Dairy News 09 June 2020

Cool response to water plan. PAGE 6

OAD MILKING BW is the key PAGE 19

JUNE 9, 2020 ISSUE 449 // www.dairynews.co.nz

KIWI AS

Farm bike bred in NZ PAGE 23

Cool response to water plan. PAGE 6

OAD MILKING

KIWI AS

Farm bike bred in NZ PAGE 23

BW is the key PAGE 19

JUNE 9, 2020 ISSUE 448 // www.dairynews.co.nz

FINAL TOAST

Otaki farmer Kerry Walker’s final toast to his cows on Moving Day PAGE 4

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

NEWS // 3

Global dairy prices settling down SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

More time for PC1 appeal. PG.10

Reducing nutrient losses. PG.18

Compact Korean tractor. PG.24

NEWS ������������������������������������������������������3-13 OPINION ���������������������������������������������� 14-15 AGRIBUSINESS ������������������������������ 16-17 MANAGEMENT �������������������������������18-20 ANIMAL HEALTH ����������������������������21-22 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS �������������������������������������� 23-25

GLOBAL DAIRY prices are settling down after a rollercoaster ride triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week’s Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction saw the price index rise 0.1%, a slightly better outcome than expected by markets. This followed a 1% rise in the previous auction. Whole milk powder price rose 2.1% with increased demand from China.

At last week’s auction, whole milk powder fetched US$2,761/MT – still 5% below the year’s peak in January and 9% below the average of the past three years ($3,040).

While analysts believe these are early days, the positive GDT result signals that the worst may be over for some key markets.

However, Northern Hemisphere production and a high NZ dollar could affect the milk payout for NZ farmers.

Westpac’s senior market strategist Imre Speizer says it’s hard to infer too much from just one auction.

He says the result is consistent with the rebound in economic activity seen in many countries since the contraction in April.

“Activity levels remain extremely weak, but possibly past the worst,” he says.

Westpac is forecasting a 2020-21 farmgate milk price of $6.30/kgMS. Speizer notes that the futures

Demand for dairy in China is increasing.

market is broadly in agreement, pricing it at $6.20/kgMS currently, slightly more upbeat than the $6.13 two weeks ago and $5.93/kgMS at the end of April.

Last month Fonterra announced an opening forecast range of $5.40$6.90/kgMS. ASB is more optimistic and has an opening forecast of $6.50/kgMS. Senior economist Chris TennentBrown notes that this is towards the top end of Fonterra’s range.

While any lift in whole milk powder prices is encouraging, over

recent weeks the stronger NZ dollar is an offsetting negative, he says.

It was noteworthy that North Asian share (a proxy for China demand) rebounded at last week’s auction to a level slightly above average for the past 12 months.

RaboResearch dairy analyst Tom Bailey notes that conditions in China generally continue to improve economically, which typically leads to increased demand for dairy.

However, Rabobank estimates that significant domestic stockpiles of milk powder remain in China due

to spray drying in February, resulting from supply chain constraints in processing fresh dairy products at the time.

Bailey says these stocks will likely pose a demand risk for imported powders later in the year.

He also noted that demand for whole milk powder was up as markets reopen and supply chains are refilled.

However, while distributors might be refilling their pipelines, true consumer-level demand remains opaque around the globe.

DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

4 // MOVING DAY

A day of emotions, relief and joy Moving Day means different things to different people. For some it’s moving to new farms big and small, for some sharemilkers it’s moving to farm ownership and for other sharemilkers it’s a case of changing hands, and all on the day that NZ officially celebrated the Queen’s birthday. Peter Burke looks at what Moving Day meant for some farmers in Horowhenua.

sitioning day’. He has sold his OAD herd to another OAD farming couple in Dargaville and for him that was a defining moment.

“I have been breeding these animals for nearly 40 years. They are our babies and it was sad to see them go on the truck.

But I am really happy that they are going to a nice farm with nice people and are replacing a herd that was affected by Mycoplasma bovis. The people came down and met me so I feel happier,” he says.

However, Walker is not moving and plans to stay on his farm, go into dairy

beef, do some grazing and maybe sub divide some of the land. He says being within commuting distance of Wellington helps and the fact that he has paid off most of his mortgages also is an incentive to quit.

“But the reason for giving up after 36 years on the same farm is a combination of old age and some physical problems with my hips and stuff, but more probably the new regulations required for compliance, which is now making it very hard for small operators like myself,” he says.

Walker has no regrets

Kerry Walker will no longer be milking cows.

about his career as dairy farmer saying he wouldn’t have swapped it for anything. He says he loved the community he lives in and the fact that it has stayed constant for the whole time he’s farmed at Te Horo. But while

tually nil when compared to the drought.

“There is nothing more stressful than not being able to feed your animals and it gets quite personal. We flood here, but every day after a flood it gets better, whereas with a drought every day gets worse,” he says.

Finally, Walker says he’s especially enjoyed being a OAD farmer.

same place,” he says.

This year the Horowhenua has seen little by way of a drought. The solid green grass is a sharp contrast to the bare brown pastures further north and especially in Hawke’s Bay. He feels for the farmers in these areas and echoes the comments of others who point out the impact of Covid-19 is vir-

the community may have remained the same, the world of dairy farming has changed massively.

“In that time we’ve moved away from little herds where we knew all the cows to the present day when the cows are just a number.

“Also the fact that we have had to continue to strive to be better just to remain virtually in the

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For most of the time his Friesian cows have been milked twice a day but in recent years he moved to once a day (OAD) milking and never regretted the change.

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

MOVING DAY // 5

Hard work pays off for couple WHILE KERRY Walker

was farewelling his cows, Grant and Kathryn Lovelock were in the final stages of transitioning from being sharemilkers to first farm owners.

For the past six years they have been sharemilking on a farm just north of Levin and were handing the role onto John Ellis and his wife who have come all the way from Invercargill to farm in the Horowhenua.

John has bought some of the Lovelock’s cows and on the day before moving day he and the Lovelocks were busy running the cows through the shed to make sure that the right animals were staying on the farm. John was also bringing stock from his previous farm up north and they were due there on moving day.

Originally from the North Island, John has spent the last 30 years in the South Island, some of it as a builder, but a lot of it as a sharemilker.

“We have family in this area and after six years on the last farm we decided it was time for a change,” he says.

But under Covid-19, coming north has not been easy. He’s been unable to travel during

Grant Lovelock (right) hands over his sharemilking role to John Ellis.

Grant and Kathryn Lovelock.

lockdown to view the stock he was buying and his ticket on the Cook Strait Ferry was cancelled at one stage. He eventually made it to Horowhenua a couple of days before final settlement.

For Grant and Kathryn Lovelock and their three daughters, moving to their own farm near Dannevirke has been a mixture of excitement and frustration due to Covid. They had been sharemilking on the farm near Levin for nine years and at one stage were also running another sharemilking operation.

Grant Lovelock was raised on a dairy farm near Palmerston North but when he left school he studied electrical and electronic engineering,

but couldn’t find a job and started milking cows which he has done ever since.

Farm ownership has always been the goal of the couple, but Grant says they were prepared to bide their time to get the right farm so it met all their needs.

“Most sharemilkers initially transition to a small farm with a couple of hundred cows, but we didn’t really want to do that. Instead we wanted to be in a position where we could have a larger farm with a minimum of 400 cows and maybe two labour units. So that’s why it’s taken us a bit longer,” he says.

Waiting for this day has put pressure on the couple and they have

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taken on extra work such as raising in-calf heifers to generate more income to make the move of a lifetime.

Covid-19 has meant their move has been more of a nightmare than a dream, says Kathryn. They started moving some of their possessions to the new farm as early as January – things like calf rearing equipment, hay and baleage. But when lockdown came she says they couldn’t move anything, and having to work in a family bubble and keep their distance from staff added to their woes.

“So everything got crammed into this short period and with so many restrictions made it very hard. Then John (Ellis) couldn’t get here to do

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the final selection of his cows, so we couldn’t sort out what cows we were keeping and selling. There was a whole lot of stuff we simply couldn’t do and then everything got crammed into a very short space,” she says.

To add to their woes, moving day fell on a public holiday and that meant they had to bring forward the settlement date for their new farm in the Tararua district.

in April, so the pastures have had time to recover.

They also have plenty of supplement.

Despite all the challenges of moving fourteen years of ‘goods’ to a new location, Grant, Kathryn and their three daughters are in love with the new farm.

“It’s just stunning and the kids love it and think it’s cool. They want to go there and that has made it easier for us,” says Grant.

