Real Farmer Winter 2021

RealFarmer Real Farmer

RealFarmer Real Farmer FOR EVERYTHING FARMING AND FAMILY

W I NT E R 2 0 2 1

Paying it forward

Instore Days 2021

W IN T E R 2021

Yams find value added cropping niche

Women at home during war time

Ruralco supports the South Island Dairy Event

RealFarmer Farmer FO R E VE RY THING FA RMIN G A ND FA MILY

RURALCO

From the Group CEO Welcome to the winter edition of Real Farmer.

The change in season means that some of our farmers will be enjoying a well-deserved rest from the farm, while others will be gearing up for the busy months ahead. I hope you can take some time out to relax and read over this exciting issue where we cover a wide scope of real farming stories and share snapshots of what’s happening in the industry and in our farming communities.

In this issue, we meet the Millers, a farming family hailing from Carew in Mid-Canterbury. They share with us their success story in the dairy industry and their holistic approach to farming. We learn about their experiences in climbing the ladder to become farm owners with a wealth of awards under their belt. We hear how they developed their core values as employers and how they are now passing it on to their staff and future generations.

We will also delve into the latest forecasts for the primary sector, which are projecting a positive outlook for many industries including the dairy, meat, forestry, and fibre sectors. These predictions give us a great sense of comfort and optimism for the seasons ahead.

Following on from ANZAC Day in April, we reflect on some of the unsung war heroes in New Zealand, The Women’s Land Army. The Land Girls played a significant part in the war effort by working the farmland when many farmers were enlisted. We explore a history of agriculture during the war and how New Zealand women quickly adapted to fill the shoes of our farmers.

We meet the Jones family of Rakaia, Canterbury who share how they began their cropping operation. They have taken the humble yam and developed a pre-packaged product that has expanded into New Zealand supermarket chains. They share their farming process and how yams are making their way back onto NZ dinner tables.

In the month of June, we’ll be taking part as a silver sponsor for this year’s South Island Dairy Event, held at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre on 22-23 June. The event is run by farmers, for farmers and boasts a wide range of exceptional guest speakers who will cover a wealth of interesting topics ranging from staffing to technology and finance. Read on to learn how you can register for this fantastic event.

Winter means our 27th annual Instore Days is just around the corner.

Building on our online event last year, this year will become a hybrid, meaning there are lots of ways to play. In this issue, we cover all the information you need to know about the event including how to access this year’s great deals in store, online or at our participating suppliers. Plus, find out how you can go in the draw to win a Honda ATV worth $29,350.

PO Box 433, Ashburton 7740 0800 787 256 www.ruralco.co.nz EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES:

Our team welcome your contributions, enquiries and letters.

Please email to: marketing@ruralco.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:

Please contact the Marketing Department on: Tel: 0800 787 256 marketing@ruralco.co.nz

DISCLAIMER: Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of Ruralco.

CONTRIBUTORS Annie Studholme Rachel Rickard Richard Rennie Anita Body

FAR Tel 03 3455783 far@far.org.nz www.far.org.nz

PHOTOGRAPHERS

FMG Tel 0800 366 466 www.fmg.co.nz

Annie Studholme Natwick

Irrigation NZ Tel 03 341 2225 admin@irrigationnz.co.nz www.irrigationnz.co.nz

TECHNICAL ARTICLES

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Tel 0800 787 256 ruralco@ruralco.co.nz www.ruralco.co.nz Beef + Lamb Tel 0800 233 352 enquiries@beeflambnz.com www.beeflambnz.com DairyNZ Tel 0800 4 324 7969 info@dairynz.co.nz www.dairynz.co.nz

NZ Pork Tel 0800 697 675 info@pork.co.nz www.pork.co.nz Seales Winslow Tel 0800 287 325 www.sealeswinslow.co.nz

ON THE COVER:

Rob Sharkie robert.sharkie@ruralco.co.nz

Brent and Rebecca Miller are inspiring others through their positive, enthusiastic, and holistic approach to farming and family life

Contents

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Interest

Cover Story

2 Paying it forward 8 Instore Days 2021 16 Yams find value added cropping niche 22 Women at home during war time 34 Ruralco supports the South Island Dairy Event 35 Fourteen years of doing good things 40 Primary sector in positive place

Technical 30 Cold farm cottages a thing of the past

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30 Transpower generator project 44 Fuel FAQ

Paying it forward

47 The importance of getting involved beyond the farm gate 48 Reporting your N number 51 Wintering extension a window of opportunity 57 Making magnesium easy

INSTORE DAYS 2021

59 Making a plan for grazing winter forage crops 63 Helen & Mark’s formula for content pigs and high-quality pork 66 BYDV—Mitigating autumn risk

1–2 JULY

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Instore Days 2021

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Yams find value added cropping niche

Lifestyle 24 Winter wonders

Wellbeing 53 MenzShed provides retirement benefits for farmers 53 The first step towards recovery 54 Largest apiary insurance claim surprising

Card 12 25-year milestone for Ed Body

Ed Body Fencing

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Women at home during war time

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Ruralco supports the South Island Dairy Event

DISCLAIMER: All information contained within Real Farmer is to the best of the author’s knowledge true and accurate. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not of Ruralco. Items herein are general comments only and do not constitute or convey advice. This publication is issued as a helpful guide to cardholders.

65 Element Optics New Zealand

Element Optics 69 Live in style, and comfort

Living with Style

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Paying it forward Empowered by a desire to leave the dairy industry better than they found it, Carew dairy farmers and contract milkers Brent and Rebecca Miller are inspiring others through their positive, enthusiastic, and holistic approach to farming and family life.

WORDS BY ANNIE STUDHOLME, IMAGES BY ANNIE STUDHOLME & NATWICK

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Husband and wife team, Rebecca and Brent Miller are big believers in “paying it forward”.

Without the ongoing support, training, and development they received from Spectrum Group early on in their dairy farming career, and more recently from farm owners Andrew and Rachele Morris, the Millers wouldn’t be where they are today.

Now, with one foot on the farm ownership ladder, and a host of other awards to their credit, they’re passionate about helping others succeed in the dairy industry through sharing their knowledge and philosophies.

At the heart of their success is “farmily”—a balance between working/living on a farm and family. Centred around putting people first, it’s a philosophy that has evolved over their time in the dairy industry.

Born out of their own experiences, the Millers have realised the key to high productivity and profitability lies squarely with having a connected working environment with everyone on board and engaged, striving for the same desired results. That comes with providing an environment where they are consciously protecting every member of the team’s physical, emotional, and psychological self.

They’ve taken their philosophies beyond the farm gate, with both Brent and Rebecca contributing to their wider industry through various roles.

Rebecca is the daughter of dairy farmers. She grew up immersed in farm life. Her parents worked their way up the career ladder from contract milking, share milking and eventually farm ownership. They moved a lot, farming around the Waikato, Auckland, and Northland, with the longest they stayed in any one place being five years. Rebecca was the eldest of four siblings meaning there were always household jobs to get done while her parents were busy out on the farm.

“It was hard for me growing up, and for my younger brother Graham. We never had a home to call our own. We were always expecting to move. I don’t think Mum and Dad ever fully unpacked the boxes,” she says.

Many of the lessons she learnt as a child have stayed with Rebecca. “It was difficult having to establish friendships first, but on the plus side, I got really good at introducing myself,” she smiles.

On leaving school she studied travel and tourism, before later completing a Diploma of Graphic Design and Multi-Media Studies at the Waikato Polytechnic. She worked for a travel wholesaler and then joined American Express. Having started in the call centre, with training and development, Rebecca moved up the ranks into marketing and corporate sales.

Brent grew up in Christchurch but when he was 12-years-old his parents bought 26 hectares near Oxford and dragged the family to the country. Though not thrilled with the

ABOVE: Husband and wife team, Rebecca and Brent Miller are big believers in “paying it forward” BELOW: For the Millers, winning the Best People Leadership awards and being a Finalist in the Good Employer Awards is recognition their “happy staff, happy cows” mantra has merit

move initially, Brent enjoyed the land and having worked on sheep and deer farms, went to Telford and completed a Diploma of Agriculture. There he also met Rebecca’s brother Graham.

After graduating, Brent initially worked on dairy farms in Canterbury before spending two years working on the West Coast. When he returned to Canterbury he flatted with Graham. Rebecca visited, love blossomed and the rest they say is history.

They went farming together in 2004, seeing it as the only option. “We wanted to have a family and enjoy the kids, and we could see a way forward with farming. With the other options, one of us wouldn’t have seen the kids,” says Brent.

Having moved to the Waikato, working up to a 2IC position, they soon realised it wasn’t quite what it was cracked up to be.

“We moved back to the Waikato because we loved the beaches, but the reality of working a roster 28/2 off on 230 hectares by yourself meant we never got to enjoy them. It was breaking Brent. We realised we had to think more strategically,” explains Rebecca.

After some soul searching, they wrote down all the things they wanted. They started sending their CV to different businesses and CEOs asking for feedback. Eventually, they stumbled across the Spectrum Group,

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a family-owned business with dairy farm interests in Canterbury and the Waikato.

“Spectrum was prepared to give us a chance,” says Brent.

The Millers started out working for Spectrum Group at Island Glen Dairies on Rangitata Island, a second-year conversion on 206 hectares milking 780 cows, before moving to Burmont Holdings near Rakaia, milking 1180 cows on 360 hectares. Being part of the Spectrum Group gave them access to a massive pool of resources and information, with data coming from across the 16 properties.

“They taught us everything about budgets and financials and how to run a big dairy operation. We owe them a lot. They gave us the tools and were there if we needed them, but then stepped back and let us run it as we saw fit. They wanted people to run it as if it was their own; we found that was really empowering.”

The Millers have spent the past seven seasons at River Terrace Dairy farm, near Carew, south of Ashburton, as sharemilkers getting involved when it was in its first year as a dairy conversion. Rebecca and Brent have recently become equity partners in the property, which is owned by Andrew and Rachele Morris, and Bill Hogg.

The farm, spanning 363 hectares started out milking 950 Friesian-cross cows which, with the addition of a 75-hectare support block, has now grown to 1150 cows milked in a 4

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LEFT: The Millers believe that if they have a positive impact on their people, profit will follow

60-bale rotary shed. On average the cows produce 500kg of milk solids per season; last season the cows on farm produced 565,800kg milk solids.

Two years ago, they also started sharemilking the Morris’ second farm, Ealing Pasture Holdings, a 435-hectare block just a few kilometres down the road with a 394-hectare milking platform and 1450 cows. In their first season milking at Ealing Pasture Holdings, they managed to increase production by 12 per cent while at the same time decreasing costs by 15 per cent.

With the support of the Morris’, for the past two years, the Millers have entered River Terrace Farm into the Dairy Business of the Year awards just to see how they were tracking. Over the two years combined they have come away with an impressive eight awards. “It’s a really great tool to benchmark our performance against other farms. We’ve been surprised at how well we are doing,” says Rebecca.

In 2019, they were joint runners-up in the Dairy Business of the Year supreme award with Waikato farmers Richard and Nadine McCullough from McCullough Farm Partnership. They also took home the Best Canterbury Farm Performance, Best Business Resilience and Best People Leadership awards.

Their strong performance continued last year when they were awarded the Best Business Resilience Award with the lowest cost of production per kilogram of milk solids for the second year running. While

there was a slight increase up to $3.93/kg of milk solids, up from $3.84 in 2019, they showed pasture at 81 per cent of feed input achieving an impressive 502 kilograms of milk solids/cow. They also won Best Canterbury Farm Performance, Business Resilience Lowest CoP, Medium Input with Best Financials and the Best People Leadership awards.

One thing that stands out is that they’re able to achieve impressive financial results and productivity while caring for their people.

Notably, their staff turnover is virtually nil.

They are still working with many of the same staff they brought with them from their previous job. They’re family!

They were recently named a Finalist in the nationwide Primary Industries (MPI) Good Employer Awards under the employee development award category.

For the Millers, winning the Best People Leadership awards and being a Finalist in the Good Employer Awards is recognition their “happy staff, happy cows” mantra has merit. They currently employ 11 equivalent full-time staff across the two farms, as well as relief milkers and calf rearers.

Having worked on various farms and for various people, each with their own management styles, they learned early on the importance of treating others how you want to be treated. “People are our passion,” says Rebecca. “We have worked hard to create a good team culture. We talk to people, are honest and try to establish trust.

We ask our team what it is that they want to achieve so we can help them attain their goals. This helps us to achieve ours.”

“It’s about creating that team environment and releasing people, not controlling or micro-managing them, giving every individual the opportunity to shine.

Everyone has value and needs to feel valued.

It’s not about money, it’s about attitude. If we have a positive impact on our people, profit will come anyway.”

The staff are given the power and responsibility of doing their own rosters, working out between them who works when fitting in with overall staff requirements set by the Millers to ensure everything on-farm can still run smoothly.

The team has chosen a six-days-on two off roster with light duties in the weekends, and are free to swap and change days off to suit their own needs.

“If there are school events or appointments, then the team can decide how to accommodate this so that no one misses out. One of our key drivers is that everyone goes home and enjoys their families.

Obviously, there are times when everyone has to pitch in such as calving where we can’t have three people off and only one

working, but we let them take responsibility for that. We do keep an eye on it though so everyone is happy,” says Rebecca.

They also encourage staff to learn how to do every job on the farm, meaning few knowledge gaps when people were sick or needed time away. And where practicable they also actively involve their team in decision making for the operation, especially round feed quality. “Everyone has their eye on the prize,” says Brent.

Brent and Rebecca believe staff retention is critical, especially those with young families.

Losing a staff member is not just a cost from a monetary perspective, says Brent.

Retraining someone new comes at a cost to the whole business. It also affects milk production and other staff, management, or owners, who have to step in to cover the additional hours.

They run a tight ship, running effective and efficient operations, priding themselves on doing the little things well.

Though they are both busy in the business, alongside raising their three children—Blake, 16, Blair, 13, and Rhianna, 11—they are also heavily involved in other farming activities.

Not shy of putting her hand up or getting involved, Rebecca’s contribution to the industry is far-reaching, earning her a finalist spot in this year’s Dairy Women of the Year. With an incessant thirst for knowledge, she’s both hard-working and passionate.

Rebecca has been involved in the Dairy Women’s Network for 12 years, since establishing the South Canterbury branch when they were Island Glen Dairies after she saw a need in the community. Just four ladies turned up to the first session, with numbers growing to 50. Last year she established the Ashburton Business Group under the Dairy Women’s Network umbrella, based on a successful pilot in Rotorua. She is also the Federated Farmers Mid Canterbury sharemilker section chair and has been involved with many projects with DairyNZ, including project work for the Good Boss campaign, DairyConnect and GoDairy.

