BACKING FARMERS
Corriedales compete Breeding ewes remain the heart of David Bell’s Mid Canterbury mixed-cropping operation p46
Getting a farm loan A look at farmers options with the banks
Testing tag readers
$12.00
incl gst
March 2020
Country-Wide
March 2020
1
Ever wondered why there are so many sheep in New Zealand?
CONTROL THE RISK OF TOXOPLASMA
CONTROL THE RISK OF CAMPYLOBACTER
AVAILABLE ONLY UNDER VETERINARY AUTHORISATION. ACVM No’s: A4769, A9535, A7886, A9927. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone: 0800 800 543. www.msd-animal-health.co.nz NZ/SPV/0917/0002 © 2018 Intervet International B.V. All Rights Reserved.
2
Country-Wide
March 2020
02165_MSD_SPV_01
For nearly 80 years, MSD have been developing sheep vaccines for New Zealand farmers. We have a complete range of vaccines to help you improve flock performance – including vaccines that help protect against losses from Toxoplasma, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and that are proven to increase the number of lambs born to ewes. They’re all made by us. And we’ve developed them here in New Zealand, for New Zealand. So, if you’ve ever wondered why there are so many sheep in New Zealand, now you know our vaccines are part of the reason. Talk to your vet about MSD sheep performance vaccines.
MADE FOR NEW ZEALAND.
CONTROL THE RISK OF SALMONELLA
Country-Wide
March 2020
CONTROL HOW YOU INCREASE LAMB NUMBERS
3
EVERY BEEF FARMER. THAT’S ALL.
MAY 2020
TARGET: 13,500 SERIOUS BEEF FARMERS DELIVERED: MAY 1 BOOK BY: APRIL 3
Contact: David Paterson p: 027 289 2326 e: david.paterson@nzfarmlife.co.nz 4
Country-Wide
March 2020
EDITOR’S NOTE
Unforeseen events
J
ust when farming looked set for a great year the country was hit with drought, floods and the fallout from the coronavirus. The coronavirus outbreak shows how vulnerable New Zealand is with its reliance on China. Containers sat on wharves in China meaning empty containers weren’t coming back to NZ to be filled. Meat was diverted to other markets but there were limited options for mutton as China was the main market. Other primary sectors were affected especially forestry and tourism. The Government was late in reacting but right to place a travel ban. It was appalling to hear the Chinese ambassador criticising the NZ Government for wanting to protect its citizens. Even now the full extent of the coronavirus outbreak is not known. As we went to print there were still 2000 new cases a day and 2000 dead. So it is prudent to keep the ban in place, even if it stopped students and tourists coming into NZ. Hopefully the virus will be controlled quickly and people stop dying. If it is not controlled quickly it could have a greater impact than Britain joining the European Common Market in the 1970s. NZ exports are far more diversified now, but about 30% goes to China. In 2018 NZ exports to China were worth $13 billion and services another $3 billion. A positive is that the outlook for meat and milk prices still remain strong for the next few years.
Farmers need good returns to weather Government environmental legislation, droughts, floods, Mycoplasma bovis and other unforeseen events. On top of all these banks have tightened up farm lending. In the past, farmers could ask banks for money and expect to be given it. Now banks are accused of putting profit margins before the long-term recovery of a farm business. Farmers are finding it hard to get finance, but those with a good business plan and cashflow are likely to be supported. Banks are demanding greater debt repayment. This is prudent while the prices are good and farmers can afford to do so. Farm business will be in a position to be supported when farmgate prices fall. Correction: In the February editor’s note the word ‘long’ was missed out. It should have read: Methane is part of a closed system. It does not hang around for long, 10-12 years...
Terry Brosnahan Got any feedback? Contact the editor: terry.brosnahan@nzfarmlife.co.nz or call 03 471 5272 @CountryWideNZ
Success breeds success
Making your sheepfarming easier and more profitable… that’s the mission which drives the thinking and action of our team at Wairere. 400 clients purchasing annually, keep us focused on what’s important to you. Improving lamb survival, increasing lamb growth rate and minimising the causes of ewe wastage are our primary objectives.The Wairere reputation for mothering ability, bouncing back after tough seasons and hogget lambing is second to none. Top quality ram hogget sires representing the latest generation genetics, are available in Feb/Mar. Eczema resilient Wairere Challenger tested to 0.52. Wairere Multiplier Our high performance, low input, composite Wairere Tufguy Texel/Romney for dependable performance in all conditions. Wairere Dominator Our black faced, high growth, Terminal. Strong constitution and structural soundness. Wairere Romney The proven and predictable performer.
Wairere ram hoggets at sale time in Feb
www.wairererams.co.nz | 0800 924 7373 Country-Wide
March 2020
5
Country-Wide is published by NZ Farm Life Media PO Box 218, Feilding 4740 General enquiries: Toll free 0800 2AG SUB (0800 224 782) www.nzfarmlife.co.nz
EDITOR: Terry Brosnahan | 03 471 5272 | 027 249 0200 terry.brosnahan@nzfarmlife.co.nz PUBLISHER: Tony Leggett | 06 280 3162 | 0274 746 093 tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz
At the top of their game
SUB EDITOR: Andy Maciver | 06 280 3166 andy.maciver@nzfarmlife.co.nz
MORE p26
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION: Emily Rees | 06 280 3164 emily.rees@nzfarmlife.co.nz SOCIAL MEDIA: Charlie Pearson | 06 280 3169 WRITERS: Andrew Swallow 021 745 183 Anne Hardie 03 540 3635 Lynda Gray 03 448 6222 Robert Pattison 027 889 8444 Sandra Taylor 021 151 8685 Cheyenne Nicholson 021 044 1335 James Hoban 027 251 1986 Russell Priest 06 328 9852 Jo Cuttance 03 976 5599 Rebecca Harper 06 376 2884 PARTNERSHIP MANAGERS: Janine Aish | Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty 027 890 0015 | janine.aish@nzfarmlife.co.nz Tony Leggett | Lower North Island 027 474 6093 | tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz David Paterson | South Island 027 289 2326 | david.paterson@nzfarmlife.co.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS: nzfarmlife.co.nz/shop | 0800 224 782 subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz Printed by Ovato Print NZ Ltd, Riccarton, Christchurch ISSN 1179-9854 (Print) ISSN 2253-2307 (Online)
Contents BOUNDARIES 8 Dog tuckered on Pony Express 9 China signs for cheaper beef
HOME BLOCK 10 Micha Johansen brushes off the racing harnesses 11 David Walston debates the price of food at the Oxford Union 12 Chris Biddles rues the consequences of a bad decision 13 Dani Darke is up and running and feeling awesome 14 Charlotte Rietveld’s runaway fund is intact for now
BUSINESS 16 Borrowing: Bank drafting gate tighter 17 Leadership lacking in rural banking 18 How to get a bank loan 19 Act aims to help indebted farmers 20 Looking to the future 22 Biodiversity: Getting it right on flora and fauna
6
Country-Wide
March 2020
BUSINESS 23 Research: Grains of truth Tag readers put through their paces
MORE p36
24 Letters: Sharing knowledge 25 Family cleared to graze DOC land
LIVESTOCK 26 At the top of their game 36 Test drive: Tag readers put through their paces 40 Comment: Make compliance easier with your own tag reader 41 Breeding: Growing a wool clip that pays 43 Hawke’s Bay gets TB control tick 46 Ewes compete with arable 54 Rolling animal health plan 56 Stock Check: NZ farming world class
CROPS AND FORAGE 58 Future-proofing development 61 Getting to GMP with irrigation 63 Maximise crops and pastures
MORE p72
64 Management: How to deal with droughts
ENVIRONMENT 66 Biodiversity: High country leads the way 68 Environment plan – problem or opportunity?
OUR COVER:
69 Biodiversity: Caring for our natural species
David Bell (25) farms an irrigated 420ha sheep, cropping and dairy support operation with his mother Julie and sister Lizzie, in the Dorie district of Mid Canterbury.
YOUNG COUNTRY
Photo: Johnny Houston
70 Fire changes everything in high country
72 Diversifying at Ti Tree Point 74 Brazil: A land of coffee 76 Learning about the future of NZ ag in Brazil
NEXT ISSUE: APRIL • Risk of disease: New Zealand’s traditional food production approach is the best system to limit the emergence or spread of zoonotic diseases. • Alternative selling: Livestock sales onfarm and via the internet. • Developing dryland farms: Introducing legumes is slower than applying nitrogen fertiliser, but once completed, locks in a lower cost system. • The grape outdoors: Making wine in Namibia, makes Annabelle Latz’s heart skip a beat.
Country-Wide
March 2020
COMMUNITY 77 Running Sky High
SOLUTIONS 80 Crowds flock to Waimumu
Grains of truth
MORE p23
81 Focus on opportunities
FARMING IN FOCUS 82 More photos from this month’s Country-Wide
7
BOUNDARIES | CYCLING
Dog tuckered on Pony express BY: LYNDA GRAY
I
blame it all on my brother-in-law Greg. His suggestion in September last year to come along for the ride a 64km, 1390-metre-climb mountain bike race in the St James Conservation Area of the Canterbury high country – sounded like a great idea. The event, the Pony Express, is one of several mountain bike and running events held in mid-January in the St James Conservation Area alongside Molesworth Station. Husband Cam and I fooled ourselves that we would ramp up our training over several weeks to tackle the up-hills and down-hills which didn’t look that bad on the online course elevation view. Our ride started at Lake Tennyson, about 50 lined up at the start-line and most of us rode out in high spirits, in awe of the vast and impressive high-country landscape. But the terrain – an unpredictable mix of sandy, sticky and grassy 4WD and singlefile tracks; as well as numerous creek
Lynda (left), Cam and sister Jackie before the start of the ride.
crossings took its toll on body and mind. Then there were the impossibly steep up and down hills that meant clicking out of cleat pedals and trying to navigate tracks in shoes not made for long-distance walking. We finally crossed the finish line by the
chimney stacks of the St James Station homestead six hours and 48 minutes after setting out. We were finishers in the ‘Station Hack’ section, there was also a Dog Tucker category which is what I felt and looked like when I crossed the finish line.
CAUGHT OUT A farmer’s rationale to his banker for his financial trouble and not paying his mortgage: “It all started back in ‘67 when they changed from pounds to dollars – me bloody overdraft doubled. Then they brought in kilograms instead of pounds – me bloody wool clip dropped by half. Then they changed rain to millimetres, and we haven’t had an inch of rain since. They brought in Celsius, and it never got over 40 degrees, no wonder me bloody wheat won’t grow. Then they changed acres to hectares and I end up with half the bloody land I had. By this time I’d had it, and decided to sell out. I’d just got the place in the agent’s hands when they changed from miles to kilometres. Now, I’m too far out of town for anyone to buy the bloody place.”
8
Country-Wide
March 2020
$
EASY MONEY
$
It is time to enter the annual Country-Wide West Otago twotooth competition. It’s a chance for farmers to compare their flocks, get judges feedback and win $500. The competition is also open to farmers outside the West Otago region but within reason. Distance for the judges to travel will dictate who is eligible so each outside entry will be on a case-by-case basis. Judging will run March 25-26. For entries contact Mike McElrea on 027 249 376 or 03 204 0860 or mcelrea@farmside.co.nz
CHINA SIGNS FOR CHEAPER BEEF Reading between the lines of the United States-China beef deal announced in January, it seems China’s government wants cheaper beef and it isn’t too worried about how it’s produced. The deal, which exceeded US farmers’ expectations according to the US Beef Magazine, allows imports of product from steroidtreated animals. Steroids typically cut production costs about 7% and are widely used in US feedlots but Europe’s beef industry banned their use and imports of resulting product in the 1980s. Recent US research has linked their use to sex changes in wild fish. There’s still a 47% tariff on US beef in China but US negotiators aim to get that reduced.
KEEP THEM IGNORANT A Chinese teenager talking to a Country-Wide writer said his family only found out the truth about the Coronavirus after arriving in New Zealand. When they left China three-days earlier they were told there were only 10 infections and no deaths. At that stage the world knew there were 56 deaths and 3000 infected.
Country-Wide
March 2020
Above: An aerial view of the Hawarden ewe fair in late January captured by 15-year-old local, Sam Hunter-Weston using a drone. There were 18,000 mixed-aged and annual draft ewes on sale. The Romney and crossbred sold well though back a little on expectations. There was strong demand for the Corriedales and halfbreds due to the interest in fine wool. An old priest lay dying. He JOKE sent a message for an Inland Revenue supervisor and his lawyer to come to the hospital. When they arrived, they were ushered up to his room. As they entered the room, the priest held out his hands and motioned for them to sit on each side of the bed. The priest grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled and stared at the ceiling. For a time, no one said anything. Both the Inland Revenue
supervisor and the lawyer were touched and flattered that the old man would ask them to be with him during his final moments. They were also puzzled because the priest had never given any indication that he particularly liked either one of them. Finally, the lawyer asked, “Father, why did you ask the two of us to come here?” The old priest mustered all his strength, and then said weakly,” Jesus died between two thieves, and that’s how I’d like to go.”
WOOD BEATS STEEL: A shipping container washed down the Mataura River from Gore in the recent flooding came off second best with a poplar tree. The container had been sitting on the riverbank filled with hay.
9
HOME BLOCK | COLUMN
Brushing off the harnesses A renewed dabble on the horses has Micha Johansen toying with the idea of racehorses.
A
nyone who has followed my columns over the years, will know that my interests change with the wind. Unfortunately, for TJ, he had the Karaka yearling sales on the TV when I got home from work one evening, and now I am thoroughly obsessed. I worked on a stud farm in my early 20s, so fond memories, along with more than a few regrets, swelled to the surface. I had been talking about ‘getting back into horses’ before Christmas, with my entire family sighing and attempting to drum into me, for the thousandth time, how allergic I am. This was reinforced by the simple task of removing the cover from a neighbour’s horse, which resulted in sore eyes, wheezing, and incessant sulking about my allergies, for the following week. However since then I have done some research, and I have discovered allergy immunisation, so I will be hitting up the local Doc to see if I can do it, and what it will cost (likely followed by an exclamation of ‘how much?!’) My latest obsession has manifest itself in a few ways already, such as Trackside TV, taking a day off work so I can head up to Karaka for the standardbred yearling sales, and taking TJ out to a night harness meeting at Palmy North.
10
While I lost $11.50, TJ actually doubled his money and is now quite keen to go halves in a racehorse with my parents. I think his keenness is tempered by the knowledge that the chances of my mother agreeing to it, despite owning pacers in the late 70s early 80s, is pretty much zero. This proved correct when I received a phone-call from my father stating that he has no desire to own a racehorse again, however it wasn’t long until dad asked ‘who would we get to EKETAHUNA train it anyway?’, as my mother undoubtedly rolled her eyes in the background and wished she had phoned me herself. Now, I may be crazy, but I’m not THAT crazy. I won’t be rushing out to get myself a harness horse, or three, anytime soon, but I will be using this as motivation to get our farm paid off as quickly as possible, so I can get started ‘in the biz’, if I haven’t changed my mind by then. Paying off the farm would be going swimmingly well this year, were we not half way through installing an effluent pond. We have a gigantic hole, in our flattest paddock, and are now awaiting the dam liner team to come in and do their thing, followed up by a couple of ca-ching-a-ling-a-ding bills. Hopefully I have crunched the
Micha Johansen’s hill country dairy cows.
numbers correctly and the entire expense will be covered by the proceeds from selling our dairy cross Angus weaner calves, where all but 27 sold very nicely in the sales. Of the 27 we have left we hope to only keep 14, so hopefully we can flick off the 13 surplus at some point. The end of January saw us with a visit from TJ’s mother, and a couple of nephews, for three nights, leaving us thoroughly exhausted. Two old bikes, that sit gathering dust for most of the year, have been thoroughly thrashed. We learned how to drain a bike fuel tank, when chainsaw two-stroke was poured in, instead of petrol. And we annoyed eels in the dam with kayaking, where air bubbles gurgling underneath had the boys convinced eels were trying to bite their butts. I have to say I don’t enjoy their visits as much as I wish. I always have ‘if they have an accident we could cop a massive bloody fine’ in the back of my head, so Aunty can be a bit of a spoilsport, such as a complete ‘no you can’t go shooting hares with Uncle’. I also feel quite sick when they are out on the bikes, but they have to be able to have some fun. Having anyone hurt onfarm would be awful, topping that off with an investigation and threats of a fine, really does take the joy out of having young visitors. Thankfully we managed to get through the three days unscathed, and newly minimalist me had great pleasure in seeing them off, along with four boxes of rugby books inherited from TJ’s late father, wanted by our youngest nephew. One week later we have almost recovered from the visit, and are back to our quiet, relatively demand-free lives.
Country-Wide
March 2020
HOME BLOCK | COLUMN
Feast or famine Cambridgeshire, England, farmer David Walston took time away from his crops to debate the price of food at the Oxford Union.
I
was lucky enough to be invited will come from the stick, for as much as to propose a debate at the Oxford agriculture is under invested, it is also Union at the start of January, as under regulated. part of the annual Oxford Farming A farmer’s factory floor is the whole Conference. The motion was “This world, and there is no reason we should house believes cheap food is worth the be allowed unfettered permission to treat price”. it as we please in the name of profits, It’s actually a pretty interesting or even of cheap food. Backed up by question, and surprisingly complex too. proper, targeted and applicable research I thought that instead of going on about and investment, the way to improve wheat and barley in this column, I our industry is through government would publish an abridged version regulation, which should, and can, make of the argument I made in favour all of our businesses better at the same of the motion. If you want to time as making the world a better see the full version, with a bonus place. This is why, even though the additional point, see the Oxford “price” of food is currently high, Farming Conference website, where it does not have to be. We can fix there is a video of the entire debate. it. We can, to misquote the finest Are we perfect as farmers? political minds of our lifetime, Definitely, certainly, 100% “Get Farming Done”. CAMBRIDGESHIRE, NO. There is huge room for That brings us on to the ENGLAND improvement, whether that “cheap” bit of my argument. be pesticide pollution, soil erosion, the What does cheap actually treatment of livestock or a thousand other mean? That is really the critical point. things. The problem is, our world is relative, Farming can be, and sometimes is, not absolute, and there is no such thing a total disaster zone. But that does not as cheap, or expensive. Only affordable mean it cannot reflect, evolve, and and unaffordable. Who here can really improve. stand up and say they are not in favour of There are two ways this might affordable food? happen with the carrot, or the stick. Affordable food is something which Unfortunately, most farmers, such as probably everyone in this room enjoys myself, are dinosaurs, and are highly every day. Is it a luxury, or is it a right? suspicious of even the biggest, juiciest Happily, over the last century it has carrots being dangled in front of become more of the latter, and less of the their noses. We are already trying this former. approach, by trying to promote best It’s over this time period that we have practice. But without real money going seen the real rise of affordable food, and into real research, there is a massive limit the effect that has had. How can I say on what we can achieve. this? By looking at the manifestations Also, farming is tricky. There are no of when food becomes unaffordable – in silver bullets. Inertia is high, and change a famine. We don’t often learn about is a risk that many do not want to have. them in school – at least not in my subNo, the real motivator for change standard education – but the 10 worst
Country-Wide
March 2020
Unfortunately, most farmers, such as myself, are dinosaurs, and are highly suspicious of even the biggest, juiciest carrots being dangled in front of their noses.
famines of the 20th century saw over 50 million people die just from a lack of calories. Of course, you could try and argue that these were not down to a lack of food, only poor distribution. But ask yourself this – did the rich people also starve to death, or just the poor? Money always, always, always, buys food. If you don’t think that’s a sensible argument, or perhaps even that sometimes populations need to decrease, then ask yourself, would I volunteer to be one of the starving masses? Or if not, which of my friends should die in my place? So how can we make more food more affordable for more people? If you are poor, then there is only one way to make food more affordable, and that is by making it cheap. Luckily, the combination of scientists and farmers has nailed it. In the last 70 years, the world’s population has roughly tripled, whereas grain production, a pretty handy proxy for calories, has quadrupled. And what do we all know? Supply and demand. More grain, cheaper prices. Cheaper prices, more affordability. And we know this is working. The number of famines, and the amount of people dying in them, has fallen dramatically in recent years. So in conclusion there are two main points. Yes, farming can be bad, and sometimes the “price” of food is high – too high. But it doesn’t need to be – we can fix it. Secondly, and most importantly, if you are in favour of less food, or more expensive food, you are in favour of more dead poor people.
11
HOME BLOCK | COLUMN
Bubble wrap for me A bad decision due to fatigue has ongoing consequences for Chris Biddles.
T
en days ago, I received a truck full of cotton wool and bubble wrap. I am completely wrapped in both products from head to foot. It is Waitangi Day and in 6 days’ time I am booked for the total knee replacement that was supposed to happen on February 26 last year. As most readers are aware that operation did not happen because of a dumb arse decision I made because I was severely fatigued. That decision resulted in me smashing myself up well and truly on a quad. This time last year I was lying in hospital with an ankle held together by steel internally and a fair bit of stainless steel externally. The shoulder is held together by steel internally. This time around I am determined to get to that scheduled surgery, hence the imaginary cotton wool and bubble wrap. I am hoping that the new knee will have a positive effect on the ankle which is rather crappy at present. I spent nearly five hours on concrete yesterday and could barely walk by 4.30pm. Think about that readers, a dumb arse decision due to fatigue has severely altered my life. I never considered the consequences of overwork and fatigue, I do now. I was not afraid of quads. I am now. I ride them but am shit scared on them. I was invited to present to a Beef + Lamb health and safety seminar late last year. I enjoyed it although I am not
12
sure if participants enjoyed the graphic nature of my photographs. Much of my presentation is intended to shock people, I do not want other farmers to make my mistake. Fatigue and its resulting consequences are under rated. I am really disturbed TE KOPURU at the number of people that tell me they have rolled their quad but do not seem too concerned because they did not receive the horrific injuries I did. We all need to take a long hard look at ourselves. The other part of my presentation is around the importance of being positive after a major f… up like I had. No room for bad days, only good days. Bad days become a slippery slope. In January we had a day fishing off the beach, a year to the day since our last outing. I discovered I cannot handle the potholes at low tide when surf casting. When netting I had to hand the net to my daughter half way through the second drag. We still managed to get a few fish. I just need to modify where and at what tide I can cast. At least the repaired shoulder did not affect my casting. On farm we are incredibly dry. We normally are at this time of the year so farm accordingly. Our water springs are possibly running a little behind other summers. We are fortunate that our main springs, particularly the one that supplies our water ram, produce more water in the summer than they do in
Chris Biddles’ newly weaned bull calves.
the winter. We weaned all our calves in mid-January. This followed our very big week after new year when we pregnancy test, freeze brand and carcase scan. We also do 200-day, 600 day and mature cow weights whilst the cows and calves are at our home yards. It really is a big 10 days. Being the cripple (as my friends call me) I got the shit job during freeze branding which involves putting a piece of stainless tubing in the calf’s mouth which they chew on frantically. This totally settles them down for the two minutes they are in the crush receiving their brands. The early weaning is a huge help with the dry summers. We now have the calves moving around the paddocks that have a little dry grass. They also have balage in racks. The cows are on the hills and get some hay every 2 or 3 days. We were very pleased with our pregnancy testing results. Before Christmas we scanned the 130 heifers. They were our complete drop of 2018 calves other than a couple of twins and several with bad temperament. These heifers had only 30 days with the bull. We got 94 in calf which was more than we needed. Pretty good for 30 days mating. The cows that were scanned in January had been exposed to the bull for 43 days and we got 190 in calf from the 210 scanned. We now have about 20 cows too many for calving. A good position to be in. So now back to my bubble wrap with fingers toes and all other things crossed to get through six more days to make it to surgery that will add to the steel and titanium already in my body.
