Rural News 06 June 2017 by Rural News Group

NEWS

MANAGEMENT

FIELDAYS

Gumboot takeover 40 years strong. PAGE 17

Getting the young working and thriving. PAGE 56-57

Rural Health to be a new feature of this year’s National Fieldays. PAGE 31-54

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS JUNE 6, 2017: ISSUE 631

www.ruralnews.co.nz

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NEWS

MANAGEMENT

FIELDAYS

Gumboot takeover 40 years strong. PAGE 17

Getting the young working and thriving. PAGE 56-57

Rural Health to be a new feature of this year’s National Fieldays. PAGE 31-54

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS JUNE 6, 2017: ISSUE 631

www.ruralnews.co.nz

The first of many? PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE CHAIRMAN of an Iranian company that recently imported a trial shipment of New Zealand lamb says he would like to do more business, assuming the trial shipment goes well. Mr J. Maghsoudi was at Taylor Preston’s processing plant, near Wellington, watching 50 tonnes (about three containers) of lamb being processed into primal cuts and packed for the Iran market. In an exclusive interview with Rural News, Maghsoudi said he’d like to import more NZ meat, including frozen and chilled lamb, but this will depend on the success of the trial shipment. In the 1980s Iran was a big importer of NZ lamb, at one stage taking 100,000 tonnes of frozen carcases. But this trade dropped off and it’s taken 25 years for it resume. Iranians eat a lot of sheep meat: their national sheep flock is about 50 million -- almost double that of NZ’s. Beef is the most-consumed meat, closely followed by lamb, cut into portions and fried or used in stews. Maghsoudi says he is keen to get NZ lamb back into the diet of Iranians. “This trial shipment will be sold in many places. It will not only be sold in supermarkets but also supplied to res-

Andy Leonard

LAMB TURNS THE CORNER

Taylor Preston chief executive Simon Gatenby beside the first shipment of NZ lamb being processed for the Iranian market in 25 years.

taurants. I think NZ lamb is of good quality, but first of all we need to test it. “I have been doing business with NZ for several years and I am impressed by the food safety and quality control. Everything is nice and the people are good; with this friendship I think we can do good business.” Simin Faravar, the company run by Maghsoudi, has a number of elements to it, including importing and a factory where products are repacked and distributed. For the last 20 years

it has imported NZ dairy produce, including butter, which is bought in bulk and repackaged for sale in supermarkets. The company also buys milk powder. Maghsoudi says it has taken nearly four years to get an agreement to export NZ lamb to Iran and he admits it has been difficult at times to get the fine detail in place. With this now accomplished he believes there could be more trade between the two countries. This deal with Taylor Pres-

ton is, hopefully, the first of many, and the re-opening up of the Iranian market to NZ could provide a better balance of lamb exports. From Taylor Preston’s point of view, the trial shipment is seen as a good initial arrangement and a nice easy specification to start with. Chief executive Simon Gatenby is sure the company will soon be doing more sophisticated specifications. @rural_news

MARKETS FOR New Zealand lamb have performed strongly for the last six months, says Affco general manager Andy Leonard. While some Brexit anxiety persists in the UK, other markets – Europe, the US, the Middle East and China -- have performed above expectations. “Farmers should be lot happier with the state of play,” Leonard told Rural News. He believes a shortage of lamb exports from Australia and NZ help explain the price rise. A “relatively consistent” exchange rate over the last six months is also helping farm returns. Affco is one of NZ’s four large meat exporters; lamb and beef are its main exports. “Lamb prices today are well above those at the same time last year; six months ago that didn’t look like happening.” On the beef market, Leonard says it remains solid, backed by the US ground beef market holding up. “Generally beef pricing is solid and consistent -- not too many fluctuations.” In recent weeks most NZ meat plants have been processing cows culled by the dairy industry. But with the dairy payout picking up, cull cow numbers are expected to drop. Leonard says cull cow kill numbers are down 15% year-onyear. “Most beef plants would have been reasonably full but it will now start to drop off.” – Sudesh Kissun

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NEWS 3 ISSUE 631

www.ruralnews.co.nz

NEWS ��1-21 MARKETS ��22-23 AGRIBUSINESS �� 24-25 HOUND, EDNA �� 26 CONTACTS �� 26 OPINION �� 26-30 FIELDAYS PREVIEW ��31-54 MANAGEMENT �� 55-57 ANIMAL HEALTH ��58-60 MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS �� 61-63 RURAL TRADER �� 64

HEAD OFFICE Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Phone: 09-307 0399 Fax: 09-307 0122 POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 Published by: Rural News Group Printed by: PMP Print CONTACTS Editorial: editor@ruralnews.co.nz Advertising material: davef@ruralnews.co.nz Rural News online: www.ruralnews.co.nz Subscriptions: subsrndn@ruralnews.co.nz ABC audited circulation 80,580 as at 31.09.2016

Maori growing part of NZ ag - PM PRIME MINISTER Bill English says to think] that this is the way ahead. in most regions Maori now have the Enterprise, investment, running your potential to become the largest long- own ship: that is how you’re going to get ahead. Waiting around for the govterm investors. People are starting to realise Maori ernment to fix it is not going to work.” English says the awards are also are not fly-by-night investors, he says. They are in business – farms, commercial buildings, investments -- for the long haul. English said this at an event celebrating the award of the Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Maori sheep and beef farm, this year won by the Omapere Rangihamama Trust farm, near Kaikohe. He praised the awards, PM Bill English speaking at the saying that 20 years ago Ahuwhenua Awards dinner. few people would not have known much about Maori farming. But now the prominence of helping to develop a unique culture the Ahuwhenua Trophy has generated within Maori whereby they are benchhuge interest in Maori farming among marking their farms. Some are large enterprises able to do their own prodagribusiness people and news media. “[Ahuwhenua] works tremendously uct and genetic development. “That is a lesson to the rest of us well in projecting a positive outlook for Maori business,” English said. “It’s who came through a system of single changing the perception of Maori ownership where you don’t have the in NZ and it’s [encouraging Maori depth or scale to do that.”

English applauds Maori diversifying into horticulture, beyond their oncetraditional sheep and beef and dairy farming. “Maori are using their strength to diversify, especially in horticulture which is turning out to be among our faster growing industries. “It’s great to see kiwifruit showing up in places where no one has grown it before and to see the apple industry expanding with Maori participation. “It’s been fantastic to see the enthusiasm and the sheer joy for the winners Omapere out of Kaikohe. That’s a part of the country where there are real challenges.” English also praised the winner and the other two finalists in the Young Maori Farmer of the Year competition. He says developing young people as role models to inspire other young people to make a career in agriculture is vital for the future of Maori farming. • More on Ahuwhenua awards p7

Fairton closure is confirmed SILVER FERN Farms has confirmed it will close its Fairton sheepmeat plant, because of continuing decline in regional sheep numbers. SFF chief executive Dean Hamilton says support will be offered to the 370 people at Fairton affected by the closure. “We understand this decision will have a significant impact on our people at Fairton. We will be paying

redundancy to all affected staff. In addition, we have 230 roles available for them at our other sites, should they wish to take them up,” he says. Hamilton stressed the closure was not the fault of the staff at Fairton. “We value their skills and would welcome the chance to retain them within Silver Fern Farms. We are opening a resource centre in Ashburton to assist staff with the changes

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and to transition to them new employment.” The company will keep running its pelthouse operation on the site, which services SFF’s other three sheepmeat plants in the South Island. “We have not made any decisions on the future of the broader site. We have no intention of bottling water as has been speculated without basis by some parties,” Hamilton said.

FEDS’ POLI-FEST PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

ELECTIONS OF some sort will dominated this year’s Federated Farmers annual conference. Not surprisingly in election year, every political leader is accepting offers to speak. The conference, in Wellington the week after Fieldays, will see a procession of politicians going in and out of the Macs Brew Bar venue. The line-up includes Bill English, Andrew Little, James Shaw of the Greens, and the Lazarus of politics Winston Peters. Feds was once described as the National Party in gumboots, but that’s no longer assumed. More interesting to Fed’s members is their own election. As reported several months ago by Rural News, Anders Crofoot and the current vice president and board member Katie Milne are contesting the presidency. The race for the vice-presidency had Andrew Hoggard, now chairman of the dairy section, the first to put his name forward. Also in contention are the meat and fibre chair, Rick Powdrell, and board member Chris Allen. As Rural News went to press, nominations for board members at large had not closed so it’s not known if Powdrell or Allen will also seek these roles. Hoggard and Powdrell vacating their sector roles paves the way for others to move upwards and onwards. In theory this means Chris Lewis for dairy and Miles Anderson for meat and fibre.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

4 NEWS

New skills needed Arthur Graves says young people coming into farming will need a good education, but traditional farm workers will always find roles.

PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

FARMERS IN future will have to do both traditional farm work and have more high-end skills, says Taratahi Agriculture Training Centre chief executive Arthur Graves. He says the future will bring more corporate-type farming operations, where employers will have to be much more skilled in human resources -- recruiting, retaining and getting full value from their staff. And many young people coming into farming will need a good education, Graves says, though traditional farm workers will always find roles. “That means Taratahi will have to service the current market, focusing on turning out good skilled workers, and develop our ability to keep up and get ahead of changes,” he told Rural News. “It’s a two speed thing: we need to be thinking about young people, and about future employers, with high-end skills, management and leadership skills, systems thinking and problem solving skills and the ability to use data and sophisticated planning techniques.” Graves sees the smartphone as not just a replacement for pen and paper, but also a means of enabling farmers to do more.

PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

A challenge facing the wider agri-sector is where the next generation of farm workers will come from, he says. NZ is among the highly urbanised countries in the OECD and a way must be found to connect the values of farming with young people. Historically farmers have been in agriculture for the lifestyle and their love of the work, “so how do you translate that into a modern paradigm for young people?” he asks. “What is it that appeals to them? For

example, could it be they value animals, looking after the environment or just value outdoor work? What pushes their buttons?” Today’s young people don’t have the same access to agriculture as he and others of earlier generations had. Though he wasn’t brought up on a farm, he lived in a small rural town and spent time with friends whose parents had farms. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

COMPETITION FOR WORKERS AGRICULTURE MUST also confront the issue of competing with other industries for staff, Graves says. “The big competitor is construction. Everyone will be fighting and scrapping over where they are going to get their employees from. In the construction sector there is a dire shortage of plumbers, electricians and carpenters.” To effect a more posi-

Aussies cool with CoOL

tive perception of agriculture, Graves says, the whole farming sector will need to work more collaboratively rather than in the ‘silo’ way of the past. A pan-farming leadership approach is needed to influence people to make careers in the sector. While Taratahi has a strong rural base, it is also moving into the cities. It now has a base in South Auck-

land and hopes to graduate about 80 people this year. It also has bases in Whangarei, Hamilton, Invercargill and Napier. And there’s the challenge of getting young people ‘work ready’, Graves says. In the past the parents did this and youngsters often had parttime work and so developed a work ethic. This has now largely been left to schools.

“We must create good communication channels with farmers so as to get constant feedback about what employment means to [young people] and how we can get that reflected in the graduates we produce,” he explains. A great opportunity exists for educators and the farming industry to get ahead of these changes and start working together.

HORTICULTURE NZ’s chief executive Mike Chapman is impressed by the level of enthusiasm for country of origin labelling (CoOL) seen in Australian government, business and consumer circles. CoOL is implemented in Australia and is being embraced and accepted, he told Rural News. “It is clear that trade and consumers in Australia are excited about country of origin labelling. They were obviously into ‘buy fresh, buy local’, with television advertising, etc. “Everywhere you went there was commentary about country of origin programmes being implemented. There [was a lot] about how to do CoOL, which our exporters will have to comply with. “The television ad the government is running is very interesting – clearly designed to give consumers confidence in the programme.” Chapman said this after attending the Hort Connections Conference in Adelaide, run by AusVeg with the Produce Marketing Association of Australia and NZ (PMA ANZ). At least 2000 people attended. A bill to introduce CoOL is in the parliamentary select committee stage in NZ. Asked about Beef + Lamb NZ’s belief that CoOL could be viewed as a trade barrier, Chapman says it is “bollocks” -- an argument the milk and meat lobbies are “trying out at the moment”.

“Most countries we trade with have some sort of country of origin labelling,” he says. It only becomes a trade barrier if a country puts it into action in a discriminatory way. “The US, for example, I think [imposed] on pork or beef meat a CoOL programme [that discriminated against] imported meat. The requirements on the importers of food from other countries were onerous compared to US [labelling]. That was considered discriminatory. “If you don’t set up a level playing field system you might have a WTO issue, but if everyone is treated the same you don’t.” A Horticulture NZ submission to the NZ parliamentary select committee says that if a large country we export to requires CoOL, it is allowed under international trade rules; it is only discriminatory if it breaches WTO rules and it gives governments social licence to pursue trade agreements by meeting consumers’ wishes. A ConsumerNZ survey showed 71% of respondents want CoOL required by law for fresh fruit and vegetables and 72% want to know where their fresh fruit and vegetables come from. Sixty-six percent of survey respondents look for CoOL labelling but find it only 32% of the time for fruit and 29% of the time for vegetables, the HortNZ submission says. Fresh fruit and vegetables are often labelled by producers but by the time they reach the point of sale this has been removed, e.g. from packing crates.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NEWS 5

Houses squeezing out farms pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

IF TOO many houses replace vegetable growing operations, we may have to look at alternatives such as vertical farming, says Horticulture NZ chief executive Mike Chapman. He has always been sceptical about such methods for NZ, but we may be “stuck with it” if urbanisation keeps taking productive land, he warns. Vertical farming was among the most interesting sessions at the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) ANZ conference in Adelaide, he says. A New York urban agriculture consultant, Henry Gordon-Smith, spoke about why vertical farming has taken off in the US; “one simple reason is fresh,” says Chapman. In the US, leafy greens may often need transporting long distances to large cities. “So you can get reasonably priced old buildings where you can set up vertical farming close to large cities. “In the States that is becoming quite economical as opposed to shipping in leafy greens for days in trucks. The degree

of freshness with vertical farming is very acceptable to consumers. “The cost of rentals for your warehouses can be quite prohibitive to a successful programme, and the cost of LED lighting and efficiency. But if you get the right building, LED efficiency is also increasing.” But you can’t vertical farm, say, onions and potatoes. “You are talking about leafy greens, but even in the States where there are lots of vertical farms, there will always be a place for soil-grown vegetables. It just gives you a bit of diversification, especially where the vegetables aren’t grown close to the cities.” He knows of nobody vertical farming in New Zealand. “NZ may not have the need because of the proximity of our growing operations to the cities, but as houses [replace] growing vegetables this may become one of the options. “I have always been a little sceptical about it because we should be able to grow in our soil, but as we move forward we may find we’re stuck with it.” Meanwhile, robots will replace some jobs but

innovative people will always be needed in the workforce, says Chapman on another message from the conference. “But the innovation is different from that required 10 years ago and even today. The skills for the future are creativity, problem solving, advanced reasoning, complex judgments, social

that are developing, a whole different set of skills is required which we should be training for and working on for the future. “Robots will take away quite a few functions in future and the skills you must look to are skills that robots can’t do. Robots don’t have emotional intelligence, etc.”