Such has been the rush that both Grant and Kathryn admit that while farm ownership is awesome, the fact that this has actually happened hasn’t really sunk in and probably won’t for a couple of months.

In other ways they are lucky that while they are going to a region that has been badly hit by the drought, their farm is in good shape. The stock on that farm were moved off

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

6 // NEWS

Cool response to water plan DAIRY FARMERS are certainly not jumping over the hay bales with delight at the Government’s recently announced water reforms.

DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle notes that Environment Minister David Parker has taken some notice of the sector feedback, which has resulted in significant change, but there is still a sting in the tail.

He says it’s pleasing to see that some notice has been taken of DairyNZ’s call for an evidence-based and pragmatic approach to the regulations.

But concern still remains around what will be the eventual outcome of how the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) measure is dealt with and also the setting for nitrate toxicity.

Dairy News has been

It’s pleasing to see that some notice has been taken of DairyNZ’s call for an evidencebased and pragmatic approach to the regulations. told that some people see the dairy industry as being picked on by government and that behind the reforms is an agenda to reduce cow numbers.

While there appears to be little argument about the need for reforms, many feel the timing is poor given the drought and COVID-19.

However, Parker’s response to that is that

Tim Mackle

delaying the reforms would be wrong. In terms of the drought, he says most of the reforms will take time to roll out and the drought will be well and truly over by then.

For the dairy sector the reforms include a

requirement that by 2023, dairy cattle will have to be excluded from waterways over a metre wide and other cattle and deer by July 2025.

Dairy farmers will also have to apply for resource consent before converting

more than 10 hectares of land to dairy farming.

In terms of fencing off streams the new rules require such fences must be three metres back from the stream, however, it’s been agreed that any present permanent fencing

closer to the stream now will be deemed acceptable in the future.

On land with a slope of less than 10 degrees, all beef cattle and deer must also be excluded from waterways of more than a metre wide by 2025.

There will also be limits placed on the use of nitrogen – 190kg/ha/ year – and dairy farmers will be required to report annually to regional councils on the quantity of nitrogen that they have applied per hectare.

Also there are special rules relating to the protection of wetlands.

Primary sector and other groups will be financially assisted with the implementation of the new clean water standards through a $700 million fund intended to create jobs in riparian and wetland planting, remove sediments and fund other initiatives to prevent farm runoff entering waterways.

Most of the reforms will be phased in over the next four years, but other are expected to take longer.

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

8 // NEWS

Happy birthday milk!

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

“I THINK kiwis sometimes take milk and dairy products for granted.”

That’s the view of DairyNZ’s chief executive Dr Tim Mackle, who says many don’t realise the value of dairy in their

diets. His comments coincided with world milk day which was June 1, coincidently the same day that Kiwis and many others celebrate the Queen’s birthday.

World milk day was created 20 years ago by the United Nations to recognise the importance in the human diet of dairy

milk as a nutrient-dense food, and to celebrate the sector – from the farmers who milk the cows to the dairy companies that deliver not just the milk, but also a comprehensive range of dairy products.

Quite by chance, in New Zealand it is also Gypsy Day – the day when dairy farms around the

country change hands.

Mackle says many people don’t comprehend how big milk and dairy is globally.

“A billion people worldwide rely directly on dairy for their livelihood. Here in NZ that figure is 46,000 of whom 34,000 are dairy farmers,” he says.

The other misconception, says Mackle, is that many people don’t understand that milk has nutritional credentials second-to-none, is healthier than plant-based milks and has less impact on the environment.

“Take soymilk as an example. There is a misconception out there that some of these plant based

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things are better but the reality is that nutritionally milk stacks up better and plant based milks such as soymilk have twice the carbon foot print that bovine milk has,” he says.

Finally, from an economic point of view it’s estimated that as at the end of June, export sales from dairy products will earn NZ $19.2 billion.

Pamu appointment STATE-OWNED FARMER Landcorp Farming (Pāmu) has appointed Dr Tanira Kingi to its board.

Kingi has an extensive background in agricultural systems, land economics and forestry and is currently the research leader in primary industry systems at Scion. He has previously held a number of research and academic roles with AgResearch and Massey University.

He replaces Tony Reilly, who is retiring from the board after six years.

Pāmu chairman Warren Parker says Kingi’s extensive work in a range of agricultural related research and development projects, along with his in-depth knowledge of the forestry sector, will be invaluable to Pāmu.

From 14 June 2020, your livestock transporter may choose not to take your animals without a declaration that they are NAIT compliant.

To avoid delays when transporting animals, OSPRI’s advice to farmers is to:

DWN trustee retires DAIRY WOMEN’S Network trustee Alison Gibb

has retired after seven years in the role.

“It’s time to step back and let fresh eyes and input take the organisation to the next level, and it’s also important for me that I move on to new challenges,” she said.

Gibb started working in August last year as an electorate agent for National MP Tim Macindoe and while still remaining an electorate agent and MP support, she will move into the role of senior MP support.

She says one of her highlights during her time on the board was as chair of the judging panel for the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.

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THE NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards 2020 was launched last week.

“The awards are a great opportunity to showcase the creativity and innovation of rural women entrepreneurs and how they support rural communities with their businesses,” says RWNZ national president Fiona Gower.

“We recognise that it has been an incredibly tough time for many New Zealanders and that makes it even more relevant to celebrate the resilience of these women-owned and operated businesses by holding these awards this year.

“There has never been a better time to celebrate and support local businesses.”

Entries close July 31.

DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

NEWS // 9

Jim van der Poel

DairyNZ levy vote gets green light from farmers DAIRY FARMERS have given a clear mandate to have an industry good body to represent and support them, says DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel.

He says last week’s successful levy vote provides DairyNZ with confidence as it heads into the future.

The levy vote, held every six years, closed May 30. Provisional results show 57% of the 11,747 levy paying dairy farmers voted and of those who voted, 69% voted ‘yes’ to continuing the levy.

Weighting the vote by milksolids production shows even greater representation and support for the levy, with this year’s votes equating to a 67% farmer vote and 74% voting ‘yes’. DairyNZ is funded by the milksolids levy.

Van der Poel says the New Zealand dairy sector is progressive and farmers have illustrated a clear mandate that they want an industry good organisation which represents and supports them to continue as a successful sector.

“The milksolids levy underpins a wide range of industry good work, including the sector strategy Dairy Tomorrow, and we are pleased this year’s levy vote will enable DairyNZ to continue that work on behalf of dairy farmers.”

The milksolids levy vote was a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote for each levy paying farm owner, sharemilker or leaseholder.

Final results will be available once the total milksolids produced for the 2019-20 season is known in late June. However, DairyNZ doesn’t expect any significant change.

A clear indication of farmer support is required for DairyNZ to make a new levy application to the Minister for Primary Industries to approve the ongoing levy for the next six years.

Van der Poel thanked every dairy farmer who voted.

“Having a farmer mandate gives us a stronger voice when important decisions are underway, where sector feedback can result in significant change.”

He says DairyNZ will continue to deliver the best research and on-farm tools and support.

“Securing a better future for dairy farmers is the biggest motivator for the DairyNZ board and staff and we are looking forward to continuing our work. This levy campaign will inform our priorities and we have a lot of work ahead of us,” says van der Poel.

“The 2020 season has been challenging with weather, COVID-19 and some uncertainty, so we have some work to do as an organisation and we look forward to ensuring we have farmers’ support and active engagement going forward.

“We’ve picked up a lot of useful feedback from farmers through this process, which we’ll use to improve our service to farmers going forward.”

Levy paying farmers contribute 3.6c/ kgMS produced. The levy rate gets reviewed by the DairyNZ Board each year. It has remained at 3.6c/kgMS since 2008 and DairyNZ has committed that it will remain at that level for the 2020-21 season.

DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

10 // NEWS

Farmers win more time to appeal WRC plan changes SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FARMERS AND grow-

ers have won more time to appeal one of the country’s largest environmental plan changes.

The Environment Court has ruled that individual farmers and growers now have 70 days from May 11 to appeal Waikato Regional Council (WRC) Plan Change 1 (PC1).

All other stakeholders including milk processors and industry-good organ-

isations have 50 days from April 28, when Level 4 lockdown ended, to file appeals.

Developed with iwi and key stakeholders, PC1 applies to about 10,000 properties covering 1.1 million hectares within the Waikato and Waipā river catchments.

PC1 seeks to reduce the amount of contaminants entering the Waikato and Waipā catchments.

Both WRC and Federated Farmers had filed applications to the Environment Court seeking waivers to the timeframe

to file an appeal against PC1 in the face of COVID19 disruptions.

