Manawatu Farming Lifestyles, April 2022

April 2022 Edition

Romney stud is farm’s foundation Pages 4–5

Dairy winners announced

Reducing environmental impacts

P3

Keeping dreams alive

P6

P19

MAKE TIME

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

The Manawatu Farming Lifestyles is published with pride by Integrity Community Media, a privately owned NZ company.

Phone: 0800 466 793 Email: info@integrity.nz Postal Address: PO Box 474, Dargaville Physical Address: 107 River Road, Dargaville Editor: Deb Wright 021 639 696 deb.wright@integrity.nz Journalists: Denise Gunn | Ann van Engelen | Andy Bryenton Advertising: Ruth Webb 027 525 9172 Production: Gavin Bainbridge | Anna Fredericksen | Kelsey Hansen | Liz Clark Accounts: accounts@integrity.nz Distribution: Laurie Willetts Printed by: NZME Website: farminglifestyles.co.nz Opinions expressed in this publication and in advertising inserts, by contributors or advertisers, are not necessarily those of Integrity Community Media. All inserts delivered with the publication are not produced by Integrity Community Media.

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HARVESTING FRUIT FOR

COMMUNITIES

BY DENISE GUNN For the past decade, a group of Community Fruit Manawatu volunteers have picked excess fruit and produce in the region, sharing with those in need and reducing food wastage.

T

he volunteer organisation is a branch of Community Fruit Harvest, established in Auckland

by Di Celliers. Madz BatachEl founded Community Fruit Manawatu.

Coordinator Debra Wynn said six regular harvesters, ranging in age from 40–68 years, are on the Community Fruit Manawatu team.

“We also have members of the community who like to participate in oneoff picks, which is really good when we have large harvests.”

The team tends to harvest three times a week in the Manawatū area.

Extra days are added if there are more trees available.

“We go as far as Rangiwahia, and just recently, we have been getting calls from Whanganui. We have a branch in the Horowhenua, which we have started, but with Covid challenges, it’s taking a little while to get off the ground.”

Debra said the Rangiwahia harvest would be the largest so far, with close to 2,000kg of fruit picked and more available.

Harvested fruit and produce are distributed to food banks, local charities, free stores and pātaka kai. Up to 7,000kg of fruit is harvested each year, with the occasional vegetable harvest.

“We get a variety of food, which is really good. We have citrus season with lemons, grapefruit, limes, which is big, and then we have plum season followed by apples, pears and feijoas.”

Two of the team members enjoy making jams and jellies from the harvested fruit.

Debra is also a keen preserver and donates to community pantries.

“We have a fabulous relationship with SuperGrans Manawatu. We supply fruit for their preserving workshops, which is really great,” she said.

Debra has found the amount of fruit and produce harvested with no funding to be an incredible achievement. She is

A volunteer with a box of newly-picked apples

thankful for getting the fruit to places and people who need it.

“We have also had a lot of feedback from the general public saying fruit is so expensive, sometimes they can’t afford it.

When we have huge harvests, I usually put boxes out on my front verge for the general public. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen as often as I would like, but sometimes, any little bit helps.”

Harvesting fruit and produce allyear-round is a short-term goal for the organisation. Currently, harvesting takes place for just under eight months of the year, with winter being a quiet period.

“I have been told a lull period is good, and it gives the team a bit of a rest, but if there are fruit or veggies going to waste — I would prefer to be rescuing it.”

Debra would like to see the Community Fruit Harvest Manawatu grow further to include two full-time teams harvesting yearround in the region. Another goal is to get the Horowhenua branch up and running.

“Also, with interest popping up from Whanganui, there could be some possibilities there.

“I believe food is there, and the service we provide is invaluable,” she said.

Community Fruit Harvest Manawatu welcomes offers of excess fruit and vegetables to be harvested at communityfruitmanawatu@gmail.com.

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April 2022

3

DAIRY WINNERS

ANNOUNCED

A

The 2022 Manawatū Dairy Industry Awards winners were announced recently during the annual awards dinner.

fter facing a challenging year, several entrants in the Manawatū Share Farmers of the Year category made the difficult decision to withdraw from the competition, leaving one entrant.

When a region has had low entrant numbers, places have traditionally only been offered to the winner and runner-up, or the winner only. When entrant numbers were very low, that category did not proceed.

However, with entrants wanting to participate in the awards programme, not allowing them to take part goes against the New Zealand Dairy Awards’ philosophy and achievements the programme is striving towards.

That approach also means the winner of the category may not be ready to progress to the competition.

This year, Manawatū Share Farmer entrant scores were benchmarked against the national average, with data collated from the 10 other regions. Merit awards were awarded if the entrant achieved at the right level.

Runners-up in the 2022 Manawatū Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year category, Callum and Megan Bates, are

siblings and both 20% equity partners in their family business JonBay Farms Ltd. The business leases Kevin and Gail Russell’s 70ha, 185-cow property at Tokomaru.

Callum has been managing the lease farm for the past 13 years and has a Certificate in Agriculture.

Megan holds a Bachelor of Education, working as a rural professional and parttime on-farm. They won $6,815 in prizes and eight merit awards in the competition.

Callum and Megan entered the awards programme to take an in-depth look at their farming business and to challenge and develop themselves.

“Seeing the progress you have made is always a good feeling and keeps you ticking when times get tough,” they said.

The 2022 Manawatū Dairy Manager of the Year, Joel Peterson, won $8,550 in prizes and four merit awards.

Joel is farm manager for Pāmu Farms of New Zealand’s 194ha, 520-cow property in Moutoa. He has previously entered the awards twice.