Country-Wide
March 2020
HOME BLOCK | COLUMN
Left: Running is life changing even if it is not fun.
The finest hour Dani Darke has taken up running and is feeling awesome.
T
he fresh start of a New Year always gets me excited and fired up to try something new. I often set New Years resolutions after being successful with a few in my teenage years. One year it was to read more books, another year it was to make sure I brushed my teeth twice a day (yeh a bit gross that I apparently didn’t). Anyhow by the end of each year I had successfully cultivated a habit and so I was sold that resolutions work. This year I’ve decided to cultivate a habit of running so that by 2021 I can legitimately call myself a Runner. Perhaps by telling you about it I’ll
Country-Wide
March 2020
be more likely to succeed, ARIA although I’m taking a risk as I picked up a running book at the library and one thing it said was – don’t talk about running to everyone all the time, they will think you are boring and painful…hmmm… In my short fling with running I’ve learned a few things. The first thing is that running is not fun. I actually knew that already, but what I didn’t know is that even people who run a lot often also dislike it – and here I was thinking it was just me. Apparently, it’s ok to not like it but you just do it anyway. The second thing is that lying to myself works. When I want to walk, I
can just lie to myself that I’ll walk once I get to that gate up there, and by the time I get to the gate I’ve forgotten about walking. It literally works every time. I’m interested to see what other areas in my life this pretend lying could be useful (“I’ll only drench this first race of calves” or “my town day will only last half an hour”). Actually I’m probably already guilty of this: “it will definitely rain in March” got me last year. The third thing is that the inner b***h inside my head can be used for positive things like getting my butt out of bed and on the road at 5.45am, or by shunning my excuses or self-bargaining and telling me to get on with it. I’ve been running for about a month now and it’s made pretty much every aspect of my life better. I’m sleeping better, I’m more energetic, my sore back feels better, I spend less time ruminating, I’m more organised, my house has been spring cleaned, my garden has had a haircut, I’m nicer to my beloved husband, and I just generally feel more awesome! All of that for just an hour a day of hard and boring running – I’m totally sold on it. On the farming front, after a gloomy winter we made a magnificent come back, and I’m happy to say that we actually managed to smash it over spring and summer. We started selling bulls in late November, and had them all gone just after New Years for stunning prices. We had a good clean out of our lambs at weaning with incredible store and fat prices, and now have around 400 left. Our ewes were sold early for more than our 18kg fat lambs! I don’t mean to skite but it’s not very often that we actually get this stuff right, in-fact usually it’s quite the opposite and we are left scratching our heads as to how we could have got it so wrong. Now the focus is getting our ewe lambs up to mating weight. With the dry starting to bite, and no summer cropping this will be a challenge, and we may have to think differently about how we do it.
13
HOME BLOCK | COLUMN
Left: Middle Rock looking towards Mt Hutt Range and the Rakaia Gorge.
Runaway fund intact - for now! Much like the mysteries of royal life, farming has a dark side of its own, writes Charlotte Rietveld.
L
eaving the farm is quite possibly most farmers’ worst fear, though there are many among us who occasionally entertain such fantasies. One of these is my dear mother, The Chief Inspector. While she’s hardly trending with Royal Princess Meghan and her Hollywood A-listers, it seems she has long understood the potential need to escape to the unknown. Much like the mysteries of royal life, it is well understood that farming has a dark side of its own. An unidentified, unquantifiable chasm known as the Black Hole of Farming. Many will be familiar with the Black Hole of Farming – it’s that indecipherable abyss that vapourises the healthy budget result that ought to be sitting in the bank account. It has an insatiable appetite for cash surpluses, perennially finding a new reason to sink
14
yet more funds back into the Black Hole, never to be seen again. Much like the royals’ loose-lipped butlers and ‘trusted confidants’, the Black Hole of Farming has its own truthalluding tattletale. Brave souls willing to investigate will discover the Black Hole’s main inhabitant and number one partner in crime; the Depreciation Schedule. This is quite simply the black box of the Black Hole. Look closely here and odds are you’ll find a concise record of most if not all cash vapourisation. But the laws of physics and finance are surely much the same, all must balance. Take another look into that Black Hole and glinting from the shadows you’ll find many a farming lady’s secret delight
– The Runaway Fund. Seldom discussed and never disclosed, The Runaway Fund is directly proportionate to the size, scale and secrecy of the Depreciation Schedule. So often misinterpreted amongst the clutter of a mechanical mind, the deathly stare emitted during discussions of buying yet more vehicles and machinery is in fact the mental tallying of The Runaway Fund, a most soothing exercise. Here at Middle Rock, the Black Hole exists in peace on a don’t-ask-don’t-tell basis. That is, until the new accountant arrived last week and a meteor threatened the end of civilisation. Rightly needing to ascertain the nature of the business, said accountant was graciously enquiring after expenditure that was clearly destined for the depreciation schedule. The static was palpable as the Chief Inspector sensed collusion, but somehow The Boss managed to cough and morsecode-mumble his way through capital expenditure explanations. No longer teetering at the edge of the Black Hole, we all sat back in immense relief. That was, until questioning turned to the farm’s tourism operations. As the main source of Runaway Fund income, a collective gasp occurred. The conversation had returned to taboo, diving headfirst into the Black Hole. With the interrogatory shoe finally on the other foot, forced into territory that the rest of us had never dared venture, The Chief Inspector was positively regal; she smiled sweetly and said absolutely nothing. Finally the penny dropped as the accountant realised he had unknowingly stepped into matrimonial abyss. Wisely RAKAIA suggesting he would contact The GORGE Chief Inspector at a later date, we immediately relaxed knowing we’d narrowly avoided one giant, unadvisable leap for womankind. With crises averted, equilibrium has returned to Middle Rock’s Black Hole of Farming. Unlike Meghan, matrimonial peace has reigned with the Runaway Fund remaining untouched. That is, until the next proposed addition to the depreciation schedule. Long live The Chief Inspector.
Country-Wide
March 2020
Country-Wide
March 2020
15
BUSINESS | BORROWING
Bank drafting gate tighter As banks tighten their controls on farm lending, Country-Wide writers look at the options for farmers. BY: TERRY BROSNAHAN
F
armers with a good business plan and cashflow are likely to be supported by banks, an independent farm lending adviser says. Banks have tightened new lending and got tougher with existing clients. In the past farmers would ask banks for money and expect to be given it. Now they are finding it hard to get finance. NZAB managing director Scott Wishart said banks are looking for farmers to have a plan of how to manage growth in the farm business and repay debt. If farmers do, banks are usually keen to support them. NZAB is a financial advisory company which specialises in helping farmers deal with banks. Rural bankers used to help farmers, but now independent advice is required hence companies like NZAB. Banks model the probability of default and the consequences of it. Wishart said half of the model will be based on the financial accounts, the rest on human factors to support the numbers. Factors such as how good is the governance, the advisory team and a farmer’s management track record. “Does the farmer tend to do well when things go wrong.” He said NZAB helps clients to make decisions and protect the bank from risk. “That will have a bearing on the probability of default.” He said if there was a plan to pay debt back over 20 years and it made sense, banks would support it. When farmers don’t have a plan and the business is not performing banks move to the default position – pay the loan over 20 years. Risky farmers might be charged higher interest rates. “It brings some reality to the table.” Farmers tended to make principal payments in the second half of the year when the milk and lamb cheques start coming in. Winter is when they would
16
A good plan and cashflow will keep a farmer out of a bank’s spotlight.
usually stop but with the recent high product prices more farmers are making monthly payments. Aussie banks in New Zealand have been told by the Reserve Bank to hold $18 billion in assets by 2027, about twice what they normally hold. The Australian regulator has told its banks they have too much risk in NZ dairy farming and need to reduce it. It is up to each bank how they do that. They either stop lending, increase repayments or charge more interest. Westpac and Rabobank have seen it as an opportunity to grow. Wishart said the industry standard is to pay a farm mortgage back in 20 years. If farmers are making enough cash to make repayments then the banks won’t be focused on them. If they can’t then a range of situations might happen. He said a bank might want a non-core asset sold to reduce debt. “As long as they are generating cash and making mortgage repayments the banks are less concerned about equity.” Wishart said equity would become more
important if the farmer wanted more money. Farmers who are heavily in debt and relying on capital gains are the most likely to be hardest hit, especially if climatic conditions and trade disruptions such as the coronavirus continue. There appears to be few alternatives to farmers when it comes to farm finance. Big operations may be able to access hedge funds. Heartland Bank is not increasing its small amount of lending for farmland even if opportunities open up. Chief executive Chris Flood said the bank doesn’t have the same cost of funds as the five major banks making it hard to compete. “The problem is hanging on to clients when the big banks come back into the market,” Flood said. Heartland Bank has $4.5 billion in assets of which about $650 million is in the rural sector. Flood said the bank’s strategy was to continue sitting alongside the main bank who held the main farm loan and lend on livestock.
Country-Wide
March 2020
Leadership lacking in rural banking
N
ZAB managing director Scott Wishart is critical of banking leaders. He said frontline staff were doing their best to help farmers but the directive from the top is profit margins before the long-term recovery of a farm business. Banks know it is difficult for farmers to find alternative finance and take advantage of this. “Rural lending in NZ is a long game and loyalty is paramount.” He said eventually intervention was needed by regulators.
Federated Farmers is worried banks are forcing farmers to repay more back during difficult times which may only be shortlived. Wishart said out of a dairy debt book of $40 billion, banks have $2-3b they don’t want. The NZ Farmers Weekly reported farmers had paid back just over $1b in debt between August and December last year, the majority by dairy farmers. Wishart said banks supported farmers during the dairy downturn when the milk payout was $3-4/kg milksolids (MS). The long-term consequence was that dairy
farmers took on more debt to get through. With milk payouts predicted to remain high for the next few years, he said the focus had to be on repaying debt so banks can support them when it drops below $6/ kg MS. Vendor finance may increase but Wishart said the problem is the lack of confidence and farm buyers. He was told there was $500m worth of dairy farms for sale in the South Island, the equivalent of 16.5 million kg of milksolids. “I wouldn’t think the buyer pool was a tenth of that.”
Lending tight despite profit lift BY: JOANNA GRIGG
R
ecent returns from sheep and beef farming may be lifting farmers’ spirits but are unlikely to herald a loosening of the lending reins. Tim Hunt, head of RaboResearch, said “over recent seasons New Zealand has been an island of profitability in a difficult world”. While profit margins are good, capital requirement change is a handbrake. The NZ Reserve Bank has instructed Australian banks to increase capital on hold from 10.5% of risk-weighted assets to 18% by 2027. The non-Australian banks must increase it to 16%. Land values (described by Rabobank as inflated) are picked to ease in dairy, unless perhaps it’s a fully compliant farm in a top location. Todd Charteris, Rabobank NZ chief executive said that like dairy land prices, sheep and beef land prices will also be impacted by a host of macro-economic factors including tighter credit availability, reduced flows of foreign capital and pending environmental change. “We expect these pressures (for sheep/
Country-Wide
March 2020
beef), but not to the same extent.” Both types of farming have uncertainty as to the outcome of freshwater regulation changes, carbon unit price and emission regulation. Land values will vary greatly depending on the location of the farm relative to regional land and water plans, Rabobank reports. Other factors specific to sheep and beef land values are investor interest in land for forestry conversion and pockets of existing sheep and beef land which are undervalued or underdeveloped, Charteris said. “In some regions, we have recently seen some upward pressure on sheep and beef land prices.” Despite these factors, Rabobank’s strategy and approach to the agri-lending market is unchanged. Farm profitability is one of the key factors Rabobank considers in assessing a lending proposal. “We are also looking for evidence of a clear business strategy highlighting the intended direction of the business and how this will be achieved.” Farmers looking to borrow to add stock or buy land can be expected to supply information on business objectives/ goals, financial position and history,
production, succession, security and nonfinancial measures such as agronomic, environmental, social and workplace performance. “We work through all of these factors on a case-by-case basis, before we make a lending decision. “At this stage providing the bank with a Farm Environment Plan is not a mandatory part of this process, unless the farm is located in a region where they are mandatory,” Charteris said. “Providing a Farm Environment Plan would strengthen how an applicant’s environmental performance is assessed however.” There will always be a degree of uncertainty in regards to how incoming regulation will impact farmers, but the level of uncertainty among farmers is now particularly high, he said. This is highlighted by Rabobank’s most recent Rural Confidence Survey which found farmer confidence at net negative levels (more farmers pessimistic about prospects than optimistic) with government policy the major concern cited by farmers. On the positive side are commodity prices, a reasonably competitive exchange rate and low interest rates are currently quite favourable, he said.
17
BUSINESS | BORROWING
and your own capabilities, the greater the level of equity you will need to have in your business. Therefore, in very simplistic terms, there are four boxes you need to tick. If you can justifiably tick every one of those boxes, banks will still fight and compete for your business. In that regard, it is still a very competitive banking market. The problem is though, in the current banking environment, if there is doubt in any of those boxes, banks will look for business elsewhere. Sadly, “elsewhere” may actually mean a completely different sector altogether. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) is of the view that the rural sector is over indebted, particularly dairy. So, banks are less inclined to take a risk on a “box” with a question mark. Further compounding the situation from the banks’ point of view is they are now required to hold more capital on their balance sheet. It is too complex the same way, don’t budget $140/lamb, to explain in a 700-word column, but when the long-run average has been the guts of it is, the RBNZ announced in significantly less. December 2019, banks need to reach a How profitable does your business need minimum capital ratio of 18% of riskto be? Simplistically, you will need to weighted assets over the next seven years. demonstrate that you will be able to repay Currently that sits at about 14%. In your debt from cashflow over a 20-year dollar terms, that equates to around time frame. an $18-$20 billion increase in capital. Thirdly your business needs to be Just for clarity, the increase in capital sustainable. Not only doesn’t come from increasing financially, but also deposits. It comes from bank environmentally and shareholders. Why would ethically. You will need to shareholders agree to increase demonstrate you are good their level of capital invested? at what you do, you are There is only one reason. financially literate, and you Return on investment. Banks are fully aware of the many need to be profitable to challenges that are coming at attract and retain capital. you. That is, you don’t have a For banks to be profitable, Peter Flannery: Banks need to be profitable they need to lend into areas head-in-the-sand or she’ll-beto attract and retain right attitude. that give them the best return capital Finally, you need to be on their capital. Therefore, able to supply the bank with banks will become increasingly adequate security for them to fall back discerning not only in which sector they on, just in case the budgeted assumptions lend into but also who, within that sector, don’t come to fruition. Essentially this is a they lend to. reflection of the strength of your balance Therefore, make sure your business sheet. and your management has a warrant of As an absolute minimum you need to fitness. If it doesn’t, what are you going to have 40% equity in your business. Ideally do about it? though, it should be greater than 50%. The more uncertainty there is around • Peter Flannery is an agribusiness advisory your historic and projected profitability for Farm Plan, Invercargill.
How to get a bank loan BY: PETER FLANNERY
I
was posed the question. “How do you get a bank loan?” The answer is simple, but the action is much harder. That is, it is easier said than done. First, you need to be able to demonstrate your business has historically been profitable. Five years of annual accounts supplied by your accountant will demonstrate your level of historical profitability. If you have been through a period of capital expansion or development, you will need to do some explaining. It will help immensely if you can fully explain what has been happening rather than “you had better ask my accountant”. Secondly, you will need to convince the bank your business will continue to be profitable over the coming five years. This will require you to make some budgeting assumptions on production, income and costs. These assumptions will need to be backed by sound justification. Using a budgeted lambing of 140% when your historical average is only 125% is going to take some justifying. If your personal drawings have historically averaged $120,000/year, don’t try to fool yourself and your banker by budgeting $80,000. They won’t believe you. In
18
Country-Wide
March 2020
BUSINESS | FORESTRY
MyFarm spells out pines policy BY: REBECCA HARPER
M
yfarm has no plans to plant productive sheep and beef farms in pine trees. Chief executive Andrew Watters said Myfarm is subdividing farms bought for forestry, planting the marginal country and selling the more productive land back to farmers, The Feilding-based business provides farm syndication opportunities for investors in dairy, sheep and beef, horticulture (permanent crops), manuka honey and rural commercial property. Watters, said at this stage MyFarm was only working with a select group of investors on forestry. To date, it has bought three farms, one of which was converted to manuka for honey production, in partnership with Comvita. The other two properties are intended
for production forestry, with the aim to harvest logs, not carbon farming. MyFarm is subdividing off a significant proportion of the farms to sell back to neighbours or farmers, ensuring the most productive land is retained for pastoral agriculture. “We are very much thinking about land use and leaving the best. It doesn’t make sense for New Zealand Inc (to plant whole farms) so we’re actively looking to cut off the better parts of the properties and sell them on.” This did prove a catch 22, as selling large parts of the properties meant it needed to buy more farms to fulfil its investment brief. “But the outcome is that we are only planting the land most suited to trees.” Watters said the investment thesis was a mix of returns from wood and returns from carbon. “Carbon does give investors potential cash earnings while the forest is growing.”
Andrew Watters: Fair fight.
However, they are only able to claim a portion for carbon, due to the fact the forest is intended for harvest, and only for the first rotation. The company does not have big plans in the forestry space. “We’re not doing anything with our database or offering products to our existing syndicates at this stage. We’re working with some larger investors and will see what happens in the future. We’re not investing huge amounts of money at present. “It’s millions, but not tens of millions. We still have a bit more land to buy, but not huge plans. “The good thing is this boom, I guess, in forestry and forest planting is occurring at a time when red meat prices are very good. Ultimately, the sheep and beef does need to compete and good farmers with good farming practices getting reasonable prices for their stock, it’s kind of a fair fight at the moment.”
Act aims to help indebted farmers BY: LYNDA GRAY
T
he first official steps in implementing the Farm Mediation Act were taken on February 1 with the Ministry for Primary Industries calling for potential mediation organisations to authorise farm debt mediators. The approved mediators will be a key player in the process prescribed in the Act aimed at helping debt-burdened farmers. An increasing number of farmers are struggling with debt judging by Reserve Bank figures which report an almost three-
Country-Wide
March 2020
fold increase over the last 20 year to almost $63 million last year. Under the scheme, formalised in the Farm Debt Mediation Act 2019 in December last year, it will be mandatory for secured creditors to take part in mediation before taking any debt enforcement action against farmers. Both parties will have up to 60 working days to complete the mediation process unless both agree to extend this. The goal is to produce a binding agreement and action plan for management of the debt. If the process fails to come up with a plan, the parties can
apply to get a determination on whether enforcement action can proceed or not. The cost of mediation is estimated at about $6000 to be shared between parties, with the farmer’s maximum contribution $2000. The MPI administered scheme will cover debts owned by any business involved in primary production, including loans secured against farmland, farm machinery and livestock, harvested crops and wool. More information on the Farm Mediation Act, expected to be fully up and running by July 1, is available at mpi. govt.nz
19
BUSINESS | DRIVERS OF PROFIT
‘Often what’s good for the environment, for instance, is good for the bottom line as well.’
Looking to the future BY: ANNE LEE
B
usiness yield or profit is becoming the holy grail when it comes to assessing farm values, their “investability” and their likely overall sustainability. ANZ acting Southern general manager for commercial and agri business Mark Grenside says strong profitability is paramount and provides security, flexibility and options for farmers who, like most businesses, are facing changing times. Understanding your asset, its productive capacity and the regulatory environment it must operate under are all important first ports of call when it comes to assessing whether your farming business is set up to optimise performance and profit, he says. “How well do you understand your soils, your water availability – rules around it and future risks to it, climatic factors and risks, your property rights and the rules around them? “In many regions now, your nutrient
20
budget is just as important as your financial budget. “It’s got to be considered up front and in a lot of cases will be a major factor in determining your direction and what your farm’s productive capacity is.” Not understanding the farm’s productive capacity can mean you’re leaving productive returns on the table or you’re spending too much trying to achieve performance that’s not realistic. “If you don’t understand the regulatory environment and where it’s heading, you’re exposing yourself to future risks and could be locking yourself into a system that’s going to be expensive to back out of. “Our top farmers are very aware of these – they’ve got their heads up looking to the future and in a lot of cases they’re embracing the changes. “Often what’s good for the environment, for instance, is good for the bottom line as well. They can see opportunities.” The productive capacity of the operation is important because as well as going a long way to determining value it also determines income.
