve got a happy customer.”
Molly was hired as a Technical Advisor following her stint as a Farmlands summer intern at the Te Puke branch, where she connected well with colleagues and shareholders. She says the Farmlands Horticulture team have been hugely supportive.
“Whenever we have our catch-ups as a team, there are so many people who say, ‘if you need anything, let me know’.
“Being the youngest TA on the team, I’ve really appreciated all the support. It’s like I’ve inherited a new family – a whole bunch of people looking out for me!”
Lay of the land
In this section
Summer is an important part of the calendar for farmers and growers, whether they are harvesting, picking or preparing for a bumper 2026. This section features handy tips for getting the most out of your land during this season, and profiles the technical and nutrition experts you can turn to for advice.
Photo: Mary Butler
54 Meet some of the experts in the beefed-up SealesWinslow nutrition team.
58 Find out what you need to do to help your calves thrive after weaning.
70 Learn more about the new Farmlands Technical Advisors across NZ.
Meet the nutritionists
Merging with Farmlands has given SealesWinslow a beefed-up nutrition team. Here are some of the nutrition experts helping shareholders across the country.
SUE AVISON
Nutrition Sales Specialist – Western Waikato, King Country 027 801 1428
sue.avison@ sealeswinslow.co.nz
Sue joined the SealesWinlow team based in Morrinsville as a customer service assistant in 2007. Having previously worked for 17 years in the service department at Maber Motors (part of Power Farming), assisting farmers with service and repairs, Sue brings an abundance of understanding of what is important to farmers. As a local to Morrinsville for the last 25 years, Sue knows the people and area intimately. She loves all animals and enjoys getting to know her customers and working with them to ensure they have the best possible solutions for their herd’s health and performance.
PETA HAMILTON
Nutrition Sales Specialist – Lower North Island 027 836 2802
peta.hamilton@ sealeswinslow.co.nz
Born and bred in Whanganui, Peta grew up on a sheep and beef farm and has had a passion for farming from a young age. After doing highcountry sheep and beef farming in the South Island with her husband Andy, Peta threw herself into relief milking, calf rearing, and working for LIC, where she found dairy farming really interesting –especially raising quality calves and young stock. When Peta is not out on a farm she can often be found driving around the countryside with her three daughters to different horse events.
MARK MELLSOP
Nutrition Sales Specialist – Bay of Plenty 027 226 4251
mark.mellsop@sealeswinslow.co.nz
If you have a dairy farm in the Bay of Plenty, chances are you might already know Mark, who joined SealesWinslow at the beginning of 2012. Before that he was with RD1 for over 20 years, including a long stretch as branch manager of the Reporoa and Te Puke stores. Having supported farmers all his working life, Mark has a great understanding of the dairy industry and the challenges and opportunities that go with it. His knowledge of local conditions is unbeatable and he’s a great person to turn to for advice on increasing the health and performance of your herd.
With over 17 years of experience in the rural industry, Ange began her career at Fonterra Head Office then spent 13 years as a Technical Specialist at Skellerup Industries. Her expertise and passion lies in the dairy sector, where she gets great satisfaction from assisting customers in finding effective solutions. Outside of work, she and her husband reside on a small lifestyle block nestled in the heart of the Kairangi community near Cambridge, where they enjoy rearing calves. Traveling is a passion of theirs, and Ange is also passionate about horse-riding.
Lower North Island Peta.Hamilton@sealeswinslow.co.nz
Upper South Island
CHARLOTTE VAN DER HULST West Coast, Tasman Marlborough Charlotte.VanderHulst@sealeswinslow.co.nz
PAUL COOPER
North Canterbury & Marlborough +64 27 252 0913
Paul.Cooper@sealeswinslow.co.nz
Lower South Island
KENTON SINCLAIR-DONNELLY
Mid Canterbury
Kenton.SinclairDonnelly@sealeswinslow.co.nz
DAVID FAIRHALL
South-Mid Canterbury & North Otago David.Fairhall@sealeswinslow.co.nz +64 27 221 1265
HANNAH SOLE
Otago +64 27 215 6057
Hannah.Sole@sealeswinslow.co.nz
ABBY HENDERSON
Southland – Invercargill, Winton +64 27 454 8110
Abby.Henderson@sealeswinslow.co.nz
BRAD AITKEN
Southland +64 27 237 6827
Brad.Aitken@sealeswinslow.co.nz
CHRIS STEPHENS
Team Lead 021 804 302
chris.stephens@sealeswinslow.co.nz
An expert in dairy and calf nutrition and commodities, Chris started with Farmlands in Hawera in 2008 and with NRM in 2010 as Technical Dairy Rep for the Lower North Island. He enjoys helping farmers solve problems, and working alongside a group of people that share his passion for nutrition and providing nutrition solutions, many of whom he has worked with for a long time. Outside of work, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and three teenage boys, playing golf and, when possible, fishing on Lake Taupo or any river near Turangi.
With almost 20 years in the agricultural sector, Brad has built up wide experience across nutrition, minerals and stock feed. Brad is known for his practical approach – quickly diagnosing issues on-farm and developing tailored feeding plans that lift production, improve reproduction and strengthen animal health. His strongest focus is dairy nutrition, but he also brings deep experience in calf rearing to help farmers set up their young stock for the future. Outside of work, Brad enjoys following his kids’ sports, working on the family’s small farm, catching up with friends, and getting along to a good concert.
Roger grew up on a dairy farm and spent nearly a decade farming before moving into nutrition. For the past 10 years he has worked as a Nutrition Specialist, combining his farming background with technical expertise to support farmers. His main area of expertise is balancing dairy cow diets to get the best return on investment, but he also works closely with farmers on sheep and lamb nutrition. Outside of work, Roger and his family are heavily involved in sport, including speedway racing, smallbore shooting and indoor soccer.
When British-born Charlotte decided to step away from contract milking, she wanted a role where she could still have day-to-day contact with the dairy industry she loves. She has found her perfect role at SealesWinslow as the West Coast, Nelson and Tasman Nutrition Sales Specialist. Charlotte has traded in 5am starts in the cow shed for weekly visits to dairy farmers across the region, using her hands-on experience to help them uncover how good nutrition can boost farm production and profitability.
MANAGING ewe condition
Depending on the earliness of lambing, the priority recommendation for sheep farmers now is on feeding to boost milk production to support lamb growth or weaning lambs onto high quality pasture with as low a worm burden as possible.
DR ROB DERRICK
The commercial or lifestyle sheep farmer has a couple of supplementary feed options to manage ewe condition with the next big event on the horizon – mating. Due to their shorter gestation period than cows, ewes normally have some respite between lactating and getting pregnant. For ewes that have nursed multiple lambs, or older ewes, the priority may be to get them back in good condition. This may be possible on good quality pasture alone but, minerals may be lacking for optimal reproductive health.
SealesWinslow Sheep Mineral Blocks are a convenient way to give sheep access to essential trace minerals when they don’t need extra energy and protein to support weight gain.
Several trace minerals have key roles in fertility, so it makes sense to not let a minor deficiency affect the fertility of otherwise well-fed ewes and ewe lambs – bearing in mind that the viability of the eggs and sperm is dependent on good quality functions well before coupling. If ewes do not have the time to regain condition slowly after weaning, flushing ewes is the practice of
Specification of NRM Sheep Range for summer use
Designed use
Nuts which are easy to feed on the pasture for convenience, minimal waste and easy access for shy feeders that might be slow coming to a trough. For use whenever quality or quantity of forages available is insufficient for the class of sheep being fed or simply a regular treat which helps identify any sheep that might be lame or reluctant to feed because of illness. Can be easier to train a flock of sheep to come for a feed than to train a sheepdog to move a small flock of sheep.
Crude Protein % DM 15
Designed use
Higher in protein than Sheep Nuts to help balance pasture protein levels which plummet when plants are under stress from a lack of water and excess heat. Primarily designed to fill a feed pinch during a dry or hot spell they can be considered whenever low protein conserved forage makes up a portion of the diet. Product NRM Lamb Performance Pellets
MJ ME/kg DM
Crude Protein % DM 19
Designed use
High energy and protein pellets for young lambs that need a creep feed before weaning. Contains a proven coccidiostat to aid in the prevention of coccidiosis (lambs are at most risks from 3 to 8 weeks of age), which can be particularly troublesome when lambs are reared on the same paddocks year after year.
improving nutrition prior to and during mating to increase fertility. This can lead to lambs born earlier, a tighter lambing and increased lamb crop.