“The way we farm is continuously changing, whether it’s stock management, regulations or environmental, and

The 2022 Manawatū Dairy Industry Awards winners and place-getters

the profitability focus is adapting with these changes. Currently, our farm is transitioning to organics, and this is where I see myself progressing further.”

Joel is proud that as a young manager, he has facilitated a good team culture with strong staff retention.

Winner of the 2022 Manawatū Dairy Trainee of the Year category, Amit Sujit, is farm manager on Andrew Hoggard’s 230ha, 550-cow Kiwitea farm. The first time entrant won $6,250 in prizes.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), Amit worked for a year in a bank

in India. He has gone on to attain a Graduate Diploma in Science and Technology and a Master’s in Agricommerce, both from Massey University.

“Entering the New Zealand dairy industry was a challenge from the beginning, right from studying for my Master’s, as a lot of the subject related to agriculture were very new to me and required a lot of extra hours to understand concepts, systems and terminology,” he said.

“I enjoy learning, and every day on-farm is a learning experience — no two days are the same.”

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

ROMNEY STUD IS FARM’S FOUNDATION

BY DENISE GUNN Award-winning Holly Farm has a long association with Romney sheep, dating back to 1947.

B

ob and Joyce Smith bought the original farm just north of Marton in Rangitikei. Shortly afterwards, the couple established Holly Farm Romney Stud.

This multi-generational farm has remained in the hands of the Smith family ever since.

The couple’s son David and his wife Maureen continued running the farm, expanding it when the opportunity arose and focussing a lot of their attention on the stud. They farm the 350-hectare property together

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with their son Cam and his partner Susan Graham.

David’s parents chose Romney due to the breed’s dual purpose. Wool was earning good returns back then.

Holly Farm currently runs 3,000 sheep, including lambs, 200 Angus breeding cows, including calves, and about 90 grazing dairy heifers. Angus was selected due to their foraging abilities, cleaning up the farm’s steeper hill country.

The Romney stud remains the primary focus, and all sheep on the farm are stud sheep.

“We run 1,000 intensively recorded stud ewes,” said Susan.

The Smith family has recently started to introduce Romneys with a very high tolerance to facial eczema into the flock.

Working with AgResearch on parasites, survival and longevity, the Smith family has created a low input Romney suitable

Bringing a mob of sheep into the yards

for New Zealand hill country. It has been a rewarding challenge.

“None of our Romneys are drenched once they are over six months old. We also have a big focus on dag scoring all of our ewes yearly.”

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Each year, all stud ram hoggets are sold from mid-November.

“We also have a small South Suffolk stud to cater for clients who also want terminal sires.”

Extensive development of the land has taken place and the farm tracks constructed have improved access to most areas of the farm.

Cam said a lot of fencing had been completed during the years, which he has done himself.

“Waterways have been fenced off and planted, and erosion-prone hills have been retired. We also have two bush reserves, which are in the Queen Elizabeth II Trust. Holly Farm has won environmental awards in the past for the work that’s been done here.”

Among these awards was the AC Cameron Farm Excellence title in 1992.

The farm’s location is traditionally a summer-safe area, but the family has noticed this changing.

“It’s quite high and exposed at the top of the farm. Winters generally aren’t too bad, with the odd really cold snap.”

The farm receives an average annual rainfall of 1,100mm. David said a small amount of supplementary feed is grown each year.

“We normally do roughly 15 hectares of brassica crop for hoggets in autumn and about eight hectares of brassica crops for the winter.”

Twelve years ago, with spare timber leftover that had been milled on the farm, the Smith family built a cottage and set up a farm stay.

“We always had people staying over for events held here and nearby, so we

April 2022

Drafting in the covered pens

David and Maureen Smith with their son Cam and his partner Susan Graham

thought a cottage would come in handy.

We have had people from overseas and New Zealand stay here, including America, South America, Germany and Australia.

“You never know who might email or call you next for a booking.”

The family enjoys meeting a diverse range of people. They host many motorbike and horse trail rides, tramping clubs, and previously held school cross country runs.

“We are also involved with the Tutaenui Stream Restoration Society.”

This society is creating an outdoor reserve area with walking and biking tracks around the Marton reservoirs bordering the Smith family’s land.

Holly Farm was named after the many holly trees originally on the property. The family plan to plant more shade trees and shelter belts.

Operating a sustainable farming system is the family’s long-term goal.

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

BY DENISE GUNN

Meat Industry Association scholar Nelson Harper enjoys helping companies reduce their environmental impacts through waste reduction and improved system efficiencies.

T

aranaki-born Nelson grew up on Hawke’s Bay farms and lifestyle blocks. Through his school years, he also spent some time in Rotorua and northern Queensland.

On leaving school early in Year 11, Nelson tried a few different career paths, but nothing really stuck. When in his early 20s, he discovered chemical and bioprocess engineering.

“It looked like it involved doing lots of things I loved playing around with as hobbies, like brewing, cheese-making and science, so I decided to give it a go.”

Nelson studied towards a Diploma of Applied Science at the Eastern Institute of Technology. It enabled him to gain entry to a Bachelor (with Honours) of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering at Massey University.

“I have always been interested in how things are made, and more recently, in how to turn waste products or by-products into valuable resources.

“There is a big push to do this for environmental reasons, but I appreciate that at the end of the day, it is just as important for a project to make sense financially.”

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Meat Industry Association scholar Nelson Harper has completed four internships, including one at ANZCO Foods in Waitara

A Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) scholarship helped Nelson finance some of his studies and associated costs during his honour’s year of study.

“The money went towards helping me survive as a student. It is not easy to focus

on studies and work a part-time job to pay the bills.