The council was seeking a timeframe of either

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50 working days from the notice of the council’s decision on submissions or 30 working days after Alert Level 4 restrictions ended, whichever is the later date.

Justice Melanie Harland granted the council a waiver, allowing 50 working days from 28 April for appeals.

In its application Federated Farmers argued that the council’s timeframe would create “significant prejudice” to NZ and growers and farmers MADE sought an 80-day time for filing of appeals.

The council opposed Federated Farmers’ application on the grounds that it would “create prec-

edent” and that there was “a high degree of uncertainty about the way it was framed, both in relation to who it covers and when it starts”.

In her ruling, Justice Harland rejected the council’s argument.

“With respect, I disagree. In relation to ‘individual farmers and grower’, it should easily be able to be identified from the submissions filed and from those submitters who appeared either themselves or through a representative farmers or growers association, who these individuals are,” Justice Harland said.

“A common-sense

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approach should be taken to this issue, and if it is, in my view there should be no difficulty or uncertainty identifying this group of people. However, to also provide greater clarity I determine that individual farmers and growers include individual persons and companies engaged in farming and growing enterprises.”

She also rejected the notion of any precedent effect arising from her

decision.

She noted that the applications had been made in “unusual and unprecedented times”.

“There have been other applications granted during this period to extend appeal timeframes, and some in relation to plan changes.

“Each has been determined on their own facts.

This case is by far the most unusual in terms of its scale, the length of the decision under appeal, and generally the scale of the litigation that is likely to arise from the subject matter of the decision.”

Justice Harland says the 70-day timeframe for farmers and growers to file appeals will provide certainty.

“If the COVID-19 situation means a reversion is necessary, a further application can be filed to look at the situation then.”

FEDS DELIGHTED ALL THREE Federated Farmers provinces affected by Waikato Regional Council Plan Change 1 are delighted and relieved with the Environment Court decision.

Federated Farmers Waikato president Jacqui Hahn says this means individual farmers and growers have 70 working days from 11 May to file appeals.

“These are tough times for farmers, dealing with COVID-19 restrictions, drought, meat processing issues and even things like home schooling Jacqui Hahn with a poor internet connection. Extra time to work on this process is a help.”

Federated Farmers Rotorua/Taupo president Colin Guyton says the time frame given was simply unachievable given the huge implications of the plan change.

“We now have time to get advice, consider the implications and consider how to participate in the Environment Court process”.

Auckland Federated Farmers president Alan Cole says it is good to be heard, and even better to be understood.

“We are pleased with this recognition. It is a very real nod to sense and sensibility for the only pan sector industry group that genuinely represents all types of farmers.

“We are farmers working for farmers, this means we understand the challenges that COVID-19 restrictions are placing on the ability and capacity of farmers to engage. We know everyone is under pressure, but we will engage with our members and obtain a mandate. We are after a PC1 that is reasonable, practical and affordable.”

DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

NEWS // 11

National ag spokesman is a dairy farmer PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

DAVID BENNETT

who’s just taken over as the National Party’s new spokesperson on agriculture is a dairyman at heart.

He says he’s naturally stoked to have been given what he describes as the pre-eminent portfolio in NZ politics but he also has a consuming love for

properties were badly hit by the drought with high feed bills and the need to dry off cows early. He says many people don’t understand the pressure that farmers are under in a drought.

He says he sympathises with what farmers in Hawke’s Bay are going through – especially as they head into winter trying to feed stock and maintain their businesses.

It was farming that was

“I love the cows, I love being outside and I have loved working for myself and building up a business. At the weekends I try to get out there and do a bit of fencing and it’s good for soul.

And if you are whacking a few Waratahs into the ground you can think about the opposition.” dairy farming.

After graduating with law and accountancy degrees from Victoria University, Bennett embarked on what turned out to be a very short career in the corporate world. He lasted just two years working for KPMG in Auckland before giving away the glitz and glamour of that world and going back to his passion – dairy farming in the Waikato.

Both his parents had been involved in the dairy industry and that experience inspired him to work hard and buy his own farm.

This he has done and he now owns two farms outright and is a partner in a third.

All the farms are in the Te Awamutu/Paperangi areas. One of them is a 40ha organic farm running 140 cows and producing 35,000kgMS. Attached to it is a 38ha run-off block. His other farm is a 97ha property with 320 cows that produces 95,000kgMS while the third, in which he is a partner, runs 240 cows on an 80ha block and produces 80,000kgMS. The cows are mainly Jersey and operate mainly on system one.

Like all farmers in the Waikato, Bennett says his

the catalyst for Bennett’s move into politics. He was president of Young Farmers and that inspired him to have a tilt at the Hamilton East seat, which he won in 2005 and has held ever since. While politics demands that he spends a lot of time away from his farms, he still makes sure there is time to get back on the farm “I love the cows, I love being outside and I have loved working for myself and building up a business. At the weekends I try to get out there and do a bit of fencing and it’s good for soul. And if you are whacking a few Waratahs into the ground you can think about the opposition,” he says.

Bennett says the dayto-day running of the farms is vested in three staff whom he says are as passionate as he is about the primary sector.

Bennett says from now on farming and horticulture is going to be crucial as the country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. He says it will also be a time when the wider community will support and acknowledge the contribution of agriculture and horticulture.

“I think it is also good that farmers feel part of the nation’s family and that they are valued

and not ostracised and have that support for the hard work they do, not only for their own businesses but also the downstream business that they support by the costs they incur in their own farming

and horticultural operations,” he says.

Looking to the future says realistically everyone is going to have to deal with increased compliance in this area over the next few years.

“I don’t see how we can walk away from that, but we need to do it in a way that is scientifically based and manageable on farm,” he says. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

12 // NEWS

Smooth Moving Day despite bad weather, pandemic PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

MOVING DAY around the country appears to have gone relatively smoothly despite the disruption and uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

When the level 4 lockdown came into place, there was talk about potential problems that could arise on June 1. A special working group consisting of Federated Farmers, the Dairy Women’s Network, DairyNZ, Beef+LambNZ, the NZ

“For some farmers in Northland it wasn’t Covid that was the problem, it was a storm which blew down trees, and farmers were out helping to clear roads so that the stock trucks could get through.”

Veterinarian Association and MPI sat down and worked out plans and rules to deal with whatever alert level the country might be in on moving day.

About 1,200 movements involving up to 20,000 people occur on

that day so good planning was essential. DairyNZ developed a website with helpful information for people moving farms.

Sharon Morrell, DairyNZ’s head of consulting officers in the upper North Island, says things appear to have

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Sharon Morrell

gone well.

“For some farmers in Northland it wasn’t Covid that was the problem, it was a storm which blew

down trees, and farmers were out helping to clear roads so that the stock trucks could get through.

One farmer moving from

just south of Whangarei to Kerikeri got caught out by this storm,” she says.

Morrell says before the move to alert level 2, sharemilkers and farmers were very concerned as to how they might manage moving stock and personal belongings, not to mention the stock work and paper work associated with any move. But as NZ moved down the alert levels it was clear that moving day was not going to be as bad as it could have been.

“But there were still issues such as assembling, buying, selling and moving herds that were

challenging. Also there were farmers who had to buy new equipment because the nature of their new operations and they found it difficult as often they had to make purchases sight unseen,” she says.

Morrell says this reinforced the need for good planning and communication and people who did this, found that the move went well.

“By and large farmers were happy and in fact a lot happier in the event than they may have been months ago looking ahead,” she says. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

State funding for SOE building AGRESEARCH IS welcoming a

state grant of $45 million towards a new education, science and innovation precinct in Lincoln.

The SOE says this is a huge boost for New Zealand’s COVID19 recovery plan and the contribution to it from the land-based science sector.

The Government announced last week that it will provide AgResearch with the capital needed to move to the next phase of building a new fit-for-future scientific research facility and corporate headquarters situated on the Lincoln University campus.

AgResearch chairman Dr Paul

Reynolds says the facility will encourage more collaboration in food and fibre research and innovation to help farmers and growers manage challenges, and seize opportunities for getting more economic value out of products.

Reynolds says AgResearch is the leading source of land-based science in New Zealand.

“And the agriculture sector has a hugely important leadership role to play in New Zealand’s long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“New Zealand needs research facilities to help generate innovative science that ensures our

export products remain international sought after.”

AgResearch purchased a 15,000 square metre parcel of land from Lincoln University earlier this year. The co-location arrangement means both research entities can consolidate their already close working relationship.

The total budget for the 8000 square metre build is approximately $97 million.

AgResearch will apply for resource and building consents later this year and hopes to start construction in 2021. The completion of the new facility is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023.

