Waikato Farming Lifestyles, July 2022

July 2022 Edition

Family aim high Pages 4–5

Waikato trio champions

Small is the new big

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JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES BOOK REVIEW

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A top guide to farm fitness

by Paul Campbell

When farmer Kane Brisco was at his lowest ebb, he could barely even look at his stock, didn’t know if he could survive financially and was thinking of giving up farming altogether.

As he stood in the middle of a paddock with water flowing over his boots, he was trying to comprehend how many days of rain had passed without a break. Just three weeks later, he could scarcely believe the ground had turned rock solid from the sun. He didn’t know where or to whom to turn.

Today, Kane is now an advocate for mental health in rural New Zealand and a qualified personal trainer who has written a personal account of the trials and tribulations of farming in a new book, Tools for the Top Paddock. He tells how he managed to keep going and the simple methods he’s developed for dealing with the mental and physical strains of life on the land.

It is a great addition to any rural bookshelf and library with valuable insights for anyone earning a living on the land. In it, he tells how the weather was tipping him over the edge. Every day felt like a disaster, and even at the end of the day, when he was at home with his family, his mind was still out on the farm, worrying about his animals.

“I had realised that I couldn’t keep enduring what I’d faced and was seriously considering getting out of farming. I had toughed out all the previous hard times, challenges and stress. Being tough is necessary in all walks of life, but I’d been relying on it year in, year out, and eventually, the well runs dry,” Kane says.

“Every day, farmers make important decisions which have positive and negative consequences, and all of them

Tools for the Top Paddock — released by Harper Collins

“Good physical health and strength lead to better mental resilience. The two are intrinsically tied together. Often farmers are so concerned with giving the right nutrients and electrolytes to their animals that they forget about themselves.”

Kane hadn’t realised the extent to which he was mentally and physically fatigued. He also began to realise how tough it was spending so much time alone on the farm and the mountain of pressure a farmer carries around on their shoulders all day, physically and mentally.

He is now an advocate for mental health in rural New Zealand and a

“It is a great addition to any rural bookshelf and library with valuable insights for anyone earning a living on the land.” are interconnected. It’s a lot to juggle, but it is usually manageable until something unexpected goes wrong. In those moments, stress sets in.”

What Kane came to realise is how important fitness is for coping with the challenges and unpredictability of life on the land.

qualified personal trainer who runs fitness boot camps using real farm equipment.

With his social media platforms, he also helps others to recognise how pain can be turned into a positive, how to stay calm in the chaos, and how rewarding and enjoyable life can be if you’re mentally resilient and farm fit. His book tells it all.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

Waikato trio champions

JULY 2022

3

by Ann van Engelen

A team of Waikato Primary school students, the RD Sixers, took out the title of the AgriKidsNZ Grand Champions held in Whangārei recently alongside the FMG Junior Young Farmers of the Year.

AgriKidsNZ Grand Champions: RD Sixers — Liam Hodgson, Archie Keelty and Leighton Barnett receiving their award

The contest for primary school-age children is based on challenges from the food and fibre sector, where they compete in teams of three.

The RD Sixers, 12-year-olds Liam Hodgson from Pirongia School, Archie Keelty from St Patrick’s School and Leighton Barnett from St Columbus School, racked up the most points after a gruelling day of challenges.

The champions were incredibly excited to take the national title, after entering the competition on a whim for the first time. Leighton and Liam were introduced through the contest, meeting for the first time weeks before competing in the Waikato Bay of Plenty AgriKidsNZ Regional Finals.

“At first, we were pretty rough around the edges, but we got better over the day,” said Leighton. “It is just incredible to be given the honour to be able to be a part of this.”

The boys came from rural backgrounds

AgriKidsNZ runners-up: The Tasman Tykes Hamish Webb, PJ Mackintosh and Annabelle Birchler

and bring their own strengths. Leighton was strongest in the practical aspects, Archie had a wide range of knowledge, and Liam particularly enjoyed the academic-based animal aspects with two rural veterinary parents.

Archie and Leighton want to be farmers, while Liam has his sights set on being a freshwater ecologist or marine biologist.

They said the team’s secret to success was the help they had to get to Whangārei.

The teams were tested on their knowledge of simple everyday ways to reduce the human impact on the environment, growing avocados and making guacamole, apiculture and wintering hives, native plants and where specific cuts of meat come from.

They made a smoothie using a bike to generate enough power to work the blender and inspect, disassemble and reassemble a Honda CRF 125F air cleaner on the two-wheeler motorbike.

AgriKidsNZ third place-getters: Longbeach Farmwise — Edward Pottinger, Liam Lash and Edward White from Longbeach School

The Fire and Emergency New Zealand combat challenge saw them completing a scaled-down version of the FENZ obstacle course. It included climbing and descending a two-story scaffold tower with a bandolier hose, hoisting hoses to the top of the tower, hitting a weight along a channel, zig-zagging down an obstacle course through fire extinguishers, hitting a target with a hose and pulling a weighted sledge 10 metres.