ABOVE: On average the cows produce 500kg of milk solids per season BELOW LEFT: Staff are given the power and responsibility of doing their own rosters BOTTOM LEFT: The Millers encourage staff to learn how to do every job on the farm

Earlier this year Rebecca hit the road as part of the Dairy Women’s Network ‘Make time for your people’, speaking tour, which involved six face-to-face workshops which were held throughout the country.

Rebecca has also launched Land Events, a website aiming to lift the profile and stop duplication of rural events by having all the information in one place, on the back of completing the Kelloggs Rural Leadership Programme. Her Kellogg research showed 81 per cent of people were missing out on farm events because they were unable to reorganise their work commitments.

Brent is also completing the Kelloggs Rural Leadership Programme. She hopes it will benefit other farmers and primary industry groups, while also increasing collaboration.

She is also passionate about the creation of an innovation hub in Canterbury that entrepreneurs and farmers can call their own.

Having been hands-on for many years, the Millers are slowly transitioning out of the cowshed, looking to their long-term goal of farm ownership and are eager to share their knowledge with others.

For many years they’ve fielded questions from other farmers regarding their success in certain areas, which has led to the creation of MilkIQ, an information-sharing platform and consultancy business. Using ‘Farmily’ they take a holistic look at the whole business, aiming to deliver authentic partnerships, positive impact leaders, and attention to detail and care. They’re hopeful MilkIQ will get their philosophies out to a wider audience.

“We had to do it here first, but it can be replicated. Working for Spectrum Group gave us a lot of skills that other people just don’t get. They paid it forward to us, and now we are paying it forward,” says Brent.

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USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

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USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

INTEREST

1–2 JULY

INSTORE DAYS 2021 The Ruralco Instore Days is a fantastic celebration of all things agricultural, focussed on bringing the rural community together to what has likened to be a “mini field days” in our Ashburton store, where you can benefit from deals across Ruralco and our suppliers.

The Ruralco Instore Days will be held on Thursday 1 July and Friday 2 July, with deals available online till midnight on Sunday 4 July.

The 2021 hybrid event will encompass a marquee at our Ruralco Ashburton store with suppliers on site to discuss your farming needs across many farm supplies, seed, fertiliser, fuel, energy, and servicebased card suppliers, with an extensive network of retail card suppliers participating through their own retail stores.

In 2021 we have a SXS up for grabs— Honda 2021 Pioneer 1000, RRP from $29,350.

To be in to win, spend $250 with your Ruralco Card across our Instore Days participating suppliers between 1 June till 4 July to gain one entry into the prize draw.

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A NEW

RRP FROM

$29,350

*T&C’S APPLY

To be in to win, every $250 you spend cumulatively across our Instore Days participating suppliers from 1 June–4 July 2021 automatically gives you one entry into the prize draw.

GET INVOLVED FROM 1 JUNE Spend $250 at our participating suppliers with your Ruralco Card to ensure you maximise entries in the draw for the Honda 2021 Pioneer 1000.

THIS IS JUST A SNAPSHOT OF THE MANY SUPPLIERS THAT YOU CAN SHOP WITH TO GAIN ENTRIES IN THE DRAW FOR THE HONDA 2021 PIONEER 1000.

SHOP WITH THESE PARTICIPATING SUPPLIERS IN THE MARQUEE

BE PART OF THE ACTION 1–2 JULY 1. Join us at Ruralco Ashburton to meet suppliers in

person, get epic deals and enjoy a bite to eat from one of our tasty food trucks from 10am–3pm, with tea/ coffee available all day. Or visit our stores in Methven or Rakaia to get the same great deals, a bite to eat and meet suppliers.

2. Visit our participating card retail suppliers at their stores for exclusive Ruralco Cardholder deals.

3. Too busy on the farm to make it to the stores? Or if you farm outside of Canterbury, then you can still participate in our great deals by buying online at: www.ruralco.co.nz/instoredays

SHOP WITH THESE PARTICIPATING CARD SUPPLIERS AT THEIR STORE

*T&C’S & EXCLUSIONS APPLY

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND TO CHECK OUT THE DEALS VISIT WWW.RURALCO.CO.NZ *T&C’S APPLY

TERMS & CONDITIONS – Most store specials are available online at www.ruralco.co.nz/instoredays, via phone 0800 787 256, via email ruralco@ruralco.co.nz, and through Ashburton, Methven and Rakaia Stores (subject to Covid-19 policies).

– Advertised specials and promotions are strictly while stocks last and no rainchecks will be given.

– Prices indicated in this catalogue are Ruralco Members’ prices and are only valid on 1–4 July 2021 unless otherwise stated.

– Prices indicated in this catalogue include GST unless otherwise stated.

– Promotions and prize draws in this catalogue are only for 1–4 July 2021 unless otherwise stated.

– Only Ruralco Members are eligible to win prizes.

– Entry into the promotion(s) deems consent to use prize winner’s name and photograph for any promotional purposes.

– Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash.

– The promoter’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

– Warranty on the prizes issued is limited to the warranty given by the manufacturers.

– Prize draws will be held on or before 31 July 2021 (unless otherwise stated) and winners will be advised by phone and/or email.

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CARD

25-year milestone for Ed Body Long-time supplier, Ed Body is proud to be celebrating two milestones this year—25 years as a fencing contractor in Mid Canterbury and 21 years as a Ruralco Supplier. people to do renovations on their house and property—keeping Ed busy too.

If Ed is not fencing or teaching, he also leases a 150-acre run-off block in Geraldine where he finishes 260 cattle from 6 months to 2 years.

Ed is rightly proud of his 25 years in business and wishes to thank his customers for their continued support.

LEFT: Ed’s new workshop located at 13 Bryant Street, Tinwald BELOW LEFT: On rainy days Ed and the team manufacture these outriggers. These are available for purchase direct from Ed at $4.50 each BOTTOM: You’ll never forget your knot again with one of Ed’s Figure 8 keyrings, pictured in blue and available in a range of colours $20 each BELOW: For 25 years Ed Body and his team have been proudly fencing around the mid Canterbury district.

“I like every fencing job, as long as it keeps the team and I busy.”

It is good to catch up with Ed as he undertakes the process of replacing a broken fence wire, along with showing us his fence knot key rings that he sells and gives to his clients as a fundraiser for the Geraldine High School primary industries programme.

Over the past few years Ed’s business has grown from strength to strength, with the workload keeping him and his team of four full time and three part time staff busy. They operate two post drivers and a digger, which ensure they can cover all aspects of the job.

Ed first started fencing in 1997 when the Ashburton dairy industry was booming, and there seems to be no slowing down for him anytime soon. Covering the Mid Canterbury region, Ed Body Fencing usually spans from Rakaia to Geraldine.

Along with fencing, of which Ed says is 80 percent agricultural, he also teaches high school students from rural backgrounds how to tie knots and participate in a few other fencing projects. Ed usually teaches a couple of times per month through the Primary Industry Academy.

He also creates fencing knot key rings which students can refer to out on farm. These key rings are something Ed likes to give to his clients when finishing up a job for them. Recently, Ed attended the South Island Agricultural Field Days in Kirwee, where he had these key rings for sale.

Ed and his team also manufacture Outriggers (pictured) which are available for purchase direct, and Ed says this is a great rainy day job to ensure he and the team are kept busy.

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Ed likes every fencing job as long as it’s keeping him and his team busy, but he does enjoy post and rail lifestyle fencing, along with tin fencing in town. In Ashburton, all the fencing contractors know one another with Ed saying that he would sometimes call on another contractor to help, if he has a bigger project that had a short deadline.

Of late, some jobs have taken longer than expected due to the supply and demand of some fencing materials due to the impacts of COVID-19. On a positive note, Kiwis not being able to travel has freed up some money for

Ed Body 13 Bryant Street Tinwald

Tel 027 439 9322 edbodyfencing@yahoo.co.nz Facebook Ed Body Fencing

Up to

7% discount with your Ruralco Card

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SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

A PIONEENEW HONDA 2021 R 100 WHEN 0 WORTH $2 9,350 YOU PU R THESE C PRODU HASE CTS

A

Pricing is GST inclusive

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SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

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SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

NDA 2021 A NEW HO ORTH $29,350 W 00 10 R SE PIONEE U PURCHA WHEN YO LLFLEX A H IT W

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Yams find value added cropping niche

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There is something highly counter-intuitive for experienced vegetable growers to want to grow a weed. But for Warren and Michelle Jones, that is all part of what makes their choice of commercial crop special, and unique amidst Canterbury’s many cropping opportunities.

WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE, IMAGES BY LANEY WILLIS

The couple are into their fourth full time season growing yams, made so distinctive with their knobbly appearance and attractive red or yellow hues.

For a certain generation of consumers, yams will bring back vivid memories of Sunday roasts, with yams’ sweet taste contrasting to the usual potato, kumara and pumpkin mix that made up the roasted vegie platter.

Few may appreciate it, but strictly speaking the tuber is a weed, part of the oxalis family oxalis tuberosa, distinguished by their tuber root system, and so often the headache of home gardeners when trying to remove them from flowerbeds.

“It does seem strange as a grower to be planting something that is related to a weed, and in some respects you do have to treat it like a weed. In others you treat it very much like the commercial crop it is,” says Warren.

Anywhere else in the world the yam is known as the “oca” while somewhat confusingly for Kiwis, the kumara is called a yam overseas.

The plant’s DNA steps back to the Peruvian Andes, where a variety of colours and lengths are grown on latitudes shared by Warrens’ Rakaia district.

There are extensive efforts overseas to collect varieties of yams from South American

countries to ensure their diversity and viability are maintained, given their historic significance.

Here in Canterbury Warren and Michelle are putting a commercial spin on those preservation efforts, quietly overseeing a resurgence of yams back onto the dinner menus of a new generation of Kiwi diners, and also creating a value-added niche on Canterbury’s market gardening map.

“Between my teens and my 30s I don’t think I would have seen a yam, and earlier on it was often because they may have been growing

ABOVE: Warren and Michelle are putting a commercial spin on those preservation efforts, quietly overseeing a resurgence of yams back onto the dinner menus of a new generation of Kiwi diners BELOW: The Joneses are also taking growing to the next stage with their pre-packed Murphy Pack brand of yams, distributed through Progressive and Foodstuffs supermarkets nationally

in your parents’ garden, but they did seem to vanish for a while,” says Warren.

Today there are four main growers in New Zealand, two in the South Island and two in the North. The Joneses are also taking growing to the next stage with their pre-packed Murphy Pack brand of yams, distributed through Progressive and Foodstuffs supermarkets nationally.

But it has not been a straight leap into the quirky vegetable’s market, and for Warren is the culmination of a lifetime spent in the market gardening/vegetable growing industry from when he left school at 16.

“My goal was always to have my own growing operation that was large enough for us to both work in it fulltime.”

Warren started his career working for a seed potato grower in Highbank after leaving school and eventually they did purchase a small growing property which they ran for six years before selling.

The couple saw the yam business on the market fifteen years ago but it was unable to support them fulltime, leaving them to work on the Murphy Pack project over weekends and after hours while Warren continued to work fulltime in packhouse operations in Canterbury and Michelle at the local BNZ.

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INTEREST “Then we got talking to the people at MG Marketing (produce distribution company) who suggested we should commit totally to the operation.”

“They helped us out a lot with the promotion, branding and marketing side of things, and helped give us confidence to really push the business forward.”

The couple grow the yams on 23ha of leased land, moving to a new patch every year in a year-long planting-harvesting cycle that is aligned with the equinox for planting in October, harvesting from May-September.

“This fits well for a lot of farmers, for this period of time it is a good break crop. You sometimes initially have a little hesitancy from those that think of it as a weed, but the residual is easily cleared out and well gone after a year.”

While similar to a weed in that they are best left to grow in the early stages of planting in October, yams can be a temperamental crop demanding more attention as the tubers begin to fill out.

Yams require a long growing season with lower evening temperatures early on in planting, and longer daylight with high temperatures later on in the growing stage, making Canterbury an ideal environment for them. Ample supplies of water are also needed to ensure they reach their full size.

“They do not like stress, and they need quite a bit of water as they start to fill out, up to 25mm an application. But this usually works well because it comes after the demand has passed from other crops. A lack of water or an early frost can be the two main stresses for them.”

Warren finds the yams a rewarding crop to plant and harvest, with a relatively low environmental footprint attached.

“As a crop they don’t receive any nitrogen, which is a good thing when dealing with nutrient loss issues, but they do need potash.

Our main pest is grass grub, and if it wasn’t for having to control that, they would be virtually an organic crop.”

The crop is well suited to the rich, well drained Waimakariri silt loam soils around the Rakaia

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district, returning a healthy yield per hectare.

Harvesting is drawn out between May and September, again adding to the crop’s appeal for its ability to fit around the usually earlier seasonal demands of most other crops.

The tubers are not time-critical for harvest, meaning wet weather can be worked around relatively easily without crop spoilage.

“Crop yields are pretty comparable to onions or potatoes. Last season we managed 11t a hectare, up from 8t the year before.”

ABOVE: Harvesting is done using an adapted potato harvester which is adept at plucking the tubers off the attached foliage after the frosts come with adaptations to the web belts and sieves ensuring the relatively tender yams are not damaged in the process BELOW: Calling on a loyal corps of locals to help over the harvest season, they also boost the numbers with backpackers

Harvesting is done using an adapted potato harvester which is adept at plucking the tubers off the attached foliage after the frosts come with adaptations to the web belts and sieves ensuring the relatively tender yams are not damaged in the process.

The couple have recently commissioned a new packhouse/processing facility that this season will include a newly imported Danish pre-pack line that brings the grading and processing firmly in-house for the first time.

“Yams do tend to be quite labour intensive at this point due to their shape and size, and here in New Zealand we tend to grow relatively small yams, which can take more time to process.”

Calling on a loyal corps of locals to help over the harvest season, they also boost the numbers with backpackers and despite the challenges of Covid travel bans, have managed to find some keen workers for this season.

“Overall last year we were quite lucky in that the yams were in the ground when lockdown

came on, and harvest came after lockdown was lifted, and there were still quite a few people around looking for work.”

They had been concerned about how consumers would respond over the pandemic period, but have been pleasantly surprised to find demand is sound, and if anything growing for the interesting tuber.

As a food item, yams are dense with carbohydrates, even more so than potatoes and their appeal is enhanced by a sweet taste profile.

The couple keep back selected quantities each year as a source of seed stock, with colour varieties extending from a beet like purple, to red and yellow.

This season they have their own “red eye” special breed being packed for their first timea yellow yam with a distinctive red eye, with a distinctive lemony taste and something that has taken the couple three years to cultivate in volumes sufficient to sell commercially.

Warren says the big supermarket chains have been very supportive of the Murphy Pack brand, encouraged by the results they are witnessing with potatoes being removed from their generic 10kg sacks and into convenient pre-washed presized boxes with cooking suggestions.