Mike Chapman

interaction and emotional intelligence. “In the workforces

Chapman says there was also much discussion about R&D in Australia, which is complicated. Much was said about research being dislocated from growers because of the complexity of the system. And too much research money is being spent on bureaucracy rather than the actual work.

“So you are not getting growers and researchers having the strong interaction we have in NZ to a far, far greater degree. “In NZ we haven’t got federal versus state. We might think our system is complicated but the Australian system makes ours look rudimentary and straightforward.”

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

6 NEWS

New stock exclusion rules require greater flexibility – Feds NIGEL MALTHUS

NEW RULES excluding stock from waterways are coming, but they have to be sensible, practical and affordable, says Cathy Begley, leader of Federated Farmers’ water team. Begley told attendees at the recent Feds South Island high country group conference that the proposals could affect the way they run their farms. She says that since the Minister for the Environment, Dr Nick Smith, and the Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, announced in February the goal of having 90% of rivers swimmable, her group has been making submissions on how farmers could be affected. The first thing farmers would ask is whether their farms are “in or out”, but at the moment “we don’t know,” Begley adds. Under the proposals, land would come under different rules and start dates depending on the slope of the

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New rules excluding stock from waterways need to be sensible, practical and affordable says Federated Farmers.

land, defined as ‘plains’ (0-3 degrees slope), ‘rolling’ (3-15 deg.) and ‘steeper’ (15 deg. or steeper). Begley says it’s not clear how slopes would be classified and the ministry seems to think it would depend on farmers’ “best guess.” “And if you’re not sure, then hive off to your local regional council and ask them to come out and have a chat with you about whether or not you need to do something in your various paddocks.”

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Begley says Federated Farmers does not want a national regulation saying “thou shalt fence” because it depends on the situation. While the only way to keep deer out of a waterway may be to fence, cows work out pretty quickly not to go into soft-bottomed streams because they get stuck, or there may already be a cliff, bank or hedge acting as a barrier. She adds that on the flattest land, the proposals call for keeping stock out of all waterways. “It could be 30mm

T H E

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wide and then, theoretically, you should keep your stock out of it.” Also, the draft rules’ inclusion of the term ‘lakes’ inadvertently captures stock water dams. Particularly in the high country, stock water reticulation often isn’t feasible, so stock water races and dams are vital. “So we’ve been quite vigorously telling MFE and MPI that if you’ve got farm infrastructure like stock water dams and races, they are there to allow stock access to drinking water; keeping them out of it isn’t a good idea,” she says. “I think they’ve got that, but I’m not sure.” Federated Farmers believes no national regulation should trump a regional rule where a regional council has been out and talked with its farmers and come up with a practical regional rule that works for the area. “We’ve also been saying that our farmers need to be able to pick something up and work out easily whether or not this regulation applies to them.

You shouldn’t have to go through a process of guessing then maybe going to the regional council and having an argument about whether or not you’re in or out.” Begley believes there would have to be many more exemptions than MPI expects, especially on rolling country. “That’s just purely because of how your paddocks are set up. Putting a fence there might not necessarily be the best idea. That may actually mean your stock camp next to your waterways. For deer, if all of a sudden you’ve got a fence next to a waterway, they start running up and down it,” she explains “Our concern is that once we head into a national regulation that sets out ‘in stone’ what a farm plan [must] look like, what good farming practices are and what they look like, all of a sudden we’re starting to lock land use into quite a constrained thing which then takes away the necessary flexibility you guys need to run your business.”

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NEWS 7

Far North wins top award About 700 people in late May attended a gala awards night in Whangerei, to see Omapere Rangihamama Trust farm, near Kaikohe, awarded the Ahuwhenua Trophy. Peter Burke reports. THE AHUWHENUA Trophy awards night, a premier event in NZ farming, was attended by Māori leaders, politicians, agribusiness professionals, finalists’ whānau, past winners and journalists. The trophy, a medal and a replica trophy were presented by Prime Minister Bill English to the chairman of the trust, Sonny Tau. The trust also took away $40,000 in prizes. The other two finalists were RA and JG King Partnership of Puketawa Station, near Eketahuna, and Pukepoto Farm Trust at Ongarue, near Taumarunui.

Omapere is a 902ha (effective) mixed sheep and beef property whose borders include Lake Omapere. It is now transitioning to mainly bull beef rearing. Since 2007 the trustees have been working on substantial improvements. Kingi Smiler, the chairman of the Ahuwhenua Trophy management committee which runs the competition, says Omapere has a strong strategic and practical commitment to improving the property’s environment, so benefiting their whānau and all other people in the district.

He says Omapere is also doing a lot to encourage its young people to make a career in agribusiness by offering scholarships; this highlights their intergenerational thinking. Sonny Tau, the chairman of the trust which owns Omapere, says winning the trophy is a big boost to its 3500 shareholders. The trust has struggled over the years, and the win is a great reward for this effort. “I knew we were in there with a chance, but when the announcement was made it felt great,” Tau told Rural News. “As for the experi-

Omapere Taraire & Rangihamama Trust were named as the winners of this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy BNZ Maori Excellence in Farming Award at a dinner held in Whangarei. PHOTO JOHN COWPLAND / ALPHAPIX.

ence of entering Ahuwhenua, at the beginning I was a bit sceptical about it. But once we got into

the finals we were totally committed to the process and gained a lot out of it. Another bonus was the

people we met.” Tau says the feedback they got through the judging process is

prompting them to make changes on their farms. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

8 NEWS

Wrecked farms get a $23 m SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

WHEN STATE farmer Landcorp took over the dilapidated ex-Crafar farms in the North Island four years ago, it had little idea of the challenges lying ahead. The business signed a management joint venture with Chinese company Shanghai Pengxin, who bought the 13 dairy farms and three support blocks from receivers. The new owners pumped in $23 million to improve the farms, now renamed Tahi Farms, owned by TheLand, a subsidiary of Milk New Zealand, the operating arm of Shanghai Pengxin. Shanghai Pengxin and Landcorp formed Pengxin NZ Farm Management to revive the farms. Speaking at the farms’

handover in Hamilton last month, Landcorp chief executive Steve Carden said he would not try to “sugarcoat” the joint venture. “We had difficult beginnings: a complex partnership agreement and 13 very run-down farms in a state of disrepair.” But despite this, persistence by Landcorp and Shanghai Pengxin managed to “work through a myriad of problems” to get the farms back to a state NZers could be proud of. Carden thanked the staff for running the farms despite the problems of housing and poor milking and farm facilities. The Collins farm in Hamilton, which hosted the handover ceremony, now has refurbished

Joint venture chairman Rick Braddock (centre) flanked by Justine Kidd, TheLand and Bruce Hunter, Landcorp.

houses, upgraded milking shed, stock races, a new effluent pond, water pumps and troughs. Farm manager Jason Colebourn started work when the farm was still under receivers KordaMentha; after working

for Landcorp, he is now employed by Shanghai Pengxin. Colebourn says the farm was run down and “needed a lot of work”. He says a few races could not be accessed even by a 160hp tractor;

staff houses lacked basic facilities. About $180,000 was spent on the four houses – installing new kitchens, heat pumps, insulation and underground heating. A new water reticulation system cost

$160,000 and fixing the races cost another $140,000. “The farm today is hugely different from what it was four years ago; that’s why 80% of our staff have agreed to stay on and work for Shanghai Pengxin.” He says the staff who have left opted for other Landcorp farms. TheLand chief executive agribusiness Justine Kidd says the joint venture was “a real innovation bringing together international equity with NZ expertise”. “It has been tough: the farm assets needed work and investment, the milk price came tumbling down and the public scrutiny did not let up. “It is a tribute now to stand here beside Landcorp and celebrate the achievements of this

partnership…. It is a good news story for agriculture in NZ.” TheLand is now looking to build on the work Landcorp has done. The company has an interesting and diverse farm asset in the Tahi Farm Group and this presents both opportunities and challenges, Kidd says. “Our underlying strategy is to grow our asset value, the asset being our people, community, environment and farms. “We are seeking to understand where the opportunities are to improve our productivity, how we can keep producing quality milk for our consumers in NZ and China, improving our sustainability and enhancing the impact we have in our local communities and environments.”

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NEWS 9

3 million makeover Improvements to TheLand farms ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

Four new dairy sheds Installation of new technology in 11 dairy sheds Refurbishment of farm housing Construction of six new homes Installation of six new effluent systems 1300ha regrassed 300km of fencing, including riparian 900 extra water troughs 300ha irrigation upgrade Establishing the North Island Dairy Training Academy.

From June 1 the 13 dairy farms are being managed by nine managers, three contract milkers and one 50:50 sharemilker. Terry Lee, Milk New Zealand’s managing director, says the farms have been transformed under Landcorp’s leadership

Collins Road Farm manager Jason Colebourn is staying on to work for Shanghai Pengxin in Hamilton.

and now have a “a high standard of professionalism, in respect of farm management/productivity, environment protection, animal welfare and looking after people”. “The impact of that

transformation has been manifest -- bolstering and motivating the farm teams, their families and local and wider communities – and this is widely acknowledged in the dairy industry. We could

not have achieved this without Landcorp; they have done a great job.” TheLand also owns 13 dairy farms (Purata Farms) in the South Island. The company uses milk from the farms

to make UHT milk and milk powder for export to China. Shanghai Pengxin expects to ship 1900 containers of value added products to China this year.

CHINESE GUESTS GET A KIWI WELCOME PENGXIN NZ Farm Management joint venture chairman Rick Braddock says when the board took on the responsibility four years ago “no one had any idea how many economic potholes there would be on the road”. The last four years have severely challenged the NZ dairy industry, he says. “We have seen droughts for two years, a record high milk payout followed by two disastrous payout years… and all time we were undertaking major capital Rick Braddock development on all farms.” Now, after $23 million of development work, productivity has increased, costs are down, animal welfare has improved and major environmental work has been done. Improvements to staff welfare and housing have been satisfying, he says. “With pride, and gratitude to Landcorp, we have survived this difficult trading period and flourished as the benefits of the hard work of Tahi’s team and the large capital spend have come to fruition.” Tahi employees opened their homes to host Pengxin guests, Braddock says. “The cultural exchange and understanding that comes from this type of Kiwi hospitality is something the rest of NZ could observe and embrace.” Braddock says history has been made in ensuring the success of this first major Chinese/NZ Government pastoral farming joint venture.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

10 NEWS

Synlait matches opening forecasts the forecast milk price reflects that. “We start the season with some confidence that supply and demand are more balanced, and this forecast reflects an expectation of dairy prices remaining at cur-

Dairy prices are stabilising, with the last five Global Dairy Trade auctions recording a lift in the price index. Synlait managing director John Penno says it is feeling positive about the current market, and

SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

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rent levels,” says Penno. “This announcement will be welcomed by our farmers. “The start of last season was difficult, and we’re pleased market prices are in a much better position coming into the 2017-18 season.” Last month, Fonterra announced an opening price of $6.50/kgMS, saying it was “a further signal of confidence in the market outlook for dairy”. Synlait will release an update on the 2016-17 season on June 16, and its final milk price for the 2016-17 season will be announced in late September along with any update to its forecast milk price for the 2017-18 season.

Meanwhile, Synlait says it has bought Auckland infant formula maker The New Zealand Dairy Company (NZDC) for $33 million. NZDC is now building a blending and canning operation at a site in Mangere; Synlait will take ownership of the site. The plant will be infant formula capable, and will enable Synlait to substantially lift its blending and canning capacity. And it will give Synlait a high specification sachet packaging line suitable for infant formula and milk powders. Penno says this purchase will allow Synlait to meet current demand, and provide room to grow to meet customers’

John Penno says market prices are now in a much better position.

needs. “Having a second blending and packaging site will also begin to mitigate some risk we have faced as a single site manufacturing company.” The NZDC purchase cost Synlait $33.2m on acquisition, and it expects it will have spent a total of $56.5m once the

plant is commissioned. An associated company which owns the land and buildings in which NZDC operates is part of the deal. Synlait will seek Ministry for Primary Industries certification and People’s Republic of China (CNCA) registration for the new facility. “The production line will be very similar to the blending and canning plant already operating at Synlait’s Dunsandel site -- same scale, high standards, equipment and build specifications,” says Penno. Commissioning of the new facility is scheduled for October 2017. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

HELPING CHRISTCHURCH GROW OUTGOING DOW AgroSciences NZ marketing manager Nick Koch (left) and his successor Glen Surgenor (right) present Habitat for Humanity Christchurch manager Peter Taylor (centre) with a cheque for $5300 – the proceeds of their Rexade Bash for Cash fundraising promotion at the South Island Agricultural Field Days at Kirwee in late March. The presentation took place at Dow Gardens, a now-complete seven-home Habitat for Humanity development in Christchurch funded by a $400,000 grant from Dow. Habitat provides homes for needy families under a ‘sweat equity’ model which they do some of the work themselves, then get title after a 10 years of renting to own. Dow supports Habitat projects worldwide.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

12 NEWS

Affco’s value-added foray into China SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

MEAT COMPANY Affco has shipped 33,000 consumer packs of premium beef to China -- its first foray into the lucrative value-added market. Beef packed in thermoformed vacuum cases, and 200g single steaks

wrapped by skin-pack technology are now available in Chinese supermarkets and restaurants, and online via Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. The meat packs displaying the Affco brand were packed at the processor’s Horotiu site where the new skin pack

technology was installed earlier this year as part of its value added retail sales strategy and certified by Chinese authorities for export. Affco general manager Andy Leonard says the company does a lot of business in China and its brand is well recognised. He says the company

will watch in the coming weeks how the Chinese market responds to the different product packaging and the pricing. “Initial feedback is that our customers like the packaging and presentation; the New Zealand meat story is alive and well in China,” he told Rural News.

“It’s important for NZ farmers to realise we are reaching the value end of the market, adding value through smaller packages and branding.” NZ’s reputation for farming meat in open green pastures is intact in the Chinese market, Affco says. NZ grassraised meat is considered

Affco general manager Andy Leonard.

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healthy, safe and natural, and consumers are willing to pay a premium for it. Affco sold this first shipment to two Chinese customers; one had first bought NZ lamb flaps in 1993. Flaps were then the most common meat export to China, fetching about 60c/kg; now they fetch about $8.40/ kg. Affco is shipping beef tenderloin at $35.00 plus per kilo. Despite NZ beef costing about twice as much as in other countries, it is a popular choice because of its premium positioning, Leonard says. And

NZ compared with many other countries is considered an easy place to do business, with a reputation for honesty, high quality standards and robust certification processes. “Our business is built on the strength of our relationships: we do what we say we’re going to do, and we do it well.” With more Chinese moving to cities, and the expectation of the Chinese middle classes growing wealthier, the outlook for the high value beef market over the next decade looks promising, Leonard says.