They built a planter box with appropriate lining, placed soil and planted seeds before

painting it and constructing an Irrigation NZ water system to irrigate it. They then completed the ratchet challenge, where they had to thread ratchets properly and secure a load on a truck.

The Tasman Tykes from North Loburn School — Hamish Webb, PJ Mackintosh and Annabelle Birchler were the AgriKidsNZ runners-up and topped the points in the modules.

Longbeach Farmwise Edward Pottinger, Liam Lash and Edward White from Longbeach School came in third place and were the Agri Quiz winners.

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JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

FAMILY AIM HIGH

Representing Waikato Bay of Plenty, Te Kawa West young farmer Chris Poole, 27, placed runner-up at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year.

BY ANN VAN ENGELEN

C

hris just missed out on a first place to his brother-in-law Auckland young farmer Tim Dangen after three days of extreme challenges.

“I grew up in Taranaki on a dairy farm and chose to continue with farming as my career,” says Chris.

“I still remember when I was around three years old helping mum and dad get the cows in for milking when my siblings went off to school.

“We moved to Waikato when I was 10, and I reared calves through my primary school years to save money. After high school, I studied ag science at university and got involved in Young Farmers there and started a relief milking business.

After uni, I came back to the home farm with my brother and parents.

“We now milk 720 Friesian and Friesian Cross cows. They have been bred to suit our system as our farm is made up of a few small farms, and the stock can handle

the walking and are efficient converters of feed to milk.

“They eat a lot more feed than the normal New Zealand cows and make more milk as well. We grow our own maize silage and lucerne to increase the overall feed available to them.”

The family rear around 1,000 calves, and beef calves get sold at 12 weeks old or 100kg.

“The replacements carry on at the runoff where dad looks after them until they come back to me and my wife Emma on the dairy farm when they are two.

“My brother returned to Taranaki, and Emma and I are in partnership with mum and dad on the farm. We rear all the calves as well as run the dairy farm and the staff there. We hope to keep saving and paying off debt to be in a better financial position for the future.

“Everything I know I have learned from watching dad and so much time with

Chris with the other grand finalists at the competition

him over the years. We draft the calves together and work seamlessly and are

pretty similar to each other, which is pretty cool.

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Chris Poole with his wife Emma and brother-in-law Tim Dangen, who came first place at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year award

“I admire that he has worked all his life to get us all to where we are today. Dad and mum both have a high work ethic standard and have had no help at all — we are lucky for them to have involved us.

“I have competed in the FMG Young Farmers contest a few times, and this is the furthest I have got. It is something I have always lined up to win, and, as I only have one more chance, I am giving it a break and will return to compete in a few years.

“It was good meeting other good young farmers from around the country, and we still stay in touch almost on a daily basis to see what’s happening on our farms, and we got to know each other, which is cool.

“To get off-farm, I play squash and try to spend time with friends and family. Emma made the grand final in 2019, and she got third before both Tim and I made the grand final.

“It is really cool for our families who have spent so much time at regional finals over the years — it is really exciting for everyone involved. My favourite parts of the contest were the agri-sports and farmlet, and I found the exam challenging.

“I also took home the award for the agri-skills challenge. It’s obviously not the result I was aiming for, but I am really stoked. I said right from the start, if me or Tim could do it, I would be rapt, so I am really pumped that he won and I placed second.

“We started the contest on the Thursday with a technical day,before heading into the practical day on the Friday, where we battled through the pouring rain for eight hours. We had to complete a series of modules and time and points races.

“That night, the seven grand finalists presented our speeches to a crowd of 350 at the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the

JULY 2022

Chris in action at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition

Year and AgriKidsNZ Awards Ceremony.

We went head-to-head in a buzzer quiz in front of a crowd of 650, racking up last-minute points before the winner was announced.”

Dunsandel Young Farmer Jonny Brown, 31, representing Tasman, came in third place. It was the first grand final in several years that all seven grand finalists have been sheep, beef or dairy farmers.

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JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

SMALL IS THE

NEW BIG

BY ANN VAN ENGELEN

Wendy and Neil Millward and their goat family at Muddy Valley Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats in Huapai are making big gains in the dairy goat industry.

W

endy grew up in Glen Innes, Auckland, and Neil near Muriwai Beach.

“My family moved to the property that we currently live on in 1982 when I was 17 years old,” says Wendy.

“Neil and I spent 10 years in America from 1999 to 2010 managing pig farms. We also had Boer goats and used to show the bucks.

“I have had goats all my life. They were the first animals we brought when we moved here. They are like having a dog

in a way and are very engaging, clever creatures — possibly a little clever for their own good, and I think they are addictive.

