Rural News 21 June 2016

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NEWS

MANAGEMENT

Gearing up to combat the spread of feral wallabies.

PAGE 14

Big sheep milk conversion at Taupo. PAGE 24

RURALNEWS

AGRIBUSINESS Stalwart rewarded in Queens Birthday honours list.

PAGE 19

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

JUNE 21, 2016: ISSUE 609

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Target a pipe-dream

BANKERS’ WARNING SUDESH KISSUN

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE GOVERNMENT’S much-publicised goal of primary exports hitting $64 billion by 2025 now looks like a pipe-dream.

Weak dairy prices are a severe drag on reaching the goal, as shown by the latest data from the Ministry for Primary Industries.

MPI’s latest Situation and Outlook report, released last week, predicts that by 2020 exports will have reached just $44b; to achieve $64b would require 9.5% growth. The current growth rate is just 3.3%.

Dairy exports are down in value by 6% for the year ended June 2016 and MPI is not expecting any real recovery until 2018; even by 2020 the value

of dairy exports is unlikely to equal the record high of 2014, the report says.

The future for meat and wool also makes glum reading, with just a 1% lift in prices.

Beef prices are expected to ease, but wool prices are at a five year record and are expected to remain firm because of lower production The report says the two saviours of the economy have been the lower NZ

dollar and the negligible effect of the El Nino summer weather.

Not surprisingly, horticulture – in particular kiwifruit and apples – turned up trumps with a massive 20% increase in value. Horticultural exports are now worth just on $5b and are predicted to rise to $5.7b in the next four years.

Transforming horticulture is the rise of kiwifruit, especially the SunGold variety. Kiwifruit exports are now $1.6b

and are expected to hit $1.9b by 2020.

Wine, apple and pear exports also contribute much to horticulture’s rise in fortunes.

MPI says dairy will remain in the doldrums for at least another year until global stocks fall, which won’t happen quickly. It predicts milksolids production in NZ will fall 1.6% in 2015-16, but will gradually increase to 2020.

• More page 3

CROWD PLEASER One of MPI’s newest recruits, Nano was a crowd pleaser with young and old at Fieldays. Nano is a ‘harrier’ – a hound dog now being trained by his MPI handler Susan Palacio (pictured) of Auckland. Appearing at Mystery Creek helped Nano get used to crowds before he goes on duty at Auckland airport to sniff out biosecurity threats. The target of his great sense of smell and enthusiasm will be food or plant materials passengers may try to bring into New Zealand – accidentally or deliberately. The mood at Fieldays was predictably mixed. While many farmers may not have been buying this year, they were keeping up-to-date with innovations and developments with an eye on the future.

Some exhibitors said they were pleased with the response given the downturn in the dairy sector.

Seminars again proved very popular. See more on Fieldays and the KPMG report inside.

sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

MAJOR FARMING sector lender ANZ is closely watching the rising price of farmland.

ANZ’s new managing director commercial and agri, Mark Hiddleston, says no one wants to see the boom in the kiwifruit industry turn into another ‘bubble’.

He told Rural News at Fieldays that the kiwifruit industry rebound has been fantastic in “going through tough times and working together through them”.

“The industry was literally holdings hands for a few years; now we see orchard prices are higher than before Psa,” he says.

“That’s great, no one is criticising that outcome, but let’s make sure it doesn’t turn into another bubble.”

Pre-Psa kiwifruit gold orchards were valued at $450,000/ha and green orchards $250,000/ha.

Today, gold orchards are valued at $600,000/ha and green $400,000/ ha.

Zespri has exported a record 50 million trays of gold kiwifruit this year, versus a record 30m trays before Psa. Hiddleston and colleagues are talking to farmers nationwide about volatility and how they can manage for it. Ultimately volatility will discourage people from entering an industry and will discourage capital. “The more volatility, the

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

NEWS 3 ISSUE 609

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It’s not all that bad!

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

NEWS ������������������������������������ 1-15 MARKETS ������������������������� 16-17 AGRIBUSINESS ��������������� 18-19 HOUND, EDNA ����������������������� 20 CONTACTS ������������������������������ 20 OPINION ���������������������������� 20-23 MANAGEMENT �������������� 24-26 ANIMAL HEALTH ���������� 29-30 MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS �����������������������31-35 RURAL TRADER ������������������� 36

THE AUTHOR of the MPI Situation and Outlook report says that while some of it could be construed as less than satisfactory, the primary industries overall have a “phenomenal opportunity”.

Jarred Mair, MPI’s director of sector policy, sees truly exciting opportunities in areas where New Zealand has not yet been -- notably high-value, processed products in which NZ will have a competitive advantage.

He believes the opportunities for NZ products in the hospitality sector are “phenomenal”.

Mair says while it’s tempting to look at dairy exports with nostalgia for the 2014 record result, it’s important to realise that was an exception.

“Now we are [anticipating] a return to those levels through this forecast period, which at 34% is a pretty big

gain over four years. Much of this will be value rather than volume, which is exciting.”

Mair says horticulture has been a standout sector for the last three years.

“It shows the power of NZ primary industry, in the sense that it’s diversified; so though we have had problems with one sector, another has stepped up.”

Another strength emerging is farmers’ growing ability to better manage adverse events, helped by technology.

“The strength of NZ’s primary sector is that, having been in a marketled economy for so long, we know how to adapt and respond to challenges at the macro level,” Mair says.

“A great example: the slowdown in China in dairy; we were able to quickly redistribute that product around the world and still sell it. Yes, there was a drop in price, but we were able to sell it.”

ONLY AN ASPIRATION – GUY PRIMARY INDUSTRIES Minister Nathan Guy says the doubling of primary exports to $64 billion was always going to be a target -- a goal we aspired to.

And since New Zealand set that target, by and large every sector, including potatoes and onions, has set its own growth targets based on 2025.

“We know we will need a tailwind to get there and a whole lot of projects to come together. But if all those things line up – with a tailwind – we will get there, but it won’t be easy.”

Guy says volatility is everlasting and when one sector gets hit, another booms.

An interesting aside to the downturn is that wider NZ is now more

connected to the primary industry, particularly in dairy.

“I notice a lot of mainstream people get the fact that Europe is producing more milk, the Russian trade ban is having an impact, inventory has built up in China and its economy is off its all-time high, and oil producing countries have lost some buying power. So it interests me... that people have grasped all that – you don’t need to educate them.”

Guy says Kiwis understand much of the primary sector is doing well because they see it in regional NZ – the boom in apples, kiwifruit, wine and beef. Mainstream NZ is now more connected with rural NZ than ever before, he says.

YEAR 13 students from St Pauls College, Hamilton, have invented a device to enable one person to use a posthole borer that has taken out this year’s National Fieldays Young Innovators award.

Hugh Jackson and Ben McColgan (pictured) at Fieldays showed their ‘crankholder’ – a bracket that attaches to a trailer and to the posthole borer, replacing a person.

Jackson, from a farm, says it started as a school project to invent something.

“My dad helped us come up with this idea and then we developed it from there and produced a prototype,” he told Rural News. “The idea is to reduce the cost of labour by having only one person operate a posthole borer.

“Digging postholes can be dangerous and painful to the back and our product mitigates these problems.”

The boys are keen to see how far they can take their idea and hope to adapt it for use with a quad or tractor.

Jackson and McColgan say their goal is to study next year at Massey or Lincoln universities.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

4 NEWS

‘Fatal flaws’ sinks Fonterra’s plan SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FONTERRA’S PLAN to revamp its board failed to attract sufficient support from farmer shareholders because it had “two fatal flaws”, say opponents.

Former board member and Northland farmer Greg Gent believes denying farmers the ability to choose between candidates, and delay in reviewing the Shareholders Council, prompted some farmers to vote against the proposal.

Gent says some farmers who voted for the governance and representation proposal were also “not overwhelmingly in favour”.

“Shareholders who spoke to us said they

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD FONTERRA CHAIRMAN John Wilson is assuring farmer shareholders that the board and Shareholders Council will have another good look at governance changes.

Wilson says getting just under two thirds of support from shareholders on the first vote was pleasing.

“Of course, we would have loved to get 75%, but two thirds of support on

voted for it because the board is at least doing something; it’s a step in the right direction,” Gent told Rural News.

At a special meeting earlier this month, Fonterra’s board received 63.7% support for the proposal, short of the 75% required under the coop’s constitution.

reasonable participation is pleasing.”

Wilson says farmers have made it clear the system must change.

“Under the current system, with all the electioneering we not attracting the best people; we have to look into that.

“We will go back and look at how we maintain the same outcome but at the same time consider what we are hearing from farmers.”

The proposal was to reduce the board to 11 – seven farmer-elected and four independent directors -- and to devise a new appointment process for all directors.

The new process would mandate candidate assessment by an independent committee and a recommendation to

farmers by the board and Shareholders Council on the most suitable candidate -- meaning farmers wouldn’t get to consider candidates who didn’t make the grade.

Fonterra chairman John Wilson described it as “significantly different” from the way farmers elect directors now.

Fonterra chair John Wilson says rejection of the proposal means the board and Shareholder’s Council will have to present another option to farmers.

Former Fonterra director Greg Gent believes denying farmers to vote directly for directors was a mistake.

“Shareholders who spoke to us said they voted for it because the board is at least doing something; it’s a step in the right direction.”

“During so much of our farming careers we had a choice from effectively any and all farmers when choosing directors,” Wilson said.

“While any and all farmers can enter this new process, the recommendation will be coming from the board and so that change is the piece farmers are giving most consideration to.”

However, the rejection of the plan means the Fonterra board and Shareholders Council will relook at the proposal and will present another

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Gent says most farmers support the “upfront process” in director election and assessment by an independent committee, but they do not support the board being able to block anyone from standing. “Anyone can stand; that’s democracy in my view.”

Gent says since the Shareholders Council is also a key part of the director election process its review must be completed earlier. “The Shareholders Council must be

up to the job; right now they are not.”

Council chairman Duncan Coull says its objective during the review was to ensure that a robust final proposal was presented to shareholders.

“We are confident this was delivered; as the owners of Fonterra the farmers’ then had the right to determine the proposal’s suitability; the mandate for change must come from them.

Coull says the council’s review of its role and functions will begin soon.

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Implications for NZ on Brexit PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

IRELAND IS warning New Zealand that it might be caught up in political and economic fallout if Britain decides to leave the European Union.

The Irish ambassador to NZ, Noel White, at Fieldays told Rural News it’s hard to predict the outcome for NZ. But he warns those who say NZ is a long way from the action in Europe that the reverberations of Brexit would be felt in the southern hemisphere.

“Britain’s trading relationships with NZ, Australia and elsewhere are [exercised] within the framework of the EU. If Britain [exits] then those arrangements have to be revisited, affecting any-

body trading with Britain.”

White says the biggest difficulty of Brexit is that nobody can say with certainty what it will mean; uncertainty is a major concern.

“The Irish government is firmly of the view that the EU, Britain and Ireland are better off with Britain in the EU. We have made that very clear.”

White says the EU without Britain will be an impoverished organisation. Britain outside the EU will place Ireland’s 62 billion euro trade with the UK in limbo and this could take years to resolve.

“In Ireland much has been said about the ‘soft’ border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and

what this might mean for trade.

“We have every interest -- and we believe Northern Ireland has every interest -- in retaining that soft border.

If there is a change it becomes an external border of the EU and that carries certain implications.”

White, who has worked in and around the EU for many years, says there are always uncertainties, difficulties and political issues. Brexit is not just another of these; it is of a different order and strikes at the heart of what happened when Ireland and the UK joined the EU in 1973.

White adds that whatever the outcome Ireland will remain a member of the EU.

ANZ’s Mark Hiddleston (left) and Con Williams at Fieldays.

Land price bubble FROM PAGE 1

greater the risk,” he says.

Dairy farmers, now in their second year of negative cashflow, better understand this. “They realise they need to think about things they can control. You can’t control what’s happening in Europe, but you can control farm practices.”

ANZ is noticing resilience among dairy farmers, Hiddleston says. Farmers who borrowed more money after the first year of the low milk price have since made radical changes to their businesses and now don’t need additional funds.

They say to us ‘we now have a better business’.”

ANZ has made provision for bad debt arising out of the dairy downturn. However, it’s coming off a low base and the

board is “very comfortable” with current levels.

The bank is working with farmers as part of its ‘agri reboot’ programme on funding and monitoring onfarm costs for the year.

And ANZ is working with sharemilkers badly hit by two seasons of low payout, including coordinating discussion between sharemilkers and farm owners.

“We have clients on both sides; we don’t want to put pressure on one side. The solution is not to push more debt on someone who really can’t afford it and push them out of the industry.

“Instead we can facilitate discussion with landowners -- provide more support to landowners who then support the sharemilkers.”

NEWS 5 LAMB AND WINE THREAT BRITAIN QUITTING the European Union could spell trouble for New Zealand’s wine and lamb exports to that country.

ANZ economist Con Williams told a seminar at Fieldays last week that a Brexit ‘yes’ vote could be “a double whammy” for some exporters. (Britons vote on Thursday June 23.)

It would be likely to lead to a lower British pound and slow Britain’s economy, potentially affecting sales of NZ wine and lamb. Britain is a key market for these products.

Global stock markets have already plunged amid fears the UK could vote to leave the EU. UK polls last week showed the ‘leave’ camp holding 46% of the vote versus 39% wanting to remain in the EU. Eleven per cent of voters were undecided.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

6 NEWS

Complacency costing NZ agriculture KPMG’s 2016 Agribusiness Agenda, released at this year’s Fieldays, says the global pace of change is so fast that NZ has to run harder just to stand still. Peter Burke reports.

COMPLACENCY AND inability to keep up with the pace of change in the world is a huge threat facing the New Zealand primary sector, says KPMG. Its 2016 Agribusiness Agenda, released at National Fieldays, says the global pace of change is so fast that NZ has to run harder just to stand still.

KPMG global head of agribusiness Ian Proudfoot says 2016 is seen as the beginning of the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, bringing changes in which old business models and ideas are being overtaken by a new order.

He says many people in the primary sector complacently go on believing NZ has always been successful -- for many decades a world leading primary exporter. But like the NZ Sevens rugby team, NZ’s primary sector must realise other countries have caught up and are passing us.

“In the case of sevens rugby the

prize has changed,” he explains. “The prize is now an Olympic gold medal and suddenly a lot of countries are interested, whereas in the past when the prize wasn’t nearly as exciting we were able to dominate.

“We can’t [take this leadership position for granted], but must work hard to maintain it. One example is European farmers: we talk a lot about their inefficiency given that they receive a large part of their income as subsidy. But... they really understand their consumers, they are passionate about the food they are producing and we should be trying to learn from them because that is lacking in our industry.”