BEEFING UP EXPORTS BEEF EXPORTS to China began only six or seven years ago. Affco China sales manager Clint Bailey, after a visit there last month, says that while the NZ/China Free Trade Agreement in 2008 opened new opportunities, the real driver of our beef exports is the changing face of China’s population. “Over the last decade 300 million people have moved from inland China to cities. There’s a growing middle class who want to put high quality meat protein on their tables.” It is predicted that in 2030, 75% of China’s 1.3 billion population will live in cities. About one third of all beef exported to China from NZ is from Affco; after the US, China is the company’s second-largest market with revenues hundreds of millions of dollars a year. This first shipment was frozen, but Bailey says the customer is considering importing chilled once new protocols are finalised. In March the government announced a six-month pilot scheme to export chilled meat to China to help boost earnings for the beef and sheepmeat sectors. Bailey says it will take the Chinese a while to build infrastructure to handle chilled and so be able to pay a premium over frozen product.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NEWS 17

Gumboot takeover 40 years strong SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

RAVENSDOWN chief executive Greg Campbell doesn’t want the co-op to be labeled “a fertiliser business and a polluter”. “If we are getting those messages, we have failed,” he told Rural News. Instead, Campbell wants Ravensdown known as an agri service business “that happens to use products that protect the environment and the

wrested control of four fertiliser factories and nine stores from a commercial entity that had fought them tooth and nail. The cooperative spirit of those early pioneers prevailed and Ravensdown was here to stay. Today the co-op owns three manufacturing sites, 90 stores, joint venture spreading companies running 85 trucks and an aerial spreading business. An environmental consultancy business,

duction and whether he will have any potential environmental issue.” “A lot of shareholders are quite happy about the challenge- how they are going against the other farmers; I haven’t met too

Ravensdown chief executive Greg Campbell.

many farmers who don’t want to help their fellow farmer. If all our farmers do well it’s good for NZ. “When I talk to our founding shareholders, they tell us what they foresaw,” Campbell says.

“A farmer can look at any one paddock at any one time to see what’s going on, the likely production and whether he will have any potential environmental issue.” social license to operate”. “We want to turn the conversation around -from ‘polluters’ to ‘we understand and value what you do and we won’t sell products that will have negative outcomes’.” Ravensdown, headquartered in Christchurch and turning 40 in August, was launched in 1977 by farmers fed up with being at the mercy of two commercial operators. By the end of Ravensdown’s beginning, two of New Zealand’s largest companies would be delisted from the stock exchange – an unheard of precedent. By the end of 1977, a small band of far-sighted pioneers had

set up there years ago, is the fastest growing unit within the company. Four services are offered: Overseer modeling, farm environment management plans, water quality testing and resource consent applications. Campbell says shareholders are keen that the company is in discussion on their behalf and provides services, particularly in agronomy and science. It also collects farm data, from farming systems to outputs, on behalf of farmers “who are happy to be benchmarked against one another”. “A farmer can look at any one paddock at any one time to see what’s going on, the likely pro-

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THE FOUNDING directors of Ravensdown felt they needed a voice in the fertiliser supply business, says chief executive Greg Campbell. “The founding directors who set it up in 1977 felt they were at the mercy of commercial operators. They were price-takers, unsure they were getting value for money and certainly didn’t feel they had a voice in something absolutely critical.” They were also worried about fertiliser supply, then intermittent at best. Campbell says companies didn’t care if they ran out of product and didn’t carry stock forward. Now Ravensdown is a direct-to-market supplier. “There’s no one in the middle… No, we don’t own mines in Morocco but in between that we don’t deal with intermediaries. Our model is direct-to-market and we enjoy close relationships with our shareholders.”

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

18 NEWS

Synthetic foods will challenge agriculture’s environmental footprint NIGEL MALTHUS

THE RETIRING Federated Farmers president, Dr William Rolleston, is warning farmers that they will soon be “chasing the tail” of synthetic food producers because of their products’ lesser environmental footprint. The emergence of synthetic ‘milks’ and ‘meat’ is something farmers “really need to take cognisance of,” he says. Rolleston, who stands down this month, reviewed his three-year term in a closing address to the recent two-day conference of Feds’ South Island high country group at Hanmer Springs. He recalled having recently been to a conference where he picked up a jug with ‘soy milk’ written on it. “I pulled out my pen and crossed out the word ‘milk’ because it’s not actually milk. Milk comes from a mammary gland, not a soya bean,” he said. “Maybe as we make these free-trade agreements, talking about geographic indicators, we can actually push for the words ‘milk’ and ‘meat’ to truly mean milk and meat, not some substitute, so people know they are getting the real deal.” However, Rolleston warned that the driver towards synthetics is their environmental footprint – a strong selling point. “These foods have very low carbon and water usage,” he explained. “The challenge for us is not in our wanting to hold the status quo in terms of our environmental footprint, but that we must try to reduce… close that gap, as much as we possibly can, to stay relevant and keep our products on the shelf.” Rolleston says the environment was one of the main areas he wanted to look at when he took on the Feds president role. He says what is now going on in dairy farming is causing “a whole lot

Retiring Federated Farmers president Dr William Rolleston addresses the conference of the South Island high country group at Hanmer Springs. RURAL NEWS GROUP

of rules” to be filtered up into the high country and this will challenge high country farmers to deal with pressures to adopt inappropriate rules. Rolleston adds it’s no longer acceptable or reasonable to be saying climate change doesn’t exist; rather, he believes the issue is about productivity. “If we can improve our productivity and reduce our carbon intensity – i.e. the amount of carbon dioxide or equivalent produced per kilogram of product – that’s better for us, and it’s something we can take to the market and say ‘we’re making a difference’.”

Rolleston also warns that as the September general election nears there will be a “big push” to vilify farmers’ environmental record. However, he believes the pendulum is starting to swing in the other direction: people are starting to tell him that the antifarming sentiment is overstepping the mark. “I see a bit of a sea-change happening in the media. It gives us the opportunity to drive that message further forward and keep telling the public all the things we are doing, right down to catchment level.”

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Another area Rolleston counts as a success is health and safety where, by taking an evidence-based approach, Federated Farmers has managed to persuade WorkSafe to a more reasonable view on what had been “pretty traumatic” new legislation. He said guidelines now allow farmers to take passengers on quads when it is sensible and the risks are properly assessed, rather than endure a blanket ban. “My view is if you don’t with engage farmers they’re going to ignore you. Farmers hate being told what to do,

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but if you give them a problem they want to solve it. You see that in the environmental space and also in health and safety.” Rolleston believes science and innovation are still crucial for agriculture. He says biological sciences took decades to come to fruition and were expensive, but New Zealand is very good at biology. “We have real strength in that area and while we need to diversify the economy because that gives the economy resilience and strength, we don’t want to do that at the expense of what we are good at and have a real comparative advantage in -- agriculture. “So we’re very keen that when the Government is prioritising funding they don’t undermine the capability of our scientists around the country.” Rolleston says Beef + Lamb NZ takes about $31 million in levies and spends about $5m on R&D. “It should be $25m in my view. That $5m represents something like 0.02% of the total revenue at the farm gates and it should be about 2% -- that’s the OECD average. If we want to get ahead in these areas we actually have to be spending more money – not less -- on R&D.” However, he admits the BLNZ levy is hard to maintain in the face of various financial pressures. “There are tensions, but I support the levy because it enables us to group our money together and do something strategic in R&D.” Rolleston says during his time at the helm of Feds he has steered the group to make decisions based on evidence-based science, being the voice of reason rather than “just shouting at the opposition”. That was sometimes frustrating and came at the expense of short term visibility, but it gave the group credibility and made it “so much more effective” in the long term.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NEWS 19

Horowhenua loses a great Guy PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

ABOUT 600 people last month attended the funeral of Malcolm Guy, the father of Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy, in Levin. Attendees included ministerial colleagues including the attorneygeneral Chris Finlayson, Fonterra chairman John Wilson, MPI chief executive Martyn Dunne and former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, plus other local MPs, local government representatives, business people and friends. Malcolm Guy, who was 80, was a dairy farmer at Koputaroa, near Levin, and well known for his service as a member and later chairman of the

Malcolm Guy, who was 80, was a dairy farmer at Koputaroa, near Levin, and well known for his service as a member and later chairman of the local county council. local county council. After the 1989 reforms of local government, Guy was elected mayor of the new Horowhenua District Council, serving until 1995. He was well known in farming circles and a regular attendee at conferences and farming events. Nathan and his brother Christopher delivered eulogies recounting family times. Nathan said just before the funeral he’d had a last minute word to his dad

and took him on a last circuit of the farm. They visited the duck pond where a concrete water trough is missing a big chunk taken off when

then had to dehorn after school. Guy says on the weekend before the funeral the family put his father’s body on the Land Rover

his father hit it while driving the Land Rover and talking on his cellphone. His funeral turnout was huge: St Mary’s

Anglican Church was packed to capacity and a video link was set up in the church hall to serve people standing and seated.

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to tell him about the rise in the milk price for next season. Malcolm seemed happy about that. Nathan Guy said his father had a keen eye for livestock and taught him how to bid; he learned quickly how to get the eye of the auctioneer without anyone seeing him do this – just like his dad. He noted that his father was among the first to get into the bull beef market and would buy cheaply animals with horns which he Nathan

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Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and brother Christopher at their father Malcolm’s funeral last month.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

20 NEWS

Firery setback for young Canterbury beekeeper NIGEL MALTHUS

A DEVASTATING fire will knock back a young beekeeper’s developing operation in North Canterbury by at least two years. James Malcolm’s Natural New Zealand Honey factory at Okuku, near Rangiora, has been badly damaged in a fire which broke out about lunchtime on May 23. Fuelled by melting beeswax and paraffin, plastic and wooden honey frames and wooden honey boxes, the inferno took firefighters well into the night to control. One end of the main building is destroyed and

smoke and water damage permeates the rest. Malcolm, aged in his 20s, has built the operation for 10 years; he ironically describes the disaster as “the icing on the cake” of his worst season ever because of a poor summer. He says the fire started in a paraffin dipper used to treat and disinfect wooden honey frames by coating them in molten paraffin wax. “For whatever reason a spark has come out of it, or something, [causing] wood and paraffin wax beside it on a pallet to catch fire.” It happened when the five staff then on site

were away at lunch. “The fire was away and unstoppable,” says Malcolm. “They grabbed every fire extinguisher they could find onsite and pretty much gave it to it. But though they got it down, it would flare up again.” The fire is a massive setback, he says, because it destroyed 8500 honey boxes in storage for the winter, each one filled with plastic or wooden honey frames, and even those frames not burned had lost the beeswax combs, which melted away. Though insurance should cover new boxes and frames, the bees

North Canterbury beekeeper James Malcolm is facing years of rebuilding his Natural New Zealand Honey business after his Okuku base was devastated by fire. RURAL NEWS GROUP

themselves will have to replace the combs. “The bees have to eat

Bees hang around discarded smoke and heatdamaged honey frames at the Natural New Zealand Honey base at Okuku. No bees were lost in the fire but replacing the lost frames will take a big chunk of the company’s production for the next few seasons. RURAL NEWS GROUP

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7kg of honey to make 1kg of beeswax. So you can imagine for every box that’s brand new in the field, we’re going to be back 7kg. The bees have to eat that so our honey production for the next couple of years is going to be between 20% and 40% down regardless of how big the crop is, because all the honey is going to be in foundation.” Malcolm says the young business had just turned a corner after years of building up its plant and equipment. “Now we have to start again. That equates to the best part of 65 tonnes of honey that’s going to have to be consumed by

the bees – meaning there will be no income – for them to draw out and make all that wax.” Media reports said incorrectly that Malcolm had lost thousands of bees in the fire. Populated hives are brought back to winter on farms in the Okuku area, but not in the shed itself. Two days after the fire the site was a hive of activity, albeit not the hive Malcolm would have wanted. Diggers and forklifts were clearing out the site and an electrician was restoring power for the pumps and for the queen bee breeding shed, which stands a few metres separate from the main shed and is undamaged.

Smoke still swirled around, however, with damaged frames being burned in a nearby fire pit to prevent them attracting the bees. “We have to burn all the frames to get rid of them or the bees will just hang around,” says Malcolm. “Anything that looks like it might be salvageable is covered in fireretardant foam and powder, and toxic smoke. They’re food-grade boxes so you’ve got to be careful what you do with them.” Malcolm says he has “a couple of strategies” to speed the recovery, such as feeding more sugar in spring, but it will all cost money.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NEWS 21

Fish salvage saves 400 ABOUT 400 fish were released recently into the Rangitata River in a joint salvage operation by central South Island Fish & Game and Mayfield Hinds Irrigation Ltd (MHIL). Each year as the irrigation season ends, staff from Fish & Game offer to work with irrigators to rescue fish from irrigation schemes being shut down for annual maintenance. Among them is the Mayfield Hinds scheme,

the largest privately owned scheme in New Zealand, which has delivered water from the Rangitata Diversion Race to 33,000ha since the late 1940s. MHIL staff gradually lower the water in the races so that fish are not unnecessarily stressed and have time to head naturally to areas of deeper water in the races (called drops). Once the water in the drops

is about thigh deep, it is electrically fished or dragnetted to recover as many fish as possible. Fish & Game staff use a commercial electric fishing backpack which temporarily and humanely disorients the fish to enable them to be easily netted. All fish recovered from the system are quickly returned to the Rangitata River. This year’s tally included a native

longfin eel, three adult salmon, about 200 juvenile salmon and about 200 brown and rainbow trout. Fish & Game says

this was about a normal return for the Mayfield Hinds scheme, compared to previous years. Two weeks earlier, staff in the North Can-

terbury region salvaged 1023 fish from the Amuri scheme, near Culverden. Fish & Game says that with about 750 schemes in Canterbury, it

works with many larger schemes, but says others may be unaware of its fish salvage capabilities. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

22 MARKETS & TRENDS L amb - PM 16.0kg

BEEF PRICES

LAMB PRICES n/c

Last Week 5.65

M 2 B ull - 300kg

n/c

5.55

5.45

Change

c/kgCWT NI

P 2 Steer - 300kg

2 Wks A go 5.65

Last Year 5.50

S te e r - P2 300kg

n/c

5 .6 5

n/c

5 .5 0

P 2 Co w - 230kg

n/c

4.30

4.50

B u ll - M2 300kg

n/c

5 .5 5

n/c

5 .1 5

M Co w - 200kg

n/c

4.20

4.40

Ve n is o n - AP 60kg

8 .5 0

+10

8 .9 0

Lo cal Trade - 230kg

n/c

5.60

5.30

n/c

5.50

5.20

M 2 B ull - 300kg

n/c

5.15

4.90

P 2 Co w - 230kg

n/c

3.95

3.80

M Co w - 200kg

n/c

3.95

3.80

Lo cal Trade - 230kg

n/c

5.50

5.30

P 2 Steer - 300kg

5.5

Slaughter

5.0

6.5

24-A pr

24-Jun

24-A ug

South Island 16kg M lamb price

$/kg

5.0

5yr Ave 6.0

24-Jun

24-A ug

Last Ye ar

This Ye ar

North Island 300kg bull price

$/kg

5yr Ave

South Island Weekly Cattle Kill

24-Jun

24-A ug

South Island 300kg steer price

5yr Ave

24-A ug This Ye ar

24-Jun

24-A ug

South Island 60kg stag price

Last Year 212 692

8.0 7.5 7.0 24-A pr 5yr Ave

24-Jun Last Ye ar

This Ye ar

24-A ug

10 Oct

28 Mar

28 May Last Ye ar

UK Leg p/kg

n/c

Last Week 6

NZc/kg

Change

5yr A ve 198 621

700

28 Jul This Ye ar

2 Wks A go 6

Last Year 5

5yr A ve 5 9

500

20 Apr

20 Jun

20 Aug

Procurement Indicator

150 $1.50 20-Feb 20-A pr 20-Jun 20-A ug 5-Jun 12-Jun 19-Jun 26-Jun 3-Jul 10-Jul 17-Jul 24-Jul 31-Jul 7-Aug 14-Aug 21-Aug 28-Aug 4-Sep 11-Sep 18-Sep 25-Sep 9-Oct 16-Oct 23-Oct 30-Oct 6-Nov 13-Nov 20-Nov 5yr ave Last Ye ar This Ye ar

