Taranaki Farming Lifestyles, September 2018

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GoodYarn mental health workshops set for October

September 2018 Edition

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Great strides with Gelbvieh

Team effort on family farm

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Farming always a feature for sharemilkers Page 6–7

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SEPTEMBER 2018

TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

Farmstrong’s comedy for a cause heads to Taranaki

Integrity community media

Comedian Paul Ego is set to headline an event in Taranaki designed to get farmers off their farms and laughing.

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

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Following its first sellout show in the Waikato, Farmstrong has announced plans to hold five further comedy shows across New Zealand.

The Taranaki comedy night will be held at the Kapuni War Memorial Hall near Hawera on Saturday, October 6.

Central Ta r a n a k i Young Farmers member, Jessie Waite, said this is exciting news.

“Lambing will be finished, and it’s just before most dairy farmers start mating, so it’s a great time to get off-farm for a night and recharge the batteries.”

Alongside Paul, the Taranaki comedy show will also feature popular comedians Justine Smith, Tevita Manukia and Darren Jardine. Paul has featured in the New Zealand comedy Award-winning comedian Paul Ego will headline a Taranaki scene for many years and comedy night for the rural community his work recognised with a Billy T Award.

“This event is for farmers — young looking after yourself,” said Michelle. and old, rural professionals and “Bringing communities together at supporters of the rural community,” said events like this is one of the ways we Michelle Stevens from Farmstrong. can do that.”

“Our first comedy night in the Waikato Tickets are $20 each, with all was a huge hit. People really appreciate proceeds going directly to Farmstrong. being able to switch off for a few hours New Zealand Young Farmers is and have a laugh.” helping to organise the event. Tickets The show is being supported by are available by visiting youngfarmers. the Rural Support Trust, alongside co.nz/nzyf.

Farmstrong and New Zealand Farmstrong comedy nights are Young Farmers. also being held in Whangarei, central “Farmstrong promotes rural wellness Hawke’s Bay, Winton and the Maniototo and shares simple tips and advice on in early November.

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GoodYarn mental health workshops set for October A series of GoodYarn workshops, facilitated by New Zealand Young Farmers, endeavours to get young people talking about mental health.

Following last year’s challenging spring, ten successful GoodYarn workshops were held from Whangarei to Gore in November. The workshops are designed to equip people with the tools to identify the signs of mental illness and seek appropriate support.

Five more workshops are planned this spring for Taranaki/Manawatu, Tasman, Aorangi and East Coast.

“It is important people have the skills to recognise if a family member, neighbouring farmer or customer is struggling,” said New Zealand Young Farmers territory manager, Megan Bates.

Figures recently released by the chief coroner reveal New Zealand’s suicide rate has risen for the fourth year in a row. The provisional statistics show 668 people took their own lives in the 2017/18 year. The highest number of suicides was recorded in the 20–24 year age group.

“These figures are a tragedy. We need to keep educating people to spot the signs that someone close to them may want to take their own life,” said Megan.

Latest figures show the number of suicides has increased in Southland, Canterbur y, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne regions.

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workshops next year. The organisation has a network of close to 80 clubs across the country.

“Members hold monthly meetings, organise regular social events and take part in contests and competitions,” said Megan.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

Great strides with Gelbvieh

by Denise Gunn When Geoff and Polly Otterson purchased a former dairy farm east of Stratford in 2001, after moving from their beef farm in Zimbabwe, they initially grazed dairy heifers. The arrival of a grazier’s Gelbvieh cow, with a bull calf at foot, caught Geoff’s attention, sending the couple on a path to establish their own beef herd in New Zealand.

T

he couple’s 45ha farm at Toko is in a prime dairy area, so Geoff and Polly needed a good milking, fast-growing productive breed to take advantage of the good grass growth.

“We wanted really fertile cattle, which can be easily handled by a single person,” said Polly.

In 2008 the Otterson’s bought three in-calf Gelbvieh cows from Brenda Heslop in the Waikato. More stock followed later, purchased from Kelvin Goodman in the Manawatu and Vicki Gibbs in Raglan.

The breed’s fertility, productivity and ease of handling appealed to the couple, particularly as Geoff works by himself.

Originating in Bavaria, southern Germany more than 200 years ago, the Gelbvieh was originally bred for milk, beef and draught power. All of the Otterson’s Gelbviehs are purebreds and

registered with the Gelbvieh Society of New Zealand, under their stud name Stirling Gelbvieh.

As Gelbvieh are a minority breed in New Zealand, Geoff and Polly use mostly North American sires over their cows and heifers, through AB. Geoff is an AB technician and uses Percy Sharp of Embryo Transfer Services to do some ET work.