“Often people are not sure what to do with them, but there are options other than just roasting. They can be sliced up thinly to go into salads raw, and even the leaves are very edible.”

Warren says they have considered other options for processing, including yam chips, as a new generation start to explore yams as a new food option.

With their twins aged 13 and a 16-year old, life like the business is busy for the couple. Warren says they are keen to see how the next two years go with the new pre-pack line in place, and possibly a new harvester to speed things up in the field.

They also want to focus upon keeping their seed stock up to meet demand, in a crop that is proving to be popular with consumers, and the rejects very popular with assorted livestock herds around Canterbury.

Warren is optimistic their interesting crop has an assured future among the rotations on the Plains, but he remains concerned over the ever-increasing pressure on growers, whether in terms of quality land supply, or environmental regulations.

“I think it is tending to be forgotten that we all need to eat, and we need land to provide for that. But the challenges around water and compliance are pressing from one side, while the demand for good land for housing is coming from the other side.

“It affects everybody, and I am not sure that everybody is really thinking about it like that however.”

Warming yam soup recipe While many people will be familiar with yams in the Sunday roast, Michelle Jones has a warming appetising yam soup that makes a change from the usual winter soup line up and is easy to make.

Chop up one onion, or a leek, and a couple of celery stalks, and cook until soft then fill the pot up with yams and add vegetable stock until nearly full.

Season the pot with salt and pepper and Masterfoods Thai Seasoning— this may require quite a bit of seasoning to bring up to full flavour.

Bring the pot to the boil and simmer until the yams are soft and mushy.

Depending upon your preference for a smooth soup, you can either eat the soup as it is, or put it through a food processor and then reheat if necessary.

Another variation to sweeten the soup is to roast the yams first which makes the skins go silky.

Be sure not to forget to add the onion or the leek if you cook it this way, otherwise the soup will be quite sweet.

RIGHT: The couple have recently commissioned a new packhouse/processing facility that this season will include a newly imported Danish pre-pack line that brings the grading and processing firmly inhouse for the first time

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INTEREST

Women at home during war time The Land Girls are one of New Zealand’s unsung war heroes. With the service established to meet the shortage of male labour caused by their enlistment in the forces during World War II, there were nearly 4,000 women who came from rural and urban upbringings, working the land and managing farms throughout New Zealand as part of the war effort.

WORDS BY RACHAEL RICKARD

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Women’s Land Army

Overalls and a killing knife

By 1917, as war became more entrenched across Europe, efforts required to support it were mounting. In Britain, to help sustain the effort, a civilian organisation was created, the Women’s Land Army (WLA) with its purpose to organise women to work in agriculture. The Land Army placed women with farms that needed workers, enabling farmers the labour they needed to pick crops and do the jobs that the men, who had been called up to the military, had previously done. The women who worked for the WLA were commonly known as, the Land Girls.

With World War II looming in Britain, 1939, the government took over the administration of the WLA through the then Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. To grow more food, more help was needed on the farms, so again women stepped up into roles not traditionally given them.

In 1942 as provisions became sparse, the Women’s War Service Auxiliary and the National Service Department officially formed the New Zealand Women’s Land Service. The service had to take on the task of providing for domestic and British citizens as well as the arrival of around 100,000 American soldiers in New Zealand and the Pacific. The agricultural industry was an essential component where the service of women was now vital.

The call to service for the Land Girls was one way many women felt they could serve their country. Some had grown up on farms, watching their fathers before them, others had never seen a plough. From experienced sheep shearers or novice farmhands, they felt the call to serve, much like the men.

Initially, when the Land Service was first formed, women were less inclined to join because other women’s war services provided more stable conditions and support. Efforts were made to recruit more Land Girls by improving wages, providing them with a ‘smart uniform’ and a Service Handbook of Information containing the rules and information for members, including duties, wages, and placement.

The Land Girls worked long hours, often from before sunrise to late in the evening.

They seldom had a day off. The work was physically and mentally taxing. Women found themselves shearing, slaughtering, milking, gardening, and working the fields.

From rabbiting to gardening, breaking horses, mustering, wool classing and general rouseabouts. From saddling up the ponies for children to ride to school, to helping with domestic chores, much of the work was done without electrical power, and field work was done without tractors but rather with a horse and plough.

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Even though women were working with fewer resources and farmhands, the production of wool and most meat was at a record high; somehow nearly 4,000 women replaced 28,000 men and still managed to thrive under such difficult wartime conditions.

In 1943, the First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, come to visit New Zealand.

While here, she visited some land girls on the farms and recognised them for their hard work and dedication.

During the war, New Zealand media referred to the efforts of these women as “excellent” and “splendid”. Sadly, this sentiment did not remain once the war was over. When the men came home, the Land Girls were faced with opposition from both the New Zealand government as well as some of the farmers they worked with. The government did not want to foster the notion that women could effectively replace the men as they were beginning to return from their service.

This idea caused the efforts of these women to be subdued in the eyes of the New Zealand public. And it would not be until 2011 when New Zealand women were recognised for their efforts. The land girls were forgotten, and most records discarded. While the men returned from war and were showered with recognition, the land girls were simply displaced.

In contrast, the efforts of Britain’s land girls, were recognised with certificates from Princess Elizabeth, who would later become Queen Elizabeth II. ABOVE LEFT: Land girls moving sheep, Mangaorapa, Hawke’s Bay. Pascoe, John Dobree, 1908–1972: Photographic albums, prints and negatives. Ref: 1/4-000703-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23022700 BELOW: Pascoe, John Dobree, 1908–1972. Land Girl. Ref: 1/4-000544-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23229836

Equality begins with war Wartime changes only partially led to a change in gender equality in New Zealand, as when the men returned, there was pressure for life to return to that of times before the war. However, the Land Girls had set in motion a new mindset about the division of labour between the genders. The years of hard work on the farms had given women satisfaction which came from crossing the barrier. It gave women a strong sense of achievement. The notion that farm work was a man’s job had been set aside during the war, and this gave New Zealand women a chance to assert themselves as equals.

During the war, women were consistently receiving less in wages and recognition than the men. Sheila Smith, a former land girl, expressed in a Radio NZ interview that “because you were a woman you got much less than the men.” Today, New Zealand is seen as a country with progressive ideals and consistently has one of the lowest gender pay gaps when comparing full time employees. Women have had a rich history in New Zealand, beginning with being the first independent country to where women had the right to vote.

The tenacity of New Zealand women, both in the past and present, to fight for their rights, no matter the adversity, is inspiring.

ABOVE: Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt with members of the Women’s Land Service and triplet lambs, in Rotorua.

Pascoe, John Dobree, 1908-1972 :Photographic albums, prints and negatives. Ref: 1/4-000552-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22396489

Lest we forget all our efforts After the war was over, the Land Girls war efforts were largely forgotten. There was no acknowledgement of their work and the New Zealand Government does not have a record of these women. There is no national monument to the Land Girls, although several woolsheds around the country have bronze bells, made by artist Jai Hall to honour their contribution.

In 2011 the New Zealand Government finally gave former Land Girls an acknowledgement of their efforts with the surviving women receiving certificates in honour of their service.

From the land to the front Not all women went to work on farms. During the war one remarkable rural woman, Natalie Currie left the farm and went to nurse on the front line.

In 2008 the Methven District Heritage Association undertook a project to interview and record the stories of the RSA and Arable oral history of Mid Canterbury. Natalie passed away in 2016 and what follows is based on the transcript of this interview.

Born Natalie Campbell in Ashburton on 31 March 1921, Natalie grew up working on her family farm ‘Westward Ho’. She trained as a nurse after the outbreak of World War Two, then volunteered as a Red Cross nurse, before joining the army as Voluntary Aid nurse at 23 years old. Natalie spent 10 months nursing in Egypt, Italy, and England.

When war broke out Natalie was impacted by the lists of those killed in action, coming from the news on the wireless and reading in the papers. She decided to volunteer as a Red Cross nurse, training at Methven, Ashburton and Burwood Hospitals. She took a trip to Wellington to be fitted with army uniform and spent time in army camp.

Natalie left New Zealand on the ‘Empress of Scotland’ (formerly ‘Empress of Japan’) troop ship to Egypt in the nursing division of the 14th Echelon.

The voyage took her via Hobart over the Indian Ocean to Aden in convoy with ‘Achilles’ and three American Liberty cargo ships.

There were water rations for 3,000, shared rooms, and dances on board. Upon arriving at Port Tewfik, Egypt she was driven by army truck and ambulance to the Helwan Hospital nurses’ home, Cairo. Natalie recalled the leave activities, including sightseeing to the pyramids, attending the New Zealand Club in Cairo, going to markets and a race meeting.

Natalie did a stint in Italy arriving at Bari and then to Senigallia. She worked six days a week performing nursing duties in physical and surgical wards at Senigallia.

They lived in huts, ate together, and formed

strong friendships and at one point the New Zealand hospitals were moved closer to the front line.

During the war Natalie was engaged to Tom Currie. He had trained at Burnham as a sergeant and went with the 8th Reinforcements to Egypt. He worked on the aerodrome with his brother George in Cairo until he transferred to artillery in Cassino and Northern Italy. Tom’s role was with the artillery and he sustained a shell injury. Tom visited Natalie during her time in Senigallia and they wrote each other many letters, with Tom describing the tensions of himself and all the men.

Natalie was drawn in ballot to go to England, the trip was via Naples, after celebrating Victory in Europe (V.E) Day in Caserta. The voyage, on the ‘Georgic’ ship was escorted with a convoy via Gibraltar, and at one stage there was a U-boat scare. They arrived at the Port of Glasgow; she then took a train to London to nurse New Zealand ex-prisoners of war at Haine hospital near Margate. It was here where Natalie met up with Methven boys and visited the New Zealand Forces club in London.

With luck on her side, not long after she was drawn in the ballot to go home. Travelling on the ‘Dominion Monarch’ across the equator, via the Suez Canal and into Wellington.

Fiancée Tom Currie had already arrived home on a troop ship before her and from Wellington she made the journey home to Ashburton to find the effects of war on the home front.

Natalie and Tom married in 1946, they had three children Campbell, Catherine, and Russell. They purchased ‘Kimberley’, on Pudding Hill Road, Methven in 1962. Natalie’s son Russell and his family continue to farm Kimberley today. They farmed sheep, grew cropping wheat, barley and peas, and cattle.

Natalie was given an honorary membership of the RSA in Ashburton and in 1995 she joined the RSA trip and returned to England and Crete to the V.J (Victory over Japan) Day commemorations. She was active in the Methven community, particularly the St Johns Presbyterian Church, golf, tennis, and swimming clubs. She was also on the Ashburton Hospital Board and was part of the opening committee of Methven House.

Natalie died in July 2016, having served her country, our land and community.

IMAGE: Natalie Currie nee. Campbell; Photo Credit: Methven Historical Society & Museu

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LIFESTYLE

Winter YOUR TRAVEL GUIDE

wonders KINCO PIG SKIN GLOVES $39.60

Our Winter Playground

AVAILABLE IN STORE OR ONLINE FROM RURALCO

Staveley Ice Rinks Mt Olympus Ski Area

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Mt Olympus aka the “Playground of the Gods” is a club field located in the Craigieburn Range in the South Island. Run by the Windwhistle Winter Sports Club (WWSC), it’s one of those ski areas with an impressive reputation.

Home to big mountain skiing, south-facing slopes that trap lots of powder, no crowds and a relaxed attitude, the ski area is serviced by three successive nutcracker rope-tows as well as a learner’s tow in the beginners’ area. The terrain is amazing, the access road is an adventure, the atmosphere is great, and it also boasts the highest hot tub in NZ.

Just off State Highway 72, the Staveley ice skating and curling rinks was built by a group of local Mid Canterbury farmers back in 1949 and is one of the few natural ice-skating locations left in New Zealand.

Made up of three rinks with the upper used only for curling, there is also an open fire, perfect for BYO marshmallows and biscuits after a day or night on the ice.

Due to the increasingly warm winters that have been occurring, the rink does not always open because it not continuously cold enough for a thick enough sheet of ice to freeze. Check out their Facebook page for up-to-date details of its opening.

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Fox Peak Ski Area Naseby Ice Rink, Luge & Snowpark The Naseby Ice Rink, Luge & Snowpark has been providing winter (June to August) fun and entertainment for all ages since opening in 1991.

Whether you enjoy skating, curling, hurtling down the ice luge or playing in the snow, you can have a great time doing it all at the Naseby Ice Rink, Luge & Snowpark. Check out their website for more info.

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Fox Peak Ski Area is run by the Fox Peak Ski Club (Inc.) – a nonprofit organisation whose ski field is located on Fox Peak. The Ski Area sits beneath Fox Peak – the highest point on the giant Two Thumb Range just 40km from Fairlie, South Canterbury.

The uncrowded slopes and friendly atmosphere, coupled with amazing terrain make it one of the true gems of the South Island’s club ski fields. The team at Fox Peak rely on the hard work of loyal and passionate club members to make this a true ski and snowboarding paradise to be enjoyed by all.

WHAT’S NEW

Drinking it in Smarten up you home bar game with our new range of delightful glassware that will be sure to add a touch of class to your winter entertaining.

Check out some of the cocktail recipes we’re loving at the moment featuring refreshing alcoholic and non-alcoholic options.

Classic Gin Gimlet LIME SYRUP • 2 limes • Zest of 2 limes • 200g white or caster sugar

PLUS • Ice • 50ml Gin or non-alcoholic subsitute • Lime slice to garnish

First make your lime sugar syrup. Place your lime zest and juice into a saucepan and add water. You’ll want 60% lime juice and 40% water.

Add cater sugar and heat gently without boiling on a medium heat until sugar has dissolved.

Use a cocktail shaker or jar and fill with ice Add sugar lime syrup and gin to the ice and stir, wait for the shaker to cool then pour into a child martini glass.

Luigi Bormioli

Mojito • • • • • •

45ml white rum or non-alcoholic subsitute 30ml lime juice 90ml sparkling water 2 teaspoons Chelsea Caster Sugar 2 mint sprigs Fresh ice cubes

MARTINI GLASSES - 4 $53.30 HIGH BALL GLASSES - 6 $57.00 GIN GLASSES - 4 $60.40 AVAILABLE FROM RURALCO

In a tall glass, add two teaspoons of sugar, the juice of half a lime, two mint sprigs and two parts of sparkling water. Muddle gently and then add one part of white rum, then the ice cubes.

Kombucha Mocktail

ALCOHOL

FREE

• Juice of 1 lime • 1 sprig of rosemary • Flavoured kombucha of your choice, ginger and lemonade work well • 1 cup ice • Slice of lime to garnish

Place ice in a chilled gin glass, add your sprig of rosemary pour over lime juice and top with kombucha.