Procurement Indicator +1 +1

2Wks A go 73.4 68.1

% Returned NI

0 .6

2Wks A go 72.7

% Returned SI

1.2

70.9

Change

3 Wks A go 72.5 67.3

Last Year 78.0 70.7

5yr A ve 75.0 68.4

P rocu rement Indicator Procurement Indicator -- North North I.Island 95 90% 85% 80% 75 75% Last Year 70% This Year 65% 60% 55 0… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 24-Feb 24-A pr 24-Jun 24-A ug

90 P rocu rement Indicator - South I. 85% 80% 75% 70 70% 65% Last Year 60% This Year 50 24-Feb 24-A pr 24-Jun 24-A ug 55% 19-Jun 26-Jun 3-Jul 10-Jul 17-Jul 24-Jul 31-Jul 7-Aug 14-Aug 21-Aug 28-Aug 4-Sep 11-Sep 18-Sep 25-Sep 16-Oct 23-Oct 30-Oct 6-Nov 13-Nov 20-Nov 0-Jan 5yr ave Last Ye ar 9-Oct This Ye ar

75 80%

3 Wks A go 72.1

Last Year 70.9

69.8

67.6

71.1 67.9

70% 65 60% Last Year

This Year

50% 55 11-Aug 24-Feb 11-Sep 11-Oct 24-A pr 11-Nov 11-Dec 24-Jun 11-Jan 11-Feb 24-A ug 75 80%

Procurement indicator - South Island P rocu rement Indicator - South I.

70% 65 60% Last Y ear

This Year

50% 55 11-Aug 24-Feb 11-Sep 11-Oct 24-A pr 11-Nov 11-Dec 24-Jun 11-Jan 11-Feb 24-A ug 5yr ave Last Ye ar This Ye ar

Venison Prices NI Stag - 60kg

Last Week 8.50

SI Stag - 60kg

+10

8.90

Change

2 Wks A go 8.45

Last Year 7.70

8.80

7.70

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

Quality

10 Nov

Export demand indicator - UK CKT leg

This Year

Procurement Indicator - South Island

8.5

$/kg

3 Wks A go 237 762

% of export returns

$/kg $/kg

7.0

10 Sep

5yr Ave

300 20 Feb

% Returned NI % Returned SI

7.5

6.5 24-Feb

2 Wks A go 239 762

Export indicator - US 95CL D edemand mand Indicator - US 95CL Beefbeef

Change

8.0

9.0

+2 +1

North Island 60kg stag price

24-A pr

k 10 0Aug

Export Market Demand

This Year

USc/lb 24-Jun Last Ye ar

S outh Island Weekly Lamb Kill

400 200k

10-Oct28-May10-Nov 28-Jul Last Ye ar This Ye ar

Last Year

8.5

6.5 24-Feb

Last Year

28-Mar 10-Sep 5yr Ave

$2.00

24-A pr 5yr Ave

10 Nov28 Jul

South Island w eekly lamb kill

500 250k

28 Jan

$2.50 200

4.5

This Year

10 Oct 28 May

50k 100

95CL USc/lb NZc/kg 250 $3.00

Last Year

10 28 SepMar

100k 200

Change

24-A pr

5yr Ave

k 0 10 28 Aug Jan

300 150k

Export Market Demand

5.0

9.0

10-Dec 28-Jul

S outh Island Weekly Cattle Kill

0 k 28-Jan 10-Aug

5.5

4.0 24-Feb

This Year

% of export returns

6.0

Last Year

10-Sep 10-Oct 10-Nov 28-Mar 28-May

4.5 4.0 24-Feb

200

5.0

North eekly lamb N ort hIsland Islandw Weekly Lambkill Kill

50k

10k 20

5.5

Last Year 5.16 5.18 5.20 5.21 2.60 4.98 4.98 4.98 4.98 2.50

100k

15k40

24-A pr

2 Wks A go 6.11 6.13 6.15 6.16 3.90 6.08 6.08 6.08 6.08 3.90

150k

k 0 10-Aug 28-Jan

5.5

+5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5

Last Week 6.16 6.18 6.20 6.21 3.95 6.13 6.13 6.13 6.13 3.95

200k

40 20k

6.0

4.5 24-Feb

North N ort hIsland IslandWeekly Weekly Cattle Cattle Kill Kill

40k60

Thousand head

4.5 24-Feb

Change

Slaughter 250k 400

Thousand head

$/kg

6.0

Thousand head

6.5

North Island 16kg M lamb price

c/kgCWT NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg P M - 16.0kg P X - 19.0kg P H - 22.0kg M utto n M X1 - 21kg SI Lamb YM - 13.5kg P M - 16.0kg P X - 19.0kg P H - 22.0kg M utto n M X1- 21kg

UKp/kg

c /kgCWT

S o u th Is lan d C h an g e L as t c /kg We e k +5 6 .1 3

% of export returns

No rth Is lan d C h an g e L as t c /kg We e k +5 6 .1 8

LAMB MARKET TRENDS

% of export returns

Me at

BEEF MARKET TRENDS

Thousand head

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Proven

5yr A ve 6.74 6.75

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

MARKETS & TRENDS 23 PRICE WATCH

INTERNATIONAL

BEEF:

US imported beef prices are holding up far better than expected. Imported prices have lifted further with 90CL prices on par with the highs seen in 2015 at this

Lamb schedules have continued steadily risen. Volumes have lifted in recent weeks as the winter-like conditions force more farmers to offload. Processors are far from inundated with numbers though. Lamb condition has deteriorated with the change in weather conditions, with yield numbers occasionally disappointing. Muttons also benefitted from a lift in the prices lately. Theyâ€™re now approaching the previous highs recorded in 2011. Given the breeding ewe sale season is bearing down on us, this does suggest breeders will have to dig deep into their pockets if they want to buy in any extra ewes. Early in-lamb sales have been solid, with $140-$160 appearing to be the common level in both the North Island and South Island. Store lamb prices have stabilised in the North Island, but continue to slowly lift through the South Island.

Overseas Wool Price Indicators

Change

25-May

18-May

Last Year

Coarse Xbred

-5

370

375

579

Coarse Xbred

260

258

391

Fine Xbred

n/c

403

582

Fine Xbred

283

277

393

Lamb

411

409

622

Lamb

288

282

420

Indicators in NZc/kg

Mid Micron

Indicators in USc/kg

Wool indicator trends Wool Indicator Trends

850 700

Change

Mid Micron

700

25-May 18-May

Last Year

Fine crossbred indicator

CXI

750

FXI

650 500

c/kg

SHEEP:

WOOL PRICE WATCH

500

550 450 300 26-May 26-Jul 26-Sep 26-Nov 26-Jan 26-Mar WeekNo 42110 42124 42138 42152 42166 42180 42194 42208 42222 42236 42250 42264 42278 42292 42306 42320 42334 42348 42376 42390 42404 42418 42432 42446 42459

CXI

650700

FXI

300 23-Feb

Coarse crossbred indicator Coarse Xbred Indicator Last Year

600

800

5yr ave

23-Apr

23-Jun Last Year

23-Aug This Year

Lamb wool indicator

This Year

600

550500

c/kg

point in the year. While demand for ground beef is expected to be favourable in the next six weeks, a limiting factor may be the exceptionally high price of fatty trim (50CL) in the US, which is blended with 90 and 95CL in meat patties.

c/kg

BEEF: Cows are still flowing into processors at a rapid rate, but it wonâ€™t be long until it all begins to quieten off again. This is backed up by the fact that North Island processors have been utilising spot-premiums much more frequently than had been the case in recent weeks. There are considerable backlogs building for export prime and bulls which will keep plants busy through June. These sizeable backlogs have meant some long waiting times for anyone attempting to get steers and bulls processed. Slaughter prices have virtually stayed unchanged over the past few weeks. Demand for store cattle is limited by the wet conditions and also the length of wait-times to get cattle slaughtered. This has caused some notable easing in store prices through the North Island, though this is more prominent in beef-dairy cattle, with good traditional types still selling well. In-calf cows have sold well lately, with as much as $2840 paid for Hereford heifers at Feilding.

c/kg

NEWS

500 450300 23-Feb Dec Oct

5yr ave

23-Apr Feb

23-Jun Jun Last Year Apr

Aug23-Aug

This Year

400 200 23-Feb 23-Mar 5yr ave

23-Apr 23-May 23-Jun Last Year This Year

OUR INSIGHT. YOUR EDGE.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

24 AGRIBUSINESS

Potential for farmers to cash in on Lions FARMERS AND lifestyle block-owners can cash in on the wave of π motorhome tourists here for the Lions rugby tour, says the developer of an app called CamperMate. The app is preinstalled on Tom Tom in Maui, Britz and Mighty rental vehicles. It will

enable drivers to ‘rent’ a small plot for their vehicle. Adam Hutchinson says the app will alert 35,000 tourists a day to 1700 camping locations. He got the idea from seeing motorhomers’ liking for recreation clubs’ carparks. How

about also scenic farm spots and lifestyle properties, he thought. Rugby tourists are likely to relish an alternative to tar-sealed overnight stops, and chose locations off the beaten track, he claims. “With freedom camping regulations chang-

ing there’s a rise in motorhomers seeking smaller spaces.... Drivers of certified-self contained vehicles need only a driveway for the night.” Tourists book a listing through the app and CamperMate handles the credit card payment, which triggers an email

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mission to cover its merchant, booking and credit card fees. Property owners conscious of their health and safety obligations when hosting can get data specific to their property to give to guests through the app. Also to keep legal, CamperMate only takes a booking for a single vehicle per night. That’s why it offers a rate per vehicle rather than per person. A host can decide their own nightly rate per vehicle, Hutchinson says. He

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NORTHLAND FARMER James Parsons has been re-elected as the Beef + Lamb New Zealand chairman for another year. He has chaired BLNZ chairman since 2014 and represented the northern North Island as its farmer director since 2009. Gore farmer and southern South Island farmer director Andrew Morrison was elected deputy chairman when the board met in May. BLNZ also confirmed Andrew Stewart, a farmer from Marton, as the inaugural associate director for an unpaid term of one year March 31, 2018. Parsons says the associate director position is chiefly aimed at growing leadership and governance skills amongst farmers and building greater diversity at the board table.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

AGRIBUSINESS 25

Vineyard mapper baits the hook NIGEL MALTHUS

AN AUSTRALIAN aerial spectral mapping company hopes to burst into the New Zealand market via a grand gesture. Purely ‘on spec’ it has mapped Marlborough’s main vineyard district at its own expense, hoping property owners will put up their hands to buy the offered data. Perth-based SpecTerra mapped 49,000ha of the Wairau Valley in late summer with a fixedwing plane carrying the company’s specialised four-channel multispectral camera system, designed to detect and map leaf health and density variability at high resolution. The company is now hoping to sell the data to the various vineyard owners and sign them up for future updates. Set up originally to map the impact on vegetation of the mining industry in Western Australia, SpecTerra now has processing staff on both coasts of Australia and in Europe, and cloud applications to manage any type of vegetation. Managing director Andrew Malcolm says the potential benefits of aerial spectral imaging for precision agriculture are huge; the highest-value proposition is found in vineyards, for improving harvesting grape quality. He says everyone knows there is variability in their fields, but until they start measuring it a big question mark remains on what effect the variability is having on profit. The company has custom-surveyed some larger NZ vineyards, but precision viticulture has a problem in the start-up cost. “So though we were doing custom surveys it was always for bigger growers who could afford to get us over there. In this case we decided to fly the whole valley ‘on spec’ at our own cost.” Malcolm says every field varies in yield,

growth potential and grape quality potential. “But there are questions: where is it? how is it variable and what is the cost of that variability? “This imagery allows vineyard owners to map where their zones of variability are, then start to apply management.” The key variability to start with is soil type. “That’s generally the driver, but in any given season that soil type might offer different growth or quality potential; so then it comes down to water availability, and from then on nutrients, pests and diseases.” The survey was done on March 1, by the company’s equipment mounted on a Canterbury Aviation Cessna piloted by Hugh Robinson. The same setup was used for experimental surveys of wilding pines in the Mackenzie Basin for the Department of Conservation (Rural News, May 23). Flying at 5000 feet gave a resolution of about 40cm, enough to differentiate between the vines and inter-vine vegetation. SpecTerra claims its methods are faster and more efficient than ground surveys, and give better resolution than is available from satellites and more sophisticated data from its cameras than is available from small, light drone systems. Malcolm says independent research by Australia’s CSIRO shows that the “most predictive” time for flying is at veraison -- the onset of ripening just prior to harvest when the canopy is at peak growth. The Wairau Valley survey coincides with the setup of a NZ agency for SpecTerra’s services, called NeoSpatial. It will be run by Karl van Turnhout, a Kiwi now living in Perth who plans to return to NZ later in the year. Van Turnhout says NeoSpatial will offer SpecTerra’s services as

well as GIS services for all forms of agriculture. “If we’re collecting imagery across the Marlborough valley we’re also collecting imagery across orchards and fruit

SpecTerra’s spectral analysis shows variations along individual rows of a New Zealand vineyard. SUPPLIED/SPECTERRA.

crops. So if those growers see any value in the data we can deal with them as well,” he adds. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

26 OPINION EDITORIAL

EDNA

Sad, but necessary CONFIRMATION THAT Silver Fern Farms is closing its Fairton processing works near Ashburton is sad news for the 370 workers at the plant and the wider Mid Canterbury region. Unfortunately, this move was inevitable. Despite those who try to claim other conspiratorial reasons, the reality is that declining sheep numbers is the key factor behind the closure. This was laid out to the workers in early May when SFF signalled its plan to close the plant. The drop in lambs processed at Fairton has been huge: down from one million to just 325,000 in the season just finished -- the lowest tally ever. The South Island sheep flock has fallen from 20 million ten years ago to 14 million today. This has been especially marked in Canterbury and Marlborough – the major catchment area for Fairton – because of farm conversions to dairy, dairy support and grapevines. One only has to drive around Canterbury and see all the dairy farms there today that used to be sheep farms, or the proliferation of pivot irrigators where there never were pivot irrigators. Of course this has not stopped deliberate – and largely political – claims being made about the ‘real reason’ for the closure. Some have tried to blame SFF’s 50% Chinese owner Shanghai Maling for the decision. This ignores the fact that Shanghai Maling’s $260 million injection into SFF late last year has prevented more of the company’s plants from being shut down and given it much needed capital to invest in its business. There has also been speculation that the Fairton site will be turned into a water bottling plant – a hot political issue in Ashburton. However, SFF has dismissed this claim. “We have absolutely no intention of bottling water as has been speculated on without basis by some parties,” it says. Many of Fairton’s workers will have seen this day coming. In fact, when SFF signalled its proposal to workers last month, many emerged from the meeting grim-faced, but confirmed in what many had already guessed. “Predictable,” was a frequently heard comment. Silver Fern Farms says it will now process lambs at Pareora, near Timaru, which already handles sheep, beef, venison and bobby calves. Hopefully this will give workers there a longer season with better wages and more certainty.