Earlier lambing can increase the chance of lambs being ready for earlier markets, ewe lambs lambing as one year olds or lambs being finished before the next winter. Flushing is less effective if ewes are already in good
condition so managing pasture intake and quality is critical.
Supplementary feed offers the potential to increase the plane of nutrition if pasture growth is sub-optimal between weaning off the lambs and tupping. It may be something to direct to thinner ewes that need some support if the majority of the flock is in good condition (Body Condition Score 3 to 3.5).
For some ewes, good pasture alone may not be enough for optimal reproductive health.
Thriving after milk for post- weaning success
Weaning is more than just removing milk from a calves diet — it is a pivotal moment that can either set your young stock up for longterm success or leave them struggling to catch up.
WORDS BY KAREN FRASER
Weaning well isn’t just about timing — it is about preparation, observation, and action. If we want calves to thrive, not just survive, we must focus on rumen development, nutritional transitions, and post-weaning health management.
Rumen development starts early
At birth, a calf’s rumen is small and underdeveloped. If milk is the only component of the diet by four weeks of age, the rumen remains immature. While the calf may appear to grow well, this masks a hidden issue:
an underprepared rumen that will struggle to support growth once milk is removed.
There are two key components to rumen development:
1. Size and capacity – The rumen must physically grow to accommodate increasing volumes of feed.
2. Papillae development – These finger-like projections absorb nutrients. Their growth is stimulated by volatile fatty acids (VFAs), which are produced when calves consume fermentable carbohydrates like those in grain-based feeds.
A four-week-old calf on milk and pellets will have a more developed rumen than a 12-week-old calf on milk and hay.
Feed choices matter
• High-fibre feeds like hay and straw do not stimulate papillae growth effectively.
• Grain-based starter feeds, introduced from day two, provide the fermentable carbohydrates needed to produce VFAs and drive rumen development. They need to be well balanced with good proteins, essential minerals, and vitamins to support muscle and bone development.
• Advantages of hard feed: after milk is removed hard feed should remain as it delivers a coccidiostat to help protect the calf particularly in the susceptible weaning stage and while immunity develops. Hard feed also helps to offer a consistent diet.
• Keep pellets in the diet for at least four to six weeks after milk has stopped, then a gradual weanoff over two weeks to avoid transitional stress.
Calves that get onto a well-balanced grain-based feed early will have a tremendous amount of rumen development by three to four weeks of age and will take less of a dip in growth at weaning.
Weaning: Timing, not just age
Weaning is the transition from a milkbased diet to a forage and pelletbased one. But it is not just about age — it is about readiness. Factors to also consider include:
• Genetic growth potential – weight that is recommended for breed.
• Overall health and wellbeing.
• Age – they should have at least doubled in weight from birth weight.
• Milk programme volume (high vs. restricted).
• Pellet and grass intake - be eating 1-1.5kg pellets for three consecutive days.
• Weather – avoid weaning fully off milk during weather events and other stressful events.
A Holstein Friesian should be 90–100kg before weaning off milk, a Crossbreed 80–90kg, and a Jersey 70–80kg — depending on genetic potential, breed, and rearing system.
Avoid the weaning crash Calves on high-volume milk systems may have slower rumen development. Abruptly weaning these calves can cause a significant growth check.
• Gradually reduce milk over two to three weeks. For restricted calf programmes, weaning off milk can be done in less time as they are usually consuming more hard feed earlier.
• Never dilute milk with water — just reduce volume by 20-25% each week for high volume feeding and reduce by half for restricted programmes.
• Ensure calves are eating at least 1–1.5kg of pellets and be on high quality pasture and not receiving any animal health treatments (antibiotics, vaccinations, dehorning) before fully weaning off milk.
• Keep hard feed going for at least four to six weeks after coming off milk to help offer a consistent diet while the calves adjust to a new diet.
• Gradually wean off hard feed over two weeks for less transitional stress and time for the gut to adjust.
• Once off hard feed that was balanced in protein, energy, and essential minerals, these need to be replaced as the calf is still growing rapidly and grass is often not high enough in key minerals. Offer SealesWinslow Young Stock Vitality blocks to complement animal health programmes. Offer one block per 25 animals.
• Monitor daily gains by weighing regularly.
• Consistently achieving growth targets is more efficient than periods of no growth. Catch-up growth is costly and risks further complications down the line with fertility and bone density issues.
Calf feeding guide (DairyNZ):
Readiness to wean is about other factors besides just the age of the calf.
Post-weaning:
The forgotten phase
This is where many systems fall short. Calves may be off milk, but they are not out of the woods. Post-weaning is when we see the most illness, especially coccidiosis, and the biggest growth slumps.
Key actions post-weaning:
• Continue feeding pellets for at least four to six weeks. Even 1kg/day can make a difference.
• Monitor weight gains — some animals do not thrive post-weaning so weigh within 14 days. If not thriving, they may need continued access to calf meal regardless of weight and age.
• Keep an eye on pasture quality — summer grass may look good but lack energy and protein.
• Use faecal egg counts to manage parasite burdens and avoid resistance.
• Stick to your animal health plan — drenching, B12, vaccinating, trace minerals, monthly weighing is essential.
The Calf Experts weighing guide:
Daily gain guide
300g Maintenance/not growing. Critical action must start.
<350g Something is wrong. Health check/ put back onto high performing, nutritionally balanced feeds.
400g–600g Average calves. Group together, and feed better/immune defence could be weakened.
>800g Reaching targets and performing well.
Emerging post-weaning health challenges
As calves transition to pasture, several health issues can emerge — which are often overlooked until they become costly.
Spring eczema (not to be confused with facial eczema)
Rapidly growing, lush pastures in spring are a major factor, providing elevated levels of chlorophyll that the liver struggles to process. Elevated levels of nitrogen in lush pastures reduce the ability to absorb vitamin A. It may look similar but is NOT facial eczema (which is caused from ingesting high levels of sporidesmin toxins). Remove calves from affected pastures and offer calf feed and silage or hay and offer shade.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) deficiency
Thiamine deficiency, often triggered by sudden dietary changes or elevated levels of sulphur in feed or water, can cause polioencephalomalacia (PEM).
Symptoms include depression, head pressing, seizures, blindness, and staggering. Often seen when going from rough pasture to a lush, new paddock. Ensure calves have access to a balanced diet and avoid sudden diet changes. Treatment is needed ASAP, vets will supply B1 injections and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Yersinia infections
Yersinia paratuberculosis (bacteria found in the gut) is a common cause of scouring, poor growth, dehydration, weight loss and even sudden death in post-weaned calves. Can show up particularly during stress events like mob changes, relocation, weather shifts, or poor feed transitions.
Good hygiene, stress minimisation, and early treatment are essential. Can be mistaken for high parasite burdens, faecal monitoring via culture at the lab to identify. A common cause of immune suppression is stress.
A calf that cannot compete in a group will fall behind quickly. These animals become time-consuming and costly to “catch up”.
Weaning to weight: A profitable mindset
Well-grown calves are more profitable. Rushing through weaning without proper rumen development or weight targets leads to poor performance, health issues, and missed growth potential.
Slight changes during weaning — like weighing calves, adjusting feed, and monitoring health — add up to huge results. Do not let your investment in milk feeding go to waste by cutting corners at weaning and beyond.
Invest in the future
Weaning is not the end of the rearing phase — it is the beginning of the next growth curve. If we manage this period well, using supplementary feeds and strategic health planning, our calves will maintain skeletal and lean muscle growth. This sets them up for success — whether they are future herd replacements or destined for beef markets.
Strive to thrive, not just survive!
Karen and Stacey at one of their recent The Calf Experts roadshows.
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Teamwork out in the field
Agronomy is about more than just the seeds. For Agricom, helping farmers get results means working closely with the trusted Farmlands field team.
Agricom offers a wide range of agronomy products including ryegrass, forage cereals, brassicas, beets and legumes, but picking the right product for your farm can be complex.
With a Technical Field Sales (TFS) team of over 100 nationwide, Farmlands works with shareholders across a vast range of microclimates, soil conditions and farm types.
Supporting the Farmlands field team with such a diverse mix of shareholders is a two-step process, according to Agricom’s Lower North Island Territory Sales Manager, Georgia Massie.