“The student allowance doesn’t go very far. This meant I could spend more time studying and building my future.

I also found the meat conference we attended as scholars to be very valuable.”

As an MIA scholar, Nelson completed four internships. The first was at Turks Poultry in Foxton where he helped make sausages and smoked meats.

As a process worker, Nelson found this position gave him an appreciation for the daily hard work performed. It also made him realise that many good solutions for problems come from people who work with the systems every day.

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Assisting people in their gardens helped Nelson finance his studies and developed his idea for an online marketplace, Urban Orchards

“I was looking at the gut health effects of eating crickets and working out how to extract some high value compounds. Turns out that crickets are great for your gut microbiota, and the environment, but it’s hard to get Kiwis to voluntarily eat insects.”

Last year Nelson was at ANZCO Foods in Waitara, creating a tool to model and monitor their carbon footprint, finding ways to reduce their footprint and reduce their waste and wastewaters on the environment.

“This year, I am working on a project called Sustainable is Attainable in Hawke’s Bay, where we are working with several big and small companies across the food sector.

“The goal is to find ways they can collaborate to add value to by-product and waste streams instead of trying to tackle them individually, which can require massive capital investment.

“I love getting in to see all the factories and making connections in different industries.”

Through supporting himself financially while studying, Nelson also helped people in their gardens and noticed many fruit trees going to waste.

“They would give fruit to me and all their friends and neighbours but still have so much rotting on the ground.

“At the same time, I saw people in supermarkets paying high prices for the

April 2022

A Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) scholarship helped Nelson finance some of his studies and associated costs while studying at Massey University

same produce grown in other regions or overseas.

“So I came up with the idea to connect these home growers with people wanting to buy fresh, organic, local produce.”

This concept has evolved into an online marketplace urbanorchards.co.nz .

People with excess fruit, herbs or vegetables in their garden or with a lifestyle block or small growing operation can list their product on the website. Local buyers can message them and arrange a cashless and contactless pickup.

Nelson said this is becoming a necessity with food security, food resilience and food waste issues around New Zealand.

Recently Nelson began modelling carbon footprints with independent greenhouse gas assessment team My Imprint. He also became a director on the Manawatu Young Chamber of Commerce board.

This year, Nelson will take on parttime biodiversity work with Environment Network Manawatū.

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Fairlie farmer Andrew Hurst purchased a crush protection device (CPD) for his quad bike more than a decade ago and it’s saved him twice from serious injury. Once with a bull that charged his bike whilst chasing his dog in a completely flat paddock, and again when he rolled it in a swamp. “It was like someone pushing firmly on my back with both hands, I look up and here’s the bike back on its wheels again.” CPDs were deemed a personal choice by Worksafe in 2014, but a thorough review of the research led them to take a firmer stance. Along with Safer Farms and ACC, they now “strongly recommend” the use of professionally designed and manufactured CPDs on the back of quad bikes.

CPDs create a gap between the bike and the ground that could aid survival during a roll over.

Safer Farms Chairperson Lindy Nelson highlights “if farmers find themselves in a situation they did not intend to be in, roll over protection could make all the difference.”

“As a wife, I want to know my husband is going to come back safely. As an employer, I want to know we have done everything we can, practically, to look after the people on our farm.”

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

by Liz Clark

The bulbs of zing

They have a bite like no other, cause tears to well up in the kitchen and are amongst the most versatile crops to grow in the garden.

We’re talking about the flavoursome members of that family of bulbs, the onion family, which includes onions, garlic, chives, spring onions and many others.

You’ll find them in many different styles of culinary use, from salads to stews and soups. In northern regions, they can be grown year-round; my garden always has a member of the onion family included in the planting plan.

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Onions come in all shapes and sizes from large, to relatively small, and include shallots, which this writer must admit are challenging to grow. However, across the board, onions are an easy crop to grow.

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Choose a sunny, warm location in the garden to plant your onion crops — fork in plenty of compost, sheep pellets or wellrotted cow or horse manure. In the case of clay soil, drainage will be an issue. Create raised areas at least 20cm above the clay layer before planting. During summer, use a layer of mulch to conserve the soil moisture — water well during dry periods.

Planting time is usually between February to August, depending on which region of the country you live. Sow onion seeds into trays filled with good quality seed raising mix and keep moist, not wet.

Plant out when the seedlings are large enough to handle without damage, then transplant them into the beds. The beds should be thinned once the onions are larger to 10cm spacings. Harvest once the tops start to die back. Varieties include Borettana, Ishikura, Italian Long Keeper, Pukekohe Long Keeper, Pearl Drop, Purplette and Shallot Zebrune.

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Instead, obtain your garlic corms from a garden centre or reputable grower to ensure healthy plants. Planting is from April to July, which means you can plant your cloves earlier than June 21 — the shortest day of the year.

Garlic requires the same light and soil conditions as onions. Plant individual cloves separated from the main corm spaced at 15–20cm at five centimetres deep. Harvest your garlic when the tops die back using a garden fork rather than pulling them out by the leaves. Varieties include Ajo Rojo, Elephant, Early Pearl, Henry’s Soft Top, Rocambole and White Southern Softneck.

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LEST WE FORGET

April 2022

9

ANZAC Day 25th April

The great breakout

by Andy Bryenton

It will be 80 years ago this June that one of the most desperate and dangerous battles of the second world war was fought by the soldiers of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force in North Africa.

Mauled in the latter days of Operation Crusader, the Kiwis had pulled back to Libya to recover. However, they were thrown back into action when Afrika Corps Field Marshal Erwin Rommel surged across the western desert, sweeping all before him. The New Zealand forces were forced to set up defences at the coastal town of Minqar Qaim, just 450 kilometres from Cairo, and were soon surrounded.