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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

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THE HOUND Say what?

Go south

YOUR OLD mate reckons a fine example of ‘political correctness gone mad’ is seen in a decision by the Otago Regional Council (ORC) not to use the term ‘gypsy day’ again, after it was criticised as offensive. Last month, the ORC issued a statement under the heading ‘Gypsy Day preparations bring reminder to reduce effluent spillage’. “Outrage”, howled a Dunedin City councillor, the lefty, whining, do-gooder Aaron Hawkins. “It’s remarkable that in 2017 something could still be called ‘gypsy day’.” The oh-so-politicallycorrect and easily offended councillor claimed, “Gypsy is commonly used as a slur against Roma people” and “Drawing a comparison between herds of cattle and any ethnic grouping is offensive”. ORC chief executive Peter Bodeker, buckling like a typical lifetime bureaucrat, decreed “ORC won’t be using the term in the future.

WHAT IS it with Massey University academics and their hatred of agriculture? The Hound is used to hearing Massey lecturers Mike Joy and Russell Death, along with Massey student and water campaigner Marnie Prickett, bagging farming – dairy in particular – and falsely blaming the sector for destroying the country’s environment. But when he heard a supposed agribusiness expert from the same Massey, James Lockhart, recently telling radio host Mike Hosking that NZ was too reliant on agriculture, your old mate decided it was time to give up on Massey. Perhaps it should just stick to turning out social workers and NGO do-gooders and leave Lincoln to teach agriculture. This old mutt reckons any prospective students wanting to get a positive and forward thinking view of the NZ agribusiness sector should probably head south.

PRODUCTION: Dave Ferguson ........................Ph 09 913 9633 davef@ruralnews.co.nz Becky Williams ........................Ph 09 913 9634 beckyw@ruralnews.co.nz REPORTERS: Sudesh Kissun ....................... Ph 09 913 9627 Pamela Tipa ............................. Ph 09 620 7811 Peter Burke .............................Ph 06 362 6319 Nigel Malthus ...................... Ph 021 164 4258 MACHINERY EDITOR: Mark Daniel ............................. Ph 021 906 723 or 07 824 1190 SUB-EDITOR: Neil Keating ............................Ph 09 913 9628

Asleep at the wheel?

Wah, wah

THE HOUND hears that the jokes were on PM Bill English who was in fine form at the recent Ahuwhenua Trophy awards in Whangarei. Talking about land development, English recalled that as a 14-yearold, his father set him off on a D2 Caterpillar with a single plough to open up an 80 acre paddock on the family farm. The PM admitted it was hard to keep a straight line, and worse when he fell asleep at the wheel and ended up in the neighbour’s paddock still happily ploughing along. Sonny Tau, of Omapere Trust, also teased the PM, saying he’d heard English had asked for a time machine to see what NZ would look like in 50 years, but this posed a problem for the PM: the answer came back in Maori.

APPARENTLY THE Hound has a new no.1 fan – none other than dairy-hating, self-deluded, self-opinionated metropolitan newspaper columnist Rachel ‘Toxic’ Stewart. Clearly, Stewart must have buggerall to do in her miserable life except cut and paste her weekly, bilefilled rants for Granny Herald, so the poor old, sad falconer spent the better part of a weekend last month re-tweeting past Hound columns (actually masterpieces, eh Rach) to her fellow Grey Lynn-lovey dairyhating Twitter followers. As they say, even bad publicity is good publicity, but your old mate is not sure he wants a whole lot of Rachel Stewart ‘Twits’ as fans. Meanwhile, while Stewart may claim to act tough – like most schoolyard bullies – she is only too happy to dish out criticism, but whines like a little girl when on the receiving end.

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WAIKATO SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Ted Darley .......... Ph 07 854 6292/021 832 505 ted@ruralnews.co.nz

SOUTH ISLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Kaye Sutherland Ph 03 337 3828/021 221 1994 kayes@ruralnews.co.nz

ABC audited circulation 80,580 as at 30/09/2016

WEBSITE PRODUCER: Jessica Wilson ........................ Ph 09 913 9621

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 6, 2017

OPINION 27

Good old days not so good THE NOSTALGIA button is being pushed with releases of chocolate bar flavours from the past, milk in traditional glass bottles and constant references to food “as it was meant to be”. All natural is in vogue, whatever people think it means. And chemophobia is increasing despite the fact that life is based on chemicals. Recent media articles have suggested that if you can’t pronounce the name of a chemical on a food packet it is likely your body cannot deal with it. A rebuttal to this from Professor Alison Campbell at the University of Waikato listed the ingredients that occur in bananas. Certainly 3-methylbut-1-yl ethanoate can be synthesised in a laboratory, but it also occurs naturally in bananas. It is responsible for the distinctive smell and is an important component of banana lollies and anything else banana flavoured. The point is that whether a chemical is natural or synthetic indicates nothing about its effect on the body -- good or bad or even toxic. Nor does eating food products known to have a high concentration of, for instance, anti-oxidants, mean that the food will make a difference to your health. How many antioxidants are in your diet already? Is the amount being added to your diet significant? How much is needed to have an effect? Starting points and relativities are being overlooked in much of life. When it comes to the environment, we seem to be forgetting that to international visitors we are a lucky country

that without an economy, New Zealand’s way of life is threatened – whether that way of life involves the arts or external recreation, or both, deterioration occurs unless there is an income allowing support. The relationship is recognised in the Food

– water we can almost always drink from a tap or swim in, sky that is not smogged out, nearly 30% of the country in the Department of Conservation estate and the 38th lowest tax burden in the OECD. The large protected areas are supported by the economy and its growth over the past few years, rather than increases in taxation. This is the current reality. Nostalgia, the yearning for an idealised past, used repeatedly in marketing, prevents us from remembering what the past was really like as it filters out negative emotions. In evoking the past – for instance, the memory of childhood summers (long, hot and carefree) or first loves (deep, meaningful yet not-to-be) for instance -- we recreate what we would have liked it to be. The future lies in protecting the environment while achieving a net balance approach to economy and hence lifestyle. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) was created in 2011 to help ensure that balance between environment and economy is maintained. The EPA’s vision is “an environment protected, enhancing our way of life and the economy”. The balance reflects the fact

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and Agriculture Organization definition of sustainability. It acknowledges that unless an activity is economically viable, it isn’t sustainable. However, the business that enables financially viable production and protection of the envi-

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can see why decisions are being made. Nostalgia is confusing the issues in NZ, as it is in many developed countries where facts, evidence and data are being superseded by opinions and beliefs. Unless we maintain a balanced approach to the

environment and economy, we will find ourselves with the living standard of the past and the reality is unlikely to be anything like as rosy as remembered. • Jacqueline Rowarth is chief scientist at the Environmental Protection Authority

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

28 OPINION

Rural health needs its fair share MARTIN LONDON

RURAL NEW Zealanders’ lives are at risk every day because of poor cellphone and internet connectivity and inequitable

health services. The government needs to help remove barriers to rural people’s health being considered as important as that of city dwellers. The Rural Health

Alliance of Aotearoa NZ (RHAANZ) has 47 national member organisations: rural health providers, agribusiness and community groups, universities and local councils.

Last month, we held national rural conferences and meetings in Wellington. Later I outlined to Health Minister Jonathan Coleman the priorities RHAANZ has for improving health ser-

RHAANZ’s Martin London.

vices in rural areas: rural wellbeing, rural connectivity, rural research and policy, rural health services and the rural health workforce. We reminded him that the 600,000 people living in rural regions -- effectively NZ’s ‘second-largest city’ -- are an important constituency economically and politically. Overseas evidence links health and wellbeing to economic productivity. Intuitively this will apply in NZ, so it is an imperative rural people receive their fair share of publicly funded health services and have equitable access to health services. We asked the minister to reinstate rural proofing in all government departments and we want to fast-track a new definition of ‘rurality’ as it pertains to health services. These are two important ways we can hold policy-makers to account for equitable health outcomes for rural people. Mobile phone blackspots remain a serious issue in rural NZ, especially in case of emergencies. Poor broadband connectivity is a barrier to education and the slow pace of UFB and RBI2 roll-outs are dampening progress, production and innovation. The responses to big disasters such as last year’s Hurunui-KaikouraMarlborough earthquake show what can be done in an innovative way to bring services to rural areas. Much of what is learned from such events needs to become ‘business as usual’. What a pity it takes a big earthquake to bring this about.

We also know unrealistic expectations are imposed on the rural health workforce especially after hours and during emergencies. Our rural health workforce is ageing, tired and burnedout and we need better retention and recruitment. We need greater workforce flexibility, nurse practitioners and pharmacists for example, as a key way to improve access to health services for rural people. We also need to make our small towns liveable so that people want to come and to stay. Restoring the vibrancy to rural communities would help solve many of our issues. We want a national ‘virtual health care’ service for rural NZers, bringing services closer to rural people and helping them to age in their own homes. The technology and expertise is there, now we need, in this election year, evidence of political will to see it happen. Agriculture and tourism are the powerhouses of our economy. Each year at least 2.5 million tourists visit rural NZ. In 2011-2012, $40 billion -that’s 19% of GDP -- was generated directly or indirectly by the agri-food sector. The Government needs to work with our ideas on rural health and social services if it wants the sector to thrive. We will meet the health minister again at the opening of the Health Hub at National Fieldays. • Dr Martin London is chair of the Rural Health Alliance of Aotearoa New Zealand (RHAANZ).

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

30 OPINION

Time to get smart on managing our fresh water WILLIAM ROLLESTON

NEW ZEALAND, as we all know, is blessed with abundant water and we have it to ourselves. Water makes us the lucky country. However, whether we are the smart country will depend on how we harness, utilise and manage that resource for the benefit of ourselves and the environment. We have abundant water, but it is not always in the right place at the right time. North Canterbury had, for example, been in drought for three years. This not only affected farmers who had to turn their irrigators off, but also the rivers like the Selwyn – the subject of intense media scrutiny early this year. Images of green pastures deluged by water counter those of gasping fish and choking weed, making it clear who the real villain was. In the last hurrah for Selwyn River, before the rains came and ruined all the fun, The Press (Christchurch) ran a front page article on the Irwell River and how the fishing had been destroyed. Buried deep in the article were two small observations: nearby Heart Creek had been destitute some ten

years before farmers got together and rehabilitated it; and complaining fisherman had to travel to South Canterbury’s Opihi River with not a mention that it is supplemented by the Opuha Dam, which farmers built. This brings me to a question: how is the primary sector getting onthe-ground behaviour change to meet the challenge of improving fresh water? The water debate has made one thing very clear to me: farmers hate being told what to do, but give them a problem and they want to fix it. Farmers have seen the problem of over-allocation of water in the Selwyn and are working hard to address this. They recognise the effect nutrients are having on Te Whaihora and are working to fix that too. Farmers engage with each other and, for the most part, want to be good neighbours. I say ‘for the most part’ because you can always find an exception to the rule. Unfortunately for farmers it is the exception which the media tend to paint as typical. Vilifying farmers from the top only enrages and alienates them. It pushes them further away from the problem you are

Federated Farmers national president William Rolleston says farmers are keen to engage on improving water quality.

trying to get them to see. It creates winners and losers and builds resentment. That is why I am disappointed to see NGOs dragging farmers and councils to court over technicalities, as we have seen in the Horizons situation. They may be right in law, but we are beginning to ask, is the law itself right? Is the law right when councils become hamstrung, terrified of making a legal mistake because it will be

pounced on? No one is saying farmers and farming do not have an effect on the environment. What I am saying is that up and down the country farmers understand and are working hard to address the problem. Dairy farmers have spent at least $1 billion on fencing rivers, riparian planting and improving effluent management. Their dryland cousins have been the main contributors to the establish-

ment of QEII covenants protecting private land for conservation at a real and opportunity cost of $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion, and our levy bodies spend millions of dollars on research, much of it now focused on water issues. Finally we are starting to see science develop tools to reduce our environmental footprint, for example, precision agriculture, good farming practice, managed aquifer recharge and targeted

stream augmentation, to name a few. Despite this effort there are still catchments which need work and we need to concentrate our efforts there. On-the-ground behaviour change happens when the players are engaged constructively, not forced to work to a narrow set of unworkable rules. On-the-ground behaviour happens when the problem is viewed from the ground up (catchment by catch-

ment) not from the top down. And on-the-ground behaviour change happens when it is led by good science, not activist rhetoric. Remember, farmers are on a journey to improve water quality. Now we need the rest of New Zealand to get behind them. • This is an edited version of a speech Fed Farmers’ national president William Rolleston gave to Local Government NZ’s recent Freshwater Forum.