“Mating is AB only, beginning November 1 for a maximum of six weeks,” he said.

The couple consistently chooses bulls for easier calving. They also select polled bulls.

“Our bulls have been used over dairy cows without any problems,” said Polly.

Calving starts in mid-August, and the Ottersons expect at least one set of twins. We have an eight-year-old cow, which has had 10 calves, all reared

Geoff and Polly Otterson on their Stirling Gelbvieh Stud east of Stratford

— but not all our twin pregnancies are so fortunate.”

Some frozen embryos will be implanted early November. Calves are weaned in April when the males reach about 350–400kg and females 300–

350kg. All males are kept entire. Stock are weighed at birth, 200 days, 400 days and 600 days for performance evaluation using Breedplan.

“For birth weights, Geoff lets the calf suck and bond with the cow, then takes

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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

Flat to rolling land dominates the Otterson’s farm

a board and bathroom scales into the paddock,” said Polly.

“He picks up the calf and weighs them both, then weighs himself. The Gelbvieh temperament allows him to do this by himself.”

Dairy heifers still graze on the property — but the Gelbvieh herd now numbers 28 in-calf heifers and cows this year. Seven of these are carrying embryos from the couple’s better cows.

Geoff used to sell some stock at the National Bull Sale in Feilding; however, since that event is no longer held, he has sold from the paddock.

“A repeat buyer from the South Island told him that he liked the Gelbviehs because they were the only breed that would graze right up to a ski field on top of his property,” said Polly.

Bulls not sold for breeding purposes are sent to the works in May; at 22 months of age and weighing around 750kg live weight.

Flat to rolling land dominates the Otterson’s farm, and with a reliable annual rainfall of 1,700mm, grass grows all-year round. Ryegrass paddocks have been oversown with clover, plantain and chicory.

“Plantain and clover have persisted well — but the chicory has been preferentially grazed out,” said Geoff.

“Only bought-in feed is PKE for finishing bulls.”

Grass hay and baleage are made on-farm. Extensive riparian strips have been planted on the farm and hedges provide shelter from spring storms during calving.

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Calves are weaned in April

The Ottersons take a thorough preventive approach to stock health, so very few problems arise.

Calves receive a 10-in-1 clostridial vaccination, and all animals are vaccinated against leptospirosis and bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD). Bulls are tested for BVD before sale.

Breeding females are injected with Multimin before mating and copper injections are usually required in early winter.

“Pasture is dusted with Causmag from three weeks before calving until November, depending on soil temperature,” said Geoff.

In-calf cows and heifers are vaccinated for scours before calving.

Cows and calves are break-fed and closely stocked through spring.

“Coccidiosis used to affect calves but prophylactic drenching with Baycox in the past two years has prevented that.

Selenium prills are applied annually at one kg/ha.”

When time permits, Geoff shows their cattle and has travelled as far as Auckland and Feilding to competitions.

In 2017 he won the Stratford Show Meat and Wool Cup with a cow and calf. A bull bred by Geoff and bought

by Richie Cameron and Peter McWilliam of Gladstone Gelbvieh Stud won the Wairarapa Show Meat and Wool Cup. Polly said health permitting, during the next five to 10 years they intend to continue breeding with about 30 stud females.

“We would like to see how good we can get them,” said Geoff.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

by Denise Gunn Growing up on his family’s dairy farm gave Benjamin Abbott a range of experiences that come with the job.

Although he considered other career paths, he always knew farming would feature.

“I

knew I wanted to go farming at some point in my life,” said Benjamin.

“Like a lot of people when they are young, I also thought about many other career paths such as driving big trucks.

“However I always knew I wanted to be involved in the agricultural industry to some capacity.”

After graduating from Lincoln University with a bachelor of agricultural science, Benjamin headed back to Taranaki to take up work as a spring assistant on a 220-cow farm.

For the past three seasons he has been lower-order sharemilking on Alistair, Stephen and Imelda Abbott’s 92ha farm near Hawera, milking 317 Kiwi-cross cows.

With an average summer temperature between 13–21C, the farm is usually summer-safe. Winter temperatures range from 5–13C and the average annual rainfall is 1,100–1,200ml.

Grass silage is grown on the farm.

Both grass and maize silage are also grown on a run-off. A fixed amount of hay and palm kernel is used each year.

When required, particularly during dry years, additional hay and palm kernel is bought in.

Benjamin said the summer dry seems to be longer with lower pasture growth and extra supplement needs to be brought in.