Proudfoot cites the Irish with their brand Origen Green as well ahead of NZ. And the French are even further ahead because their farmers are so passionate about the world class dairy products they produce.

One NZ cause of complacency is that some company directors still live in the “analogue rather than the digital age”. The problems are in the mindsets of board members rather than their age, he says.

“People get onto boards, particularly in the primary sector, because of their connections and networks. That doesn’t mean they aren’t competent and haven’t got great ability, but do they have the right ability for where their organisations need to be looking to move in the future?”

Proudfoot favours seperating representation and governance: having the right people in the boardroom to govern an organisation, and having a strong, separate representative body that holds the board to account on behalf of all stakeholders. Such a structure resembles the present Fonterra model.

He says the end-game is to get people onto a board who have the right skills to lead a company into the future.

The 70-page report singles out Landcorp for special mention.

“The Landcorp case study is a great one, about a very traditional company

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that has now recognised the future will look different and is taking practical steps to move in that direction,” Proudfoot says.

“[It shows] a good example of what should be done. I don’t think enough companies, particularly at board level, are recognising the scope of change.”

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NEWS 7 Get up close and personal with consumers – report ONE RADICAL but logical recommendation in the 2016 Agribusiness Agenda is that chief executives get inside the homes of consumers in certain markets rather than just rely on traditional market research.

“We mean getting a chief executive to live in a house for, say, a weekend, to really understand how people live, work, play and interact with the product a chief executive’s company is trying to sell -- so that they get that deep insight,” says Proudfoot.

“It’s incredibly expensive and it takes a lot of time, but the depth and quality of insight you get by doing that are much stronger than by survey-

Ian Proudfoot

ing 30,000 people and getting five minutes of talk from them.”

He calls this “deep scanning” of markets and points to the need for NZ companies to employ smart, agile thinking people to keep them connected with global trends.

Proudfoot says NZ companies would need to do this collaboratively because of their relative smallness on the global stage.

The NZ agri sector is not performing well in the people area, Proudfoot says.

“We don’t seem to have made much progress in getting more talented people into the sector,” he explains.

“Organisations in the industry must become far more engaged with... secondary schools and tertiary educators. The industry can’t be handsoff and expect [educators] to deliver.

“It must be more supportive of teachers in providing content and more involved in getting the right tertiary structure in place.”

Other industries, such as construction and IT, are competing for talented people more aggressively than the primary industries.

CONNECTIVITY KEY PRIMARY SECTOR leaders interviewed

by KPMG predictably rate biosecurity as the top issue for NZ’s primary sector.

Then follow food safety, delivering market signals to producers and rural broadband.

Proudfoot says connectivity in rural areas needs to be the same as in urban areas.

“Rural broadband is transformative.

It unleashes a huge opportunity to grow the prosperity of NZ,” he explains.

“It changes how you can deal with social services, how a business can portray itself to the world and how a business can more effectively produce its products.

“In the cities broadband is still accelerating the speed at which people can download movies or access entertainment, but that doesn’t drive economic growth in NZ. Fast connectivity in rural areas will do this and it’s a gamechanger.”

While the Agribusiness Agenda praises the amount of money the Government puts into science funding, it slams the bureaucracy for the way it runs this funding.

After 10 years of this criticism it appears no one has done anything to streamline the funding, Proudfoot says.

Costly, time consuming bidding for contestable funds is a bureaucratic overkill, doubt lurks about whether the right science projects are being funded and a feeling persists that market-led research is being overlooked. Asked if the system is effective, Proudfoot says a resounding “no!”

The report says this ‘fourth industrial revolution’ demands unpalatable decisions and awkward discussion to enable NZ to retain its place in global markets.

Some NZ products may no longer be the best for our markets.

We need a forum where conversations on difficult topics – genetic modification, intensive farming, water and land use – are discussed. Proudfoot suggests creating an independent ‘NZ Commission’ tasked with facilitating such discussion.

“We are facing big issues that will define what the future for NZ is in 50-80 years; the biggest is genetic modification. The perception is that we haven’t defined GM in the same way as the rest of the world, and as a consequence we are hobbling ourselves in competitiveness.”

Without a rational conversation on such difficult topics, the issues will continue to fester, he says.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

8 NEWS

Exciting wool development A $21 million wool research partnership may go public on a new product or products from wool within the next six to 12 months that will use millions of tonnes of wool. Pam Tipa finds out more…

COMMERCIAL SENSITIVITY prevents Ian Cuthbertson – Wool Industry Research Ltd (WIRL) manager – from disclosing what the product(s) are, but he says it won’t be traditional.

“I have been in the industry all my life and I have never been so excited to be honest. I feel privileged to be close to [the research],” he told Rural News.

“It is the last hurrah for the industry; if we can’t pull it off this time I think we will be struggling to get government support again for wool specifically.”

Commercial partners will decide when to go public, but he hopes the good news about wool will be out within 6-8 months and onwards.

Product in prototype form is expected to be in the marketplace in six to 12 months and in meaningful volumes in 18 to 24 months.

This would be one positive outcome of the $21m partnership between WIRL and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

The focus of the $21m research spending will be on new ways to use wool

as a source of high value keratin. The partnership will also work with traditional manufacturing industries to develop new technical textiles.

Cuthbertson says commercialisation could be through a range of partners.

“In the first instance we have some prior work co-funded by NZ Wool Services International, so they will be looking to work with us to get their IP to a point where it could be commercialised.”

Much of the research is in discovery, and depend-

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Wool optimists (from left) Dr Max Kennedy, national manager biological industries, MBIE; Graham Brown, chaiman WIRL; Derrick Millton, chairman WRONZ.

ing on outcomes WRONZ and its subsidiary WIRL will look to get commercial partners on board promptly.

Cuthbertson says the research partnership is “fantastic” news for the wool industry.

Wool used to be 80-100% of the local carpet manufacturers’ business; now it is 15-20% maximum.

“We just can’t rely

on traditional industry for crossbred wool utilisation; it is disappearing very rapidly. It has to be good news [for farmers] that WRONZ and our board have identified totally non-traditional uses and high value; the key thing is we are looking at high volume.

“Where we can create something worth $100/ kg from 1kg of crossbred wool that is interesting,

but if it uses only a tonne or two it’s not going to affect prices paid to growers.

“We are looking at applications that will use millions of kilos. To rescue sheep farming we have to be in that ballpark.”

He says he is certain that could happen. The work in the first consortium was proof of principle; the new consortium

is exploring options and optimising and creating new materials consumers want.

Research has started in the new uses project with Agritech, Lincoln, as the core contractor and Dr Robert Kelly leading that work; further contracts with others are being signed now under the new partnership. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

RESEARCH PAYING OFF

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WIRL BOARD chairman Graham Brown says the seven year partnership will now give the research consortium time to focus on finding new high value uses for crossbred wool. “This will in turn lift farmgate prices and of course contribute to export earnings,” he says.

Prior to seeking funding they gained unanimous support from

the wool industry.

The $21m partnership will be over seven years at $3m per year.

WRONZ and the wool industry will fund 60% and MBIE 40% of the partnership.

The research will be: • A basic programme to underpin the partnership by developing new knowledge about the

natural structure and formation of wool fibre.

• Discovery of effective ways to deconstruct the fibre and reconstitute it in a range of functional forms.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

10 NEWS

Fat is back!

PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

FAT IS back for lambs: we may have gone too far towards leaness, claims a senior scientist with Ag Research’s animal genomics team, Tricia Johnson.

And intramuscular fat (marbling) in lamb is a key to the higher quality products the New Zealand industry is seeking, she says.

Johnson told a recent Beef + Lamb NZ mini conference in Tuakau about “the rise of fat”. Research is underway by BLNZ Genetics and Alliance Group.

“A 1970s Southdown was fat in all the wrong places; now the question decades later is ‘have we gone too far in selection towards lack of fat?’ ” she says.

Data generated from meatworks’ measurements of 1000 lambs showed that in the 18kg carcase range more of the animals were almost under-fat – almost too lean compared to those over-fat.

Johnson has seen other data indicating we are going too low in fat. Increasing numbers of carcases are described by the meat industry as ‘blueback carcases’.

“We have actually started to take so much fat off these animals that we are getting some lambs coming through devoid of

fat,” she explains.

NZ needs to be known for producing a high quality, consistent product. “We need an optimum lean-to-fat ratio; we need it to be visually appealing and a good consistent eating experience.”

For consumers this involves texture, aroma, flavour and juiciness.

“The reality is that fat has a key role to play in all these attributes. The amount of fat and lean in lambs is fixed at the time of trucking,” Johnson says.

“Genetics has played an instrumental role in changing the shape and constitution of animals. A lot of pressure has gone on selection for increased lean growth rate and there tended to be a penalty against fat in both maternal and terminal sire breeding programmes over the decades.”

However, Johnson believes we have now realised that we are overstepping the mark -- we have gone too far and reached an optimum.

“We can’t go to those exceptionally lean animals,” she says. “Some subcutaneous fat is needed; bluebacks are not wanted, but neither do consumers want a great hunk of fat.”

Consumers want consistency and meat quality, Johnson says.

• Lamb marbling, p15

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No blues for these berries SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND’S blueberry industry is celebrating record production this season.

The country’s 50 blueberry growers have produced 1.37 million kg of blueberries for local and export markets.

Blueberry NZ chairman Dan Peach says production had been around 1 million kg during the past few seasons and is now steadily rising. “Sales of blueberries have increased dramatically in recent years with promotion and more awareness of the health benefits,” he told Rural News.

Production has risen because of land conversions and farmers planting new varieties to boost yield.

Peach, who farms at Matangi, Waikato, also runs a packhouse packing fruit for 10 other growers.

Most growers run small operations, selling at their gates.

A few producers account for most of the production. NZ Gourmet, Hawke’s Bay, is the largest,

Dan Peach

growing 50% of the total crop. NZ Gourmet also grows and exports other crop.

Peach says blueberry farming is “a long term deal. “We don’t have the same infrastructure as the apple, grape or kiwifruit sectors. From deciding to plant blueberries to getting an economic yield can take up to 10 years.”

Blueberries NZ recently said 10m punnets of berries worth $30m were shipped in the year ended March 2016 – 40% more than the season before.

Demand is growing, especially in Asia-Pacific where a ‘food-as-medicine’ culture prevails. Asian markets

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have a voracious appetite for blueberries because of the wide range of health benefits they offer, Peach says.

BBNZ is working to open new markets in Asia-Pacific to allow its members to take advantage of the fruit’s popularity.

“Few other products can take maximum advantage of the ‘NZ Inc’ brand in Asia-Pacific like blueberries can,” Peach says. “We are uniquely placed with a counter-seasonal supply that enjoys the benefits of the clean, green, safe image NZ produce has in Asia.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

NEWS 11

PGG expects a better year PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

PLENTY OF “positivity” in sectors of New Zealand agriculture has offset the effects of the dairy downturn and difficulties in South America for PGG Wrightson (PGW), says chief executive Mark Dewdney.

The company has raised its forecast earnings before tax to $65 to $68 million for the year ending June 30, from the previous guidance of $61 to $67m indicated in April.

Speaking from the Fieldays, Dewdney says people are out and there’s a lot of positivity.

“Some sectors of agriculture in NZ have been tough, most notably dairy, but sheep and beef has been good and horticulture is going well,” Dewdney told Rural News.

“Agriculture in NZ is not just all dairy.

“Our business has performed well, the strat-

egy is clear, our people are highly engaged and clear on what they have to do and relationships with clients are good.

“We have been able to offset some of the decline in dairy by really good performance in other sectors.

Wool and the real estate business have gone well.

“The market is not as tough as some are making out. I’m not saying it’s not challenging – it is. But there is still business out there and we were lucky enough to get a good share of it.”

Some sectors of agriculture in NZ are positive and it comes down to how good your people are and how strong client relationships are, Dewdney says.

“We feel like things are going well for us in those areas,” he says.

On the products side, the agricultural chemical business has performed well, particularly in horticulture, as have the crop

and feed and livestock businesses. Australia is trading is well.

Kiwifruit, the wine industry and apples are strong and vegetables and other pipfruits are good.

South America has been challenging for PGW, he says. Soya prices have fallen about 50% and

milk prices in Uruguay fell about 50%.

In April major floods affected Uruguay and Argentina, damaging huge areas; soya and rice had basically stopped.

The company has already advised the markets of that.

“But we have been

able offset our declines in South America with good performances across our NZ businesses.”

PGW expects to announce its full year results on August 9.

Mark Dewdney

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“Cashflow is really important at this time of year and we’ve prioritised a significantly higher advance rate for our milk suppliers’ benefit,” says Milne.

He says low global commodity values continue to drive low milk prices, and milk production in New Zealand has started to ease in response.

“Unfortunately, increasing milk production in Europe, soft demand from China and trade sanctions in place with Russia [maintain a greater effect] than reduced milk production in NZ,” says Milne.

“We expect our milk suppliers will continue to reduce production next season, however we’ve planned for this by increasing the number of farmer suppliers and are confident we have sufficient milk supply to keep meeting strong demand from our customers.”

Synlait’s forecast milk price for the current 201516 season has been revised to $3.90/kgMS. Managing director and chief executive John Penno says Synlait has also adjusted payments for the current season to give suppliers better cashflow through the winter.

The company will announce the final milk price for the 2015-16 season in late September, plus any revision to the 2016-17 forecast milk price.

Fonterra opened with a forecast farmgate milk price of $4.25/kgMS for the 2016-17 season, plus earnings per share to be announced in July.

Westland Milk Products has forecast a price for the 2016-17 dairy season of $4.55 - $4.95/kgMS.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

12 NEWS

Farm inputs down, fert prices fall PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

SHEEP AND beef farm inputs were down 2.2% in the past year according to the latest onfarm inflation report, and last week two key fertiliser companies announced price drops.

Beef + Lamb NZ economic service’s latest

onfarm inflation report showed a 2.1% decrease to March this year versus a 1.1% increase in the previous year.

But this year’s drop follows a stable trend, with onfarm inflation just 0.8% over the last five years.

During the past 10 years, however, there has been a 23.6% increase.

Of the 16 input categories, prices for 10 rose and six fell in the last year to March.

There were significant reductions in interest on debt and fuel prices, partly offset by small price rises for repairs and maintenance and wages, says BLNZ chief economist Andrew Burtt.

Between March 2015 and March 2016, the overall price for fertiliser, lime and seeds rose 0.6% versus a 2.3% fall reported for the previous 12 months.

The overall cost of interest on debt dropped 14.5% in the 12 months to March 2016. This follows a 9.4% rise in the previ-

ous year. (Note that this is not the interest rate increase, but the percentage increase in the cost of interest.)