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RURALNEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

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J37 J32 C103 J41 K34 M J36 C101 C99 L4 K38 J35 D136 D134 D132 L5 J30 D122 D120 D118 D114 D130 E85 E111 E109 E107 D126 D124 K32 D112 J39 C97 I37 C95E83 E81 E79 D128 D110 E105 E103 E101 E77 E75 D108 C65 C63 C61 C59 D104 E73 E99 E97 E95 I38 C57 D102 D10 C55 C5 E93 J34 L2 C93 C91 I31 L3 K36 I32 E91 E89 E87 C89 C87 J31 C85 C83 C81 C79 I52 I35 C77 K30 I36 C75 L1 J37 J32 I49 W19 K34 J46 W16 I50 I33 I34 I30 J49 J35 I29 J30 J26 W17E107 E85 E111 E109 J29 E81 E79 E77 E75 I47 C96 E83 C94 E105 E103 J44 K32K46 K33 C92 C90 C88 E73 K28 I48 E99 E97 E95 E96A I28 W14 E108 E106E101 E86 E104 J47 C86 C84 E102 E100E93E98 I31 BUSINESS C76 C74 C72 C70 E96 I32 E74 E72 E94 E92 W15 I27 E91E88 E90 C68 INTER E89 E87J24 C66 NATIO J31 J27 E84 C64 NALC62 C60 C58 K31 E82 E80 E78 I45 J42 K26K44 C56 C54 I26 E76 I46 K30 CENTRE RESTAU W12 J45 W13 J25 I25 I24 W19 D135 I43 J22 J40 K29 K42 K24 D133 D131 D129 I44 J43 D127 I30 D125 D123 W10 D119 D117 D115 D113 D111 I29 J26 D109 D107 W17 W11 J29 I23 I41 K40 K27 K23 I22 J20 J38 J23 K22 E96A I42 I28 FOOD HUB NORTH K28 E108 E106 E104 E102 E100 E86 E70 E68 E66 E64 BUSIN E98 E60 E58 ESS E56 E96 E94 E92 W8 E74 E72 W15 W9 F111 F109 E52 E50 E48 E I21 E90 E88 I27 J18 J27 E84 K21 F107 F105 F103 F101 INTERNATIONAL I20 J24 E82 I39 K20 E80 F99 F97 F95 F93 I40 F91 F89 F87 F85 J41 J21 K26 I26 F81 F79 E78 F77 E76 F75 F73 CENTRE RES J36 I19 W13 J16 K38 D136 I18 D134 D132 D130 D128 K19 J25 D122 D120 D118 D114 I25 W7 D126 D124 I24 J19 D112 J39 I37 D110 J22 D108 I17 K24 F69 F67 F65 F63 F83 I38 I16 D104 F59 F57 F55 F53 J14 D102F47 D100F F51 F49 F71 K18 J34 K36 J17 K17 W11 I23 I35 K23 I22 J20 J23 K22 I36 J37 J32 E70 E68 E66 E64 E60 E58 E56 E52 E50 E48 I21I15 K34 F84 W9 F111 J18J12 F109F110 K21 F107F108 W5 F112 F105F106 I20I14 F103F104 I33 F89 F101F102 J15 K20 F99F100 F91 F97 F98 J21 F95 F93 I34 K15 F87 F85 K16 F92 F90 F88 J30 F81 F79 F77 F75 F73 J35 F86 I19 E85 E111 E109 E107 I12 J16 E83 F80 F82A F82 E81 F78 I13 E79 F76 I18 J10 E105 E103 E101 K32 E77 F74 K19 F70 F68 F66 F64 F62 F60 F58 F56 F54 F52 E75 F72 E73 E99 E97 E95 W7 F50 F48 J19 E93 J13 F83 I31 K13 I17 F69 F67 F65 F63 FOOD HUB K14 I32I16 F59 F57 F55 F53 J14 E91 E89 E87 F51 F49 F47 J31 F71 K18 W3 G105 I10 J17 K17 I11 WEST G103 G101 K30 J8 G99 G97 G95 G93 G91 I8 J11 G85 K11 G83 G81 G79 G77 I9 W19 K12 J6 W16 G75 G73 G71 G69 G67 G65 I14I6 G63 G61 G59 G57 G55 G53 I30 I15 F84J12 W5 F112 F110 F108 F106 F104 F102 G51 G49 G47 G45 G43 I7 I29 J15 J9 F100 F98 G41 J26 J4 K15 W17 J29 K16 F92 F90 F88 F86 K9 K10 E96A I28 I12 W1 W14 F82A K28 E108 E86 F82 F80 E106 I13 F78 E104 E102 E100 E98 F76 F74 F72 F70 F68 F66 F64 F62 J10 G96 F60BUSIN E96 E94 E92 F58ESSF56 F54 F52 F50 F48 E74 E72 W15 I27 E90 E88 G94 J27 J13 E84 INTERNATIONAL J24 K13 E82 E80 E78 G92 FOOD HUB K14 K26 I26 E76 G90 CENTRE I10 RESTA W12 W3 G105 I11 WEST G88 W13G103 G72 J8J2 G101 G99 G86 G84 J25 J7 I25 G70 G68 G66 G97 G95 G93 I24 G64 G62 G60 K24 G82 G80 J22 G91 K4 G38 G60 J11 G78 I8 G85 G83 G81 G79 K11 G58 G56 G54 G52 G50 G48 G46 G44 G42 I9 K12 G77 J6 G40 W10 G76 G75 G73 G71 G69 G67 G65 G74 W11 G63 G61 G59 G57 G55 G53 I6 I23 G51 G49 G47 G45 G43 K23 J9 I22 I7 J20 J23 K22 G4 J4 K9 K10 E70 E68 E66 E64 E60 E58 E56 W8W1 E52 E50 E48 I21 K3K21 J5 J18 H55 H53 H51 G96W9 F111 F109 F107 F105 F103 F101 F99 I20 H49 H47 H45 K20 K2 H25 F91 F89 F87 F85 F97 F95 F93 J21 G94 H43 H41 H39 H37 H35 F81 F79 F77 F75 F73 H33 H31 H29 H27 G92 I19 K1 J0J16 G90 I18 K19 W7 G88 J19 G72 J2 G86 G84 I17 F69 F67 F65 F63 J7 F83 G70 G68 G66 F59 F57 F55 F53 J14 I16 G64 G62 G60 F51 F49 F47 G F71 K4 G82 G80 K18 G60 J17 K17 G58 G56 G54 G52 G50 G78 G48 G46 G44 G42 G40 G76 G74 H52 H50 H24 H48 H46 H44 H42 I14 I15 F84J12 H26 W5 F112 F110 F108 F106 F104 F102 H40 H38 H J15 F100 F98 K3 K15 H34 H28 J5 H55 H53 H51 K16 F92 F90 F88 F86 H36 UT H49 H47 H45 K2 H32 H30 H25 H43 I12 SO F82A F82 F80 F78 F76 F74 F72 H37 F62 H35 I13 H33 H31 H29 H27 F70 H41 J10 F68 H39 F66 F64 F60 F58 F56 F54 F52UB F50 F48 K1 J0 J13 H K13 FOOD HUB K14 D W3 G105 O I10 I11 WEST G103 G101 FO J8 G99 G97 G95 G93 G91 I8 J11 G85 G83 G81 G79 K11 I9 K12 M G77 J6 H52 H50 H24 G75 G73 G71 G69 G67 G65 EV YST G63 G61 G59 G57 G55 G53 H48 H46 EN ER I6 G51 G49 G47 G45 G43 I7 J9 H44 H42 G41 TS Y J4 H26 K9 H40 H38 K10 H CE CRE W1 H36 H34 H32 H30 H28 NT EK UT G96 RE SO G94 HQ B G92 HU G90 D G88 G72 J2 O G86 G84 J7 G70 G68 G66 G64 G62 G60 K4 FO G82 G80 G38 G60 G58 G56 G54 G52 G50 G78 G48 G46 G44 G42 G40 G76 G74 M

I40 I34

44 LIGHT COMMER CIAL VEHICLE LIGHT COMMERZONE CIAL VEHICLE ZON E

I48 I52

C103

L15

L6 L10 L4 L24 L8

C99

I52

SEE US AT SITE PE24, PE26

FENCING COMPETITIONS

A25

L24 L22

A27

H55 H53 H51

H33 H31 H29

H25

H27

H44 H42 H40 H38

H24 H36 H34 H32 H30 H28

H26

198

PURCHASE ANY NEW HILUX & GET*

SEE US AT SITE F76

SEE US AT SITE H45, K2

YEARS FREE - SERVICING - WARRANTY

COURIER HUT

SEE US AT SITE K15

SEE US AT SITE G66, G68

SEE US AT SITES C105, I50, I52

H43 H41 H39 H37 H35

COURIER HUT M EV YST EN ER TS Y CE CRE NT EK RE HQ

K3 K1

er -

H52 H50 H48 H46

SEE US AT SITE F45, M12, M14

H49 H47 H45

e weed

e ge n

COURIER HUT

SEE US AT SITE E64, E63

J5 J0

EV YST EN ER TS Y CE CRE NT EK RE HQ

JFM

SEE US AT SITE F85, F87

- WOF CHECKS - AA ROADSERVICE

SEE

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

8-F42

SITE F38-F42

THE NEW T4 and S4 from

SEE US AT SITE A5

SEE US AT SITE C64, C66, C68,C70

SEE US AT SITE C72

SEE US AT SITE C52

IS TH LL O UT E U P P K MA D TA N A TO S IT LDAY FIE

FENCING COMPETITIONS

ALL NEW 140 - 390 HP from SEE US AT SITE A7

9 SEE US AT THE GALLAGHER BLDG

FENCING COMPETITIONS

25 A19

A3 M58 M56

M61

C59 C57 C55 C53 C51

M48 M46

A19

M53

M44 M50 A17 A9 A7 A5 A3 M48 A1 61 A15 C59 C57 C55 C53 C51 A11 M46 A13 M42 C60 C58 C56 C54 C52 C50 M44 M40

M51 M57

C46

F54

F52

F50

M9C

F46

F42

F30

F28

D64

80 R

77 R

R 7 R89 8 79

F32

F30

G28

G26

E17

F28 G24

F26

F24

F22

90 R

R63

F20

R60

R 76

R63

80 R R94

R62

G34G - G34A

S14

S13

R58

R59

R57 R26 R27 R28 R29 R30

R25 R24 R23 R22 R21

F34

F18

F16

R42

R43

R44

R45

R46

R47

R48

F17

N14 ND

F14

N10

O20

O16 O17

All weather, low maintenance, long lasting synthetic whips D23

HEAVY EQUIPMENT

D21 D19 D17 D15 D13

SEE US AT SITE C21

ZONE

D39 D37 D35 D33 D31 D29 D27

O18 D38 D36 D34 D32 D30 D28

O14

D25

D23

D21 D19 D17 D15 D13 D12 D2

D24 D22 D20 D18 D16 D14

ND N7

G28 G26 S9 S11 S10

S8 G24

R50

F16

F14

R93

R39

R41

R42

R40

S3A

R65

R64

R66 R67 S15 R68 R69

R63

R62

R61

R60

S14

S13

SEE US AT SITE E12, E14, E16, E18

15 SEE US AT SITE D78A

R20 R19 R18

R46

R47

R48

R49

R50

R59

R58

R57

R56

R55

R54

R53

S9 S8 S11 S10 111165

THE BARN

EXCAVATOR AREA

LAKE

KIWI’S BEST KITCHEN

SEE US AT SITE F64

NB NA

FOOD HUBS COFFEE

R11 R12

TOILETS

ARTWORK PROOF

R51

S2 S3A

SEE US AT SITE PC13

SEE US AT SITE B11, B9, M61, M63, M65

R17 R16 R15 R14

NJ NK NG NH NI

R45

D2 D4

EAST

R13

S12

ISLOE THE BLED ONS TI VIP FUNC

R10

R44

JOB NO.

G9 G7

TOWN & COUNTRY MARQUEE

R43

O4 LAKE

FOOD HUB

R51

RURAL LIVING AREA R38

LAKE

F12

G22

R37 R36 R35 R34 R33 R32 R31

R13

F18

S4 G30G - G30A

N1 NA

THE STATION

D10

F20

R49

R12

F5 R11

R17 R16 R15 R14

S2 G31 G29 G27 G25 G23 G21R55G19R54G17 R53 G15 G13 G11 R56 S3 R57 R58 R60 R59

S12

R10

N5 NC NB

D12 D24 D22 D20 D18 D16 D14

O12 NJ NK LAKEO11 NG NH NI

F12

F9 F13S1 F11A

S3A

R20 R19 R18

R61

R25 R24 R23 R22 R21

D25

O22

O19

LAKED28 EAST D38 D36 D34 D32 D30 O14 O13 FOOD HUB

N11

N12

KIWI’S BEST KITCHEN E3

TOWN & COUNTRY S2 F11 MARQUEE

78 R

F15

R51

R26 R27 R28 R29 R30

N23 N24 O15 N13 HELIPAD N22

D39 D37 D35 D33 D31 D29 D27

F11A

R17 R16 R15 R14

F19

S4 S5 F22

F32 F30 F28 F26 S6 F24 S7 RURAL LIVING AREA S9 S8 S11 S10

R64

R20 R19 R18

F27G26 F25G24F23G22F21 RURAL LIVING AREA G28

LIFESTYLE MARQUEE

R 77 R

O18 O21

O13

R10

G30G - G30A

82 R

75 R R

G39 G37 G35 G33 R65

G39A

86 R 74

R61

R62

R66 F42 F40 F38 F36A F36 R67 S15 R68 S14 S13 S12 R38 R39 R69 R40 R41

R R 85 R 88 84 R 89 R 83 R 90 91 R 82

G34G - G34A

F44

R69

N26

O20

O17 N25

G22

R41

74 R R

R40

R64

R93

R 8R8

87 R

R39

R66 R67 G36F - G36A S15 R68

N28

O22

C1 O19

D62

HEALTH F33 F31 F29 R42 R43 R44 R45 R47R34R48 R49 R31 R50 R33 R32 R37 R46 R36 R35 HUB F41 LIFESTYLE MARQUEE R54 R53 R56 R55

R94

F43

M9C

M9A

71 R 72 R 73

R 70 R

M13 M13

G36F - G36A

R38 R65

M9B

O21

C1A N23

N14

F27 F24 F25 F22 F23 F20 F21 F18 F19 F16 F17 F14 F15F12 F13 F26

R25 R24 R23 R22 R21

G30G - G30A

G34G - G34A

F34

R94

M11

G38

F32

F38 F36A F36

R93

R 87 R 86 R R 85 R 88 84 R 89 R 83 R 90 91 R 82

71 R

71 R 72 R 73

70 R

G40

F46

G41 H UT

H25

H27

N25

N26 C3A

C25

C4 C5

CAREERS &F1 E27 E25 F3 N EDUCATIO E11 F11 E23 E29 G9 E13 G31 G29 G27 G25 G23 G21 G19 G17 G15 G13E15 HUB G11

G47 G45 G43

N28

E28 E26 E24 E22 E20 E18 E16 E14 R11 E34 E12 E2 R37 R36 R35 R34 R33 R32 R31 TOWN & COUNTRY G9E10 E8 E44 E42 G39 E40 E38 R12 G37 G35 G33 G31 G29 E44 E40 E40 E30 G27 G25 G23 G21 G19 G17 G15 G13 G11 E38 E40 LIFESTYLE MARQUEE MARQUEE E6 BEST E4 M9B KIWI’S G39A G7 E36 R13 R26 R27 R28 R29 R30 M9A KITCHEN F9A F7A