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LIFESTYLE HOME INSPO

WE LOVE

Entranceway Style Your entranceway is the window to your home. Style it up with a statement piece and dress it to create ambience when guests enter your home. A console table or bench seat is a great way to make an empty space seem more homely and attractive when you walk in the door. Dress a table with dried floral arrangement and candles and hang a mirror or an artwork above. A bench seat is another great feature for this space. Add cushions or throws for a cosy look.

John John Bench from The Ned Collections. $521.80

AVAILABLE FROM RURALCO

Coffee table books

Coffee table books are an inexpensive way to add pops of colour to a room. They are an accessory that requires little but keep on giving. They can add style to every corner of your home from your coffee table, kitchen island to your bookshelves or entryway console.

THE CREATIVE HOME $40.30 SCANDINAVIAN MODERN $35.90 #SHELFIE $35.90 AVAILABLE FROM RURALCO

Indoor P lants

Indoor plants are trending heavily online, sparking a global craze with home decorators collecting peace lilies, snake plants, monstera, fiddle leaf fig, rubber plants and cacti to name a few. But why is this aesthetic becoming more and more popular? Plants bring life to any space, especially in the colder months more dreary months, plants can breathe life into your home while having other benefits like keeping the air clean.

You can fill any space in your home with a plant, pair it with a fun pot to make a beautiful statement in your home. Or perhaps you want to get the look without worrying about care and maintenance of a living thing. Our new collection of pots and faux plants can add greenery to your space.

ARECA PALM TREE $172.50 HANGING PEA LEAF $28.50 AVAILABLE FROM RURALCO

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IN THE KITCHEN

AT THE CINEMA

Roasted Vegetable Medley

What’s on at the movies With David Favel, Regent Cinema

With Natt Taufa, Ruralco

Dream Horse

Opens 3rd June RED ONIONS KUMARA CARROTS PUMPKIN COURGETTE MUSHROOMS

WHOLE PEELED GARLIC CLOVES FETA SPINACH OLIVE OIL PINCH OF CUMIN

Fast & Furious 9

The true story of Dream Alliance, an unlikely racehorse bred by small-town bartender Jan Vokes.

With very little money and no experience, Jan convinces her neighbours to chip in their meagre earnings to help raise Dream and compete with the racing elites.

Their investment pays off as Dream rises through the ranks and becomes a beacon of hope for their struggling community.

SALT N PEPPER ROSEMARY SPRIG DRIZZLE OF BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Chop all your vegetables into evenly sized cubes.

Mix oil, vinegar, cumin, salt n pepper together and coat the vegetables.

Place your vegetable in a roasting dish in a single layer, adding the sprig of rosemary and roast to perfection When ready to serve crumble Feta over and scatter spinach throughout also.

Opens 17th June

After the events of The Fate of the Furious (2017), Dominic Toretto and his family must face Dominic’s younger brother Jakob, a deadly assassin, who is working with their old enemy Cipher, and who holds a personal vendetta against Dominic.

FASHION

Cover up in style with Swanndri

Maxwell Williams Epicurious&Range

Winter means it’s time to rug up when you’re out and about. The new Swanndri winter range has you covered with cosy casual wear to get you through the season. Perhaps you’re heading away on a winter break or cheering on the kids at the rugby field. With great options for both men and women, this collection will take you through many winters to come.

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A. SWANNDRI MEN’S CARISBROOK SIDELINE JACKET $310.50 B. SWANNDRI WOMEN’S RYDAL HALF ZIP HOODIE $115.40 C. SWANNDRI MEN’S HORIZON CREW FLEECE $97.60 AVAILABLE IN STORE OR ONLINE FROM RURALCO

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A. MAXWELL & WILLIAMS EPICURIOUS CASSEROLE DISH 2.6LT ROUND $63.90 B. MAXWELL & WILLIAMS EPICURIOUS LASAGNE DISH 36 X 24.5CM $53.10 C. MAXWELL & WILLIAMS EPICURIOUS SQUARE BAKER 19 X 7CM $22.90 AVAILABLE IN STORE OR ONLINE FROM RURALCO

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LIFESTYLE LIBRARY CORNER

HOME

Winter reads

Cosy up your reading corner

With Norma Geddes, Ashburton Paper Plus

Farm for Life

BY TANGAROA WALKER

The awesomely inspiring true story of how Tangaroa Walker turned his life around through farming - and how what he learned can help anyone succeed. Tangaroa Walker’s early years were pretty rough. Adopted twice, he went to six different schools by the time he was six. He never read a book in his life and lived to play rugby. But he had a dream, and he knew how to do the mahi.

Today, T is a true community and industry leader running a successful 500-cow dairy farm and reaching millions as the much-loved face of Farm4Life with his practical, inspiring, crack-up videos on everything from farming to fishing, finance to whanau, management to mental health. This is the story of how he did it—the good and the bad times—and all the lessons learned along the way.

Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail

BY DANIELLE HAWKINS

Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail is the funny, illuminating diary of a year in the life of a New Zealand farm vet. With a husband and two children, 1200 sheep and 400 cattle, farm dogs and pet lambs, pigs bent on excavation and a goat bent on escape, country life is never dull.

From calving cows to constipated dogs, weddings to weaning lambs, daffodils to ducklings to droughts, each season brings new challenges and delights. Sometimes it’s exhausting but it’s almost always a lot of fun - anyway, it’s all part and parcel of the life of a Kiwi mother, farmer’s wife and vet.

Legacy of War

BY WILBUR SMITH & DAVID CHURCHILL

The action-packed new book in the Courtney Series and the sequel to Courtney’s War. The war is over, Hitler is dead—and yet his evil legacy lives on. Saffron Courtney and her beloved husband Gerhard only just survived the brutal conflict, but Gerhard’s Nazisupporting brother, Konrad, is still free and determined to regain power.

As a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse develops, a plot against the couple begins to stir. One that will have ramifications throughout Europe. Further afield in Kenya, the last outcrop of the colonial empire is feeling the stirrings of rebellion. As the situation becomes violent, and the Courtney family home is under threat, Leon Courtney finds himself caught between two powerful sides—and a battle for the freedom of a country. Legacy of War is a nail-biting story of courage, bravery, rebellion and war from the master of adventure fiction.

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OWL BOOK ENDS, SET OF 2 $162.50 MT SOMER’S LAMBSWOOL THROW IN SOFT GREY $199.00 MAXWELL & WILLIAMS PERSONALISED LETTERETTES COFFEE MUG $12.90 LE FORGE VELVET CUSHIONS $51.80 AVAILABLE FROM RURALCO

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ENERGY

Cold farm cottages a thing of the past From this winter the days of damp, cold farm cottages being a standard expectation on Kiwi farms will be well on the way out with new government regulations coming into play.

“For any landlord who either rents for money or in kind, as part of a farm job package for example, there is a requirement to comply with these regulations.”

The regulations include standards around all aspects of a “healthy home”, namely heating, insulation, ventilation, draughts, and moisture.

For farm owners preparing to provide cottages and accommodation for staff, Yvonne WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE recommends a close assessment of the facilities The Healthy Homes Guarantee Act 2017 is part to determine what needs to be improved to of the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes meet the regulations.

Standards) regulations, with some significant From 1 July 2019 landlords were required to implications for landlords everywhere. It came undertake a simple insulation statement and into effect from 1 July 2019. from 1 July 2021, the more complex Healthy Venture Energy Director Yvonne Gilmore has vast Homes Certification, and have 90 days to experience in helping clients with efficient energy ensure their properties are compliant. use and heating and believes the introduction of Yvonne cautions the standards extend beyond the regulations is not before time. the expected ones around heating, insulation, “Typically, New Zealand homes are and ventilation, to also include standards for significantly damper and colder than their guttering and ground moisture barriers.

Northern Hemisphere equivalents, and the The government Tenancy Services division new regulations are welcome, even though of MBIE has developed a heating assessment the standards are still lower than those in tool to help landlords assess their property’s countries like the United Kingdom,” says compliance. This requires measurements of Yvonne. walls, windows, and floor areas for input into

the https://tools.tenancy.govt.nz/heating-tool/ “Once you have proven your home is compliant, you require a Healthy Homes compliance certificate which you can download, and which is attached to your tenancy agreement.”

Dodging the requirements is inadvisable, with hefty penalties for non-compliance.

“But getting your accommodation up to standard is a good move regardless of having to meet regulations. In terms of staff wellbeing, a healthy home reduces the number of sick days for both staff and family, keeping your farm business more productive and a happier place to work, and live.”

Upgrades in other standards are also likely in the future, given new properties are required to be double glazed and have a higher standard of insulation.

“You have to remember that the standards now required are very much just the minimum.”

There is additional information available on the MBIE website, you may call MBIE for information, or contact Tracey Gordon, Energy Sales Manager at Ruralco, on 0800 787 256 for alternative options.

Transpower generator project Since dairying has boomed on the Canterbury Plains electricity providers have witnessed some significant shifts in demand patterns that have had an impact upon the region’s electricity infrastructure needs.

WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE

Prior to dairy’s surge Canterbury would experience a relatively flat summer supply demand curve, and a lift in demand over winter from domestic users heating homes.

However, with dairying’s demand for electricity both for dairy shed power and particularly for irrigation up over summer months, the region experiences two lifts in demand, one a rural surge and one urban in winter.

This has required national grid operator Transpower to review how best to meet this new summer demand surge that typically

peaks for only a few weeks during the year yet would require millions to be spent on upgraded lines and equipment to cope.

“The high capital cost of this sort of upgrade has prompted Transpower to look at another way to cope with this issue, without having to invest for such a short period of the year,” says energy consultant Yvonne Gilmore.

The grid operator is keen to conscript dairy farmers who have already invested in stand-by generators on their farms, for the days when the power goes down and the farm dairy shed must still run.

“They are giving farmers the opportunity to switch on their generators to use on the farm at the times Transpower is meeting peak loads.

This may mean turning the generator on to chill milk during the day for a few hours as that peak for irrigation hits, taking some of the load off the grid.”

Transpower is prepared to pay farmers for switching on their generators, effectively

taking some of the load off the distributor’s national grid, and with it reducing the need for expensive infrastructural investment.

“The cost of running a diesel generator is about 40c/kWh, including maintenance costs, but Transpower are prepared to ‘buy’ your power for much higher figures, from $1.00/kWh upwards.

“There really is very little downside risk for farmers in this, and a lot of upside benefit.

“Generators should be run every month for a few hours anyway to ensure the fuel is fresh and batteries are fine. This provides an opportunity to get paid well to do it – it provides farmers with a chance to earn an income off a piece of expensive capital equipment that otherwise just sits idle for much of the year.”

Anyone interested in considering partnering with Transpower should contact Tracey Gordon, Ruralco Energy Sales Manager on 0800 787 256 to learn more.

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RURALCO ENERGY

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SPONSORSHIP

Ruralco supports the South Island Dairy Event This year’s South Island Dairy Event (SIDE) is particularly welcome after the difficulties and cancellation last year due to the covid lockdown. Interest in the popular event is sharp, with a solid array of sponsors supporting an entertaining and informative range of speakers over the two day event.

WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE

As a “silver” sponsor Ruralco is proud to be playing its part in this year’s event for the first time which is due to be held at the Ashburton Event Centre from 22–23 of June.

To help delegates enjoy and celebrate the opportunity to meet after a long period of Zoom meetings and social distancing, Ruralco is naming sponsor of the Barn Dance at this year’s SIDE event.

To be held on the Tuesday evening at Trott’s Garden Pavilion, the evening promises to

capture the fun of an old time barn dance, including line dancing, a mechanical bull riding competition, country and western dress and a “walk and fork” dinner.

SIDE sponsorship organiser Katrina Thomas says having Ruralco on board for the first time as a corporate sponsor is a refreshing new relationship, and one she hopes will extend to future SIDE events.

“And of course, it makes great sense having Ruralco sponsoring an event that is high profile in the Canterbury region.”

Ruralco CEO Rob Sharkie says it is a natural fit for Ruralco to support such a high profile, valued event on the rural calendar, right in the co-operative’s main patch.

“SIDE has always provided valuable, useful information to farmers who come from near and far, and it is great to be part of it,” he says.

Run by farmers for famers, the SIDE has consistently delivered a top-quality line up of speakers who are engaged with the dairy sector, covering all aspects of management, staffing, technology, and finance. The focus is on providing insights that can be taken back home and easily applied to attendees’ dairy businesses.

This year’s event has been constructed around five pillars- environment, business, people and cows, and grass. It is structured with workshops delegates can engage in over the course of the two days.

Guest speakers that will be drawing strong interest include psychiatrist, Dr Ceri Evans as the keynote speaker on day one.

A graduate of Otago University, Dr Evans is renowned for his mind modelling work used by people wanting to perform under pressure, and as diverse as professional sports people to executives, and includes working with the All Blacks to whom he has consulted for over 10 years.

He is also author of the well-known self-help book “Perform under pressure.”

Entrepreneur and inventor, Logan Williams who has been credited with three groundbreaking inventions including a method to turn “rock snot” algae into a useful product, is also speaking.

SIDE Chair, Andrew Slater says there is additional focus this year on group interaction, aiming to meet the SIDE 2021 mission statement “to equip farmers with knowledge, understanding, tools and motivation to lead to an ever-evolving dairy sector with pride, confidence and resilience.”

Farmers wanting to register for the SIDE event can do so on the SIDE website side.org.nz

JULIA JONES, MASTER OF CEREMONIES, SIDE EVENT

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SPONSORSHIP

Fourteen years of doing good things For the past 14 years the Ruralco Longbeach Coastal Challenge, a partnership between the Longbeach School and Hinds and District Lions, has been a mainstay of the Mid Canterbury events calendar.

ARTICLE SUPPLIED BY THE LONGBEACH COASTAL CHALLENGE, IMAGES BY KYLIE EDMOND & ANGELA CUSHNIE

The event attracts competitive athletes, weekend warriors, recreational runners and enthusiastic children and families. To date the event has raised over $300,000—all of which has been donated to the community.

In July last year it was a brave committee who decided that the 14th Ruralco Longbeach Coastal Challenge would go ahead. Not wanting the community to miss out on a year of fundraising and facing what could have been a Level change and therefore cancellation of the event at any stage, the committee wishes to extend a huge thanks to the dedicated team of sponsors, volunteers,

and supporters, all who stepped up to ensure that the iconic Mid Canterbury event would go ahead. And the day itself was excellent.

With fantastic weather, there was a great turn out of approximately 740 participants and the event raised $26,000. And in April this was distributed evenly to the Longbeach School and Hinds and District Lions.

