Waikato Farming Lifestyles, December 2015

Waikato

FARMING Lifestyles

December 2015 Edition

30,300 copies DELIVERED FREE to every rural delivery address in Waikato and King Country

Adjusting Progeny test

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Enjoying the farming life

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December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

Election results for Silver Fern Farms

The Waikato Farming Lifestyles is published with pride by NorthSouth Multi Media Ltd, a privately owned NZ company.

Phone: 0800 466 793 Email: info@nsmm.co.nz General Manager: Deb Wright | debw@nsmm.co.nz 021 639 696

Tony O’Boyle, a Wairarapa sheep and beef farmer, has been elected to the Silver Fern Farms’ Board of Directors.

Production Manager: Jessica Wright Editorial: Denise Gunn Paul Campbell Andy Bryenton Ayla Miller Ann Morgan

Graphic Design: Gavin Bainbridge Dylan Hansen Callum McDonald James Menzies

MEMBER OF:

Advertising: Betty Willetts Peter Mansfield

Production: Viv Webb Lara Ozkan

Accounts: accounts@nsmm.co.nz Distribution: Laurie Willetts Website: www.farminglifestyles.co.nz

Audited distribution details Print run 30,300. DELIVERED FREE to every rural delivery address in Waikato and King Country.

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“I extend a warm welcome to Tony. As indicated by the independent assessment of Tony, information that was sent to all voting shareholders, he is clearly very capable, and has come through a strong group of candidates,” said Chairman Rob Hewett who is looking forward to working with Tony on the Board.

“It is a particularly interesting time to be part of our co-operative as we work towards the completion of our 50:50 partnership with Shanghai Maling. Tony’s contribution as a director through this period will be valuable as we make a significant step-change for Silver Fern Farms.”

Tony fills the position made available by longserving Hawke’s Bay director Angus Mabin, who retired at Newly elected Silver Fern Farms the Silver Fern Farms Annual board of directors member Tony O’Boyle Meeting on December 16.

“I would like to thank Angus for his making around the board.” The result dedication through his eight years of the election were: Tony O’Boyle — on the Silver Fern Farms Board, and Wairarapa 10,779,693; Oliver Saxton — prior to that, the four years he served North Waikato 8,986,745; David Shaw on our North Island supplier council. — South Otago 8,907,781 and William He is handing over the reins with our Oliver — King Country 4,921,728.

The vote represents 55.36 percent cooperative now in a sound space both financially and strategically,” said of total eligible shares, compared to 68.10 percent in the previous election Mr Hewett.

“His insight into North Island issues in February 2015. The voter return following the Richmond purchase helped percentage was 23.72 percent of us with the significant job of rebuilding eligible shareholders, compared to the faith with members of the co-operative February return of 30.86 percent.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES December 2015

Adjusting progeny test Beef and Lamb New Zealand Genetics is increasing the breadth of testing for genetic potential in New Zealand sheep by adjusting the focus of its Central Progeny Test to increase relevance for commercial flocks.

“The developments in the Sheep CPT are, in part, inspired by the positive experience of involving commercial farms in the Beef CPT programme. It also reflects widespread feedback from leading sheep stud breeders and commercial farmers,” says BLNZ Genetics general manager, Graham Alder.

“The message and underlying logic is pretty clear. Progeny testing can be improved and the speed of genetic gain increased by upping the numbers of rams tested on real-life commercial farming sites. This is an important part of our strategy for lifting the rate of genetic gains across the industry.”

The goal is to help breeders and commercial farmers more easily identify top genetics that will perform best in their environment — particularly hill country, and increase the number and diversity of locations in which testing occurs and rams tested as well as increase the connectedness of ram breeding flocks across the country.

The main objectives of these developments are to assess the genetic potential of progeny in the country that more accurately reflect the environment in which sheep are increasingly farmed — characterised as North Island hill country, dry hill country and South Island hill country.

“We want to shift the focus to ‘Next Generation’ sires by testing progeny of up-and-coming rams selected on potential genetic merit, rather than relying on older sires that already have progeny and increase the numbers of rams tested to increase flock connectedness linkages. Breeders and commercial farmers will be able

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to more accurately compare rams to increase genetic gain and achieve greater transparency through direct commercial farmer engagement at onfarm field days.”

The first Next Generation flock will be established on a Horizon Farming Ltd property in the Hawke’s Bay. It will have a terminal sire focus and evaluate leading young rams that are not yet progeny-proven.

All sites will follow best practice in animal management and will make use of advances in on-farm measuring and monitoring technology to aid data collection and data accuracy.

“It’s fair to say that, technologically speaking, even five years ago extending CPT to a commercial environment

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What’s more, further developments in measuring and recording technology — by companies like Tru-Test and Gallagher, along with DNA parentage from Zoetis — allow us to run the programme in commercial flocks,” said Mr Alder.

Over the next three years, CPT work at the lowland sites of Poukawa — Hawke’s Bay, and Ashley Dene — Canterbury, will be phased out with testing increasingly moving to commercial farms and involving significantly larger numbers of rams. The three other existing test sites — Woodlands in Southland and the hill sites of Onslow View in Central Otago and Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre in the Wairarapa — are set to continue as previously.