The farm can also experience prolonged wet problems — which create pugging issues.

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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

“To reduce this, cows are stood off paddocks over the night,” he said.

In the 2016/17 season, the herd produced 123,000kgMS, and this past season was on track to deliver 107,000ksMG. Benjamin said no two years are the same in dairy farming.

“This means you have to adapt to the changing circumstances and environment, which certainly keeps things interesting.

Two out of the three seasons Benjamin has been on the Kaponga farm were declared in drought. Benjamin managed these conditions through holding regular discussions with the farm owners to make decisions. Supplementary feed was brought in, the milking cycle was adapted to once-a-day, the herd size reduced earlier in the season, and some cows dried off early. Eventually, the entire herd had to be dried off earlier than expected.

When Benjamin made the decision to go lower order sharemilking, the season’s payout was $8. However, in his first year in that position, the payout dropped to $3.90.

“The payout, compounded with a drought, made it possibly one of the hardest years to start out, I had to watch where was money was spent and constantly know my financial position.” he said.

He has found managing staff to be possibly one of the greatest challenges — but also one of the most rewarding.

“Prior to this job I had always worked with people, but never had to manage them. Learning how to do this in an effective manner, while developing myself and my staff personally and professionally has been tough, but well worth it. This is one area of my business I will continually try to learn from and develop.”

Benjamin said he has also been

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Saving to buy their own herd is on the list for Benjamin and his partner Amelia

fortunate enough to be able to progress through the industr y relatively quickly — this has increased his responsibilities.

“In particular, I enjoy giving back to the industry, by developing staff and giving people opportunities they may not have otherwise been able to experience.”

Benjamin was a first-time entrant in this year’s Taranaki Dairy Industry Awards, placing third in the share farmer category.

He decided to enter after speaking to previous entrants who had reflected how beneficial it was to enter.

“Being involved in the Dairy Industry Awards, and South Taranaki Young Farmers Club, has provided me with opportunities to expand my social

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their own herd. They also want to increase equity and asset wealth. “I want to keep improving performances on-farm, especially around mating and production,” said Benjamin.

The couple are working towards farm ownership.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES PART TWO

BY DENISE GUNN

Although Nuts ‘n May is not a registered organic farm, it operates on a sustainable system.

W

ith a wide range of different walnut varieties on the farm, harvesting starts in midMarch. The main crops fall in April, and the late-falling varieties finish in mid-May. “We harvest over six tonnes by hand using walnut rollers that look a bit like wire mops, while it’s labour-intensive, this has the advantage of having people on hand to grade and process the nuts, so there isn’t a backlog.” says Hel. Hel said they had considered mechanisation — but the machines used tend to either not be suitable for their large trees, or result in immature nuts and leaves being gathered — this requires more time in dehusking and sorting out rubbish. During the harvest, nuts are collected from the orchard blocks every day. Walnuts brought into the processing shed are hand-sorted,

washed in rainwater, and placed into drying racks.

“Walnuts need to be dried or cured before they can be sacked and sold,” said Hel. “Drying is best done in cool, dark, airy conditions to ensure the edible kernel is pale and fresh. If not dried properly, walnuts will go mouldy or rancid.”

Scott turned a shipping container into a dryer with solar and wind power.

It allows the walnuts to dry in four weeks instead of months.

“This means we have the first walnuts of the season ready for sale in May,” said Hel. Scott and Hel’s love of travel kept them taking on the farm full-time earlier.

“On long distance walks across Spain, Scott would prop himself up at the bar, with a beer and Jamon iberico to discuss nut fattening with local pig farms.

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The walnuts are graded before washing “The Spanish farmers thought he was loco as no one in their right mind would waste walnuts on pigs — theirs are fed on acorns.

“Scott’s persistence paid off, and he got to raise his Berkshires under our trees and develop a sideline in nutfed pork.”

By far, the biggest challenge the family have faced was Scott’s diagnosis of terminal cancer. He passed away at the start of the 2017 harvest.

“Scott loved the farm, and from the first time he visited — he has appreciated the work that has gone into creating a beautiful and productive place.

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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Scott Wilson with a Berkshire boar named Napoleon “He and Walter spent over 10 years gently prodding me to give up city life and move to the country.

“Walter would pat the pine trees and comment how they were now ready for milling to make our house.

“Eventually, we did build a farmhouse — designed by my daughter Fran who had just graduated with a master’s in architecture.”

Hel said a highlight for Scott was being able to put ‘swineherd’ as his occupation.

“I’m never quite sure what my official title is; at the moment it appears to be ‘chief nutter’.”