The Ruralco Longbeach Coastal Challenge has steadily grown over the years. In 2007 the event began with just a mountain bike race and 259 competitors. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, peaking at just under 1,500 at the ten-year anniversary. The 2020 event is the third year in a row numbers have been around a similar level and the committee is satisfied, especially given the abundance of events competing for entries.

Chairman Bruce Kell said “The committee is always looking for new ways to attract people to the course, so we’ve welcomed e-bikes to the course, distance runners with the 21km half marathon and teams to compete for the mountain bike trophies. With the resurgence of mountain bikers, especially in our youth, this year we’re challenging school teams to get together and take on the teams’ events!”

The Ruralco Longbeach Coastal Challenge is organised and run by volunteers with all proceeds returned to the community. The following are some of the many projects that have benefitted from proceeds from the event: LONGBEACH SCHOOL

• • • • • •

Digital devices for students A rebound wall Teacher aid support Senior playground Upgraded kitchen for students use Leadership programmes for students

HINDS AND DISTRICT LIONS

• Regular support for Hinds and Carew/Peel Forest Schools • Youth initiatives • New playground in Hinds Domain MAIA HEALTH FOUNDATION*

• Helipad at Christchurch Hospital • Parent beds at new Children`s Ward • Youth Mental Health in Canterbury *Donated via the Hinds and District Lions

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sandwich. Alongside the locals there is a steady stream of participants from Christchurch and Timaru who continue to make the trek to Longbeach year after year. The course itself offers fantastic scenery, with Then come an d mak e 2021 endless views of the Pacific your year and by this fantas be charmed tic event. Cha Ocean, challenging sections llenge yourse 35km Classic lf with the or 23km Recr along the stony coastline eational mou Or get the fa ntain bike rid mily together and a track which keeps e. for the 12km biking is not Family Ride. If for you then participants fully engaged. la ce up your tr yourself with ainers and te the 21km offThere is lots of fun and st road half mar your running athon or get buddies toge adventure had by all. th er for the 12km recreational an or 5k m d fun run. Aft The unique partnership er less huff an Then why no d puff? t so between school and service ak up the scen er y on the 12km or 5k m walks. There club; landowners, sponsors is an event fo ever yone, regi r and competitors make the ster online to day!

Ruralco Longbeach Coastal Challenge a special event, and 2021 will be significant as the event marks its 15th year. Online entries are open, and planning is already well underway. The Here are some good numbers: continued support from sponsors ensures the committee can keep operational costs WHAT: as low as possible.

Ruralco Longbeach Coastal Challenge The course will again start and finish at the WHEN: historic Longbeach Estate and support from Last Sunday in November since 2007 landowners and their families is paramount

Haven’t competed this event y in et?

The event has become one of the main sources of funds for the Hinds and District Lions Club. Lions’ member and Past Chairman Garry Brown said “the support and participation we get from our members and their partners is outstanding. Our members have got a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction from the club’s principal role of track preparation, over the years the event has been running. This is ongoing with most of the work done in the spring—which can be challenging given the variable weather conditions we strike year on year. It’s great to be down on the coast putting our thinking caps on to overcome any of the multitude of issues that may arise.”

Locals are charmed by this event and return year after year—to try a new course; to challenge themselves; to keep or win a trophy or better a previous time, enjoy a day of community spirit and a delicious steak 36

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to the success of this event. Enough thanks cannot be given to the farmers who literally throw open their gates and allow access to their paddocks, laneways, and boundaries.

This year tracks will be similar to previous years and will continue to give competitors unprecedented access to historical farmland and amazing coastline. This is a once-ayear opportunity is not to be missed, and to celebrate the significance, all finishers will receive a 15th anniversary medal. The committee invite you to come walk, run or mountain bike the track on Sunday 28th November 2021.

For the past 15 years the committees of this event have laid solid foundations for the future. Motivated by personal achievement or a duty to the community the Ruralco Longbeach Coastal Challenge continues to bring out the best in our people, for the good of our community.

NEXT EVENT:

Sunday 28 November 2021 FUNDRAISING:

Over $300,000 TOTAL NO. OF ENTRIES TO DATE:

11,810 NO. OF VOLUNTEERS:

Over 100 each year EVENTS:

Mountain Bike – 35km, 23km or 12km Off-road run – 21km, 12km, 5km Walk – 12km, 5km Teams race for 35km and 23km mountain bike.

ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN!

Enter online at www.longbeachcoastalchallenge.com

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INTEREST

Primary sector in positive place With the farming year winding down, crops harvested, livestock sold, cows dried off and fruit picked, farmers and growers can take a well-earned break. That should also be accompanied by a long sigh of relief enduring a season spanning one of the biggest crises the world has ever faced, while their role in our economy is more viable and valued than ever before.

WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE

The April ANZ commodity report describes a “sky high” index that surged 6.1% over March, putting it at the highest point it has been in the index’s almost 30-year lifetime.

The report’s upward drive has been underpinned by dairy’s surge of 12.7% in March alone which has put the sector at the highest level of returns for seven years.

Whole milk powder which comprises almost 60% of New Zealand ’s dairy earnings is an eye watering 43% higher than a year ago just as the world was poised to enter assorted levels of covid lockdown. Similar strong gains were also experienced with skim milk powder and butter.

The meat and fibre sector has also had a 6% lift on a year ago, despite the intense competition now coming in from the likes of South American countries pushing harder into New Zealand ’s large beef market in China.

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Lamb is also finding a firm footing, with a lift of 2%, and hopes are this sector will continue to lift as more restaurants and food outlets start to reopen throughout Europe.

Wool which has had such a dire run over the past year is also showing signs of life, with a respectable 10% lift in March – however it has some way to go for farmers to know it can contribute positively to their bottom line, with shearing costs still exceeding the value of the wool harvested.

China’s appetite for animal protein has resurged after the country successfully grappled with covid, with an economy that was the only one last year to exhibit positive growth and continuing issues over pork supply lingering due to African Swine Fever decimating pig populations.

While the latest outbreak is smaller than two years ago, it is combined with an effort in

China to rebuild pig populations, meaning less product is available for consumption until that is achieved.

Interestingly, the red meat sector has also been buoyed by a return to an old school trading option – whole frozen carcases.

This form of export has been rekindled in a market that has grown more accustomed to exporting value add portions and cuts over the years, to the extent carcases only formed about 2% of total lamb exports.

But the impact of covid on restaurants in Europe, a key speciality cut market, and problems of labour shortages for producing such labour-intensive cuts has made carcass exports to China more appealing. Analysts caution however that carcass sales have a very erratic history and can be a risky market to stake too much upon.

AgriHQ analyst Mel Croad says the prospects for lamb over the coming year remain very firm, with winter contracts as high as $7 a kg on offer.

She remains wary about how farm lamb numbers will be down this season, while prospects across all markets is even more positive than a year ago as countries ramp up their vaccination programmes.

“Demand is building again for lamb in the United States as vaccinations increase and restaurants and food service open up again.

The EU is not there yet, but we expect that to lift too in coming months, and the United Kingdom is as strong as it has ever been for a long time with prices very firm there.”

While New Zealand has pre-eminent supply status for sheep meat into China, it is a tougher story for beef, despite the relatively strong prices.

Unlike sheep meat, New Zealand farmers have some stiff competition for beef from big players like Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and more recently the United States, despite Donald Trump’s trade war with that country.

Mel Croad says the United States has just become China’s third largest beef supplier, and is unlikely to diminish any time soon.

However New Zealand has been quietly building its value-added chilled beef trade to China in recent years, and is now selling twice as much chilled product to China than it does to the United States.

Meantime the United States continues to remain a solid ground beef market, while Chinese demand for ground beef also continues to grow as more western style food outlets open there.

Overall, Mel says New Zealand producers should feel more comfortable than they did a year ago, with concerns over the dry weather along the east coast probably playing heavier on minds than worries over obtaining good prices for products.

Prospects for wool should also be buoyed further by the industry’s recognition that work needs to be done to make it a valued part of a farm’s earning ability.

The formation of the Strong Wool Action Group (SWAG) aims to turn the fibre around, and give it the rightful mantel of being a sustainable, flexible product with multiple uses across industrial, fashion and construction applications.

While it is still early days, some positive news lies in its recent 9% lift in prices, and some of the innovative developments coming out of research and commercial developments.

This includes an undertaking from Cavalier Carpets to switch to wholly wool based carpets within a year. The company’s chairman George Adams has said the “time was right” for a move to all-wool carpets, given the negative impacts synthetic fibre production and lifecycle has upon the environment.

Work by AgResearch is also highlighting the ability to extract protein from wool, with

nutritional options for petfood and human food additives. Consumers’ desire for more sustainable food is also translating to other aspects of their lives including clothing and home interiors, both which bode well for strong wool’s prospects in coming years.

Rob Hewett, chairman of SWAG says this cannot come before time, and that the stakes are high, with continuing low wool prices only accelerating a faster decline in breeding farm numbers.

Forestry returns are also accompanying the high protein prices, with forest prices lifting by 25% in the past year, despite the dampener covid put on Chinese demand for timber during the initial stages of covid.

Domestically there is also a strong demand for timber, with initiatives to get more homes built to try and combat the housing crisis.

In addition, there is greater expectation at a government level for NZ timber to be used where possible in government sponsored construction projects.

For farmers, the options around forestry have also opened up in the past year as carbon prices surge on the back of climate change initiatives and moves to make the Emissions Trading Scheme integral in helping New Zealand meet its Paris Accord commitments to decarbonise by 2050.

Rather than being the “green threat” to pastoral farming, carbon returns are proving to be capable of providing an invaluable additional income to a pastoral farm’s bottom line.

David Janett, director of Canterbury based Forest Management Group says farmers are now finding themselves in the box seat for reaping forestry carbon returns.

He has clients in Canterbury who have made a concerted effort to take advantage of the last government’s One Billion Trees project, claiming over 60% of the grants approved under the scheme in the South Island.

“A registered carbon forest offers the opportunity to generate earnings from the first year of planting. By the time you get to year four you will be earning about $200 a hectare of planting, but by the time you get to year eight that will have risen to $1300, peaking at about $1500 a hectare a year right through to year 16, and this is based on a carbon price of $35 a tonne, which is looking light now.”

Latest NZ carbon unit prices have touched $40 a unit and expectations are that if Climate Change Commission recommendations are adopted New Zealand could have prices nearer $100 a unit within a few years.

The strong price signals from across the primary production sector are reflecting in farmer sentiment.

The latest Rabobank report on farmer confidence is at the highest level since early 2018, and follows on from the rise experienced late last year as the sector started to see how well it had responded to the global pandemic, maintaining

supply from farm to plate, while consumers continued to endorse their quality products through respective lockdowns.

Rabobank’s CEO Todd Charteris says while dairy has been a major driver of that optimism, the news has also been encouraging for red meat farmers.

“Demand from our key markets has held up much better than expected in the first quarter of the year, with Chinese demand in particular leading the charge as our major market continues its post covid recovery.”

That confidence was reflected in this years South Island Agricultural Field Day event at Kirwee. Event chairperson Michaela McLeod says crowd estimates were a record 30,000 people, and farmers were in a spending mood.

“We had reports from many exhibitors that they had farmers buying equipment even while they were setting up their displays, and many had sold out of their display items by the end and were taking orders for further sales before the field days were over.”

She says after a nervous week with the country going to Level 2, it was a relief to be able to run the event.

“And I think farmers appreciated being able to get out and see what they were buying first hand.”

Just as farmers’ view of their businesses is improving, with it are shifts in how overseas consumers are perceiving New Zealand as a source of food.

Covid has bought a distinct shift in those perceptions, and the latest NZ Story survey across six key customer countries has shown New Zealand is seen as more than only a clean country with Hobbit film vistas.

Consumers overseas have been compelled to slow down, get closer to nature and become more resilient, ironically all elements often associated with New Zealand , and New Zealand ers.

The global perceptions survey taken over last June recorded consumers’ sense that New Zealand had taken a caring, empathetic approach to coping with the pandemic, with its “team of five million” a slogan recalled by many overseas correspondents.

Rebecca Smith, the director of New Zealand Story, the agency that commissions the research, says New Zealand has found itself in a unique situation where the Prime Minister’s global appeal has become closely aligned with this country’s values, and a belief New Zealand ers have united cohesively to deal with the pandemic.

She says distributors and suppliers of New Zealand food and beverages have never had a better time to tell their story, folding in these qualities to the established and known aspects of purity and safety.

“The focus has really changed to how we live, the fact we are respectful, inclusive, forward looking and we really have a high quality of life.”

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RURALCO SEED 42

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RURALCO FUEL

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FUEL

Fuel FAQ Fuel is a key cost to any business. With your Ruralco Cards you’ll consistently save at least 12¢* per litre off the listed pump price, with no volume limits, at over 300 fuels sites nationwide, ensuring a continuous supply of fuel wherever you are. With a single monthly billing system, you save time, money and get a clear view of your monthly fuel consumption.

Can I save more than 12¢?

Yes, at our Ruralco Allied Hinds Fuel stop you will save 16c per litre by using your Ruralco Card. With the present competitive pricing in the South Island, at some sites you will receive the very competitive pump price plus a further 12¢ Ruralco discount which can provide a total discount of up to 30¢ off the National price.

Ruralco Card • Save at least 12¢* per litre off the fuel pump price with no volume limits at Mobil service stations, Allied Fuelstops and listed Allied, NPD, and Mobil sites nationwide.

• Have access to discounts at over 3,000 local and national suppliers.

• All purchases listed on one monthly account

What if another company is offering 15¢ off?

We monitor competitor pricing, and you will need to know the detail of their offer. Often, the 15¢ discount will not be off the pump price but off the current national price. For example, if the current national price is $1.479 with a 15¢ discount this means you pay $1.329, compared to current pump pricing of $1.249 with a 12¢ discount, this means you pay $1.129, which is a far bigger saving.

Why do I need to have both cards?

Some of our fuel sites will only accept a Ruralco Mobilcard or the Ruralco Card, not both.

Is there a limit as to how much fuel I can buy?

No, you can purchase as much as you like.

If you would like to control your spend, our Ruralco Mobilcard will allow you to control the amount purchased each transaction or per month or whether you can purchase petrol only, diesel only or all purchases etc.

Ruralco Mobilcard • Have access to an extensive network of fuel sites throughout New Zealand .

• At least 12¢* per litre discount off the listed fuel pump price at each fuel outlet. This is especially beneficial when the pump price is lower than the national average.

• The ability to monitor fuel spend by vehicle, set spending limits if required and control over purchases by selecting fuel and oil only or all purchases.

• Pin security—you can specify a PIN, or one can be randomly selected for you.

• All purchases listed by individual cards on one monthly account.

FAQ’s How much do I save using my Ruralco Card or Ruralco Mobilcard?

You will save 12¢ off the listed pump price. The 12¢ discount is always the same for both the Ruralco Card and Ruralco Mobilcard.