“When we returned to New Zealand, we originally had British Alpine goats when we came home before moving to the Nigerian dwarfs. It has been an expensive journey because they are new to New Zealand.

“They don’t tend to have the same issue with worms as much as standard goats — they are more worm resistant.

We don’t sell the does as companion animals because they have a job to do.”

Wendy says Nigerian Dwarf goats are low maintenance compared to the bigger dairy goats.

The male dwarf goats boys are typically 60cms, and the girls generally grow to 57cm at the shoulder

“They are dairy goats but different from big goats, and you don’t need to trim their feet and things as much. We

are still in the breeding phase and have one full-blood buck that we brought in Australia in 2019.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

Neil and Wendy Millward began Muddy Valley Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats in Huapai upon their return from overseas

“We purchased him, and then the lockdowns happened, so he didn’t get here until 2020 because they stopped all flights from Australia. It was a nightmare, but he is here now, and has been quite busy.

“The dwarf goats tend to have multiple births, and one of our Australian girls had five babies in one go, and this year, we have had two sets of quads. One mum didn’t look that big, but she had quad doe kids, which was a jackpot.

“Our herd is slowly breeding smaller with each generation, and this year, we will have 95 per cent of the kids born on our farm.

“We set up the NZ Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association with a group of people who

imported the original animals to protect ourselves from people who say they have a Nigerian Dwarf goat when it was just a small bush goat.

“All of our current goats have a DNA profile with Massey University and are microchipped to protect us when people buy them in the future.

“The breed standard for the boys is 60cms at the shoulder, and the girls are 57cm, but at present, we are getting up to the high 80s and 90s.

They are very robust and wide, and they can be any goat colour and pattern you can imagine.

“A doe will kid one year and have a different coloured set of babies to the next year.

JULY 2022

7

Neil and Wendy say the Nigerian Dwarf goats are good breeders and milk producers

“We are milking once a day at present, and Mira, our doe, produces around two litres a day. The Nigerian Dwarf milk has a higher fat and protein content than normal goats, and it is great for people who like to make cheese or butter.

“Our goats are housed most of the time and are fed a mix that I make myself, as well as baleage, hay, and a commercial mineral mix that we buy and pea straw as a roughage.

“You need good fencing and good housing before you even think about getting a goat as they can jump fences.

We have hot wires and teach them there is nothing good outside their area. They have lots of things in their stable to keep them occupied, and we take them out

twice a day to play — they love frolicking together on our driveway.

“They are in high demand, and we send goats all over New Zealand. They make amazing family pets, and they are hardy and fun. We have taken our tribe to the beach, and they love to run around in the sand dunes.

“A family down the road are not dog people, but their little girl has two goats, and they take them everywhere just like dogs.

“They all have different personalities and are like having a cat or dog. They are easy to be around. What happens at my house might not happen at your house, they are mischievous little creatures, and we love them.”

8

JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

‘BLACK DIAMONDS’’ DIAMONDS

GROW IN KIWI SOIL

BY PAUL CAMPBELL

A Bay of Plenty truffle company is sharing the secrets of the industry in a bid to get landowners growing ‘black diamonds’ across the country.

T

he business is run by Ohiwa-based couple Matiu Hudson and Annette Munday. Since partnering with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), they have held three workshops on truffle growing, with more lined up.

Ohiwa Black Diamond Truffles sells fresh truffles to some of New Zealand’s top chefs and restaurants and overseas.

“Our truffles are grown in our unique volcanic soils on oak and hazel nut trees.

Our truffiere has been producing Black Perigord Truffles for over 18 years,” says Annette.

“Our truffiere was planted and developed by Crop and Food NZ (now Plant and Food Research) alongside scientist Dr Ian Hall in 1988. We produce more Black Perigord truffle per hectare than any other truffiere in New Zealand.

Annette comes from a scientific background with more than 30 years of experience in soil chemistry and microbiology, giving a unique opportunity to provide significant insight in truffle management.

The company is receiving more than $155,000 of government funding for three years to share its knowledge with interested growers so that New Zealand can grow enough truffles for a robust export industry. The business is also researching and developing new products that incorporate the health benefits of truffles.

“We’ve already received orders for around 10,000 inoculated truffle seedlings from several hapū, and we’ve helped a Kawhia whānau set up their truffière,” Annette adds.

Truffle hunts are sometimes open to the public to help out

“We’d like to see land trusts and farmers around New Zealand growing truffles on unproductive land. It’s an opportunity to make money out of land

with poor soil and could offer a sideline income for farmers if they planted seedlings beside trees used for riparian planting, for example.”