By the night of June 28, things were looking dire. There was enough ammunition left for just one more day, and it seemed that the entire force of trucks, tanks and men would be captured or destroyed. A bold plan was hatched to break out of the encirclement, with a midnight bayonet charge to catch the Nazi forces by surprise.

At the fore was the 4th Brigade, which punched into the German lines, assaulting a foe who was certain that the Kiwis were set to surrender at dawn. Close quarters fighting of the most vicious kind broke out.

Amid the fray was Victoria Cross recipient Charles Upham, who assaulted vehicles and gunnery posts with hand grenades at such close range he was hit by his own shrapnel.

Before the gap could be closed by the outnumbering German forces, a convoy of New Zealand vehicles came out of the night and desert dust, carrying every soldier and piece of equipment they could. The drivers had been given the order to ‘drive flat out

and stop for nothing’, and their charge further disoriented Rommel’s men, creating a localised panic. Soldiers who survived the breakout describe the Germans as firing almost randomly, with arcs of tracer bullets shooting at aircraft that were not there. Some historians believe that the dust clouds distorted sound and gave the illusion of aircraft motors above.

The breakout was decisive, savage, and miraculously successful. The Kiwi forces fell back in good order to El Alamein, where a massive Allied defensive line was building. American Sherman-class tanks had landed in Egypt along with new, more powerful artillery, and the battle to come would finally stop the German advance and reverse Rommel’s fortunes.

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New Zealand soldiers march into battle in North Africa; 80 years ago this June, they carried bayonets and rifles against outnumbering, better equipped German forces at Minqar Qaim

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

WOOD IS GOOD Forestry news and events: April

WAIROA EROSION DAMAGE APRIL 2022

DYNAMIC FOREST SECTOR - IT’S NEVER BORING

BY MARCUS MUSSON – DIRECTOR FOREST360

Export log prices are conforming to the ‘constant change’ part of a dynamic system very well as illustrated in the graph below. This year we have seen export prices jump from $115/JAS (A grade) in January to $142/JAS in February now back to $123/JAS in March. With a cost base of around $90/JAS in many regions, you’re looking at swings of 80-100% in net return to forest owners within a 3-month period. Much of this swing is around shipping cost increases since Putin started lobbing missiles at his neighbour. Actual CFR prices (sales price in China in $US) are reasonably strong in the mid $US170’s/JAS but foreign exchange and shipping costs have closed the bar early and taken the fun out of the party.

While it appears that the upward pressure on shipping prices has abated, the China log demand has come off the boil from around 80kJAS/day into the high 50kJAS/day. This reduction in demand can be contributed to several reasons

but principally a slowing construction sector and covid related shutdowns in sawmills and construction sites. Inmarket Chinese log inventory is in the 4.5Mm3 region which is a reduction from February, but this is likely to increase as NZ supply has strengthened following the March price increases – remembering it takes round 5 weeks from stump to market. While China holds tight with it’s covid elimination strategy (we all know how affective that is) we will likely see subdued demand and increased port waiting times as ports are shut without notice – dynamic.

I have fielded plenty of questions from forest owners regarding the impact of Putin’s rampage on the demand for NZ logs and lumber. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as Europe have effectively stopped any Russian log and lumber imports which will likely re-direct volume into China. Total Russian log/ lumber supply into Europe was in the vicinity of 25Mm3/annum and should

this redirect to China, might displace the total NZ supply. This is unlikely, as Russia had imposed a log export ban in January this year.

As covid sweeps through the country, a lack of staff has resulted in longer port wait times for trucks and reduced vessel unloading and loading capacity.

The ingenious decision of the EPA to effectively ban methyl bromide as a fumigant (which was used to fumigate logs stowed on the top deck of a vessel) means exporters are now scrambling around to find enough debarked logs (the only current alternative treatment to fumigation) to finish vessels off. This has created issues with adequate port storage and when combined with covid issues is seeing many exporters unable to accept cargo due to reaching limits on port storage. Some may see the EPA decision as the ‘progress’ part of being dynamic but I see it as a spectacular own goal.

Ministers Shaw and Nash have shown how ‘dynamic’ they are by proposing changes to the ETS legislation by removing exotics from being able to be included as permanent forest from January 2023. This is more than likely an attempt to keep Damien O’Connor from going postal as mounting pressure from the Ag sector regarding farm to forest conversions will be giving him the sweats.

While the “50 Shades of Greeners” will be feeling rather smug over this proposed change to policy, the reality is that there are plenty of farmers and Iwi landowners that have had the opportunity taken away from them to earn an income off very marginal land that is otherwise not viable for anything except continued erosion.

The latest rain events on the east coast have shown, again, what the future holds for climate change on unsupported hill sides. Government’s idea that indigenous planting will work in these areas is flawed as the cost of establishment far outweighs any carbon gains in the short to medium term – especially in this marginal country. Anyone that has tried to establish an indigenous forest from green pasture will know that every pest wants to eat it, every spray wants to kill it and even if pests, spray and weeds are kept under control, it wants to die anyway without constant nurture and babysitting.

In summary, there’s plenty going on in our wood-based world. Operationally there’s a few wrinkles with covid and logistics related issues, prices are a crap shoot going forward with global instability and Government policy meddling in the ETS are likely to see reduced ongoing investment in greenfields projects which will likely pull the handbrake on increased carbon related land prices. The production forestry investors are rubbing their hands together so it’s not likely to see a slowing of farm conversions any time soon.

So, lets raise a glass to being a dynamic industry, one thing’s for sure – it’s never boring.