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How do I know I have received the discount?

All purchases made on your Ruralco Card or Ruralco Mobilcard during the month will appear on your monthly Ruralco statement and will list the discounted amount per transaction.

How do I know which station or Fuel stop accepts the cards?

Check out the Ruralco website at www.ruralco.co.nz for the most up to date and complete list of fuel sites nationwide and their discounts, plus any special discounts organised

by Ruralco, or you can request a copy of our latest Fuel directory.

How does the Ruralco Card or Ruralco Mobilcard work the first time?

Cardholders simply present and pay with their Ruralco Card or Ruralco Mobilcard at participating service stations, just follow the prompts.

Ruralco Card PIN, how do I select it or change it?

Ruralco Card PIN is self-selected, whereby the first time you use your Ruralco Card and enter your chosen PIN, this will be your confirmed PIN for your Card. Any PIN can be reset at any time by contacting Ruralco on 0800 787 256.

Ruralco Mobilcard PIN, how do I select it or change it?

Ruralco Mobilcard requires a PIN to be selected by you when you order your Mobilcard, or it will default to a randomly generated PIN which will be issued separately via letter to you. Any PIN can be reset at any time by contacting Ruralco on 0800 787 256.

My card is not working at an unmanned site what can I do?

If it’s a Ruralco Mobilcard phone the Mobilcard 0800 number on the back of your card to query as to why it’s not working. If it’s a Ruralco Card contact us on 0800 787 256 to query as to why it’s not working.

Can I get additional cards for my Ruralco account?

If you require additional cards for your account, please contact us on 0800 787 256 and we will organise this for you.

What if I have lost or stolen my Ruralco Card or Ruralco Mobilcard?

If your card is lost or stolen, please ensure contact us immediately on 0800 787 256 so your card can be cancelled.

Can I discuss my card requirements and ensure I’m receiving the best deal?

Yes, of course, please give our fuel team a call if you would like to apply for a card, have any additional questions or just would like to know where to get the best fuel savings.

For more information on how Ruralco fuel can benefit your business and the current fuel discounts available to you contact: Don Joseph, Fuel Sales Manager 027 839 7351 Don.Joseph@ruralco.co.nz Sarah Bennett, Fuel Account Manager 027 360 9535 Sarah.Bennett@ruralco.co.nz *No volume limits. Discount current as at 1 January 2021 and is subject to change. Discount is not available at convenience stations or in conjunction with other fuel discount offers excluding pump price offers. The Ruralco 12¢ discount will not be given at point of sale but provided as a rebate on your monthly statement.

RURALCO FUEL

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IRRIGATION

The importance of getting involved beyond the farm gate Stepping out of our comfort zone is uncomfortable and getting involved with agriculture beyond your own business might be a bit daunting for some but, IrrigationNZ Chief Executive Vanessa Winning says farmers and growers cannot be complacent and think someone else will do it, when it comes to speaking up about what is important to them.

WORDS AND IMAGE SUPPLIED BY IRRIGATION NZ IMAGE: Vanessa Winning, Chief Executive, IrrigationNZ

Whether that be through groups, writing submissions, having your say in council longterm plans, being involved with community groups right through to governance roles, and more. Farmers and growers have a greater knowledge base than they give themselves credit for – and in our changing farming landscape, it is important to share it.

In late January, the Climate Change Commission released their draft advice on how they believe we can achieve recommended 2050 goals of net-zero emissions from long-lived gases and a reduction in biogenic methane. To meet these targets, there is a significant onus on the farming community to change practices, reduce waste, and look at alternative land such as expanding horticulture. These are doable, but at what price, and with what resources? This is where it is so important that every farmer and grower understand what is being asked of them and how they are expected to achieve these changes.

On top of the other regulatory changes happening now with freshwater regulation, wintering practices, biodiversity enhancement, highly productive land-use change, the primary production strategy ‘Fit for a Better World’, Resource Management Act reform, three waters, infrastructure

development, and iwi rights and interests you get the feeling that things are uncoordinated and fractured. You would also be forgiven for wondering what is going to remain constant. We all know in the farming and growing space nothing is constant, so I am confident in the sector’s ability to change and adapt.

However, we are concerned that if there is a lack of coordination, this may lead to policy fatigue, with a risk of being a failure to act at all, because we do not know where to start, or which bite to take first, or will be inhibited by the increase in cost and the time taken in the red tape. We are also concerned that there is a risk that we miss opportunities and do not identify the best strategic outcomes that have long-term benefits for the whole country.

Of course, for the irrigation sector, the biggest concern we have with all of these changes is the impact on water capture, storage, and precision use. Without strong engagement in the infrastructure required to mitigate climate change, to support land-use change into horticulture, to improve water outcomes, increase our renewable energy options, and ensure we maintain flows and waterways quality; we will not meet these ambitious targets. Water storage and capture are key enablers for our productive sectors,

and our communities achieving objectives— not just for growing our food and changing the makeup of the food bowl, but also for locally-sourced power generation to power more electric equipment and vehicles.

As farmers and growers, it is so important that you understand what is changing and what that means for you. Our submission for the Climate Change Commission report is on our website, along with the Water Services Bill, and Essential Fresh Water reform submissions. You will also be members of levy bodies who are submitting on these things and supporting change, and you will supply meat processors, dairy producers, or packhouses – they too will be engaged in the process, working on your behalf. Most of these services you have prepaid for, so take advantage of them and get in touch. They are here to help you get through the change and support practices on the farm.

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Ballance Farm Environment National Showcase—a demonstration of some amazing farmers and growers from across the country and three comments stood out to me from the winners and speakers included, “ get engaged in your local groups, and industry activity—join a catchment group if you have one, there are some excellent resources and funding sources’’; “we can do this, we are doing this, look around this room and see what can be achieved—and it can be good for business as well as the environment” and “we are in this together, this is no longer a rural/ urban divide but one we can achieve as a community”.

We will continue to push for strategic coordinated infrastructure development for ongoing improvements in water capture, storage, and use, and we will support our irrigator members to get the most out of their water and improve their management of it, which helps with cost, plant growth, and consenting process. Your role is to keep informed, get in touch, ask for help when needed, and remember there are hundreds of people across the country that have got your back and are there to support you.

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FERTILISER

Reporting your N number (solid or liquid) containing more than 5 per cent N by weight, and the 190 kg caps apply to the amount of N, not the amount of product.

Areas of land in pasture, annual forage crop and other land use, and the rates and dates of application to each land area also need to be reported.

MyBallance, which stores all farm fertiliser information, including orders and application, in a secure online location, has advance reporting and proof of application functionality, so can help with recording and reporting. MyBallance is available exclusively to Ballance Agri-Nutrient customers.

Can’t meet the rules?

Recording, reporting and possibly a resource consent are needed under new rules about to come into effect.

WORDS AND IMAGES PROVIDED BY BALLANCE AGRI-NUTRIENTS.

Under nitrogen (N) cap rules starting next month, dairy farmers need to record and report N fertiliser applications, and obtain a resource consent if they cannot meet N fertiliser caps.

From 1 July 2021, the Essential Freshwater rules cap N fertiliser applications at a maximum of 190 kg of synthetic N/ha/ year for grazed pasture. A second cap applies to grazed pasture and forage crops, with the average N fertiliser application across both of these types of grazing land not to exceed 190 kg N/ ha/year. For examples of scenarios that comply with these rules see the ‘Meeting the synthetic N fertiliser cap rules’ diagram.

The rules also require livestock farmers to record information related to N fertiliser application over a 12 month period, and report this information to their regional council soon after the period ends. The first reporting deadline is 31 July 2022, for the 12 months from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.

Information to be recorded and subsequently reported includes the type of synthetic N fertiliser purchased and the percentage of N it contains. Synthetic N is any manufactured fertiliser product 48

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If the synthetic N caps will be exceeded, a resource consent (for a non-complying activity) is needed and must be applied for by 31 December 2021. There are two options for applying for such a consent.

The first, a synthetic N reduction plan, needs to show how synthetic N use will be reduced each year, so the rules can be met from 1 July 2023. In effect, this provides farmers with an extra year to adjust their practices in order to comply with the rules.

The second option involves mitigating the impacts of N fertiliser on fresh water, and showing that the rate at which N will leach from non-complying N fertiliser applications is not greater than the rate it enters water from applying N fertiliser at 190 kg/ha/year, as stated in the rules. A report from a suitably qualified expert such as a farm planner or nutrient advisor will be needed, and must describe the good practices used to apply the N fertiliser, as well as the rate N would leach under the 190 kg/ha/year cap if these practices were used.

For more information on the Essential Freshwater rules, see Grow Autumn 2021 Environmental policies special edition, available at ballance.co.nz/ grow-autumn-2021.

Ballance customers can activate their MyBallance account at myballance.co.nz.

To become a Ballance customer and gain access to MyBallance phone 0800 222090 or email customerservicesmount@ballance.co.nz BALLANCE FERTILISER: CHARGE THROUGH YOUR RURALCO ACCOUNT

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DAIRY

Wintering extension a window of opportunity As we all know, the Government has deferred the new winter grazing rules until May next year.

Next, create crop buffers around the critical source areas and at the bottom of slopes.

A crop buffer is a strip of fenced off crop at least five metres wide that helps filter and slow the run-off from the crop paddock.

WORDS AND IMAGES SUPPLIED BY ASHLEY GREENWOOD, DAIRYNZ ANIMAL CARE EXTENSION SPECIALIST

Paddock set-up

This extension is a window of opportunity for farmers to show we can voluntarily do a good job at implementing sector-agreed good management practice (GMP) for winter grazing. This is a chance to take ownership of our way forward.

Implementing good management practices this winter is essential, as they bring benefits for freshwater quality and animal welfare.

There are a few things you can consider now, to make this happen smoothly on your farm.

Cultivation For next winter, we need to ensure our land is cultivated across slopes, leaving grass strips to trap sediment from the cultivated areas. However, if you have cultivated in a different way this year, there are ways to mitigate the effects now.

Firstly, identify the critical source areas and fence these off. Critical source areas are low-lying parts of the paddock, such as gullies, swales or any area where run-off can accumulate.

Setting paddocks up strategically is important, including placing bales, portable troughs and feeders on high ground to help reduce pugging. Easy access to water is also good for cows, reducing energy use walking to the trough.

Grazing options When grazing during winter, there are a few different options to consider: • Graze towards critical source areas or water bodies to protect them from overland flow.

Alternatively, leave a larger buffer strip and graze it last, during fine weather.

• Graze from the top of the slope down to reduce overland flow, by maintaining soil structure and allowing water to soak into undamaged soil.

• If you don’t want to graze your animals downhill, graze across a slope with a buffer at the bottom.

• Save breaks near hedges or higher areas for bad weather use.

Animal care During winter, monitoring and assessing our animals’ behaviour is crucial. There are two things you should consider: • Are they getting enough rest?

• What can you provide to enable them ample opportunity to lie and rest?

Some of you may have a paddock that naturally provides drier spots for animals to lie, but many farmers will need to change a paddock’s management to ensure cows are well cared for.

If the weather starts getting wet, or there is an adverse weather event, use those breaks near hedges or higher ground you saved during grazing, to provide cows with suitable ground for lying.

Another option is to shift the break to twice a day to keep the stock moving to better ground.

These are all things we need to be considering, to help prepare us for when the new rules come into effect next year.

More information is available at dairynz.co.nz/wintering.

ASHLEY GREENWOOD, DAIRYNZ ANIMAL CARE EXTENSION SPECIALIST

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WELLBEING

HEALTH

MenzShed provides retirement benefits for farmers

RETIRING OFF THE FARM CAN BE A REAL STRUGGLE FOR MANY MEN. FINDING TASKS TO OCCUPY THE MIND AND BODY CAN BE CHALLENGING, ESPECIALLY FOR FARMERS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN ON THE LAND ALL OF THEIR WORKING LIFE AND WHO MIGHT HAVE ONLY A SMALL NETWORK OF OTHER MEN TO CONNECT WITH. WORDS BY ANITA BODY

MenzShed is a nationwide organisation which aims to take the struggle out of retirement and offers members the opportunity to upskill or continue using their practical skills for the good of the community, while meeting with other like-minded men. It also connects them with health professionals with tips on healthy living and wellbeing.

New Zealand Chairman and Canterbury/Westland regional representative, Trevor Scott, said members can work individually on their own projects, or take part in community initiatives which are particular to each Shed. These are many and varied, depending on the needs of each area. It could be public seating, predator control traps, mending broken items or building equipment for Play Centres.

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With almost 5,000 nationwide members connected with 106 sheds from Kaitaia to Bluff

“The members can work on their own projects as well as community projects, just come along for a chat or they can impart skills to others and help to build self-esteem. There is no compulsion to do anything—it is a very relaxed atmosphere down at the shed. The men don’t have to have practical skills—it is about being involved in whatever way they like,” said Trevor.

With almost 5,000 nationwide members connected with 106 sheds from Kaitaia to Bluff, and another 32 in development, it is a clearly a success story which is continuing to grow. Borne out of an Australian initiative, MenzShed New Zealand has been in operation for about 13 years. One of the only barriers to setting up new sheds is the availability of suitable premises for workshops, although many communities and local councils have supported such ventures. Shed membership varies from 10 to 150 depending on local demand.

In conjunction with skill-sharing, the Sheds also provide the opportunity for health professionals to cover such issues as prostate cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s, environmental health and physio advice. “It is all about raising awareness on health issues. It comes down to each individual Shed to determine what their needs are.”

If you would like to find out more about MenzShed and the closest Shed to you, visit www.menzshed.org.nz

The first step towards recovery EXTREME LONELINESS, A SENSE OF FAILURE, FINANCIAL WORRIES, AND SUICIDAL THOUGHTS ARE JUST A FEW REASONS WHY FARMERS CALL THE SAMARITANS HELPLINE ON 0800 72 66 66. WE PROVIDE A CONFIDENTIAL LISTENING AND SUPPORT TELEPHONE SERVICE, AND WE’VE BEEN OPERATING IN NZ FOR OVER 55 YEARS. WORDS AND IMAGES SUPPLIED BY SAMARITANS NEW ZEALAND

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘It’s ok to ask for help’, but it can be daunting to call a helpline service when you’ve never done so before. It can also be hard to know which helpline to ring. Samaritan’s service is unique. You can talk to us about whatever you’re going through. When you ring us, your identity is entirely anonymous, and what you talk about will remain confidential. We’ll help you find the right solutions to solve your own problems. Trained volunteers are available, day and night when you need to get the really hard stuff off your chest. There is a lot of truth to the adage that a burden shared is a burden halved.

At the heart of Samaritans is the vision that fewer people die by suicide.

Tragically, suicide is a subject farmers know more about than most. Depression and anxiety can kill, so if you’re feeling down or hopeless or know somebody feeling this way, don’t hesitate to reach out to Samaritans.