The revenue line is one that probably doesn’t get enough of the right sort of attention by most people, Mark says. “We’re not talking pushing production here. We’re talking about smoothing returns and managing income. “Milk returns can vary by $3/kg milksolids (MS) and have a much greater impact on profit than tightening up on costs and while cost control is paramount, it’s going to give you benefits of anywhere from 20, 30, 40 cents. “Milk price can have five to six times more impact than any other line in the budget but despite that we haven’t yet seen a lot of people managing their income risk and hedging their milk income.” Mark says coupled with cost control, a good hedging policy can bring more certainty and stability to profit levels. Knowing your contingencies, having a realistic view of what these are likely to be, their magnitude and then preparing well for them is important. “We see people underestimating these. They know they’re coming but still they’re surprised when they happen and they
Country-Wide
March 2020
‘Take responsibility for making a profit. Sit down and work out the objective for the year, set the budget, plan out the cashflow, know what the targets are onfarm and have the plans and systems well thought out on how you’re going to get there.’ haven’t prepared so they hit the profit and loss accounts hard. “They’ll say they have it covered under repairs and maintenance but haven’t factored in the true cost of replacing some of these big-ticket items like pivots.” When you look at what top performers do to optimise business performance and drive profitability Mark says two factors stand out – taking personal responsibility and discipline. “Take responsibility for making a profit. Sit down and work out the objective for the year, set the budget, plan out the cashflow, know what the targets are onfarm and have the plans and systems well thought out on how you’re going to get there. “Then stick to the plan, monitor it, act quickly and decisively – own it.” Think about and define the rules you live by within the business. Top performers begin with the end in mind and have a clear sense of purpose so they know what they want out of the business. They communicate their plans and bring their people along with them. They’re disciplined in carrying out their plans and execute them well on a consistent basis. “Often in changing times people can become less focused and erratic, chasing their tail. “Innovate sure, tweak some things but many are tempted, when the milk price is up, to experiment on things that erode focus and business margin. “They move away from the basics or dabble in a part of the business they don’t have the skill in.” Highly profitable farmers understand their numbers and have strong financial control and understanding. “Know your break-even milk price, your debt repayment target, your peak overdraft requirements. “What’s the return on investment you’re aiming for, your operating costs, your EBIT.” Also know your physical farm
Country-Wide
March 2020
targets and make sure others on the team know them too. “What are your targets for pasture cover, residuals, your round lengths, body condition scores, six week in-calf rates and what’s the plan for achieving them?” Often the best businesses have a cohort of peers who challenge and stimulate them to be excited by the small detail that creates strong performance, he says. “You should be interrogating your costs and plans but have others do that too. Use people who can appraise the link between what you’re trying to achieve financially with the physical farm piece.” Top clients often think of business as a marathon not a sprint, they’ve got a plan and they break it down into sections. “They’re focused and have the discipline to execute the plans right across the business from how much grass they’re growing, how it’s managed, their cows and young stock, their financials, right down to how clean the shed is. “But they simplify those plans and expectations and manage their people in a way that they’re completely engaged with those plans too. “They’ll often have a philosophy of keeping machinery to a minimum but they’ll look after what they have. “They’ll be resourceful, fix things themselves – they love farming and what they do. “So while there’s a lot of detail behind what they’re doing, they have simple repeatable systems that are grass-based with few moving parts. “Maximising pasture eaten is a standout. Our figures show a very strong relationship between that and profit. “Our top farmers have costs at the centre of their thinking and stay disciplined so they achieve the margin they target and they do all this while being sustainable across all beach heads – people, environment, animals.” Farmers’ sentiment has been dragged down by some of the headwinds in front of them but the big picture is positive. Global demand for food protein is still
ANZ’s Mark Grenside.
growing with population increases and shifts in socio economic levels. The gap in food protein left by China’s pig population decline is likely to boost that demand although there could be bumps in the road from issues such as those emerging with the Coronavirus outbreak. “There is an overall positive outlook though with New Zealand having a great safe, nutritious agri food story to tell.” Mark cites lessons from adventurer Jamie Fitzgerald who together with Kevin Biggar was hit by a storm during a trans-Atlantic rowing race. They kept rowing despite the storm stopping them from making headway. After 42 hours the storm abated and they got the message from their team manager Rob Hamill. “Whatever you’re doing keep doing it.” Despite essentially staying still they were leading the race because others had thrown out their sea anchors, stopped rowing and went backwards. “So keep rowing. It might seem like there are headwinds but embrace the challenges, there will be opportunities for those who can consistently show good profits and have disciplined well run operations,” Mark says. • This article was first published in NZ Dairy Exporter, February 2020.
21
BUSINESS | BIODIVERSITY
Left: The policy would likely impact most sheep and beef farmers, who generally supported a higher proportion of indigenous biodiversity on their farms than arable or dairy farmers.
Getting it right on flora and fauna BY: JOANNA CUTTANCE
A
well-worded National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity could work on farms but not a poorly written one, a Federated Farmers board member says. A good statement could recognise, reward and incentivise biodiversity work on farm. Protection and enhancement of indigenous biodiversity could happen within pastoral based landscapes. However, a poorly written NPSIB potentially may be unworkable. It may lead to overly restrictive or unnecessary rules and approaches. To get it right, farmers need to get involved and provide feedback to the Government about how pasturebased agriculture can help to enhance and protect indigenous flora or fauna. Otherwise unintended restrictions could be placed on how land is managed. Federated Farmers national board member Chris Allen said if the criteria were wrong, the flow-on impact was that there would be too many restrictions on everyday farming activities in areas that weren’t significant.
22
The Government wanted to improve biodiversity outcomes and the NPSIB stated how they want to achieve this. Submissions for this document close March 14, 2020 at 5pm. Beef + Lamb NZ, Federated Farmers and Dairy NZ support the intention, in principle, of the proposed policy, however, fear the wording is too wide. Allen said in the discussion document, significant natural areas (SNAs) represent the most iconic and highly valued indigenous biodiversity. However, the word choice in the proposed policy regarding the criteria of SNAs may result in most indigenous vegetation being identified as significant. “This was not the intention.” Along with B+LNZ and DairyNZ they were worried the criteria to assess SNAs would capture a disproportionate amount of indigenous biodiversity. “We need a policy that recognises, rewards, and incentivises biodiversity work onfarm.” He said this was to ensure biodiversity on private land was a positive for landowners. Getting the criteria of SNAs correct is crucial because after the NPSIB is final,
councils had to give effect to it within five years. There might be exceptions to this, and Southland may get one because all of their second-generation plans are complete and current. Depending on regions, the policy would likely impact most sheep and beef farmers, who generally supported a higher proportion of indigenous biodiversity on their farms than arable or dairy farmers. In the draft policy, section 3.15 implied councils must survey and record areas outside SNAs where threatened or at-risk highly mobile fauna, like native birds and bats, have been, or are likely to be, or sometimes present. These roaming ranges could be up to 12km from where these species reside. This meant a farm with no biodiversity could be affected if its neighbour had native bush. “The proposals will affect every farmer who has native vegetation or wildlife on their properties but especially those with bush remnants, regenerating pasture, habitat for threatened species, native grassland/tussock or a SNA on their land,” Allen said. Farmers were encouraged to attend information meetings, read the newsletters, advisories and other information sent to them from Federated Farmers, B+LNZ and DairyNZ and then feedback their views to the organisations or write a submission themselves.
MAKING A SUBMISSION • Go to the Ministry for the Environment website • Click on Consultations • Scroll to Open Consultations and click ‘Help protect native plants, birds and animals’ • Scroll down to Make a Submission • Click on Submission Tool, (there is also a postal option) • Write concise, clear sentences • Remember to print or save a copy • Submissions close March 14, 2020.
Country-Wide
March 2020
BUSINESS | RESEARCH
Grains of truth Wheat breeders cop flak over flour protein levels causing gluten intolerance, yet the blame may lie elsewhere, Anna Campbell writes.
G
liadins and glutenins of wheat make up the major storage proteins of the grain’s endosperm (the white stuff you see when you crack open a wheat grain). In food manufacturing the ratio of protein groups is different according to the end-use of the flour. Essentially, more protein equals more gluten equals more strength and more strength translates into more volume and a chewier texture. A general rule of thumb is that “weaker” flours (less protein at 5-10%) are preferred for biscuits and “stronger” flours (10-14%) are preferred for breadmaking. There are also seasonal and geographical impacts on the protein content of flour, as an example, the same wheat variety grown in Australia in drier conditions can have a greater protein content than wheat grown in wetter New Zealand. Why is this of any interest to the average consumer? Well, the wheat breeding industry has taken some flak for increasing the protein levels of wheat varieties and indirectly increasing the incidence of celiac disease and non-celiac specific gluten intolerance levels in society. This would seem a logical hypothesis yet published scientific data does not support this – there is no overall increase in protein levels in modern compared to heritage wheat varieties. Subsequent evidence suggests that increases in non-celiac gluten intolerances (but not celiac disease) may be associated with what happens to the wheat products post-harvest, when it is further processed and refined and recombined with additional gluten, fats, sugars and salt. When product is refined in such a way, fibre is also removed as a “co-passenger” which has anti-inflammatory properties. Will we ever really understand then what causes gluten intolerance? These types of questions are hard to definitively answer. Specific, reductionist scientific testing in humans is incredibly expensive and who pays? Certainly not the food industry. And why is it important? We have all read about the very real threat of alternate protein manufacturing (plant-based proteins and cellular proteins) to our food supply. Watch a video from ‘Just’ an eggless product for making scrambled eggs made predominantly from mung beans https://twitter.com/
Country-Wide
March 2020
mashable/status/1184141129605763072?s=20. Just were formerly named Hampton Creek and hit the news when they had an eggless mayonnaise product pulled from Target’s shelves after unsubstantiated allegations of contamination and false labelling. Substantiated or unsubstantiated, it does raise the issue of how major dietary changes and extreme food processing will impact our health. Why did Just choose mung beans? Number one reason was to replace eggs, the most ubiquitous animal protein eaten, then Just surveyed multiple plant protein products to find the one which scrambled, then worked out technically how to remove the protein at scale and what else to add to make the mung-bean as egg-like as possible. How they do this is proprietary, they will share with the consumer what they have to, but not enough for another company to swoop in and steal the deal. Funky, cool and hip, these companies present a compelling story and mung beans, an ancient superfood from Asia, have been eaten for centuries, what could possibly go wrong? The rise in non-celiac gluten intolerance is perhaps an example of what can go wrong. Evidence is pointing to food processing being the cause of the dietary problems rather than the humble wheat grain itself. Alternative protein products are generally highly processed, they are refined, added to and spun to a point where the final product barely resembles the original ingredients. The money invested in these companies is significant and we are told they are going to be healthier for us and the planet. What and who do we believe as consumers? Where is the investment from commercial enterprise and governments to ensure our safety? When we see things in such simple terms, it is easy to replace one pollution with another. I love reading and hearing about food innovation, but we need to make sure these industries are regulated and handled appropriately. Investment in fundamental nutritional science is critical and outcomes of such research must be transparent for consumers. • Anna Campbell is managing director of AbacusBio Ltd, a Dunedin based agri-technology company.
23
BUSINESS | LETTER TO THE EDITOR
FARMERS RAISING THEIR GAME
SHARING KNOWLEDGE
T
revor Cook made some helpful observations about extension programmes (Extension Success, Country-Wide, February 2020). However, his comparison between Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) Action Groups and Advanced Parties needs further explanation. RMPP Action Groups, like Advanced Parties, encourages connection and sharing of knowledge between farmers and groups. RMPP has nearly 200 Action Groups in place with more than 1500 participating farm businesses. So regularly linking all these participants is not feasible compared to the much smaller overall numbers involved with Advanced Parties. Information is shared via facilitators and subject matter experts and more information will be shared online as the Action Network evolves. It is also important to note that substantial benefits are achieved by farmers participating in Action Groups whether or not they interact with other groups and share information. Each Action Group establishes farm and business improvement plans relevant to their situation. The focus of these plans can vary widely between different groups making interaction between groups of little value in some cases. Achieving these goals is not dependent on wider interaction – although this is encouraged where group goals align, and farmers are willing and able to do so. – Malcolm Bailey, Chair, Red Meat Profit Partnership.
T
he clarification of the workings of the RMPP Action Network from the chairman was good to see and made sensible points. There is no question that many of the Action Network (ANW) groups are providing the platform for farmers to really progress but it is going be difficult to make it a coordinated process because of the scale, and was probably never the intent. My point was how successful the Advanced Party format has worked and that the scattergun approach of the ANW format was always going to succeed in other ways and be more diffuse and varied. The ANW groups have introduced many farmers to the concept of working in a group while for others it has resourced them to explore topics that they would never done before. The real icing on the cake for this programme would be if the knowledge of each group can be shared or accessed. I guess that the tight nature of the deer industry makes it more able to integrate an extension programme while the RMMP approach is a novel one that the outcome of which is much more dependent on farmer commitment and facilitator capability. Both programmes are successful in helping farmers raise their game. – Trevor Cook
BRED FOR IMPROVED PERSISTENCE Vibe is a very persistent and very high yielding diploid Italian ryegrass, having been developed as part of a 15 year plant breeding programme focused on developing more persistent Italian ryegrasses. Vibe handles hard grazings very well and hangs in there when most other Italians won’t, with excellent persistence and without the animal health issues caused by some endophyte containing varieties.
Vibe (right) compared to other varieties in Cropmark’s Italian ryegrass evaluation trial in the Waikato.
HOLDS FORAGE QUALITY FOR LONGER INTO SPRING Vibe has another big advantage. At +26 days heading date, Vibe is up to 10 days later heading than traditional Italian ryegrasses, enabling it to maintain forage quality for longer into the spring. And with low aftermath heading, it returns quickly to vegetative state, enabling higher livestock performance potential. For more info email: sales@cropmark.co.nz
www.cropmarkseeds.com
24
freephone 0800 427 676
Country-Wide
March 2020
BUSINESS | CONSENT
Sunny Flat at Haast, South Westland, where the Cowan family have a grazing license within a UNESCO World heritage area and beside Mt Aspiring National Park.
Family cleared to graze DOC land BY: TIM FULTON
O
ne of the West Coast’s oldest farming families can keep grazing public conservation land. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has given applicant John Cowan a licence to graze 736ha of conservation estate along the Haast River, a block that lies within a UNESCO World Heritage Park as well as being next to Mt Aspiring National Park. After an 18-month wait, the Cowan family has permission to run 60 beef cows per year and 50 calves for up to six months between the Roaring Billy and the confluence of the Landsborough River. Their license expires in 2023. The consent gives the Cowans double reason for celebration. John’s daughter Catherine and husband George Ivey, who farm Glentanner Station and use the grazing blocks, are celebrating the birth of
Country-Wide
March 2020
their second child. Cowans have been farming in the Haast for 150 years and have had public grazing concessions for the past 35 years but this is the first time they have had to apply for a license publicly. West Coast farmers rallied to support their application, fearing a DOC clampdown on grazing concessions. DOC’s Deputy Director General Partnerships, Dr Kay Booth, who made the decision, said the grazing been approved “subject to a number of special conditions to manage the impact of cattle on vegetation and the environment”. This included fencing off the true left boundary with Mount Aspiring National Park and the Conservation Area on the true right. Cowan would also have to fence off pockets of native vegetation, particularly ribbonwood and coprosma wallii. Booth said the grazing was allowed for in the West Coast Conservation
Management Strategy provided any effects were mitigated “and I believe they can be through fencing,” she said. Booth said there must be no grazing in the National Park and she had therefore set down specific conditions to fence off the National Park boundary with the grazing lease area. “We will robustly monitor the effects of the grazing and compliance with the conditions of the licence. If the applicant is not meeting the conditions there may be grounds to revoke the licence,” she said. Ivey said the conditions should be workable, including the new fencing. He said DOC staff had been good to work with in the application process and most of the trouble had been “higher up” in government. The three-year license brought their grazing right for that 736ha into line with other family leases in the area and would give everyone time to assess how well the conditions worked.
25
LIVESTOCK | ONFARM
Anna and Brian Coogan’s Taihape farm.
At the top of their game Exceptional stockmanship and attention to detail are some of the key features of an award winning Taihape farming business. Russell Priest reports. Photos by Brad Hanson.
G
ood genetics and keeping pastures in their vegetative state are also crucial to Anna and Brian Coogan. It is a recipe which has served the couple well and was instrumental in them winning the 2019 National Ewe Hogget Competition. However, it is the way their sheep
26
enterprise is integrated with a dairy dry stock component (70% sheep, 30% cattle) that is different and enables the sheep to perform at such an exceptional level. The Coogans won the competition on their third attempt but what is significant is that they won the flock production section of the competition for two of the last three years. The competition is
judged on four criteria: Flock production, phenotype, breeding objectives and wool. Brian’s pasture and stock management is exemplary considering much of the farm is hill country and in native grasses. Pastures are grazed using what he describes as a “shuffle-grazing” system based on what he believes is the optimum time to shift his animals.
Country-Wide
March 2020
STOCK NUMBERS Stock numbers at November 2019: Sheep: 1880 Wairere-based Romney ewes, 500 ewe hoggets, 25 rams Cattle: 110 carry-over dairy cows, 85 yearling dairy export heifers, 20 R2 beef heifers and 7 bulls.
He is gifted with the innate ability of knowing when stock need to be moved to optimise performance. That gift is worth big money to their business. In 2019/20 from a 160% lambing the Coogans killed 91.5% of their lambs off their mothers by midJanuary at an average carcaseweight of 19.71kg and an average return of $159.07. Their average live weight was 42.5kg. The Coogans farm 384ha (360ha effective) at Mataroa about 10km northwest of Taihape at an altitude between 550m and 704masl. Of the 384ha, 121ha is leased. The Coogan name has been synonymous with the area since Brian’s great-great grandfather Lawrence settled in the area in 1890. His grandfather also known as Lawrence in partnership with his brother Daniel bought the original 80ha block known as Brady’s in 1930. Contour varies between flat-toundulating (70ha) through rolling-tostrongly rolling (93ha) to moderately steep-to-steep (182ha) and steep (39ha) hill country. The area is regarded as summer safe with an annual rainfall of 1000mm most of which comes from the southsouthwest. Soils are predominantly ash or clay/papa with the flat-to-undulating country being Ohakune silt loam, the rolling country Mangaweka silt loam and the steep country Taihape Steepland soil. On average, two falls of snow are expected annually of about 50mm in depth. “The early lambing country is particularly exposed to the weather however it is some of our best finishing country,” Brian says. “You have to take the good with the bad.”
Country-Wide
March 2020
Brian and Anna Coogan with Mt. Ruapehu in the background.
Tough criteria to make A team
T
he Coogans run a three-flock system (A and B flocks and five-year ewes) with only the A flock generating replacements. The flock breeding objectives are to produce a robust, easy-care, strongly maternal sheep that is capable of getting in lamb early, weaning heavy lambs and achieving as a minimum an 80%-85% POM (processed off mum). Wool is still important to the Coogans so producing as much high quality fibre as possible is also an objective. The B flock includes dry and wet-dry hoggets, A flock ewes that have scanned a single or have conceived to the Suftex ram or have wool of an unacceptable type/ quality. If numbers permit any B flock ewes that have had two singles are culled from this flock and killed as are any wetdries. Brian’s set of selection criteria for entry into his A flock would have to be one of the most demanding in the business. The selection pressure he applies and the ram
genetics he uses are major contributors to the flock’s high level of performance. “It’s all very well demanding a whole lot of stuff from your ram breeder however as a commercial farmer you’ve got to continue to apply this selection pressure in your own flock.” Selection pressure begins at birth when only twin-scanned ewe lambs born within the first 20 days of mating are eligible for A-flock selection. These are grown as rapidly as possible to be mated on May 1 at a cut-off weight of 44-45kg. When pasture quality starts to decline in the summer the smaller ewe lambs are fed on a 5ha rape crop to lift their weights in readiness for mating. They go back onto pasture in the autumn. “We struggle to get lambs to grow well over the summer so growing a crop enables us to grow them at 270g/day and get them up to weight for mating.” Last year’s average ewe hogget weight in mid-April was a whopping 50.35kg. On November 22 last year about 200 hoggets
27
KEY POINTS • Sheep integrated with dairy dry stock (70% sheep, 30% cattle) perform at an exceptional level. • Last year 160% lambing the Coogans, killed 91.5% of lambs off ewes by midJanuary, at average 19.71kg CW and $159.07. • B Flock policy worth between 1-2kg extra carcaseweight, almost eliminates tail-end Romney lambs. • Running carry-over cows and export heifers. • Farm 384ha (360ha effective) at Mataroa about 10km north-west of Taihape.
Below: Grounds-eye view of Mt. Ruapehu.
28
rearing single lambs were weighed to provide information for the Coogans’ field day. Their average weight was 65kg. Ewe hoggets selected for mating must also be structurally sound and have an acceptable physical appearance, wool type and quality. Hoggets are mated to Wairere rams at a ratio of 1:30 for 30 days. Last year’s scanning was 129% and for the first time their docking percentage cracked 100 (103%). Only one hogget died as a result of dystocia. About 500 hoggets go to the ram and any that are dry are wintered and go into the B flock. Brian commented that even though these are heavier at mating as two-tooths than their contemporaries that have lambed as hoggets they are never as productive. Any wet-dry hoggets also go into the B flock. Brian used to mate the hoggets to Suftex rams however the lambs were significantly bigger than the straight Romneys and caused more lambing problems so the practice ceased. To be eligible for the A flock a hogget must have weaned a lamb and to remain in the flock must continue to scan at least twins annually and rear at least one of these. Ewes must also have acceptable wool quality and any that develop structural faults like bad feet/ footrot or poor constitution are killed as are any wet dries. Unlike many farmers preferential treatment is not given to light-
conditioned ewes. Any that can’t regain condition after weaning are culled. All mating mobs are exposed to teaser rams at a ratio of 1:300 for 17 days before the entire rams go out. Five-year and B flock ewes are mated to Suftex rams at a ratio of 1: 90-100 for 40 days (rams are harnessed after 20 days). Mating begins on March 5 for the former and on April 6 for the latter. A flock ewes go to Wairere Romney rams at a similar ratio also on April 6 for 20 days then to harnessed Suftex rams for another 20 days. Normally only about 3.5% of ewes take the ram after 20 days. This policy means Brian is breeding his replacement females from the most fertile, fecund and consistent breeders in his A flock while maximising the effect of hybrid vigour in the later cycling ewes. He maintains this effect is worth between 1-2kg extra carcaseweight and virtually eliminates the occurrence of tail-end Romney lambs. “With this system you don’t have a lot of surplus ewe lambs hanging around over summer nor a large number of replacement females to choose from. We only have about 150 surplus ewe hoggets.” Using the harness is a management tool which enables Brian to identify the late lambers, lamb them separately and get his docking underway without having to wait for them to lamb.
Country-Wide
March 2020
Cashing in on early premiums
H
eavy use of Suftex rams not only generates higher carcaseweights but also better growth rates. This allows Brian to kill many of his works lambs for early season premiums. Central to Brian’s successful lamb drafting strategy is his belief that lambs grow better while on their mothers so he tries to draft as many off mum as possible. His one-year ewes are lambed on the early country with most of their Suftex cross lambs being killed woolly off mum by the end of November. The one-year ewes are killed at weaning and attract an early season premium. Romney ewe lambs are weaned in midDecember and shorn along with the ewes and the twin Romney ram lambs. The latter are reunited with their mothers after shearing for a month before most are killed in mid-January along with the majority of the unshorn Suftex lambs from the B flock. Most of the single woolly male Romney lambs are POM before Christmas. Hogget lambs are weaned in mid-January. Ewes are shorn again at the end of May and hoggets in June. Hogget lambs and any remaining Suftex cross lambs are shorn in midJanuary. Immediately after weaning most of the works ewes are identified and killed. The remaining ewes are then shuffle-grazed for a month before having their udders palpated. Brian has only been doing this for the last 4-5 years and maintains it is one of the reasons his lamb survivability has improved. Each year he culls about 3% of his ewes with unsound udders. Having completed this task the ewes are dipped and continue to be shuffle grazed throughout the rest of the summer until flushing begins. Brian tries to maintain the condition on the ewes over summer and if he is able to flush them he considers this a bonus. Ewes and hoggets are shuffle grazed over the winter in four mobs (A and B flocks, 5-yr ewes and hoggets) until being set stocked about a month before lambing; the old ewes in July,
›› Continues on p32 Country-Wide
March 2020
From top: Top mob of ewe lambs; Brian’s children Patrick (left) and Catherine; Mowing the pea and oat crop for balage.
29
NAIT tags falling out? Are they unreadable or defective? OR
Report at ospri.co.nz/ report-tags
Call the OSPRI Contact Centre 0800 482 463
Support disease management and help build lifetime animal traceability
NAIT is an OSPRI programme 30
Need help? 0800 482 463 7am–6pm (Mon-Fri) Country-Wide
ospri.co.nz March 2020
Tagging tips Tags can only be applied to animals at the NAIT location they were purchased for.
Position tag: to central/inner part between the veins. The female end should face forward.
Use NAIT approved tags. Birth ID’s aren’t just for dairy calves.
–
ABC
D
123
When tagging: Record the tag numbers, month and year of birth, NAIT number at the location of birth, and production type beef or dairy).