G42

F34

EVENT OFFICE

F40

U H25 SO H27 B F54 F52 HU F50 F48

F41

G36F - G36A

M14 F49 F47 G38 F45 M12 G40

C6 C7

SEE US AT SITE C75, L2

HELIPAD

C1A

D64 D62 D60 D58 D56 D54 D52 D50 N18 D67 D65 D63 D61 D59 D57 D55 D53 D51 N16D49

C23 D68

HEALTH F33 F31 F29 HUB

F44

G47 G45 G43 G41 M4 M18 E52 E50 E48 E46 H25 M16

C3A C3

M9C

H27

3 F51 4 G42

M13 F38 M13F36A F36

G39 G37 G35 G33

M9B

M9A

G38

G40

M11 F40

F43

RESTAURANT

G42

C27

D78

D82A

F42

YS BAR G39A

F48

F44

M4 FIELDA

G41

D77 D75 EX2 EX1 D68 D69 D73 D71 D66

M14 D104 D102F47 D100F45 F51 F49 D98 D96 M34 M12 M18 E52 E50 E48 E46 M28 M30 M16M32

47 G45 G43

C43 C41 C39 C37 C35 C33 C29

C40A

M40

F50 F48 F46 M14 F49 F47 F45 M12

N11 D10 HEAVY EQUIPMENT N18 D4 D60 CAREERS D58 D56 &D54 D52 N12 D50 ZONE EX1 E27 E25 O12 O15 O11 C31 EX2E23 C45 EDUCATION E11 E29 D66 N13 O16 N16N9 D6 C19 C17 E15 E13 D8 M51 N10 HUB C21 C15 C13 C11 C9 O8 THE E17 D12 EVENT C7 C5 E1 E3 D38 IOND36 D34 D32 D30 O14 STAT O13 OFFICE D2 C3A C3 D28 N14 D24 D22 D20 C1A D18 D16 D14 C46 C44 C42 C1 O9 N11 O6 C34 D10 D4 CAREERS & N12 N7 O7 E27 O12 O11 O4 C32 C30 EDUCATION N28 E11 E23 C28 C26 E25 FIELDAYS E34 C24E22 E29 C22 E28 E26 E24 D6 E20C20E18C18 C14 E16C16 C12 E10 E14 E12 E15 N9 C10 E8 E13 EXCAVATOR D8 C8 HUB C6 C4 E2 N10 N5N25 O5 O21 E44 E42 INN E40OE38 VATIONS THE E44 E40 E40 E38 E30 O22 AREA O8 N26 THE LOE E17 E40 N3 O3 E6 E4 CEN EVENT EDIS TRE BARN E1 E3 THE BL STATION S O2 N23 E36OFFICE ON O19 N1 O1 F9A D77 D75 D73 D71 D69 D67 O20 N24 F7A P FUNCTI O9 D65 D63 D61 D59 D57 O6 D39 D37 VI D35 D33 D31 D85 D83 D81 D79 D55 D53 D51 D49 D29 D27 N7 M11 D25 D23 D21 M13 F9 D19 D17 D15 F7 N22 D1 O17 O7 T O18 O4 D13 F27 F25 F23 M13 EAS F21 F19 F15 F13 D84 D82 D80 FOOD HUB E28 E26 E24 E22 F17 D78 E20 E18 E16 E14 E12 E34 N5 E10 E8 EXCAVATOR HEALTH F33 E2 O5 F31 F29 F11A F5 E44 E42 E40 E38 THE E44 E40 E40 E38 HUB E30 AREA F1 E E40 N3 O3 F43 F41 E6 N18 LO E4 HEAVY EQU IS IPMENT BARN D64 D62 D60F11D58 F3 NJ NK D56 D54 D52 D50 ZONE THE BLED NG NH NI O2 E36 EX1 EX2 D68 TIONS N1 O15 O1 O16 NF N13 D66 F9A F7A N16 VIP FUNC

FIELDAYS M38 BAR D97 D95 FOOD HUB NORTH M18 E52 E50 E48 E46 M36 L M16 RESTAURANT

F52

C11

N24 D67 D65 D63 D61 D59 D57 D55 D53 D51 D49 C32 C30 C28 C26 C24 N22 C22 C20 C18 C16 C14 C12 C10 C8 C6 C4

D84 D82 D80

M53

M42

53 ILIO F51 N

M55

M44 M28 M30 M32

C54 C52 C50 RESTAURANT

C34 D77 D75 D73 D71 D69

D85 D83 D81 D79

M57

FIELDAYS BAR

VIL ION 2 C60 C58 C56

FIELDAYS B9 D84 D82 D80 INN OB7 VA TIONSD78 CENTRE

M61

M48

WAIKATO RIVER

C15 C13

C25

D85 D83 D81 D79

M63

M50 M28 M30 M32

1 C59 D104 C57 D102 C55 D100 C53 C51 D98 D96 M34 M46

C19 C17

C21

C27

C46 M65 C44 B11 C42

M36

LION

C23

C31

D82A

FOOD HUB NORTH

C25

C43 C41 C39 C37 C35 C33 C29

CENTRE

62 C60 C58 C56

C27

C43 C41 C39 C37 C35 C33 C29 TRACTOR PULL C44 M53C42 C34 C23 TRA AREA C31 C45 PUL CTOR LB AR C19 C17 C32 M51 C30 C28 C26 C24 C22 C21 FIELDAYS C15 C13 C20 C18 C16 C14 C12 C11 C10 C8 INNOVATIONS C9

FOOD HUB NORTH

HELIPAD B7

C45

M55

M38M58 A6 D97 D95 M56 M36 M42 C54 C52 B13 C50 M54 M40 23 B21 B19 B17 B15 M52 D104 D102D100 D98 D96 M34 M38 D97 D95

14 A12 A10

M63 M57 B9 M61 B6 M55

M52

M65 B11

M54

SEE US AT SITE C23

D78A

M50

D80A

B15

M63

M58 M56

B13 B21 B19 B17

M54 M52

TRACTOR PULL AREA

RAC M65 PTB11 UL TOR

D78A

WAIKATO RIVER

D78A

FENCING B13 COMPETITION 3 B21 B19 B17 S B15 A14 A12 A10 A8 A6

5 B23

TRACTOR PULL AREA

TRA PUL CTOR LB AR

C40 C38 C36

A11 4 A12 A13A10 A8

C40 C38 C36

SEE US AT SITE B11, B9, M61, M63, M65

WAIKATO RIVER

D82A

A17 A15

D80A

A13

C40A

A11 A19

D80A

A15

C40 C38 C36

A17

1897 LTD

PREPARED BY

Darryn

S5 CUSTOMER S6

COLOURS

SIZE

QUANTITY

SCALE

DATE

Brent Smith Trailers

Black

200 pads

100%

25-03-14

This map is indicative and subject to change

MOBILITY SCOOTER FOOD HUBS HIRE CASH OUT FACILITY COFFEE INFORMATION CENTRE TOILETS MISSING PERSONS MOBILITY SCOOTER HIRE POLICE CASH OUT FACILITY

INFORMATION CENTRE This22 map is indicative and subject to change. FOOD HUBS MISSING PERSONS COFFEE POLICE

19 SEE US AT SITE G66, G68

TOILETS

SEE US AT SITE G56, G58

SEE US AT SITE G51, G53, G55

SEE US AT SITE G33, G35, G37

SCOOTER HIRE to change. ThisMOBILITY map is indicative and subject SEE US AT SITE F28 CASH OUT FACILITY

SEE US AT SITE E60, E58, F59, F57

INFORMATION CENTRE MISSING PERSONS POLICE

PLUS AN EXCLUSIVE HILUX SWANNDRI This map is indicative and subject to change.

*Offer ends 30 June 2017. For full terms and conditions visit our website, toyota.co.nz

toyota.co.nz

THE NEW SPECIAL EDITION HILUX EDGE FROM

$37,990

RSP * +ORC

PURCHASE ANY NEW HILUX & GET* YEARS FREE - SERVICING - WARRANTY - WOF CHECKS - AA ROADSERVICE

PLUS AN EXCLUSIVE HILUX SWANNDRI

*Offer is available from 1 April 2017 to 30 June 2017 (subject to stock availability) on any new Toyota Hilux vehicle purchased from participating Authorised Toyota Dealers in New Zealand. The advertised RSP is valid from 1 April 2017 to 30 June 2017 only and is subject to change. This offer is not available on Toyota Dealer demonstrator vehicles or preregistered vehicles. This offer is not available on Toyota New Zealand rental, Government, lease or nationally negotiated fleet sales. The Service Plan covers parts and labour costs of scheduled service items for five years/75,000km (whichever occurs first under normal operating conditions). The Warranty provides cover for five years/150,000km (whichever occurs first under normal operating conditions). One exclusive Hilux-Swanndri Coat with each new Hilux purchase while stocks last. For full terms and conditions visit our website, www.toyota.co.nz.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 35

Sustainability a key focus for this year’s Fieldays SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

THE NATIONAL Fieldays will have a greater focus on sustainability this year, says chief executive Peter Nation. Visitors will be encouraged to use buses to travel to the venue, and more rubbish will be recycled as the four-day event rolls on. Last year 131,000 people attended, the second-highest attendance ever. “This year the dairy payout is up, beef prices are strong and we are gearing up for another good year,” Nation says. To help ease transport issues, a ‘park and ride’ service will run from The Base at Te Rapa. People wanting to travel from Hamilton central to Mystery Creek can show their Fieldays ticket and get a free ride. “Last year we did 4% of our gate by bus; we’re keen to increase this,” Nation told Rural News.

“We did a sustainability [analysis] last year and found we had saved 11 tonnes of carbon by using buses. “We are having a greater focus on sustainability – recycling waste off our sites…. All rubbish gets sorted and we are looking to reduce the tonnage of waste going into the pit.”

Health and safety on site is also a priority. Leading up to the Fieldays, 7000 contractors come onto the Mystery Creek property to prepare exhibitors’ sites – a record in NZ. “We have people on the site to ensure the workers are wearing closed

shoes and working safely; that is really important.” This Fieldays will have 1587 sites – more than last year; all were booked before Christmas 2016. To make the construction process easier, the Fieldays society had the whole site GPS mapped below and

$1.3M REVAMP THE NATIONAL Fieldays has spent $1.3 million to revamp the Mystery Creek site. Chief executive Peter Nation says the infrastructure changes result from feedback from customers and staff, to allow “better use of space and assets and to give customers a better experience”. Major changes include better pedestrian lighting, four food courts with seating facilities and upgrading Gate 4 as an agribusiness heavy machinery area. Nation says customers and exhibitors will be able to see at night when arriving or leaving the event. “At Gate 2 hill we have taken out trees, widened the road and lit the pedestrian area with LED lights.”

Major drainage work has been done around Gate 4 and heavy machinery is relocated there; ‘rural living’ is relocated from there to the bottom of the hill, next to the ‘town and country’ sites. The Bledisloe Hall, which hosted town and country exhibits, has been set up as the new VIP function centre. Nation says at previous events, VIPS were either entertained on-site or at restaurants in Hamilton. With its own kitchen and bar facilities, the Bledisloe Hall will now host all VIPs. “Our VIP guests will now have only a short walk to their functions,” Nation says.

above ground; all site infrastructure is now on the GPS map. Nation says he was told it was the biggest private civil GPS mapping done in NZ, with at least 10,500 points of interest. Sonar was used to find all power, water and telephone lines underground. The site has a massive underground network of copper and fibre optic cables. “Now we know with pinpoint accuracy where they go and where the joint points lie…. GPS mapping above ground has made all sites symmetrical; and site marking that once took weeks now takes only days.” The Fieldays society has integrated the GPS maps with a new software system for event planning. “Our boys sign off 1800 hole approvals for posts and poles; now we know accurately where the cables are; in the past it was in someone’s head.”

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

36 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

A fresh take on farmers’ health RURAL HEALTH will be a new feature of this year’s Fieldays. The Fieldays Health Hub, an interactive display, will inform and educate visitors about health issues affecting rural communities. “Farmers don’t always have the opportunity to get off the farm and get their health checks,” says Lee Picken, Fieldays head of events. “This new site will be a great place for health professionals to start that conversation.” Mobile Health is a key

partner in the Fieldays Health Hub, and its surgical bus will be a cornerstone of the site. “We want to engage with rural people about health and make a difference,” says Mark Eager, general manager of Mobile Health. “The idea is to get a lot of like-minded health organisations together, start conversations and change how rural people think about health.” During Fieldays, visitors can enter the Mobile Health surgical bus and watch a mock

surgery being done. For ten months of the year the bus travels the country, from Kaikohe to Balclutha, doing scheduled day surgeries in small towns and rural centres. It works with district health boards and local nurses to give rural people better access to surgery. Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHAANZ) is backing the Fieldays Health Hub. RHAANZ chief executive Michelle Thompson says rural people are getting second-best healthcare.

“Of the scant data that exists, we know the health outcomes for rural people are poorer than for urban people. Agriculture and tourism are the power base of the NZ economy so it makes good economic sense for the Government to focus on the people supporting the rural economy.” Thompson estimates about 600,000 people live rurally between Cape Reinga and Bluff. “That population number as a city would make it NZ’s secondlargest, yet it doesn’t feel

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RHAANZ chief executive Michelle Thompson says her organisation is backing the Fieldays Health Hub.

like the rural sector gets that level of attention to health.” People who have poor access to healthcare or who delay seeking treatment may find their condition gets worse. Thompson says the barriers to good health are varied: lack of GPs and aged-care workers in some rural areas, limited access to healthcare screenings or treatment due to geographic isolation, embarrassment or difficulty talking about symptoms, and work pressures (hard to ‘take time away’ from the farm) especially during busy seasons or if short-

staffed. “We want all rural people to be healthy and well, and the best way is equitable access for all to health services,” Thompson says. Evidence suggests cancer impacts the rural community at a higher rate than the national average, she says. Proposed for the health site is a giant inflatable bowel from

Bowel Cancer NZ. Large enough for people to walk through, the oversized exhibit will be fun and educational, and will give key health information. Free at the Fieldays Health Hub will be 10-minute talks by expert speakers; these ‘MED Talks’ are inspired by the popular ‘TED Talks’ concept. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

NEW HORIZONTAL & VERTICAL LOG SPLITTERS ›› 6, 9, 14hp Vertical & Horizontal Models ›› Five trailed models ›› Two 3pt linkage models ›› Adjustable legs for stable working platform ›› Fully galvanised ›› Hydraulic lifters for 9 & 14hp models

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 37

Sprayer for all situations THE HARDI Ranger is a 2500L sprayer that suits row crop, cereals, pasture renovation and horticulture work. Its boom unfolds or folds without the driver having to leave the cab, and its on-the-move boom height adjustment allows easy manoeuvring in tight paddocks. The machine’s integrated design sees the main tank placed over the axle for best weight distribution and stability, and crop clearance is enhanced by the Paralift boom height control system. This offers a max-

imum clearance of 1.55m, complemented by adjustable track width from 1.56 to 2.34m. Boom widths range from 12 to 21m; heavy duty construction and coil spring suspension makes the unit stable and give consistent height control. Primary control functions for filling and operation are logically placed on the front left side of the sprayer for easy access, and a step and handrail provide safe, easy access to the platform and tank. Application rates, boom section and pres-

Krone Big X.

She’s one big chopper MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

THE KRONE Big-X 630 develops at least 600hp from a 15.6L six-cylinder MTU engine mounted ‘east-west’ for direct drive to the drum and accelerator; yet the layout still offers excellent operator visibility to the rear. At the business end, six feed rollers ensure maximum crop pre-compression for improved chopping quality. A feature of this machine is the VariStream function with spring-loaded backing plates under the drum and accelerator. This helps relieve the crop flow system when uneven crop conditions are encountered, saving fuel, raising capacity and reducing wear and tear. Also unique to the Krone harvesters is a drive layout which sees each wheel being driven by a separate drive motor that allows a tighter turning angle on the suspended rear axle, increasing manoeuvrability. Likewise the overall machine is remarkably compact, measuring just 3m wide even when fitted with 800mm wide front tyres. On display at Fieldays with the 3m camless EasyFlow grass front, it can also be supplied with a choice of maize headers from 4.5 to 9m working widths, as well as the maker’s 6.2m wide X-Disc header for whole-crop harvesting.

sure are controlled by the SprayBox in-cab controller, and there’s an option to upgrade to the HC5500 application rate controller. Other options aimed at

making operations safer, easier and more productive include the maker’s Turbofiller system for chemical induction at ground level and a 250L flush tank.