In the 12 months to March 2016, the overall cost of repairs, maintenance and vehicles climbed 1.7% versus a 2.2% rise reported for the previous 12 months.

FIE

SP LDA EC YS IAL

Andrew Burtt

The price of fuel fell 12.7% in the year to March 2016, reflecting the drop in international oil prices.

This follows a 21.7% fall in the previous year.

When excluding interest from the calculation of sheep and beef farm input costs, there was no underlying onfarm inflation in the year to March 2016, versus -0.3% in the previous year.

Both Ravensdown and Ballance announced price cuts last week.

Ravensdown is reducing prices for nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur (NPKS) products.

Superphosphate is being cut by $18 to $312/ tonne, potash by $40 to $625/t, DAP by $55 to $785/t and urea by a further $20 to $475/t.

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tionships, says the co-op could do this because it has strong global supply relationships and because its long-term strategy of delivering all-year value is working.

Ballance Agri-Nutrient’s latest round of price drops saw a marked fall in key products including SustaiN, Urea and DAP, effective last week.

The new pricing will see SustaiN go from $554 to $523/t, urea from $495 to $475/t, and DAP from $840 to $799/t; reductions will flow through to product blends.

Ballance chief executive Mark Wynne says the co-op was able to pass these savings on to customers due to weak global nitrogen prices on the back of high global inventories and greater Chinese supply capacity.

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MORE FONTERRA farmers are using cellphones to keep track of their businesses, the co-op reports.

Farmer use of information from their co-op smartphone apps has doubled in the past year.

While its Farm Source website remains popular for reporting and comparisons at month end, Fonterra mobile apps are now used more often for checking key day-to-day data. Farmer mobile apps have made 13,000 unique user downloads.

General manager operations and farmer services Evelyn Seewald says getting information to farmers faster is a priority.

“Farmers are rapid adopters of digital technology onfarm and have led the design of our apps with their feedback.... Farmers who previously swore they’d never need a smartphone now tell us they can’t imagine life without it.

The apps enable farmers to access key milk production and quality information and receive business updates. And they deliver quality assurance and service data.

“Having quality and production information at their fingertips allows farmers to make timely onfarm decisions and get alerts to potential quality issues anytime, anywhere.”

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

NEWS 13

Would-be journalists get a taste of the real country A SPECIAL press conference with the Minister for Primary Industries, at Parliament, and a look at research projects at Massey University were part of a field day for a dozen journalism students from Massey University’s Wellington campus.

Organised by Rural News Group reporter Peter Burke and Massey journalism lecturer Cathy Strong, the daylong bus tour gives the students insights into the agribusiness sector.

Also along were Leigh Catley, HortNZ and Jason Dawson, DairyNZ. The students heard from Dr Penny Back on Massey’s Number One Dairy Unit, which emphasises environmental management and is on once-a-day milking. They also visited the university’s horticultural research centre and saw new pasture species being developed on Kebble farm.

The students quizzed Federated Farmers’ Andrew Hoggard on issues affecting farmers including animal welfare and the need for farmers to comply with health and safety and employment laws.

Later they visited the dairy farm of Doug

Dairy farmer Doug Evans fronts up to questions.

Easton, near Levin, to see cows being milked. Doug’s father was a chancellor of Massey.

At the horticultural research centre senior lecturer Huub Kerckhoffs talked about the kiwifruit industry’s geat recovery from Psa, and at Kebble Farm Dr Rene Corner and Dr Lydia Cranston showed the students new pasture species and talked about livestock body condition scoring. The students also met Westpac agribusiness manager Dave Hutchison.

The finale of the day was a special news confer-

ence held for the students at parliament, where they questioned Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy on subjects including wool, animal welfare and climate change – to name a few.

Burke helps set up this day for student journalists – along with a similar one for teachers – as part of a move to help bridge the gap between rural and urban communities. This is the second year he has helped run the journalism day out and he has run three similar events for careers advisors at secondary schools in the

North Island to achieve the same goal.

“It is just one event and I acknowledge other people are working hard to achieve a similar goal. I have been an agricultural journalist for much of my career and I believe it is important that journalists entering the news media have a basic grasp of the size and scope of agribusiness, and the abundance of great stories about the sector,” he says.

Burke’s comments are echoed by Dr Cathy Strong who says the initiative by Rural News Group and the other supporters

– DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb NZ, HortNZ, Fed Farmers, Westpac and Massey University – will give the young journalists fundamental understanding and hopefully a positive perspective of agriculture journalism.

“This is an opportunity to take our students out into the real world to see what they are in for in media work.

This day was a serious exercise for them and they all produced video news stories about what they observed... and met some key people they are likely to deal with when they write a story in the future.”

Strong says trips are valuable learning modes: nothing beats getting out in the field and seeing and experiencing things. The trip, like last year’s exercise, is popular with students and resulted in some excellent stories, she says.

“Our journalism school being in mid-Wellington means students rarely get opportunities to get out to the rural sector. Everyone involved in organising this event has helped them take a huge step towards a better understanding of the farming sector.”

Rural News Group

general manager Adam Fricker says the company is proud to support the journalists’ and teachers’ trips as they help build better understanding between town and country.

He says the trips also help break down the misconception that farming is a career for ‘dummies’.

“The reality is that the agribusiness sector is probably the greatest user of technology in the country. Few people can imagine, for example, some of the technology in the typical dairy shed. We in the industry tend to take this for granted, but city folk are often surprised at what they see.”

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

14 NEWS

Wallabies on the hop south A multi-agency effort is gearing up to combat the spread of feral wallabies south of the Waitaki River. Nigel Malthus reports.

Hunter Jeremy Jones and dog Bess with a wallaby shot near the Studholme Hut in the Hunter Hills, South Canterbury, in 2015.

PHOTO: GRANT MORRISS

A TRIAL of a helicopterborne thermal camera is due to start this month to try to estimate the numbers, amid concerns the pest is spreading naturally and by deliberate release.

Bennett’s wallabies were introduced to South Canterbury for recreational hunting in the 19th century. Well established especially in the Hunter Hills area, between Waimate and the Waitaki River, they are now moving south.

Bruce Warburton, Landcare Research’s wildlife ecology and management research team leader at Lincoln, says breeding populations of Bennett’s wallabies are “probably” now established south of the river.

They must go, if Environment Canterbury is to contain them north of the river as it has proposed.

“For those individual farmers there, wallabies compete with livestock, but it depends on the density of them and they’re probably not in very high numbers,” Warburton told Rural News.

“But if you don’t control them now they’ll keep spreading and build up in

number, so you’ve got to try to remove those new outlier populations.”

Mark Giles, owner of the Hunter Hills Station in the Hakataramea Valley, north of the Waitaki, says wallaby numbers are not increasing everywhere.

“In the historical areas for wallabies – like our place – it’s probably no worse than it’s ever been. In fact, right at the moment, we’re probably as low as we’ve been for a while, because we’ve managed it reasonably well.”

Landowners are usually required to control wallaby numbers themselves and may be issued with compliance notices if inspections show populations on the rise. Shooting on the ground or from helicopters, and poison baits, are the usual killing methods.

Warburton is leading a project, expected to start this week, trialling an aerial thermal imaging camera to try to gauge numbers on the south side of the river.

The habitat consists of low matagouri scrub and tall tussock so the animals

have cover and are hard to spot from a helicopter, but he hopes the thermal camera will locate them.

Some regions have recently been covered by hunters on the ground recording their tracks by GPS, and the camera will fly their tracks.

“If they’ve gone through that area and they’ve spent X hours hunting and they’ve managed to get, say, 10 wallabies; and if we fly it in 15 minutes and we see 50 wallabies, then we will know the thermal imaging is [better] at detecting wallabies,” says Warburton.

“It’s a pilot trial to see whether this new technology is of benefit and might help.”

Warburton says in their traditional range it is not hard to see “hundreds” of wallabies.

“The problem is at the margin, where they are spreading at low density. They’re the ones you need to find and get rid of. That’s what’s challenging because you can do a lot of looking and you may not see any but that doesn’t mean they’re not there.”

Numbers south of the Waitaki had been in single digits for several years, but they jumped suddenly to 30, 33 and 25 in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively, and 10 so far this year.

Warburton warns against reading too much into the figures, however.

Meanwhile the Otago Regional Council is calling for vigilance to prevent the wallabies’ southward spread.

ORC director of environmental monitoring and operations, Scott MacLean, says that while breeding populations are now reckoned established south of the Waitaki, they are not yet thought to be breeding south of the Hawkdun Range, the boundary between the ECan and ORC territories.

But he says wallabies have recently been seen in and around Oamaru and other parts of North Otago, far enough away from South Canterbury to suggest they were “clearly, illegally released”.

“It is extremely disappointing to think that someone may be illegally releasing wallabies, given

[they may harm] the rural economy and local biodiversity.”

Warburton says the Waitaki south bank populations were probably due to unassisted spread, by

Brad Markham.

Champion Farmer. Smart Operator. Training Advocate.

animals crossing bridges or dams. But some spread is clearly human-assisted, he says. Hunters might take a joey home rather than kill it, or may be trying to establish local

populations to hunt.

MacLean says the Otago pest management plan requires the public to report wallaby sightings and destroy animals if possible.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

NEWS 15

Marbling and lamb now an item pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

information coming out of Australia this intramuscular fat issue has become a research priority for BLNZ Genetics.

“It is recognised as what we need to make sure the eating quality of our product is good,” says Johnson.

“It is not that we are producing a bad product at the moment... but we don’t want to start pushing our onfarm management selection decisions or our genetic selection decisions further into this direction; that will ultimately have negative

effects on the eating quality of our product.”

Different technologies are being researched

to measure intramuscular fat such as spectral imaging. They are looking at onfarm lamb studies and

possible use of CT scanners. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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INTRAMUSCULAR FAT (marbling) and lamb: most people haven’t used those two words in the same sentence, says a senior scientist with AgResearch’s animal genomics team, Tricia Johnson.

A decade ago the New Zealand and Australian science communities hadn’t put these two words together either, she says.

The Australians have now jumped the gun on us, but have a bigger problem to solve. They have determined they want 4-5% intermuscular fat (i.e. inside the muscles) to ensure consumer satisfaction and palatability of lamb. They slaughter at an older age and we do not need to go to that extent, she says.

“We are not aiming for wagyu lamb; wagyu meat can be up to 20% intermuscular fat. But some intramuscular fat (between the muscles) is needed to ensure the eating quality of our products.”

Johnson and fellow AgResearch scientist Cameron Craigie have

been calculating intramuscular fat in most lambs slaughtered in a BLNZ progeny test programme in Alliance Group plants.

“We don’t know what the magic figure is yet for NZ lamb because we slaughter at the younger age.”

Ideally intermuscular fat level should be about 3%.

“A lot of our lamb is well below that…. Some lambs we were measuring had intermuscular fat content less than 1%. Through programmes already in place there are some improvements already being made.”

A British taste panel test showed that animals with a higher intermuscular fat content were more desirable. “With lean meat you start to lose the flavour.”

Johnson says influences on intramuscular fat are all onfarm issues.

They include sex, age of slaughter (intramuscular fat comes in as animals age) and slaughter weight as more rapidly growing animals start to lay down this fat.

Genetically it is a highly heritable trait.

She adds that with the

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

16 MARKETS & TRENDS MARKET SNAPSHOT Me at

BEEF MARKET TRENDS

No rth Is lan d

S o u th Is lan d

C h an g e c /kg

L as t We e k

C h an g e c /kg

L as t We e k

L amb - PM 16.0kg

n/c

5 .2 8

n/c

5 .0 8

S te e r - P2 300kg

n/c

5 .5 0

n/c

5 .3 0

B u ll - M2 300kg

n/c

5 .4 5

n/c

5 .0 0

c /kgCWT

Ve n is o n - AP 60kg

-1 0

7 .6 0

-1 0

7 .6 0

5yr Av e

Last Year

LAMB PRICES

BEEF PRICES c/kgCWT NI

Change

Last Week

2 Wks A go

Last Year

P 2 Steer - 300kg

n/c

5.50

5.50

5.40

M 2 B ull - 300kg

n/c

5.45

5.45

5.40

P 2 Co w - 230kg

n/c

4.50

4.50

4.50

M Co w - 200kg

n/c

4.40

4.40

4.40

Lo cal Trade - 230kg

n/c

5.40

5.40

5.35

n/c

5.30

5.30

5.10

SI

P 2 Steer - 300kg M 2 B ull - 300kg

n/c

5.00

5.00

5.00

P 2 Co w - 230kg

n/c

3.90

3.90

3.80

M Co w - 200kg

n/c

3.90

3.90

3.70

Lo cal Trade - 230kg

n/c

5.30

5.30

5.20

No rth Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price $6.5

LAMB MARKET TRENDS

This Year

$5.5

40k 13-Apr

13-May

13-Jun

13-Jul

k 13-Mar

13-Apr

5yr Ave

$4 .0 13 -Mar

13 -Apr

Last Year

13 -May

13 -Jun

This Year

13 -Jul

13 -Aug

Last Year

5.26

5.11

5.28

5.28

5.13

P X - 19.0kg

n/c

5.30

5.30

5.15

P H - 22.0kg

n/c

5.31

5.31

5.16

M X1 - 21kg

n/c

2.60

2.60

3.15

YM - 13.5kg

n/c

5.08

5.08

4.66

P M - 16.0kg

n/c

5.08

5.08

4.68

P X - 19.0kg

n/c

5.08

5.08

4.70

P H - 22.0kg

n/c

5.08

5.08

4.71

n/c

2.48

2.48

2.60

M X1- 21kg

N ort h Island Weekly Lamb Kill

13-May

k Mar

This Year

13-Jun

13-Jul

Apr

13-Aug

Last Year

May

This Y ear

Jun

Jul

Aug

S outh Island Weekly Lamb Kill 400k

S outh Island Weekly Cattle Kill

40k

$4 .5

5.26

n/c

5yr Ave

5yr Ave

$6 .0

$5 .0

n/c

100k

20k

$5 .5

Last Year

200k

13-Aug

S outh Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price

M utto n

2 Wks A go

300k

$5.0

13-Mar

SI Lamb

Last Week

P M - 16.0kg

400k

N ort h Island Weekly Cattle Kill

60k

$4.5

M utto n

Change

Slaughter

Slaughter

$6.0

c/kgCWT NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg

300k 200k

30k

100k

20k

k Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

10k

No rth Island 300kg Bull Price

5yr Ave

k 13-Mar

$6 .0

Last Year

13-Apr 13-May

This Year

13-Jun

13-Jul

Export Market Demand

13-Aug

$5 .5

Export Market Demand

$5 .0 5yr Ave

$4 .5

Last Year This Y ear

$4 .0 13 -Mar

$6 .0

13 -Apr

13 -May

13 -Jun

13 -Jul

13 -Aug

95CL US$ /lb NZ$ /kg

S outh Island 300kg Steer Price

Change

Last Week

2 Wks A go

Last Year

5yr A ve

+2

2.16

2.14

2.31

2.10

-21

6.71

6.92

7.13

5.85

D e mand Indicator - US 95CL B eef

$3.00

$5 .5

UK Leg £/lb

Change

Last Week

2 Wks A go

Last Year

n/c

1.72

1.72

1.75

1.98

-2

7.48

7.50

8.54

8.29

NZ$ /kg

D e mand Indicator - UK Leg Price

£2.50 £2.00 Last Year

£1.50

This Year

£1.00 13-Mar

$2.50

5yr A ve

13-Apr 13-May

13-Jun

13-Jul

13-Aug

$5 .0

$2.00

$4 .5

5yr Ave

$4 .0

Last Year

$3 .5 13 -Mar

13 -May

13 -Jun

13 -Jul

Procurement Indicator

This Year

$1.50 13-Mar

This Y ear

13 -Apr

Last Year

13-Apr

13-May

13-Jun

13-Jul

13 -Aug

Procurement Indicator $8 .0

Change

No rth Island 60kg S tag Price 5yr Av e Last Year This Year

$7 .5

$8 .0

3 Wks A go

Last Year

5yr A ve

+2%

81.2%

78.8%

75.70%

78.0%

% Returned SI

+4%

74.5%

70.8%

70.1%

71.3%

Last Year

80% 13 -May

13 -Jun

13 -Jul

S outh Island 60kg Stag Price

13 -Aug 5yr Ave

65% 20-Mar

$6 .0 13 -Mar

20-Apr

20-May

20-Jun

20-Jul

20-Aug

13 -Jun

13 -Jul

$5,990

13 -Aug

60% 20-Mar

20-Apr

20-May

20-Jun

20-Jul

20-Aug

Beef & venison prices are reported as gross (before normal levies & charges are deducted). Lamb & mutton prices are reported nett (after levies & charges are deducted).