The first step is pre-season training; not running up sand dunes like a rugby team but conducting detailed technical and product training sessions leading into the different growing seasons.
“Training is very focused on what they’re actually going to be selling in that season, and it’s fine-tuned down to certain products based on the region,” Georgia explains.
“For example, the east coast of the North Island isn’t going to be sowing a lot of perennial ryegrass in spring. There’ll be pockets of it, but they’re more brassicas, chicory and
summer crops, so we make sure their trainings are relevant to what they’re going to be dealing with each season.
“Then we take it right down to the farm and what works in their system, not just regionally.”
The second step is hopping into the utes and getting out on the farm with the Farmlands field team to meet shareholders, see the results they are getting with Agricom’s products, and help with any issues or questions.
“I think a lot of the shareholders get a kick out of their [Farmlands] TFS bringing us with them because they like to learn a bit more of the
From left: Georgia Massie (Agricom Lower North Island Territory Sales Manager), Justine Kyrke-Smith (Farmlands TFS, Dannevirke) and Farmlands shareholder John Gunson, inspecting a paddock of Reason ryegrass on his dairy farm.
product’s history, or the company’s history, or even Agricom’s research programme,” Georgia says.
“Our Research and Development programme is very large behind the scenes, so it’s great to have contact with their shareholders and give them more information on where their product’s coming from.”
It’s not just Agricom’s team of nine sales managers who work alongside the Farmlands field team; they also have access to the expertise of Agricom’s extension agronomists (who manage the field trials) and animal nutrition specialists.
“If I don’t know something, then I’ll ring our agronomists or nutrition specialists, and their Farmlands TFS can go direct to them as well,” Georgia says. “We also bring them into our Farmlands training sessions.”
Impressive experts
Justine Kyrke-Smith, a TFS based in Farmlands Dannevirke, speaks highly of Agricom’s products and the team backing them.
“We get great support, particularly from Georgia. She’ll always pick up the phone and she’s very keen to come out on farm. I’ve only ever had a couple of issues and she’s been there straight away,” Justine says.
“And the technical team is so impressive. It’s nice to know you’ve got people that are backing their product because they know it’s good.”
Another feature Justine likes about Agricom is that they have field trials around the country, ensuring the results are relevant to local conditions.
“The East Coast is so different to other places; our terrain, our climate and our ground. Having local trials gives us confidence products will work in our area.”
Tough grass
For Justine’s client John Gunson, ryegrass needs toughness. That’s why he chose Agricom’s Reason with AR37.
John’s family has a 660ha dairy and sheep and beef farming operation, and they use Reason on their two dairy farms, one of which is irrigated.
“Our Research and Development programme is very large behind the scenes, so it’s great to have contact with their shareholders and give them more information on where their product’s coming from.”
“The farms are only 10km apart but are vastly different, and Reason works really well on both. We are summer dry; outside of the irrigation unit it will usually be brown during that period.”
“In the past we have used a lot of ONE50, which we found to be persistent and tough, but are now using Reason as a balance to ONE50, taking advantage of its early growth and it is suiting our systems well.”
John says he treats Justine as a part of their team, keeping a close eye on their pasture and cropping programme.
“Justine looks after all that side of things and does a great job. It means I’m free to focus on other parts of the business… I’m not short of things to do!
“We’ve never had any issues with Reason, but it’s good to know we’ve got
Georgia and the Agricom team there for support if we ever need them.”
Justine says Reason has an early heading date, which is ideal for dairy farmers in her region.
“That’s right in the peak milking season, so you’re getting that flush right beforehand, so they’re going into mating and they’re getting a really good flush of grass.”
Reason holds up well in a “really harsh” environment with ever-changing weather conditions, Justine says.
“In one day we can have sun, rain, hail and snow, it’s insane. I’m lucky that Georgia has grown up in Dannevirke, so she understands the climate.
FEATURED PRODUCT
SovGold
Another popular Agricom product over summer is SovGold, a modern New Zealand-bred kale that offers farmers flexibility. SovGold is the latest flowering kale on the market.
“Because you don’t have to deal with transition times or maturity dates, that means in a sheep and beef system it can be
super flexible when you graze it,” Georgia says. “You can use it in the summertime if you want to get an early graze, or you can just hold it and use it as bulk feed later.
“The other thing with SovGold is the ability for its regrowth, so getting one graze off it in the summer and then shutting it up and utilising it in late autumn or winter.”
Taking good care of cattle
“There is nothing more profitable than to take good care of cattle”. This advice from Roman writer and agriculturalist Marcus Cato (234-149 BC) is becoming more accurate for the dairy and red meat sectors.
Just as dairy farmers have increasingly accepted that some concentrated feed (pellets, blends or straights) can be a reliable way to support dairy cows and increase both profitability and efficiency, improved red meat prices improve the economics of supplementing growing and finishing stock with non-forage supplements.
Personally, in the last couple of years we have focused on feeding better quality pasture on our small lifestyle block through some reseeding and buying a tow-behind topper. Our beefies and sheep have been offered more grass of better quality where possible, along with more hay and concentrates when necessary.
This was partly because we have a slow-maturing wagyu cross that looks lean at the best of times. We discovered that his tiger-striped Hereford-cross mate was prime (as per rib eye steak) at the start of last winter so we didn’t have to carry another R2 through the winter and risk watching him stand still or melt away if conditions deteriorated.
It seems obvious that the faster something grows, the sooner it will reach prime condition. What is surprising however, is how just a 100g/day increase in average growth over a beef animal’s lifetime rate can shave months off the time to reach a target weight.
Days to gain 450kg liveweight (e.g. from 100kg to 550kg)
The opportunity cost of having more grass in the subsequent spring is also important, especially if ewes with lambs at foot can make use of it. Making a small change over a long time requires action early, so feed better now to save winter feed demands.
Productive grazing ruminants need to keep their rumen full, because dry matter intake is key to nutrient intake. The quality of that pasture then determines just how productive they can be.
Hard feed is always going to be more expensive than grazed pasture, but as animals get bigger and the maintenance cost is greater, the value of reducing stock numbers caried through winter is worth considering.
If pasture quality or availability is less than optimal, conserved forage can fill a gap, but typically will have less feed value than high quality pasture. A little concentrate can be a convenient way to deliver a concentrated energy source. Don’t forget protein though –protein drives body weight gain more than energy because protein brings with it a 4:1 ratio of water, so when feeding lower protein summer grazing or lower protein silage or hay consider if protein could be a limiting factor to growth.
Don’t forget the very small stuff –at least make sure major mineral and trace element deficiencies are not compromising health and performance.
A low-risk approach to trying supplementary feeding is to focus extra feed on the bottom third of a mob to give them a better chance lambing as yearlings, calving at two years of age or being prime before their second or third winter, depending on breed and weight targets.
As many people have discovered, starch and sugar intake increases fat deposition more than fat consumption.
DR ROB DERRICK FARMLANDS TECHNICAL PRODUCT NUTRITIONIST
Rob has focused on providing better quality pasture to his animals, like this wagyu cross.
Remove, replace, repeat
When harvesting hay or silage –whether it’s a surplus, or deliberately grown to fill a feed gap later – good nutrient management is essential.
Hay and silage remove large quantities of nutrients from the soil, potentially affecting pasture quality and production. Nitrogen (N) is removed in the greatest amounts (20 kg/T DM), followed by potassium (K) (20 kg/T DM for silage and 15 kg/T DM for hay). Phosphorus (P), sulphur (S) and magnesium (Mg) are also removed, but in lesser amounts.
Paddocks harvested once or repeatedly over time without replacement of appropriate nutrients can deteriorate and be vulnerable to undesirable species such as flat weeds, brown top and poa. Nutrients need to be replaced, in addition to regular maintenance fertiliser.
Any nutrient in short supply can affect post-harvest recovery of clover, as it has a shallower root system compared to ryegrass, so doesn’t compete well for nutrients. Potassium is an important clover nutrient, so a lack of K can easily limit clover growth, in turn affecting pasture production and quality, and supply of N.
Strategic N applications when the paddock is first shut up can help drive yield in a hay or silage crop, and help get the paddock back into the grazing round faster if applied after harvesting. If more than one cut is taken, applying N together with maintenance fertiliser after each cut aids recovery and improves the next cut’s yield.
Soil testing is the most accurate way to determine the soil’s nutrient requirements. Herbage analysis is also useful if multiple cuts are taken from the same area.