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December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

THE BEST

by Ayla Miller

Poultry Valley and Lifestyle started when Sandy Mahon went to a clearing sale and came home with a few shaver chickens. She then discovered there were many other pretty breeds of chickens and so a passion was ‘hatched.’

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stablished in 2000, on 15 acres of land in the Mangawhara Valley, Poultry Valley and Lifestyle offer a variety of poultry and piglets.

“I started with a few chooks before I learnt about how many varieties there

were and got a few more,” Sandy says.

“At first I was just going to sell eggs for eating. Then I got more pretty ones and people were asking me for hatching eggs because they were all different kinds. A lot of people didn’t know about

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Sandy Mahon has a passion for breeding the biggest and the best poultry

the variety of pretty breeds back then and it escalated from there.”

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for purebreds so I got separate pens and started taking it seriously.”

Her love of chickens didn’t start until later in life and although she grew up on a lifestyle block she never kept chickens as a child.

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Sandy enjoys breeding a variety of different chickens.

Pictured here are some of her Australorp chickens

“My parents had a bit of land and we always had a horse and a few sheep on a block. We did have some pigs at some stage. “ Poultry is now the major focus of the small family business, having also diversified into breeding piglets, from purebred Saddleback and Saddleback cross Duroc and Berkshire cross Saddleback pigs.

Sandy says she really enjoys hatching the chicks and, as her husband works full time elsewhere, it keeps her very busy.

“Shane helps on the weekend and gets feed orders and stacks all the heavy things, but the hatching, rearing and collecting is all down to me.”

However she says poultry farming and breeding is not as easy as many people believe and to make it worthwhile farmers have to keep a large supply.

She finds breeding the pigs equally rewarding although they are not as easy to handle as chickens.

“You can’t just put them under your arm and walk off with them. They have a mind of their own.

“They have quite defined personalities but when the piglets are running around they are so cute.”

Driven by a desire to produce a high standard of stock, Sandy says if she wants to do something she wants to do it properly.

“I want to do it right and proper and pure. I like breeding the biggest and the best. That has been my motivation.”

Over the years she has learnt everything she knows about keeping and breeding chickens through trial and error.

“Every time you think you know something, something happens to

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December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

U O G R H H T THE YEARS

BY ANN MORGAN

Margaret Pinny was born into Jersey cattle farming and inherited stock off her parents as she grew up in Piopio and became interested in the stock when she was six-years-old. She has been involved with the cows now for 70 years.

“I

grew up on a farm in Piopio and used to go to calf clubs and shows. The first calf club I attended was when I was four-yearsold. In later years I organised the Te Kauwhata A and P show and calf club for 20 years and just stopped being involved in calf clubs two years ago.

Now I go and make the judges cups of tea,” said Margaret who moved from Te Kauwhata with her husband Rex to go into farming partnership with their daughter Megan and son-in-law Trevor in Waihue — Northland.

“Rex and Megan were also Jersey breed judges. Unfortunately Rex became ill just after moving here and died that

year, leaving us to care for the property.”

Margaret has three sons still living in the Waikato district.

“As I am retired now my responsibilities have changed but I still have a lot of time around the farm and when calves are born I wander over and see which ones I think are good. This year we used a lot of Australian semen and the calves are beautiful and big. With Jersey cattle you can run more stock on your property because they are a lighter animal and are easier to handle.”

Her grandson Nick and his wife Stephanie are now sharemilking on the farm with the family’s pedigree Jersey herd and involves four generations of

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Margaret Pinny and her daughter Megan with one of their Jersey stud cows, although Margaret is retired she still has a lot of input on the farm which has four generations of her family living on it

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES December 2015

family members. The farm consists of some land not suitable for dairy and therefore they also run beef.

Stock numbers vary. While all Jersey bulls and heifers are reared and some additional beef brought in, any surplus stock are sold at the Northern Wairoa jersey sales.

Margaret recalls during the 80s the milk price went down to two dollars for milk fat and it has fluctuated ever since she can remember.

“It’s one of those things that seems to bounce back — it does get better.

Back then it was milk fat only, now it is also protein that is measured in the milk.”

She has seen cowsheds go from fourbale walk through to two cows at once and now the big herringbone and rotary sheds that can milk 30–100 cows at a time.

“I started life in the King Country with a horse and cart or sled and now there are tractors with 80–100 horsepower, and there are big combine harvesters for maize and other crops. When I was young it was very hard work, often done by hand and now it’s very much a machinery industry.

“I know some people look at the vehicles farmers own and think they must be doing really well but farmers need decent vehicles, that’s why you often see them in newer cars. We can’t just pop down to the store, we often have to travel a long way so we need

reliable transport.” Margaret remembers the cream being separated from the milk and collected at the gate by a cream lorry.

“The skim milk would go to the farm pigs which would later be sent off for bacon, and the lorry would deliver our groceries back inside the empty cream can. Now tankers collect all of the milk and not many farms have pigs as there is no skim milk because all of the milk product is taken away.

“We used a big straw broom and buckets of water to clean down the milking shed. Now we use high pressure hoses or the flooding technique from big drums of water.