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

NEWS // 13

Keep an eye on winter grazing practices FARMERS ARE taking steps to improve wintering systems despite the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions and weather events.

That’s the view of the Winter Grazing Action Group, formed to work on recommendations of a government-appointed taskforce that looked at winter grazing practices in lower South Island.

Action group chair Dr Lindsay Burton said it was important everyone worked together to ensure farmers had the right tools to get through winter.

“Ensuring you follow a gradual transition plan when moving your animals from pasture to crop and back again will help prevent issues. This is particularly important for cattle wintered on fodder beet,” says Burton.

For farmers, the focus heading into winter should be on providing the right feed at the right time, as well as shelter and easy access to drinking water. Doing this should have the flow-on effect of limiting stock movement and help reduce damage to crop and soil.

Farmers and rural professionals are being urged to look at DairyNZ’s website for advice on good winter grazing practices and specific recommendations for transitioning stock onto crop, and balancing the diet which differs between the species.

During the lockdown period, Burton says the action group has remained committed to progressing its work to improve wintering practices, meeting virtually to keep up the momentum.

“We recognise the good work that has already been done by farmers throughout New Zealand, but particularly in Southland, to improve their wintering systems.

The fact that everyone has been so proactive, in spite of the challenges they have faced with adverse weather events and

COVID-19 restrictions, should be applauded.”

Following a nationwide anti-grazing campaign which highlighted some Southland cows standing in mud, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor set up a taskforce which undertook a review of current practices and made 11 recommendations to be taken forward by the pan-sector Winter Grazing Action Group.

The recommendations, which included some work to understand and mitigate the causes of the animal welfare consequences from intensive winter grazing practices; and work to recognise the barriers to adopting improved animal welfare practices, have been taken up by the action group with gusto, Taskforce chair Dr John Hellström says.

“Improving winter grazing systems is not something that can be achieved overnight, but the action group is on the right track and I’m confident that the recommendations the taskforce made are being progressed to ensure improvements for this winter and beyond.”

The action group is focussed on educating farmers on careful management when introducing stock to new feed types and ensuring contingency plans are in place to manage any severe or prolonged wet winter weather.

In the short-term, Burton says there are actions farmers can take now to ensure the immediate welfare of their animals, including making appropriate shelter available when needed as well as suitable areas for stock to lie down.

“That could be as simple as planning to graze the best sheltered paddock last, and keeping it ‘up your sleeve’ for a weather event.

“Changing practice will take a long time.

“This is not a one-winter solution but we will

keep working with farmers and sector leaders to improve things now and in the future.”

Lindsay Burton

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

14 // OPINION RUMINATING

EDITORIAL

No spy in the sky

MILKING IT...

Overstayers not moving

Celebrity welfare

MOVING DAY has gone smoothly for most farmers but on some farms, some workers aren’t moving anywhere.

In March the Government announced an extension of no-cause terminations, meaning tenants could not be evicted, to support New Zealanders to stay in their rental properties during the Covid-19 lock down.

Some farm workers are using this regulation to stay put in homes provided by their employer.

Meantime, the new farm worker has arrived with his family but has no accommodation to move into.

Milking It has been told that the dairy industry is asking the Government to review the legislation.

Ministers are aware of the predicament facing some farmers but there has been very little remedial action from the Government. Time for action!

WANNABE KIWI James Cameron is back in the country, under a special visa, to continue filming his movie during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The production is subsidised by the New Zealand Government and probably from taxes generated by the livestock industry.

Yet the Canadian vegan and movie mogul James Cameron wants an end to NZ livestock farming because he does not approve.

The Camerons have turned two large dairy farms in the Wairarapa over to organic vegetables, as well as hemp, linseed and rye corn.

One columnist noted last week that the Government has spent more money on Avatar (a film about a fake indigenous culture) than it spends each year on Māori television production (distributed via Te Māngai Pāho).

That doesn’t seem right.

Caught out?

WAS FONTERRA caught napping in Australia?

Just two days after announcing its minimum price, Fonterra Australia was forced to increase the weighted average opening from AU$6.06/kgMS to AU$6.40/kgMS. The move brings it into line with competitors Bega Cheese and Saputo Dairy Australia and is a new minimum rather than a step-up, locking in the price under the mandatory code.

Fonterra says it had kept in line with industry convention to open at a price lower than the full-year forecast, with the understanding that step-ups would be paid throughout the season where the market supports it.

But this wasn’t a stepup. Clearly the co-op’s suppliers expressed their unhappiness with the original opening price and Fonterra had to act fast.

The co-op is continuing to lose market share in the Australian raw milk market.

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Red algae to the rescue?

IS RED algae the silver bullet for climate change?

A Swedish startup attempting to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by stopping cows from burping and farting has raised over $800,000 to industrialise the process.

Volta Greentech says it plans to industrialise the production of a type of red algae which, according to the company, reduces cow production of methane gases by up to 80%.

It says the company’s next two big challenges are producing the algae in large enough volumes at a low cost, and developing a business model that creates incentives for farmers to use the solution on their farms.

“If we can solve these two challenges, we can eliminate 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions,” the company says.

THIS WINTER Southland farmers should not fear drones flying over their farms, looking for cows in knee-deep mud.

Activists should not bother lurking around farms with their cameras, because Federated Farmers and allied groups have an action plan in place to head off any issues with winter grazing.

Winter grazing techniques were put under the spotlight last year after a nationwide anti-grazing campaign highlighted some Southland cows standing in mud, prompting Agricultural Minister Damien O’Connor to set up a taskforce in response.

The taskforce was succeeded by an action group in early 2020 to take forward recommendations ahead of winter.

The Winter Grazing Action Group’s verdict is that farmers are taking steps to improve wintering systems despite the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions and weather events.

The advice for farmers is simple: ensure you follow a gradual transition plan when moving your animals from pasture to crop and back again to help prevent issues – particularly important for cattle wintered on fodder beet.

The focus this winter should be on providing the right feed at the right time, as well as shelter and easy access to drinking water. Doing this should have the flow-on effect of limiting stock movement and reducing damage to crop and soil.

A photograph taken of stock in a muddy paddock seldom tells the full story about what the farmer has in place to protect waterways from run-off and ensure good animal welfare.

Nevertheless, these selective photographs can generate negative publicity.

Federated Farmers says it wants to make sure any concerns are proactively addressed and that any farmer needing advice or support gets it early.

Intervention groups have been set up around Southland. If someone raises a concern about winter grazing, a group comprising representatives from Federated Farmers, DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb NZ will discuss the situation and ask the most appropriate person to contact the farmer, talk through the issues and, where necessary, identify strategies to mitigate problems. If the farmer is not willing to accept industry support or take action, environmental concerns will be passed on to the local regional council, and animal welfare concerns to the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Complaints will be taken seriously. If anyone is concerned about winter crop grazing practices anywhere in the country, an online form is available on the Federated Farmers website.

With many farmers in the region already under significant pressure from poor growth conditions, flood impact and imposed overstocking due to the processing constraints of COVID-19, the last thing they need worry about is unidentified drones flying over their properties taking photos.

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

OPINION // 15

Council champions owners’ views lowing the review of the Fonterra Shareholders’ Council in the media, you will have noticed the coverage of the views of one group of farmers who say that the council delivers no value and should be disbanded completely.

Personally, I disagree, and I know that among the 10,000-odd farmers supplying Fonterra, there will be a range of opinions on the subject. That’s why the review currently underway is asking for all views, without jumping to any foregone conclusions. I’m looking forward to seeing the feedback collected by the Steering Group running the review, and continuing the discussion in stage two of the review process.

I am conscious that before we contemplate change, we must first understand what we currently have. Media coverage on the review to date has presented one side, however a balanced perspective is critical. So here are my thoughts.

As a Fonterra supplier you must also be a shareholder, and the amount of capital you invest is directly tied to the amount of milk you supply. This is defined in the cooperative principles.

Because of this dual commitment to supply milk and capital it’s not so easy to withdraw your investment and walk away if you’re unhappy with the direction or performance of the company.

It’s a significant, long term commitment. So you want to know that your interests are being actively promoted when decisions are being made.

Our co-op is made up of a large number of relatively small shareholdings – we don’t have any dominant shareholders with a large enough share to individually exert an owners’ influence. When you’re hands-on running your own business, it’s difficult to devote the time, energy and resource to monitoring your ownership interest in any detail.

My sense is that even council’s annual report – a summary of the key

ples of what the council is doing behind the scenes on behalf of farmers.