BUILT TOUGH

61.5%

71.0%

% Returned SI

1.5%

68.2%

66.7%

56.8%

68.5%

5yr A ve

P rocu rement Indicator - North I. 80% 70% Last Year

50% 13-Mar

13-Apr 13-May

This Year

13-Jun

13-Jul

13-Aug

60%

50% 13-Mar

13-Apr 13-May

This Year

13-Jun

13-Jul

13-Aug

Venison Prices

65%

www.cfmoto.co.nz

70.7%

This Year

70% 13 -May

72.2%

Last Year

Last Year

75%

13 -Apr

1.5%

P rocu rement Indicator - South I.

80%

$6 .5

% Returned NI

70%

This Year

$7 .0

Last Year

P rocu rement Indicator - South I.

70%

Last Year

$7 .5

3 Wks A go

This Y ear

75% 13 -Apr

2Wks A go

60%

P rocu rement Indicator - North I.

85%

$6 .5 $6 .0 13 -Mar

2Wks A go

% Returned NI

$7 .0

Change

13-Aug

$5,990 RIDeAWAY eX-GST

UNBeATABLe VALUe FOR MONeY

$14,490 Change

Last Week

2 Wks A go

Last Year

5yr A ve

NI Stag - 60kg

-10

7.60

7.70

6.50

6.79

SI Stag - 60kg

-10

7.60

7.70

6.25

6.81

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

MARKETS & TRENDS 17 NEWS

PRICE WATCH

BEEF: Cows are gradually being

replaced by steers at processing plants through the North Island. However there are still a handful of cows coming out in the lower regions of the island, which are well sought after by processors, creating some wait times for prime cattle. Slaughter prices have found a level at present, with currency movements halting any further rise in the market. Wait times of a fortnight or so for prime cattle are also common in the South Island, but slaughter prices continue to rise regardless. The dry is bringing decent numbers of store cattle to the market through the Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa. However, demand from other regions has been more than enough to ensure these cattle are picked up at decent prices. R2yr Friesian bulls are hard to come by, but interest is strong, making $3.00-3.10/kg in the paddock. Finding cattle outside of the saleyards is a tough ask in the South Island and even then tallies have been low in the pens. Interest in shortterm cattle is reasonably strong, but few are chasing R1yr cattle.

INTERNATIONAL BEEF: The US beef market has maintained some relative stability in recent weeks. There is reasonable demand out of the US for imported beef, and gradually decreasing production within NZ is aiding returns across the market. Sales

during the Memorial Day period were a mixed bag. Poor weather in some parts of the US limited sales in these regions, but as a whole sales were middling. As NZ production lows exporters expect the market to continue to gradually firm, especially with Australian beef production also low at present.

WOOL PRICE WATCH Change

09-Jun

02-Jun

Last Year

Indicators in US$/kg

Coarse Xbred

-17

5.54

5.71

4.78

Coarse Xbred

Fine Xbred

-16

5.68

5.84

5.26

Fine Xbred

Lamb

-29

5.89

6.18

6.25 10.08

Indicators in NZ$

-

Mid Micron

SHEEP: Slaughter prices in both the

North Island and South Island have firmed, driven by tightening supplies with New Zealand, and improving returns on exported cuts of lamb. The dry on the eastern side of the North Island is bringing more numbers to slaughter than initially expected. Store lambs are becoming harder to source in the South Island, giving prices a boost. Lambs 30-34kg were making $2.75-2.81/kg at Temuka on June 13, up 20cpk on the fortnight beforehand.

More SIL ewes are becoming available through the North Island and are continuing to be met with good demand.

VENISON:

The current venison slaughter rate is causing issues for processors. Kill rates were relatively low at the start of the season, but have slipped even lower, catching processors by surprise. This has limited the ability of NZ exports to fill orders, with some sales now set to spill into next season's production

Overseas Wool Price Indicators

-

8.94

Wool Indicator Trends

850 CXI

FXI

02-Jun

Last Year

+5

3.94

3.89

3.92

+6

4.04

3.98

4.58

Lamb

-2

4.19

4.21

5.10

Mid Micron

-

-

6.10

7.08

Wool Indicator Trends

600

LI

CXI

550

750

FXI

450

550

400 Jun

Aug

Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Coarse Xbred Indictor in US$

Coarse Xbred Indicator

650

350

450

600

400

550 Last Year This Year

500 450

Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

window. There’s little to indicate the situation will resolve itself any time before next season. Reports are surfacing that the young stag slaughter also be down. Given this kill usual occurs during the chilled trade production period, buyers may find it difficult to source chilled venison early

350 300

Last Year This Year

Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

next season. Farmers have benefitted from this situation however, as slaughter prices have crept upwards over the past month. They are now $1.20-1.45/kg more than 12 months ago.

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LI

500

650

450

09-Jun

Change

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

18 AGRIBUSINESS

Landcorp going lean and green PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE STATE-OWNED farmer Landcorp is going organic.

Chief executive Steven Carden says as part of the company’s value-add strategy under the PAMU brand, it is planning to set up two organic dairy farms next year – one on

the Central Plateau and the other in Manawatu.

“The organic farms are being developed to produce product mainly for export, but we are also exploring some local opportunities,” Carden told Rural News.

“There are people who are sceptical about organics in terms of the science, but what you can’t dis-

pute – particularly in dairy – is that organics seems to attract a substantial premium.”

Meanwhile, as the dairy industry heads into another year of a low payout, Carden says Landcorp is shifting to lower intensity systems. The move to change farm systems will drive what he describes an “appropriate

stocking level”. The company is also reducing the use of supplementary feed for stock and focusing on a grass-based systems.

“We are using this downturn in prices as an opportunity to drive a more cost-efficient business.

“It is a learning platform for us, as it is for the entire dairy sector. We’ll

come out a stronger business financially as a result, but at a $4.45 payout no one is going to be making much money.”

Carden says the change in farm systems has, in the last couple of years, cut Landcorp’s production costs by upwards of 15% and this cutting production costs will continue.

“We have a substantial cost reduction process underway with the rollout of an online procurement system and that will take about $10 million of costs out of the business in the next five years,” he says.

“We also have an extensive programme right across our dairy group focused on ‘LEAN’ – a manufacturing [methodology] developed by Toyota. This is designed

Steven Carden

to drive efficiencies by developing new processes, which will streamline a whole lot of our dairy operations.”

Carden says the outcome of this is that milking time is reduced and staff finish work earlier each day. And with the low

payout this season, Landcorp is also looking hard at all capital expenditure to make sure projects cut costs or generate more revenue.

In value-add, Landcorp is producing winter milk for Miraka and is tied into A2 milk with Synlait.

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,000

ORIGEN GREEN, a marketing brand created by Ireland, is something New Zealand needs to copy and do better and faster.

That’s the message from KPMG global head of agribusiness Ian Proudfoot, just home from a visit to Ireland.

Origen Green is described as a ‘verifiable commitment to sustainability all along the supply chain’ and is run by Bord Bia – the Irish Food board.

Origen Green involves farmers, processors and suppliers and is aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture and protecting natural resources. It is also independently verified.

“Origen Green is brilliant in concept and the way they are doing it,” Proudfoot told Rural News. “They’ve been building it in a systematic way for 10 years and they are in front of everyone else in the world.

“It’s not just about the environment, although that is an important part of it. It’s also doing the right thing in... employment practices and animal wel-

farm injury claims to ACC in 2013.

fare, and anything where the customer could challenge the efficacy of a product. It’s highly connected to consumers and everything they do is driven by the needs of consumers.”

Proudfoot says farms are audited and they get practical feedback on how they can improve. Farmers must also produce a five year plan including specific milestones.

“It’s to lift the whole game and do the right thing,” he explains. “We in NZ have to learn quickly about what the Irish are doing, because they are a competitor of ours and they’ve got something we have nothing close to.

“We don’t articulate where we want our industry to go in such clear terms as the Irish have done through Origen Green.”

Proudfoot concedes that while Ireland is ahead of NZ on this front, we should try to learn from what they have done and do it faster and better. He believes a lack of overall leadership in the primary sector is a problem for NZ. – Peter Burke

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

AGRIBUSINESS 19

Gong for agribusiness stalwart PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

FORMER LANDCORP chief Chris Kelly says he is humbled at being made an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit in the recent Queen’s Birthday honours.

Kelly says he could not have achieved what he did without the help of others.

He says it’s good to see agriculture being recognised.

Kelly has spent his whole working life in the agriculture sector.

His father was a vet and he followed in his footsteps, graduating from Massey University in 1969. He was a vet in

Bay of Plenty then a lecturer at Melbourne University before returning to Massey to study for a masters degree in veterinary science.

In the 1990s he joined the NZ Dairy Board as general manager strategy and strategic planning. There he helped form Fonterra, Dexcel and Dairy Insight. But when Fonterra moved to Auckland he stayed in Wellington and soon became Landcorp’s chief executive.

“In those days the Dairy Board controlled all NZ’s exports of dairy products. We developed techniques to work out the profitability of those

products and shipped them to various parts of the world; it was a very exciting time,” Kelly told Rural News.

“Even then I remember we were beset by low payouts and high payouts, but I think the extremes of volatility we are seeing in the dairy industry today are greater than we saw in those days.”

Kelly believes the dairy sector has as a whole taken on too much debt and become too reliant on supplements such as PKE.

Many farmers no longer see or practise the advantages of all-grass farming, he says.

“The reliance on supplements is fine in years of high payout, but it becomes a major challenge when the payout is low,” he says.

While Kelly has retired from Landcorp, he is still very involved in the sector. He is chancellor of Massey University, chair of Beef + Lamb NZ Genetics and has many other roles in ag science.

Chris Kelly was made an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday honours.

GROWING RURALURBAN DIVIDE CHRIS KELLY sees many great things happening in agriculture such as rising productivity in the sheep and beef sector and new software tools enhancing farm management and productivity.

But he notes as a problem the gap between urban and rural.

“In my youth, I and my fellow townies had aunts, uncles or cousins on farms and the vast majority of New Zealanders spent their holidays helping people with lambing beats and rearing calves,” he says.

“But this doesn’t happen nowadays and it’s having significant reverberations all through the country because people are not aware of what agriculture is and how exciting it is.”

Kelly would like to see more money spent on promoting agriculture to young people as the career to choose.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

20 OPINION EDITORIAL

EDNA

Complacency our biggest enemy THIS YEAR’S KPMG Agribusiness Agenda fires a timely shot over the bows of the NZ primary sector. The key word is “complacency”, a word somewhat akin to “she’ll be right”.

The report makes it clear that the world, like our sevens rugby team, has caught up with us and in some cases has overtaken us.

We have often joked and laughed about Irish and French farmers living the life of Riley on EU subsidies while we perform better. Now the joke’s on us, as report author Ian Proudfoot points out: “Gallic passion has come into play and they -- not us -- are connecting more effectively with customers”.

The report rightly challenges the governance of our primary industry organisations, with board members coming on via the old boy or girl networks. Proudfoot’s model of a future thinking, highly skilled board to run organisations and a representative body to have oversight is good.

However, the latter needs to be more pitbull terrier than lapdog which is, sadly, the case of the Fonterra Shareholders’ Council: good idea, dreadful result.

Representative scrutiny has to be seriously independent and not there to curry favour.

Governance in some farmer organisations is pretty average and the boundary between governance and management is often blurred or overstepped.

The report highlights what Landcorp is doing and shows the SOE is a role model for how companies should act in turbulent, disruptive times and focus on adding value.

Making depressing reading is the dumbness of the bureaucracy in its management of science funding. It’s a longstanding issue which needs urgent ministerial intervention.

Scientists, and the primary sector as a whole, have every reason to feel aggrieved at the overheads being stolen from good science money because of convoluted bureaucratic bidding processes.

KPMG and Ian Proudfoot, in particular, are to be congratulated for showing real leadership and insight into the future NZ is facing; they tell it as it is.

If primary sector organisations, and New Zealanders as a whole, don’t buy into what KPMG is saying, we can only blame ourselves for any resulting mess.

RURAL NEWS HEAD OFFICE POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 PUBLISHER: Brian Hight .............................................. Ph 09 307 0399 GENERAL MANAGER: Adam Fricker ........................................... Ph 09 913 9632 CONSULTING EDITOR: David Anderson .......................................Ph 09 307 0399 davida@ruralnews.co.nz

“I see you weren’t allowed to look at any of those great Fieldays trade-in deals either!”

THE HOUND Mad cow NEW ZEALAND needs to get rid of 80% of its dairy cows because “dairying is dirtying our water”, was the message given to the recent annual meeting of Wanganui Federated Farmers by the province’s one-time president.