“Living here is very similar to the King Country. We shifted from a very dry area and find this property better even in the dry season. It’s been a very interesting lifestyle which I have really enjoyed and will continue to enjoy.

“To think in the last 30 years there have been so many changes to the industry is incredible.

“I was a land girl on my dad’s farm which included his stud Romney and Southdown sheep and used to help take them to shows. My dad quite often had the best fleece at the winter show. He would be shearing and throw me one and say ‘put this aside,’ and I was always amazed that it often won — he just knew a good fleece. He was a great farmer and I believe our farm today reflects that,” said Margaret.

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Margaret with her grandson Nick who is now sharemilking on the family farm — Totaradale Jersey Stud

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December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

Enjoying THE

farming life

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ANTHONY PHIPPS MANAGES A DAIRY FARM WITH HIS PARTNER KIM JUST OUT OF NGATEA, WITH A HERD OF 340 MOSTLY JERSEY COWS ON 84 HECTARES.

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nthony is 26-years-old, and has been farming for eight years. His father was originally a car painter but changed careers to dairy farming in the year 2000 so he could spend more time with his growing family, and this is where Anthony got his introduction to farm life.

“I enjoyed the change of lifestyle and relief milked on weekends and during school holidays. When I was growing up I always wanted to become a builder and did but I discovered I missed the cows, and working outside on the farm, so returned to farming.

“Our employer lives in Northland.

She visits every month or two to ensure everything is ok and we send her monthly reports.

“We like Jersey cows as a breed as they are a smaller animal and eat less and you can have more of them on the land. We believe they produce good quality milk.”

Anthony says the breed also have a sulky personality and tend to feel sorry for themselves at times. “We have one who will sit in the shed looking sad and

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ANTHONY PHIPPS AND HIS PARTNER KIM SAY THE FARMING LIFESTYLE IS VERY ENJOYABLE AND THEY LIKE WORKING OUTDOORS

it’s not until we get to the last row she will decide to get up and walk over to be milked. The Friesians will get up, get milked and get out of there to eat.

“Working outside all the time is great, I prefer this to indoor work, rain or shine, and I like animals.

“The farm has a grass only system.

Sometimes we make maize silage, just enough to cover the dry season. If we have excess grass we will make a small amount of grass silage which we cut

and bale ourselves. We try to ensure we have enough extra food as we are prone to drought in the Waikato and if we haven’t produced enough we have to dry off the herd quite early and send them away which means production takes a bit of a hit.”

The farm is on peat and the effluent system is quite small as there are a lot of underground springs.

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decent size effluent pond. The risk this brings is contamination. We have the biggest system we can and move the irrigator often and check for seepage on a very regular basis.

“We had bulls last season that were firing blanks so we had a month with no cows due to calve and then the second half of the herd were due in November and December instead of September.

We had to get special consideration to induce some of the herd and were very pleased the calves all came out good and normal.

“We had a small calving season due to this and it made the season a little longer. With the low payout we are trying to do it all naturally and have bulls in the paddock now, letting them talk to the ladies to let them know they are here.

“I study with Primary ITO and training is every couple of weeks. You get to

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THE 84 HECTARE FARM IS A GRASS ONLY SYSTEM AND IS HOME TO A HERD OF 340 MOSTLY JERSEY COWS

meet the other young farmers in the area. I strongly recommend those in farm jobs get involved in these courses as they are all relevant to on farm practices and make the job a lot easier to do and understand. They teach you everything you need to know in farming.

“Level three is animal health and husbandry, how grass grows and how to make it grow faster, and level four is how to feed animals better and how to get more milk out of them, and feeding less and farm rotations. If you are a manager you normally know this but it’s good to have it on paper.

Anthony has considered entering the young Maori farmer or young farmer of the year competitions but is too busy.

“This is a good place to live but gets a bit wet at times, in summer it dries out really quick but it is a good place to farm.

WAIKATO

“I think it is better than Australia where you have to worry about different pests and things.”

Anthony says Kim enjoys dairy farming now but it took a while as she supported him in his choice of occupation change.

“She has come to love it and loves the animals. If she could she would spend all day sitting in the paddock.”

Their son Cyrus is 8 years old and he loves helping with his toy tractor which he drives around with a flashing light on the bonnet, towing his trailer.

“Farming involves long hours especially when you are a manager as it is a very responsible job. Good production often means good benefits and incentives. You get used to having a busy lifestyle and it is rewarding in the end. On good days there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing, even when it’s cold, wet and windy.”

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10

December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

ADVERTORIAL

Merry Christmas Everybody Holy Toledo! Another year has zoomed past without even a blink of the eye, incredible! That’s how it feels anyway.

To me it was one of the most interesting years in agriculture and probably the bumpiest ride ever, all decisions needing to be calculated to the nth degree; with survival in mode.

We need to stop what we are doing — commodity markets are a slippery slope. We need to look seriously at natural certified production methods to increase farm efficiency, better returns, a healthier farm and a top quality environment; this is paramount, if we want to survive. There are silver bullet solutions out there that ensure compliance without impacting on productivity and profitability; with environmental sustainable farming offering the best opportunities.