Since Scott’s death, the family’s plans for the orchard changed, and Hel has

had to scale back some of the projects.

“As a vegetarian, I am not that keen on hauling porkers off the works — so now run the Berkshires as a stud, selling weaners and breeders. Piglets are always popular.” Plans to fatten their own lambs were also put on hold.

Instead, a grazing arrangement with a neighbouring farmer works well for both parties.

The bulk of the crop is sold online at nutsnmay.co.nz.

“As harvest volumes increase, we have also started to supply grocers and produce markets, mainly in Auckland.

As well as tasting great, walnuts have great health properties, and people are becoming increasingly interested

in eating nuts as a regular feature of their diet.” Hel is currently focussing on finding markets for the walnuts to keep pace with the crop increase.

She said walnut farming is a longterm venture — as walnuts can last for hundreds of years.

“The farm has already had one generation change and who is to say what will happen in the future.

“Scott’s and my adult children bring a range of new skills to the farm and help out. They also have a say in how the family farm is run.

“Our aim is to continue running the farm as a walnut orchard, providing a quality local product.”

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SEPTEMBER 2018

TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

CROP & PASTURE PREP Preparing seed beds When preparing to sow new seed, there are a number of key steps to consider including sowing date, seedbed quality, sowing depth and seed ground coverage.

The sowing date affects pasture establishment, yield and persistence and this is particularly important in summer-dry areas, as sowing early allows individual plants more time to develop and reach more than 20 tillers in size, prior to a potentially dry summer. Later sowing in cooler autumn conditions means slower establishment due to the cooler temperatures, and greater potential to pug and damage new pastures in winter and spring.

Sowing early in the dry autumns, after February 25, in dry conditions with treated seed is easier for contractors, means faster establishment and more yield, and sets up better pasture persistence.

In a recent trial in Cambridge, seed with novel endophyte — NEA2, sown in late February remained in the ground for more than six weeks without rain.

Treatments sowed before the rain maintained a high endophyte level and

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grew 2t DM/ha more than seed sown post-rain — 5.8t DM/ha versus 3.8t, from May to October. At the Forage Value Index value of 38c/kg DM for cool season pasture, that is $760/ha value added by sowing earlier.

When preparing the soil, the goal is to produce a fine, firm, weed-free seedbed, ideal for plants to establish in. One factor often lacking is consolidation, which conserves moisture and makes it possible to achieve the right sowing depth.

Research has shown sowing with a V-roller into a well-consolidated seedbed gave better white clover establishment than a poorly consolidated seedbed.

When sowing ryegrass and white clover seed mixes, do so at a depth of 5–10mm to get the best establishment.

White clover seed is small and sensitive to depth, and establishes much faster at this depth whilst ryegrass is less sensitive to sowing depth and still

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establishes well when sown at 20mm.

At a depth of 50mm — neither species establishes well.

The exception to sowing shallow is in dry conditions when it is sometimes better to drill seed a little deeper into better soil moisture.

In these conditions, white clover may struggle. A consolidated seedbed is critical to allow good depth control with a seed drill.

In a soft seedbed, wheel tracks are pushed down, and coulter depths vary — leading to both uneven seed depth and establishment.

There is no ‘correct’ ryegrass seed sowing rate for New Zealand farms. Both a standard and lower perennial ryegrass sowing rate can work well.

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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

SEPTEMBER 2018

C RO P & PA S T U R E P R E P

11

Options for crop preparation

When it comes to changeable or unhelpful weather farmers are known to be resilient, and planning a schedule of planting and pasture prep helps remove a lot of stress.

Wet weather can leave a short period of time to accomplish a host of tasks, and for many people, the focus is on producing a bountiful crop of maize or green pasture to ensure there is enough feed for their animals.

Often hiring a local contractor is a good option as they know the processes and can get the job accomplished in a relatively short time frame, and have the relevant machinery. It will allow you to focus on other important tasks.

If you are doing the work yourself, ensure that all your equipment is serviced and ready for productivity.

Preparation for undersowing on cattle farms, or getting ready to cultivate maize and bringing in silage for the upcoming season all require reliable equipment to save precious time and inconvenience if equipment breaks down.

Be aware that if the soil is damp or wet, the machinery used for aeration and harrowing, to turn the soil and

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prepare it for a fresh crop can cause compacting so it is best left until the ground dries out enough to take the weight of the equipment.

Northland is known to have hard to access pastureland and paddocks, even for the big trucks, which deliver fertiliser.