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

JULY 2022

Orderly plantings belie the mystery of truffle hunting

Matiu Hudson explains truffle qualities to a visiting chef

Black Diamond entrepreneurs Matiu Hudson and Annette Munday

Truffles can fetch between $2,500 and $3,500 a kilogram, and set up costs a hectare for growing truffles range between $35,000 and $70,000. Each tree is capable of yielding 200 grams to one kilogram in well-managed plantations.

“The truffles on our Ohiwa plantation are grown beside oak and hazelnut trees, but Pinus pinea trees are also suitable. To grow effectively, truffles need soil with a high level of acidity,” says Annette. “We’ve been trialling growing spores under New Zealand natives but have found their root system doesn’t support truffle growth — although we’re still experimenting.”

The company has been working with Callaghan Innovation to develop a liquid

truffle extract that can be used in face creams and other beauty products.

“It’s claimed that truffles have antiageing and anti-oxidant properties, so we’re looking to tap into that We’re also working with a New Zealand chef on a premium truffle paste.”

Director of investment programmes at MPI, Steve Penno, says expanding the truffle industry in New Zealand could create new jobs for Kiwis. “This is a great match for the government and sector’s Fit for a Better World roadmap, which aims to boost sustainability, productivity and jobs over 10 years,” he says.

“The truffle industry has significant export potential as New Zealand

businesses are currently unable to keep up with overseas demand. Growers could potentially earn significant sales revenue from the eventual harvest of truffles on often marginally productive land.”

Truffle hunting season begins in winter, using trained dogs to sniff out the truffles.

Members of the public are invited to join in the fun at one of Ohiwa Black Diamonds Truffles’ public hunts.

For the newcomer, truffles are akin to mushrooms, and the name derives from Latin meaning ‘lump’, which is rather how they appear, although the old Romans thought they came from lightning striking the ground near trees. Their use in cuisine dates back thousands of years, but rather than ‘cooking’, they are regarded as adding an ‘elegant and robust’ garnishing effect to other foods, rather than as a stand-alone dish.

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JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

Wetland design improvement

Fish & Game New Zealand welcomed the new NIWA-DairyNZ resource to help farmers with wetland design and performance.

“New Zealanders are becoming far more aware of the important role wetlands play in taking care of water, from recharging groundwater and augmenting flows, and filtering run-off pollution,” says Fish & Game New Zealand Council chair Ray Grubb.

“Wetlands are vital for wildlife because they provide valuable habitat for both native and valued introduced species.

Healthy wetlands are also crucial in helping to minimise the impact of weather events like floods and droughts, which too many New Zealand communities are unfortunately all too familiar with.

“Fish & Game, and game bird hunters, are proud to have played a leading role in wetland protection and conservation, managing and creating numerous wetlands in many parts of the country.

That is why Fish & Game has worked with DairyNZ in developing this guidance.”

The new guidelines highlight that as wetlands increase from one to five per cent of a catchment area, sediment removal typically increases from 50 to 90 per cent. Nitrogen removal increases from 25 to 52 per cent in warmer zones of New Zealand, and nitrogen removal increases from 18 to 38 per cent in cooler zones of New Zealand, while phosphorus removal increases from 25 to 48 per cent.

Ray Grubb, Fish & Game New Zealand Council chair

Wetlands include anything from small on-farm swamps and seeps to large, regionally recognised areas.

New Zealand has lost 90 per cent of its wetland areas from drainage. Protecting even small wetlands on-farm adds a lot of value to the environment. They act like the kidneys of the environment removing significant amounts of nitrate from run-off through denitrifying bacteria and uptake

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by plants, markedly improving the quality of water leaving the wetland.

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Potted tranquility

by Liz Clark

It’s rated in the top ten indoor air-cleansing plants, providing yearround beauty and pure-white flowers during the warmer months.

Spathiphyllum or peace lily is native to South America and is found growing in the shade of trees in tropical and subtropical regions. While its flowers resemble the canna lily, it isn’t classified as a true lily. Rather, it’s a member of the Araceae family. The showy white blooms or spathes appearing during the warmer months resemble the white of a peace flag — hence the reference.

Peace lilies have an upright growing habit, reaching up to one metre in height depending on the variety. However, regardless of type, they thrive in medium to low-light conditions and will tolerate partial shade. Plants given more light will flower more often than those given less exposure.

It makes them the ideal choice for rooms with small windows or blocked from the sun by fences or trees. They fit well into any decor, including commercial office environments providing living colour through their richly coloured bronze-green foliage and white spathes. The best thing is they are low-maintenance plants that can take some neglect from time to time.

However, regular care will ensure a healthy, vibrant and disease-resistant house plant that will last for many years to come. Peace lilies can outgrow their pots quite quickly. Provide a slightly larger pot each time you repot your plant. Use a good quality potting mix, preferably one formulated for house plants, for best results. Repotting should be done at least twice a year. Split the plant if it is too large for the available root space in the pot.