The way forward is probably the way back: when dairy farmers produced all their supplement feed directly from the farm and when stocking rates for dairy was one cow per acre (2.5 cows per hectare). Go online to Lincoln University’s site and look up more milk, less cows; with less cows you will have more grass. The premium price for milk on the planet is for all grass-fed milk, which includes all grass supplements. You don’t need to throw your money away by growing maize. Maize is for chickens — not rumen animals.

When it comes to nitrogen, plants have been fixing nitrogen directly out of the atmosphere for millions of years. This source

of nitrogen is ecologically friendly and has no cost factor.

The natural forests, jungles and savannahs on our planet, fix their carbon, oxygen,

hydrogen and nitrogen directly from the atmosphere.

All producers growing plants or pasture, without a thought, rely on their plants to fix these free minerals directly out of the atmosphere, carbon as carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen which together make up 97.5% of the plants mineral requirements — that’s what you call free natural capital.

Combine the atmospheric minerals with the other essential minerals, such as, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, silica, iron sulphur, manganese, boron, copper, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum, selenium and chromium and you have the formula for strong healthy plant growth that transfers onto animals and humans.

All life on the planet is dependent upon minerals. These minerals are essentials to our survival. Pest, disease, sickness and weeds all indicate mineral deficiency. The mineral or, minerals missing are extremely difficult to target, but compensated by applying a full complement of the above minerals. With all these essential minerals life functions well — in reality, minerals are your “silver bullet” providing they are in a completely natural form — i.e. not synthetic Agrissentials’ release of minerals to a plant available form is based around the soil micro-organisms. These creatures are the first to dine at the mineral table, converting the minerals into a plant available form, wrapping the minerals in humus, so that they won’t leach from the soil. The plant takes up the minerals from the humus, as they are required. The humus also holds water, from which the plant will draw. The more humus in the soil, the more water retention to help the plants through those dry periods. When the plant takes up the mineral it is instantly recognised at the cellular level, the ultimate level for plant uptake, development and growth. So, we have finally discovered that the silver bullet is contained within a multimineral microbial rich fertiliser namely Rok Solid full spectrum fertiliser.

In the spirit of Christmas, Agrissentials have loads of amazing specials to get your soil pumping and things growing.

Whether you’re a home gardener, lifestyle block owner, commercial grower or farmer – there’s a deal for you AND some limited edition Christmas packs that make a fantastic Christmas gift for that someone special. Call 0800 THE KEY (0800 843 539) or your local best on earth fertiliser rep Chris Storm (Coromandel/North, Central & East Waikato) on 021 738 609, Ken Pitts (South/West Waikato) 027 5023 036 and Simon George (Bay of Plenty/West Waikato) 021 738 521 to redeem your special Christmas deal today! (Please note that over the Christmas break the office will be closed from the 18th of December and fully operable again on the 5th of January.

Urgent calls will be monitored on 0800 THE KEY during this time.) Wishing you health, wealth, happiness and a prosperous 2016 – bring it on! From Team Agrissentials

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES December 2015

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12

December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

LIFESTYLE BLOCK SERVICES

Keep children safe

Farms and lifestyle blocks are unique environments where families work, live and play, and it raises unique challenges that other business operators don’t need to consider. With summer here and the school holidays on the way, it is a good time to put safety measures in place.

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risk to children. Walk around the property with children and identify the hazards together. Adult supervision is the key. For young children it needs to be close and active and adults need to lead by example.

Have safety fences around play areas, animal enclosures, work areas and water spots. Keep doors shut or locked so little ones can’t get anywhere they’re not supposed to. Remove keys from doors and vehicles, and never leave vehicles unattended with the motor running.

There are many hazards children face, some obvious and some not so obvious, for instance animals can be unpredictable, especially if startled or protecting their young and can charge or kick out. Children can also be infected by a number of animal diseases such as leptosporis, ringworm and diarrhoea.

Teach them to wash their hands after touching animals.

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Ensure all dangerous chemicals are stored safely and out of the reach of children. Make sure it is safe to reverse any vehicles. The best way to do this is to walk around the vehicle and ensure children are a safe distance away before starting the engine and always use seat belts and children’s car seats.

Older children should not ride farm bikes until they can place both feet firmly on the ground on either side when seated on the bike. They should also be taught the dangers of speeding and uneven ground.

Make it a rule for older children to always say where they are going and ensure children know what to do in an emergency, where to go and who to call, and teach them basic first aid.

Children do listen, understand, remember, and apply rules over time.

But things change — seasonal work, new hazards, environmental changes, getting older, having friends over — farm safety needs to be constantly reviewed and updated.

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Children also lack the judgement, body weight and strength to operate full-sized farm vehicles like ATVs. They need to understand that tractors can be dangerous. Younger children are most likely to be injured while playing on or near tractors and older children are most likely to be injured as passengers or while carrying out farm tasks. All farm machinery has the potential to cause harm and should only be operated by adults. All machinery should have appropriate safety guards. Small hands can get caught in things and workshops need to be kept locked. Spare tractor wheels should be tied to a wall or left lying flat so they can’t topple over and crush a child.

Have a map of all the water hazards on the property — rivers creeks, troughs, dips, tanks, dams and ponds. Cover tanks and wells with child restraint covers or fill-in any that are unused.