Smaller mini spreaders have become popular as they are lighter on the ground and able to get to more inconvenient places. Helicopter and fixed-wing aerial applicators are also often used to deliver fertiliser onto the necessary areas. Often contractors use the latest technology with GPS systems meaning less wastage of product being sown and environmentally friendly placement.

Remember, where possible, supporting friends and neighbours are often part of the farming lifestyle and getting together to accomplish certain tasks not only make specific jobs easier but also expands your knowledge base and sense of accomplishment.

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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

C RO P & PA S T U R E P R E P

Bug biocontrol approval To help protect New Zealand crops a biocontrol agent has been added to the mix to control brown marmorated stink bug if it ever gets into the country.

The Environmental Protection Authority has formally agreed to allow the release of a tiny Samurai wasp into New Zealand, in the event of a brown marmorated stink bug incursion.

BMSB Council chair, Alan Pollard, applauded the outcome as a major milestone against one of the greatest threats to New Zealand industry and urban communities.

“The industry greatly appreciates the positive decision and acknowledges the consideration given by the EPA to the significant number of submissions made on the application. This is a significant step towards preparing for a major biosecurity risk, which is getting greater by the day with increasing trade and tourism crossing our borders,” he

Pay attention!

said. The Samurai wasp is the size of a poppy seed and completely harmless to humans and animals, but a natural enemy of BMSB; the female wasp lays her eggs inside those of the stink bug, killing the larvae in the process. Studies overseas have shown that the wasp can destroy more than 70 per cent of the eggs in a stink bug egg mass.

“The stink bug could cause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses for our industry, as well as seriously damaging quality of life for all New Zealanders.

With the heightened awareness of biosecurity risk, our industry is more aware than ever that we cannot afford to be, and never will be, complacent.

“Approving the release of Samurai as a biocontrol is an excellent step — but

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there is more work to do before the wasp is ready to be used as a tool. It’s not the silver bullet, and a stink bug incursion would require a multifaceted approach.

“We have seen overseas growers rely on high levels of insecticide as the primary control for BMSB and, while this wasp provides the opportunity to reduce our dependence on chemicals, a full response will require every weapon in our armoury.”

BMSB feeds on a huge range of arable and horticultural crops including wheat, maize, peas and beans. An NZIER report, commissioned by the Samurai Wasp Steering Group, has estimated that gross domestic product would fall by between $1.8 billion and $3.6 billion by 2038 if BMSB became established.

It also estimated the horticulture export value could fall by between $2 billion and $4.2 billion.

Permission to release the wasp will be subject to a number of strict controls that will dictate when, where, and by whom it can be released.

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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

SEPTEMBER 2018

C RO P & PA S T U R E P R E P

13

Choosing your crop species

Deciding which plant species and cultivar to plant is an important decision and plays an essential role in maximising the life of a pasture.

The amount of feed available for dairy cows, in turn, affects the amount of profit from every hectare of pasture sown so is an integral element of farming life.

The best results come from matching the cultivars you choose to the farm system, climate, soils and pests.

There is a range of available options for pastures and each come with their strengths and weaknesses.

Chicory is a popular staple plant that can be incorporated into a rotational grazing system through its active growing months. The plant is a shortlived leafy herb with high feed value.

Maize crop is a vital crop for many New Zealand dairy farmers and represents a significant investment in time and resources.

Fodder beet is another option and is a root crop with a high-yield potential.

Kale has a deep root system and is normally used as a winter feed crop.

Due to its deeper roots — it is very resilient through a drought so good for the drier parts of the country.

Animals find plantain very palatable, which is a huge advantage. This crop establishes rapidly, is pest tolerant and has a high mineral content to enhance milk production.

Swedes are a great winter feed crop as they have a low tolerance to drought

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100 and perform best in cooler, moist environments. Their disadvantage is that they do not like waterlogging. Turnips are a fast-maturing single-graze crop and are often used to bridge the summer feed gap and maintain milk production.

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14

SEPTEMBER 2018

TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

Taranaki Fringe Garden Festival ADVERTORIAL

Festival exposes colourful heart of Taranaki The Taranaki region — that geographic bump extending into the Tasman Sea from New Zealand’s North Island — has been known as the garden of New Zealand for more than a century.

It’s no surprise then that the region is home to one of New Zealand’s most significant and friendliest garden festivals.

The Taranaki Fringe Garden Festival has been presenting a selection of gardens each spring for more than a decade — 2018 marks the fourteenth edition. Its success can be linked to the diversity and quality of gardens on offer as well as the wide range of other activities.

“This isn’t just a garden show, it’s become much more than that,” says John Lucas, Taranaki Garden Trust chair.