Before repotting, water the plant thoroughly, allow it to drain and then place it in its new pot. Keep the potting soil on the slightly moist side. Too dry, and the plant will wilt and have issues with water uptake into the root system. Too wet, the root system will rot resulting in the loss of the entire plant.

Feed once a month with a general fertiliser to ensure good plant health and growth.

It’s essential to note peace lilies are toxic to pets and young children. They

WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

JULY 2022

11

ADVERTORIAL

Not feeling your best?

(Part two)

by John Arts

I have a younger client whose mother had been using our supplements for some time. He suffered from low immunity with regular colds, low energy, and generally feeling unwell for no medical reason.

Our priority was to improve his immune system. Despite what you read, you cannot ‘boost’ your immune system, despite what you read. The immune system is a complex, interconnected group of cells and tissue types.

Our immune system is highly dependent on nutrients. Of these, the most important is vitamin D, which acts like a master controller of our immune responses. Then is a long list of trace minerals and some vitamins.

I often talk to people who take vitamin C and Zinc for their immunity.

These are important, but just two of many. That is where a well-formulated, comprehensive multimineral, multivitamin and multi-antioxidant can be very helpful as it provides all the essential nutrients — not just some of them.

Having regular colds, especially in winter, can be the first sign of poor immune responses. You may have a

good immune system, but it may be half asleep or disorganised. I put my client on an initial higher dose of my multi-nutritional formula to lift critical nutrients rapidly. We also included vitamin D. He has been delighted with the response and went through last winter without a cold and much more energy.

The bonus has been that the niggling low-grade depression has gone, probably from lifting vitamin D. Our bodies have a vast capacity to heal and restore, but only if we give it the nutrients it needs. Give yourself a three-month challenge — you may well be surprised.

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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12

JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

ECO TRENDS

ADVERTORIAL

Flexible concept and design Gisborne-based farmers Dan and Tam Jex-Blake needed a simple and durable solution to house their farm staff — Eco Pods solved their problem.

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programme. However, that involved finding extra accommodation on the property. The couple needed to accommodate the students on their farm with a flexible and straighforward solution to minimise hassle and allow for possible changes in the future.

Tam and Dan decided to get an Eco Pod for their head stockman to live in, allowing the students to be accommodated in the existing single men’s quarters. Eco Pod provided them with two 7.2m x 2.8m M-Pods on trailers with a deck assembled on-site. A

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Tam and Dan own and operate Mangapoike Ltd, a pastoral farming business situated 50km southwest of Gisborne on steep, rugged hill country, wintering 13,000 sheep and 1,300 cattle. They are involved with a new training initiative called Growing Future Farmers, a charitable training trust with a vision to nurture quality people into the agri-business sector.

The entry-level provides a two-year on-farm training opportunity for young people with GFF support. Mangapoike brought on two students as part of this

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A clearlite roof and steps for the deck were additional extras

clearlite roof and steps for the deck were also constructed.

Tam and Dan Blake said they were satisfied with the process leading to the project’s completion on time, to specification and on budget.

“I really enjoyed dealing with the Eco Pods team. They were really communicative and quick to get our pods delivered,” Tam says. “It was so easy for us to work with just one company for everything and know upfront what it was going to cost us.”

Eco Pods are designed to suit customers’ requirements and built to meet NZ Building Code standards for

flexible function and use. Another benefit of Eco Pods is they’re easily relocatable, either on a truck or its own trailer.

A standard portable, self-contained single-room Eco Pod on a trailer costs around $70,000, including GST, not including delivery and installation expenses. We also offer pods to rent for shorter-term requirements.

Get in touch and ask about our free design consultation service and partner with us to make Eco Pods come to life for your project. Email sales@ ecopodconcepts.nz or call us on 09 869 3249.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

JULY 2022

13

ECO TRENDS

Eco-friendly living

by Ann van Engelen

Taking care of our surroundings and looking after nature is a vital part of living today, no matter what country you are located in.

An old Indian proverb says: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors — we borrow it from our children.”

It has become apparent during the years that some humans have not realised or understood the importance of keeping things green and clean for future generations. The good news is the trend has now turned to eliminate as much plastic and other non-sustainable products on the market that were once popular.

Eliminating clutter, creating more natural spaces and turning back to nature have seen many people remove many stresses in their lives.

Solar panels are one power source that is extremely useful for all situations.

For those living off the grid, once the system is set up, solar power removes the vulnerability of being powerless.

Whether an older standard home or a tiny home, it is important to insulate the building. Poorly insulated homes are susceptible to increased moisture levels.

It can affect the integrity of the building if structural timber begins to rot. Stains, mould and watermarks might appear on ceilings and walls over time. Clothing,

rooms, and soft furnishings might take on a musty smell.