Water also poses the risk of burns, especially in the dairy shed where hot water is used at scalding temperatures.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES December 2015

13

WATER MATTERS ADVERTORIAL

Think about top water quality Water is life — a fact that were it not for its reason for our existence, could almost become a cliché.

But water management is equally important to existence, as evidenced by management plans throughout the farming industry.

In the Waikato and beyond Think Water Cambridge is a company with a vision of making water reticulation and management the very best it can be. Company director Phillip Clarke set out to become a leading supplier of innovative and integrated solutions to the water reticulation industry with the express aim of delivering maximum quality and quantity to his customers.

Quantity, Dairy Cows require up 140L of water in 24 hours, is your water system up to it? Is every paddock well supplied?

When planning a piped water supply, there’s a bit to consider — including land elevation, surface type and how much water you need in a 24 hour period. At Think Water Cambridge we specialise in designing systems to best fit your needs and budget, it’s about using water efficiently that save money and water, say’s Director Phillip Clarke.

Quality, Think Water Cambridge believes that safe drinking water should be available to everyone in their homes. Many people drinking rural water supplies may not be aware of the health risks that may generate from drinking untreated water, from these supplies. Bottle water is only filling up our landfills and costs our pockets more than necessary.

Untreated water supplies are not only a concern for you and your family but your stock too!Certain untreated minerals in large amount could make your stock performance slow. As stock will only drink what is necessary to quench thirst rather than their daily requirement which in turns slows down production, Says Phillip Clarke. Think Water Cambridge can test your water, understanding the condition and concerns of your water enables us to provide you with a water treatment options for the home, or farm.

Think Water Cambridge — beyond irrigation, Water is our Business.For more information on how we can help, e-mail cambridge@thinkwater.co.nz

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14

December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

RURAL WHEELS

Unstoppable utility times eight

by Andy Bryenton

The trusty off-road bike used to be the last word in tackling mud and harsh terrain. Then it was replaced, briefly by the off road trike, before that evolved into the ATV quad. Recently, the ATV has given rise to the two-seater UTV, in all its farm-ready and sporting variants.

But all this time — since the 1960s, to be exact — there’s been another breed of off-roader in the background.

It’s one which doesn’t rely on one wheel drive like a bike, or even four like a quad.

And it hasn’t evolved into anything so prosaic as a simple dune buggy. Like the shark, it may have been perfect for its own extreme environment from day one.

The Argo — named for the far-travelling adventurers of classical mythology — has been about in one shape or another since 1967. Born of the need to handle every kind of terrain from deserts to swamps, the Argo does away with traditional steering, adopting the same kind of controls as a military tank.

That’s the first clue to its intention. The second comes when it runs out of land entirely. Because, like the big armoured personnel carriers it did its bit to inspire, the Argo doesn’t just wade — it swims.

Argo’s latest creation is the culmination of all those years of research and field testing with farmers, hunters, foresters and emergency personnel.

The 8x8 750 XTi can carry 450kg on land and across water, with a four stroke, 750cc liquid-cooled v-twin doing the hard work under the hood. Add a towing capacity of over 900 kilos and the massive traction afforded by eight

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Finance available to approved customers, terms and conditions apply

driving wheels, and it’s easy to see why there’s very little that can stop this machine in its tracks.

Argo have made the move to modern direct fuel injection, offering both more power — 30hp at the wheels — and better fuel economy. Considering the type of terrain where Argos tend to work, the long distance between fill-ups is going to be very handy.

Other small stylistic tweaks — and the addition of the now-obligatory USB output on the dash — round out a design which is pure Argo. Function is king here, and the form of the whole Argo range is built around offering simply the toughest, most unsinkable, unstickable vehicle on the market. A tough roll cage keeps passengers safe, in a style similar to modern UTVs. If you have rough terrain to tackle — and we’re talking more than just a damp paddock or some paltry mud puddles — then this new 8x8 is the way to handle it in style.

After a bash through the rough stuff — and across the wet stuff — in the 750 XTi, conventional four wheel drive may begin to feel a bit like a sad compromise.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES December 2015

RURAL WHEELS ADVERTORIAL

Choosing the best bike Whether it’s for the farm, trail, road or race track, Blackwood Yamaha has the knowledge and expertise to help.

15

Celebrating six decades of engineering & excitement

YAMAHA 60TH ANNIVERSARY Your local home of Yamaha proud to offer you a comprehensive range, as well as genuine Yamaha parts, repairs & service.

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Blackwood Yamaha have been operating for 20 years next year, predominantly servicing the Waikato and greater Waikato area, and pleased to present the latest New Zealand motorcycle, ATV and SSV vehicles.

“Our customer base is as diverse and long standing as the residents of our community and we pride ourselves on giving all our customers the very best pricing backed up by superb and friendly customer service.

“Not only do we sell and service reliable road and off-road bikes, we

have a large selection of ATVs and SSVs for our rural communities in the region.

“You’ll go a long way to find a more experienced and professional parts and accessories department and there’s not much our parts department won’t have or be able to get in for you.

“If you’re local, come down to the Blackwood Yamaha store — have a look around or give us a call on 07 827 7066 and experience friendly and efficient service that you’ll quickly become accustomed to.”