“But seven of our 11 Directors are farmers,” you might say. “They should know. And I can phone any of them up myself – why do I need a councillor?” That could be true, if you want your board members to spend

James Barron

their time on the phone to shareholders, rather than doing what we elect them to do, governing the company. The primary duty of directors is to the company itself. By comparison, the council is elected by the shareholders of Fonterra to represent those shareholders.

The way I look at it,

when you invest your livelihood in an organisation the size and scale of Fonterra, you need confidence that someone who knows your business is representing your views and your interests. Together, the board and management team are responsible for the performance of our co-op. Council exists

to be the link between them and farmer owners of all sizes, around the country. Council’s role or powers may need updating, but it’s critical to understand why we have a Shareholders’ Council in the first place.

• James Barron is chairman Fonterra Shareholders Council

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Maize hybrids for silage and grain.

Av Lim ai it la ed bi lit y

IF YOU’VE been fol-

things to know about from the past year – isn’t as widely read as you might expect. Keeping on top of activities being worked on inside the co-op would be a significant ask, and something most farmers would have no interest in doing.

In the council, farmers have an elected group of peers with skin in the game, practical farming knowledge, and the time and enthusiasm for being that set of eyes on their behalf. They are an elected panel of representatives with a mandate to ask questions, and a direct line of communication to the board. Are they using that mandate?

Council goes into meetings and conference calls with management and the board having discussed the topic in advance, compared the views of the shareholders in our Wards, and prepared our questions. Requests for information are also made and pursued, and conversations between the two chairs occur frequently.

It’s also worth remembering that Fonterra is a large, complex and diverse business. It employs professionals who are experts in their fields to manage the various manufacturing, logistics and business activities. They know their jobs, but they are not farmers, and we can’t expect them to fully understand the impacts of their decisions on the dayto-day running of a farm.

As farmers, we need to have confidence that people with genuine motivation to see Fonterra succeed are available to provide that practical input. What you don’t see is the ways this happens.

This year’s Supply Terms almost included a requirement to bring all existing tanker tracks up to the new Code by 2030 – until council stepped in and asked what kind of capital outlay that could mean for farmers.

The new advance payments schedule has been designed with your cashflow in mind. It was councillors who pushed for their review and pointed out the real issue – that farmers wanted milk payments to line up with their costs throughout the year. These are exam-

Corson Maize sources hybrids from more maize breeding companies than any other New Zealand seed company and tests them in New Zealand conditions before taking them to market. Our portfolio of hybrids has been tried on-farm over many seasons so that you know they can be trusted in your farming operation.

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

16 // AGRIBUSINESS

Farmers can now measure emissions A SOFTWARE provid-

ing greenhouse gas emissions measurement and scenario planning programme for the whole farm has been released.

Released by Farmax, the new software allows farmers to look at a variety of farm input scenarios, showing not only how production and profitability are affected, but also how a farm’s environmental footprint is affected.

New Zealand’s agricultural sector has committed to 100% of farms having an annual total greenhouse gas emissions number by the end of 2022.

This sector promise will require every pastoral farmer to put a measurement system in place within 21 months’ time – a challenging timeline.

Farmax chief executive Gavin McEwen says the

software will help farmers tackle this challenge.

“We’ve worked with AgResearch and DairyNZ scientists to incorporate a number of environmental measures into our latest release, including greenhouse gas emission

reporting, to help farmers meet the 2022 sector target.

“This new functionality allows farmers to explore ways to improve the predicted outcome in the context of their own business while also con-

sidering the impact of production and profitability.”

McEwen says there are a number of greenhouse gas emission calculators available, but no others allow farmers and farm advisors to consider the financial impact of farm system changes.

“We believe this ele-

ment is essential for farmers to confidently make the system changes the sector requires to meet New Zealand’s emissions reduction targets.

“It’s hard for farmers to be ‘green’ when they are in the ‘red.’ In other words, it is difficult to focus on reducing your environmental impacts

on farm when production and profit are subpar,” explains McEwen.

McEwen said his team and the rural consultants they work closely with across the country feel challenged by the educational effort required to help farmers understand the greenhouse gas emissions

outputs from their farm businesses and the potential compliance measures that may come into force.

A survey completed last year for the Ministry for Primary Industries showed that only around 2% of farmers with livestock have an indication of the total greenhouse gas emissions coming from their farm and only 1% have an indication of the peranimal emissions.

“Farmax’s goal is to help farmers understand what is required and give them a tool to take control, so that farm system changes where required can be made,” he says.

Developed and owned

by AgResearch, Farmax is the only science-based decision support tool that gives a holistic picture of a farm business, including physical and financial feasibility and indicative environmental outputs.

REARING CALVES WITH HELP OF PROBIOTICS ON A trip to Australia five years ago, businessman Chris Collier found a revolutionary approach to calf rearing.

The founder of Probiotic Revolution was in Australia looking at the use of probiotics in calves and cows.

Collier says he was impressed and decided to introduce Calf Xtreme to New Zealand farmers in 2017.

Because of his background as a farm consultant Collier wanted to market this probiotic additive with a point of difference – advocating changes to calf rearing systems.

He notes that traditionally most farmers start feeding heifer replacements twice a day for a number of weeks before transitioning to once a day feeding.

“In nearly all of these cases we are restricting how much calves want to drink and their genetic ability to grow, but our product allows us to feed more milk without getting nutritional scours,” he says.

He says overseas research has proven that if calves are grown faster in the first few weeks of their lives they set up the developing udder for higher heifer milk production.

In a University of Illinois study, heifers that were fed better as young calves produced 10% more

milk and protein.

“I actually want calves to grow faster in the first few weeks of their lives,” says Collier. “We even have some farmers feeding 10 litres of milk while on twice-a-day feeding, but when labour is at a premium, six litres once a day from the start is also a very good system.”

Collier says his team is happy to work alongside farmers to discuss how they can adjust their calf rearing and follow through with progress on farm. “Even with an increase in milk we are not necessarily reducing meal intake because Calf Xtreme helps stimulate meal, hay and grass consumption.”

In three years with this approach, annual NZ calf numbers on Calf Xtreme have grown from 22,000 to 68,000.

Collier attributes their increase in market share to the strength of the specific components in Calf Xtreme designed by a leading research microbiologist in the USA. With the help of his son Matt, Collier recently launched a Facebook campaign offering a calf consultation service looking at the whole calf rearing system, ranging from housing use of different products, milk powders and management of common disease issues such as Rotavirus.

“There is considerable interest in this approach” says Matt Collier.

“And I am keen to keen to get back among our farmers in the spring to see how they are progressing” @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

AGRIBUSINESS // 17

Coles buys direct from Oz farmers SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

IMAGINE NEW Zea-

land supermarket chains Countdown and Pak’nSave buying raw milk directly from farmers.

While the idea may seem far-fetched here, across the ditch supermarket giant Coles is extending its raw milk buying scheme to more states, all in the name of delivering a better farm gate milk price to struggling Australian dairy farmers.

Coles has announced it is recruiting dairy farmers in South Australia and Western Australia to supply milk for Coles Brand fresh white milk, delivering guaranteed farmgate prices for farmers. South Australian dairy farmers are welcoming the move.

South Australian Dairy Association (SADA) chief executive Andrew Curtis says farmers welcome any market participant in the industry who pays a fair price to farmers.

The Australian dairy industry has been facing depressed prices in recent years, forcing some farmers to exit the industry and milk volumes to plunge.

Curtis told Dairy News that competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, was very critical of the role played by processors in the troubles that have surrounded the industry

in recent years – reserving its harshest criticism for those processors.

“During the A$1 per litre milk war, SADA was critical of the supermarkets for their approach but equally of the processors, not least of which was Murray Goulburn, who enabled the war to continue by pushing down [farmgate] prices,” he says.

The Australian Dairy Code of Conduct now forces Coles, along with every other processor, to post their price well in advance of contractual confirmation. Last week, all milk buyers announced their opening price for the new season.

“They will be competing on the same footing as every other purchaser of milk in the market place,” says Curtis.

“Farmers will go to the best price offer and if Coles wants to purchase milk they will have to do so on a level playing field.”

Coles launched its new milk sourcing model in Victoria and Southern and Central New South Wales last July, contracting directly with local farmers to supply milk.

This effectively makes Coles another buyer in a crowded Australian market, where Fonterra Australia is struggling to maintain its market share.

While Fonterra isn’t a player in the fresh milk market, Coles is adding another layer of competition for milk processors.

A Fonterra spokeswoman says the company

CHANGING LANDSCAPE THE NUMBER of dairy farms across Australia has been declining for decades. SADA chief executive Andrew Curtis says dairy across Australia has been changing for many years.