Apparently, the ‘award winning’ columnist and ardent critic of farming Rachel Stewart was the guest speaker at this meeting.

Stewart also predicted there would be “synthetic milk in five years and people wouldn’t be eating meat in 10 years”. But the Hound reckons Feds should care more about who it lets become a provincial head, let alone who it invites to speak at its annual meetings, if it wants to encourage more membership.

This old mutt seriously doubts whether an ex train-driving, lesbian, farm hating falconer is the right sort of person Feds needs to help grow the organisation.

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound?

Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz

Time to retire?

SPEAKING OF farming haters, your old mate notes that the Greens latest policy – in its desire to ‘clean up the country’s rivers’ – is to implement a wholesale ban on future dairy farm conversions.

The policy would bring down a ban preventing any rural landowner in NZ from ever being able to convert land to dairy. No wonder Labour’s primary industries spokesman Damien O’Connor is walking round with a face like a slapped bum. He is likely to be shafted in respect of the primary sector portfolio in a Labour/Green coalition: it is common knowledge that Labour would happily give this portfolio to the Greens, and renowned farming hater Eugene Sage would likely get it. The Hound reckons it might be a good time for him to retire and go where he can actually make a difference.

1950s revisited

Heads to roll?

THE HOUND understands that the self-proclaimed meat industry saviour and friend to only those who agree with his world-view – John McCarthy has descended into anguish at the excellent work this paper did in revealing his alltoo-close ties to the main opponents of the SFF/Shanghai Maling JV: namely, the British ex-pat and Vietnam-based merchant banker John Shrimpton, Winston Peters and NZ First, and McCarthy’s failed Dad’s Army-lookalike ginger group MIE. He’s also taken umbrage at yours truly daring to point out that his anti-Chinese comments had been seized upon, re-used and supported by the right-wing nutjob National Front.

All his dummy spitting, ranting and threat making has him looking like his 1950s namesake – former US Senator Joseph McCarthy, who ran a similar failed ‘reds under the bed’ campaign.

THE HOUND wonders whether Fonterra’s failure to get its constitutional changes ratified by 75% of farmers at this month’s special meeting will have ramifications.

Rumour has it that the $4 million man Theo Spierings is for the chop. But your old mate reckons those directors and shareholder councillors up for election later this year are likely to be punished with the loss of their jobs – especially since farmers still have the right to actively pick and choose their directors and not endorse the board’s hand-picked candidates, as pushed for by the board and shareholders council. If this old mutt was a Fonterra director up for re-election this year, he’d be polishing up the old CV; he’d likely have spare time come November.

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Rural News is published by Rural News Group Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of staff, management or directors of Rural News Group Ltd.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

OPINION 21

Reduce winter nitrogen losses BALA TIKKISETTY

HAVING ENOUGH nitrogen in farming systems is essential. But having too much, or not managing it wisely, can have marked effects on your farm’s environment.

Nitrogen plays an important role in increasing pasture and crop yields because it boosts the development of proteins in plants and animals. Nitrogen is also a key component of green pigment (chlorophyll) in plant leaves -- vital for photosynthesis.

But nitrogen in the form of nitrate moves readily out of the root zone during wet weather.

Now, with the coldest, wettest months just around the corner, be particularly cautious about the risks in applying nitrogen fertilisers to pasture or crops during winter.

Winter applications of nitrogen fertilisers are generally least effective for promoting grass growth. That’s because slow growth of pasture in winter, and greater drainage, can result in nitrate leaching before plants can take it up. The nitrogen can enter waterways where it can stimulate nuisance algal growth.

Also, lactating cows will excrete in urine about 70% of the nitrogen they consume. Again, the risk of this nitrogen leaching from urine patches is much higher in winter.

Such nitrogen leaching from pastures in winter, along with phospho-

rus runoff, contaminates water bodies and causes a loss of valuable nutrients from the farming system.

Nutrient budgeting using a computer model, notably Overseer, combined with feed budgeting, enables farmers to understand how they can adjust their farm system to minimise nitrogen losses. By doing this farmers can optimise the use of nutrients and reduce the impact on the environment by working out a pragmatic nutrient management plan.

Understanding the term ‘response rate’ helps farmers to implement these plans.

The response rate is the amount of pasture grown, expressed as kgDM/ha/kg of nitrogen (N) applied. For example, when 20kgN/ha is applied and an additional 200kgDM/ha of pasture is grown, the response rate is 10kgDM/kgN applied.

The response depends on 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 moisture and soil temperature are not limiting growth. In winter, at the same application rate, responses are lower and slower than other times of the year.

It is better to apply nitrogenous fertiliser when the pasture cover is 1500-1800kgDM/ha. This

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Also, nitrogen fertiliser reduces nitrogen fixation by clover by about 1kgN/ha/year for every 3kg nitrogen fertiliser applied. In addition, clover content will be further reduced if nitrogen

Bala Tikkisetty

boosted pastures shade the clover. This effect is seen during spring.

Remember that the profitability of applying nitrogen depends on the utilisation of the extra feed. Therefore, nitrogen needs to be strategically applied to fill genuine feed deficits.

Nitrogen conversion

efficiency for any farm is another key point to be remembered. This is measured by calculating total nitrogen in product divided by the total nitrogen inputs into a farm and is expressed as a percentage.

Getting clear advice from farm consultants about the risks involved

in winter nitrogen applications on individual properties is a good idea as it will help determine how they can best be managed, bearing in mind each farm’s circumstances.

• Bala Tikkisetty is a sustainable agriculture advisor at Waikato Regional Council.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

22 OPINION

Many questions over LIC proposal this predicament.

The size of the prize was global domination in milk powder, allowing Fonterra to become a price setter. However, the cost of this pursuit has been very high and the goal has not been achieved.

Ravensdown co-operative has been burnt similarly in Australia, despite farmers there having invited the co-op to supply them with product.

In the end, Ravensdown couldn’t compete against the big Australian fertil-

iser companies with deep pockets to keep the New Zealanders out.

Unless there is a point of difference for which consumers are willing

to pay a premium, they will choose lowest-cost options.

LIC (Livestock Improvement Corporation) appears to be travelling the same path of expansion, to avoid “missing out on opportunities”.

The size of the prize has been described as “potentially more than $50 million of value created”.

The cost has not been indicated, but overseas scoping exercises not only take funds but also distract managers, leaders and directors from core

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This means that over a 10 year period the net value captured by farmers from this annual improvement is $3b. It has been expensive to achieve, but the expense has been shared amongst the members of the co-operative since LIC was set up in 1909.

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BIGGER IS not always better, but it seems that in business the size of the prize sometimes obscures the cost of pursuit.

Dairy farmers are now suffering the effect of Fonterra’s volume strategy: Fonterra’s debt for 2015 was earlier this year estimated at $7.56 billion.

Farmers themselves carry debt of about $40b. Without the expansion and then losses in offshore operations -- Australia and China, for instance -- the co-op and its shareholders would not be in

funding has been the herd testing done nationally since the 1930s. Statistics from LIC and DairyNZ indicate that at least 70% of herds are now regularly tested. A similar percentage of herds are now artificially inseminated, which began in the 1940s.

In addition, LIC developed the herd tracking tool Minda, used by 90% of dairy farmers.

Only when market shares are built up to high levels, as they have been at LIC over decades, can the business support itself.

LIC is among the world’s most successful herd improvement businesses, with very high participation rates of herd testing, artificial breeding and recording. The integration of these three foundation businesses is envied in many countries where private companies jockey for position and critical mass for genetic gains is not achieved.

LIC’s proposes to maintain a co-operative genetics-focussed farmerowned herd improvement business, whilst creating a subsidiary agri-technology company – which would include herd testing and Minda. This is despite the fact herd testing and Minda have been core business and enabled the R&D leading to genetic gain in the national herd.

This subsidiary would

attract new shareholders, thereby raising capital – if current shareholders agreed to the split in 2017.

Although there might appear to be some conceptual similarities with the deal between Silver Fern Farms and Shanghai Maling, the difference is that the Chinese company has access to supermarkets; it is not clear what more the would-be investors might bring to LIC. And the fundamental question remains: why?

The purpose of a cooperative is to enable goals common to members to be achieved. The real purpose of herd improvement is ‘industry good’ as a result of collective investment. NZ farmers, and NZ itself, have benefited from strong cooperatives in agriculture.

Recently, however, it seems the strong co-operatives have lost sight of their core purpose as they chase illusory revenue targets based on growth offshore.

Shareholders would be wise to ask the hard questions on economic projections;they are about as accurate as weather forecasts.

• Jacqueline Rowarth is professor of agribusiness at The University of Waikato.

She is also a Fonterra shareholder. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

OPINION 23

Mums appeal for support SIAN VAN HEUVEN

IN 2008 I made a life changing decision to move from my urbanised hometown of Southampton, UK, to the rolling hills of the Matamata countryside, to be a farmer’s wife to my New Zealand born husband.

Such a drastic change was an emotional rollercoaster over the years, as I adjusted to a new rural life in a new country with a new husband.

Even more change came when my child Layla was born in 2014; I now had the added dimension of being a new mum in this farming community.

Making the transition

from a career to being a stay-at-home mother was fortunately made easier by an organisation known as PAFT (Parents as First Teachers), a research and evidence-based parenting programme founded in 1991.

PAFT supports me and other mums who are a socially isolated with home visits, guidance, information and education to help our children develop during their crucial early years. Since we live rurally, without the support of my family back home, PAFT has provided invaluable support to our family as we try to balance the responsibilities of running a farm and being the

best parents we can be.

Sadly, the Government is moving the funding for PAFT to a “more targeted programme”.

This is a huge blow for our rural community; removing this support will negatively affect my family and other rural families who rely on this service.

It will also have an

impact on local PAFT educators, who will likely lose their jobs as a result of this decision, adding to unemployment in provincial areas. I urge everyone to stand with our community during this time by signing our petition calling for the funding to remain for every parent and every child.

Please sign the petition to the Ministry of Social Development to keep PAFT: www.change.org/p/ ministry-of-social-development-keep-the-paftparents-as-first-teachersprogramme-in-nz • Sian van Heuven lives on a dairy farm in Waikato with her husband and 18-monthold daughter Layla.

ag twits Rural News’ irreverent and hypothetical look at what’s happening in the farming world Top Bleats view all @jwilsonfonterra: I am delighted that nearly two-thirds of farmer shareholders supported the proposal to change our governance structure – even though it failed to make it past the 75% threshold needed to make the necessary change. #tryingtosaveface @colinarmer: Hi @jwilsonfonterra: So you are delighted that you failed? Sums up your leadership of Fonterra really! #andyoucallmealoser @dcoullshc: Hi @jwilsonfonterra, Mr Chairman what a wonderful result in not getting our proposed changes past our shareholders. I feel like a proud Welsh rugby player – in the game for about 60 mins but blown away in the last 20. #whenlosingiswinning @tspieringsfonterra@jwilsonfonterra: Hey Sjohn; any shubsthance to the rumoursh that I am for the schop? #alittlenervous @jwilsonfonterra: Farmers may be revolting about the continuing poor payouts, people may be revolted about your huge salary, but I am revolted by rumours about your future career. #keepyourbagspackedjustincase

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

24 MANAGEMENT

Big sheep milk conversion at Taupo PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

MAUI MILK has acquired a 770ha farm near Lake Taupo and is converting it to a sheep milking operation aimed at achieving $4 million farm income within two to three years.

Waikino Station has been making $700,000 annually as a traditional sheep and beef operation. The new joint venture plans to start milking 4000 ewes at Waikino by spring 2017.

But despite this big forecast, Maui Milk general manager Peter Gatley told Rural News that farmers interested in converting to sheep milking should hold off until they have the template right.

He says big gains still need to be made in New Zealand’s per ewe milk production.

Maui Milk is a joint venture of the Waituhi Kuratau Trust – milking sheep west of Lake Taupo since 2007 – and the Chinese marketing company Super Organic Dairy. Maui Milk now milks 2500 sheep at its 500ha sheep and beef property.

Waikino is still part of the joint venture, but a totally separate farm and has

been largely funded by Super Organic Dairy. Gatley, a former LIC genetics manager, and ex-CRV chief executive Jake Chardon have also bought into the farm.

A large area has already been turned over and is going into lucerne, plantain and clover, Gatley says. Plans for the actual conversion are in place using French rotary platforms designed specifically for milking sheep.

The progeny of an embryo programme are already on the farm and to speed things up the company brought in 4000 Coopworths to be put across East Friesian lambs. That will give it many first-cross 50% East Friesian-50% Coopworth. A subsequent generation could have 75% dairy-sheep genes.

“It is sort of like starting a dairy farm with Angus cows and basically breeding across to a dairy genetic base,” Gatley says.

The company has had much interest from farmers wanting to convert, but it tells them, “let us create something you can copy”.

“We would prefer to break the new ground ourselves; we are not keen to encourage people to go off on different tangents,” he says.

“We think we have a good plan – a much more productive dairy sheep operation than is currently in place in NZ.” The company has learnt lessons from the existing operation and from France, Israel, Netherlands and Germany.

“We have pulled that together and designed a system we have a lot of confidence in. We want to put that in place and when it’s real, when it is operating, we will ask people to take that as a template and convert at that stage. We are not asking people to go taking risks and create stuff from scratch,” Gatley adds.

“If they copy what is currently in place… we think significant improve-

GAINS NEEDED PETER GATLEY told a recent Beef + Lamb NZ mini conference at Tuakau that New Zealand’s production per ewe lactation is currently way off the pace.

“We need to make big gains to really have a future in this, but we are quite confident we can make those gains,” he said.

Costs are largely fixed, but “there’s a big difference if your sheep are only producing 100,000L each lactation versus 150,000-300,000L.” The 50% East Friesian produced twice as much milk as other sheep in the flock, so an improvement in dairy genes would provide significant gains.

ments can be made. We have the opportunity to start with a Greenfield operation; we will not replicate what we’ve got, we can see big improvements in production. We need much

more efficiency in production per unit.

Gatley says the $4m target equals 4000 ewes producing 300,000L each per annum at $3/L, plus some meat and wool income.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

MANAGEMENT 25

ZIP aims to keep the nasties out PREDATOR PROOF fencing made more attractive for the agriculture industry is a goal of a new predator research facility near Lincoln, Canterbury.

The 2ha enclosure is the work of Zero Invasive Predators Ltd (ZIP), with funding from Fonterra, Synlait, Tatua, Open Country, Westland and Miraka.

This 200 x 100m field, ringed with high, escapeproof fencing, is a secure testing ground for a range of rat, stoat and possum control technologies.