Forestry Events Calendar

The Southern North Island Wood Council provides a collective voice for the sector in Island Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Tararua andforestry sector Theforestry Southern North Wood Council provides a collective voice for the Wellington.

Members have a common interest in ensuring the long-term in Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Tararua and Wellington. Members have a success of the in sector.

Membership is open to anyof company or individual withisan common interest ensuring the long-term success the sector.

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April 2022

11

ADVERTORIAL

Making use of empty sheds Heybarn is a new start-up launched recently in Manawatū and planned soon to be across the country — aimed at making good use of otherwise unused space.

Founder Jaimie Hunnam is excited about the concept. It is designed to bring together people who have buildings or sheds on their land that are not being fully utilised with those looking to store items such as caravans, boats, spare equipment and goods for which they don’t have room. ”In many cases, people buy blocks of land with sheds they have no use for, and this provides a chance to earn some passive income from buildings which otherwise would be standing empty,” she says.

“Conversely, for people or tradies looking for space, here is a great opportunity to have some low-cost storage, so it’s literally a win-win for both parties.”

Jaime said the concept had been described as Tinder for sheds. Shed owners put up details about their shed on the site and people looking for space also put up their needs and details about what they want to store.

If those people like the look of a storage site, they can contact the shed owner via the website for more information. The shed owner can review the advertisement of the person looking for space as well.

“For people or tradies looking for space, here is a great opportunity to have some low-cost storage, so it’s literally a winwin for both parties.”

The site provides for a contract and also payment transactions ensuring both safety and security for both parties. The site charges a three per cent commission a month for the rental agreement and to run the rental payments.

“A major factor in the development of the website, designed with lifestyle block owners and farmers in mind, has been to ensure security and privacy with the specific location of sheds not disclosed on the site.”

For more information, go to heybarn. co.nz or ph 0800 439 2276.

ADVERTORIAL

The miracle of your immune system (Part one)

by John Arts

There are two main parts to your immune system: the NonSpecific (Innate) and Specific (Adaptive) immune responses.

Non-Specific Immunity These include barriers like your skin, sinuses and mucous membrane and cells (phagocytes) that literally ‘eat’ pathogens that come through the barriers. Natural Killer cells attack anything that is not genetically marked as self — you!

With a viral attack like Covid-19, the Non-Specific system launches into full gear with inflammation, which starts to make life uncomfortable for the virus and, unfortunately, uncomfortable for the infected person.

However, this is just a holding pattern till our Specific immune system kicks into gear and our B cells start making antibodies that our T cells can identify. Those that are immunised have the advantage of vaccine generated antibodies — more on this in the next edition.

Nutrients have a significant impact on our initial immune responses to attack. Vitamin D benefits most immune cells and helps them to do their job protecting you from pathogens like viruses.

Vitamin D also influences the effectiveness of virus-killing compounds. I generally recommend

1000–2000IU daily in summer and 2000–4000IU in winter. Our NonSpecific immunity is also affected by micronutrients including zinc, selenium, iron, copper, manganese that help make potent antioxidant enzymes to defend against viral attack.

Polyphenol antioxidants such as OPC, curcumin and those in green tea, beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E and folic acid are also very important. They protect immune cells against infection so that they can do their job. Secondly, these stimulate our natural killer cells, the most potent aspect of our NonSpecific immunity.

What does this mean?

Those concerned about their immunity should supplement with vitamin D and a good multiformula with the trace minerals and antioxidants that help our immune system cope with infection.

John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv. Dip.Nut.Med) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health Ltd. For questions or advice, contact John on 0800 423 559 or email john@abundant.co.nz. Join his all-new newsletter at abundant.co.nz.

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April 2022 MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

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Farm Maintenance Specialists

Pasture management pays off Pasture management is a year-long undertaking, and autumn is the ideal time to get paddocks in tip-top condition for winter.

Bert Jordan of Bert’s Fert has expanded his fertiliser spreading business to include further aspects of pasture maintenance.

“I now offer topping and mowing of pasture and larger lifestyle paddocks, along with maintaining weed control,” he said.

“It’s eco-friendly to top and maintain weed control as opposed to resorting to chemicals. Regular topping and pasture maintenance results in fewer chemicals.”

Topping and mowing also promote a more even grass growth throughout paddocks. Weeds are prevented from going to seed when mowed, further reducing the spread.

With a John Deer Gator and a Kioti DS4510 tractor, Bert can navigate smaller areas that trucks can’t get into. Smaller machinery also has the advantage of lower impact on pasture.

Bert’s John Deere Gator with a 300-litre tank and a spreading rose system allow greater fertiliser coverage onto pasture. The Gator can fit down narrow races and can spread over most terrain.

He applies Nitrosol Organic MicroLime and Nitrosol Organic Liquid Fertiliser. Nitrosol has a full range of plant-available nutrients, minerals and trace elements to feed and nurture plants through the foliage and roots.

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The organic content contributes to the development of soil biology, leading to increased nutrient uptake by plants, raising Brix levels and increasing dry matter. Bert has been impressed with the results of this natural fertiliser.

“It was amazing to see the difference it made to the pasture and the animals,” he said.

“The animals seemed more settled, particularly the horses. There was definitely no warming effect like there can be with some fertilisers.”

The fast-acting nature of Nitrosol fertilisers helps set pastures for both winter and spring.

Phone Bert on 021 713 919 or visit Bert’s Fert Facebook page for further information.

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

Mighty mulchers make the cut

by Andy Bryenton

The evolution of the modern flail mulchers, a farmer’s best friend as autumn pasture management rolls around, has been a long one, with its origins far from the open fields.