In 1970, South Australia had over 1,000 farms, mostly small farms supplying local product.

But Curtis points out that individual cows are much more productive today and herds are much larger.

“A farm count is not a fair indication of the state of the industry and individual farms now produce much more milk with better cows and bigger herds than in the past.

“There is no indication this trend will change into the near future.”

does very little by way of fresh milk in Australia – it’s a brands cheese and butter business.

All its milk comes from farmers in Victoria and Tasmania.

Under the new sourcing model, Coles offers a farmgate price directly to farmers, and pays dairy processors to process and bottle the milk under a toll processing agreement.

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

18 // MANAGEMENT

Simple actions can reduce winter nutrient losses WINTER IS around the corner and currently most farmers are focusing on achieving increased productivity by judicious use of nutrients, with an aim of minimising environmental impacts.

Cooler months can pose a significant challenge for nutrient management. Some simple actions can reduce winter

nutrient loss.

Caution must be taken

when applying nitrogen fertilisers to pasture or crops during winter.

Winter applications of nitrogen fertilisers are generally least effective for promoting grass growth. Slow growth of pasture in winter and drainage can result in nitrate leaching directly from fertiliser before plants can take it up.

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Controlled grazing that reduces the amount of time animals spend on pasture helps mitigate nitrogen losses.

Milking cows will excrete, in urine, about 70 per cent of the nitrogen consumed. The risk of nitrogen leaching from urine patches is much higher in winter.

Leaching (nitrogen) and run off (phosphorus) losses not only contaminate water bodies but also represent a loss of economically valuable nutrients. Most nitrogen is leached during winter and early spring when rainfall exceeds evapo-transpiration. Generally, the pasture species are not active during low temperatures adding to the potential for nitrogen loss through leaching.

Some of the research to mitigate the nitrogen losses has focused on growing pasture with more rooting depth for interception of nitrate, duration controlled grazing for reducing the amount of time animals spend on pasture, and feeding high sugar grasses for reducing the dietary

protein.

Nutrient budgeting using computer models such as Overseer, combined with feed budgeting, enables farmers to understand whether they are using too much or too little fertiliser.

It is important that all farmers to understand the technical term, “response rate”. The response rate is the amount of pasture grown in terms of kilograms of dry matter (DM) per hectare per kilogram of nitrogen (N) applied.

For example, when 30kg N/ha is applied and an additional 300kg DM/ ha of pasture is grown the response rate is 10kg DM/ kg N applied.

The response is dependent on several factors such as soil temperature, plant growth, soil moisture, the deficiency of available nitrogen in the soil and the rate of nitrogen applied per application.

The best response to N fertiliser occurs on fast

growing pasture, when other factors such as moisture and soil temperature are not limiting growth.

Response rate variation also depends on the season and on nitrogen application rate. In winter, at the same application rate, responses are lower and slower than other times of the year.

The response rate also declines when the application rate (single dose) is higher than 30kg N/ha.

Nitrogen fertiliser reduces nitrogen fixation by clover by about 1kg N/ha/year for every 3kg nitrogen fertiliser applied. In addition, clover content will be further reduced if nitrogen boosted pastures shade the clover. This effect is seen during spring.

‘Nitrogen conversion efficiency’ for any farm is another key point to remember. It is calculated from the total nitrogen in product divided by the total nitrogen inputs into

a farm and is expressed in percentage. For a dairy farm, if it is around 40%, probably the farmer is doing fine.

Further, owing to the prolonged dry spell, nitrate poisoning can result from high nitrate levels in pasture, usually occur in late autumn.

This is particularly during a flush of growth where nitrate levels build up in herbage as nitrate is taken by the plant faster than it can be converted into protein. Toxicity risk progressively increases with high soil nitrogen from various sources.

The profitability of applying nitrogen is dependent on the utilisation of the extra feed.

Therefore, nitrogen needs to be strategically applied to fill genuine feed deficits.

• Bala Tikkisetty is a sustainable agriculture advisor at Waikato Regional Council. Ph 0800 800 401 or email bala.tikkisetty@ waikatoregion.govt.nz

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

MANAGEMENT // 19

The ideal cow for OAD milking PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THERE WAS a large

turnout on a recent DairyNZ webinar discussing once-a-day (OAD) milking, with participants joining in from Northland and Southland and all places in between.

Consulting officer Gray Beagley says this shows the huge interest there is in the topic.

He says over 80 people joined the webinar, but he points out that in many cases there were multiple numbers watching on each computer, including many farming partners and staff.

“We had lots of others who couldn’t get on and I have sent a video of the session to at least a dozen people. The webinar was staged because we couldn’t hold the annual OAD conference in Nelson in April due to COVID-19.

“So we put together some topics that we thought would interest a wide group of people and that certainly proved to be the case,” he says.

Beagley says one of the key areas of interest to OAD farmers is having a cow that is best suited for their needs. He says they know what these requirements are and says it’s up to the breeding companies to listen to farmers.

Beagley says part of

Christine Finnigan enjoys milking cows once-a-day. Inset: Gray Beagley, DairyNZ.

the problem is that the further down the journey people are in terms of OAD, the harder it becomes because they have more options for culling criteria and policies.

“What came out of the discussion was the value of breeding worth (BW). It is clear that a cow that has good BW will perform well in both the twice a day (TAD) environment and in the OAD environment. But as well as having good BW, OAD cows need to have other traits such as being able to hold milk in their udders for 24 hours,” he says.

This issue of selection was addressed during the webinar by Taylor Connell who’s a sire analyst at LIC. His role there is to focus on breeding and purchasing decisions for Holstein-Friesian, Jersey and KiwiCross bulls. This involves selecting potential bull dams based on several factors, such as BW, genetic diversity and Traits Other than Production (TOP).

He says not all cows can cope with OAD milking and the OAD selection index they have developed is designed to help farmers identify Alpha bulls that are more likely to produce daughters suit-

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able for OAD milking.

Connell says some of the traits that OAD farmers have identified as being important include udder support, milking speed, body capacity and front teat placement.

“The OAD index is being refreshed annually with a view to what’s happened and what might happen in the future. We want cows to be able to persist throughout the season. We don’t want fat, lazy cows who turn the taps off around Christmas. We want them to keep going right though to May,” he says.

Connell told those on the webinar that he would

welcome feedback on traits that LIC should be looking for in the future.

One of the keynote speakers on the webinar was OAD farmer Christine Finnigan. She is ‘dairy connect person’ which means that she often fields questions from people thinking of transitioning into OAD milking.

She and her family run two farms in the Manawatu. One of these runs Jersey cows and the

other KiwiCross. The original farm was converted to OAD eleven years ago and the other farm was converted four years ago.

Finnegan told the webinar that their criterion for a good OAD cow is one that is easy care.

“We want to keep the farm simple. We run between a system two and three and while l love the farm I don’t want it to be too complicated. The easy care cow is one that’s easy to cup, one you

don’t notice in the herd, not slow, she doesn’t get mastitis, produces well, milks all season, we can keep her for a number of years. It’s also important that she gets in calf,” she says.

Finnigan is a great believer in BW cows because she says they will do whatever is asked of them – be it in a system one or five. She says they are flexible and that’s important.

Finnigan also pays close attention to culling animals, ranking them and carefully selecting the animals she will keep and those that she will sell. They have a 20% replacement policy and issues such as somatic cell count come into play.

She DNA tests calves to make sure there is no guesswork in the selection process.

Beagley says there wasn’t enough time during the webinar for all the questions to be answered so these have been sent to Taylor and Christine to respond to.

He says it is likely that another such webinar will be held in the future on topics that are of interest to everyone in the country.

However, with the rules around COVID-19 being relaxed, DairyNZ is planning to stage a OAD webinar at No.1 Dairy farm at Massey University on June 18.

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

20 // MANAGEMENT

Three new additions to DWN board THE DAIRY Women’s Network has three new board members, each bringing valuable varied skills and experiences to the table.

DWN chair Karen Forlong says they bring an abundance of new thought and enthusiasm that links to present opportunities and challenges within dairy.

“Boards change as some depart and others come in and we’re excited by what these women will bring to the table,” she says.

Fonterra Dairy Woman of the year 2019 Trish Rankin TRISH RANKIN, who balances teaching part time at Opunake Primary School and being on farm full time in South Taranaki with husband Glen and four boys, married into the dairy industry.

She has been moving into agricultural governance over the last two years having been elected to the Dairy Industry Awards national executive and has been continuing her professional development with the Institute of Directors.