This festival is a 10-day adventure into

outstanding gardens throughout the region. There’s simply no better way to explore and discover Taranaki.”

“We offer everything from cottage to native gardens, highly-structured to rambling and informal. Whatever your taste in gardens there is something here, and every garden has a personal story behind it — right down to the plants and the plantings,” John says.

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throughout New Zealand and many garden centres, alternatively you can download your copy from our website at taranakigardens.co.nz — which has full listings of all our Taranaki Fringe Garden Festival gardens.

Full details of each garden or place of interest, time of opening, contact details and detailed maps are in the brochure so visitors can plan their route to take in several gardens in each area.

To discover the heart of New Zealand’s gardens and gardeners, look no further than the Taranaki Fringe Garden Festival — October 26 to November 4 2018.

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that open the gates each year, this event is built on the ethos of real gardens for real people.

“We offer practicality and inspiration on a scale you can take home to your own gardens. The concepts and features displayed in the festival are realistically attainable,” says the festival’s organiser, Anne Clough.

“Another drawcard is how accessible our gardens are; only $2 a person for each garden visited — it’s an absolute bargain.”

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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

SEPTEMBER 2018

15

Forest owners say the Productivity Commission’s call for up to 2.8 million hectares of land to be turned into forests as a carbon sink would require implementing the most ambitious land use change project a New Zealand government has ever set itself.

“The scope of afforestation proposed to get New Zealand to carbon neutrality by 2050 would need a new-planting rate of 100,000 hectares a year, which has been achieved only once in New Zealand in recent times — in 1994,” says Forest Owners Association president, Peter Weir.

“The government would then have to maintain this planting rate for three decades to achieve the goal. It is vital that the government works closely with all landowning groups to ensure an efficient and equitable transition to an envisaged ‘decarbonised economy’.

“A carbon price, with a transparent and realistic system of price setting, needs to be high enough to encourage change from current activities and land use, to forestry. The Productivity Commission escalated price projections are realistic in that respect.”

Mr Weir says that he has a concern that there might be two ‘pools’ of methane accounting arising from the report.

“It is likely to lead to a grandparented tradeable emission right for dairy farmers which is denied to sheep and beef farmers.”

He says the vast afforestation envisaged by the Productivity Commission will need to incorporate whole catchments to reach the target.

“For a scheme of such a scale, we cannot afford to get either the environmental or the economic side wrong.”

Farm Forestry Association president, Neil Cullen, believes the only sufficient land area to achieve the commission’s goal is to be found on farms.

“Farmers will need to have access to the best advice on how to go about planting woodlots and so avoid the mistakes too prevalent in the past, such as poor planning for road access at harvest time.

“That is not just a government job, but I believe farm organisations have a central role in helping the transformation of farm properties into an integrated land use operation with a substantial investment in forestry.”

Neil Cullen says widespread planting for carbon fixing needs to focus on the species of trees Peter Weir, Forest Owners Association president — which are best at doing that in the required timescale. doubt that exotic trees, such as conifers “In the distant future, our new and eucalypts are the best candidates indigenous forests will be locking up for the job.” a lot of carbon. If you are to achieve efficient carbon capture in the relatively brent stewart short-term, that is to 2050; there is no BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION

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SEPTEMBER 2018

DAIRY

M Bovis farms share similar soils

by David Law — Forward Farming

The strongest evidence yet that Mycoplasma bovis does not flourish in well-balanced soil conditions has been confirmed at the farms that first tested positive for the disease.

Farms belonging to the Van Leeuwen Dairy Group, which comprised 15,000 cows on a 4,133ha milking platform in South Canterbury, first tested positive for M bovis in July 2017, resulting in the culling of around 4,000 cows.

The group was given the go-ahead to restock the affected farms after the compulsory stand-down period of 60 days but was warned by biological farming consultant David Law if the conditions in which the disease thrived were not rectified, it could reoccur.

More than 100 soil tests were carried out across all van Leeuwen farms by Don Hart of Top Soils, and Law’s hypothesis was confirmed.

“We found increasing evidence that the farms that had tested positive for M bovis all had the same characteristic — a low-pH soil, which is typically an imbalanced, minerally-depleted soil,” Law says.

“In contrast, the soil tests taken on the farms clear of the disease showed a healthy pH of 6.3 — soil conditions M bovis doesn’t like.

“This demonstrated a correlation between M bovis being present in imbalanced soils, and absent in healthy soils. The disease doesn’t live in the soil per se, but, as an anaerobic bacterium, it generally only thrives in low-pH farm conditions.”