People living in a properly insulated home have a healthier environment, and many people now consider New Zealand wool insulation and carpets as a healthy option. Wool has an array of positive points, and no other material, natural or man-made, has the qualities and adaptability of wool.

The Campaign for Wool aims to promote and educate the world about the wonders of wool fibre. Initiated by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in 2010, the CFW is a global endeavour raising awareness among consumers about the natural, renewable and biodegradable benefits offered by the fibre. Check out the nzwool.co.nz website for more ideas and information.

If you opt for living off-grid in a tiny home, a big advantage is being able to move to different locations with your house on your back — so to speak.

Offgridcollective.co.nz has a vast range of information, products and advice for those living or embarking on living off-grid.

Set up by a group of Kiwis passionate about off-grid, sustainable living in New Zealand.

New Zealand wool is now a sought-after product for things such as insulation and carpet

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JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

Digital design — concrete completion

by Andy Bryenton

For those who need solid, high-volume structures extremely fast, prefabricated building technologies have long been the way to go.

However, there’s a new wave of materials tech sweeping the world, and it’s moving from the theoretical to the commonplace almost as quickly as it can manufacture garages, sheds and barns.

Concrete 3D printing was, not too long ago, a curiosity producing only small (often oddly shaped) test houses that had more artistic appeal than functionality. However, as the computer programs and hardware which precision-control such machines get less expensive, and their size increases we’re looking at a near-future developing industry in structures made in one piece, by machines.

In Florida, Printed Farms has successfully come up with a way to make rebar-strengthened, honeycomb-walled concrete buildings up to 180 square metres in size and up to three storeys tall.

The bonus? In this often hurricane-hit state, a concrete building is less likely to suffer damage from wind and water, leading to better insurance premiums. However, there’s another big advantage to using a printer on the rural construction site.

Printed Farms utilise a COBOD brand BOD-2 printer from Denmark, and it’s a single unit which can be pre-programmed

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with the shape of any concrete structure.

A shed, a garage, a milk chiller storage unit, a milking shed or even a home — the complexity doesn’t matter. An STL file, effectively a computer model of the finished product, informs the printer of where to lay down layers of fast-drying concrete. Thus, the workforce is kept low, perfect for these labour-shortage times in the construction industry.

“Multiple features of the BOD-2 stand out from a normal 3D printer, and our competitors,” says COBOD chief Asger Almegaard Dath.

“Our printhead is equipped with sensors for levelling and tracking material status. It also has video cameras for live monitoring and a tangential nozzle that enables smooth wall finishes even if the wall curves. Furthermore the print speed of the BOD-2 is outstanding, with up to 100 centimetres per second.”

That’s correct. One metre of finished concrete every second, meaning that buildings can go from non-existent to ready for inspection in mere hours. Proponents say that with a set of mobile and easy-toerect 3D concrete printers New Zealand’s housing crisis could be busted, let alone any holdups in the rural construction trade.

WASP does the work; a concrete 3D printer lays down walls with incorporated insulation cavities, all without human oversight

However, the hurdle to the adoption of this technology is twofold. The first is the necessity for experienced 3D modelling designers to craft programs for the printing machines. There’s a smaller workforce, but a more specialised one.

The second is cost, with printers by COBOD and their contemporaries like WASP and Apis representing a sizable investment. The speed and durable nature of this new building method also have a lot to prove. Traditional steel frame, pole and corrugated iron structures have proven to be reliable on Kiwi farms for many decades.

Nevertheless, watch this space. For some complex concrete creations, 3D printing may represent the next big leap forward.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

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15

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Life in the summer house

by Liz Clark

With the warmer months in sight, thoughts of outdoor living in the outdoor spaces with a nook for a quiet read and relaxation in a secluded corner of the garden speak of temptation.

It could be a garden seat inbuilt into a pergola using posts, trellis and climbing plants to a dreamy corner garden house, log cabin or large rotunda for entertaining during warm summer nights. With the rising trend in designer cabins, she and he sheds, and tiny homes, making the right choice is an exercise in taste and budget.

Planning is an essential part of the building process and, in some cases, may require resource consent depending on the territorial authority in your area.

Before proceeding with any construction, check with your local council about minimum boundary requirements, height restrictions and building consent requirements.

That all said, choosing your design is the first consideration. The most expensive isn’t necessarily the best. There are dozens of companies nationwide now manufacturing ready-built cabins and lifestyle sheds ranging in price from $6,000 to more than $100,000 for a designer tiny home.

Always check customer reviews of the products a construction company manufactures before committing. Units with electrical outlets and lights included as part of the interior fittings must come with an electrical compliance certificate.

The same applies to the building — it should have the certification that it meets building code requirements.

Once your homework is complete and you’ve made your dream purchase, ensure the site preparation is done following council and building code requirements. Timber foundations should be H5 treated pine or alternatively concrete. The timber pilings are always marked with the treatment level on the piling supplied as a standard length and dimensions. If using a solid concrete foundation, engage a concrete specialist to lay the floor.