We understand there are times when you don’t feel comfortable talking to the people in your life about your problems. That’s where Samaritans can come in. Talking to an outside person like a trained helpline operator can be extremely helpful and powerful. Our volunteers genuinely care and are trained in the art of how to listen with empathy.

It can take months to access mental health services, but Samaritans offer immediate assistance. Our volunteers will never screen your call to see if you qualify, put you on a waiting list, or record your call. Our service is non-religious, and volunteers are trained to be non-judgmental.

There’s no shame in calling a helpline – in fact, it might be the bravest thing you’ve ever done and the first step towards recovery and a brighter future.

Don’t let anxiety become your new normal

Samaritans are here to listen

0800 726 666

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WELLBEING

HEALTH & SAFETY

Largest apiary insurance claim surprising

WHETHER IT’S YOUR HOBBY, MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME, OR IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO DIVERSIFY YOUR INCOME STREAM, APICULTURE COMES WITH ITS OWN SET OF RISKS. WORDS SUPPLIED BY FMG INSURANCE

The largest claims’ value from apiary clients may not be what you first think, says rural insurer FMG. While beehive theft, beehives damaged in transit, storms and flooding are common claims, it’s off-road driving accidents that top the list.

Over the past three years claims for apiarists’ motor vehicles totalled just under $2.5 million says FMG’s Manager, Advice Services Stephen Cantwell.

“Most of these claims are accidents and don’t involve another vehicle. We appreciate the nature of the job involves working at sites that are remote and that can be difficult to access. This obviously is a major contributor to where we see most of vehicle claims come from.

“As the vehicles are being used off road, it’s important that they’re prepared to handle the terrain and conditions.

It’s surprising how many times we see vehicles that just haven’t had a basic check before getting on with the job.

Even the correct tyre pressure makes a huge difference. Despite a driver being exceptionally skilled, tyre pressure that isn’t set for the terrain and conditions still makes it a dangerous vehicle”.

Theft is FMG’s most common loss for beehives says Stephen.

“The value of hives can make them an attractive target for criminals.

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monitoring devices such as surveillance cameras, location and movement sensors or GPS trackers. Displaying warning signs indicating that the area is being monitored also acts as a deterrent.

Remember too that by reporting suspicious behaviour and thefts to the police you are helping police with their investigations and allowing the industry to understand the magnitude of the issue.”

Beehives damaged by storms and floods are also common claims says Stephen.

“We’ve found that common factor in these claims comes to where beehives are located. We recommend the risk of flooding be taken into consideration when selecting sites - particularly if it’s near rivers and streams. This also extends to accessibility. When selecting a site consider potential access issues, if there is wet weather or flooding.

FMG is also noticing claims from damage to beehives while being transited, with the average cost of each claim exceeding $50,000.

“It’s really worth triple checking beehives are secure before setting off and leaving with plenty of time so that you’re not rushing. It’s just not worth the risk,” says Stephen.

There may also be further complications if you’re carrying others’ beehives and there is a loss or damage.

“Make sure you understand your responsibilities and contact your insurance professional to make sure that you have the appropriate cover.”

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NUTRITION

Making magnesium easy Close attention to the management of the ‘close up dry cow’ (CUDC) and the ‘fresh cow’, is the key to helping ensure on farm profitability. This is the most important period of a cow’s production cycle, and when managed correctly it will help set the cow up for the entire lactation. WORDS AND IMAGE SUPPLIED BY SEALES WINSLOW The CUDC period is the 21 days prior to calving, when the cow is preparing to start the next lactation. The newly calved cow, the ‘fresh cow’, is the 21-day period post calving.

This whole time frame may be referred to as the ‘transition period’, given we are making the transition from a dry cow to a lactating cow.

Calcium and magnesium connection

production which has twice as much calcium as milk. Ten litres of colostrum have the same amount of calcium as a cows entire blood stream. Post calving the ‘fresh’ cow’s demand for calcium rapidly increases as milk volume increases. For these reasons, ensuring continued magnesium support as well as calcium supplementation as soon after calving as possible can also help prevent milk fever.

One of the things the CUDC needs to do in the 21 days prior to calving is begin the process of mobilising calcium from her bones. Cows have substantial stored calcium reserves in bone and can increase the amount of calcium they absorb from the diet, but these mechanisms need to be ‘turned on’, which requires supplementation of magnesium. When cows have enough magnesium, the switch gets turned on reducing the risk of hypocalcaemia (milk fever). Milk fever is a gateway disease.

Cows that have clinical milk fever (the tip of the iceberg)1 and subclinical milk fever have a heightened risk of experiencing a whole range of other animal health problems including ketosis, metritis, reduced conception rates and mastitis to mention a few. This compounded by the reduced immune function through the calving phase may contribute to detrimental effects on health and production.2 The increased requirement for calcium after calving is due to the initiation of colostrum

Magnesium (Mg) is an important macro mineral that has many functions within the body including nerve and muscle function, immune system function and bone health.

Ruminants have no readily available pool of magnesium stored in their body, so require daily supplementation. It is important to provide the CUDC with adequate magnesium. It is also a good idea to take a multiple pronged approach to magnesium supplementation, especially during the risky spring period.

Given that not all magnesium is created equally, it is important to understand the quality and amount of available magnesium to the animal. Accuracy of dosage and regularity of delivery to the cow is hugely important.

Circumstances can dictate how magnesium is supplemented. For example, with cows wintered at the runoff molasses blocks may be the only viable option, and the accuracy of

Magnesium bioavailability

conventional dusting is at best questionable in adverse weather conditions.

Solutions The SealesWinslow Calver Max block is an effective way to overcome nutritional shortfalls in pastoral diets and top up trace mineral and vitamin levels during the dry period, leading into the stressful calving time. This dehydrated molasses block helps maintain blood magnesium levels as it has two highly available forms of magnesium, helping reduce the risk of milk fever. A crossbred CUDC requires 16g per cow per day of supplementary magnesium, and Calver Max at the standard feed rate of 200g delivers 16g of magnesium.

SealesWinslow recommends that Calver Max be added to the diet two months prior to calving. SealesWinslow also recommends feeding lime flour to ‘fresh cows immediately post calving.

Balanced mineral nutrition is crucial, none more so than that between calcium and magnesium. This is one of the most important aspects to get right in the pre-calving period.

For information on including SealesWinslow products in your Pre-calving plan, and/or for SealesWinslow Nutritional advice contact your local technical sales representative. http://www.veterinaryirelandjournal.com/images/pdf/large/ la_dec_2016.pdf 2 http://onlime.co.nz/media/17176/mcd8910_calcium_dairy_cow.pdf 1

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SHEEP & BEEF

Making a plan for grazing winter forage crops Beef + Lamb New Zealand Director Nicky Hyslop is calling for all farmers who are grazing forage crops this winter to have a plan and to document their on-farm practices.

WORDS AND IMAGES SUPPLIED BY BEEF + LAMB NEW ZEALAND

IMAGE: The Government will be keeping a close eye on winter grazing practices this year

Nicky says B+LNZ has been working with other organisations to advocate on behalf of farmers to find sensible and practical solutions to aspects of the Essential Freshwater Regulations. These include pugging regulations, re-sowing dates and stock exclusion areas relating to the inaccurate lowslope map.

She says while all of these rules have been paused, B+LNZ wants them deleted and replaced with sensible advice on on-farm practices.

“Continued good practice by farmers this year will provide us with a strong case for the permanent removal of these us rules.”

Winter grazing tips

She says while advocacy from primary sector organisations and recommendations from the industry-led Southland Advisory Group has resulted in a 12-month delay in the implementation of winter grazing regulations, the Government and NGO’s have made it very clear they will be keeping a very close eye on winter practices this year.

“We have got this winter to prove to the Government and animal welfare groups that we do not need regulations to ensure we are doing our best for the environment, our livestock and our consumers.”

Nicky, who winters a number of cattle on forage crops on her South Canterbury farm, says while even the best operator can have a bad day, it is important farmers have fenced off the critical source areas within their paddocks, are grazing down the slope and have contingency plans in case of extended periods of bad weather. Stock should also be provided with shelter and a dry loafing area which allows them to lie down in comfort.

“These simple measures will not only protect our soil and water resources, they will also

demonstrate to the Government that farmers are the best people to manage and protect their natural resources and their livestock.”

But she stresses the need for farmers grazing forage crops this winter to have a clear plan of how they will manage their crops and livestock this winter—and to document their actions.

B+LNZ is running Forage Cropping Workshops this winter, which are a component of the organisation’s recently released Farm Plan.

“The templates provided in the workshop will help farmers identify and minimise their environmental and animal welfare risks, while providing proof of good practice.”

Nicky says B+LNZ will be working closely with DairyNZ and Federated Farmers this winter to ensure all farmers understand what good management practices look like and the importance of keeping records of their wintering activities.

To help ensure all farmers are following good management practices around winter grazing, an industry-run hotline will operate throughout winter to deal with concerns relating to the grazing of winter forage crops.

• Make a plan; • Critical Source Areas: These are gullies, drains, swales, spring heads, waterway crossings, stock camps and vehicle access routes which feed into waterways. Leave an ungrazed and uncropped buffer around critical source areas; • Look after your stock: Provide loafing areas, adequate feed, shelter and clean, fresh drinking water; • Graze paddocks strategically: On a sloping paddock, fence across the slope and start grazing at the top of the slope.

This way, the standing crops acts as a filter.

If there is a waterway in the paddock, start at the opposite end of the paddock; • Exclude stock from waterways: Create a recommended 5 metre, ungrazed buffer zone between the livestock and the waterway. This buffer should increase with slope and soil instability.

• Plant a catch crop: Where soil conditions and farm management factors allow, consider plant a fast-growing catch-crop such as greenfeed oats. It can make a huge difference to reduce nitrogen losses.

NICKY HYSLOP, BEEF + LAMB NEW ZEALAND DIRECTOR

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PORK

Helen & Mark’s formula for content pigs and highquality pork

“A happy pig is one that is given the ability to enjoy every day, with all their needs met, optimal space and the opportunity to express all their normal behaviours,” says pig farmer Helen Andrews. “That’s the way we raise our pigs and they really thrive.”

WORDS AND IMAGE SUPPLIED BY PORK NEW ZEALAND

Helen and husband Mark’s pig farm near Pleasant Point in South Canterbury, provides the perfect moderate climate, free draining soil and low rainfall for outdoor pig farming.

Their sows farrow in paddocks, each with their own hut and are fed a speciallyformulated diet, including barley, wheat and maize plus fish meal for protein. Their piglets roam in the field together before being moved to open-sided covered enclosures with deep straw as weaners.

Helen learned her stockperson skills growing up on a dairy farm in the UK before heading to New Zealand for her OE working on dairy

farms in Southland and Canterbury, meeting Mark along the way.

After a year of both working in dairy in the UK, they returned to New Zealand looking for an affordable option to start their own farming business. Sharemilking was out of their reach but a 40ha block to enable them to establish a pig farm was manageable.

The challenges around soil and climate mean that many of New Zealand ’s pig farms are necessarily indoor operations—55 per cent are bred indoors, 42 per cent outdoors and 3 per cent are free range. The industry breeds more than 637,000 pigs a year.

However, Canterbury is one of the few areas of the country suited to outdoor commercial pig breeding—due to its moderate climate, low rainfall and free-draining soil. The Andrews started out in 2004, building the infrastructure for their farm themselves and beginning with 300 sows, with piglets sold on at four weeks old.

Following a major expansion and acquiring more land in 2016, they now have 440 sows and raise over 10,000 weaner pigs annually to point of sale in their own pig finishing unit. They also introduced cattle to the farm, with pig effluent and used straw from the

IMAGE: Helen Andrews, daughters Eve and Honour and husband Hamish at their farm in Pleasant Point

pig huts used to make fertiliser to grow winter cattle feed.

They are committed to giving back to the industry. Helen is a director of industry body New Zealand Pork and last year completed an internship with EA Networks in Ashburton through the Institute of Directors’ emerging directors programme.

Pig farming is very different to pastoral sheep and beef farming. Sows on a commercial New Zealand pig farm will produce over two tonnes of pork per annum.

By comparison, the average ewe with twins will produce about 40kg of lamb. That requires a lot of input and focus on every individual sow.

“We love working with pigs,” says Helen.

“They are so rewarding for a stock person.

Every one of our sows gets individual care.

We know exactly how each pig is doing, how they are eating and performing and that everything is as it should be – that’s the skill of contented pigs and high quality New Zealand pork.”

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Element Optics backing NZ community NEW ZEALAND

Now proudly in New Zealand, Element Optics offers, affordable, premium quality rifle scopes, backed by a team of professional shooters and hunters. Each product undergoes the toughest controls and proudly bears a test card to prove it, as well as a Platinum Lifetime Warranty.

Backed with a longstanding and proud history as a sporting nation, New Zealand has an excellent reputation in competitive shooting. Element Optics NZ is highly motivated to ensure equal opportunity is provided across all ages for support to continue, maintain and improve on our sporting successes, both here at home and internationally.

At Element Optics NZ, we want to do our part and support the shooting community and one of the ways we do this is through our Pro Staff program, by supporting individuals who represent our ethos and carry a positive influence.

Our Pro Staff Program is a new initiative which will allow us to support shooters from various fields of expertise across the board, whether it be precision rifle shooting, hunting & pest control or online media and in doing so, set an example of what we stand for as a company. Here in New Zealand, we are excited to be able to select and support a team of hunters/shooters. This team will become an integral part of the Element Optics NZ family and we look forward to being a part of their journey.

Javelin Slugs Element Optics NZ are proud to present the Javelin Slugs, designed and manufactured by a team of experienced marksmen, competition

winners and hunters at Patriot Outdoors in SA. It’s taken more than a year of ballistic testing with a variety of designs using doppler radar and real world in-the-field terminal performance analysis to develop a balanced design which gives you the ultimate sweet-spot between a high ballistic coefficient and devastating terminal expansion.

The ogive, meplat and hollow point designs we offer are catered to long-range airgun hunting for small game animals such as hares/ rabbits, possums, and birds, and we offer these in a variety of diameters and weights for your convenience. Looking to extend the effective range of your airgun? Wave goodbye to pellets and see how the Javelins fly!

ABOVE: Element Optics NZ are proud to present the Javelin Slugs, designed and manufactured by a team of experienced shooters BELOW: Each product undergoes the toughest controls and proudly bears a test card to prove it, as well as a Platinum Lifetime Warranty

Element Optics 2 Victoria St Rangiora

7% discount

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ARABLE

BYDV—Mitigating autumn risk Managing BYDV is not simple. The disease is a moving target. It is linked to aphid pressure, which in turn is determined by weather (especially temperature), the presence of beneficial aphid predators and parasitoids, cultural control methods (time of sowing and green bridge control) and chemistry. WORDS AND IMAGES SUPPLIED BY FAR

IMAGE: A sticky trap, used for monitoring the number of pest and beneficial insect species in a crop. Monitoring is the key to successful integrated pest management (IPM).