As a result, the van Leeuwens have implemented short-and-long-term plans to rebalance the conditions on the affected farms to reduce the likelihood of M bovis returning.

17

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Cow Law says his recommendations to Ministry for Primary Industries have not been actioned, leaving farmers in fear with no solution.

Aad van Leeuwen agrees that MPI should have been more open-minded in their approach to finding a solution for farmers. Law says with the valuable information gathered from Van Leeuwen Dairy Group, those involved in the wider working team are better able to help farmers directly rather than going through the government.

“We welcome farmers to invite us to speak at discussion groups, where we can look at scenarios causing farmers anxiety, such as grazing young stock off-farm,” he says.

“There are things farmers can do right

now to greatly reduce the risk of M bovis flourishing on their farm; we are confident we can help.”

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SEPTEMBER 2018

TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

WHEELS

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Not horsing around

by Andy Bryenton

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As has been noted before in more than one farming-focussed journal, there are plenty of side-byside (SSV) machines out there in the world today, which were primarily bred for recreation.

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As any farmer can tell you, the work you have to put in on the land is hardly recreational, though it does share with some pursuits — like hunting — the early starts, long hours and bountiful mud of the outdoors life. Considering that the most long-lasting two-wheelers and quad bikes on the rural scene were made specifically for farming, what does that mean for the newer concept of the SSV? Kawasaki would opine that it means there need to be different models in clearly differentiated categories. They would know — the same company which makes the practical Stockman off-road bike also makes the maniacal KX series of motocross freestylers and the tarmaccharring Ninja road bikes.

That’s why the Kawasaki Mule Pro FX EPS looks like it’s built to work. Rather than considering horsepower and top speed, Kawasaki’s brains trust were looking at load capacity and torque, leaving recreational thrills for other departments of the company. The result is a machine as practical and unfaltering as a tank, with everything you might need for rural chores and nothing you don’t. Before even looking under the hood, check out the steel-based, utterly

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the winning formula since 1869

TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

SEPTEMBER 2018

LIVESTOCK

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Positive beef growth

Over the past year, New Zealand’s beef cattle herd increased by 1.9 per cent, while the decline in the sheep flock was slowed by a lift in hoggets as farmers responded positively to strong prices and good grass growth leading into winter.

According to Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the annual stock number survey conducted by B+LNZ’s Economic Service also shows 3.7 million beef cattle — with beef production continuing to grow.

The largest contributor to the increase in the number of beef cattle was a lift in weaner cattle in MarlboroughCanterbury, which was driven by younger cattle being retained by beef breeders.

The research shows the impact of Mycoplasma bovis on sheep and beef farms has been mixed.

B+LNZ Economic Service chief economist, Andrew Burtt, says the analysis reveals a younger ewe flock as farmers retain more hoggets for future production. The number of breeding ewes fell in all regions of New Zealand — and by 2.1 per cent overall.

“The number of breeding ewes decreased 3.5 per cent to 8.3 million in the North Island, while South Island numbers dropped 0.8 per cent to 9.0 million. The decrease largely reflects farmers taking advantage of strong

prices for mutton. There was also a preference — particularly in the older farmer demographic — towards less labour intensive livestock options to sheep.” The national hogget flock is up on last year.

“Hogget numbers increased 2.5 per cent to 9.1 million, largely from Marlborough-Canterbury where ewe hoggets were retained to replenish declining ewe flocks, and trade lamb purchases from Southland due to dry summer conditions.

Mr Burtt says ewes were in good condition at mating and going into winter due to feed availability.

“However, early pregnancy scanning of ewes fell short of farmer expectations, which was high due to pasture levels during mating.”

The lamb crop is expected to be down 3.8 per cent to 22.8 million. It follows a record lambing percentage the previous season and a smaller breeding ewe flock — but moderated by a lift in lambs from hoggets mated.

Introducing a World First in Electric Fencing Full range of electric fencing products including mains/battery and solar powered energisers

B+LNZ Economic Service chief economist, Andrew Burtt

Pay attention!

around road works

SIS BALL COCK VALVE Price $99.50+GST EACH

Wi-Fi ble Controlaers Energis

Freight free anywhere in NZ • Buy 10 receive 12 and 2x service kits

Artex Ltd Phone: (06) 858-8011 www.redsnapr.co.nz

• 3 models available – all the one price • Nearly indestructible • Only NZ Manufacturer providing lifetime guarantee on the body of the ballcock

www.sisballcock.co.nz | 0800 175 720 Only available direct from manufacturer

Taranaki Rural Marketplace Tractors • Machinery • Ride-on Mowers Hydraulic Hoses • Utes