– 14
NAIT is an OSPRI programme Country-Wide
March 2020
31
Left: Second-cut ewe lambs on rape crop.
the A and B flock ewes in August and the hoggets in September. All ewes and lambing hoggets receive a drench capsule and an 8-in-1 jab before lambing. One of Brian’s aims is to achieve his winter carrying capacity as early as possible in the New Year. By mid-January most of his works lambs are killed and his replacement ewe hoggets are selected. And by mid/late February his export heifers and carry-over cows will have gone freeing up Brian to do some off-farm fencing and
building stock yards. Brian’s number one trait is survivability as he believes a dead lamb is a total loss. Both ewes and hoggets are scanned for singles, twins and dries. Average scanning results for the last three years for the former are 178.6% and the latter 132% while their three-year average lambing percentages are 160.6 and 97.3 respectively. Brian is well aware his ewes deliver significant numbers of triplets however he
sees no advantage in farming and lambing them separately (lambed with twin-bearing ewes) as he is achieving excellent lamb slaughter weights using his current, simple system. High paddock docking percentages of around 200 would suggest triplet survival is high. One purchase Brian will not skimp on in his business is that of rams. He maintains top rams are cheap for what they produce. He buys Wairere Romney rams in the top price bracket based on their maternal index. His selection criteria include structurally sound, open-face active rams that have high fertility and fecundity (must be at least a twin), weaning weight, survivability, and wool weight together with an acceptable type. His Suftex rams are sourced from within the Elite Index group in the Morton’s Paki-iti stud. Traits targeted include structural soundness, high weaning weights and survivability.
Join the winners
Over many decades, Wairere clients have been prominent in national and local sheep farming and agribusiness awards. Brian and Anna Coogan, long term Wairere clients, won the prestigious “National Ewe Hogget Competition” award for 2019. The Coogans follow on from other Wairere clients that have won this competition. Locally, eight out of the last eleven winners of the “Wairarapa Farm Business of the Year” award have used Wairere rams. Top quality ram hogget sires representing the latest generation genetics, are available in Feb/Mar.
Brian & Anna Coogan 2019 National Ewe Hogget Competition winners.
Making your sheepfarming easier and more profitable www.wairererams.co.nz | 0800 WAIRERE (0800 924 7373)) 32
Country-Wide
March 2020
‘When the ewes are weaned off the early country the pastures tend to explode so we use the cows to control this growth and prepare feed for any lambs we have left.’
Brian with recently arrived weaner dairy heifers.
Carry-over cows groom pastures
P
ivotal to Brian’s pasture management strategy particularly over the springsummer period are 110 carryover dairy cows and 85 export dairy heifers. Spread out among ewes and lambs during the spring, their role is to maintain pasture quality for younger stock and in particular replacement ewe lambs and those finishing lambs remaining after midJanuary. Carry-over cows have been run for the last 7-8 years and Brian believes they complement the sheep enterprise particularly well. “When the ewes are weaned off the early country the pastures tend to explode so we use the cows to control this growth and prepare feed for any lambs we have left.” Three, four and five-year old quality,
Country-Wide
March 2020
empty, low-conditioned cows of high genetic merit (top 20% on Breeding Worth Index) sourced from the Manawatu and Bay of Plenty come onto their farm in April/May. On arrival they are introduced to dogs, given a quarantine drench and are re-pregnancy tested to ensure they are empty and that their reproductive tracts are sound. Once they have got used to some easy contour they are introduced to some of the steeper country. Brian doesn’t believe in pampering them – they are there to do a job. Twenty hectares of pasture is shut up (after ewes and lambs are weaned) for mating the cows to Hereford bulls. This begins on June 6 and lasts for six weeks after which they are break fed on a 10ha crop of kale supplemented with balage for two months. Bales are laid strategically amongst the crop during summer so
heavy machinery doesn’t have to be used to feed them out during the winter. This year Brian is trying pea/oaten balage to supplement both the cows and the R1 Friesian heifers. After finishing their stint on crop they are pregnancy tested and any not in calf (10%) are re-bulled to calve in the spring. Once the cows get in calf they are pretty bulletproof according to Brian. They leave the farm in mid/late February to calve in either mid-March or the spring. In addition to the 110 carry-over cows about 85 Friesian weaner heifers that fulfil export requirements are bought in the spring. “The market for these chops and changes and we’ve been paid up to $1850 for these on the odd occasion. If they don’t go for export we sell them locally.”
›› Solar powers water scheme p34 33
Solar powers water scheme
S Top: Brian and his recently installed solar panels. Above: Nine solar panels generate 400 volts of electricity.
34
tock movement and work is made easier on the Coogans’ farm through excellent infrastructure including three set of satellite yards, laneways and traditional 8-wire and batten fences. The farm is well subdivided into about 100 paddocks. Brian’s pride and joy is a recently installed water scheme designed to eventually supply 70 troughs via a 50mm diameter 7km long main line designed by a local company (Solar Technologies – Dave Spicer). Its source is artesian water emerging from the ground in one of the three major blocks of native bush on the farm. It consistently produces 45,000 litres a day even during a drought. It feeds a 25,000 litre receiver tank from where it is pumped 100 vertical meters to a 30,000 litre header tank sited 700masl and gravity fed to another 30,000 litre header tank on the home block at 622masl. The source of electricity to drive the lift pump comes from nine solar panels generating 400 volts. A sensor mounted on the solar panels detects when there is enough light for the pump to operate so it will only
run during the day but has the capacity to move 5500 litres an hour via a 50mm diameter pipe. The Coogans’ annual fertiliser programme involves applying 250-300kg/ ha superphosphate over the whole farm with hay paddocks receiving 100kg/ha of urea in the spring plus a dressing of potassic super post-harvest. Crops are sown with 250kg/ha of Cropmaster DAP while the hogget lambing country gets 100kg/ha urea in the spring. The rape crop sown for the smaller lambs is replaced in the autumn with a ryegrass called “Rely” chosen primarily for its persistence. Brian is hoping it may be more tolerant to porina than some of its more fashionable contempories. Brian is assisted four days a week on the farm by ex-Otiwhiti student Zac Reid however from February/March until work on the farm gets busy again the two are fencing off-farm 3-4 days a week. Brian has two children Catherine (16) and Patrick (14) both of whom are interested in farming and attend Feilding High School.
Country-Wide
March 2020
NAIT EID, as easy as 1-2-3 1
Read EID Tags
2
Connect
to mobile phone app
3
Send to NAIT
HR5 v2 & HR4 v2
Hand Held Reader & Data Collector Tag Readers More than just an EID tag reader. Record, view, sort and add animal data anywhere on the farm and use the Animal Data Transfer App for fast and easy data transfer. Easily read visual and EID tag numbers
Collect data, not just EID numbers
Sort on the go
Animal Data Transfer App available
NAIT Compatible
View animal history
SMARTPHONE COMPATIBLE
0800 731 500 www.gallagher.com Country-Wide
March 2020
35
LIVESTOCK | TEST DRIVE
Wairarapa hill country farmer Sam Gammie provided the ‘test’ venue.
Tag readers put through their paces On behalf of farmers and industry stakeholders, Ospri/NAIT commissioned Country-Wide to put all readily available electronic tag readers through their paces last month in a special ‘test drive’ to see how they perform. Tony Leggett investigates. Pictures Brad Hanson. 36
Country-Wide
March 2020
O
ur test drive began with an invitation to five companies to provide an off-the-shelf ‘stick’ reader suitable for a farmer with limited previous experience to read electronic ear tags in a mob of cattle. Our test farm runs a beef cow herd of 160 mixed-age cows, breeding its own replacements and selling sale progeny either at weaning or yearling age. All five companies agreed to participate but Leader Products NZ withdrew soon after because it is still trialing a new range of readers and software for release in New Zealand in 2020. The four companies with readers in the test were Allflex, Gallagher, Shearwell and Tru-Test (acquired by Datamars in 2019). The tag reader models were: 1. Allflex RS420 2. Gallagher HR5v2 3. Shearwell SDL400S 4. Tru-Test XRS2 Three of the companies - Allflex, Shearwell and Tru-Test - offer their own ranges of electronic ear tags. Shearwell manufactures only sheep ear tags, but its stick readers also read cattle ear tags. For the test, a small mob of yearling cattle were put in the race which had a walkway on the left hand side. The cattle were tagged in their right ear, so reading the tags meant the reader had to be positioned near the right ear of each animal on the far side of the race from the walkway. The readers all have a screen with push-button menu to scroll through fields to view the collected data. Screen size varied. The Shearwell unit had the smallest screen but adequate text size. The others had larger screen sizes, and all were easy to read and review data on. All the readers have the capacity to send data to another device through Bluetooth, or store information on individual animals, and set alerts that provide an audible sound when that tag is read in the future. This is helpful when, for example, stock receive an animal remedy that has a withholding period before the animal can be slaughtered, or when something
Country-Wide
March 2020
unique about the animal could be required in the future like an injury. Two of the readers, the Tru-Test and Gallagher units, also have the capability to upload weight data on individual animals to the reader from a weigh scale unit, via Bluetooth. All four readers in our test passed the minimum requirement of being able to read each animal’s tag and make each number visible to the user in the yards. They were all able to collect a set of tag data from a mob and deliver it to another device (mobile phone or home computer or both) via Bluetooth, for uploading to NAIT. Two of the readers in the test, from Gallagher and Tru-Test, had the capability to upload data direct to NAIT via a smartphone application, provided they have mobile coverage available. In terms of using the readers, three were held like a drafting stick and one, the Gallagher unit, had a pistol grip. All four units were encased in tough plastic outers, and all have claims of being suitable for use in wet weather. Our test did not include checking the waterproof claims, but the units all appeared robust, and worked perfectly despite the odd knock against rails or animals in the race. All the units read a tag by depressing a button or trigger once the end of the reader is positioned over the tag in the animal’s ear. They all gave an audible signal to alert the user that each animal’s tag had been read. None of the readers allowed the user to read a tag more than once so there is no risk of duplication during scanning. By changing the reader setting from individual tag to a continuous read mode, it is possible to read the tags in several animals with a single push of the reader button - for example a group of animals in a race. All the readers offer this feature. A useful feature available on all four readers in the test is their capability to store visual tag numbers against which can be searched so the user can see the animal’s NAIT number. This is particularly useful when a NAIT tag has been lost and needs to be replaced (see table for ‘lost NAIT tag’ feature details).
›› Summary of tag features p38
Top: Test drive farmer Sam Gammie loads up the race with cattle. Above: Accuracy is essential with recording NAIT tags.
37
Summary of tag features: Allflex RS420
Gallagher HR5 v2
Shearwell SDL400S
Tru-Test XRS2
• Comfortable hand grip, easy to manage weight of reader
• Unique pistol grip handle, robust construction, waterproof
• Simple to use – single button, scrolling menu
• Wand type reader, 66cm length, waterproof
• Easy to read display, good text size • Waterproof, robust construction, tough sealed plastic outer • Spare battery can be bought separately • Battery runs for eight hours, fast charge in three hours • Comes in short and long length options • Display pre-set to show number of last tag read • Possible to highlight final few digits of the tag number for simple identification (standard setting highlights final five digits of a tag number when read) • Can store up to nine fields of information per tag number • Can be set to single or continuous read • Has its own smart phone app to move data to another device • Rugged, reliable, durable device
• Large display with keypad to add or edit information manually in yard • Up to nine fields of editable information on each tag can be added or uploaded from another source eg. weight data logger or mob information from records held on home computer • Can set alerts on individual tags eg. when animal receives treatment, this can be noted against individual tag and displayed next time tag is scanned, user receives alert • Can upload draft list into the unit, read each animal tag and reader will identify animals to be drafted off (useful in dairy grazing situation when animals may be coming from multiple sources and run as single mob) • Can view animal history set to appear next time animal scanned • Reads both HDX and FDX tags, rechargeable battery
• Dedicated back-up and support staff
• Battery life status indicator, very long battery life (5000+ reads under test conditions)
• Stores up to 100,000 records
• Vibrate alert option as well as audible beep
• Passes industry ‘drop’ test
• Can be set to single or continuous read to read multiple tags in quick succession with single trigger click
• Rubber anti-slip gripping surface • Bluetooth compatible to Android and Apple products.
• Compatible with all brands of weigh scales • Entry-level model, HR4v2 available • Comes with Animal Data Transfer software
38
• Rugged construction, handles all weather conditions • Powered by 4 AA batteries, either rechargeable or standard • Reads HDX tags, and bolus devices • Read range up to 20cm • Green or red light to signal a new read or duplicate read • Memory capacity to store up to 16,000 records
• Robust, heavy duty construction • Easy to balance weight in the user’s hand • Up to 15 fields of editable data possible for each tag number • Display easy to read, large text size, LCD screen (41mm x 55mm) • Standard setting highlights last five digits of last read tag, but can be altered to display more
• Capacity for up to 26 different groups of stock to be recorded
• Can set ‘favourites’ to avoid manually adding same data for overall mob, eg. mob name, breed, sex, age, or treatments so speeds up inputting of mob data in the yards
• Blue tooth capability to communicate with mobile printers, mobile phones and tablets
• Can be set to single or continuous read, reads up to 1100 tags per minute in continuous mode
• Software supplied to enable a list of animals to be printed to attach to movement records
• Has its own Smart phone app to connect to NAIT
• Comes in short, medium or long length options
• Long battery life – rechargeable, up to 19 hours when pushed to read, and up to 9.5 hours continuous
• On-screen count to display number of animals read
• Small display that offers scrolling menu for basic reader functions • Comes with rechargeable batteries in a plastic case for storage • Connects to its own smart phone app • Reads both FDX and HDX tags • Can be set to single or continuous read option • Comes in carry case with charging gear
• Reads FDX and HDX tags
• Good read distance – 30cm for HDX tags, 33cm for FDX tags • Bluetooth to connect to weigh scale indicators or other devices up to 300m away • Comes with carry bag, mains power adapter, USB cable for charging • Entry-level model (SRS2) available at $1731.99 (Farmsource) – same performance with less customizable fields
Country-Wide
March 2020
Mark McManaway
Michael Ward
Alan McLeary
Brendon Gilbertson
Allflex RS420
Gallagher HR5 v2
Shearwell SDL400S
Reads all tag types (HDX and FDX)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Read range
Up to 42 cm
27-33cm
up to 20cm
Up to 35cm
Weight of reader
Long reader 830g, short reader 810g
960g
495 grams with battery based on medium
650g
Reader lengths available
600mm and 900mm
680mm
Short, medium, long
656mm
Blue tooth to another device
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
App available
Allflex iOS only and third-party iOS and Android
Yes, Animal Data Transfer app
Yes
Yes
NAIT upload via computer
Yes (TAG MANAGER)
Yes; NAIT Exchange
Yes
Yes
NAIT upload via smartphone
Yes, using Allflex iOS app
Yes, using Animal Data Transfer app
Yes
Yes
Rechargeable battery type
Li-ion 7.4v 2.6Ah 19.2Wh
NiMh; 8+ run hours
4xAA rechargeable batteries
3.7v Lithium-ion
Audible beep on reading tag
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Vibrates on reading tag
Yes
Yes
No, green or red light flashes
Yes
Lost NAIT tag identification
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
On screen count
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No duplicate reading of tags
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Reads group in continuous mode
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Screen size to view tag details
40mm x 40mm
2.5" LCD display
60mm x 15mm
2.7" LCD display
Website for advice
https://www.allflex. global/nz/
www.gallagher.com
www.shearwell.co.nz
www.livestock.tru-test. com
On-farm back-up service
Yes
0800 731 500, plus nine territory managers.
0800 Shearwell
Nine territory managers, livestock.tru-test.com/ en/contact-us
Retail price
$1800 + GST
Prices may vary, check local stores
$1450 Hard case extra $150
$2249 inc GST
Warranty length
1 year
1 year; 2 years if product is registered online
1 year
2 years
Country-Wide
March 2020
Tru-Test XRS2
39
At an annual cost of less than $200, owning your own tag reader makes sense.
Make compliance easier with your own tag reader COMMENT: TONY LEGGETT All four stick tag readers in our test performed well at reading NAIT tags in the ears of a mob of cattle in the race, either individually or in a group when used in continuous-read mode. They are robust and simple to operate, even for someone with limited experience. All four readers can upload tag information to a device that connects to the NAIT website to record movements or perform other compliance activities, such as registering NAIT tags that have been inserted in a mob of calves for the first time. What separates the readers is their capability to do extra actions and, to a small extent, their price. The Allflex and Shearwell (or entry level Gallagher and Tru-Test models) readers are ideal for a farm where small to medium numbers of cattle (or deer) movements take place in a typical year. The Gallagher and Tru-Test readers in our test have greater capability to deal
40
with more movement of mobs between properties or to slaughter, and can receive weight data on individual animals or mobs from a weigh scale unit via Bluetooth. But they cost slightly more and for some farmers, like those operating a low movement system, the extra capability may not be necessary. Both Gallagher and Tru-Test offer an entry level reader similar to the Allflex and Shearwell options. At a cost anywhere from $1450 to around $2250, the cost per year to own a tag reader is probably less than $200/year over a 10 year period. What is clear is the need for every farmer who has deer or cattle on their property to comply with their NAIT requirements, recording movements and registering animals. Owning your own reader is a no-brainer where you are moving stock on or off farm on a regular basis. Having your own reader where you are only sending stock to sale yards or slaughter (where tags are read on arrival) might seem extravagant or unnecessary. But you only have to
have one missing tag or one tag that isn’t registered to an animal that has arrived or been born on your farm, to realise how useful it would be to have scanned the animals in your own yard before they left the farm. Another benefit of having your own reader available is being able to read the tags of any animals as they arrive on the farm in the yards so you can check the data against the movement recorded on the NAIT system. This overcomes the issues that occur when the same line of stock is moved off the farm in the future, and an animal is not recorded as arrived on your farm. The decision to own, borrow or share a unit comes down to convenience and peace of mind. Every beef or deer farmer should have access to their own tag reader. They should be viewed as an essential onfarm biosecurity tool, supporting disease management and traceability. They also take the effort out of compliance and they offer 100% accuracy.
Country-Wide
March 2020
LIVESTOCK | CROSSBREEDING
Growing a wool clip that pays BY: JAMES HOBAN
C
orriedales may offer a solution to farmers looking to fine up their wool clip. That was the message from a workshop recently near Turangi. The day was organised by Richard Kells of Kells wool, in a bid to show farmers what could be achieved through crossbreeding with Corriedales. Richard has been impressed with his own first cross Corriedale/crossbred lambs and is keen to see more wool clients fine up their wool clip. Whareroa station hosted the day, after running a trial in 2019, putting two hundred composite ewes to 28 micron Corriedale rams. The net impact for the station has The half Corriedale cross lambs with their mothers.
RS420 STICK READER • Rugged design with lifetime warranty • Noise detection for improved readability • Easy to read in sunlight and darkness • Battery runs up to 8 hours • Ability to upload cross reference files • Identify animals in a mob for treatments and drafting • Available in standard 60cm length or extra long 90cm reach Available through all leading rural retailers nationwide
WE MAKE IT EASIER Country-Wide
March 2020
www.allflex.global/nz
41
Corriedale wool.
Keen to control the risk of Campylobacter? You’ve still got time, but it’s ticking... Remember, it’s not just maiden ewes at risk of campylobacteriosis. Your mixed age ewes are still at risk and need a booster shot of Campyvax4® every year. So when you’re thinking about vaccinating against abortion storms, be sure all your ewes are protected ahead of time, with Campyvax4. Order yours from your vet today.
MADE FOR NEW ZEALAND. CONTROL THE RISK OF CAMPYLOBACTER AVAILABLE ONLY UNDER VETERINARY AUTHORISATION. ACVM No: A009535. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd.
Phone: 0800 800 543. www.msd-animal-health.co.nz NZ/SPV/1217/0010a © 2020 Intervet International B.V. All Rights Reserved. 42
Country-Wide
March 2020
02165_MSD_CW_2
been positive with no drop in lambing percentage or January lamb weights but a reduction of two microns across the lambs. The first cross lambs weighed 32.4kg in January, which was no lighter than the composite lambs on the same property. Both the ewes mated to Corriedales and ewes mated to Romneys achieved 160% lambing. Hybrid vigour has helped the lamb survival and growth and there may be an opportunity for further micron reductions if finer rams are used. The 28 micron is at the stronger end of available Corriedale 2th rams. Based on the results to date, more Corriedale rams will be put to work at on Whareroa this year. With all Corriedale Stud flocks residing in the South Island, commercial rams have been sourced closer to home. The Roberts family at Timahanga Station breed some Corriedale rams for themselves as well as selling a small number of unregistered rams in the North Island. Richard would like to see clients try similar trials with a small number of ewes to build confidence in the performance and management of their flocks. He believes the results will please them and lead to change at a larger scale. Kells wool will run another event on reducing micron at the Hawke’s Bay Show in October.
LIVESTOCK | DISEASE MANAGEMENT
Bay gets TB control kick BY: TIM FULTON
Q
uestions hang over TB control in Hawke’s Bay after an outbreak forced disease management agency OSPRI to ramp up its activity in the area. TB has been detected in 29 animals in nine herds near the Napier-Taupo Rd since April 2019. OSPRI calls it a “small cluster” of infection but it’s a breakdown in an area previously free of the disease. TB-infected herds in New Zealand have fallen from 1700 in the early 2000s to 26 at June 2019. OSPRI says regional clusters of infection had been successfully managed during the past decade by containing and culling infected animals. Yet Country-Wide understands the last agency-funded TB control sweep of the affected northern Hawke’s Bay was in 2007. The region was budgeted for work several times since, only to be dropped.
Country-Wide
March 2020
Sources say this happened in 2012, 2015 and 2017. OSPRI declined to comment on this or to detail its northern Hawke’s Bay operations in the past 15 years, including control TB has been detected in 29 animals in nine herds method and operation dates. Nor near the Napier-Taupo Road since April 2019. would it comment on whether TB-infected wildlife had been confirmed in the area over this period. and native bush areas and livestock on In a statement, OSPRI chief executive Hawke’s Bay farms. Stephen Stuart said one herd in the “small OSPRI had expanded its regional office cluster of infection” has since been cleared in Napier to lead a response and would and wildlife surveillance and DNA straincontrol stock movements in the vicinity to typing indicates the source of infection prevent any spread of disease. OSPRI would was from wildlife north of the area. also expand the livestock movement He said bovine TB affected farmed cattle control area (MCA) in Hawke’s Bay from and deer and this infection was likely to March 1 to prevent any potential spread of have been introduced by possums from disease. wildlife in forest and native bush areas Disease managers and extension staff near farms. were working to support affected farmers This was indicated by DNA analysis of and communities, and contractors had the TB strain type, and by information accelerated planned possum control work from the national animal identification in all areas of possible disease risk. Staff and tracing programme NAIT. at OSPRI’s regional office in Napier would TB is a chronic infection, transmitted by hold information days later in February. possums, that moves slowly and does not Stuart said identification of disease was affect entire herds. Infection is managed by the TBfree programme in action. removing infected animals and continuing “We will manage this cluster of to test for TB until a clear status is infection and return Hawke’s Bay to TBreinstated with two clear tests. free status.” Cattle and deer heading for stock He said the success of the TB programme sales need to have returned a clear TB is based on identifying disease, containing test within 60 days prior to the date it with stock movement controls and of movement. Movements directly removing the disease from herds. to slaughter are exempt from these Possum control, TB testing and stock requirements. movement controls were the “three Stuart said part of OSPRI’s work through planks” in the TB eradication the TB-free programme was managing and programme. controlling possum numbers to prevent the transmission of disease between • More? OSPRI has set up a website page wildlife and livestock. Possum control www.ospri.co.nz/hawkes-bay-tb-response operations had been planned or brought to update disease management activity forward to interrupt the transmission of and upcoming possum control work in the TB between wildlife in neighbouring forest affected Hawke’s Bay area.