If Quick test K is under 5, apply K before shutting up the paddock, otherwise apply K post-harvest. Post-harvest K applications can be split if large amounts of K are required or if leaching is a potential risk. In the case of very high soil K levels, overapplying K can result in plants taking up excess K, thus elevating herbage K levels without gaining any extra growth (known as ‘luxury uptake’).
If Olsen P is below optimal, P can be applied when the paddock is shut up. If Olsen P levels are optimal (20–30 for ash and sedimentary soils or 35–45 for pumice and peat soils), maintenance P can be applied at any time.
Your Ballance Nutrient Specialist can help you find the product most suited to your needs. Options include products in the Pasturemag and Pasturesure ranges which provide varying amounts of N, P and K, S and Mg.
Applying fertiliser to replace the nutrients removed in hay and silage, as well as regular maintenance fertiliser, can help to protect pasture quality and ensure its longterm productivity.
Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients.
The basics of rearing pullets
Breeding from birds with stronger natural resistance to bird flu could be important if a virulent strain arrives in New Zealand.
Buying day old chicks, fertile eggs or hatching eggs from your own birds that have shown more resistance to bird flu could become more rewarding if the demand for point-of-lay birds (pullets) and their prices increases.
From a nutritional perspective, rearing chicks is pretty straightforward, because a wellbalanced compound feed plus clean drinking water is all that is required.
suitable for waterfowl and game birds – NRM Gamebird Crumble is recommended instead.
As chicks get older they develop immunity to coccidiosis and can be transferred to NRM Pullet Grower at around eight to 10 weeks of age. They can be kept on NRM Chick Starter Crumble for a bit longer, but it must be discontinued at least 14 days before egg laying commences.
You can’t really over-feed a growing chicken, provided the feed is correctly balanced, so ad-lib feeding is recommended. Male chicks intended for the table can be started on Chick Starter Crumble if there is a risk of coccidiosis, but Gamebird Crumble provides more protein to support muscle growth than Pullet Grower as they get older. DR ROB DERRICK
Chicken chicks are best started on NRM Chick Starter Crumble – basically pellets designed for chicks that have been broken down to create pieces small enough for a day-old chick to consume. They have been formulated and updated over the years by some of New Zealand’s top poultry nutritionists.
Helping to protect birds against coccidiosis may seem unnecessary for domestic situations, but from my own experience I know it kills chicks very quickly. The coccidia parasite can be spread by wild birds and can cause problems even in low intensity situations that look safe.
As NRM Chick Starter Crumble contains a coccidiostat, it is not
Pullets may be comfortable at 18°C and 24°C but temperatures around 30°C can lead to heat exhaustion or stroke, so providing clean drinking water and shade during hot periods is recommended. A feed designed for laying birds such as NRM Peck ‘n’ Lay contains calcium to support eggshell quality, so should be fed to birds just as they come into lay.
Our Farmlands retail team are often the first point of contact for lifestyle farmers, and many are from a farming background or have interest in farm animals and poultry.
The Calf Experts Karen and Stacey know a lot about poultry as well, and have created online training modules to help their understanding of different classes of animals and birds and their nutritional requirements.
brooder boxes for young chicks can be homemade, reliable chick heaters are now available that are raised as chicks get bigger.
For more information, talk to your local Farmlands team or see the online NRM Chook Book: https://nrm.co.nz/products/lifestyle/
Summer care for chooks
Increasingly extreme weather conditions are challenging people around the world; as you look forward to a long but hopefully not too hot summer in the sun, spare a thought for your hard-working chooks.
The ideal temperature for laying hens is between 18oC and 22oC. Temperatures higher than this can lead to stress and reduced egg production and egg white quality because birds divert energy to regulate their body temperature and eat less.
Chickens can’t sweat so they rely on panting, dropping and spreading their wings, drinking cold water and seeking shade to keep cool. Provide access to shade – either naturally from trees or shade cloths so birds can escape direct sun. If possible open up the chick coop to increase airflow when the birds go in to lay and roost.
Help them make a dust bath if your soil type is not conducive to them making it themselves.
Clean the coop more often to reduce heat generation from the litter and be more vigilant for Red Mite because populations can explode in hot weather.
Make sure a clean water source is available at all times as chickens dehydrate quickly in hot weather. Chickens will drink less dirty water that has been used by wild birds as a bird bath. Water in black plastic pipes gets quite hot so make sure it is buried and the water trough shaded if possible.
If you really want to go the extra mile add ice blocks to their water containers on very hot days – Calf Expert Karen Fraser recommends frozen peas as a cool treat.
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Farmlands Horticulture lands star recruits
Farmlands Horticulture has bolstered its Technical Advisor (TA) team with a quintet of new additions across the country.
The five new TAs will support growers in some of New Zealand’s key horticulture regions: Northland (Mike Skellon), the Bay of Plenty (Peter Bailey), Gisborne (Aimee Curley) and Tasman/Marlborough (Garrie Armstrong and Ian Palmer).
Farmlands General Manager – Horticulture Chris Binns says the new TAs will play a vital role in helping shareholders achieve great results.
“Conditions and markets change all the time, but one constant in horticulture is that having the right people is the key to success,” he says.
“For many of our grower shareholders, our trusted TAs are extensions of their own team, and they rely heavily on their advice in their decision-making. Our new TAs will help us service more shareholders in the fast-growing horticulture sector, and their knowledge and experience will add to the capability of our technical team.”
Mike Skellon Waipapa
Mike has worked in kiwifruit for the last four and a half years as an orchard manager, looking after everything from teams and contractors to development and harvest. He dealt with Farmlands regularly in his previous role and is excited to join the team.
Mike is constantly adding to his horticulture knowledge and understands that each season can be vastly different. He enjoys getting to know growers, understanding their challenges and finding solutions, as well as ‘a lean on the truck and yarn’.
Mike’s weekends and holidays are all about exploring and adventures with the family.
He loves a trail run, bush walks, and exploring the beautiful Northland beaches.
Peter Bailey Te Puna
Peter has worked for Farmlands Te Puna for three years and has more than 20 years’ experience in rural and horticultural supplies. He works mainly with kiwifruit growers and enjoys getting to know shareholders, especially visiting their orchard to see what makes them tick. Outside of work he likes a bit of fishing, playing tennis, biking or walking, and spending time with friends and family.
Garrie Armstrong Blenheim
An expert on Marlborough’s unique growing conditions, Garrie has worked in the viticulture industry for over 21 years, primarily as a vineyard manager. Most of his career was spent with Villa Maria, where he gained extensive experience across both the Awatere and Wairau valleys. His background includes everything from vineyard development and canopy management to pest and disease control, harvest logistics, and team leadership. He has a good understanding of vineyard management practices, pest and disease control, nutrition, and irrigation strategies. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and getting outdoors, walking the dog, going for a ride on his Harley Davidson and catching up with mates at local sporting events.
Aimee Curley Gisborne
Aimee has spent more than 17 years working in horticulture, with a strong passion for the kiwifruit sector.
She has held roles from regional orchard management to grower services, and now she’s back at Farmlands helping growers in Gisborne get the best out of their orchards.
She’s all about practical advice, problem-solving, and making things run smoothly. Aimee is passionate about growing fruit and facilitating growers so returning back to Farmlands was a natural fit for her.
When she’s not out in the field, you’ll find her hunting, fishing, or hanging out with her kids working on their lifestyle block.
Ian Palmer Motueka
Ian has spent his entire life and career in horticulture, with the last 35 years in berryfruit, kiwifruit and mainly pipfruit. He has also held a lot of governance and leadership roles in the sector.
As a longtime grower, he has missed working with other growers and joining Farmlands allows him to work for a great business and continue his passion. “As a grower myself, this isn’t work – it’s what I do and love. Passing on knowledge is the greatest gift we can give.”
Ian and his wife love travel, have a couple of classic American cars and enjoy spending time with their grandkids.
In the hops growing capital of New Zealand, the McGlashen family have been growing hops since 1900.
In the great flood of 1856, the Motueka River changed course and deposited rich alluvial soils along former flood channels.
The newly accessible land was surveyed as Native Reserve and leased to the early settlers.
John Freeman McGlashen, a rope maker and his wife, Mary emigrated from Scotland to Nelson in 1842 and set up “Tweedale” flax dressing mill at The Glen. They had two sons -James and John.