It’s a well accepted practice to mulch back overgrowth before undersowing in the autumn, setting the stage for organic decomposition to work its magic and renew the soil biota.

Mowers designed to harvest hay are not truly equal to the task. Most farmers would prefer an even coverage than windrows of mulch, leading to the unique design of most modern PTO driven, tractor-mounted mulchers.

These flail-type systems, with their many articulated heads, prevent clumping, which can suffocate the underlying soil. It is sometimes even implicated in the spread of issues like facial eczema, spread by spores. More flails mean more finely mulched material,

and that’s good for coverage and the rate of decomposition.

It seems logical today, but the path from a traditional mower with spinning blades to a flail-equipped device is a long and interesting one. It begins with engineer, cricketer and ‘natural philosopher’ Edwin Beard Budding of Gloucestershire, England. In 1795, this man was trying to find a way to knock back grass and create a cricket pitch.

He was inspired by a sketch of a war machine, doodled in the margins by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Italian inventor had thought up a chariot with rotating flails to knock down enemy soldiers, but Budding saw an idea to mow lawns. He switched the

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flails from horizontal maces on a wheel to articulated blades on a drum, and added a roller to create a flat wicket. John Ferrabee, owner of the Phoenix Iron Works foundry, invested in the plan, and 5,000 examples of the flail mower were built, revolutionising groundskeeping.

Farmers would have to wait until Briggs and Stratton upgraded the concept from a

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mower pushed by one burly groundsman to a unit with its own petrol power for the flail drum and until after the second world war for a device that tapped directly into their tractors. In between, the flail mower was once again adapted for war, as Da Vinci intended, this time being fixed ahead of tanks so the chain flails could detonate landmines without harming the vehicle.

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WINTER FOCUS

by Andy Bryenton

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Cold weather has its benefits, as anyone who enjoys hot chocolate, roast dinners and crackling fireplaces can attest. How about bringing back a winter classic?

“If you haven’t tried this convivial winter drink with friends gathered around a warm fire, then there are many in northern Europe who would say you haven’t grasped what winter is all about.”

Mulled wine is known as ‘bishop’s wine’ in Dutch. It has the delightful name ‘glogg’ in Sweden, where it has been a midwinter staple since the Viking era, long before spices were readily available.

If you haven’t tried this convivial winter drink with friends gathered around a warm fire, then there are many in northern Europe who would say you haven’t grasped what winter is all about.

Serve in ceramic cups with fresh slices of orange to garnish, and appreciate what Elizabethan-era writer Thomas Dawson said of mulled wine in the 1560s.

“Partake of the sun which ripened the vine, and the aromatic spices of the Indies, and forget you the weather outside.”

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Mull it over

Mulled wine has a long and colourful history, dating from Roman times and beyond. The tradition of making a sweet, spiced drink from red wine, honey, cinnamon and oranges persisted through the middle ages when it was the winter drink of kings. It became a favourite of British enlightenment era luminaries such as Shakespeare, Newton and their contemporaries.

A nice merlot sourced locally makes the perfect base for mulled wine. To prepare one bottle, you’ll need to sweeten the mix with a couple of dollops of mānuka honey, and then add a sliced, peeled orange and a dash of brandy. The all-important mulling spices make the difference.

Two cinnamon sticks, three pods of star anise and a sprinkling of whole cloves will suffice for a bottle’s worth.

The trick when heating this delicious concoction is never to let it bubble.

Wine boils easily, and a gentle heat is needed to blend all the flavours together. Mulling masters advise keeping below the magic number of 70 degrees Celsius, and allowing for a long, low subsimmer infusion.

While letting the wine mull, which should take only about one hour, consider possible alternatives to orange and cinnamon; red berries and vanilla is a sweet variant, as is the addition of cardamom, maple syrup or blackcurrant.

Strain the warmed wine prior to serving through a fine sieve.

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

WINTER FOCUS

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While it’s true that overcast conditions will cut the efficiency of solar panels, they won’t stop the flow of electricity or heat to water applications. Even in northern latitudes, where extensive long-term studies have been undertaken, a 12-panel solar set-up will provide enough electricity in a year to power a Tesla Model 3 for 28,000 kilometres of driving or run a dishwasher through more than 4,000 loads of dirty plates. These figures come from places like the United Kingdom and France, where it’s not unknown for snow to fall.

Solar hot water heaters will still do an important job during winter. They can raise the level of the water in your pipes that crucial first few degrees before the element or gas burner picks up the slack. Just like getting a

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While clear skies mean more power from solar units, it’s a fallacy to believe that overcast conditions will turn off the flow

heavy truck moving, it’s the initial push that is heavy on energy expenditure. The sun will give this push for free, even on cloudy days.

For photovoltaic applications, the key to better effectiveness in the shorter, dimmer days of winter is a battery unit to level out the peaks and troughs of generation. Batteries are a sound idea any time of year, as peak power use usually coincides with the end of the day, when cooking, washing, gaming and media watching all combine to use more voltage. During the day when the sun is high, many people are away at work and the home ticks over on a minimum charge.

Another possibility to create resilience is to think about augmentation. A small windmill could pick up where the sun leaves off on truly inclement days, or a wetback stove could help generate hot water when a roaring fire has been lit for home heating.

Here in New Zealand, we are all too aware sometimes that the sun’s rays can burn even through cloud cover. The inexhaustible nuclear furnace at the centre of our solar system has plenty of power to spare to make your electricity independent, even during winter.

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MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

April 2022

17

Re-energised, not reinvented

by Andy Bryenton

When news came down from the powers on high that utes were to be taxed due to their dirty, fossil fuel burning status, tradespeople and farmers took to the streets in outrage.