43
SPONSORED CONTENT | CLOVERZONE
Massive increases (80%) to hill country animal production.
A
s more sheep and beef are being finished on hill country, it has become more vital to improve pastures to get better results. The following numbers speak for themselves and the simple solution offered by Fertco could unlock excellent financial returns for farmers. Better feed quality and an extended seasonal pattern of feed supply from pasture are two of the critical requirements to achieve the additional 10kg meat sold per breeding ewe (or equivalent) for hill farm viability over the next 15 years (Fennessy et al. 2016). Nitrogen (N) is the nutrient most strongly limiting pasture growth in hill pastures, followed usually by phosphorus (P). A recent scientific study looked at the strengths of phosphate fertiliser and clover
44
cultivars in relation to hill pasture improvement. The paper, ‘The relative strengths of phosphate fertiliser applications and white clover cultivar introduction for hill pasture improvement’, was presented at the 2017 Grassland Association conference. The study included combinations of four Phosphate fertiliser rates and three pasture types with different white clover varieties. Combinations were compared in self-contained, replicated farmlets grazed by sheep over four years. The trial was done on the low-fertility no improvement hill-country at Ballantrae Hill Country Research station. White clover varieties were: The resident clover (first introduced in 1986), Huia and Tahora. Fertiliser rates: 0kg, 8.5kg, 22.5kg and 26.5kg/ha/ year of citric – soluble Phosphate. Grazing management ran on a two-paddock, two-week on two- week off system. Pasture covers were monitored on all plots and stocking rate adjusted to utilise pasture growth in a give and take type system. The results of this experiment showed both P fertiliser addition and white clover cultivar introduction significantly increased animal production (measured as liveweight gain/ha/year). There were no significant interactions between fertiliser inputs and pasture type for any of the variables. Fertiliser increased white clover herbage accumulate (HA) three to
Country-Wide
March 2020
SPONSORED CONTENT | CLOVERZONE
four fold, compared with the control treatment increasing total sward HA by 50%. The introduction of Tahora white clover increased white clover and total sward HA and nitrogen fixation compared with the resident and Huia-sown swards. Sheep liveweight gain was greater in all systems fertilised with P and in systems sown with Tahora. A mean 12% improvement in animal performance from the introduction of a persistent adapted clover cultivar, at low initial cost, appears to offer an economically viable strategy for improving hill land production. The three fertilised treatmens produced an average 80% greater liveweight gain/ha compared with unfertilised. The improved availability of soil N resulting from greater clover growth and higher N fixation stimulated the growth of more productive grass species such as perennial ryegrass: compared with low fertility-tolerant grasses such as browntop. Perennial ryegrass has the potential to grow more herbage on an annual basis and is more productive in winter when low pasture growth rates commonly limit stocking rates on hill swards.
“The three fertilised treatments produced an average 80% greater liveweight gain/ ha compared with unfertilised”.
reverted super) and particularly our unique product, Dical 8. One of the reasons for this preference of phosphate source is because it is “seed safe”. This phrase “seed safe” refers to the fact that Dical 8 is close to pH neutral, whereas other products such as superphosphate are highly acid at pH 1. It is of course the acid in superphosphate that burns seed and therefore renders it not suitable in a lot of cases to be blended with seed. Applying seed and fertiliser together makes sense as there are application savings to be made and a better seed spread is achieved. Two jobs are completed in one and the scientific paper points out the positive returns. Designed for a spread rate of 400kg per ha SS8 supplies 32 kg of phosphate, 28 of sulphur, 104 of calcium and 3kg of seed. At a cost of $215 per ha plus application. *Extracts from ‘The relative strengths of phosphate fertiliser application and white clover cultivar introduction for hill pasture improvement’, D.F. Champan, A.D. Mackay, B.P. Devantier, D.A. Costall and P.J. Budding.
For further information or to talk to a local Fertco consultant please call 0800 Fertco or visit www.fertco.co.nz
An extra 300kg of white clover dry matter (DM)/ha/year was grown in the Tahora-sown sward compared with the resident, but a further 1000kg DM/ha/year (approximately) came from other species present. When P fertiliser was applied, N fixation was 2.5-3.2 times greater than where no P fertiliser was applied. Enclosed cage measurements revealed a strong effect of fertiliser (P<0.001) driven by 45% higher total annual pasture HA in the treatments where P fertiliser was applied compared to the control treatment (mean of 10,530kg DM/ha for the three fertiliser inputs versus 7275kg DM/ha for control). The results of this experiment showed both P fertiliser application and white clover cultivar introduction significantly increased animal production. The statistical and absolute effect of fertiliser was much stronger and larger than the effect of white clover cultivar introduction: over four years, fertiliser application increased animal production by an average of 80% compared to the control (unfertilised) treatment, whereas the difference between the best clover cultivar (Tahora) and the pastures based on the resident clover ecotype was 12%. The P fertiliser effect was the outcome of a large increase in total white clover HA, increased N fixation, and an increase in total HA of nearly 50%. Because stock numbers allocated to each replicate of fertiliser were adjusted fortnightly according to the amount of pasture available for grazing, higher stocking rates were achieved on the fertilised pastures. This was the major driver of increased animal production. The recommendation of the study was that clover cultivar introduction as a compliment to fertiliser use, not as a replacement, remains valid and should be considered in any management decision concerning improvement strategies for hill land.
Seed and feed
Now that the scientific insight is understood, a solution needs to be developed. Fertco have therefore developed a product to allow farmers to tap into this production and profit benefit. SS8 combines seed-safe Dical 8 and Tahora white clover seed. Fertco’s preferred form of Phosphate for over 20 years has been Dicalcic Phospate (or
Country-Wide
March 2020
45
LIVESTOCK | ONFARM
Ewes compete with arable Breeding ewes remain the heart of the Bell family’s Corriedale operation at Mid-Canterbury’s Dorrie district. Sandra Taylor reports. Photos by Johnny Houston.
A
mongst the dairy and arable farms on the rich, irrigated soils of Mid Canterbury is a Corriedale ewe flock that is generating a solid return for the Bell family. David Bell (25) farms an irrigated 420ha sheep, cropping and dairy support operation alongside his mother Julie and sister Lizzie, in the Dorie district of Mid Canterbury. Better known for its dairy and intensive cropping farms, the district boasts rich Templeton Silt loam soils which are widely irrigated with water drawn from both the Rakaia river and underground water resources.
46
The Bell’s farm is no different, with five rotorainers and two centre-pivot irrigators giving them security around production and the ability to grow both grass and crops – namely process peas, feed barley, maize (for silage) and white clover. But where the Bell’s business differs is that breeding ewes remain at the heart of their operation and the combination of meat and mid-micron wool means that their 3200 high-performing ewes are holding their own against other land-use options. David is the third generation to be farming Corriedales and he has inherited a flock that has, over previous generations, been bred for reproductive performance, footrot tolerance and wool quality.
Combined with management strategies such as a split lambing, body condition scoring, intensive shepherding and lamb rearing, these high-performance ewes are lambing over 142% from a scanning of about 160-165% (last year they had only 1% dries) and weaning lambs of over 19kgCW. One of the idiosyncrasies of the Bells’ ewe flock is low lamb wastage and they put that down to management and the ewes’ maternal ability. David says it is early country so the family exploits this advantage by lambing the first lot of old ewes in July, the terminal sire ewes lamb a month later the replacement ewes in September.
Country-Wide
March 2020
While this stretches lambing out, it spreads both the risk of weather and the workload and means they can get the first lambs drafted in early November and old ewes finished and off the farm as quickly as possible. Body condition scoring (BCS) is a valued management tool for the Bells and the ewes are scored at or about weaning and every month thereafter. This allows them to pull out the lighter ewes and strategically feed them to ensure all the ewes are in optimal condition going into mating. Any ewes with a BCS below three are given good quality pasture supplemented with barley. David says the process of body condition scoring is quick and easy yet helps them drive productivity and make the most efficient use of feed resources. Ewes in peak condition are often run onto crop stubble, but that is the only integration between the sheep and cropping enterprises. The first lot of rams go out to the old ewes on February 20, the Suffolk, Suftex and Dorset Down Terminal Sires go the B-line and two-tooth ewes on 5 March and
Country-Wide
March 2020
REARING LAMBS Ian Bell strongly believed that every lamb counted and deserved a chance and the family continue with this philosophy, with Julie and Lizzie rearing any orphan or mismothered lambs. Last year they reared 80 lambs and have invested in a Heatwave lamb feeder through which they feed Sprayfo whey powder in solution.
the Corriedale rams go out to the A-line of ewes on 5 April. The terminal sire ewes are lambing in August which typically coincides with the start of the spring flush. David says while many of their pastures are older, they contain a lot of clover and this clover drives both lactation and lamb growth rates and gives them the ability to grow the big spring lambs for which the Canterbury Plains were once famous. The family has been buying Corriedale rams from Robin and Pip Wilson’s Wilfield Stud for 20 years and while David’s
Julie swears by the product and says they had no bloat last year which can be an issue in handreared lambs. The Heatwave warms milk for the lambs indoors and Julie is looking to streamline a system where they can get the lambs out onto grass and nuts a bit sooner, while giving them access to cold milk.
late father Ian was focused on footrot resistance, wool type and conformation, David is now also taking numbers into account. He says they initially select rams with a 1:1 footrot score and fleece of 26 micron and under – and then go through the figures. Fertility is well established in their ewe flock so it is just a matter of maintaining it, but they look at the figures for weaning weights, growth rates, fleece weight and eye muscle scores.
›› Irrigation lifts feed and micron p48 47
The Bells’ hogget wool is clipping an average 24.7 micron while the ewe wool ranges between 26.7 and 29.1 micron.
Irrigation lifts feed and micron
T
he recent expansion of their irrigation system has enabled the Bells to water the whole farm. The quality feed from irrigation has strengthened the wool slightly to 27-28 micron. They are looking to use genetics to bring it back down to about 26 micron. The ewes are wintered on feed crops, this year they have grown 20ha of Coleor kale and 10ha of swedes, but previously they have grown oats, turnips and kestrel kale. Old ewes are wintered on autumn-saved pasture. David says they used to take their top 90 two-tooth ewes (based on wool weights and type) and put them to a Corriedale ram for breeding replacements, but this meant another mob of ewes to manage and just complicated the system. “It was more trouble than it was worth as the two-tooths had to be wintered separately because they are still growing.” They select the replacements from the four-tooth ewes based on wool production
48
KEY POINTS • Corriedales compete with other land uses on irrigated 420ha • Meat and low micron from high performing ewes • Top management strategies employed • Early country spreads risk and increases returns
and the results of their first weaning. This year ewe lambs will be wintered on swedes along with 1000 trading lambs. The latter are finished on grass on the high, early spring schedule. They are aiming to grow the trading lambs out to a 22kgCW plus and these are sold prime in September and October. “We want the big ones,” says David. The trading lambs are sourced through agents in January and February and while they have no breed preference, they do want cryptorchids because of their ability to grow to heavy weights. This year they
have bought Romneys. All of the Bell’s prime lambs are processed at ANZCO Foods’ Ashburton plant. To support the ewes, the family have a robust animal health plan in place. The two-tooths are vaccinated against toxoplasma and campylobacter, the twinbearing ewes are given a Bionic capsule prelamb along with Covexin 10, the singlebearing ewes are given Covexin 5. All ewes also receive Frolic mineral drench which contains iodine and selenium both at mating and pre-lamb. For the first time last year, they setstock the ewes at lambing, but David isn’t convinced of its merits and thinks they will go back to shepherding off. He says it is an intensive time anyway, as they are going around the lambing ewes two to three times a day. As they age the fetuses for lambing, they are able to focus on the ewes lambing at any one time and save pasture by keeping the later lambing ewes on feed crops for longer.
Country-Wide
March 2020
Long lambswool valuable
M
id-micron wool has held its value in recent years, as prices for crossbred wool have wallowed in the doldrums. The Bells shear all their adult ewes at the end of November or early December, the Corriedale ewe lambs are shorn in January and the male Corriedale lambs are shorn just before they go to the processor. “Because our wool is worth something I want to maximise returns. “If I can add length to lambs’ wool then it is worth a lot,” says David. On the day Country-Wide visited the Bells, they had just received results of the auction of their 24.7 micron hogget wool and it sold for $8.39/kg with an average weight of 3.5kg. The ewes’ wool, which ranges between 26.7 and 29.1 micron, has sold for an average $6.40/kg and weighs around 5kg. Dave says wool weights average 4.2kg across everything - that is ewes and hoggets. Dave says these prices have eased slightly from a few years ago when the family topped with sale with their hogget wool selling for $10/kg. But the wool, when combined with the
Above: High value mid-micron wool make the Bell’s high performing Corriedales a competitive land use option.
value of prime lambs, makes the Corriedale ewes competitive. David and Julie strive to finish their lambs to heavy weights and their first draft of terminal sire lambs, taken in the first week of November, averaged 19.6kg and averaged $8.94/kg. The main weaning took place in midDecember and the lambs sold prime at this stage made $8.70/kg. Old ewes, which were weaned early,
were freshened up on late spring pastures and these averaged $151.50, with the tops selling for $180 and the lighter ewes making $80. Julie says they culled hard last year on mouth, udder and body condition. About 620 ewe lambs every year are retained which allows them to put culling pressure on their ewes.
›› Crops and dairy makes good mix p51
Proven Predictable Profitable • • • • •
Wairere is New Zealand’s most recognised brand in sheep genetics. The Wairere brand consistently achieves above market premiums for sale stock. Scale allows us to make faster genetic progress in the traits that are important to our clients. The Wairere reputation for mothering ability, bouncing back after tough seasons and hogget lambing are second to none. Whatever or wherever you farm, Wairere have sheep genetics that will suit your needs.
Derek Daniell with two tooth rams prior to sale in Nov
Top quality ram hogget sires representing the latest generation genetics, are available in Feb/Mar.
Making your sheepfarming easier and more profitable www.wairererams.co.nz | 0800 WAIRERE (0800 924 7373)) Country-Wide
March 2020
49
FACIAL ECZEMA
SEE YOUR VET
DEFENCE
TIME TO CHANGE YOUR CAPSULE TO THE DURABLE FACE-GUARD BOLUS THAT WON’T CRACK UNDER PRESSURE ™
A single application lasts up to 6 weeks with the option of topping up to give additional cover for longer periods.
P LU S BUY FACE-GUARD FOR YOUR CHANCE TO
WIN 2 PRIZE ND
$3,000
™
$7,000 VOUCHER
*
VOUCHER | 2 x BONUS
$500
VOUCHERS
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
faceguard.co.nz * TO LOAD YOUR ENTRIES
*See in store for terms and conditions. Face-Guard is a trade mark of the Bayer Group. Face-Guard™ is registered under the ACVM Act 1997. Bayer New Zealand Limited, 3 Argus Place, Hillcrest, Auckland 0627, New Zealand. www.bayeranimal.co.nz | 0800 927 733
50
Country-Wide
March 2020
Crops and dairy makes good mix
T
he family grow over 100ha of crops every year and while they have typically grown feed barley and process peas, this year they have added white clover and maize to the mix. David is focusing on renewing pastures in-line with the expansion of their irrigation development. This year they have over 100ha in crops, the majority of which are one-year crops so the paddocks will be put straight back into permanent pasture which is a mix of Persian clover, ryegrass, white clover, plantain and small amount Greenlea cockfoot. David says this mix spreads production of spring through into summer, with the cocksfoot performing well in the heat,
Country-Wide
March 2020
unlike the ryegrass. Also, as the ryegrass runs out, the cocksfoot will spread, filling in any gaps in the sward. Once they have sufficient area in new pasture, he would like the crop cycles to be longer before the paddocks are put back into permanent pasture. This is the first year the family has grown white clover for seed and maize for silage and the crops were looking good in early February. They get all their agronomic advice from Wholesale Seeds and while they do most of their own tractor work and heading, they do use contractors for spraying, spreading and some tractor work. Two years ago, David set out to transform an under utilised 60ha block that lay adjacent to their main farm area. It was a matter of completely clearing
This is the first year David has grown white clover as a seed crop.
51
Would you like the productive farm next to you to be blanket planted in pine trees? Would you like to lose your neighbours because forests don’t need farmers? Would you like to lose your school, rugby club and church because of the depopulation blanket forestry can cause? Would you like to see a meat processing plant closed because of inadequate stock? Are you happy with the fire risk, encouragement of noxious animals and lack of biodiversity blanket forestry can encourage?
Do you agree with the government refusing a Canadian company the right to buy a dairy farm while welcoming an Austrian countess blanket planting highly productive land? Do you think it’s rational refusing a foreigner to purchase a productive farm while welcoming another to take a farm out of production? Do you agree that blanket planting pine trees will mitigate climate change and make the world a better place?
If you’ve answered no to any of the above please join the fight against the blanket planting of productive farmland. It isn’t a case of the right tree in the right place but trees first production second. 50 Shades of Green was formed to ensure productive farmland stayed in production. We want New Zealand to continue as a food producing nation with the wealth that generates.
We’d like you to be part of us. By joining you can make a difference. w w w. 5 0 s h a d e s o f g r e e n . c o . n z the right tree, the right place
52
@50ShadesofGreen_NZ
/50shadesofgreen.nz
Country-Wide
March 2020
Ewes are wintered on irrigated feed crops.
One of the idiosyncrasies of the Bells’ ewe flock is low lamb wastage and they put that down to management and the ewes’ maternal ability.
Country-Wide
March 2020
old trees, fences and pastures and starting from a zero base. David has designed the area to be used for dairy support, installing cattle-yards and scales and creating 6-7ha paddocks with a main laneway. While it has the look of a dairy platform, sheep-netting has been used instead of the typical two-wire electric fences and this gives the Bells the option of grazing the area with sheep. The family took on 239 newly weaned dairy heifer calves last year from a neighbouring dairy farm. These were wintered on 31T/ha crop of fodder beet and David says they followed a strict protocol of transitioning the heifers onto this feed and had no health issues. During winter they were feeding no more than 2kg of silage/head/day to maximise beet intake and while weight gains over winter were about 600g/day, the heifers bounced away in spring, growing at over 1kg/day.
These heifers will stay on the Bells’ farm until May 1 and earlier this year they took delivery of 227 R1. The family employs two full-time staff. Simon Cochrane has been with the Bells for 20 years and Alan Mason for 25 years. They also employ an extra person over lambing to help out, but otherwise it is David and Julie who drive the business. David’s sister Lizzie has been an integral part of the team, but is moving to the North Island this year. David picked up the reins of the farm operation after his father Ian’s untimely death. He returned home with a Diploma in Agriculture and Farm Management under his belt, along with experience working in Australia, Canada and on a neighbouring farm. Like his father, the sheep are the aspect of the business he enjoys the most and the family is now reaping the rewards of sticking with Corriedales and breeding for performance.
53
LIVESTOCK | ANIMAL HEALTH
Off to market.
Rolling animal health plan In the first of a series covering late summer and autumn, Canterbury-based vet Ben Allott discusses topics you should consider as part of your sheep and beef animal health plan.
T
hese are not intended to be comprehensive reviews but rather to serve as quick reminders for discussions you should have with your advisers and other farmers over the coming weeks.
EWE UDDER DISEASE Recent work published out of Massey University has shown ewes tupped with a normal udder lost 12% of their lambs during the next lambing season while ewes tupped with an udder defect lost 30-40% of their lambs after lambing. In addition, lambs born from ewes with an udder defect will have lower pre-weaning growth rates – up to 35g/day. Uddering ewes a month after you have weaned lambs should become part of your summer animal management plan because carrying ewes with udder defects has now been shown to be very costly.
BOUGHT-IN EWES/MIXING AGE GROUPS? Over the years I have encountered many situations of high dry rates at scanning,
54
or high rates of abortion, where mobs of pregnant sheep from different sources have been mixed after tupping. There is often a suspicion that one of the groups of ewes was carrying a bug that the other group had never seen before. In many cases, sheep exposed to an abortion-causing virus or bug before they are tupped will develop immunity and will go on to have a normal pregnancy. However, if they are exposed to the bug for the first time while pregnant, high rates of pregnancy loss may occur. My standard advice if asked about when to mix bought-in stock, or when to mix different age groups that have been managed separately – “Either mix them up well before tupping, or keep them separate until they have lambed.”
THE FLUSHING EFFECT With many areas of the country now very dry, making the most efficient productivity gains with feed on-hand will be at the front of most farmer’s minds. A ‘rising plane of nutrition’ (a ewe gaining weight) for the 10 days before and 10 after the start of tupping
will result in a lift in ovulation rate. This increase in ovulation rate will be largest in ewes that are of low body condition score (BCS) while in ewes that are already well-conditioned the lift can be very small indeed. Many dryland farmers I have learnt from have had great success using brassica crops as autumn flushing feed.
TRACE ELEMENTS AND OVULATION RATE Both selenium and iodine are commonly discussed in relation to tupping performance. Supplemental iodine has been shown in multiple New Zealand trials to have increased the scanning percentage and to have reduced lamb wastage in flocks of low iodine status. Selenium deficiency has likewise been shown to play an important role in the fertility of sheep and the survival of lambs. There is no ‘one rule’ to suit all farms but if you have not investigated the trace element status of breeding sheep on your farm then now is the time to start looking into it.
Country-Wide
March 2020
TOP TIP Shared Google calendars for farm management plans. If you currently utilise a specialist farm management software platform then you already have this covered but for those of you that don’t, a low-cost option of sharing your farm management diary with staff, advisers, and business partners is to utilise Google calendars. Set-up a gmail account, e.g: bens_farm@gmail.com Input your farm management dates into the Google calendar that comes with this account. Google calendar allows you to link (share) these dates with the email account of anyone you want to. Simply google “How to share my google calendar” for a full list of instructions. Staff can then receive daily reminders, and can add appointments themselves, to one central electronic calendar that everyone is working from.
Below: Trade lambs and ewe hoggets on short pasture can quickly develop large parasite burdens.