Officially opened on June 9 by Conservation Minister Maggie Barry, it is already producing promising results, such as new stoat traps using lures made of oestrus bedding material from stoats on heat. ZIP’s tests showed that 90% of stoats seemed attracted to the new traps versus 50% for conventional food-baited traps.

A feature of the enclosure is a cross-fence dividing it in two but with a 20m-wide open channel in the middle, mimicking the openings in predatorproof fences that may be needed for roads, streams or stock races on farms.

Animal behaviour technician and field ranger Tim Sjoberg will use the channel to test technology such as electrified cattle stops, ultrasound and lighting to deter predators from going through the crossings.

Sjoberg says they plan to test an electrified grid similar to a cattle stop, but experience with electric fences shows that some animals learn to get through by “hitting them at speed” so a focus will be on slowing the predators by means such as bright lights at their eye level, sound and images of other predators.

Another trial is underway on a small square pen made of a low predator-proof fence. Like the facility’s main perimeter fence, it is capped with a galvanised-steel inverted gutter that predators cannot climb over, but at about 80cm high it is

being used to find out how low a fence can be made while remaining effective.

Animal behaviour technician Tom Agnew says the idea is to make predator-proof fencing more “saleable” to farmers.

Fences closer to the standard stock fence height would interfere less with farm practices and would be better looking and cheaper.

The company is also testing a new pitfall trap for stoats, and automated trap detection devices to alert trappers when a predator is caught, to allow cheaper and more efficient trapping.

ZIP says traps which automatically empty and reset themselves after a kill are proving popular and effective, but their lures get stale over time, so another project is to develop dispensers which automatically refresh the bait.

ZIP has moved quickly since it was formed in February 2015 as a charitable R&D entity supported

by DOC and the NEXT Foundation, and money from Gareth Morgan’s Morgan Investments and Sam Morgan’s Jasmine Social Investments.

It began with an ambitious vision “to ensure the long-term resilience of New Zealand’s biodiversity by completely removing rats, stoats and possums from large areas of the mainland, and keeping them out.”

ZIP runs a field research facility at Bottle Rock Peninsula, Marlborough Sounds. NZ’s top dairy companies are helping fund the Lincoln research enclosure, largely because the industry needs to combat possumspread tuberculosis.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry, opening the new facility, says NZ has to become a world leader in invasive species control.

“We were a land without teeth for millions of years so our birds and creatures are ill-equipped to deal with these cunning toothed predators whose main aim in life is to eat the [the others].

“We have to kill them before they kill the things we love. Rats alone are estimated to kill around 26 million bird chicks and eggs every year.”

ZIP business manager

Phil Bell says the company wants to take the knowhow already developed in making some islands pest-free and apply it on a much bigger scale to areas of the mainland.

Rogues Gallery: A trio of stuffed muscelids - ferret, left, weasel and stoat - strike a pose at the base of the lectern before the official opening of the new ZIP predator research enclosure at Lincoln.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

26 MANAGEMENT

Aquifer recharge project underway NIGEL MALTHUS

IN A province where much of the water comes from bores into the underlying aquifers, a pilot project is now testing the idea of putting water back in – which even its proponents admit sounds “absolutely barking”.

The Hinds/Hekeao Managed Aquifer Recharge project consists essentially of a purposebuilt “leaky pond” about 10km inland of State

Highway 1 south of Ashburton, and a network of ground water and surface water monitoring sites fanning out across the plains almost to the coast.

With just a few finishing touches to be done, the project was officially opened early this month.

It is an area where, especially downstream on the coastal side of the highway, aquifer levels are low, springs and streams are drying up, and nitrate levels in the water from farm leaching are high.

The project aims to reverse that by recharging the aquifers with clean water from the Rangitata River via the Rangitata diversion race and the Valetta irrigation scheme, the water being an unused Ashburton District Council allocation.

Leading the project, hydrologist Bob Bower has been involved in similar aquifer recharge schemes in his native US. He refers to limited trials here as early as the 1970s but believes the present

trial is the first on this scale.

Bower says a similar project is at the consent stage in the Gisborne area. There, as in Canterbury, it is seen as important to bring together key partners iwi, councils and irrigators. “If you have all those people at the table the balance is there and you can achieve good things.”

The Hinds/Hekeao pilot scheme has a goal of 15.8 million cubic metres of water – the equiva-

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An aerial photo of the Hinds Hekeao Managed Aquifer Recharge pilot scheme pond construction site, about 10km north-west of Tinwald. Water will come from the Valleta Irrigation Scheme, to the smaller rectangular sediment settlement pond, then flow into the larger gravel area from where it will seep into the ground.

lent of the 500L/second for which the scheme has consent – in the first year.

Bower says the plan is to get that amount of water through the system and see how the groundwater responds, take that information back to the governance groups and share it with the community.

“From then on it has a five-year consent and the idea is to keep running it, and raise groundwater levels and ideally help all the drains along the coast.”

Bower says it is important to think of aquifers as reservoirs rather than rivers, holding huge volumes of water. “It’s just very slowly moving towards the coast. So, when the water goes in, when it’s used, how it affects the drains – that Come and see balance is what we’re

zone but is now likely to trying to do here with benefit from the trial, says managed timing and local farmers welcome the approach.” plan.

ECan commissioner “Two years ago, the David Caygill told the officommon reaction you’d cial opening he vividly remembered the first time get was, ‘you’re going to do what?’ But in the last he heard about managed six months the reaction aquifer recharge. has been, ‘when are you “We were a long, long going to start?’.” way away from being perReplenishment of suaded that this made any groundwater has become sense whatsoever.” contentious recently with But he acknowledged the news that the Ashthe enthusiasm of Bob burton District CounBower and the support of cil is selling a section in the Ashburton zone comits business estate, committee in recognising the plete with the right to take worth of the idea.

45L of bore water/second, “It’s a trial designed to a company planning to to find out what hapbottle it for export. pens rather than to prove District mayor Angus particular preconcepMcKay, who also attended tions. [The] trial will help the Hinds/Hekeao MAR address some nitrate opening, says the two issues and some other schemes are separate, issues.”

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

ANIMAL HEALTH 27

Great leader and thinker passes is regarded as the most authoritative book on milk production, Luxton says.

“He was an engaging person who chose his words carefully and got on with everybody,” Luxton told Rural News. “He was a genuine all-round good guy. His legacy will be his commitment to low cost production.

“In the current environment, it wouldn’t hurt a few farmers to go to secondhand bookshops for his textbook. I was look-

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

A GREAT thinker and one of the most influential leaders in the dairy industry in the past 40 years is how the late emeritus professor Colin Holmes of Massey University is being described, following his death two weeks ago.

Holmes had an illustrious career spanning 50 years in the agricultural sector. Since 1966, he had lectured in animal science at Massey University and in 1999 became the inaugural professor of dairy production systems at the university.

His many awards

Colin Holmes

included the McMeekan Memorial Award, the Sir Arthur Ward award and the NZ Order of Merit for his services to agriculture.

John Luxton, the former chairman of DairyNZ, who knew Professor Holmes well, says he was a humble man

who early on summed up the NZ dairy sector’s real expertise as being low cost production. Holmes’ textbook on this subject

BOBBY CALF RULES FAST-TRACKED PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES Minister Nathan Guy says he had always intended to “fast-track” some of the new animal welfare regulations on the treatment of bobby calves.

These regulations will come into force in time for spring calving this August. Initial drafts have been the subject of nationwide public consultation meetings, along with other proposed changes to animal welfare laws.

Rules in force from August will require bobby calves be four days old before being trucked, and no

journey may exceed 12 hours. The rules will prohibit young calves being shipped across Cook Strait and being killed by ‘blunt’ force unless in an emergency.

Guy says by February 2017 calves will have to be fed at least once in the 24-hours prior to slaughter, and the new rules will mandate shelter for calves and proper loading and unloading roadside facilities.

Guy has announced the new regulations now to give farmers time to comply by August, but he says none will be a surprise to farmers.

“This brings more transparency into the system and farmers realise consumers are demanding

ing for mine, but then I realised I’d given it to my son in Waikato,” he says.

Federated Farmers dairy chair Andrew Hoggard says Holmes was a great servant of Massey University.

‘Most of the dairy industry leaders around at the moment would have attended classes of his.

His contribution to the dairy industry is immense.

“He was a real gentleman and perhaps a few Massey professors could take a lesson from him.

more of this inside the farmgate; it’s an opportunity for farmers to respond accordingly. The great majority of farmers are already adhering to this, but it will be a bit tougher on the odd scallywag -- not a bad thing.”

The new regulations are among work by the government and the industry to ensure bobby calf best practice, Guy says.

“They also provide MPI with a wider set of compliance tools including the ability to impose direct fines for lower level offending, and a wider set of offences to undertake formal prosecutions against.”

I have never met anyone who has had a bad word to say about him.”

Hoggard says even after Holmes retired he continued to take an active interest in the dairy industry by attending field days and promoting oncea-day milking.

DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle describes Holmes as one of New Zealand’s greatest agricultural scientists who “sits alongside McMeekan”. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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★★★ ★★★

Dectomax Injection

Zoetis

Veterinary Clinics

Doramectin

10mg/mL

0.2mg/kg

1mL/50kg b.w.

35 days

15x dose rate

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★ ★★★1 ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ND

★★★ ★★★

Cydectin Injection

Zoetis

All outlets

Moxidectin

10g/L

0.2mg/kg

1mL/50kg

28 days

10x dose rate

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★

ND ND

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

Cydectin Long Acting Injection for Sheep

Zoetis

All outlets

Moxidectin

20g/L

1mg/kg

1mL/20kg

91 days

5x dose rate

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

Eweguard

Zoetis

All outlets

Moxidectin Plus 6 in 1 vaccine

5g/L

0.2mg/kg

1mL/25kg

49 days

10x dose rate

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ND

ND ND

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

Evolve Sheep Himin

Bayer NZ Ltd

Allied Farmers, CRT, Farmlands

Abamectin, Levamisole, Oxfendazole

1g/L, 40g/L, 22.65g/L

0.2mg/kg, 8mg/kg, 4.53mg/kg

1mL/5kg

21 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

Saturn Sheep Himin

Bayer NZ Ltd

Allied Farmers, CRT, Farmlands

Levamisole, Abamectin

40g/L, 1g/L

7.5mg/kg 0.2mg/kg

1mL/5kg

21 days

3x

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

ALLIANCE®

COOPERS

All major retail outlets

Oxfendazole, Levamisole, Abamectin

45.3g/L 80g/L 2g/L

4.53mg/kg 8mg/kg 0.2mg/kg

1mL/10kg

14 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

CONVERGE®

COOPERS

All major retail outlets

Levamisole Abamectin

80g/L 2g/L

8mg/kg 0.2mg/kg

1mL/10kg

14 days

3x

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

SCANDA® Available in Plain and Selenised

COOPERS

All major retail outlets

Oxfendazole Levamisole

45.3g/L 80g/L

4.53mg/kg 8mg/kg

1mL/10kg

10 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Q-drench®

Jurox NZ Ltd

Selected retailers

Abamectin, Albendazole, Levamisole HCI, Closantel

1.0g/L Abamectin, 25.0g/L Albendazole, 40.0g/L Levamisole HCI, 37.5g/L Closantel

0.2mg/kg Abamectin, 5.0mg/kg Albendazole, 8.0mg/kg Levamisole HCI, 7.5mg/kg Closantel

1mL/5kg

28 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Strategic Combo + Tape Mineralised Drench for sheep

Jurox NZ Ltd

Selected retailers

Albendazole, Levamisol, Praziquantel

25.0g/L Albendazole, 37.5g/L Levamisole HCI, 18.8g/L Praziquantel

5mg/kg 7.5mg/kg 3.75mg/kg

1mL/5kg

10 days

3x

Yes

mature ★★★ immature ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Troika™ Mineralised

Jurox NZ Ltd

Selected retailers

Abamectin, Albendazole, Levamisole HCI

1.0g/L Abamectin, 25.0g/L Albendazole, 40.0g/L Levamisole HCI

0.2mg/kg Abamectin, 5.0mg/kg Albendazole, 8.0mg/kg Levamisole HCI

1mL/5kg

14 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Strategik Combo Dual Action Mineralised Sheep & Lamb Drench

Jurox NZ Ltd

Selected retailers

Albendazole, levamisole

24g/L, 37.5g/L

4.75mg/kg, 7.5mg/kg

1mL/5kg

10 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Bionic Hi Mineral Capsules

Merial Ancare

Veterinary Clinics

Abamectin, 160mg Abamectin, 4.62g Albendazole, Selenium Albendazole, 26mg Selenium, & Cobalt 120mg colbalt per capsule.