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LEFT: Typical BYDV symptoms.

One of the biggest challenges for managing BYDV is that aphid pressure is seasonal, meaning that the subsequent impact of BDYV on yield can vary from negligible to catastrophic. Thus, management strategies need to be flexible both within and between seasons.

The most common chemical intervention is the use of an insecticide seed treatment. The main chemical group used for protection against BYDV vectoring aphids is Group 4A, the neonicotinoids.

Neonicotinoids include the active ingredients clothanidin and imidacloprid. Typically, an insecticide seed treatment provides protection from planting until the start of tillering at GS 21.

Depending on sowing date and temperature, GS 21 can be reached before aphid numbers reduce in late-autumn/early-winter, a situation which may prompt some growers to apply and insecticide. But aphid numbers themselves should not be considered a trigger for insecticide application as there is no aphid threshold.

Rather the ratio of aphids to beneficial predators and parasitoids is a more accurate predictor of whether a foliar insecticide is required and which product to apply.

The best way to quantify this autumn risk is through monitoring. A combination of trapping and direct searching can start in the lead up to GS 21 and continue through the winter until around two weeks after GS 39. As part of the A Lighter Touch programme, FAR has established a number of regional paddocks where temperature, growth stage and aphid:beneficial insect ratios are recorded throughout the season and made available to growers and industry through Crop Action (Figure 1). As with fixed aphid suction traps, this monitoring network only provides data from fixed areas, so there are geographical limitations to the information supplied. For this reason, the information should be used as a prompt to encourage growers and industry reps to check their own paddocks.

Insect identification can be challenging, but with a bit of practice and a magnifying glass, growers

and industry reps can determine friend from foe. FAR is here to support growers interested in learning more about monitoring, and offers field walks, workshops or help with sticky trap or insect photo identification.

Can we manage aphid pressure without neonicotinoid seed treatments?

Neonicotinoids have been banned in Europe and are under the spotlight in New Zealand, so cannot be relied upon as part of long-term

BYDV management strategies. For this reason, in addition to understanding and managing aphid pressure, FAR established a field trial to determine whether aphid pressure could be managed without a neonicotinoid seed treatment.

In Year 1, there were no significant yield, thousand seed weight or test weight differences between bare and insecticide seed treatments. Monitoring data collected for this trial suggested a potential risk period between GS 21 – 31 (Figure 1); however, the yield and quality data suggested the risk of BYDV infection during this period was reduced by the ratio of aphids and beneficial insects (18:8). It is important to note that these results are from one year of trial data only. Additional trials are needed to provide more robust information as aphid pressure varies seasonally.

Upcoming work will continue to investigate whether insect and degree week modelling can allow growers to mitigate risk based on conditions at the paddock level and will include more work on bare seed as a treatment.

A Lighter Touch is a $27 million, seven-year, programme jointly funded by government and industry. It will address the challenge of meeting consumer demands for safe food that is produced under sustainable pest management programmes while also being gentle on the environment. Government funding is via the Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Programme. It is led by Horticulture NZ. FAR is a funding partner and research contributor.

FIGURE 1: An example of what paddock monitoring can look like. Degree weeks above 5.8°C (the baseline temperature for aphid reproduction), aphid and beneficial insect populations between sowing and two weeks post GS 39 for autumn sown milling wheat cv. Duchess at Pleasant Point in 2020. No foliar insecticides were applied to this crop.

TABLE 1: BYDV severity, BYDV-PAV incidence, yield and quality for autumn sown milling wheat cv.

Duchess sown as bare seed or treated seed under dryland conditions at Pleasant Point in 2020-21

TREATMENT Bare seed Poncho® Mean P value LSD (p=0.05) CV (%)

BYDV SEVERITY* (%)

BYDV-PAV INCIDENCE** (%)

0.9 0.8 0.85

0 0 0

YIELD (T/HA)

TSW (G)

SCREENINGS >2 MM (%)

TEST WEIGHT (KG/HL)

8.5 8.9 8.7 0.1 0.5 2.5

38.6 38.3 38.5 0.4 1.2

1.8 1.5 1.7 0.2 0.6

63.2 61.7 62.5 0.3 4.3

Note: Poncho® (a.i. clothianidin 600 g/L, Group 4A insecticide) * Visual assessment of 1m2 quadrats, ** incidence determined by ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) by Plant Diagnostics Ltd. TSW: thousand seed weight.

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Live in style, and comfort A stylish home need not come at the expense of comfort. For over 30 years retailers, John and Angela Simpson of Timaru’s Living with Style, have been helping their customers live well.

From their fabulous showroom at 79 Sophia Street, Timaru, they have helped their customers create homes filled with furniture and audio equipment which enhance their lifestyle, bring joy, and do not compromise on quality.

John is pragmatic in his approach, “we appreciate that when customers come to us, they are looking for pieces that will fit in with their style and how they want to experience their space. They want to touch, sit, open, smell, hear and feel the products and ensure the quality will enhance their room, their home and ultimately their lifestyle.”

For some, shopping for furniture can be unnerving and stressful, and the desire to ‘get it right’ can be overwhelming for many. John and Angela endeavour to make this process as stress free as possible by giving clients the space to browse, offering expertise and insight, organising delivery, or help by loading your car. They are always just a phone call away to answer any questions, and they have an online blog which you can follow for tips, advice, and seasonal trends.

Proudly stocking New Zealand made brands such as Kovacs, Dreamwool, and Danske Mobler they offer high end products which, with their ability to be customised, fit superbly into New Zealand homes. John and Angela have built strong relationships with their suppliers which allows customers to have furniture made specifically to meet their needs –the perfect size, shape or fit or feel.

John said “Last week I delivered two Stressless chairs into a beautifully furnished home. In the living room was a high-end stylish couch.

I enquired ‘you have this couch, why did you want these chairs?’ Oh, said the customer, they are for the visitors and its terribly uncomfortable.

I bought these chairs for us!” John knows all too well that style does not need to come at the cost of comfort.

Living With Style 79 Sophia Street, Timaru Tel 03 688 2960 or 027 434 7320

Living with Style also stock a wide range of audio products ranging from high quality headphones and portable speakers to full home entertainment systems. Offering globally renowned brands mean Living with Style are the specialist sound entertainment suppliers and installers, they also stock turn tables for those with record collections! Living with Style’s showroom has a specialty area set up, allowing customers to experience a full immersion in sound.

As recently appointed agents for Herschel, a German based company who build ultraefficient infra-red heaters, John is excited about the heating solutions Living With Style can now offer. “Herschel infra-red are the future of heating, with solutions designed for both domestic and commercial, indoor and outdoor spaces. Infra-red heating makes a room feel like you have the sun on your back all day” he said. Bathroom heaters, wall or ceiling mounted panels, the options are endless and a costeffective alternative to traditional methods.

With no moving parts, infra-red doesn’t blow air, it heats the objects and building. Being thermostatically controlled, available in simple elegant designs Herschel heating is the perfect solution for existing homes or new builds.

John said “buying furniture and audio equipment can be a major decision we believe the best research you can do, is to sit down on the couch, put on those headphones or lie on that mattress. When you feel the comfort and quality for yourself, you’ll ensure you get the best result for your style.”

Living with Style is open 6-days a week and invite you to come visit the showroom at 79 Sophia Street, Timaru. info@livingwithstyle.co.nz www.livingwithstyle.co.nz

Up to 10% discount with your Ruralco Card

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Out and about South Island Agricultural Field Days 2021 2

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1. Karen Young and Dianne Molloy / 2. Dean McConnell and Lester Chambers / 3. Keiren and Mason White / 4. Kate, James and Sophie Sheppard / 5. Melissa Sugrue and Pam Taylor / 6. Tina Thompson and Debra Butterick

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Co-op News Ballance Farm Environment Awards Entries are now open for the 2021/22 Ballance farm Environment Awards.

The awards recognise and celebrate good farm practices that promote sustainable land management. By entering BFEA, farmers and growers are given the opportunity to have their businesses evaluated by a team of highly respected and experienced peers and agribusiness professionals. Constructive advice and feedback is given in an informal setting, with visits followed by a report offering commendations and recommendations.

Award judges take a holistic approach to the judging process by evaluating every aspect of the farm/grower business including environmental management, productivity and profitability through to family and community involvement.

Check out the NZ Farm Environment Trust website and register your interest today at www.nzfeatrust.org.nz/enter-awards

Get all your calving needs sorted Calving Checklist The Ruralco Calving Checklist is out now! Simply fill out the form and get all your calving requirements so you’re ready for the busy season ahead.

Calf Health & Nutrition Guide The 2021 guide is out now.

Our extensive product range will ensure you maximise production and performance on farm.

Here is a simple guide to show our range of calf health and nutrition products.

Talk to one of our friendly Ruralco representatives today or download the Calving Checklist or Calf Health & Nutrition guide from www.ruralco.co.nz

INSTORE DAYS 2021 SAVE THE DATE 1–2 JULY 2021 Join us for the 27th annual Instore Days where you can: • Access exclusive deals and the latest in agricultural technology on site at all three Ruralco stores; • Catch up with our many suppliers on site and enjoy some refreshments; • Find great deals with your Ruralco Card on site at local businesses over the two days; • Buy most of our great deals online until midnight Sunday 4 July.

PLUS

Be in the draw to win a Honda 2021

Buy now, split the payments with your Ruralco Card Split the payment over three or twelve months with selected suppliers for larger purchases, such as machinery.

Simply advise the participating supplier that you would like to split your payment. Your invoice will then be split into equal interest-free payments over the following months.

Visit www.ruralco.co.nz for a full list of split payment card suppliers to purchase from.

Save on end of season vet requirements For quality service, exclusive discount and the convenience of charging through your Ruralco account, contact a Ruralco Card Supplier for your vet needs today.

A NEW

RRP FROM

Every $250 you spend with participating Instore Days suppliers gets you an entry in the draw. Check out our Instore Days 2021Catalogue for more information. *T&C’s apply

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$29,350

*T&C’S APPLY

New Ruralco Card Suppliers SOUTH ISLAND SUPPLIERS Balclutha

Dates for your diary

Mike Knowles Mechanical 5% discount

22–23 June SIDE Event, Ashburton Trust Event Centre This June, Ruralco are taking part as silver sponsors at the annual South Island Dairy Event.

The event will feature a wealth of guest speakers, covering a wide range of topics from staffing on farm to technology.

Register for this event today at side.org.nz

Christchurch Autolights Up to 15% discount Copyland

Are you on the mooove?

Approved Handler and Growsafe Certificates

Advise Ruralco that your address is changing or contact Lizzie for a new account today: Lizzie Redfern Membership Services Manager Lizzie.redfern@ruralco.co.nz 027 205 3056

Do you need to renew your Approved Handler or Growsafe Certificate? We can help you with your training requirements.

Contact Peter Jacob today on 027 471 2109 or visit the Ruralco website for more information: www.ruralco.co.nz/Farm-Advice-Services/ Health-and-Safety

VEHICLE PARTS & MACHINERY

Up to 10% discount Mozita Automotive Up to 10% discount OHS Consultants

VEHICLE PARTS & MACHINERY

PRINT & COPY SERVICES

VEHICLE PARTS & MACHINERY

HEALTH & SAFETY

Up to 30% discount Stovey Solutions

ELECTRICAL & SECURITY

7% discount

Dunedin

Charge your Spark Bill through Ruralco!

Did you know you can conveniently charge your Spark bill through your Ruralco account?

Simply call Ruralco and advise and confirm your account and contact details with us and have your Spark account number at the ready and we will do the rest.

You’ll still receive your Spark bill directly but with the convenience of consolidated spend on your Ruralco account.

Call us today on 0800 787 256

Lighting Direct Looking for lights or lamps? Your search stops here with New Zealand’s leading lighting supplier, Lighting Direct.

Providing LED lighting, home lighting including interior and exterior lighting.

Save up to 35% off the normal retail price with your Ruralco Card. Visit the Ruralco website to find a store near you.

Land IQ Insights $250 off environmental grazing applicaton plans

LAND & SOIL CONSULTANCY

Leeston Think Water Canterbury

IRRIGATION

Up to 5% discount

Rolleston Heartland Feeds and Nutrition

ANIMAL NUTRITION

Up to 2.5% discount

Richmond

Get your animal health sorted with Ruralco Ruralco understands the importance of keeping your animals healthy. We have a wide range of products available, with June specials available now in store or online.

Glassworx Nelson Up to 30% discount

REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE

NORTH ISLAND SUPPLIERS Auckland

Tag to win with Allflex and Ruralco Go in the draw to win 1 of 3 Bronco Smokers with a Furi knife set when you spend $200 on any Allflex product between 1 April and 30 June 2021. T&C’s apply.

Pick up a copy of the Allflex “Tag to Win” order form in store, online or call us on 0800 787 256.

Rebel Sport St Lukes

SPORT AND LEISURE

Convenience

New Plymouth Landpro Up to 5% discount

LAND DEVELOPMENT

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Supported by Ruralco Ashburton Show Jumping Show Georgie Cox on Bellini GNZ

Young Farmer of the Year—Aorangi Regional Finals Jason Erasmus of Fairlie, Runner up

Longbeach Challenge Cheque Presentation at Longbeach School

Geraldine Ploughing Match

Mill Creek Pony Club Show

Foothills Young Farmers Club ‘Movemeber in the Mount’

Victoria Bryant with Sea Wolf, winners of the Champion Hack and Supreme Champion Ridden Horse title.

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USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

Classifieds AUTOMOTIVE

PANEL BEATING SPRAY PAINTING

&

Insurance Work

Repairs, Refurbishment and Maintenance of…

Trucks, Buses, Coaches & Motorhomes, Caravans, Trailers & Farm Machinery, Horse Coaches & Floats, Jet Boats & Light Engineering.

17 Range St

(Industrial Estate)

Ashburton Phone 307 0378

AUTOMOTIVE

BUILDING SUPPLIES

BUTCHERY SERVICES

COMPUTERS

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USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE 76

Classifieds DESIGN SERVICES

RE AL FARM E R

DRYCLEANING

FARM EQUIPMENT

EQUIPMENT HIRE

FENCING

FLORISTS

HOSE & FITTINGS

GLASS

FARM EQUIPMENT

INVESTMENTS

LAWNMOWERS

LAWNMOWERS

MARINE

MOTORHOMES

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

PEST CONTROL

PLUMBERS

SECURITY SYSTEMS

VINEYARDS

RE A L FA RM E R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

ENGINEERING SUPPLIES

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