SALES – SERVICE – PARTS PH: 06 759 8432

Servicing the Lower North Island for all rental equipment 06 278 4756 | 309 South Road, Hawera facebook.com/baileymotorcycles baileymotorcycles@xtra.co.nz baileymcparts@xtra.co.nz

www.hireways.co.nz | E: hire@hireways.co.nz

Paul Stanton: 027 440 3074 | Tony Coombes: 027 243 7910

DRIER. CLEANER. HEALTHIER SOUTH TARANAKI & WANGANUI

Chem-Dry is the world’s largest carpet cleaning company 24 HOUR FLOOD & URGENT STAIN REMOVAL 3 Carpet and upholstery cleaning and 3 We specialise in stains, odours & hard protection to clean carpets and fabrics 3 We move the furniture 3 P.U.R.T. Pet urine removal treatment 3 Free quotes, residential and commercial

0800 22 78 22

email: wanganui@chemdry.co.nz

mobile: 0272 999 605

www.chemdry.co.nz

Independently owned and operated under a Chem-Dry License Servicing “THE SOUTH TARANAKI AND WANGANUI REGIONS”

FREEPHONE 0800 447 392 Wellington | Palmerston North

TARANAKI FARMING CLASSIFIEDS Phone 0800 466 793

Financial BANK SAID NO? We specialise in Farm Finance, working capital and debt consolidation. Also welcome applications from property developers, builder’s and first home buyers. Call 0800 888 449 or email bill@gfbl.co.nz.

Animal Health Products HIGH CELL Count? Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic & Manuka Honey 20L $54.95, 200L $495 or 1000L $2,200 +GST with free delivery. Black Type Minerals Ltd. Phone 021 185 1501. www.blacktypeminerals.co.nz.

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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES

SEPTEMBER 2018

FREE DELIVERY ORDERS OVER $1000.00

Retailer of Rural Piping and Farm Supplies

0800 RURAL DIRECT

OCTOBER 2018

Maxi Drain

PVC Pipe

Punched & Unpunched Drain Coil

r alle Sm also s coil ilable ava

110mm OD x 100m 160mm OD x 45m

$ $

100mm DWV W X 6m WV

315 315

$42.00

150mm Stormwater X 6m

MEGA ROLLS AV AVA VAILABLE

$120.00

110mm x 425m & 160mm x 190m Drainage Contractors call for a quote

Made in New Zealand

Enviro Culvert Pipe

Super Maxi T inwall Tw Culvert Pipe

Recycled HDPE Culvert Pipe

6m Price

Diameter OD

$ 95.00 $135.00 $240.00 $305.00 $425.00

200mm 250mm 315mm 375mm 450mm

1000 ID x 6m $2500.00

t ings available tt Joiners and custom fitt

LDPE Water Pipe

MDPE Pressure Pipe

Rural Nominal Bore Pipe ID nominal bore

Pressure rating (PSI)

15mm 20mm 25mm 32mm 40mm 50mm

130 116 94 72 65 50

Outside diameter

$ per 100m

$ 81 $145 $195 $239 $283 $372

20mm x 100m 116 PSI

$

145.00

25mm 32mm 40mm 50mm 63mm

9 Bar Rural Pressure Pipe $ per 100m

$ per 200m

$136 $171 $232 $349 $532

$266 $333 $452 $681 $1037

Other pressure ratings also available Suits compression and electrofusion fitt t ings tt

Anka & Hansen fitt t ings available tt

Maxi Culvert – Tw T inwall Culvert Pipe SIZE NOMINAL ID

6M PRICE

3M PRICE

100mm 150mm 225mm 300mm 375mm 450mm 525mm 600mm 750mm

$ 30 $ 68 $ 168 $ 275 $ 394 $ 564 $ 677 $ 867 $1200

$95 $165 $220 $315 $378 $473 $663

TARANAKI / WHANGANUI 83 Wallscourt Place Normanby Phone (06) 272 8187 Email taranaki@ruraldirect.net.nz

300mm x 6m

$

.00 5 27

Incorporating the strength of corrugated outer shell with the smooth M ad e in inner wall to optimise hydraulics N ew Ze a land Full range of fittings available Rubber ring seals available for water tight joins

MANAWATU / HAWKES BAY 77728 State Highway 2 Dannervirke Phone (06) 374 8971 Email manawatu@ruraldirect.net.nz

All items in this advertisement are while stocks last. Phone Rural Direct for conditions of delivery.

ALL PRICES INCLUDE GST.