James served as an apprentice butcher in Nelson before moving across to the establishing township of Motueka in 1866. James married Mary Ann Eginton and farmed land around the town including hops, later buying the lease of Sec 122NR at Motueka in 1900.
James bought the first steampowered threshing machine to the district. At age 80 yrs his obituary in 1926
read: “Deceased was a man of extraordinary vitality, added to which he had a marvellous memory, being able to vividly recount incidents of the early days.
His peregrinations through the district with his threshing plant brought him into contact with farmers and others in all parts and the knowledge gained enabled him to draw upon a rich fund of happenings which made him a keen conversationalist and most interesting personality.” James was survived by his wife and family of six daughters and five sons.
One of their sons, Herbert “Bert” formally took over the lease in 1930 and farmed through the Depression years producing currants, plums, livestock and hops. He married Wilhelmina Tutbury and together they had two children -Rana and Bruce. Bert died in 1946.
CENTENNIAL FARM
NEW ZEALAND MCGLASHEN MOTUEKA, TASMAN 1900
Bruce returned from WW2 in 1947 and began farming the land. Bruce married Lorna Wilkinson and only son, Kim was born in 1949.
Bruce bought the freehold title to the farm from the Māori Trustee in 1972. He expanded the area in hop production as the industry became more stable in the 1950s and 1960s. Hop growing was tightly regulated under a quota management system that mainly served the domestic brewing industry to ensure orderly supply of domestically grown hops. Bruce died in 2001.
When Kim came back to farm in 1977 with Gertrud and baby Michelle, hop production was limited to growing only five hectares of hops and all for the domestic market. Throughout the period 1980-2000 export opportunities were developed and as neighbouring farms became available, the hop business expanded.
In 2004 the family company was rebranded to MacHops Limited. With the active involvement of their son Brent and Michelle’s husband Owen Johnstone, the company significantly expanded hop production to supply the growing craft-beer industry worldwide.
For five generations the McGlashen family name has been closely intertwined with the local hop industry which has been an integral part of the Nelson district settlement since the 1840s. 125 years and five generations later, the original 35 acres is still farmed by the McGlashen family.
The New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards aims to capture and preserve the history of our country’s farming families. We share stories from Farmlands shareholders who have worked their land for 100 years or more.
Hop picking looked different in 1960.
How to choose which food is best for your dogs
The objective should be to select the dog food that best matches both your budget and the energy your dog is exerting each day. So what should you look out for?
#1 Is meat the primary source of protein?
Meat is a great source of easily digestible protein and fat for dogs. When you compare dog food brands, check where the meat is ranked in the ingredients list and then look at what types of meat are listed.
#2 Quality over quantity
Good availability of nutrients is important to provide adequate energy, muscle development and repair, and recovery. A good way to indicate “quality” is to look for feeds that have lower feeding guidelines.
#3 What carbs are in the food?
Cereals provide a rich source of digestible carbohydrates that provide sustainable energy for growth and endurance. Brown rice is one of the best sources of digestible carbohydrates – it contains rice bran oil, a natural source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
#4 Does it contain other useful supplements & antioxidants?
Non-essential but functional nutrients take nutrition from baseline to good. Check for additional features such as glucosamine, DHA, and antioxidants , all of which have varying benefits for your dog, and therefore play a vital role in keeping your dog fit and healthy.
#5 Is it economical?
Are you thinking twice about the cost of your dog food? If so, you’re not alone. Buying smarter, not just cheaper, could be the key. The price per meal not just the price per bag is the number to notice.
Fighting the rural crime wave
Rural crime is on the rise, reports FMG. We spoke to the insurer about how to protect yourself and your property over the summer months.
According to FMG, in the last five years the average claim value for burglary and theft on rural properties has risen from $4,500 to $6,800 – a 52 percent increase – while the total value of theft and burglary claims has increased by 63 percent.
“We’re seeing more, higher value items being taken from each property,” says Abby France, FMG’s Client Advice Manager.
Since 2020, FMG has paid over $32.7 million in rural burglary and theft claims, with an average of 1,000 claims paid each year – over three a day.
“The good news is that there are steps you can take to deter thieves and reduce the impact of rural crime.”
Make it hard to get in: Secure all entry points with locks. Make a habit of locking up your possessions and removing keys, valuables and equipment from vehicles when not in use.
Make it less attractive to take your belongings: Engrave or distinctively mark your equipment and tools. Well-lit areas, motion sensor lights, alarm systems and security cameras also act as strong deterrents.
Report it: If you are targeted by thieves, always report it to NZ Police. This helps track patterns, increases the chance of apprehending culprits and may help retrieve your belongings.
Understand your insurance: Stay vigilant about underinsurance. Regularly review your sum insured and policies to ensure they reflect your needs and the true replacement cost of items. Recording serial numbers and photos can also help track lost items and assist your claim.
Don’t become a target
Before you head off on a well-deserved summer holiday, take some time to make your property less attractive to thieves, because theft claims peak over the summer months. You might want to have a trusted friend or
family member stay at your place, or someone to check on your property.
Be mindful about what you post on social media. Posting about your upcoming travel plans or photos from your holiday lets people know you are away.
Investing in security measures like trail cameras and reinforced boundary locks helps deter unwanted access, making it harder for poachers and livestock thieves to enter- reducing the risk of livestock disturbance or theft.
If livestock are taken, it’s important to report even small losses to police and notify NAIT.
Recovering after a theft can take a long time and causes considerable inconvenience. There may be a lot of damage to the house, garage or buildings caused during the break-in that needs to be repaired.
Owners need to take stock of what’s actually missing, and over time they tend to notice more items have been taken – especially when sheds and outbuildings have also been targeted, along with the main dwelling. Your insurer is there for you when things go wrong, and you’ll receive money in line with your policy to make repairs and replace stolen goods.
You can’t replace your grandmother’s wedding ring or your stamp collection though, which is why it’s important to us at FMG that you take steps to make it harder for thieves to target you.
Tool sheds are a common target for thieves in rural areas.
NZ’s MOST SUSTAINABLE POST
A look at PermaPine’s sustainable business practices
At PermaPine, caring for New Zealand’s land and people has always been at the heart of how we do business. As New Zealand’s leading post and pole manufacturer, we’ve long recognised the responsibility that comes with working in wood manufacturing. That’s why we’re investing in new technology and smarter ways of operating – setting a standard for sustainability in our industry.
One of our biggest steps forward came in July 2025 when we introduced a large electric loader into our operation. As one of the first companies in the country to adopt a fully electric loader, this marks a major shift in how we power our production. The loader helps cut emissions and noise, while proving that heavy machinery can run cleanly and efficiently.
Inside our treatment plant, we’ve also made important changes. A steam fixation process locks timber preservatives into the timber. This reduces product weight, while virtually eliminating any risk of chemical leaching and benefits safety.
On top of this, we’ve introduced an alternative wood treatment preservative – Micronised Copper Azole (MCA). This preservative is certified by Global GreenTag and the National Green Building Standard. MCA treated timber is recyclable at the end of life and able to be used as a source of fuel.
Energy use is another area where we’ve taken big strides. By installing a wood biomass boiler, we can now generate the energy we need for drying and treating wood using our own wood residue. Post peer and offcuts from production are no longer waste; they’re fuel. It’s a closedloop system that lowers our reliance on fossil fuels while making the most of every log we process.
Sustainability extends beyond the factory floor. Many of our team travel to work in five shared vans, reducing transport mileage and cutting down on vehicle emissions. It’s a simple, practical change that reflects our belief that every small step counts.
Our efforts have also been recognised at an international level. In January 2025, PermaPine achieved Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. This certification is globally respected and reassures our customers that our products come from forests managed to the highest environmental and social standards.
Each of these initiatives reflects our ongoing commitment to doing business the right way. For us, it’s not just about producing strong, reliable timber products. It’s about ensuring that future generations can enjoy the same healthy environment and resources we rely on today.
At PermaPine, we’re proud to be leading the way in sustainable manufacturing. By embracing innovation and responsibility, we’re proving that caring for New Zealand goes hand in hand with building a strong future for the rural communities we serve.
Specify PermaPine product through your local Farmlands store, for New Zealand’s most sustainably produced posts.
Investing in the right drainage
The benefits of land drainage are tacitly understood by farmers who rely on managing their water table to maximise production outcomes. Such is the case with Scott Rome, whose 800ha property Waifield Farm is located in Riversdale, Southland.