TEASER RAMS If you haven’t used teaser (vasectomised) rams before then have a conversation with farmers in your circle about their experiences. Teasers can be used to trigger ewes into cycling, and to synchronise their ovulations. You need to get good advice about preparing ewes for a strong teaser effect and on the timing of teaser introduction relative to mating dates – don’t just wing it. Situations where I see opportunity around using teaser rams: Hoggets/two-tooth mating – young sheep have narrow cycling seasons and generally peak fertility is not reached until the third cycle of the season. Teaser rams can be used to trigger maidens into cycling earlier in the season and to ‘get rid’ of lower fertility ovulations before the true breeding season. Early mated terminal ewes – I have observed that cross-bred ewes mated in February often have higher dry rates and poorer take to the first cycle. Teasers can be very effective in improving the scanning performance of early mated ewe mobs. Synchrony – Teasers can be used to synchronise ewes and condense mating periods. This can be really useful (e.g: advance average lambing date without changing the start of lambing) but can also come with a few pitfalls (e.g: need for more ram power, very tight lambing pattern and susceptibility to spring storms).
FLY PROTECTION THROUGH MATING While conditions are dry, fly pressure is often very low and the risk easily forgotten. Fly strike, even extremely small spot-strikes, can have massive effects on dry rates in affected mobs. Prior to mating have a walk through each mob of ewes, consider their wool length, dag accumulation, and the areas of the farm
you are going to send them for tupping. When rain arrives on your property is the risk going to be high or low for each mob?
PRE-TUP VACCINATIONS The three common reproductive diseases of sheep that we vaccinate for are campylobacter (campy), toxoplasmosis (toxo) and salmonella. Have you put these vaccination dates in your diary AND have you ordered your product? Ring your vet ASAP if the answer is no.
DRENCHING SHEEP If you are a farmer who does not monitor faecal egg counts (FEC) and routinely drenches whole mobs of ewes prior to tupping, you need to discuss the risk of this approach with an experienced adviser. If you are a farmer who does not monitor ewe faecal egg counts and never drenches any ewe on the farm, you need to discuss the potential for lost productivity with an experienced adviser. If you don’t know the efficacy of the drench product you use on your farm against the six major internal parasites of sheep you need to find this out. I strongly recommend routine monitoring of FEC to guide informed decision making. Should you be drenching terminal ewes, maternal ewes, two-tooths, hoggets? How many in each mob, which ones, with what product? Look hard for a source of good advice, go to a Wormwise workshop and listen to switched on farmers in your district. Watch out for drought breaking and parasite surges in young sheep. Rain after a prolonged dry spell brings huge relief, the reassuring sight of a rapidly growing green pick, and some respite from months of dust. It often also brings with it a huge wave of internal parasite larvae. Trade lambs and ewe hoggets on short pasture can quickly develop large parasite burdens, often well before their FEC increases. Start watching young sheep closely 7-10 days following rain and be prepared to act quickly. Two-tooths, and older ewes are not immune from these effects either. Keep talking about how you might modify your current plan with your expert advisors if conditions throw you a curve ball. Want more detail? My number one recommended resource for preparing sheep for tupping is “Making Every Mating Count – Beef + Lamb NZ”. A full PDF can be downloaded online or request a copy from your local Beef and Lamb extension manager. • Ben Allot is a North Canterbury Vet.
Country-Wide
March 2020
55
LIVESTOCK | STOCK ANIMALCHECK HEALTH
Farmers are knowledgeable and open to sharing which is a huge strength of the industry.
NZ farming world class Trevor Cook made a mistake in his pasture management this spring and he is still suffering the consequences.
I
came out of the winter carrying just over 800kg per hectare of liveweight. With them being restricted the daily demand was around 16kg per hectare. That was lifted as pasture growth rates lifted and was over 25 by October. At that point half of them were sold into a beef herd as replacements and the plan was to bring it back to 800kg by purchasing calves. For various reasons, most of them being my not acting with enough urgency, those extra stock took three weeks to be all on. That meant three weeks of supply being over double the demand. The calves arrived to high green covers but these rapidly changed to high rank covers. Since then it has been a balancing act of keeping yearlings growing but consuming some of the excess while preparing some quality for their year young sisters. That difference in pasture eating capability between the two age classes is so exaggerated in this situation and makes a mockery of feed budgets based just on dry matter. Pasture growth rates
56
have dropped but the big pasture bank has provided some buffer. The power of small breaks and frequent shifts has been employed although it has meant that my January time off has been spent putting in new water troughs and running out heaps of poly wire. At least I now feel like being in control even if it does look like a mess. That activity has provided entertainment to urbanites who now surround this small farm. A network of sticks, strings and cattle being shifted every 48 hours has hopefully demonstrated that farming is not just about having animals wandering on pasture. A weakness in the primitive nature of my farming showed up when weighing them all up to prepare to destock. The long proven technique of writing the tag number and weight onto paper on a clip board has worked for years and still does work. Except that near the end this time a heifer jumped out of the race before being weighed. To get it back meant bringing some others into the work yard. It took a few minutes to get in control again but by then my recording sheet had been largely
consumed by a bovine mouth. I was left with pieces. It was one of those situations in which you get angry but you are conflicted by not knowing who to get angry with. A small time out was needed to get into the head space to start again. While this was going on I was also consumed by helping host two large groups of European farmers, half were sheep and beef and the rest dairy. They were exposed to farms, service providers, product outlets, industry bodies and a university. Their response to this exposure has been exceptional. They expressed almost wonderment at the farming systems that they saw, the knowledge that farmers had and their willingness to share that. They were amazed with the level of technical support that farmers get, such as oversight of their forage programmes. They could not believe the true cooperative nature of our nationwide farming product outlet company. The way that the levy funded industry bodies interacted with its farmer members and worked at a practical level with them they found almost fascinating. And to cap it off to rub shoulders with university people who were happy to share and who came across as being very close to farmer needs left them highly impressed. This has highlighted that we have extremely effective farming industry structures that link all aspects and with them all serving to support and grow the industry, almost unique on the international scene. Given the response from these farmers and from my observations with my overseas work we do have a very special industry which we largely take for granted and do complain a lot about. I think that we are extremely well served by technical expertise which is very easily accessed. The standout for me is the seed and forage services. Those companies have some very talented advisors who are always available to farmers. The European visitors could not believe that the advice that farmers were getting about their crops was free. Of course some of that cost is in the price of the seeds, but that seed seller gets a lot a kudos being associated with a good crop. Or is it more that the damage from being associated with a poor crop. A real feature of our agricultural industries is how tight they are. All sectors of them are close and most work together. Farmers being the cornerstone of all of those, are so knowledgeable and so open to sharing it.
Country-Wide
March 2020
NEW
r e b i r c s b Su Offer RRP
cl GST $449 in
The Stanley 12-Volt pump spot/ broadcast sprayer
from
115
$
Key Features: • 60L Tank • 12V 8.3 LPM open flow Stanley on-demand pump provides faster priming and longer life; 70 PSI max • 100% continuous duty rating Honeywell MICRO SWITCH™ for enhanced durability and efficiency Santoprene™ diaphragm and Viton® valves have superior reliability and chemical resistance • Unique pressure switch design slowly cycles the pump for less switch and motor wear • Quick connect ports for easy changes • Proprietary tank design features extra-thick walls made with a special chemical -and UVresistant polymer • Single nozzle broadcast lance sprays a 4.2m swath with no boom arms to break • Large droplets for minimal drift
Incl GS
T
Subscribe to Country-Wide for 12 months or longer and go in the draw to
WIN 1 of 3 Stanley Sprayer’s
Stanley 12-volt Pumps and Sprayers are available from Perkinz Farming Products https://shop.perkinz.co.nz/
One 60L Stanley 12-Volt pump spot/broadcast sprayer to be drawn each month. All new and renewing subscriptions bought between January and March 2020 will automatically go in the draw. *Open to NZ Subscribers only
www.nzfarmlife.co.nz Email: subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz Country-Wide
March 2020
Phone: 0800 224 782 or 06 280 3161
57
CROPS & FORAGE | IRRIGATION & DEVELOPMENT
The 30ha of fixed-grid irrigation is configured so it can be easily adapted for horticulture. In comparison to pivots, the fixed grid system operates at a faster return rate and has a lower instantaneous application rate.
Future-proofing development BY: LYNDA GRAY
P
roposed water quality regulations are influencing plans at Tim and Kirsten O’Sullivan’s Sustainable Prospects development near Alexandra . While some are sitting tight to wait and see exactly how and when the regulations unfold, Tim’s looking at ways to future-proof the land and irrigation developed over the last five years. He suspects that any regulation changes will bring readjustments on the beef and dairy grazing system and in the longer term could mean fewer cows and more specialist crops. A trial for one potential high value specialist crop, hemp, is already in the ground. The onehectare block is strictly experimental to see if the environment is suitable. “It could be an opportunity and we’re having a go but it’s complicated because a viable future would probably mean processing and value-adding which is not really what we want to be involved in.” Another specialist crop they’re growing
58
for the first time is carrot seed in a shared risk contract with Midlands Seed. A 26ha block was sprayed out pre-Christmas and direct drilled by Midlands Seeds in late January for harvest in March/April 2021. Tim is also considering horticulture crops to add diversity and because of the likely challenges with future water quality regulations. The block is well placed for horticulture given the nearby vineyard and stone fruit orchards. He took the first steps towards horticulture during development of the McArthur’s block installing 30 hectares of fixed-grid irrigation in the South-east corner that could easily be adapted for an orchard system. However, the lag time till commercial production and the expertise needed to for such a system are the obvious financial snags. “We could be looking at a lead time of six years until production so that raises another question of how to fund it.” A joint venture could be the answer but is not a track he wants to go down at this stage.
AT A GLANCE • • • •
Sustainable Prospects Tim and Kirsten O’Sullivan Stock Manager: Pete Copeland A 700ha land and irrigation development started in 2015 on gently sloping flats and shallow gullies at McArthur’s Ridge, Springvale, near Alexandra, Central Otago. • Av rainfall: 300-400mm. • Cattle finishing/dairy support and specialist crops. Two blocks • Lone Pine: 372ha northern half; four full-circle centre-pivots, and four smaller half pivots. • MacArthur’s: 324ha southern half; 30ha of fixed-grid irrigation. 2020 livestock wintering: • 1260 R1 & R2 heifers • 4000 mixed-age dairy cows from late May until early August 2020 winter crop: • 100ha fodder beet • 30ha kale
Country-Wide
March 2020
Maximum profit for cashflow
O
ver the past five years the O’Sullivans have developed an irrigated dairy support, cattle finishing and crop system on high lying dryland terraces near Alexandra. The development comprises two blocks. Lone Pine is where irrigated crop and grass feed dairy cows over the winter and dairy bulls from spring until autumn. The McArthur Block at the southern end is used predominantly for growing cereal crops for grazing and winter feed. The O’Sullivans goal is to maximise Lone Pine’s profitability to generate cashflow so it can stand on its own feet. However, the money-making goal has been tempered with due respect to the sustainable use of fertiliser, seed and water. Their efforts to balance profitability with sustainability were rewarded last year with the winning of the soil management, agri-science and integrated management categories of the Otago Ballance Environmental Awards. A good example of their approach is the growing and management of fodder beet
to maximise drymatter production while minimising soil and crop damage in the exposed wind-prone environment. Another example is the banding of compound fertiliser five centimetres either side and below the seed which has reduced fertiliser application to about 125kg/ha. Microbial stimulants are also used to reduce the risk of disease. Another well thought out aspect of crop management is the 30ha of kale planted out in 20 paddocks at the end of each alternate paddock of beet. The strategically planted kale means cows can be moved easily on and off over the 20 days of transitioning. It also minimises stock movements between crops therefore mitigating the risk of M. bovis spread should an outbreak occur. Tim transitions with kale rather than silage and kale because it’s cheaper to grow and easier to feed. This year 20ha of the later-sown beet was under sown with oats. It was an experiment to see if the cereal would help prevent wind damage while the fodder beet seedlings
were at a vulnerable stage. It’s been successful although it took careful planning around the application of sprays. The oats were broadcast six days before the fodder beet was drilled and sprayed out once the beet had three or four true leaves. Even when dead on the ground the oats helped protect the soil surface. The area of beet grown has increased in line with irrigation development during which the yield has improved to an average of about 26t/dm/ha. It’s high cost to grow at $2,500/ha and Tim says he wouldn’t risk growing it without reliable irrigation. The planning, establishment and management is largely the responsibility of Wholeseeds rep Tom Bird who makes weekly visits once the crop is in the ground. He uses AgWorld management software to keep track of growth, fertiliser and sprays and can easily share this with Tim and livestock manager Pete Copeland. This year’s crop is likely to be back on yield due to the cold and late spring, so inputs were adjusted accordingly with less herbicide and more fertiliser. Tom gets to see first-hand the results of his management efforts, helping with some of the break feeding of stock over winter. The farming season is roughly split between the growing, management and harvest of crops from November until April, then winter prep and feeding. This year Tim has winter grazing arrangements for a total of 4000 mixed-age dairy cows from four dairy operations in Southland, West Otago and South Otago who will transition on to beet over 20 days. About 1260 R1 & R2 heifers will also graze the beet. They arrive at 100kg liveweight in December and spend two winters before returning home in time for calving. Rising two-year Friesian bulls are taken on as well, depending on the feed situation. They arrive in May and winter on a selffeed silage bun. They’ll graze pasture from late August and be finished by December. Left: Tom Bird, Wholesale Seeds rep monitors the fodder beet crop regularly. Lac-timo is grown for dairy heifers and dairy-beef bulls, and Troya for dairy cows.
›› Drawn by southern prospects p60 Country-Wide
March 2020
59
Drawn by southern prospects
S Above: Tom Bird and Tim O’Sullivan in the experimental hemp paddock. Below: Cattle like the diverse diet of the mixed species pastures but care is necessary with irrigation to avoid over-watering which can suppress growth of the dry-land species.
60
ustainable Prospects is a blank canvas development started in 2015. Before that Tim, a Lincoln graduate and the 2009 Young Farmer of the Year winner, owned and operated Sustainable Water, an Ashburton-based company specializing in irrigation and effluent pond liners. Keen for a farm development challenge, but without the financial backing for the $20,000 to $30,000/ha price tag on a lot of Canterbury country, the O’Sullivans headed south looking in the wider Clutha catchment. They settled for 700ha of sloping flats and shallow gullies at McArthur’s Ridge, about 15 minutes north-west of Alexandra. A pointer to the block’s productive potential was the neighbouring vineyard developments, and a further incentive was the proposed Dairy Creek Irrigation Scheme which was commissioned in December 2017. The scheme draws 1,050l/s from the Dairy Creek inlet on the east bank of Lake Dunstan and is pumped up 140 metres to the boundaries of shareholders on the terraces of the lower Manuherikia valley. The scheme is a joint venture between the Dairy Creek Irrigation company, a group of 15 landowner shareholders, and Pioneer Energy. The shareholders pay $720/ha annually and a variable charge based on consumption. Reliable water has transformed the area, as well as contouring and subdivision. A drone was used to get an accurate contour plan for irrigation then the ground was levelled by smoothing out the steeper gullies to a 10 – 12 deg slope maximum. Paddock configuration is designed for easy management and based on a dairy farm system. They are set up in 55-metrelanes, about 900 metres in length and water troughs are regularly placed to make back-fencing possible. Hotwires break up each paddock and are easy and fast to shift due to the narrow width of the lanes. Mixed species pastures including grasses (perennial ryegrass, fescue, prairie, timothy); clovers and multiple herbs (chicory, plantain, phacelia) come on stream at different times of the year and provide a diverse diet. The name, Sustainable Prospects came from the accountant, without a great deal of thought beyond the word connection with the irrigation business, Tim says. But in hindsight it’s a name that reflects the management practices used during and post-development. For Tim the results of the project - a land platform with potential for both agricultural and horticulturalhas been both challenging and satisfying.
Country-Wide
March 2020
CROPS & FORAGE | REGULATIONS
Getting to GMP with irrigation Farm Environment Plans are an increasingly common requirement, especially for those irrigating, and good management practice (GMP) is required to pass FEP audits. Andrew Swallow reports from a workshop with Irrigation New Zealand’s national technical manager Steve Breneger on how to achieve GMP with irrigation.
A “
ll the gear; no idea!” It’s a comment you’ll sometimes hear on a skifield, golf course or cycle track, but it can equally apply to irrigation, Irrigation New Zealand’s national technical manager Steve Breneger warns. “A guy with VRI (Variable Rate Irrigation) and a centre pivot who doesn’t know how to use it is just as bad as a guy with an irrigation gun, in fact worse, if the guy with the gun knows how to use it,” he told a recent workshop at South Canterbury’s Opuha Water Limited (OWL). The latest technology also must be installed and commissioned correctly for it to deliver improvements in efficiency promised in the sales pitches but a survey of more than 200 systems in Canterbury over the past three years found all too often that’s not been done. INZ has been on a mission since to see that suppliers follow-up sales with a commissioning service to ensure systems do what they’re supposed to do. At the same time, it’s been running workshops around the country to bring irrigation operators up to speed with how to achieve good management practice with whatever system they run. There are five core areas: system efficiency; system capacity; calibration; justification; training and recording.
SYSTEM EFFICIENCY System efficiency can only be measured if a system has been designed to a performance standard, with the efficiency being how it performs relative to that standard. Checking performance with a formal commissioning process on installation is vital.
Country-Wide
March 2020
Variable rate irrigator.
“If you’re spending half a million dollars on a pivot I’d want evidence it can do 5mm applications and all the other things you’ve bought into,” Breneger says. An irrigation system is only brand new for one day in its life so it’s really important performance is checked prior to practical use, he adds. Efficiency can only be quantified on older systems if a performance standard for their operation is available. Bucket tests should be done to check what’s actually being delivered. Do not rely on flow or pressure readings. Breneger says there are standard test procedures for every type of system. See https://www.irrigationnz.co.nz/
Steve Breneger.
61
PracticalResources/GMP/Overview System efficiency is different to water use efficiency, the latter being how much of applied irrigation is used by the pasture or crop it is applied to. The national target is 80% or more and system capacity, the second of those five core GMP areas, will determine whether that’s achievable.
to its “McDonald’s arches” distribution uniformity, Breneger says. “The application intensity is terrible at the edges of the run.”
CALIBRATION (AND MAINTENANCE)
SYSTEM CAPACITY A system’s capacity will determine the range of application depths it can deliver, at what uniformity, and what intensity. Capacity needs to be tuned to soil, topography and land use so infiltration rates and soil water capacity are not exceeded but crop demands are still met. For example, on deep, finely textured soils, even flood irrigation can be highly efficient if well designed and managed, but if soil water holding capacity is limited, such as on a shallow or sandy soil, flood becomes highly inefficient. Whether a system delivers on its capacity also depends on how well it’s managed and maintained. “Look at it every once in a while and ask yourself: is it working well?” A frequent cause of poor performance on pivots and laterals is nozzles replaced with whatever was on the ute or quadbike at the time. The difference between a number 30 and 35 nozzle might not sound very much, but the flow-rate leaps from 32 litres/minute to 45L/minute respectively, he says. Side-roll, drip, and micro irrigation systems are, by design, highly efficient and even K-line and guns can be managed to achieve 80% WUE, but the one system in common use that can be challenging to manage to that level is Rotorainer due
To achieve GMP, calibration and maintenance of an irrigation system is “not just checking oil and tyres.” For pivots, speed calibrations are a common fault and need checking. Nozzle wear is another area to watch, especially after 10-12,000 hours use. Typically, in Canterbury, pivots run for about 2000 hours/year so expect to replace nozzles every five years, Breneger says. As a rule of thumb, greater than 20% variation in output between a representative sample of nozzles taken from along the machine signals wear is reaching an unacceptable level. Nozzle wear increases further along pivots as sediment gets carried to the ends and flow rates are higher, but Breneger recommends replacing nozzles as a set, rather than piecemeal, “otherwise it gets really messy” trying to keep track of what was done, and when. Wear of the sprinkler regulators on pivots and laterals is driven by age rather than amount of use because corrosion continues whether the pivot is running or not.
JUSTIFICATION The minimum justification for irrigation expected for GMP is a water balance sheet, taking account of soil available water capacity, rain, irrigation, and evapotranspiration. Ideally, some
FIVE STEPS TO GMP
1
2
3
4
5
SYSTEM EFFICIENCY
SYSTEM CAPACITY
CALIBRATION
JUSTIFICATION
TRAINING & RECORDING
Buy systems from INZ accredited suppliers and insist on a robust commissioning process.
Can it meet pasture and crop needs without losses?
Is the system set up and operating correctly?
Do you have a robust, documented system for determining when to start and stop irrigation?
Do irrigation system operators know how to use it and understand irrigation principles? Are good management records kept?
62
WORKSHOP ONE OF MANY Breneger said he’s run about 30 workshops a year like the Opuha Water one for the past couple of years, with about 800 attendees/ year. About 20% are service industry personnel or consultants and the balance farm irrigator operators. “There are about 13,000 irrigating farmers in New Zealand, 99% of which would be farmscale,” he told Country-Wide. About a million hectares of NZ could be irrigated and 805,000ha of that is now watered. Not much of the remainder will ever be irrigated, he believes. “It’s the old 80:20 rule – the first 80% is easy and the last 20% is increasingly hard to do… It won’t matter if there’s a change of Government. What’s left to do comes with inherent problems.” allowance for forecast rain should also be made. “If forecasts are unreliable your policy might be to shut off when rain starts, or if the probability of the rain forecast is over 90%... It’s just proving that you’re putting some thought into your irrigation and not just going outside and saying ‘Yep, let’s go!’.” Soil moisture sensors are good tools, but should not be relied on in isolation. Nor should signs such as grass going crinkly in the heat of the day. “Provided it comes back when it cools down that’s not necessarily a sign you need to irrigate.”
TRAINING AND RECORDING Whatever the trigger is for a decision to irrigate, it needs to be recorded to achieve GMP, as does the reason to switch off. “You need a one-liner on why you made each decision.” Other records expected are time, date, irrigation applied, rain (if any), and location. Operators of irrigators should understand how to operate the systems they work with and any training undertaken to achieve that should be logged. “If you can show you are doing all these things (1-5), then you’re achieving GMP,” Breneger concluded at the OWL workshop.
Country-Wide
March 2020
CROPS & FORAGE | SOILS
Maximise crops and pastures Are you getting the best out of your soil? This time of year is a good time to check what’s beneath your feet, Euan Lock writes.
W
e all know quality soil is the key driver to optimising pasture and crop production, but with a busy life onfarm, it can be easy to overlook that this valuable resource must be nurtured in order to preserve it. Now is a good time to check the condition of your soil to optimise pasture and crop production before you begin resowing summer crop paddocks into perennial pasture over the next month or so. Have you previously noticed new pastures sown into cultivated paddocks struggle to persist, pull out, or pond water in wet conditions? This could be the result of damage to soil structure that has occurred on ash, sandy loam, clay and silt soil types that have been ploughed and power harrowed during crop establishment. The power harrow, in particular, creates a fine seed bed, but in the process pulverises soil structure, damaging life in the soil.