The team at Waikato Farming Lifestyles would like to thank everyone for their continued support and wish you all a safe & happy holidays.

Best wishes.

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16

December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

DAIRY

Hoof Print with Fred Hoekstra

HOOF TRIMMING SERVICES, EQUIPMENT & TRAINING

What’s the best surface?

There are many publications out there about lameness and how bad tracks and bad animal handling cause lameness, that we regularly get asked the question…

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‘What do you think is the best surface material for tracks?’ Even though claims of the above are, in principle, correct, it seems that most people don’t have a clear understanding of what it is about bad tracks and animal handling that increases the prevalence of lameness.

Often the explanation goes something like this: ‘When cows stand on stones they get bruising in their hooves and that makes them lame’.

If you push cows on tracks and they can’t see where they put their front feet then they encounter more stones causing more bruising and therefore more lameness. When you improve the tracks and you stop pushing cows you do end up with less lameness and so this theory seems very plausible. The problem with this explanation is that it is based on assumption and there is no evidence to support it. I agree that improving tracks and animal handling

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decreases the prevalence of lameness.

But what I am saying is that there is no evidence that the stones are the culprit. If you are interested in doing a hoof trimming course with us I can show evidence for the opposite.

So, if it is not the stones on the track that is the problem, then what is it?

Well, it has a lot to do with stress.

The reason why cows are under more stress on bad tracks is that it takes longer to get to and from the cowshed which means that they spend less time in the paddock doing cow things.

When you look at a well fed herd in the paddock, cows are grazing, drinking, socialising or lying down. This is normal, natural behaviour for a cow. When cows are walking on the tracks or standing on the yard they are not showing any of that ‘normal’ behaviour. This means that cows are being forced to take on activities that are not natural to them.

This, in itself, is not a problem as most cows adapt themselves to that

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routine, but, if you force them to do it for a long time it will become a problem.

If you have muddy tracks or there are a lot of stones on the track you will find the cow flow a lot slower therefore this increases the time out of the paddock and places more stress on your cows.

The added stress of pushing cows will make it even worse.

So, when I am asked what surface material I would advise for the tracks I say concrete. Concrete is easy to clean, it doesn’t hold puddles, cows don’t sink into it and it doesn’t need sunshine to dry up.

You may think this is a ludicrous suggestion, but some of our clients that have done it love it. I know it is expensive, but in the long run it is probably the cheapest option. If you can find a material that is as hardy as concrete go for it.

Just remember — the main aim is to get cows back in the paddock as fast as possible in a stress free manner.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES December 2015

DAIRY

ELITE SERVICES (2005) LTD

A dog’s tail …

Time ta wave the reel flag “Hells bells Dog, its been a heckofa weak!”

Yep readas, Boss an’ me was bizy drafting off sum lambs for the werks, wen’ Boss had his usual statement, about wot I new nothing. I give him a bittofa rollin’ eye, an’ he gotta messij, cos he took a brake, wrote downa count ona notebook,and sat ona yard fense.

“Yissee Dog. First we gotta news about big Jonah Lomu. He was a reely great All Black, a reel champin who past away, way before his time.”

I remembid seeing about that wen’ I gotta papa froma kattilstop atta road gate. Big foto ona front page, an’ Boss’s gerfrend Sharlene rang her Mum in Orkland and hada bit ofa cry too.

“Then,” seda Boss, “we had old Richy Mcor, another top footy player, decide it was time to take off ‘is boots, and put ona a flyin’ helmit. Yep, he’s gonna fly helichopters fer a livin’. Probly sprayin’ thistles an’ stuff like that. Dont s’pose it will pay as much munny as bein’ a footy captin tho’.” I hada think about that. Maybe they gonna call him Poor Mcor insted? (Sorry readas.) Thena Boss went on. “But hell, Dog, wotta bout Parris? Them terrerists went ona slaughterin’ rampage. An’ then some more shot up a pub in Africker.”

By this time, Sharlene come over froma homsted with a tray of limmonade drinks. I shot off ta the troff by the yards an’ had slurp.

Well, wen I got back, Sharlene ana Boss were lookin’ atta mail she pickt up froma post box in town, wear she had been doin’ the supermarkiting.

“Gawd Dog, will ya lookit this nonsinse!” Boss tore open a fat invilope. “Blimmin flag choise rubbish.”

He showed me an Sharlene.

“Looks like a bannana republik if ya arsk me. Blimmin’ silvar fern is wot ya wave atta rugby werld kup, not stick up a flag pole. Tell yer wot, Dog, remember I went ta France an’ saw me granddad’s grave in a big semitry? They hada big New Zilland flag flyin’ high ona flagpole there. If that Mr John Ki, wots a grate mate of Barrick Obarmy, had his way, they’ll be flyin’ a footy flag over our fallin’ heroes, who fort and died under the proper kiwi flag. I dunno, seems sum peeple just bluddy insecure about our histry.” Sharlene fer once said she rilly agreed. “ Yes deah,” she sed.”

This blimmin’ flag idea costin’ millions of munny we shood spind elsewhere.