Scott, the 4th generation on this 800ha family farm and his fiancé Alice, along with his parents, have been running this mainly cropping, with some finishing and dairy grazing operation for the last 12 years.
So, what drove Scott’s decision to invest in land drainage and why did he choose Nexus, the PE twin-wall small bore drainage pipe, rather than the single-wall corrugated bore Novaflo?
“There were a couple of things that made up my mind”, says Scott. “Firstly, the area of land that required drainage
was flatter and lower lying, so a smooth-bore pipe that could be laid on a flatter gradient and still achieve good drainage results was important.
“Secondly, it seemed to me that a twin-wall pipe would have greater strength than the Novaflo, so be more resistant to being crushed in the trench, with large heavy machinery moving across the paddock.”
“Scott is correct in both of these assumptions,” says Mike Russell, the Iplex Rural Territory Manager in Southland. “The laminar flow of Nexus, rather than turbulent flow of a corrugated bore pipe means the 110mm pipe can be laid a 1/1,000 gradient rather than 1/400 for Novaflo. This also means that the run length of pipe going into an open culvert can be over twice as long as for a corrugated-bore pipe.
Farmlands shareholder Scott Rome (left) with Mike Russell, the Iplex Rural Territory Manager in Southland.
“The twin-wall Nexus does have more “hoop-strength” so correctly installed, it is a stronger pipe than Novaflo. Scott has employed local contractors to ensure the pipe is correctly laid on grade and used imported aggregate back fill around the pipe, to increase the pipes drainage diameter, minimise the entry of soil into the pipe and further support the pipe in the trench.”
The other benefit Nexus delivers is the higher water velocity within pipe, so any soil entering the pipe tends to be flushed down the line rather building up in the corrugations, which diminishes the pipe’s bore, further slows down the flow and eventually blocks the pipe.
Scott recognises that ongoing maintenance through to providing access for pipe jetting, also extends this important asset’s life.
“I’ve seen major improvements over the last five years as we’ve had a programme of installing 1,000 metres of Nexus per year,” says Scott.
“We come out of winter earlier and have seen good increased yields on these poorer performing paddocks.”
Melissa King, Farmlands Gore Business Manager adds, “We recognise the major production benefits and returns delivered by land drainage in the Southland Region and it reflects in the stocks of both Nexus and Novaflo we keep in our yard.”
For more information on land drainage or other rural pipeline matters, talk to your Farmlands TFS or the knowledgeable staff at the local Farmlands branch.
FARMLANDS EXCLUSIVE BRANDS BUCKET EXPANDS
Farmlands is planning a big expansion to its exclusive brand product range, building on the savings it has already achieved for shareholders.
This year the co-operative introduced several new brands available only through Farmlands, including Top Paddock (farm supplies), 1972 by Barkers (clothing), and AgStar (ag-chem).
This has meant significant price reductions for some products, and Farmlands is looking to use this model to deliver better value for shareholders across several new categories.
“At the moment we've got a range of new categories in our pipeline,” says Ben Anderson, Head of Merchandise – Infrastructure and Retail.
“Animal health, hardware, health and safety, home and garden, animal management and infrastructure are the key categories we are looking at bringing in under our exclusive brands, or with established partners directly.”
“Our merchandising strategy has reconnected with the very roots of our co-operative, seeing us act as a buying group for our shareholders.”
Ben says this approach is both a nod to Farmlands’ heritage and a deliberate move to deliver greater value, lower costs and stronger margins for our members.
“Our procurement strategy extends from buying directly from shareholders to working with local supplies and offshore manufacturers to drive profitable results for our shareholders.
“This doesn’t change our commitment to backing local business. By working with selected
“The success of this strategy is evident in the positive reception of our exclusive brands, which are maturing and now integrated into our wider business planning,” he says.
“For Farmlands shareholders, the biggest benefit is clear. As one farmer shared at the June NZ National Fieldays, the significant price difference on our exclusive products is a critical advantage, making it a viable way to compete with international direct to consumer options.
“This is why we have focused on improving our range and product availability, allowing us to meet customer needs better.” Top sellers among the existing exclusive brands products include Top Paddock backpack sprayers and pigtails, Back Road value socks and the orange
“Animal health, hardware, health and safety, home and garden, animal management and infrastructure are the key categories we are looking at bringing in under our exclusive brands, or with established partners directly.”
national and international partners across core product lines, we can secure supply and ensure the right products are in the right place at the right price for our customers.”
Ben says with direct sourcing now part of Farmlands’ strategy, the cooperative has taken control of its supply chain, bypassing traditional channels to deliver high-quality, fit-for-purpose products at competitive prices.
Farmlands buckets, which have been flying off the shelves since they arrived.
The buckets were our first container to test out our capability, and they’ve been hugely popular,” says Ben. “We’ve had great success with the items we’ve brought in under this model so far, and now we’re applying it across a much broader product range.”
WORDS BY NIKO KLOETEN
Ben Anderson.
BETTER BUYING WITH TOP PADDOCK
From buckets to sprayers and tarps to pigtails, Farmlands has plenty of great deals on everyday farming items through its exclusive brand Top Paddock. Here are some items you may need over summer.
Top Paddock Recycled Rubber Tub 20L
Made of recycled rubber, this durable tub is designed for versatility, making it perfect for animal feed, gardening, carrying tools, or organizing household goods.
Farmlands Handy Bucket and Lid
This hugely popular multipurpose and durable bucket with lid is perfect for feeding the chooks.
Top Paddock Tarpaulin
3m x 2.4m 105gm
A durable and light weight solution for everyday cover needs.
Top Paddock Tie Down
Break Strength 500kg 25mm x 4m 2 Pk
Secure your cargo with our 500kg Break Strength Polyester Tie-Downs. Perfect for keeping items safe during transport or storage.
Top Paddock Heavy Duty Pigtail 8mm x 850mm 10 Pack Heavy duty sturdy pigtail, robust crimped foot design.
Back Road Value
Heavyweight Socks 3 Pack
Back Road Value Socks offer dependable comfort whether you're in your boots, on the tractor, or walking the fence line. Durable and made to last.
Top Paddock Offset Pigtail 175mm 5 Pack
Budget-friendly way to add electric wire to wooden fences— side mount design electrifies offset wire with minimal cost and effort.
SUMMER STYLE WITH 1972 BY BARKERS
Available exclusively at Farmlands, the 1972 range is designed to suit the lifestyle of New Zealand’s rural community. 1972 represents the enduring Barkers quality and craftsmanship Kiwis have trusted for more than 50 years. Here is a selection of must-have fits for this summer.
1972 Mallard Print Tee
Men’s
This 100% organic cotton t-shirt will keep you cool out on the farm over the hot summer months.
1972 Clutha Check Shirt
Women’s
This 100% cotton women’s shirt is ideal for summer with a classic fit, short sleeves and double patch pockets.
1972 Muster Branded Tee
Women’s Featuring embroidered branding with the 1972 logo, this Muster t-shirt will make you stand out in a crowd.
1972 Aoraki Women’s Straight Leg Jeans
Nothing says summer like these straight leg, mid-rise jeans that are built for comfort.
1972 Tekapo Double Pocket Shirt
Women’s
Step out in style with this elegant yet practical doublepocketed shirt.
Landy Print Tee
Men’s
Screen printed with a classic fit, this Landy Print t-shirt will have you looking good on and off the farm.
1972 Organic Trunk Men’s 3 Pack
These comfortable 95% organic cotton classic men’s trunks come in packets of three different styles.
1972 Gunner Stretch Chino Short Men’s
Crafted for comfort and style, the Gunner Stretch Chino Short blends soft cotton twill with stretch for ease of movement.
Resene is a proud Farmlands Card Partner.
Craft and colour meet in the garden
From her kitchen table to a new garden haven, here’s how Anna built a creative space that’s as thoughtful as the work it holds.
Cradled among mature trees and country calm, a charming little studio now sits where once there was an empty patch of lawn. It belongs to Anna Miles, the artisan behind Equine Mementos, a small business creating handcrafted horsehair jewellery and keepsakes. What began on her kitchen table has grown into a beautiful garden studio, designed and built by Anna and her husband, Michael.
“My husband Michael designed this work studio for my horsehair jewellery business,” says Anna. “I had outgrown
the kitchen table and this studio that we built together over the summer is light and airy, and the Resene colour range allows the building to sit well into the garden.”