Whether it’s kitset or pre-built, do it right the first time. Now you can go and enjoy your relaxation spot for the rest of the summer.

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16

JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

VEHICLES, MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

Treads triumphant

by Andy Bryenton

Those familiar with the mud, ice and snow of the hinterland of Russia will not be surprised to learn that the first-ever tracked vehicle was invented in this often cold and hard-to-travel land.

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The earliest records of a tracked machine are for a horse-drawn cart that would not sink into mud and snow — Fyodor Blinov was the inventor. He first showed off his idea in 1877, while halfway around the world in Pennsylvania, USA, another inventor, Charles Dinsmoor, was entertaining similar ideas about salvaging wood from rough terrain.

Both were technically beaten to the punch by the bizarre, 30-tonne Heathcote steam plough, which resembled two bandsaw blades wrapped around giant wooden drums. It was designed to plough muddy English fields.

The first world war proved the versatility of tracks, with the success of the landships, what we would today call tanks. Internal combustion engines replaced steam, lightening the load, and the era of treads was born.

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It’s hard to imagine the worlds of construction, agriculture and warfare without tracks and treads, but there was a time when this technology was new and innovative

When the ground is soft, treads and tracks stop vehicles from sinking in. That is because the weight of the machine is spread across a larger contact patch.

Narrow tyres and wheels dig into mud like a knife-edge, while big tracks work like snowshoes. In this way, even the biggest tracked vehicles can move across muddy terrain with ease.

For example, the 70-tonne Abrams main battle tank only puts down 15 pounds per square inch (psi), which is less at the points where the tank’s tracks touch the ground than the amount put down by an average road car. At the four points where its tyres touch the tarmac, a car like your family Ford or Toyota exerts 28 psi.

It is fantastic for war machines, but even better for construction vehicles

which must build the roads and pavements for others to roll on. Farming machinery also uses tracks to carefully traverse paddocks where crushing the soil biota is not an option.

When it comes to traction, those bigger contact patches also pay dividends.

Tracked vehicles for truly muddy or chopped-up terrain featured cleats and grippy treads, which dig in and provide plenty of points to put down torque. The continuous nature of the tracks also means that potholes, ditches and bumps are ironed out, giving a smoother ride over rugged ground. As a final bonus, tracks cannot be punctured or blown out like tyres. While they require special tools to fix, in certain applications, they are more durable than traditional wheels.

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WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

JULY 2022

CA LV I N G A N D L I V E S TO C K

17

ADVERTORIAL

Milk your summer crop for all it’s worth

Sow the right chicory this spring, and even if the season turns dry later, you can still give your cows leafy, delicious summer grazing.

Plus, you’ll save thousands on palm kernel, with less worry about volatile prices.

It’s all to do with fast establishment, high yield and a deep tap root that keeps 501 Chicory lush and green when ryegrass turns brown.

Your cows will thank you. You’ll sleep better at night, knowing home-grown feed is much cheaper than truckloads of supplements.

Irresistible eating Cows love 501 Chicory — it’s tasty and easy to eat and good for them, too.

Energy-rich, full of protein and packed with macro and micronutrients, it can be digested quickly, so they spend more time ruminating.

Plus, it’s safe to graze when facial eczema makes grass high risk, and you don’t have to worry about bloat.

Graze early — earn more 501 Chicory is an annual, so it jumps out of the ground faster than perennial cultivars, and is ready to graze sooner.

That gives up to one more full grazing than other chicories or as much as 550kg extra dry matter per ha.

At a payout of $9kgMS milksolids, that equates to a potential gain of $450ha, and unlike supplement you don’t need any machinery to feed it out or rely on suppliers to deliver it, either.

Mineral miner That big tap root doesn’t just help 501 Chicory keep growing in dry weather — it also mines the soil for excess minerals like nitrogen and potassium.

Sow it on your effluent blocks, and after grazing, your cows will happily

“In research trials, cows grazing chicory excreted significantly less nitrogen every time they urinated.”

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help redistribute those essential nutrients more evenly back around the rest of the farm.

Leach less We hear a lot about plantain’s potential to mitigate nitrogen loss, but science has shown us chicory can be equally helpful.

In research trials, cows grazing chicory excreted significantly less nitrogen every time they urinated, reducing the nitrogen load in the urine patch compared to ryegrass clover pasture.

With urine patches major contributors to nitrogen loss from grazed systems, averaging 700kg/ ha nitrogen per urination in traditional pastoral farming, this is a key benefit for 501 Chicory.

Give your grass a rest Hot, dry summers can be hard on your existing pastures, especially if you aren’t able to protect them from over-grazing.