“Seeing a vacancy for the DWN board, which has really enriched my life and agriculture experience, was pretty exciting,” Rankin says.

“The board is another step for my journey in how I can use the areas I love, agriculture, women in agriculture, leadership and passion, to see people be supported to reach their potential, all tied into one.”

A passionate environmentalist, Rankin entered the Kellogg Leadership Programme with the main purpose

being a research project focused on how a circular economy model can be

developed on a New Zealand dairy farm.

An active Dairy Enviro Leader (DEL) and member of the NZ DEL network, she is also chair of the Taranaki DEL group. Rankin is also on the national executive for the Dairy Enviro Leaders Steering Committee for DairyNZ and has her own consultation business, Porohita, working closely with Venture Taranaki’s 2050 Transition to a Low Emission Economy Project.

DWN business group director Rachel Haskew RACHEL HASKEW has former DWN

board experience as the regional leader representative. She says being involved with the DWN for a long time brought a “deep understanding of the business, our volunteer stakeholders (hub/ regional leaders and members), network partners, our culture, values and strategy.”

She is a partner in Agri-Advisory Business - 8pC, is a director and business manager for Milk Smart Limited and has a background in science and business that includes time as a DairyNZ contractor and agribusiness advisor to DairyNZ’s Dairy Base farmer reference group.

She says she’s a “strong strategic and analytical thinker - that’s the scientist in me - who constructively challenges thinking.”

“For me, challenging thinking is always about the issue or idea and driving toward the best outcome. It’s being clear about the problem we are trying to solve and asking the right question to get the right outcome.”

Haskew says she almost didn’t apply for the trust board as she didn’t have experience. She says it was a late decision to throw her hat in the ring after a conversation with one of her mentors.

“I knew I wanted to continue my DWN leadership journey around the board table because I’m passionate about what we do to empower farming women along their own leadership journey.

“It’s very rewarding to see farmers learn, connect and grow with the opportunities DWN offer.”

She feels the DWN has evolved significantly over the last 18 months and believes the direction is good and the network is well set up to provide farming women the knowledge, tools, inspiration and support they need to thrive through the next decade of farming.

“Our story telling project, ‘Our people. Their stories’, has been well received, business groups are gaining momentum and our network partner workshops continue to deliver valuable and timely knowledge.

“It’s been a difficult time coping with Covid-19 and face-to-face events being cancelled, however, the speed and resilience with which farmers and all those who support our industry have adapted to continue to farm and provide food has been impressive, and makes me proud to be a dairy farmer.”

Chief executive of iwi-owned Pouarua Farms, Jenna Smith JENNA SMITH has

worked for large corporate agribusinesses farming and managing operations from North Waikato to Southland. She feels the key thing she will bring to the DWN board is her abstract reasoning.

“I believe the many different business situations I have worked in has given me the ability to understand the multiple meanings underlying an issue or situation, which in turn means I have a relatively complex out-of-the-box style of problem solving,” she says.

“As I have progressed in my career I have been motivated to join organisations such as DWN to impart some of my experiences, and hopefully

enrich the agricultural sector by helping other young or progressive people to keep pushing through roadblocks and lead in the style they are passionate about.”

Smith said her greatest frustration in the sharemilking business

with her husband was being viewed as “just the farmer’s wife”, which has motivated her to help women get out from the shadows and be seen as the business partners or executives they are capable of being.

“Being married to a

dairy farmer meant I got to keep a hand in grass roots with our sharemilking business, which crosses well to corporate farming, bringing the realistic practical touches to what can sometimes be a pretty textbook world,” she said.

As chief executive of Pouarua Farms she oversees the largest single platform in the region that employs 45 staff and families spread across nine dairy farms and one drystock support on 2200ha in the Hauraki Plains.

Prior to this she worked for investment farming businesses and Landcorp, saying this experience has given her a pretty large toolbox of strategic tools.

DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

ANIMAL HEALTH // 21

Tag animals before they get on trucks SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FROM NEXT week it will become an offence to transport untagged animals.

Transporters are backing the law, introduced to reduce the number of untagged animals being moved without any accountability.

It also aims to drive incentives for the tagging and registering of animals.

There are some exceptions. Animals that have an unsafe to tag (UTT) exemption and a transport operator carrying a paper or eASD declaration from the farmer that the animals being moved are tagged and registered in NAIT. OSPRI is advising farmers to check that all animals are tagged and registered in NAIT and declare any unsafe to tag animals in NAIT and ensure the animals are

clearly marked.

It also wants farmers to fill in the declaration (paper or eASD) ready for the transporter to collect.

OSPRI says transporters are united on the new legislation following extensive consultation throughout the country with members and farmers: “The universal advice is not to transport animals unless they receive a completed paper ASD or eASD declaration from the farmer.”

It will be illegal to transport untagged animals from next week.

NO SCANNERS YET THE ROAD Transport Forum does not support scanner technology fitted to freighters.

Nick Leggett says transporters support changes and improvements to the transportation of animals. But he points out that “you can’t design a law around Stock won’t be moved until farmers technology which is not provide transporters a paper declaration. currently available”.

“First, there needs to be negotiation on whether there is enough demand and, on the required infrastructure and investment.

“We are merely a link in the chain, the PICAs after all pass on movement information rather than transporters who are essentially unrelated to the process. For now, the ultimate responsibility still rests with PICAs to scan animal.”

Road Transport Forum New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett says the new law puts in place a regime that provides assurance that all animals are tagged and registered in the NAIT system prior to transportation.

“Both the farmer and transporter have very clear boundaries now and must share joint responsibility with the PICA (person in charge of animals) expected to complete a new livestock transporter declaration to their transporter,” says Leggett.

“It provides more

clarity for roles and responsibilities around transporting animals and ensures that animals are tagged or visibly marked, if they are unsafe to tag. It also supports the integrity of the NAIT system and is fundamental to building animal traceability.

“The new legislation is what the wider industry supply chain and markets asked for and, once it’s universally adopted, it will strengthen our national biosecurity capability through accurate traceability, which will have mutual benefits.”

The Road Transport Forum represents 3,000

individual road transport companies involving up to 18,000 trucks.

Leggett says the new legislation around transporting animals will have mutual benefits for farmers and transporters and build our national biosecurity capability.

Transporters are united and ready to play their role.

“Our advice is they should not move animals unless they have a completed a paper or eASD declaration from the farmer. It’s about stepping up and doing what is required,” says Leggett.

The Road Trans-

port Forum carried out extensive consultation nationwide with livestock transporters and presented it to the select committee.

“We have worked collaboratively with officials and farmer representatives to develop the amended ASD form and continue to work with stakeholders developing educative collateral.

“We also sought a onemonth trial before the early June implementation to test systems so that the NAIT system will be ready and functional.” @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

22 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Pitfalls of dropping feed, not herd size THE MAIN goal of

any dairy producer is to successfully convert low quality feeds to high value dairy products.

Success in achieving this goal can be assessed by looking at a single

metric known as ‘Feed Conversion Efficiency’ (FCE).

FCE is a simple calculation that defines the amount of feed (grown and purchased) required to produce

1kgMS. Here in NZ there is a large range in this metric.

Top operators successfully convert approximately 10kg DM to 1kgMS while at the other end of the spectrum some farmers

struggle, needing twice the amount of feed for the same result.

Because in many systems feed purchased is a significant cost, FCE is a very important driver of profitability, regardless

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of which farming system you run.

This is where stocking rate becomes really important. Overstocked farms will have higher maintenance costs relative to the same farm with fewer cows.

Because of this, FCE on overstocked farms will be lower as more feed is partitioned towards the greater maintenance cost required in overstocked farms, leaving less feed available for milk production.

Making things more challenging this season is the large moving target of milk payout. Farmers will need to be on their toes when making calls around farm operating expenses including feed.

Who knows where this year may end up and there will certainly be winners and losers depending on the ‘gearing’ of farm systems in the current volatile environment. Many farmers will have to ask themselves throughout this coming season if additional feed purchases will make or break the budget.

The important point here is, if you are considering pulling back on inputs, make sure you keep a close eye on stocking rates. Failure to address cow numbers as inputs are reduced will inadvertently reduce FCE, which may well expose the business to greater risk.

Thankfully, there is a lot of very sound information available to farmers around stocking rates.

The most relevant of this information is on the topic of Comparative Stocking Rate (CSR) which is measured in kg live weight per tonne feed supplied.

Because of today’s large variation of farm systems CSR helps

compare apples with apples.

Higher CSR’s indicate the farm is overstocked and a greater proportion of feed supplied to animals is partitioned towards maintenance of more animals, and therefore less partitioning towards production.