Every element of the build reflects care, creativity and respect for materials. “All materials used during the building process are either recycled, seconds or repurposed,” says Anna. That commitment to sustainability is mirrored in the finish, with the exterior painted in Resene Blue Bark and the roof in Resene Iron Sand. Both of these shades use Resene
Work in progress
Resene Blue Bark
Resene Ironsand
Resene Jet Stream
CoolColour technology, which is a great choice for darker shades as it reflects more of the sun's heat than standard paint, keeping surfaces cooler, reducing stress on the paint and substrate and extending the life of the coating.
The tones are deep, yet quiet in nature, giving the little structure an immediate sense of belonging. “Customers often comment on how the exterior colour makes the studio look like an established structure in the existing garden,” Anna says. Set against the backdrop of lush greenery, it feels as though it’s always been there.
Step inside, and the space feels bright and quietly refined. The walls and trims are finished in Resene Black White, a crisp neutral that keeps the space feeling open while allowing Anna’s intricate pieces to take centre stage.
“The interior colours make the space beautiful to work in and give me a lot of options to showcase the keepsakes that I make on light backgrounds,” she says.
A hero feature in the studio is the large workbench, painted in Resene Jet Stream, a soft, silvery blue that’s as practical as it is pretty.
“I particularly like Resene Jet Stream on the workbench,” says Anna. “I work with horsehair and sterling silver, and the colour of the bench allows me to easily see individual hairs when I’m counting, sorting and braiding. The colour also makes a nice background for photographing work.”
From the outside, the studio is a picture of rustic charm. And inside, it hums with quiet focus and creativity. Natural light streams through the windows, falling across the polished, practical space, neatly braided horsehair and tiny silver clasps that will soon become meaningful mementos. It’s a space built not just for work, but for inspiration.
top tip
If painting in hot conditions, add Resene Hot Weather Additive to slow drying time and ensure a smooth, even finish.
Enter your best rural project and win!
Resene and Farmlands are on the hunt for the country’s best rural Resene projects. Send in your photos and the stories behind your kitchen, shed, barn or bedroom – anything inside or outside that's painted, stained or wallpapered with Resene products!
The winning projects will not only win a $1,000 Resene ColorShop voucher and a $250 Farmlands Gift Card, but will also feature in an upcoming issue of Farmlander magazine.
a $1,000 Resene ColorShop voucher, and a $250 Farmlands Gift Card.
Visit www.farmlands.co.nz/resene to enter your project!
Resene Blue Bark
Resene Black White
The Farmlands 2026 Calendar gives us an amazing look at how we’ve shaped rural New Zealand – building structures that not only support us but sustain our way of life.
Farmlands shareholders were invited to send high-quality images of a rural building or built structure, set against a rural backdrop or landscape, for potential inclusion in the calendar. With so many outstanding entries, it was hard to pick just 12 for the calendar. Here are some other entries that narrowly missed the final cut.
To see the winning entries, pick up the Farmlands 2026 Calendar from your local Farmlands store from mid November.
Plain next to Dunedin Airport.
5. An old pig sty in Waimauku, Northland.
6. A firewood chalet in Levin, made of recycled unwanted pallets. 7. An unnamed structure in Atarau (West Coast), thought to be over 100 years old.
1. The abandoned Kelso dairy factory in West Otago was built in 1913. 2. This old farm house is in Inch Clutha, south of Balclutha. 3. Jenkins Cottage in Otaki was built in 1879 by William Jenkins from wrecked sailing ships. 4. This old shed is in Momona on the Taieri
Your dream deck starts here
| SpecRite
Whether you’re planning a fresh build or simply looking to refresh your outdoor space, now’s the perfect time to start thinking about your next project. From timber to composite materials, and our wide range of fixings, stains, oils and paint. We can help bring your vision to life.
Explore ideas, get inspired, and discover what’s possible for your outdoor space this season.
Explore our range Shop With Your Farmlands Card
Browse our decking range
Explore our wide range of decking options. With a variety of colours, materials, and trusted brands available, it’s easy to find what suits your style and your project.*
*Please note you must be logged into your Farmlands account to view exclusive member pricing.
Bring out the natural beauty of your deck while helping it stand up to the elements. With a range of stains and oils to choose from, it’s easy to find a finish that suits your space and your style. Whether you’re after a rich, warm tone or a subtle matte look, there’s something to help your deck shine — season after season.
Hi Farmlander readers, I'm Alice, and I share cheap, cheerful and realistic recipes over on my Instagram, @alicetayloreats. It still feels a bit strange to say it, but posting affordable, everyday food has become something of a novelty in a space as polished as social media. So I’m genuinely chuffed that so many of you have found comfort, inspiration and community in it.
MasterChef NZ finalist and social media sensation Alice Taylor shares some advice on stretching your food budget further.
I’ve felt the weight of the cost of living crisis firsthand – like many, the weekly food shop was something I truly dreaded. That experience shaped the way I cook, as well as my Instagram page. Every recipe I share is designed for those of us trying to make good food work on a budget that feels tighter than ever. Here's how I make it work, and how you can too.
My top 5 tips for budget-friendly cooking
1. Build yourself a staple pantry.
Think of it like a capsule wardrobe, but for food. What are the top five meals you make on repeat? What ingredients do they always use? Curate a small, mighty list. For me, it’s:
• three carbs I always keep on hand (rice, pasta, and sliced bread in the freezer);
• a few tins (coconut cream and chopped tomatoes are non-negotiables);
• and two to three spices or flavour boosters I love.
When you know your go-to meals inside out, you can shop smarter and cook faster.
2. Keep the staples stocked, and stay flexible with everything else.
Meat and produce prices can change week to week, so I never get too attached to what I planned to buy. Check the unit pricing, keep an eye on specials, and don’t be afraid to swap. I’ll happily freeze discounted meat as soon as I get home, and I refuse to buy tomatoes in winter – they’re expensive and never taste good anyway.
3. Shop the seasons.
It sounds basic, but it makes such a difference. Seasonal produce is cheaper, fresher, and just better all round.
Since we’re heading into summer, now’s the time to look out for:
• asparagus
• leeks
• spinach
• radishes
• strawberries
• new potatoes
These are usually at their best price and quality at this time of the year.
4. Have a few “fakeaways” in the freezer.
This is my insurance policy against the inevitable midweek slump. For me, it’s crumbed chicken and Japanese curry mix. For you, it might be burger patties or a homemade frozen pizza. When the cravings hit or you’re too tired to think, the solution is already sorted. That’s a win.
5. Be proud of what you’re making.
Honestly, just getting food on the table is a feat in this economy. There’s so much pressure to cook the ‘right’ way – beautifully plated, organic, aesthetic... and it’s exhausting.
Food doesn’t have to be perfect to be good. We need to feel proud of what we are putting on the table!
RECIPE
Summer lamb with lemon yoghurt and pickled onion
For my family, summer means lamb, and this roast leg is one of the easiest and most flavourful ways to cook it. It’s incredibly simple, and if you like, it can be done in a slow cooker.
A slow cooked lamb might not feel particularly summer-like, but the way I see it, we’re all time-poor no matter the season. To freshen things up, I pair the lamb with a zesty yoghurt sauce and quick pickled red onions. Honestly, they’re far tastier and faster to make at home than tracking them down in the supermarket pickle aisle.
Serves: 5
Prep time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
INGREDIENTS
1 leg of lamb
500mL liquid: I use 200mL white wine and 300mL liquid
Olive oil
4 large potatoes, roughly chopped
METHOD
• Season your lamb well – don’t be shy. It’s a big cut of meat, and the flavour needs to stick.
• Brown it on all sides in a hot pan until deeply golden. Two quick notes:
– Use a generous hand with the salt, since it’s only going on the outside.
– Browning means more flavour and helps keep the juices inside.
• Line a large oven tray with baking paper. Place the lamb on the tray, pour white wine and water on the bottom, and cover with tin foil.
• Bake at 120°C for two hours.
• Remove the foil, place the potatoes on the tray, drizzle with oil and season. Increase the oven to 180°C and bake for another hour.
TO SERVE
Zesty yoghurt sauce
1 cup yoghurt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ clove garlic, minced (optional)
Pinch of salt
Mix together until smooth.
Quick pickled onions
2 red onions, finely sliced
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
Heat the vinegar, sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the onions and let them pickle while the lamb cooks. Serve everything with a simple salad of peas and baby spinach – fresh, light and green.