Lets keep our histry intact. It’s all a bit like them jeehardists, blowing up histry

17

WELCOMING ALL FARMERS TO THE AREA. GENERAL ENGINEERING INDUSTRIAL & FARM BUILDINGS COWSHEDS & FEEDPADS MACHINE SHOP

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monumints. Tell yer wot deah. Lets fly the proper kiwi flag down atta kattil stop.

“Ring orl your mates. A proper kiwi flag on every farm gate!”

Woops, eye thort. Boss cood start sumthing hear.

Yeah, go for it Boss. You too readas!

Billy

1.5M please

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Quality Kiwi Made Products. Only available from your veterinarian

Selenium 1mg A liquid form of selenium that is suitable to be drenched to sheep, cattle and horses for the prevention and treatment of selenium responsive conditions.

Selenium 1mg / ml as Sodium Selenate

Use by oral route only.

Dosage is based on supplying 0.1mg selenium per kg of liveweight (1ml selenium drench per 10kg liveweight).

Lambs 1 - 2 mls Hoggets 3 - 5 mls Ewes / Rams 5 mls Calves 10 mls Adult Horses 10 - 25 mls (depending on size and selenium status) Dose every 3 -4 weeks unless directed otherwise by a veterinarian. Do not exceed the recommended dose.

18

December 2015 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

LIVESTOCK ADVERTORIAL

Give your old mate new life Farm life can be lonely were it not for a farmer’s constant companion – the dog that works alongside - day in and day out.

Now farmers can give their old mates a new lease on life and repay them for the gift of companionship and hard work over the years, with stem cell treatment.

“Stem cell treatment is the latest treatment for animal arthritic care,” says Carevets veterinarian, Dr Ivan Aleksic.

“More than 50 Waikato-based dogs and cats with arthritis have been successfully treated with stem cells since we introduced the therapy in 2011 and every single dog has experienced improvement, to some degree, from degenerative joint disease.”

He describes stem cells as the body’s own repair cells. “The cell extract has the ability to divide and differentiate into many

different types of cells and has potent antiinflammatory properties. “We take a dog’s stem cells from its own fat and process the fat through a special patented technology. The outcome is one tube of purified stem cells, which we activate by treatment with special light frequency and inject the stem cell extract into the joint that needs treatment.

“We have noted that the dog’s quality of life is vastly improved for a minimum of three years, saving owners a lot of money on painkillers.”

He said owners shouldn’t consider this technology as a last resort but use it in the early stages of arthritis before welfare becomes an issue.

Lamb crop at 60-year low Figures compiled in Beef and Lamb New Zealand’s crop report released on December 1 estimated 23.9 million lambs were tailed this spring — the smallest lamb crop since 1953.

“Breeding ewe numbers were down 4.5% on last year, due to carryover effects of dry conditions in past seasons,” said economist Andrew Burtt, adding that feed supplies were tight leading into winter and fewer hoggets were mated. In some regions, there was also a slight swing towards increasing beef cattle at the expense of sheep.

“On the positive side of the ledger, better-than-average climatic conditions during lambing this Spring meant lamb

survival was good — the exception being isolated weather events in the North Island.”

Over the country, there was a 6.7% drop — or 1.7 million fewer lambs than last year. In all 11.3 million lambs were tailed in the North Island — down 0.7 million on last year but similar to 2013’s tally.

In the South Island, 12.6 million lambs were tailed — 1.0 million fewer than last spring, due to decreased ewe numbers, lower lambing percentages and fewer lambing hoggets.

Mr Burtt says the average carcase weight is expected to increase slightly — by 0.9% — to 18.3kg, as a result of lower stocking rates per hectare.

“However, this is not sufficient to offset the reduced number of lambs available and we expect total export lamb production to drop by 7.2%.”

Lamb export receipts for 2015–16 are estimated at $2.8 billion, down 4.2% on 2014–15.

The lamb crop survey covers 500 commercial sheep and beef farms.

DRIVE SAFE

WE MAKE

HOUSE

CALLS We know you’re busy on the farm and can’t always make it into town to visit our amazing showhome so our consultants come to you, wherever you intend to build

PA N 1 0 1 2 1 5 6

On Rural Roads Choose from over 100 planss which you can customise to suit your family, land & lifestyle.

Featured Plan:

Discovery Specifications:

FLOOR AREA: ROOF: BEDROOMS: BATHROOMS: LIVING: GARAGE:

382.7 m2 GABLE 4 2 2 4

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VISIT OUR SHOWHOME

3 KAREWA PLACE TE RAPA, HAMILTON

OR

VISIT

07 849 3979 WWW.GOLDENHOMES.CO.NZ

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES December 2015

19

WHEN TIMES ARE HARD, WHY SPEND MORE ON A BIKE TO DO THE JOB?

We have kept the Jialing Farmer 150 at $1985 + GST for a number of years but we are not sure how much longer we can keep it at this amazing price for. in

Jialing Farmer 150

$1,985

of A 2 Jia 013 sel lin an ect fro g F d 2 ion a 0 m r $8 mer 14 t 95 1 ra + G 50 de ST bike s

Jialing 250GY

+GST

$3,995

Jack Farmer 200

$2,595

+GST

Jialing 250GY with oil cooler.