This can result in soil that is hard, compacted and layered. When dug up, pieces of soil are solid and hard to break. Roots struggle to penetrate the hard layers, which get even harder during dry conditions in summer and early autumn. Ryegrass can’t grow roots deep enough to get water further down the soil profile, they struggle to survive and easily pull out, as seen in this image. In contrast, soils that have been uncultivated for a long time, more than 20 years, and grazed by livestock, develop very good soil structures, providing they are not badly damaged by pugging and compaction during grazing in wet conditions. A paddock that has not been cultivated for a long time, shows soil that is porous, plants that are deep-rooted, no hard lumps, and soil structure and biology are intact. This type of soil crumbles into fine particles if dropped on the ground. We should all be aiming to have, and keep, soils in this optimal condition.
Top: Good soil structure. Above: Layered soil with solid lump to the left.
The best alternative to cultivation is no tillage, cropping and regrassing. Pastures that have been uncultivated for a long time make a very good seed bed, ideal for direct drilling new pasture or crops. There are farmers successfully growing maize, chicory and brassicas using no till methods. It is important to follow guidelines from seed company representatives on successful practices to fertilise your soils or minimise pests. If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to assessing the condition of your soil, there are some great visual soil assessment guides available online. One I recommend is on the Bioagrinomics website. But if you’re more of a video person, check out Barenbrug Agriseeds video ‘Soils been pugged or overworked’ on their Facebook page. For more information on how to get the most from your pasture and crops, visit dairynz.co.nz/pasture-management. • Euan Lock is a DairyNZ consulting officer based in the Waikato.
Above left: Poor pasture persistence and pulling. Above right: Power harrowed soil breaking into layers.
Country-Wide
March 2020
This article was first published in NZ Dairy Exporter February 2019.
63
CROPS & FORAGE | MANAGEMENT
Some farmers have moved away from breeding stock to give greater flexibility over summer.
How to deal with droughts BY: TOM WARD
A
mid the difficulties caused by floods in Southland two weeks ago, those who live on the east coast of the South Island were pleased to get 20-30mm of rain. To be fair some us were just pleased to get respite from high temperatures, but for those on the land the moisture should be a real help. That moisture, on one farm I looked at mid week, penetrated 12cm. However, summer is far from over, and February could still be brutal. In South Canterbury, some dryland farms are very short, and these farms, even with very good moisture conditions through February and March, will still be playing catchup in April. There is simply not enough leaf area to allow the pasture to grow fast. Contrast that with many of the unirrigated winter crops which, with good leaf area, have continued to grow well even through the dry January we have just had. Even though
64
they may have been sown in December, and especially if the ground was sprayed off in the spring to create a summer fallow to conserve soil moisture, these paddocks have grown well. The key point here is leaf area. An example of what intercepting all the sunlight can do, comes from the apple industry. Most apple orchard structures allow about 60% of light to be intercepted; with 85-90% of light intercepted yield would increase 100%. My point is farmers need to de-stock (and possibly supplement) earlier. Some have moved away from breeding stock to give greater flexibility over summer. Another observation of over grazed pastures is that the root systems are too shallow, a sign of poor species unable to access soil moisture. These poor species have dominated due to earlier overstocking in droughts killing the pastures species which produce the quantities of stock feed needed to sustain a viable farm system. Deeper rooting grasses like cocksfoot and tall fescue, and legumes like red clover, sub clover and lucerne, can access deeper soil
moisture, growing substantial amounts of feed in early to mid-summer. They do however need good grazing management.
FEEDING SUPPLEMENT If short of grass, you should have started supplement feeding by now, and it goes without saying all de-stocking options have been exercised. Costs of typical supplements suited to feeding to ewes in South Canterbury are: Grass balage 30c/kgDM, assume 10 MJME/kg DM, 3c/MJME. Barley grain $400/tonne delivered ex stock firm, assume 12.5 MJME/kgDM, 3c/ MJME. Another source of supplement is grazing off, which would be difficult to obtain, however there are cropping farmers buying lambs already, because they have irrigated feed set aside for use before crops have been harvested. Applying urea is probably not an option yet. However another good wetting later in the month could see a very good response, about 14c/kg DM.
Country-Wide
March 2020
Left: Cropping farmers are buying lambs already, because they have irrigated feed set aside for use before crops have been harvested.
If you are considering feeding ewes barley grain there are some issues to consider: • Animals will need access to good quality water. • Barley is low in fibre so roughage is also necessary. Good quality hay may be sufficient, however for significant liveweight gains quality balage or silage with a minimum ME of 10 is preferable. • Feed the barley in a line, starting with 50g/ewe/day. To avoid gorging, keep the line short enough initially so that those animals that like the grain do not have the opportunity to go back for a second feed. Lengthen the line as the shy feeders get into the grain. As part of this training process, it would help if some of the 2-tooth ewes were fed a small amount of grain. • Expect to waste 10% of the feed. • The maximum that can be safely fed is a moot point with some professionals not going beyond 200 g/ewe/day.
My view is 500-600 g/ewe/day, if introduced carefully, and monitored properly can be safely fed. The point here is that tupping is only six to seven weeks away. If you have ewes that require a 0.5-1 body condition score (BCS) gain in that time, that is a 5-9kg liveweight gain. Breaking it down further, the ewes will need an average total increase of 7kg liveweight, or 140 grams/ewe/day over 50 days, which would require 17 MJME/ewe/ day for a ewe weighing 55kg. The feed requirements, assuming you have little spare grass, would be: Feed available: Barley MJME 12.5/kgDM Balage MJME 10/kgDM Daily feed required: Silage 1kgDM 10 MJME Barley 600g 7 MJME Total 17 MJME
It will take at least two weeks to get the sheep to a 500-600g/day barley feeding level so you will have your work cut out to get the liveweight gains you want before tupping. This also highlights the need to be very clear with your farming systems. If your farm is regularly summer dry, my suggestions are: • Wean on ewe BCS 3.0-3.5 – it is cheaper to maintain BCS than to put it on. • Look to sell lambs at the same time each year – the earlier the better, and when there is still good feed levels and feed quality. • In a good season make silage if you can – store it for a dry summer. A feed budget is very important. If you are hit by drought, you need, in addition to getting through it, to be clear on how you will recover when the weather breaks. And you need to know what your pasture cover needs to be at May 1, (ie early winter). So when the drought breaks I suggest you will continue feeding supplement while the farm recovers, keeping the ewes on as long a rotation as possible; this is the most profitable time for feeding supplement. • Tom Ward is an Ashburton-based farm consultant
INTERNATIONAL AGRIBUSINESS SUMMIT 2020 23 March, 2020 | Christchurch, Town Hall
A FAST PACED SOLUTION FOCUSED EVENT Learn from global experts about adapting business models to the challenges facing agri-business. Start the New Year inspired! Register at nuffield2020.com/agribusiness-summit
Country-Wide
March 2020
65
ENVIRONMENT | BIODIVERSITY Left: Grazing and active farmer stewardship have been removed to the detriment of the environment.
H
High country leads the way Farmers of high country, especially pastoral lessees, have probably spent more time than most downcountry farmers when it comes to planning the management of indigenous biodiversity and putting it on paper. Country-Wide writer Joanna Grigg reports on why other farmers could learn from them.
66
igh country farmers step through the yard gate into a landscape with indigenous species underfoot and as the dominant visual backdrop. They are experienced at dealing with regulations around indigenous biodiversity. The layers of regulations include having outstanding landscape planning definitions attached to land and a requirement to seek approval from the Crown for development on their farm. Then there are territorial level rules (council level) which require resource consent for certain land activities. Downcountry farmers typically encounter just one layer of regulation. And the layers are changing again. The Proposed Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy, open for submissions, will look to change and unify the territorial regulations that landholders work under. Like many landowners, Philip Todhunter, Lake Heron Station, Canterbury, is still wading through the recently released fine print of the draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity. He will be making a submission on behalf of the Todhunter’s farming and tourism businesses, and will have input into the submission from the High Country Accord, of which he is chairperson. The High Country Accord represents a group of 462 pastoral lessees who hold perpetually renewable Crown leases. On a personal level, Todhunter encourages farmers to make a submission and explain the biodiversity enhancement and protection work they currently do. He suggests that New Zealand needs farming in the high country and other areas, to both fund and carry out biodiversity work. “There are also many areas where grazing and active farmer stewardship has been removed to the detriment of the environment.” “Council and government budgets struggle to keep up with weeds and pests on their land; look at the willow, gorse and broomchoked lowland rivers as examples.” He believes a profitable land-based enterprise is the best funder of weed and pest control, which is one of the keys to protecting indigenous biodiversity. Lake Heron was surveyed as part of
Country-Wide
March 2020
WILDING CONIFERS The NZ Wilding Conifer Management Strategy (2014-2030) estimates conifers cover 1.8 million hectares and expand at a five percent spread rate (90,000 ha/ year). Costs are accelerating each year despite 1.4 million hectares of control work in 2018. Submissions on the indigenous biodiversity proposal close March 14.
Above: Away they go. Wilding conifers in the Mackenzie Basin.
historic Rapid Assessment Programme (RAP) and Significant Natural Area (SNA) mapping, including work by ecologists. Many areas on the property have been incorporated in the Ashburton District Plan. The new draft Policy Statement calls for mapping of all land within five years to identify SNAs. “Will this mean mapping it all again?” The proposal is to map and classify SNA’s with new definitions (high and medium value) and apply the effects management hierarchy when considering new activities in these areas. The expectation is that it will be very difficult to proceed with activities with the way the hierarchy is listed. “Where will this leave farm activities?” He said areas that were not SNAs could qualify under the new definitions because of their sheer high naturalness values, such as having areas of matagouri, snow tussock and native forest. Todhunter said much of the high country has been conservatively farmed, with some areas intensified, but this has
Country-Wide
March 2020
helped fund rabbit and other pest and weed control work, and keep farming families on the land. Recent initiatives by landholders in the accord have been voluntary reductions in sheep numbers on summer country, rotational grazing instead of set-stocking and minimal grazing of wetland areas. He said at Lake Heron they were very mindful of the intactness of the landscape and understand the limits to their production. “We are conscious of our special landscape and environment and proud of it.” Todhunter is against weighting indigenous biodiversity values ahead of the farming proposition as a blanket rule. He would prefer they are weighted equally, with a farm environmental plan to show how biodiversity values won’t be affected detrimentally by farm activities. “Also, the community needs to work alongside farming families on a catchment approach.” Having visitors and wool buyers across and through high country stations
makes farmers keenly aware of external perspectives of farm practices, he said. “Farmers have the discipline of the market. Our customers require good environmental stewardship and this will become an important factor in our ability to sell our products.” He said high country leasers have double checks and balances on their farm business. “The government as their landlord and also local and regional government regulations, plus market expectations.” The accord favours a direct approach when working with policy makers, inviting them onto high country stations to show them the issues first hand. Todhunter said they took politicians and officials on to their farms to help them understand the implications of policies. It was an important learning experience for everyone. “It’s not until they see first-hand and gain an understanding of how a whole property is managed, do they appreciate the consequences of getting the regulations wrong.” Wilding conifer spread is a significant land management concern. In 2019, ag minister Damian O’Conner and policy makers were taken on an aerial visit to view infestations in the Mackenzie Basin. “The infestations are vast; spreading up into high altitude rocky country and are a huge biodiversity issue for the high country.” He said the issue was well understood. The challenge is gaining sufficient funding and resources to effectively control wilding conifers.
67
ENVIRONMENT | LAND MANAGEMENT
Environmental plan – problem or opportunity? BY: CHRIS LEWIS
S
GHG ome New Zealand farmers Profile have had environmental Business Nutrient management forced upon Plan Management them. In other parts the rules about environmental Freshwater compliance are still to be ratified. So, Biodiversity INTERGRATED Module some farmers are grumpy about being FARM pushed into something that is beyond PLANNING their control while others are annoyed People with the inconvenience of uncertainty. Biosecurity Welfare It is fair to say the majority of farmers do want their operation to be Animal QA sustainable; physically, financially and Welfare Traceability environmentally. But, in the absence of clear boundaries and expectations NZ farmers are reluctant to implement policy changes and capital investment. integrated farm planning process does for It is noted that Government has stepped in a farmer. with the National Freshwater Policy which An IFP links the critical elements of the puts bottom lines in for regional councils farming business together, see the attached to match or exceed. This will help but until diagram. these new rules are ratified, uncertainty The IFP process requires farmers to know remains. what their environmental footprint is now, In the face of this how do farmers take a and what it will look like in five years. And “cup half full” approach to environmental where the business is now, and where it planning? BakerAg believe if you put the wants to be in 20-30 years. environmental plan in as a component This requires two things ASAP. of Integrated Farm Planning you build a • Complete an enviro walk and mapping navigable pathway. In turn the Integrated of the property. This informs a checklist Farm Plan (IFP) becomes an asset to the of physical areas which require attention business because it brings the critical (e.g: critical source areas or opportunities information and intellectual property into for planting vegetation or establishing one place. wetlands). Farmers can choose to be proactive • Review your nutrient/GHG emissions and get ahead of the game, or reactive to (Overseer) report in detail. Get a firm regulation. understanding of the drivers for loss on The reactive approach says keep up your farm. Use skilled specialist advice. business as usual until you hit an obstacle This is an important step. then find a way over it. Next step; project the Overseer model What does a proactive approach do? It forward to replicate the five-year plan. says define where you want your business Then consider your answer to these to be in a foreseeable point in time. questions. Determine the gap between where you are • What physical work needs to be done and where you want to be, then build a to improve the farm’s environmental plan that takes you there. That is what the status?
68
• Does the business have a compliance issue with its nutrient and GHG losses? • Does the environmental footprint improve relative to compliance and social expectations in five years, or deteriorate? If the answers to the above questions indicate change is required, then how is this done while still achieving the business objectives? This is where the experts are prodded and poked to share in the development of real solutions. To be effective somebody in the advisory team must know the regional and national legislation so the farmer’s business can correctly navigate compliance and consenting requirements. You will need to work through questions like: • Is your current farm environmental plan sufficient? • What are the current and future boundaries? • What is the expected impact on profitability? • Where is the Regional Council policy headed? • What are the opportunities for the farm business? • Is it appropriate to become part of a catchment group (a great learning space)? With information and goals, farmers are positioned to move forward with the most critical part of the entire IFP process. Building a strategy that brings people, farm resources, policy, capital and technology together. It is the bringing together of these items into a structure that will enable the farmer to document and direct the business through uncharted waters. While others struggle their business thrives. Don’t lose the vision. Just ask how?
• Chris Lewis is a BakerAg director and consultant.
Country-Wide
March 2020
ENVIRONMENT | BIODIVERSITY
Left: There is concern that the criteria, as drafted, will capture most indigenous vegetation and not just those areas that are significant.
AREAS OUTSIDE OF SNAS
Caring for our natural species BY: KERI JOHNSTON
S
ince 2010, the Government (previous and current) has made several attempts at developing a national policy statement on indigenous biodiversity (plants, insects, ecosystems, birds and other species that are special to New Zealand). The need for one was considered essential to stop continuing decline of these values. According to the Ministry for the Environment discussion document, between 1996 and 2012, there was a net loss of about 71,000 hectares of indigenous habitat, mostly in lowlands, wetlands and coastal habitats, and about 4000 species are threatened or at risk of extinction. A draft has now been released for public submissions (which close on March 14, 2020). Remember that a national policy statement must be implemented by
Country-Wide
March 2020
councils through district and regional plans, so when this becomes an operative document, it must be given effect to. So, what are the key points of this document?
SIGNIFICANT NATURAL AREAS (SNAS) SNAs represent the most iconic and highly valued indigenous biodiversity. District councils are already required to protect these areas, having them mapped and included in their plans. However, many haven’t to date and therefore, the national policy statement will require this to be done by ALL councils within five years (unless an extension is sought). It also sets out standard criteria for assessing these areas, hopefully eliminating the wide variation that has occurred to date. However, there is concern that the criteria, as drafted, will capture most indigenous vegetation and not just those areas that are significant.
Councils must also take steps to protect indigenous biodiversity outside of SNA areas. This will be done by specifying where, how and when controls on activities are necessary to maintain indigenous biodiversity (by way of objectives, policies and rules in plans). There is a distinction between new and existing activities which can occur inside and outside of SNAs. However, in practise, proving an activity is existing can be problematic. For example, proving the last time land was cleared or cultivated, or scrub cleared in an area of a farm – have you got any documentation or evidence that can show this? Highly mobile fauna (such as bats and migratory birds) get their own section in the national policy statement. Therefore, if you have nesting bats or falcons in trees on your farm, you may be required to plan for how to ensure their nests are not destroyed or damaged during regular farming activities. There will be significant new costs for councils under this national policy statement. Mapping of SNAs and surveys of highly mobile fauna will not come cheap, and ultimately this cost will be passed on to the ratepayers. The national policy statement also links climate change to the decline of our indigenous biodiversity. Many vulnerable species lack the ability to adapt to the effects of climate change. Therefore, in developing plans, councils will need to consider the impacts of climate change on indigenous biodiversity. Beef and Lamb NZ and Federated Farmers have been running workshops around the country on what the national policy statement could mean for you. As with any national document, it keeps detail at a pretty high level, and the devil will be in the implantation of it at a regional and district level. But, if you have any concerns about it, or in fact, you think it is on the right track, then get submitting on it. • Keri Johnston is an environmental engineer with Irricon Resources.
69
ENVIRONMENT | FIRE
Selwyn district council is touting new wildfire risk management rules, partly in response to the 2017 Port Hills fires.
Fire changes everything in high country BY: TIM FULTON
S
ummers are different now for Hamish and Mary McRae after fire swept through part of their property in North Canterbury. In March 2017 a vehicle carrying tree-felling equipment had a mechanical failure, scraping its load along State Highway One. Sparks jumped a fence and a series of fires sprang up over 1.5km near the Waiau River, torching fences, plantation and pasture on part of the 5200-hectare Lochiel Station, between Hanmer Springs and Lewis Pass.
70
The highway was shut for a time and the McRaes lost about $320,000 of property, including 4km of fencing and about 20ha of forestry. The 22-year-old pines were valued at $150,000, rather the $350,000 they might have been worth had they been six or seven years older. The couple recovered about $210,000 in an insurance payout that was settled only last Christmas, but it didn’t recoup the 1000 hours they put to clean up damage. Hamish McRae said they considered chasing a bigger insurance payout but decided it wasn’t worth the extra cost. Looking back, he said they were probably
under-insured for fencing and would now advise anyone to be vigilant about roadside mowing right up to fencelines. Lochiel Station no longer uses machinery during dry spells and demand grass-mowing right up to their roadside fenceline, which runs about 20km along SH1 from the Hanmer Springs turnoff. Federated Farmers high country chairman, Rob Stokes, said New Zealand only had to look to the devastating fires in Australia to see the risk for NZ’s highcountry. He estimated the South Island had more than 300,000ha of ungrazed high country locked up on pastoral land and
Country-Wide
March 2020
‘There’s no other way they can have a buffer with DoC land – a lot of high country farmers have got them at their back door and nothing’s done and it’s shut up. They’re right in the gun for a fire if it was to come through DoC or private land.’ within national parks. Some of this land has not been grazed in the past 10 years “and with the amount of fuel in the back country it’s a bit of a time bomb,” he said. Stokes, farming at Lees Valley, near Oxford in North Canterbury, said the Federated Farmers high country committee has had many discussions with government agencies about what should happen to stewardship land. “Grazing should be used as a management tool through the summer months to protect what we have got. This would be more cost effective and help weed infestation,” he said. Stokes said it didn’t really matter what setback rules were introduced for fire control in the high-country if neighbours like the Department of Conservation (DoC) didn’t properly graze their own patch. “There’s no other way they can have a buffer with DoC land – a lot of high country farmers have got them at their back door and nothing’s done and it’s shut up. They’re right in the gun for a fire if it was to come through DoC or private land.” Few farmers or local fire crews were equipped to put out bigger fires, Stokes said. At Lees Valley he relied on tankers on trailers “for the quick fix bit of fire” but
anything bigger up hillsides would need fire service personnel and helicopters. He aimed to burn out 300ha blocks annually as a fire buffer, rotating blocks and grazing them reasonably hard afterward so that if a fire got away, it wouldn’t go too far. Besides reducing the amount of wildfire fuel, the controlled burning paved the way for the introduction of better grasses, which also reduced the fire danger. While fires continue to flare this summer, a Canterbury district council is touting new wildfire risk management rules, partly in response to the 2017 Port Hills fires. Selwyn District strategy and policy planner, Robert Love, said the proposed new district plan may require rural properties to have onsite water storage of a yet to be confirmed volume for fire fighters to access if required. This could be stored in the form of a tank, pool, pond or stream. There may also be vegetation setbacks, including a 30-metre setback for any new woodlot or shelter belt from “neighbouring principle buildings”. Rules could also include a 5m setback requirement for any new woodlot or shelter belt from a neighbouring property’s accessway and a 40m setback for any new residential unit from plantation forestry.
Under SDC’s existing district plan there is no requirement to have a defensible space around a property that has been landscaped and maintained in a way that reduces fire danger to the property and neighbouring properties. In fact, the council says existing consent conditions have increased the wildfire risk on a property, like on a new property development in an outstanding landscape, where plantings had been required “to mitigate adverse visual effects”. In its post-Port Hills fire review, SDC found the most common causes of a wildfire were natural sources such as lightning, accidental man-made ignition, such as a cigarette butt, sparking from the use of machinery or from an out-ofcontrol rubbish fire, or arson. A fire lit for an agricultural crop burn-off would not be considered a wildfire unless the fire spread beyond the intended area, the council said. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) national fire risk advisor, Rob Goldring, said under certain conditions FENZ could ask owners or occupiers to remove a fire hazard or give them formal notice. Most land occupiers removed fire hazards voluntarily after receiving advice from FENZ staff but the agency could require an occupier or owner to remove or destroy a potential fire hazard when there was enough flammable material to help a fire spread to another property, a fire was likely (if there was a recent history of fires in the area, for example) and if a fire was likely to endanger lives or significant property, like multiple houses. If a potential hazard was either trees close to power lines, or hoarding inside a building, FENZ referred the case to the power distribution company or relevant territorial authority. FENZ’s priority was to educate New Zealanders about fire danger and assess fire risk, Goldring said. • More? For advice https://fireandemergency. nz/farms-rural-properties-and-rural-businesses/
Country-Wide
March 2020
71
NURSERY BUSINESS
Diversifying at Ti Tree Point
Tararua farmer Trudy Riddell’s native tree nursery is complementing the family’s farming operation. Rebecca Harper reports.