RECIPE
Seasonal fruit cake
One of my favourite ways to celebrate summer approaching is with a seasonal fruit cake. Think apricot, raspberries, pear – anything you enjoy and have an abundance of, can go into this.
As with the cake recipes I share over at @alicetayloreats, I make sure they’re (a) accessible, (b) full of easy substitutes, (c) and only require limited kitchen equipment.
Makes: 1 x 21 cm cake
Serves: 8 to 10
Prep time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
INGREDIENTS
Cake
½ cup oil – I use sunflower oil, but olive oil would be lovely too 1 cup sugar – honey works beautifully as a swap
2 eggs
1 cup yoghurt – I love the tang of Greek yoghurt, but use whatever you have
1 cup self-raising flour (or 1 cup plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder)
1 cup ground almonds
Pinch of salt
1½ cups seasonal fruit (your favourites
– apricot, raspberry, pear, etc.)
Crumble topping
75 g butter or oil
150 g flour
150 g sugar
Any spices you fancy
Optional: nuts or oats for added crunch
METHOD
• Whisk together oil, sugar, eggs and yoghurt until well combined.
• Fold in flour, ground almonds and salt. When it’s halfway mixed, gently fold through the fruit. This helps stop them from sinking.
• Pour the batter into a greased and lined 21 cm cake tin.
• For the crumble, rub together all the ingredients with your hands until you have a rough crumb, then scatter generously over the top.
• Bake at 180°C (fan) for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and a big dollop of whipped cream.
Photo: Charlie Newall
So, your local Pet Day has been and gone. What now? Hopefully, you have a few ribbons, or maybe even a trophy, to reward all your hard work, caring for your animals in the lead up to Pet Day.
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY SALLY NEWALL
But it is important to remember that even when Pet Day is over, change isn’t necessarily a good thing, when it comes to the care of young animals. Any change to their routine needs to be gradual, to avoid problems.
Many lambs and calves will still be used to their regular daily milk feeds, so now you really need to start thinking about how to wean off milk successfully, ensuring that your lamb or calf remains happy and healthy.
Hopefully, you introduced meal when your lamb or calf was young. If not, it is never too late to start! On our farm we introduce a sweet museli type feed to our lambs and calves in the first couple of weeks.
The molasses in the feed is what attracts them and once they realise it tastes good, they eat more every day. After a few weeks we start to mix in a high protein pellet, which helps them to grow faster. We also offer them meadow hay or a shorter fibre, such as chopped lucerne chaff, from the first few weeks.
Lambs and calves are ‘ruminants’ which means they have a specialised stomach with four chambers. The first chamber is called the rumen. The lining of the rumen is covered in tiny little hairlike structures that absorb food, called villi.
Ted and Bluebell the calf.
Feeding a hard feed or 'meal' stimulates the little villi in the rumen to develop. This means that the calf or lamb is ready to be weaned off milk earlier than if they were on mum, because their stomachs are better developed and ready to absorb nutrients from food other than milk, such as grass and meal.
When we wean our calves off milk, we want them to be eating at least 1kg per day of a high protein meal, plus pasture and hay. We make sure they go onto a good paddock, with plenty of grass and we move them regularly.
With our calves we move them from twice daily milk feeds to once a day
Can you anwer these questions?
1. What is an animal with a fourchambered stomach called?
2. What are the hair-like structures in the rumen that absorb nutrients called?
3. How much meal should a calf be eating, every day, before weaning off milk?
See below for the answers!
Answers 1. Ruminant 2. Villi 3. At least 1kg
and then when they are ready to wean completely, we spend a few days giving them smaller feeds once a day until we stop the milk feeds all together.
With lambs, we give five to six very small feeds per day when they are newborn, decreasing slowly to three slightly larger feeds per day when they are around a month old and then dropping down to two feeds per day and then only one feed per day, before weaning completely when they are around 10-12 weeks old.
As the lambs get older, we can make each feed slightly larger, but we never give more than 400ml in one feed, as this can increase the risk of bloat.
From weaning, our animals will normally be expected to live outside all the time. So, it is important to think about shade and shelter. Even in late Spring we can still be caught out with bad weather, and you don’t want your animals to suffer as a result.
If your paddocks do not have good shelter then you could look at
buying a cover for your calf or lamb, to help them transition to outdoor life. Just remember to take it off when the weather starts to warm up. Often we worry about animals getting too cold in harsh weather but getting too hot can cause even more health problems than being a little bit chilly.
If your calf has a cover or halter on in the paddock, make sure you check and adjust the straps regularly, as they will be growing fast! A tight halter can dig into the skin and cause infection and pain if unnoticed and a tight cover can cause pressure sores.
One last thing to think about around weaning are vaccinations. We use a vaccination that protects against several different types of clostridial disease. Prevention is always better than cure, so if you’re not sure what vaccinations your lamb or calf has received then ask your parents and they can have a chat with your local vet about the best protection for your animal.
Sally Newall is a vet and farmer in Patoka, Hawke’s Bay. Passionate about sharing life behind the farm gate and connecting children with sustainable agriculture, Sally is opening a new facility for ‘on-farm learning’ in 2026. Follow her Kiwi Country Kids official page on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok or head to www.kiwicountrykids.nz to find out more.
Our friend’s calves, enjoying their cozy covers and meal.
Ted introduces Bluebell to meal.
Farm animal wordfinder
How well do you know your farm animals? Test your eyes and brain with this fun wordfinder.
Find these farm animals hidden left-to-right and top-to-bottom: CAT, COW, DOG, HEN, PIG, DUCK, GOAT, GOOSE, HORSE, SHEEP, DONKEY, RABBIT, TURKEY Tip: Circle each letter. No backwards or diagonal words!
THE LAST WORD
Kiwi farmers need to get serious about succession
Farmers and growers can’t afford to leave succession planning too late, Strategic Advisor Kendall Langston warns.
Ihave lost count of the number of businesses I have mentored through succession planning. But recently, it got personal.
It made me realise something: succession in a family business isn’t a transaction. It’s a test of leadership, patience and values.
None of us are going to stick around forever. If we want our agricultural businesses to have more longevity than we have, we have to park our egos and start real, honest succession planning.
For our family, succession planning took more than a decade. Mum had devoted more than 40 years to the farm and while we had a shared intent to keep the family farm in the family, living that intent took time, courage, and compromise.
What have I learnt through the process?
• Start early. Succession is a process, not an event. It takes far longer that you might think. During the process, expect the unexpected. Illness, death and external pressures can create sudden shifts.
• Fair ≠ equal. Look for outcomes that are pragmatic, fair and respected. You can’t base your decisions solely on the numbers. It comes back to being clear about what each party wants and managing expectations.
• Anchor to shared intent. Mum’s wish was to keep the farm in the family. This guided us and, when things got tough, we returned to this wish to bring clarity and get us back on track.
• Learn from others. Use trusted advisors. They bring logic, neutrality, experience and structure to difficult conversations. And listen to others who have been through the process. While every situation is different consider their lived experience, adapt it and apply it.
• Stay connected. Don’t let succession planning make you lose your way as a family. Through birthdays, shared meals, and simple check-ins – relationships need their own care. Care for yours.
In my day job I’ve worked with countless leaders navigating succession who delay planning for
their exit, assuming they’ll have time to “figure it out later” or “cross that bridge when they get to it”.
The reality is simple. Without a clear succession plan, businesses risk instability, loss of direction and potential failure. Farming businesses are no different – in fact, they have added complexities often involving the transition of land to the next generation.
Too few farming businesses are taking succession seriously. Research on family-owned businesses found only 30 percent survive into the second generation while less than 10 percent survive into the third generation and beyond. It’s grim reading.
Our farmers need to start thinking ahead, as the way you plan your farm’s succession determines its future success or failure. Hope alone is not a strategy.
Succession isn’t about control – it’s about stewardship. It’s not about what’s fair today but rather what’s sustainable and sets up future generations.
Succession is about legacy. We knew this process would define mum’s legacy. What we didn’t know was that she wouldn’t be there at the end of the process, passing suddenly in January 2025.
We didn’t have a perfect succession plan when mum died, but we had a plan, and as a result, mum’s incredible legacy and family farm lives on.
Kendall Langston grew up on his family farm in South Canterbury. He is the previous Chair of Rainer Irrigation, the Vice President of Angus NZ and a Partner and Strategic Advisor at leading advisory firm Pivot and Pace.