Lower CSR’s also pose an issue as there is a limit to the amount of feed any cow can ingest.

Generally a CSR of approximately 85kg DM/ tonne feed appears to be the sweet spot on most NZ farms.

So, the take home message is pretty simple – if you’re pulling feed, don’t forget to destock.

Often we see farmers pull feed and think the cows are going to miraculously harvest the deficit from pastures.

While hungry cows tend to harvest more, in just about all cases they cannot replace feed removed from diet leading to an increase in CSR and a decrease in FCE. This coming season it will be important to have a few options at the ready.

Now is the time to start putting these options together and talking these through with your farm advisor. Adaptability will be king!

• Greg Jarratt is a vet and director of Matamata Veterinary Services.

This article is brought to you by

DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 23

Farm bikes bred in NZ to be able to carry more, or the convenience of being able to tow a small trailer.

Suzuki has continued the development of farmbikes and ATVs, including the country’s best-selling farm bike, the DR200 Trojan.

Developed by Suzuki New Zealand, the prototype machine was built in Wanganui, before being shipped back to Japan and being introduced as the DF200ET. The popularity of this model has seen it become the number one selling 200cc farm bike, built to exacting Japanese quality standards, making the Trojan one of the most reliable and durable twowheel farm bikes on the market today.

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

FOR MOST farm-

ers, transport has been a key towards more efficient farming practices and as on-farm transport improved, farm sizes increased, to be managed by smaller numbers of staff.

Early attempts at manufacturing farm bikes specifically for New Zealand conditions were rugged, yet very basic. So much so that farmers spent a lot of time either falling off or repairing the early models.

It took several years for farm bikes to become an indispensable tool on most farms, but the Japanese manufacturers took note and started to develop more efficient

in the early 1970s with the TF100, 125 and 185 models. These twostrokes were reliable, easy

ways to get around the farm.

Suzuki developed the iconic Mudbug series

to maintain and most importantly, got farmers around the farm with the minimum of fuss.

Sales boomed in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, right up until when Suzuki introduced the first four

wheeled ATV, the LT125.

Farmers immediately grasped the importance of ATVs, offering the ability

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Hot meal, drink on the go EVERYONE LIKES a hot savoury

and a steaming cuppa for morning “smoko” but it seems that one UK tractor driver has made sure it happens every day.

Paul Spinks has moved on from air conditioning and multiple cup holders to incorporate a 600W microwave and a travel kettle into the linkage-mounted front weight block on his John Deere tractor.

Power for the project comes from a 1000W inverter, tucked under the operators seat, that also doubles up to provide power to tools such as grinders and drills, via a waterproof socket mounted at the front of the tractor.

The traditional looking weight

STANDARD FEEDER (C6 Pinned) block is split into three compartments, with concrete in the centre section, storage for tools and spares to the right and a double sealed, moisture proofed cabinet for the culinary hardware to the

left. The microwave is held in place by a frame a ratchet strap, making removal easy, although we have no reports on the likely lifetime of the microwave when subjected to long days in a rough paddock.

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DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

24 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Compact Koreans cut to the chase MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

KOREAN TRACTOR

brand TYM Tractors have been available in New Zealand for more than a decade, building a reputation for quality as a quiet achiever. The distributor Agtek, based in Te Puke, currently focuses on three models to meet the

varied sectors and individual requirements.

Starting with the TS25, designed for applications requiring compact dimensions and lighter machine weights, both key considerations in a small tractor, power is provided by the well known

Yanmar engine pushing out 25hp. It offers better hydraulic flow and rear lift capacity than its key competitors yet weighs in at around 75kg less.

The middle brother, T393, also runs a Yanmar

engine – a 3-cylinder rated to

38hp, with impressive lift capacity to 1200kg and 25l/min hydraulic flow.

The third model in the trio, the T503, takes its power from a 4-cylinder Perkins lump delivering

50hp, with a hydraulic flow of 36.5l/ min and 1500 kg lift capacity runs a quality Perkins engine, along with all the other industry leading features of the smaller models.

All models feature a hydrostatic transmission, said to be as easy to drive as an automatic car, available with a range of frontend loader options, and rear mounted equipment such as carry-all trays, finishing mowers and rotary hoes. Everything else from carry trays to finishing mowers and rotary hoes. The TYM T393 and T503 are also available in both cab and non-cab options.

Fert company celebrates 40 years PLANT PLASMA liquid fertiliser has a history that dates back 40 years, starting life at a small factory in Auckland’s Onehunga, gaining acceptance in the farming community, before a move to a purpose-built factory in Penrose in 1985.

The move brought with it increased storage, efficient nationwide distribution and flexibility to respond to the changing needs of customers.

Since 2007, manufacturing has been carried out to a strict Risk Management Programme (Number PBSL2), audited twice annually by MPI, which ensures traceability of input and provides confidence to farmers.

Plasma’s original dual organic base contains two organic ingredients, both by-products of local industries. Adding minerals and trace elements, along with NPK and humates in the Plasma 3000 product means the combination creates a very concentrated solution.

Production is continually refined with improvements to the chemistry, but always with a focus on maximising bioavailability.

Cadmium is found in nearly all mined phosphate fertilisers including RPR. Plasma’s fertilisers limit the amount of these elements to low levels with limits written into the risk management program.

In 2003 Plasma Biotec Solutions expanded its product offering by adding a range of animal nutritional supplements under the brand name “Megimmune”.

By utilising these products alongside the fertiliser products, the company says users can support the health and well-being of their livestock, while steps have been taken to rectify the imbalances in the farm’s soil.

www.agtek.co.nz

Swadro Rake The low maintenance and nimble KRONE Swadro produces exceptionally consistent windrows while working at high rates and offers great lift-out heights.

T h e s wa g e d t i n e a r m s s h o w n o s i g n s o f wear even after prolonged use.

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Stephen Pollard ....... Ph 09-913 9637

Waikato

Ted Darley ................ Ph 07-854 6292

Wellington

Ron Mackay ............ Ph 04-234 6239

Christchurch Kaye Sutherland ...... Ph 03-337 3828 ■ BREAKING NEWS ■ MACHINERY REVIEWS ■ MANAGEMENT STORIES

www.dairynews.co.nz ■ AND MUCH MORE...

Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n c o n t a c t

www.tulloch.nz

06 370 0390

DEALERS NATIONWIDE

DAIRY NEWS JUNE 9, 2020

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 25

Lemken realigns product range THE ONGOING discus-

sions around sustainable crop care, as well as increasing regulatory requirements for herbicides in various markets, has prompted the agricultural technology specialist Lemken to permanently discontinue its production of conventional field sprayers.

CEO Anthony van der Ley explains: “After over 10 years operating in this segment, we have not reached a market-relevant size. The legal requirements in each of our markets are increasing and becoming more and more disparate.

Although we introduced several future-focused new models at the last Agritechnica, we have decided to cease production of our field spraying range in a responsible manner.”

Lemken intends to strengthen and expand its soil cultivation, drilling technology and crop care

product areas – the latter signalled by the acquisition of the Dutch hoeing technology specialist Steketee two years ago for this reason. This creates the opportunity to combine mechanical weed control with precise, selective band spraying or spot spraying, thus contributing to environmentally sound solutions when compared to broadcast spraying –saving time and chemical input costs “We see a trend to meet the increasing demand for mechanical weed control with intelligent controls, with Steketee offering a range of innovative hoeing technology and the most intelligent camera technology on the market,” says Van der Ley. Farmers who own a Lemken field sprayer will receive a continued supply of replacement parts as well as continued access to customer service.

MBO – 105-120HP

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The front axle features a unique true four wheel braking system with oil cooled front disc brakes. Coupled with a 100% locking front differential and a low centre of gravity, the 5 Series is the safer choice for working in difficult conditions. The Deutz-Fahr high speed steering system (SDD) and Sense Clutch, Stop & Go function revolutionises the use of a tractor when using a loader.

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Phone 0800 801 888 | deutztractors.co.nz | powerfarming.co.nz *Normal lending criteria applies. Terms and conditions apply. Offer ends 30/06/2020. While stocks last. Contact your local dealership for more information. ** Terms and conditions apply. Go to deutztractors.co.nz/trydeutz for detailed terms and conditions.

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John Deere Connected Support™

You can rely on the experts at your John Deere dealership to put you on track because they are devoted to keeping you up and running. The besttrained technicians in the industry are equipped to ensure your machine is in tip top condition, ready when you need it. And with genuine John Deere parts designed specifically for your tractor that carry a 12 month warranty† including labour when installed by your dealer, you have peace of mind because we back our quality.