T
he name of the farm is Pine Grove, but there are more than just pine trees being planted on the Riddell family’s hill country sheep and beef property at Ti Tree Point, Tararua. Big believers of the ‘right tree in the right place’ mantra, Charlie and Trudy Riddell have established a native tree nursery, Ti Tree Nursery, to help supply their own needs, and to the public. The couple are committed to improving environmental outcomes on the 1350-hectare property and trees have an important role to play. Pine Grove is a breeding and finishing property, with all progeny finished, and a large area of the farm has already been planted over the last 10 years – 250ha in pines and 40ha in manuka. A Whole Farm Plan with Horizons Regional Council was completed 12 years ago and since then about 350ha has been retired in pines, manuka and re-generating bush, with fencing and planting. They also plant 200 poplar poles annually. Last year, a number of areas were fenced off and earmarked for planting with natives and that’s when the nursery kicked into gear. Trees have quickly become a passion for Charlie, who Trudy describes as a ‘tree man’. “We ended up planting all these trees and it’s become a bit of a passion of mine, watching things grow,” he says. “We had a chat about how we could make it more economical and thought it could be beneficial to grow our own plants from seed.” Trudy likes to eco-source as much of her seed from the same environment as possible and says it all snowballed from there – now they’re able to offer plants for sale to the public because they’ve grown so many. A greenhouse was built last January and it’s been full steam ahead since then. While Charlie says the nursery is 100% Trudy’s domain, she’s quick to point out it’s been a team effort, with Charlie building the shade house and greenhouse and her efforts focused on growing the plants. Coming from a city background, working in a
Pine Grove’s Trudy Riddell has always had a strong interest in conservation and establishing a native tree nursery, Ti Tree Nursery, has given her a way to contribute to the farming business.
72
Country-Wide
March 2020
Tips for diversifying: Trudy: No question is a dumb question – ask away. Explore your options, if you have an idea you think is worth looking at, do it. Do a budget to see if it’s financially viable too. Charlie: Look at what can benefit you and your business in the environment you’re in – what is possible with the location and resources you have? Assess your resources and capabilities to find something that fits with your work-life balance.
law firm, the nursery has given her a project to get her teeth into. “For me personally, it was to feel I was contributing and to help diversify our income sources. “I had never lived in the country and it was important for me to find something I could contribute to, more than just being a farmer’s wife and mother. Those are important roles, but this has given me a new purpose and sense of contentment.” She’s always had an affinity for natives and grew up in a family with a long-standing interest in conservation. “Conservation has always been part of my life, and my mum’s side of the family are great gardeners – but nothing like this scale or propagation.” Growing natives has been a ‘learn as you go’ process for Trudy, who is also a busy mum to the couple’s young children Poppy, 4, and Austin, 2. “Starting the plant business from scratch has been an interesting process. I’ve had to learn marketing skills for the website, as well as about the plants and what suits different species. “I didn’t realise how time-consuming it would be either. Seeds are easy and growing them in the greenhouse is easy, but potting up is quite intense and I’ve had to employ some local teenagers to help on the weekends.” All going to plan, they will have about 15,000 natives ready to plant this winter, and Trudy hopes she can continue to increase her numbers. “It’s figuring out how to streamline the process and make the planting out more efficient. “Overall, the most rewarding thing would be adding value to our business, since we don’t have to buy all the seedlings, it’s saving us a lot of money. It’s also cool to know you have the ability to grow something from scratch, get it out on to the farm and it’s going to benefit the environment and protect our waterways.” Ultimately, her goal is to have a sustainable nursery that’s self-sufficient in terms of eco-sourcing and, eventually, employ someone to help with the manual work. She hopes to invest in more infrastructure and an automatic potting machine. They emphasise the importance of right tree, right place. “We’re not saying don’t plant exotics, but they can be used and be complementary to natives. There’s a place for both, but it’s so important to protect our waterways as well,” Charlie adds. “I think what we are doing is adding value environmentally and economically.” Either way, Charlie is happy to see the natives planted, whether it’s at Pine Grove or elsewhere. “If it doesn’t work out, we’re quite happy to plant all those trees ourselves and watch them grow, so we really had nothing to lose. The plants won’t be going to waste.”
Country-Wide
March 2020
Above: Trudy and Charlie Riddell with their children Austin, 2, and Poppy, 4. Below: Many of the natives grown will be planted on the Riddell’s farm in special areas identified for planting under their Whole Farm Plan.
73
BRAZIL
Lincoln University Ag science student Rachael Hoogenboom was a winner of the Prime Minister’s Agribusiness scholarship. She reports on her subsequent visit to Brazil.
W
here did 2019 disappear to? Another year of university completed and only one to go. The third year of my Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree at Lincoln University has been my busiest yet, however I decided there was a little more room for some further travel, experiences and education. In June I applied for the Prime Minister’s Agribusiness scholarship and in August I was notified of my success. On November 10, I along with a group of 14 other Lincoln University students, was soaring across the Pacific Ocean to Brazil. Not only was this going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage and experience in another country’s agriculture and agribusiness industry, but also make vital connections for future development between New Zealand and Brazil’s import/export relationship. We had a very busy four weeks planned, based at three different universities and I couldn’t quite realise how little of the country we would be seeing in this time. Brazil can simply be described as hugely diverse, from buildings, land, and people to wealth, climate and development. Our first visit was to the state of Minas Gerais where we spent two weeks at the Federal University of Viçosa. Apart from the extreme humidity and heat, the style of farming implemented by most farmers in these areas was very
74
unfamiliar to the systems we have in NZ. We learnt how having 15 dairy cows may be a large family operation and that rotational grazing and fertiliser use are only now starting to be used on farms; but while visiting the Embrapa Research Centre we discussed and saw the initiative Brazil is undertaking to develop smarter ways of farming both sustainably and economically. The research on alternatives to palm oil and reducing methane emissions was engaging and relatable. It was positive and optimistic to be talking with dedicated people who wanted to solve issues which NZ also faces. One of Brazil’s largest exports is coffee. Before travelling to the peaceful and welcoming region of Araponga, I had never really thought too much about where my coffee came from or what the processes and difficulties were to make a quality product, or how particularly tough the industry was. Our group was extremely fortunate to spend a day with four passionate coffee growers whose family have been producing speciality coffee for generations. It was easy to say this was a personal favourite experience and one which I will treasure after every cup of coffee. The coffee market is largely dominated by the buyer and quality of the product isn’t often reflected in the price. It wasn’t only us students asking the questions, as the local
Country-Wide
March 2020
Left: Typical elephant grass grown on Brazilian farms and the tree blocks which farms in Brazil have to have to increase biodiversity. Right, from top: Overlooking Ouro Prêto which was a large city during the gold rush; Small family dairy farm trialling improved milk hygiene and rotational grazing; Sheep at a poultry and sheep farm. The farmers wanted to learn about New Zealand sheep farming.
Brazilian farmers wanted to know how we improved sustainability in NZ and what we may have seen as opportunities for them to improve their quality of land, production and lifestyle. NZ sheep farming and meat products were highly spoken about by Brazilian farmers. They spoke about how they would often refer to the systems in our small country to improve and expand the farming of sheep in Brazil. After a weekend relaxing we flew three hours south to the city of Florianopolis where we explored the state of Santa Caterina. We were welcomed by spectacular views as we landed in the coastal area. At times it felt like we had flown back to NZ as we visited many dairy farms, wineries and orchards. There was focus on restoring degraded farmland, which was extremely topical throughout our trip. It was astonishing to be exposed to the facts that of 198 million hectares, 90 million are degraded and under-preforming in terms of production. Extensive research was invested into using productive trees in stock grazing paddocks to increase biodiversity and create different income streams for family farms. For our last week we spent time in Piracicaba in the state of Sao Paulo at the ESALQ College of Agriculture. This area focused largely on corporate companies and large-scale farming. We were able to interact with industry leaders who have developed their businesses to become some of Brazil’s largest exporters. A meat supplier co-operative called Aurora showed us the process of guaranteeing their largely poultry and pork-based products will sell and appeal to consumers. We left Brazil absolutely overwhelmed with all that we had seen and done but truly grateful that we had the opportunity to experience a different culture and agribusiness industry. With only just scratching the surface of agriculture in Brazil. I can’t wait to return and delve into it in deeper detail.
Country-Wide
March 2020
75
YOUTH AG SUMMIT
Courtney Davies (front row, left) with Bayer Youth Ag Summit participants in Brasilia.
Learning how to be sustainable leaders A quest to improve New Zealand agricultural efficiency with a sustainable future led Courtney Davies to Brazil.
W
ith a drive and passion to improve agricultural efficiency and innovation within our shores while yearning to understand how we can contribute to a sustainable future and feed a hungry planet, I set off on a once-ina-lifetime experience to the Bayer Youth Ag Summit in Brasilia, Brazil. Each morning we woke with purpose, excitement and a sense of adventure as we went through the rigorous programme the summit had planned for us. We spent three days in workshops exploring the themes of sustainability, innovation and leadership. We experienced a marketplace and learned from companies making strides in technology development, who are climate conscious, as well as how NZ agricultural techniques (grass-based regenerative farming and herd composition) are being recommended to farmers throughout South America and the world. Groups like Nuffield, IICA, Climate Corporation, Bayer and Embrapa demonstrated their products, business plans and mission of success through sustainability. Afternoons included group discussions
76
where ideas and international perspectives were shared. We used these tools to develop our own business plans; my group focused on digital innovation and application to tackle food insecurity. Solutions presented through each group ranged from creating interactive robots for targeted weed control and financial literacy courses for small-holder farmers to vertical community farms and software that tracks real-time food degradation during transport in warm climates. Each delegate presented their “pitch” and received feedback on how to make the ideas a reality. Some delegates came to the summit with businesses already in action and others with a concept they were looking to explore. One of the highlights was experiencing a large-scale commercial farm at SLC Agrícola, Pamplona Farm, deep in Brazil’s tropical savanna (the “Cerrado”), planted in more than 400,000 hectares of cotton, soy and corn. Here we saw examples of efficient water use, biodiversity protection, soil health and digital farming. We learned the importance South American agriculture places on innovation evolved from traditional practices.
Common procedures at the farm included monitored irrigation and weather forecasting with physical placement controlled down to the millimetre to reduce water loss alongside regular tree planting. We had the opportunity to plant a native tree to support the Forest Code. This code requires Brazilian farms to maintain 20–80% of native vegetation dependent on their location and position relative to the Amazon rainforest. This tied into the evening panel discussion on the recent Amazon fires to understand what was really going on. Several of us took advantage of flight scheduling to meet a few days earlier and explore Chapada dos Veadeiros (National Park), hiking and seeing some incredible waterfalls. Looking out upon the national park, it was like a desert savannah, with a few trees throughout. This extraordinary geography showed me that no two solutions will work the same in different landscapes but through collaboration, we can better understand what will work for us. When was the last time we really let a new idea in? The summit taught me the importance of standing up and being heard because someone needs to do it. Agriculture is changing in NZ and we need to adapt to survive. A close friend of mine from the summit said, “the youth are not waiting for their government – they are taking action now”. Why wait? Talk to the people around you and explore what they have to say. The worst that can happen is nothing changes. But imagine what we could do if given the chance. • Courtney Davies is an environmental educator for the Sir Peter Blake Trust, based in Auckland.
Country-Wide
March 2020
COMMUNITY | OVERSEAS
Running Sky High The tough nature of Sky Run South Africa is parallel to its beauty. Annabelle Latz found running 100km through some of South Africa’s most rugged mountains, including 18 farms, an absolute treat, despite its hashtag #hellofarun.
I
Running in these mountains was humbling to say the least.
Country-Wide
March 2020
n the Eastern Cape once a year, the sleepy town of Lady Grey turns electric for a few hundred runners who gather and set foot towards their final destination of WarTrail. This mountain run started off as a two day Sky Walk in the early nineties, evolving into a race in 1997. For more than two decades an epic relationship between landowners and race organisers has shaped this event, which is so rich in history, human courage and spirit, friendships, and deep memories. I’d heard so much about this race which is held in such high regard both within South Africa and globally. But when I toed the line a touch before 4am on Saturday November 9, I still had no idea what I was getting myself into. For 26 hours and 20 minutes I ran, scrambled, power hiked, skipped, tripped, stumbled and fell my way through this tough thing called Sky Run. Lesotho on one side, Eastern Cape on the other, for two sunrises and one sunset. Race safety officer Adrian Saffy has been overseeing the race for 18 years, and said an outstanding relationship with landowners who allow this privilege is crucial, as without their consent and offerings with race day assistance, the event could not exist. He says the race is remote, and athletes are exposed to the harsh reality of a true wilderness area where help is not around the corner. “This gives Sky Run its mystique and character when athletes are a bit afraid of the possibilities that exist, which could make their race a question of survival.” This year the run treated us to impeccable weather of a fresh morning, some gratefullyreceived overcast skies, a touch of breeze, just enough sun to warm our faces, and colours in
77
From top: I was almost there by this stage; sad to say bye to this experience, but so happy to have achieved it. These breathtaking views made every tough moment worthwhile. A pit stop at ‘one of the most beautiful farms in the world’ was quite a treat.
78
the sky which made us pinch ourselves. Race day holds high stress levels for Adrian and race director Mike de Haast, mainly due to the “concern with the safety of our athletes in this wilderness playground.” But once the final runner has that finisher’s medal around their neck, the enjoyment is immense. “Our satisfaction comes after when everyone is safe and accounted for and we receive the positive feedback.” Over the years Sky Run has included a handful of local farmers taking part in the 100km mountain run adventure, and many signing up for the 65km and 38km option. The run brings a huge cash injection into the community, and the farmers realise this and work to make it a special experience. One outstanding feature is just before the 60km mark, when runners stop at the festive vibe of Balloch for nutrition, a medical check, and a mind readjustment as they head off into the evening or night sky for the final but massively brutal 40km. Balloch is an extensive sheep and beef farm which has been in the Frost family for three generations, since the early 1900s. It has recently been voted one of the most beautiful farms in the world, and rightly so. Margy and Graham Frost agree that their home is a wonderful place. They have been serving up delicious meals under the caves of their farm for 22 years, for exhausted, elated, struggling and happy runners. “The first run was done by nine people, and now has up to 500 extreme athletes,” Margy says. Their favourite part of the day is sharing their beautiful farm and scenery with others, who would never go there or even hear about Balloch, if it wasn’t for the run. Graham, their two sons, both their daughter-in-laws and son-in-law have all competed in the event, in the various distances over the years. It was one of the first extreme adventure races, and its growth is the proof it has been a success and Margy said it is the extended family of this race that makes it magnificent. “The support crew who tirelessly help with the logistics year after year… this is why it is such a success.”
The terrain, the scenic beauty, the toughness which extreme athletes look for, the extreme weather which keeps everyone guessing every year – it’s all part of it. As I ran into Balloch in just under 12 hours, I felt great, and the vibe was just awesome. I made sure I took a few minutes to appreciate where we were and be grateful to be in such a special place; the history of these farms, the fantastic people, what I’d accomplished so far that day including summiting the highest point of the race in the name of Avoca which stood at 2800m. After a replenish I was on my way again. Ignorance really is bliss. My rough calculations told me I was about half way through on the clock. Wrong. I had 15 hours of steep seemingly never-ending climbs including one main feature called ‘The Wall, (use your imagination here) steep gorge descents, rock scrambling and steady farm track running. The saving grace was the incredible sunset, the camaraderie between the runners, the encouraging nutrition stations, and the excitement in the pit of my stomach telling me an adventure through the night was on the cards. Layering up for a star studded night sky under a full moon, I thought ‘yeah, this ain’t too bad.’ The final two hours put my mind in some funky places. I sprung a tear only once – tripping down a steep gully and somersaulting backwards for a good few metres. I finally came to a stop, sat up, looked at my grazed leg, blurted out a few bad words, then dusted myself off and carried on. The sun was up again. Some great mates to greet me at the finish line, who in fairness had been finished for a few hours… was just epic. Almost 6.30am and the Eastern Cape heat was already starting to soar. I certainly set no records for my first attempt at a 100km race, but it’s a race legends are made of and it was never supposed to be easy. If you are over that neck of the woods and feel like a life changing day with incredible people, I can recommend no better way to do it. Sky Run South Africa’s motto is ‘Running Wild – Flying High’ and each and every one of us did just that. www.skyrun.co.za #hellofarun
Country-Wide
March 2020
Above: Margy and Graham Frost love the land, both to make their livelihood, and to enjoy recreation in. Above right: Balloch, rightly so described as one of the most beautiful farms in the world.
Dohne breed founders
M
argy and Graham Frost describe themselves as ‘grass farmers’ and market their business through Bonsmara cattle and Dohne Merino sheep. With their two sons who have engineering backgrounds, the Frost family farm roughly 5000 hectares, at a stocking rate of 1su/ha. Their main focus is on mob grazing systems and using supplements throughout the year is designed to promote even eating of the grasses. “We constantly try to put more in than we take out of our soils, continually try to improve our animal genetics, and at the same time remain profitable,” said Margy. Although South Africa has its challenges, Margy and Graham are happy with the support systems they have access to, and they also do extensive reading of their own. The wool industry is a big part of their
Country-Wide
March 2020
farming model also, which Margy said has stabilised and prices have been good for the past few years. Export makes up 80% of the wool market, mainly used in the garment making industry in Europe, with the lower grades going to China for the motor industry. They are the founders of the Dohne breed, which is now being exported everywhere in the world through embryo exports. There have been great relationships and lessons with New Zealanders; shearing instructors visit South Africa to share knowledge about machine shearing technology and techniques. She says Kiwi shearers run their own private enterprise where South African shearers have their floor arranged by brokers. “There is a move towards privatizing the teams of shearers.” Margy said it is tough for South Africa shearers to make good money, given the
skills they have and the time it takes to become a good shearer. Shearers earn a living wage. South Africa produces some top quality fine merino wool which is highly sought after by the textile industries in Europe and Asia. This year Margy has been back on her spinning wheel, harking her back to the successful spinning and knitting business 25 years ago where they sold 1000 handspun home-knitted jerseys. Interests shifted after that and the Frosts ventured into trout farming for 18 years. But the wool from the recent spring shearing was too good to not get her wheels out of the cellar again, especially the long hogget wool, perfect for blankets. “I had forgotten what an absorbing and soothing hobby it is.” The whole process from start to finish of each blanket is about 100 hours of work; a quality blanket lovingly homemade.
79
SOLUTIONS | SOUTHERN FIELD DAYS
Left: Bill Blakie pedals around the field days with the Veryeco bike he invented. Top: Run off his feet: Rurtec owner Ian Carr with one of few remaining unsold cordless handpieces. Above: Beef + Lamb NZ’s Jenny McGimpsey on the stand with the food and fibre discovery challenge booklet.
Crowds flock to Waimumu
P
edal power was to the fore at this year’s Southern Field Days near Gore. While tractors were noisily huffing and puffing through the tractor pull, inventor Bill Blakie from Invercargill was quietly pedalling around the Waimumu field days site on his machine called the Veryeco. The engineer built it to help overcome his crook hip. So far he has sold 40 which sell from $2500 to more than $5000 with a canopy which makes it look like a Popemobile. The electric bike, which looks more like a cart, has a 300-Watt 24-volt motor and a five-speed gearbox.
80
The 40,000 people through the gates over the three days was slightly down on the last field days in 2018. Rurtec owner Ian Carr said business was “crazy” especially with the cordless handpieces with stock selling out. His lunch breaks were as late as 3.15pm. “It is way ahead of Mystery Creek.” It was a record crowd two years ago so field days chairman Warren Ross was pleased numbers were only slightly back this year. He thought the turnout would be good after the flooding the previous week as a day off the farm would boost farmer morale. “Everyone was happy, the committee,
sponsors and exhibitors.” It was the last field days as secretary for Sharon Paterson, who is the only paid employee among the army of volunteers. Paterson is going back to farming after four field days during which numerous buildings have been added including the agricentre and office. A Beef + Lamb NZ initiative, Food & Fibre Discovery Challenge was a way for school pupils to check out the different career options at various sites around the field days. They had to visit sites for information to fill out the questions in a booklet. At least 70% of the sites had to be visited to be eligible for prizes.
Country-Wide
March 2020
SOLUTIONS | AGRIBUSINESS SUMMIT
Focus on opportunities
F
armers and other agribusiness professionals will have the opportunity to gain insight into the future of primary production at this year’s Nuffield International Agribusiness Summit. The summit, in the Christchurch Town Hall on Monday March 23, is a part of the 13-day Nuffield 2020 Triennial conference which brings together Nuffield scholars from all over the world for a tour through the South Island The summit day is open to anyone interested in the future of food and fibre production and global consumer trends. The fast-paced, one-day event features local and international experts presenting alongside leading New Zealand farmers who are successfully innovating and adapting to meet the changing needs of both international consumers and societal expectations. Nuffield Scholar and South Canterbury farming leader Michael Tayler is chairing
the overall triennial give the audience a chance to programme with Nelson dairy question and challenge. farmer and entrepreneur “We want it to be fastMurray King chairing the paced and interactive, so the summit day. audience has the chance to Michael says the participate and debate the Agribusiness Summit is a issues,” Michael says. fantastic opportunity for Among the many speakers Michael Tayler, chair farmers, scientists, business are Dr Rob Horsch, formerly of the Nuffield Triennial leaders and entrepreneurs to with the Bill and Melinda programme. put their minds together to not Gates Foundation, Devry just find solutions to the challenges facing Boughner Vorwerk, chief executive of the sector, but to see the huge opportunities DevryBV Sustainable Strategies and a open to NZ by leveraging off its natural passionate advocate for change, Sarah Nolet capital and talent base. an internationally recognised food systems The day, which is being hosted by innovation expert and chief executive and journalist and Radio New Zealand presenter founder of AgThentic, Gary Hirshberg, Corin Dann, has three broad themes; land chairman and former president and head of and the natural environment, culture and Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic consumer trends and entrepreneurship and yogurt producer and Tom Sturgess from leadership. Lonestar Farms. Between four and five speakers will talk on each of these themes before a panel More? Go to https://nuffield2020.com/ discussion brings the speakers together to agribusiness-summit
Fairton site on market Ashburton is experiencing near record low vacancy across its commercial and industrial asset class and demand is strong for all areas of property in the region. With this in mind, the timing for Silver Fern Farms to divest its significant Fairton plant and adjoining rural land holding could not be better. The 485 hectares of prime land is on the
Country-Wide
March 2020
north side of Ashburton and comprises 32ha at the former plant and 453ha of prime rural holding. The site borders the Ashburton Business Estate and features more than 1km of Main South rail line frontage. Significant cold storage improvements on the plant site generate a strong monthly rental income. Marketed by Sam Staite and Richard
O’Sullivan of Colliers International, they are for sale by Deadline Private Treaty, closing 4pm, Thursday, 26 March, unless sold before. The rural land has significant water consents. O’Sullivan says productive soils, regular crop rotation, plus 383ha of border dyke irrigation, give high levels of reliable arable and pastoral production.
81
FARMING IN FOCUS
More photos from this month’s Country-Wide. Clockwise from right: Annabelle Latz with Margy Frost at Balloch, South Africa. Middle Rock’s Chief Inspector and The Boss, Lyn and Bruce Nell. Middle Rock’s back yards. Summer on Chris Biddles’ farm.
82
Country-Wide
March 2020
Clockwise from right: Ruralco’s George Walker was kept busy at the coop’s site. Enjoying lunch at the Southern field days are Gail Kirk (left) from Dunedin and Tania Dowling, Wedderburn. Having a break during the Southland field days are Tony and Sandra Grant from the Catlins. Phoebe Topp and Rachael Hoogenbloom at the top of the Serra do Rio do Rastro Mountain range, 1460 metres above sea level. Department of Corrections’ Wayne Young shows off the fruits of prison labour which is donated to charities. Timeout Waimumu style.
Country-Wide
March 2020
83
84
Country-Wide
March 2020