At the time, we were reassured that as soon as an electric option came on the market, that, too, would benefit from the new clean vehicle subsidies, these new ‘gas guzzler’ taxes were set to reimburse.

The only problem was that our prime minister seemed to think that such a machine was already on the market, when it wasn’t.

Approximately a year later, we’re in the very Marie Antoinette situation of ‘if you can’t afford to be gouged by profiteering petrol companies, you should buy an $80,000 electric car’. (Side note: Brent Crude is cheaper a barrel now than in 2008, but back then, the price for a litre of 91 octane was under $2). Yet, there still isn’t a solution in sight for the farmer or tradie who needs a ute to do the jobs that keep food on the table, water in the pipes and electricity in our light bulbs.

However, is there? It looks as though there’s a dark horse on the horizon, beating all the big names in auto engineering to the party. The bad news is, this electric saviour will not be available

until late this year, after a winter of fuel price discontent. The good news is exceptionally good, however, because it’s an LDV T60.

LDV has gained great mileage out of its T60 ute, touted as the most powerful inline-four in the sector, with its turbocharged diesel kicking out 160 kilowatts and 480 Newton-metres of torque. It helps that the T60 is a nononsense, smart-looking unit as well, with a comfy cabin, plenty of space in the tray and a five-star safety rating.

Rather than go back to the drawing board, LDV has chosen to build an electric version of this exact same ute.

It’s an idea that’s brilliant in its brutal simplicity. People like the T60, they like the idea of an electric work wagon with more than 300 kilometres range, and they will like the subsidy, too. Put it all together, and it’s easy to see why pre-orders for the summer release are going gangbusters.

Other carmakers are likely noodling over something that looks like Tesla’s Blade-Runner-esque Cybertruck, a

New Zealand has loved the petrol LDV T60; now an electric version is set to re-energise the range

homage to Syd Mead that looks like steel origami. Meanwhile, LDV will be out there

proving that an electric ute can do the business for rural New Zealand.

Kyle Flynn Workshop Manager Ph (06) 353 3473 FREEPHONE 0800 895 133

T, WORK, P EA , L Y

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

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MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

Keeping dreams alive

April 2022

19

Dairy farmers are keeping a dream alive for Karen Chapman, who grew up on a dairy farm and only ever wanted to milk cows.

“Karen has been supported by a network of dairy farmers in and around Pukekohe. Many of them are participants in the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme fundraising scheme, raising animals and donating the proceeds to IHC,” says IHC National Fundraising manager Greg Millar.

“This year, the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme marks its 40th anniversary by celebrating all the farmers who have made lives better for people with intellectual disabilities in their communities. Over those 40 years, the scheme has raised $40 million.

“Karen’s dream looked pretty hopeless because her dad Noel Chapman, a sharemilker, died while she was still a teenager, and she and her mum Olive shifted into Pukekohe.

“In a double tragedy, her mother died suddenly too, and Karen moved into IHC residential care. Once local farmers knew of her love of dairy farming, they welcomed Karen into their milking sheds.”

Karen has milked all over the northern Waikato and South Auckland districts.

A long-time family friend, Glen Lee, has driven her around the farms for as long as anyone can remember.

“I used to help Dad milk around 100 Friesian-Jersey-cross cows after school,” says Karen.

“Glen is a good friend to me — I have known her for a long, long time. Now I am milking cows on farms with bigger herds and more complex and automated rotary cow sheds. I have been doing it for a long time now.”

“More than 10,000 dairy farmers have supported their communities over many years through this unique fundraiser.

Farmers can now donate virtual animals along with the real ones. The work done

by IHC and funded by donations is critically important and can’t happen without them.”

To donate, go to the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme webpage.

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Farmers have helped Karen Chapman continue her love of milking and have also supported the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme

Glen would call farmers to see if Karen could visit.

“It seemed to work best with Syd and Jenny Goodwright,” she says.

“Karen used to milk for Syd and Jenny.

These days their son Tom farms the home farm, and Karen milks for their daughter Becky Payne and her husband Mike on their farm not far away.”

Syd and Jenny have been donating real and virtual calves for more than 30 years. For half of that time, Jenny has worked as a canvasser for the scheme, visiting around 50 local farmers each season to encourage them to pledge calves.

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“I am really lucky because I have got a lot of farmers in the district like me who want to keep supporting the calf scheme,” Jenny says.

Mr Millar says the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme gives IHC an important connection to the rural sector.

“Legendary All Black Sir Colin Meads, a Waikato beef farmer and staunch supporter of the calf scheme, encouraged beef and sheep farmers to get involved too.

“He first threw his weight behind IHC when he stopped playing rugby, and we were privileged to have had the backing of the big man from 1974 for more than 40 years until his death in 2017.

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

DAIRY AND LIVESTOCK

ADVERTORIAL

Making big things happen

The day the new 20,000L Nevada Slurry Tanker arrived on Myles McKeefry and Marty Genet’s farm in Woodville was exciting and nerve racking at the same time How well would their new 145hp tractor pull a tanker more than three times the size of their previous one?

Myles and Marty jointly own two farms operating side by side in Woodville, Manawat . Together, the farming business comprises 430ha, with a target production of 240,000kg/MS — each has its own cow shed.

One farm has effluent flowing into a sump, which is then pumped out to irrigators, and excess effluent is stored in an above-ground tank. The other farm stores effluent in a pond, which is spread with a slurry tanker. Their previous slurry tanker was a wee 7,000L Joskin that had worked well with the old tractor.