20µ Abamectin, 0.5mg Albendazole/kg/day

1 capsule 40-80kg

128 days

3 capsules

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Extender SeCo Capsules

Merial Ancare

Veterinary Clinics

Albendazole, Selenium & Cobalt

4.62g Albendazole capsule, 24mg Selenium, 118mg Cobalt

ABZ 0.5mg/day Se 0.24mg/ day, Co 1.18mg/day

1 capsule 40-80kg

Nil

5 capsules

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Ivomec Maximizer CR Merial Ancare (for adult sheep) Capsules

Veterinary Clinics

Ivermectin

160mg/capsule

20µ/kg/day

1 capsule 40-80kg

126 days

5x capsules

No

mature ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★ 1 ★ ★ ★ 1 ★ ★ ★ 1 ★ ★ ★ 1 ★ ★ ★ 1 ND

ND ND

★★★ ★★★1

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

Safety Margin

Ovicidal

Parasite Maturity

Bunostomum

Available through

Product

Strongyloides

Company

Haemonchus

Trichostrongylus

Abomasum

2016 RURAL NEWS SURVEY OF TREATMENTS FOR INTERNAL PARASITES OF PRE-LAMB EWES INJECTABLE

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ND ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★1 ★★★ ★★★

ORAL

Matrix Hi Mineral Oral Drench for Sheep

Merial Ancare

Veterinary Clinics

Abamectin, Oxfendazole, Levamisole

1g/L Abamectin, 22.7g/L Oxfendazole, 40g/L Levamisole, 0.5g/L Selenium & 2.2g/L Cobalt

0.2mg/kg Abamectin, 4.5mg/kg Oxfendazole, 8mg/kg Levamisole

1mL/5kg

14 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

Matrix Minidose

Merial Ancare

Veterinary Clinics

Abamectin, Levamisole, Oxfendazole

2g/L Abamectin, 80g/L Levamisole, 45.4g/L Oxfendazole, 1g/L Selenium, 4.4g/L Cobalt

0.2mg Abamectin, 8mg Levamisole, 4.54mg Oxfendazole/kg

1mL/10kg

14 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Switch Hi Mineral

Merial Ancare

Veterinary Outlets

Abamectin Levamisole

1g/L Abamectin, 40g/L, Levamisole, 0.2mg Abamectin, 0.5g/L Selenium, 2.2g/L Cobalt 8mg Levamisole/kg

1mL/5kg

14 days

3x

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Abamectin Sheep

Ravensdown

Ravensdown

Abamectin

1g/L Abamectin

0.2mg/kg Abamectin

1mL/5kg

14 days

5X

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Combo Low Dose

Ravensdown

Ravensdown

Oxfendazole & Levamisole

45.3g/L Oxfendazole & 80g/L Levamisole

4.5mg/kg Oxfendazole & 8mg/ kg Levamisole

1mL/10kg

10 days

3X

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Combo Sheep

Ravensdown

Ravensdown

Albendazole & Levamisole

24g/L Albendazole & 37.5g/L Levamisole

4.8mg/kg Albendazole & 7.5mg/kg Levamisole

1mL/5kg

10 days

3X

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Moximax Sheep

Ravensdown

Ravensdown

Moxidectin

1g/L Moxidectin

0.2mg/kg Moxidectin

1mL/5kg

7 days

10X

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★

★★★

Trio Sheep

Ravensdown

Ravensdown

Abamectin, Albendazole 1g/L Abamectin, 25g/L Albendazole & Levamisole & 40/L Levamisole

0.2mg/kg Abamectin, 5.0mg/kg 1mL/5kg Albendazole & 8.0mg/kg Levamisole

14 days

3X

Yes

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Cydectin Oral Drench Vetdectin Oral Drench

Zoetis

Vets, OTC outlets

Moxidectin

1mg/mL

0.2mg/kg

1mL/5kg

10 days

> 10x dose rate

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ND

★★★ ND

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

Startect

Zoetis

Vet Only

Abamectin Derquantel

1mg/mL 10mg/mL

0.2mg/kg 2mg/kg

1mL/5kg

14 days

3x

No

mature ★ ★ ★ immature ★ ★ ★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★

Product Comment (INJECTABLE) 1. Effective against L3 stages.

2. Also for use in cattle & pigs, effective against itchmite and inhibited L4 stage Ostertagia.

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

3. Prevents reinfection wth Haemonchus contortus for 35days and Oster

BIONIC. NOTHING ELS MEASURES U

The Rural News Pre-Lamb Ewe Internal Parasite Control Survey is com responsibility or liability for inaccuracies. The efficacy classifications r

3. Additives: contain antigens of 5 clostridial diseases and cheesy gland. Effective against inhibited stages of Haemonchus, Ostertagia and Trichostrongylus.

4. Non-irritant injection, prevents re-infection with Haemonchus contortus and Ostertagia circumcincta for at least 35 days and Trichostrongylus colubriformis for at least 7 days following a single subcutaneous injection. Use in sheep that have been vaccinated against footrot is not recommended.

5. Levamisole is a short acting drench. Also contains a 5 in 1 vaccine.

6. Also available with 1.25mg/ml Selenium 7. 1: Includes inhibited stages and BZ-resistant parasites. 2: 1st, 2nd & 3rd instars. 3: AIP Aids in Protection.

8. Injection site is high on the neck, at the base of the ear. Prevents reinfection with Haemonchus contortus for 91 days, Ostertagia circumcincta for 112 days and Trichostrongylus colubriformis for 42 days.

Product Comment (ORAL)

1. Aids in control of dags and blowfly strike in the breech area and reduces pasture contamination from worm eggs for at least 100 days. Effective against strains of H.contortus,O. circumcincta and T.colubriformis resistant to benzimidazole, levamisole and morantal drenches and strains of T.axei and N.spathiger resistant to benzimidazole drenches. 1.Effective against L3 stages. Effective against itchmite and keds.

2. Gives continuous protection against all major species of worms for at least 100 days. 1. Efficacy not yet established.

*WAECO 55L ICEBOX QUALIFYING PURCHASES: 2500 CAPSULES OF: BIONIC® HI-MINERAL, EXTENDER® SECO OR IVOMEC® MAXIMIZER ADULT. 2450 CAPSULES OF:

WITH UNRIVALLED 100 DAY PROTECTION

One dose of BIONIC® and your stock are good to go for 100 days - giving you these heavy duty WAECO 55L Iceboxes.* They can keep ice for up to 10 days

Lge Intestine

KEY TO SURVEY

Product Comment (INJECTABLE)

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Provides at least 35 days protection against Ostertagia circumcincta and Haemonchus contortus and at least 7 days against Trichostrongylus colubriformis

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Note 8 also applies

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

YES

MITES (Psorergates ovis)

Trichuris

TAPEWORMS: (Monziezia)

★★★ ★★★

FLUKES: (Fasciola)

★★★ ★★★

BLOW FLY (Lucilla cuprina)

★★★ ★★★

Dictyocaulus

Chabertia

★ ★ ★ - 95% to 100% efficacy ★ ★ - 75% to 95% efficacy ★ - 50% to 75% efficacy Blank- No registered claim N/S – Information not supplied N/D – No data N/A – Not applicable

Oesphagostomum

Lungs

Trichostrongylus

Bunostomum

stine

NASAL BOT Oestrus ovis: (Larvae)

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

1. Effective against L3 stages.

2. Also for use in cattle & pigs, effective against itchmite and inhibited L4 stage Ostertagia.

COMMENT

ND

Also registered for cattle (internal and external parasite control).

NO

NO

NO

★★★ ★★★ ★★★1

★★★ ★★★ ★★★1

Note 2

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

YES

Registered for sheep and cattle

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ND

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ND

★★★ ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND AIP 3

Note 2 & 7

★★★ ★★★

5. Levamisole is a short acting drench. Also contains a 5 in 1 vaccine.

Note 4 Note 8 Also effective against itchmite (Psoregates ovis) Note 3 & 4

6. Also available with 1.25mg/ml Selenium

ND ND

Contains minerals Cobalt, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, Zinc.

7. 1: Includes inhibited stages and BZ-resistant parasites. 2: 1st, 2nd & 3rd instars. 3: AIP Aids in Protection.

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

Contains minerals Cobalt, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, Zinc.

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★

Triple combination oral drench for cattle and sheep. Contains Cobalt and Selenium.

Dual combination oral drench for cattle and sheep. Contains Cobalt and Selenium.

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

2 2

ND ND

★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★ ★ ★ 1 ★ ★ ★ 1 ★ ★ ★ 1 ND

★★★ ★★★1 ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

ND ND

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

YES

NO

NO

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

YES

NO

NO

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★

★ ★

Fully mineralised; registered for sheep and cattle.

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★

★ ★

Mineralised; contains minerals Selenium, Cobalt, Copper & Zinc.

★★★ ★★★

★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

4. Non-irritant injection, prevents re-infection with Haemonchus contortus and Ostertagia circumcincta for at least 35 days and Trichostrongylus colubriformis for at least 7 days following a single subcutaneous injection. Use in sheep that have been vaccinated against footrot is not recommended.

NO

★ ★ ★ ND ★★★1

3. Additives: contain antigens of 5 clostridial diseases and cheesy gland. Effective against inhibited stages of Haemonchus, Ostertagia and Trichostrongylus.

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

ND ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ND

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★

★★★

★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★

★★★

★★★ ★★★

★★★ ★★

★★★

★★★ ★★★

YES

Dual combination oral drench for cattle and sheep. Available in Plain and Selenised.

Product Comment (ORAL) 1. Aids in control of dags and blowfly strike in the breech area and reduces pasture contamination from worm eggs for at least 100 days. Effective against strains of H.contortus,O. circumcincta and T.colubriformis resistant to benzimidazole, levamisole and morantal drenches and strains of T.axei and N.spathiger resistant to benzimidazole drenches. 1.Effective against L3 stages. Effective against itchmite and keds.

★ ★

Contains minerals Cobalt, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, Zinc

★★

★★

★ ★

Contains minerals Cobalt, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, Zinc.

★★

★ ★

Contains minerals Cobalt, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, Zinc.

NO

NO

2. Gives continuous protection against all major species of worms for at least 100 days. 1. Efficacy not yet established.

3. Prevents reinfection wth Haemonchus contortus for 35days and Ostertagia circumcincta for 21days

Note 1 Also contains 0.5g/L Selenium 2.2.g/L Cobalt

The Rural News Pre-Lamb Ewe Internal Parasite Control Survey is compiled from information supplied by animal health companies. Although the information has been checked by our independent animal health advisor, Rural News accepts no responsibility or liability for inaccuracies. The efficacy classifications relate only to where no resistance is present. If a concern exists please contact a veterinarian.

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Fully mineralised; contains minerals, Selenium, Cobalt, Copper, Iodine & Zinc.

Note 3 Also effective against itchmite (Psoregates ovis) Note 4. Also available with 0.5mg/ml selenium.

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Effective against adult and immature (L4) stages of sensitive strains of parasites including those resistant to levamisole, benzimadazole, macrocyclic lactones and closantel drenches and combinations of these. 2. Also controls itchmites

or 35days and Ostertagia circumcincta for 21days

ntrol Survey is compiled from information supplied by animal health companies. Although the information has been checked by our independent animal health advisor, Rural News accepts no acy classifications relate only to where no resistance is present. If a concern exists please contact a veterinarian.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

30 ANIMAL HEALTH

Careful transition needed for fodder beet While fodder beet has been grown in New Zealand for years, it has only recently gained popularity as an important dairy cow winter feed.

DairyNZ has advice for transitioning cows onto the supplement.

INCREASING USE is leading to better understanding of this crop. The key to success in feeding

fodder beet to non-lactating (dry) cows is follow good practice and don’t cut corners.

■■

Take accurate yield and dry matter (DM) measurements, especially in the crop portin to be

allocated during transitioning (see ‘estimating fodder beet crop yield’.)

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Transition cows carefully, slowly introducing them to fodder beet. Decrease the proportion of pasture/ silage and increase the amount of fodder beet in the diet over 14-21 days.

Start mature cows with 1-2kgDM fodder beet/cow/day and only increase by 1kgDM every second day to the required allocation. Do not keep increasing the allocation if not all the cows are eating beet or are leaving bulbs on previous days’ breaks.

Start heifers and rising yearlings on 1kgDM fodder beet/cow/day and only increase by 0.5kgDM every second or third day once all animals are eating.

Rising two-year-old heifers and rising one-year-old calves will be slower to start eating the bulbs and will sometimes benefit from splitting bulbs (e.g. using a tractor wheel) to get them onto the crop.

If transitioning onto unrestricted (ad libitum) fodder beet, do this over at least 21 days. After transitioning to 7-8kgDM fodder beet hold this allocation for seven days and then slowly increase the break line a little each day until the cows leave fodder beet behind to achieve ad libitum intake. These cows still require 2-3kgDM/day of a good quality fibre source (silage, straw, hay).

Work out your break size accurately: measure the rows, yield and width of your paddocks. Remember cows can graze under the

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fence by up to 1m so include this area in the allocation.

Offer a wide enough face of fodder beet so that all animals in the mob can access the crop at the same time.

In paddocks without a grass headland to provide extra space at the start of transitioning or in very high yielding crops, consider harvesting the beets in the headland and using these for the first few days of transitioning.

Using a time based approach (i.e. a set amount of time on crop) is not recommended as a tactic for transitioning because cows can consume 1kgDM every 15-20mins (3-4kgDM/ hr) directly after the fodder beet break is opened.

Have good electricity on fences and have a second fence very close to the feeding fence in case of break out.

Feed supplement prior to putting cows on crop to ensure a good gut fill. Long chop baleage, silage or hay fed at least three hours before beets are offered is best.

Check cows frequently.

Individual cows transition differently, so even with well-planned transitioning acidosis can occur.

Farmers need to look for: cows that separate themselves from the mob, are not eating, dehydrated, scouring, ‘not doing well’, bloating, milk fever-like symptoms, down cows or sudden death. Contact the vet immediately.

LATEST STORIES EVERY DAY Get up-to-date news at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 31

Robot makes feeding the herd a breeze MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

GIVEN THAT we now see automated robotic machines that push silage back up to feed barriers, fully automated feeding had to be close behind.

Along comes Dutch feeding specialist Schuitemaker saying it will make the first five commercial versions of its Innovado feed robot, shown as a concept in 2008.

This automates the feeding cycle by travelling to the clamp, loading bulk material, adding concentrates and minerals, mixing and delivering the ration to the livestock in the shed.

Guidance in barn or feedlot is by transponders set in the ground, and

guidance around the yard or clamp is overseen by an RTK-based GPS system.

In operation the machine uses its hydraulically controlled cutting arm (maximum cutting height 4.8m) to make a vertical pass down the clamp face, leaving a clean surface said to resist secondary fermentation.

It then drops cut material onto a horizontal feeder auger that takes it by conveyor to the 6 cu m mixing chamber where two vertical augers combine bulk materials, concentrates and minerals into a homogenous ration.

At the feed area the Innovado uses its onboard weighing system to

deliver a pre-set amount, in kg/m, dispensing the complete ration by a delivery belt, achieving consistent volume along the length of the feed barrier. As it moves down the feed area it also pushes any spilled material back up to the barrier.

This system can be incorporated in new or existing builds. The machine can be programmed to work in various buildings on the same property, for example, feeding milking cows in one and, say, young stock in another.

Powered by a 75hp JCB engine, with the likelihood of rechargeable electric drive in future, the machine uses the Schuitemaker Intelligent System (SIS) for control.

COUNTRY MEETS CBD TWO WAIKATO companies – Power Farming and the Good George Brewing Company – got together during Fieldays to bring smiles to cockies’ and stockies’ faces, and they brought Mystery Creek buzz to Hamilton’s CBD. Power Farming commissioned the Frankton brewer to create a limited edition batch of Power Farming Pilsner.

And the brewer created the Power Farming ‘HQ bar’ at the entrance to Sky City on Victoria Street, also with a selec-

tion of the latest and greatest tractors for farmers and the public to drool over.

Power Farming marketing director Brett Maber says the company knows it’s pretty tough out there and that everyone is having to work a bit harder.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

32 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

The ABC of SCRs MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

WHETHER YOU talk cows or tractors the buzzword is emissions, raising the fart problem which the government will have to sort out.

But in tractors we’re already seeing New Zealand distributors land-

ing many high powered machines that use the simple chemistry of SCR (selective catalytic reduction) to meet emissions regulations.

While NZ has no specific legislation on emission levels, farm tractors made in Europe, the US and Japan all must conform to these countries’

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incomplete combustion, in big urban areas causing smog and breathing related illnesses.

Problem number two is nitrogen oxides (NOX) -- ‘greenhouse gases’ degrading the ozone layer and putting humans at risk from higher concentrations of UV light.