Paddocks of 501 Chicory are the ideal antidote. When you graze these, you’re not only looking after your cows, you’re also giving stressed ryegrass a break so it can bounce back faster after rain.

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18

JULY 2022 WAIKATO FARMING LIFESTYLES

CA LV I N G A N D L I V E S TO C K

End of an era for surplus calves

by Andy Bryenton

New rules for the treatment and welfare of male calves mean that it’s becoming more logical to turn these animals into a positive; now, new factors are falling in line to make this a possibility.

The era of the unwanted bobby calf may be drawing slowly to a close, with various factors reducing the number of male calves deemed surplus to requirements. A combination of new genetics selecting dairy beef cattle for more saleable traits, the rise of sexed semen for artificial insemination of dairy herds, and a potential new market for veal may combine to make the concept of unwanted cattle an anachronism.

The USA is already well advanced with experiments in selecting the right beef sires for breeding with non-replacement dairy cattle.

“By choosing beef sires that improve upon the weaknesses of dairy steers, using beef on dairy can improve feed efficiency, rate of gain and reduce days on feed,” said Ryan Sterry and Amanda Cauffman from the University of Wisconsin.

“Wisely incorporating beef genetics can also improve carcass characteristics over straight-bred dairy by increasing

ribeye size and changing the ribeye shape, increasing muscling, and moderating frame size while maintaining the marbling ability of dairy animals.”

New Zealand has also forged ahead with programmes to identify good genetics for better red sector gains. Last March, the Meat Board committed to investing $1 million a year in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) genetics programme.

This programme aims to boost red sector profits by $460 million in the next quarter century; the implications for dairy beef crossover are positive.

Meanwhile, the use of sexed semen, which delivers more female calves via AI application, is cutting back on the number of unwanted male calves in general. Last season more than 200,000 straws of this more expensive but results-orientated product were sold to dairy farmers, with even higher uptake expected in years to come.

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A future where every calf is viable may not be just around the corner, but advancements in areas from science to trade have put it in sight

animals for the table and cutting back on unwanted male calves numerically, is the potential to utilise these calves for an industry long ignored by the Kiwi palate — veal. Not only is veal becoming a more widely known ingredient in cooking, but it’s also a favourite in Europe, where new trade deals have been struck. Could Kiwi veal become a staple on British and continental plates?

While some red sector producers applaud a recent post-Brexit deal but

lament what they see as a missed opportunity for free trade with Europe, agriculture minister Damien O’Connor was more buoyant.

“We’ve fought hard for our dairy and beef exporters and the deal could deliver up to $600 million in additional export revenue if access is used, and once the agreement is fully in effect,” said Mr O’Connor. “We’ve secured an eight-fold increase in the volume of beef we can export into the EU.”

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Wool perception changing A three-year research study into the perceptions of wool has found efforts to build the industry’s sustainability credentials are transforming how millennial consumers perceive the fibre.

Industry experts say the perceptual change is removing significant barriers to the growth of the domestic and export wool markets.

The research found the health and safety of home flooring is now a key driver of purchase for consumers, with almost a third of those Kiwi households surveyed living with someone with allergies.

Wool is seen as healthier, more fire resistant and more allergy-friendly than synthetic alternatives.

Greg Smith, CEO of Bremworth, says while wool was once commonplace on the floors of Kiwi homes, during the past two decades, synthetic flooring has become dominant in the market.

“For the first time, the local industry is now faced with building awareness of wool carpet across a segment of millennial homeowners who have not grown up with it in their house as children.

“What we know from the research is that half of those in the market for renovating or refurbishing their home are now in the millennial age bracket.

“This is a market segment which is looking to wool for a range of reasons that weren’t priorities for the generations that preceded them.

“We also know that millennials spend time researching products before buying

“This is a market segment which is looking to wool for a range of reasons that weren’t priorities for the generations that preceded them.”

Greg Smith, CEO of Bremworth

and choose brands that align with their ethical beliefs and values. The length of life of a product, sustainability and environmental impact are also factors they take into consideration before making a purchase.

“We recognise that if we can’t effectively educate domestic consumers on the benefits of wool in a country where it is produced, we will have little chance of growing our offshore markets. The research has shown us that the industry

is making significant advances on this front every year.”

Greg says their learnings from the first 12 months moving away from synthetics to produce only wool carpet have wider repercussions for other New Zealand manufacturers and exporters.

“The company now focusses on positioning wool as a premium

residential offering in offshore markets rather than securing large-scale commercial contracts, which were heavily price driven.

“Working with wool is a significantly different product to synthetics as it requires constant adaptation by skilled artisans to allow for the natural variations in the colour of raw material, which are driven by seasonal weather patterns and other factors.

“Historically, cost has been a key differentiator in the local market. However, that was before there was widespread recognition of the environmental impact synthetic or plastic products will create for our current and future generations.”

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