Fast-forward to 2021 and a new 145hp tractor was welcomed on to the Myles McKeefy says the tanker had exceeded their expectations

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farm. With the new pulling power, now was the time Myles had been waiting for, to seriously look at upgrading the slurry tanker to a larger Nevada.

“I’d been talking with Lloyd about a 14,000L slurry tanker since that’s the recommended size for our size tractor,

but Marty thought we should go bigger,” Myles McKeefry says.

Marty had been doing some research of his own.

“What really sold the slurry tanker to me was the website and in-depth detail of the product. With Nevada slurry tankers being so easy to pull and our paddocks being relatively flat, I figured the new tractor could handle more. The added value in having the extra capacity and more wheels on the ground more than justified the small increase in cost between a 14,000 and a 20,000L,” Marty Genet said.

Marty had Myles convinced, so they went for it and couldn’t be happier with their decision.

“The tractor handles it well. We like that we can store effluent for weeks then just do one-day spreading, where, with the old 7,000L, we’d be spending heaps of time chasing our tails. The Nevada slurry tanker has exceeded our expectations. If anyone is looking at getting a tandem axle, I’d happily tell them the benefits of upgrading to a tridem,” Marty Genet said.

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April 2022

DAIRY AND LIVESTOCK

21

ADVERTORIAL

Unlocking milking versatility

by Andy Bryenton

For Brent Tuffley, what began more than 15 years ago as a practical means to keep his calves healthy and happy has become a thriving niche market supplying farmers and lifestyle block owners.

The portable milking machine specialist began his own journey when he started rearing calves, and needed an efficient and compact means of sourcing raw milk to aid their growth.

Fifteen willing cows were available.

However, like many folks with small herds, sourcing a full-sized milking shed was impractical and expensive.

Enter the concept of portable milking machines. These compact units are popular with the owners of rare breeds, house cows, milking goats and even milking sheep, prized for their ability to produce speciality cheeses and other niche dairy products. Brent knew about this as well. He worked in the gourmet cheese industry before venturing into the portable milking market.

“It’s all about versatility,” he says. ”You’re not tied down to a big milking shed. Over the years, it’s been possible to focus on the range of machines on offer thanks to listening to customer feedback.”

This range is fashioned from durable 304 stainless steel, and can be run on either electricity or petrol, allowing for even more flexibility in the field. As the rise of off the grid solutions, small boutique farms and self-sustainable home dairying has kept pace with Brent’s expansion, he’s received calls from around New Zealand asking for advice and demonstrations.

“I get calls from all over; in fact, we even export some machines overseas now,” says Brent.

“It’s all about versatility. You’re not tied down to a big milking shed.”

“It’s become second nature to know these machines, make them up from parts, find the right ones for the right job, and keep the customers happy.

“We’ve got many return customers, and the number of referrals and good will by word of mouth has been excellent to see.”

Portable milking systems provide the ability to rear healthy calves, to keep a small but productive herd of dairy goats, cows or sheep for the farmhouse kitchen, and for rural people to branch out into experimenting with their own cheeses and dairy products in the traditional style.

It can be a cottage industry, a hobby or a practical consideration, but in every case, a portable milking system is the key to success. Making it all work according to plan is the job of Brent, New Zealand’s go-to guy for these kinds of machines, with a wealth of knowledge to share.

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

FISHING, HUNTING & OUTDOORS

ADVERTORIAL

Hunters help restore wetlands

by Andy Bryenton

The New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust (GBHT) is roughly halfway through an ambitious wetland restoration and planting programme, assisted by the government and the contributions of game bird hunters.

The initial grant of $360,000 was released as part of the Ministry for Primary Industries’ scheme to plant one billion trees nationwide. However, the focus on wetland habitats highlights the conservational aspect of game bird hunting, often overlooked as the waterfowl season draws near.

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“People are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits wetlands provide through habitat for wildlife, water-quality management, flood mitigation, aesthetics and recreational harvest opportunity,” said GBHT chair Andy Tannock on the grant’s announcement.

In the months since his group has been proactive in planting on sites the trust supports. It is by no means the first initiative of its kind undertaken by the GBHT. When the programme concludes, it will not be anywhere near the end of its mission to protect and restore wetland habitats, some of which have been depleted to only two or three per cent of their original range.

The GBHT is funded by a contribution from every licensed game bird hunter, with funds used to enhance game bird habitat. The trust has funded more than $2 million in projects since 1993 through grants from the Game Bird Habitat Stamp programme, which prints legal postal stamps in a limited run to raise funds.

In philately, this is known as a Cinderella stamp. Virtually anything resembling a postage stamp but not issued for postal purposes by a government postal

Game bird hunters are contributing to wetland restoration in conjunction with the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust

administration. Production and marketing of the programme by NZ Post involve one series of 500 signed and numbered artist’s prints produced annually.

“Game bird hunters, through their contributions to the trust, are trying to turn the tide on the decline of these vitally important ecosystems,” says Mr Tannock as the planting continues.

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FISHING, HUNTING & OUTDOORS

23

ADVERTORIAL

Get ready for ducks Duck Season opens on May 7, so it is approaching fast; Deadeye Dicks has a wide selection of lead and steel ammunition in stock, including the popular Falcon 2¾ 35g-4.

Adding motion can be a key part of increasing your duck-hunting success.

Once you have used the Higdon pulsator and Splashing flasher decoys, you will never go back because the extra visibility and confidence they provide will increase your bag.

Come in and have a look at our range of Higdon Motion and foam-filled duck decoys. The Higdon Battleship range would be one of the best and most robust decoys on the mark et today.

If rabbits are causing issues, and if they have figured out the range of your 22 — it might be time for an upgrade.

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April 2022 MANAWATU FArMiNG liFESTYlES

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