Tier/Stage 1 emission rules kicked in in 1993, and now we have reached Tier/Stage 4 for off-road vehicles, which have seen particulates drop by around 95% and NOX by 75%; so we have got to know acronyms starting with D -- DOC (diesel oxidisation catalyst), DPF (diesel particulate filter) and DEF (diesel exhaust fluid).

Ever more stringent emission rules require engines that more precisely meet fuel injection parameters via improved combustion -- notably higher combustion temperatures at which particulate matter gets burned off – and lower fuel consumption. Problem number one is sorted.

But there is a flip side -- problem number two: higher combustion

A new ‘Tier 5’ Cummins Engine

exhaust gases enter the exhaust stack -- a stream of DEF is injected into the gas stream in minute quantities appropriate to the levels of NOX (determined by sensors). High temperatures cause the DEF to react and release ammonia molecules into the gas stream. These combine with the nitrogen oxides to cause a chain reaction that produces harmless nitrogen and water in the form of steam. Problem number two is sorted.

The likelihood at Tier 5 is that all manufacturers will need to use some form of SCR technology to meet the emission requirements – in greater or lesser amounts. So if you are likely to buy a new tractor in the next few years it would be wise to factor SCR into the purchase decision.

The simple chemistry

temperatures bring a marked increase in NOX levels – the unhelpful greenhouse gas. This is where DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) plays its part in sorting out this second emissions problem. DEF is a colourless liquid made up of 32.5% urea (the same stuff as in fertiliser) and 67.5% demineralised water; it is the catalyst for SCR. SCR takes place downstream of the combustion process, so it has no effect on the performance of the engine, unlike the former emission control process EGR (exhaust gas recirculation), which restricted gas flow and resulted in ‘dirty’ engines. Because SCR equipped engines are set up more precisely and breathe more freely, manufacturers and users are getting fuel consumption down by as much as 15%.

In operation -- after combustion and as the

of the process can give rise to urban myths that need to be dispelled.

The classic, “I’ve got urea on the farm so I’ll buy some mineral water from New World and make my own blend”, is not a good idea. The demineralised water used is 100 times purer than the bottled stuff – meaning all trace elements and minerals that might react with the DOC filter are removed using gel filter technology.

The other favourite, “it’s mainly water so I’ll just fill the tank with tap water”, is also likely to result in an engine shutting down as the injection of water results in no reaction and unacceptable levels of NOX detected by the system.

Of course, there’s the bloke in the white van who says he can turn the system off. He probably can, but would you let such a person loose on your $200,000 pride and joy and risk losing the manufacturer’s warranty?

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 33

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WITH EMISSIONS regulations now requiring manufacturers to produce ever cleaner engines, the terms SCR (selective catalytic reduction) and DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) have entered the vocabulary of today’s tractor drivers.

This will become more common as impending Tier 5 regulations – due in 2020 – see most engine suppliers taking up the technology in varying degrees.

SCR takes place when DEF, a clear solution of 32.5% urea and 67.5% de-mineralised water, is injected into the post combustion exhaust stream and converts NOX – which causes smog -into harmless nitrogen and water.

The good news for Kiwi users is that DEF is produced on our doorstep at the Ballance AgriNutrients plant at Kapuni, Taranaki. Opened in 1982, this is the country’s only ammonia/urea fertiliser plant, converting natural gas from the nearby Kupe field -- and atmospheric nitrogen -- into ammonia, the base for urea production.

The Ballance Go Clear DEF plant started producing in September 2010 after an initial $2 million spend on a product blending plant, storage vessels and laboratory testing facilities. Then in 2015 came a $2m top-up to increase storage capacity to 600,000L and plant capacity to 14m L annually, subject to planning, logistics and consumer demand.

The market now

mineralised water can be sourced overseas, quality may vary, traceability can be difficult and the shipping of raw materials and their packaging can have a big impact on emissions.”

The Kapuni plant does

*

markd@ruralnews.co.nz

requires around 10 million of DEF, rising by 25-30% a year -- a big production and delivery effort; Fonterra relies on Go Clear for its 550 milk collection tankers needing SCR. ‘Urban legend’ may be that DEF can be made in the garden shed; not so, as very tight production specifications mean home brewing wouldn’t work.

Explains Paul Stewart, technical manager at Kapuni, “In terms of specification, the de-mineralised water we use in our manufacture is 100 times cleaner than standard mineral water used in most chemical processes.

“Trace elements have to be removed to prevent damage to SCR systems and this requires us to use a mixed resin purification stage to meet the standard.”

Quality control is paramount: each batch gets 1.5 days in-house testing by a dedicated technician -- one of nine on site -- before bulk product is released for storage and distribution from Whangarei to Bluff.

Chevron, Caltex and Mobil and others sell the product, which is easy to store and use. Packaged products ideally need to be are stored at no more than 25 degrees C: higher temperatures might lead to some minor degradation. Shelf life is at least 12 months.

“The plant at Kapuni gives Kiwi users key benefits -- local availability, stringent quality control and a fast growing fuel stock network,” says Marcus Butterfield, product specialist for distributor IXON. “While urea and de-

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

34 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Something for Santa’s list MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

THE AMAROK ‘Aventura’ model will hit New Zealand at the end of the year and ought to make it onto the big ‘must have’ list.

In Herne Bay or in the South Island high country, this ute achieves 550Nm torque and 165kW at its

highest power output level. It can reach a top speed of 193km/h and accelerate 0-100km/h in 7.9 seconds!

The Amarok is an attractive alternative thanks to its high seat position, good all-round visibility and quality interior.

This facelift Amarok

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sports new electrically adjustable ergoComfort seats for the driver and front-seat passenger, giving plenty of head and legroom. The optional electric 14-way driver and front passenger seats can be individually adjusted to suit personal body size, offer nappa leather seat covers, contrasting stitching and additional seat heating.

A redesigned instrument panel has new architecture making displays

The Amarok is an attractive alternative thanks to its high seat position, good all-round visibility and quality interior.

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more striking and pronounced, and multiple storage compartments making life easier for the passengers.

The multifunction steering wheel makes it easier for the driver to operate the radio, telephone or multifunction display.

The Aventura launch model comes with a colour 3D display between the classic round instruments. The driver can use the new, optional paddle switches on the steering wheel to control the 8-speed automatic transmission.

At the very top of the centre console, directly in the driver’s field of vision, the infotainment system allows ergonomic

operation and features App Connect and Electric Voice Amplification makes talking during the journey easier: the handsfree microphone amplifies the voice signals so that the driver, for instance, no longer needs to turn to face rear passengers or raise his voice. Passengers in the back seat hear via the rear loudspeakers.

Air-conditioning system, Bluetooth connection and up to four 12V power supply sockets are also included.

Pricing and specification for New Zealand will be released in the coming months and Volkswagen NZ expects to have this updated Amarok in showrooms from the end of the year.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 21, 2016

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 35 TIER 5 JUST AROUND CORNER MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

In furrow, on land – your choice PLOUGH SPECIALIST Kverneland has launched a semi-mounted reversible plough, the PN/RN 100/115, offered with the choice of five to nine furrows and with in-furrow or on-land capability.

Fitting into the range between the fully mounted EO/LO series and the PW/RW semi-mounted wagon ploughs, the units suit tractors 200-400hp running tyres or tracks; they are said to accommodate outer tyre/track widths up to 3.6m.

The plough presents several upgrades: the headstock (cat 3 or 4) has a 200 x 200mm main beam, turnover is smoother via modified hydraulic cylinder geometry

and a mechanical turnbuckle gives easier wheel angle adjustment.

The ploughs can be used in-furrow or on-land, the latter version able to do either without modification, the former needing an easily fitted conversion kit.

On-land ploughing is said to be more comfortable for operators and to reduce pressure in the furrow which can lead to plough-pan issues.

The PN/RN series should prove popular with operators who have a single prime mover, and who need to switch from ploughing to cultivation, and back, throughout the season.

JUST AS we get to grips with Tier 4 final emission regulations on new tractors and learn the acronyms DOC, DPF, DEF and SCR, around the corner come engine manufacturers waving data sheets on the Tier 5 engines mandatory from January 2019.

Much of the T5 requirement is to reduce particulate matter, said to be responsible for poor air quality and human breathing difficulties, so it’s likely most manufacturers will need to go down the DPF route.

Global giant John Deere and its OEM supply division Deere Power Systems claim a lot of experience of DPF systems, having shunned the more common SCR solution until the latest Tier 4 regulations.

The company has used DPF since the Tier 3B regime was introduced in 2010 and claims to have around 150 million DPF hours logged in the field; it sees the transition to Tier 5 as a fairly pain-free road.

By contrast, the giant Cummins has announced a new series

of engines to meet the timeline, with capacities 3.8 - 9.0L and power outputs 100-430hp. Interestingly, it has removed EGR from the mix, which should result in mechanically simpler engines that produce more power, more torque and, of course, use less fuel. And it anticipates lower running costs by pushing oil change intervals out to 1000 hours, and by fitting the start-stop technology common in many diesel cars.

The cut in emissions will take place post-combustion, with a single module containing the DPF and SCR units in a package said to be 50% smaller and 30% lighter than those now in use.

German engine supplier Deutz AG is promoting a new engine called TCD 5.0 -- a 5L, 4-cylinder lump which will fit between the current TCD 4.1 and TCD 6.1 models.

It has the same dimensions as the TCD 4.1, so fitting it should pose few problems; power output will be 135-200hp and higher powered versions are likely.

Layout sees a single turbo with charge air cooling, and a full set of

emissions tech -- EGR, DOC, DPF and SCR. A key design change is a single overhead camshaft with maintenance free hydraulic tappets, which might lend itself to variable valve timing in coming years.

Fellow German builder MAN will focus on its current Tier 4 range which offers a 6-cylinder, 15.2L unit of 550-650hp, or a V12, 24.2L engine of 790-1100hp.

The 6-cylinder unit has a single turbo with variable geometry, currently using EGR and SCR to conform to Tier 4. The next level will be achieved simply by adding a DPF system. In the larger V12 series, emissions will be taken care of by a dual SCR solution, with a dosing unit feeding each bank of cylinders and the addition of a DPF. Perkins is downsizing engines, its new Syncro series producing 73 and 135hp from 2.8 and 3.6L respectively. Emissions control continues with EGR and DPF, though a rerouting of exhaust gases through the cylinder head will occur before the inlet tract, and is said to prevent over-cooling and production of unwanted condensate.

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 Fast Easy Assembly  No Blockages

 Polyethylene

Full Range of Sizes: PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Dairy From 1,600 L (1 tonne) PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tuakau 1892 Fax: (09) 236 9321 to Free Range & Barn Eggs Feed Systems Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Dairy HOBDairy TUSSOCK SOFT TOE TRIPLE/SINGLE NAIL, Dairy 40,000 L (30 tonne) Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Feed Systems HEAVY DUTY LEATHER This boot is designed for heavy SUPPLIERS OF: (09) 236 Fax: Fax: 9321 (09) 236 9321 duty use on high country farms and over alpine terrain.

Feed Systems Feed SystemsEmail: • Nest boxes - manual or This boot will handle tough environments. With an upper PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz automated constructed from heavy duty leather, a tough heel Industries Ltd

sales@pppindustries.co.nz

PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Fax: (09) 236 9321 Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz

0800 901 902

www.pppindustries.co.nz

PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Fax: (09) 236 9321 Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz

counter for better ankle support and a full bellows tongue for greater water tightness. A leather insole and triple bend leather runners, with a stitched and screwed construction and heel and toe plates. Triple or single Hob nails. Tricounis available with tungsten tipped teeth. Tussock made to order only.

Sizes 4-15 including half sizes.

• Poultry Equipment

PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892

Tel: (09) 236 8414 Feed & Drinking Fax: (09) 236 9321 Email:trays PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz • Plastic egg

QUALITY PRODUCTS MADE IN EUROPE OR BY PPPPO Box 73 Tuakau 1892

A trusted name in Poultry Industry Tel: (09) 236 8414 Poultry for over 50 years PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tuakau 1892 Fax: (09) 236 9321 Equipment Rangiora Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Call: 0800 668 534 10 HALL ROAD, RD5, Poultry WHANGAREIPoultry Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Phone 09 438 8907 Fax: (09) 236 Fax: 9321www.advantageplastics.co.nz (09) 236 9321 Equipment Equipment Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz ❖

❖

E

P E D F OR

DEFENDER HD8

$2000 GENUINE PARTS & ACCESSORIES *

OUTLANDER 570

$1000 FACTORY REBATE FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL

0800 020 074 OR VISIT

WWW.CANAMOFFROAD.COM ©2016 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ™, ® and the BRP logo are registered trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Products are distributed in Australia. by BRP AU. Make sure that all laws and regulations, are respected. Ride responsibly. *Can-Am Open-House ends June 30, 2016 or until stock runs out. Only 2014, 2015, 2016 Commander 800cc, Outlander 450, 500 and 650 cc models eligible. Commander 800cc models receive $1500 rebate. Outlander 450cc models receive $500 rebate. Outlander 500 and 650cc models receive $1000 rebate. Only 2015 and 2016 Maverick X DS Turbo models eligible and receive $3800 worth of accessories that must be ordered from the same BRP approved dealership as the unit is purchased. Only 2016 Defender HD8 models eligible and receive $2000 worth of genuine Can-Am parts and accessories that must be ordered from the same BRP approved dealership as the unit was purchased. ^3 year warranty covers MY13/14/15/16 Can-Am Outlander and Renegade, and MY16 Can-Am Defender models only. 2 year warranty covers MY13/14/15/16 Commander and Maverick models only. Always ride responsibly and safely. Always wear protective gear & approved helmet. Only available at participating BRP approved Can-Am dealerships. †Money back guarantee applies to Defender HD8 and HD8 DPS and Outlander 570 DPS models only.

Money back guarantee only available on units purchased before June 30th. Full details available at www.canamoffroad.com.

YEARS WORKING TOGETHER

OFFICIAL POWERCRAFT SUPPLIER OF

SURF LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA

*

L

N

EW

AN

D

DEV

LO

ZEA

THE CAN-AM

OPEN HOUSE

EVENT

APRIL 1 - JUNE 30

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

†

UNTIL JUNE 30TH WWW.CANAMOFFROAD.COM

0800 020 074

©2016 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ™, ® and the BRP logo are registered trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Products are distributed in Australia. by BRP AU. Make sure that all laws and regulations, are respected. Ride responsibly. †Money back guarantee applies to Defender HD8 and HD8 DPS and Outlander 570 DPS models only. Money back guarantee only available on units purchased before June 30th. Full details available at www.canamoffroad.com.