$4,195

+GST

CALL FOR YOUR NEAREST DEALER 07 883 3236

+GST

www.jialingfarmbikes.co.nz

THE LAUNCH OF THE ALL NEW HISUN GENERATION 6 500CC AND 700CC

ARRIVING

JANUARY 2016

Prices to be announced but with our price promises that they will still be the fabulous Hisun value for money

500CC AND 700CC SPECS: 4WD • 4 stroke • Roof • Full windscreen • Bench seat • Winch • Tilting tray • widened suspension • Self diagnostic testing system • Adjustable steering • Alloy wheels • 26 inch tyres • Air assisted adjustable shocks • Diff locks 250CC UTILITY SPECS: 2WD • Roof • Full windscreen • Tilting tray • Bench seat • Winch

There is not an extras list as everything comes as standard

Waikato Rural Marketplace BIGGEST selection of Bait & Berley in THAMES

Central Motors 8272

 07 883 8

• GENERAL REPAIRS • WOF SERVICE • TUNE-UPS • EFI REPAIRS • LUBES SCAN TOOL DIAGNOSIS • AIR CONDITIONING SERVICE & REPAIRS

Mobiles Taupiri Street. PO Box 217 Te Kuiti.

5656 Taupiri Street Brodie 8343027 459 0000 PO Box 217 Phone Te Kuiti 07 878 Mobile Brodie 027Keat 459027 0000 291 6692 Phone 07 878 8343

CALLS

PA N 1 0 1 2 1 5 7

HOUSE

Rods & Reels Huge selection of Braid Line All Terminal Tackle GAME GEAR® – Clothing & Pig Hunting Gear

Ammunition Knives/Scopes/Binoculars Camouflage Nets Ghillie Suits Survival Aids/Tools Air Rifles/Pistols & BB’s Slingshots and Ammo Fresh/Salt Ice

7-9 Neal St, Putaruru

316 Ngati Maru Highway. Totara, Thames. 3578 Tel: 07 868 6833 / 021 577 733 www.earlybirdbaitandtackle.co.nz

GORDYS FLYTRAP FITTING®

Anything… Anywhere… Anytime!

$20 plus p&p

• Long and wide loads • Machinery movers • On site work • Water tank shifts

Manager Peter Cranch: 027 442 0219 Phone: (07) 883 8272 Fax: (07) 883 8165 Email: putarurutowing@xtra.co.nz

WE MAKE

• • • •

• • • • • • • •

Available from PGG Wrightson & Farmlands UV Protected Polycarbonate. Fits on any container with a flat surface.

Instructions supplied with the fitting.

GORDYS FLYTRAP FITTING 21 LITCHFIELD ST, BLENHEIM

09 849 3979

Email: elaine.gordon@xtra.co.nz www.gordys-flytrap-fitting.com Patented in New Zealand/Australia

GOLDENHOMES.CO.NZ

• Container and shed lifts • Semi, flatdecks, trailers • Pallet Deliveries

For a FREE QUOTE phone us on 07 847 2074

Slippery Concrete?

Get a grip, call No-Slip!

SEPTIC TANK CLEANERS LIMITED

• NO ACID • NO GROOVES

For the cleaning of Septic Tanks, Effluent Disposal (Cow Ponds), Portaloo Cleaning, Grease Traps and Waste Water Removal

No-Slip Concrete

CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR AREA

info@rainbowseptictanks.co.nz • www.rainbowseptictanks.net.nz

Australian-made Hydraulic Woodsplitters

WAIKATO TRACTORS LTD • John Metcalfe 07 843 7953 • Ted Murphy 07 889 1505 • Keith Stewart 07 854 4048 • Glenn Greay 027 243 1750 • Neil Lawrence 027 654 0913 www.waikatotractors.co.nz Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton

SURE & SAFE

Dave Peters – Mobile 027 518 7696

Phone: 07 378 8777 • Mobile: 0274 733 861

WS 3150 Aussie Chopper Hire model shown here

• Just 100% traction • 100% Guaranteed

Setting new standards in Safety, Design and Performance Call for a Free Brochure or DVD

0800 702 701 www.superaxe.co.nz

FREEPHONE 0800 666 754 info@sureandsafe.co.nz www.sureandsafe.co.nz

For Sale CONCRETE TANK Specialist. Water, effluent, septic tanks. Price quoted, delivered to site. Buy Direct. Phone 0800 487 633.

MCCULLOCH MOWKART 66 ride on N1485 4y/old good condition. $300 ono. Ph 07 377 6540 a/h or cell 027 607 7008

Animal Health Products HIGH CELL Count? Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic & Manuka Honey 20L $49.95, 200L $450 or 1000L $2,000 +GST with free delivery. Black Type Minerals Ltd. Phone 021 185 1501. blacktypeminerals.co.nz.

20

December 2015

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

Benefits of the system • Small foot print • No storage ponds • Fully automated • 0.25mm application/24hrs • Low man hours to maintain • Low running costs • 60% fresh water savings • Fully patented system • Environmentally friendly

We will be at the Grassland Expo on the 28th & 29th January 2016

Freephone: 0800 400 365

headoffice@cleangreeneffluent.co.nz

www.cleangreeneffluent.co.nz