The Hardi Ranger spray is said to suit row crop, cereals, pasture renovation and horticulture work.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

38 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Irish ingenuity reflects farming prowess FIELDAYS VISITORS will find the usual healthy contingent of Irish companies showing products reflecting that country’s prowess in farming and agribusiness. The Agri-Food and Biosecurities Institute offers analytical and diagnostic testing for the agri-food industry, and Farmwizard specialises in cloud software for the dairy and sheep industry. Several exhibitors in the heavy-metal sector include regular visitor Fleming AgriProducts with machinery for the beef and dairy industry and aimed at small-medium farming enterprises. The range of over 150 products

includes trailers, toppers, tankers and more in ‘Fleming Blue’. With a history dating back to 1860, the family business manufactures in a modern purposebuilt factory on a 3ha site. Its research and design team works to a standard based on enduser satisfaction. Likewise, NC Engineering, a familyowned business, has 1975 grown rapidly into a leading manufacturer of farming and construction machinery and equipment. Products on offer in New Zealand include slurry pumps, lagoon pumps/mixers, vacuum/ top fill tankers, rear

The fully hydraulic, rollover cattle crush Cow Tipper will be on show.

discharge manure spreaders, sweepers and sweeper/collectors, silage shear grabs, dump

trailers, low loaders, grain/silage trailers and a farm telehandler. EvoQuip, part of

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the global Terex brand, offers crushing and screening gear for various industries, from its Bison

unit for vets and hoof trimmers. The design helps reduce stress in animal and operator: an extended rump rail allows the operator to guide even the most stubborn animal into the crush easily. The squeeze side reduces the space the animal is allowed to move in, so reducing the risk of the operator being kicked, and a specially designed foot clamp restraint holds feet securely for the farmer’s safety. A hydraulic exit gate makes the crush a one man operation.

35 crusher good for 30 tonnes/hour to the Cobra 260 crusher capable of 250t/h. Such equipment can enable agricultural contractors to diversify in the off season, helping to retain staff and ensure year-long steady workloads. It can be used to demolish old farm buildings, process material for driveways, roads and drains. The machines are compact and easy to transport. Northern Engineering Ltd manufactures a fully hydraulic, roll-over cattle crush called the Cow Tipper, in either a static format for beef and dairy farmers, or a mobile

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

40 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Vat manager cools milk, holds it to temperature TruTest vat monitor gives farmers confidence that their milk is safe in the vat.

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

THE TRU-TEST Vat Manager allin-one vat monitor and controller is giving dairy farmers confidence that their milk is cooled and held to temperature. That’s a biggie when you hear rural insurer FMG saying that 90% of claims for milk loss are due to human error – farmers forgetting to flick that switch. Developed and made in New Zealand, Vat Manager draws on Tru-Test’s long technical expertise; in operation it sends text alerts for vat too hot, milk too cold, wash temperature too low, hardware fault, too long to cool and mains lost. The unit is highly accurate and its temperature display is easily viewable at a distance – even in poor light. An online memory log allows downloading of a CSV file from the online portal to comply with the mandatory

slow cool, milk in too warm, vat nearly full and vat full. Tru-Test will also show its ProCool ice bank range, combining quality and attractive price. The unit comes complete with an insulated tank, integrated refrigeration unit, pumping and control system, ready for connection to a plate cooler. All stainless, the ProCool is easy to set up as the tank and chiller are plumbed ready to go and it comes preThe PreCool ice bank range is easy to set up.

monitoring component of the new milk cooling rules. Vat Manager works on all tanks including side wall refrigeration, and suits any style of farm dairy (herringbone or rotary), single or multiple vats, indoors or out, regardless of how many cows are being milked.

Two options are available: Vat Manager Plus as already outlined, and Vat Manager Auto which also turns on refrigeration when milk is detected, and alerts to

charged with 407f refrigerant. The tank is insulated against heat loss and the plates are efficient in heat transfer and ice build. Servicing is simple; parts supply is good. Utilising plate technology as used in the base of Tru-Test’s milk cooling vats, the company’s pillow plate heat exchangers offer high internal heat transfer compared to tube systems, run more efficiently, and have a greater surface area for ice building – meaning the ice forms at a higher temperature. By contrast, during the melting process, the area of the ice exposed to the water in the tank remains roughly the same throughout the melt. This means the temperature of the water stays roughly the same during the melting process, unlike tube systems; as the ice melts the area exposed to the water decreases, slowing the heat transfer into the incoming water stream. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

42 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Innovation awards get new slant NATIONAL FIELDAYS has received 71 entries in its innovation awards contest, including fencing, irrigation,

pasture management and animal health. And there are several app-based innovations and a virtual reality

innovation, says innovations event manager Gail Hendricks. The Fieldays Innovations Centre,

among other popular sites, shows inventions and new applications with potential to lead change in farming.

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Taranaki schoolgirl Ayla Hutchinson, who picked up an innovation award for her Kindling Cracker at Fieldays in 2013, has gone on to have the crackers commercially manufactured and exported around the world.

Fieldays 2017 theme is ‘leading change’ and Hendricks says the awards are at the cutting edge. “Fieldays Innovation Awards once was about widgets and gadgets to improve farming; now we’re more seeing how science and technology is publicity the winners Award and the Origin impacting agriculture.” will get access to expert Intellectual Property This year, for the first support and business Award. time, entries are in for advice thanks to the Judges consider genetics, animal science companies sponsoring and chemical innovations. inventiveness, design and each award. originality, the process of “So this year we have Entrants get two new judges exclusive access to who can judge the business advisors, science behind “Fieldays Innovation experts these innovations,” Awards once was about legal and product says Hendricks. widgets and gadgets development The three main consultants at a categories are to improve farming; dedicated space in Fieldays Prototype now we’re more seeing the Innovations Award, Fieldays Centre called The Launch NZ Award how science and – Powered by and Fieldays technology is impacting LAB Locus Research. International Award. agriculture.” And they may There is also meet potential Fieldays Young investors at an Inventor of invitation-only evening, innovating, commercial the Year, Vodafone Innovation in Technology opportunities, intellectual Fieldays Innovations Capital sponsored by property protection, Award, Locus Research Enterprise Angels on Innovation Award, Crowe technical viability and its Thursday June 15. benefit to New Zealand Horwath Agri Innovation agriculture. Award, Tompkins Wake @rural_news Along with kudos and IP and Commercialisation facebook.com/ruralnews

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NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 43

Drive updates seed drill range THE AITCHISON range of seed drills, marketed by the Power Farming Group, has many followers who like their simplicity, extensive range, easy calibration, choice of tine or disc coulters, and mounted or trailed format. Now comes the Aitchison e-drive system, available for the Seedmatic ranges. Suitable for seeds only, seed and fertiliser, and in tine or disc configurations, the system is centred on an in-cab touch screen monitor for information and calibration of the drill. For calibration, the mechanism works with a sponge feed that delivers a set amount to the

seed tubes per revolution – turning faster for higher seeding rates or the converse for lower. The e-Drive system determines the speed of rotation of the ground wheel drive, which will determine how fast the seed drive shaft needs to turn to deliver the pre-set seeding rate. The system enables the operator to monitor the full operating width, or as many outlets as required; it also stores information on seed types and previous settings that can be recalled for future use. Full job history is stored for future reference and download, increasingly important in this era of traceability.

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whole job. In use, two rates can be loaded for each box (seed or fert) from one calibration, as well as offering on-the-move adjustment and over-ride.

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The Aitchison e-drive system is now available on the Seedmatic range of drills.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

44 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Korean tractors carve out niche AFTER 17 years in New Zealand and Australia, and sales of 15,000 tractors, the Kioti brand has carved a niche for itself. A firm favourite with sheep and beef farmers, and with share-milkers, the brand typifies Korean quality engineering with its exceptional value for money, particularly when compared on a dollar per horsepower basis.

New for the 2017-18 season, and flying the brand’s flag at Fieldays, are the new RX 7030, RX 8030 and PX 1052 models. The 7030 is only available in a ROPS format, the 8030 in a choice of ROPS or cab, and the brand flagship, the PX 1052, comes in cab-only format. Looking at the 7030 and 8030 models in more

Kioti tractors have been on sale in NZ for 17 years.

detail, power is supplied by a 4-cylinder, commonrail, fuel injected Daedong engine of 2500cc – delivering 70 and 80hp respectively – with a full 5hp increase over the previous models. A wet-clutch power shuttle transmission offers clutchless forward or reverse shuttling with a choice of 24 speeds in each direction, along-

side the addition of a de-clutch button on the main gear shift lever for effortless changes. Radial tyres on the RX 8030 bring it into the big tractor league. 4WD is selectable on-demand, via a dash mounted rocker switch, as is the choice of PTO speeds with 540 or 540E options. Lift capacity is 2260kg, and total hydraulic output from the opencentred system is a useful 73L/minute. The PX 1052 model has a new operator cab with high levels of comfort and visibility, and

4WD is selectable on-demand, via a dash mounted rocker switch, as is the choice of PTO speeds with 540 or 540E options. Lift capacity is 2260kg, and total hydraulic output from the open-centred system is a useful 73L/minute. a Perkins-sourced fourcylinder, Tier 3B, turbocharged engine producing 105hp versus the 100hp of the previous model, the 1002. Like its smaller stable-mate, the 1052 has a wet-clutch power shut-

tle transmission, but in this case 32 forward and reverse speeds, a de-clutch button and a useful two-stage splitter. Completing the package is the fitment of radial tyres as standard equipment.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 45

Biggest cat yet to be unveiled THE CLAAS Harvest Centre network plans to show the latest incarnation of the world’s most popular forage harvester. The Jaguar 900’s features include a continuously variable front attachment drive, enhanced crop flow and automatic filling guidance. Claas now offers 14 models in the Jaguar 900/800 series, making it the largest range available. The new Type 498 machines will be equipped with Tier 4 (Final) engines only, although this will be extended to include Tier 3 options in 2018. Current 900 series (Type 497) and 800 series (Type 496), are both equipped with Tier 3 engines and will continue to be available. First released in 1983, the Jaguar now accounts for at least half of all forage harvesters sold globally, Claas says. Also new on the site will be the JCB Fastrac 4220 (235hp) tractor with CVT, all-round self-levelling suspension and optional four-wheel steering. Four equal-sized tyres give 50:50 weight distribution, and all-wheel disc braking allows operating speeds of up to 60km/h. JCB product manager Steve Gorman says

the Fastrac’s design concept allows operators to do many jobs at higher operating speeds without compromising stability, safety or comfort. “The 4000 series raises the bar even higher in the mid-range category,” he says. “For example, the maximum lift of the rear linkage has been increased by 30% to 8000kg, and the front linkage by 20% to 3500kg.” Likewise, the new chassis and suspension allow a maximum vehicle weight of 14 tonnes, including a load of 4t on the rear deck, giving longer time in the paddock. The site will also show a complete line-up of tractors from the Claas Axion 900 series (320410- hp) -- Axion 800 (205-295hp), Arion 600 (158-184hp), Arion 500 (145-165hp) and Arion 400 (100-130hp). Claas says it now offers continuously variable transmissions on 18 different models in three series spanning 145 to 410 hp. Whereas the existing Axion 900 and 800 Cmatic models use ZF Eccom or Terramatic transmissions, the company has developed its own CVT unit for the Arion 600 and 500 series machines. The new transmission

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at speeds from 50m/h to 50km/h. The Jaguar 900 features a continuously variable front attachment drive, enhanced crop flow and automatic filling guidance.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

46 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Track livestock weights to meet growth targets MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

TRU-TEST GROUP cites research that shows growth rates in young dairy stock can have a lifetime impact on milk production, so being able to set, track and view target weights is critical for the development of such animals before they come into a herd. Likewise, the company reckons only about 20% of sheep and beef farmers use stock weight information to make management decisions. This has led Tru-Test to develop its MiHub Livestock Management cloud software that enables both sectors to easily track and manage animal performance. The software links directly to TruTest’s XR5000, ID5000, EziWeigh7i, XR3000 & ID3000 units by using Data Link (phone or PC) or through a computer. This allows farmers to monitor animal weight gains and track their

performance to target weights. The software transforms session files into simple graphs so farm-

ers can make decisions on the optimum time to breed, feed, treat, sell or cull. Tru-Test says this can be the single most important decision-making aspect of livestock farming; and unlike other systems it doesn’t require a farmer to understand Excel or complex herd management systems.

The software links directly to Tru-Tests units or through to a computer.

“We want farmers to be able get clear insights into their key profit drivers: kilograms of protein produced per day for sheep and beef; and for dairy farmers, growing young dairy stock to reach weight/age milestones that will increase fertility and lifetime productivity,” explains Verne Atmore, Tru-Test’s NZ general man-

ager. She says MiHub also allows users to share weighing data with staff, vets or consultants without attaching files to emails, and to easily print or download reports and graphs in common file formats. The fact that it’s an online (cloud) programme allows data to be

Fieldays Sale ® ®

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CALL: 0800 453 367 Offer details: Offer valid 1st June - 30th June 2017. Labour costs may apply. Not available with any other offer. Ask in store for more details.

accessed from any device with an internet connection. If a computer or Tru-Test device is lost or stolen the files are safe. A base plan is available free for TruTest device users and for a small fee for non Tru-Test users.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 47

DOCKING YARD DEALS!

Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation.

@ FIELDAYS • SITE H41

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Taking a leading role in agriculture’s changes! THE THEME for this year’s Fieldays is ‘Leading Change’. “We have chosen this theme to help drive prosperity in New Zealand’s primary sector,” says Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation. “To excel and grow in the future, innovation and change is vital. It is an exciting and challenging time for the industry, but with

good leadership we have great opportunities.” Nation says NZ is a world leader in agriculture and primary production and Fieldays leads as a place where businesses and individuals come for the latest in innovations and technology. “We hope ‘Leading Change’ is a theme our partners and exhibitors

will embrace,” Nation says. “The dairy downturn has been challenging for many, but with visionary leadership and fresh, innovative thinking we can transform the future of primary production in this country.” Leading change supports the Fieldays pillars of education, internationalisation and innovation,

*Order 1000 + GST of components and get freight free to your nearest main centre.

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as seen at the site’s Innovations Centre, the Careers and Education Hub and the Business International Centre. Fieldays is the largest event of its kind in the southern hemisphere. In 2016 exhibitors had $430 million sales. There were 1507 exhibitor sites and 130,684 visitors.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

48 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Side-by-side to beat the band ANDREW SIMPSON, of CARNZ Training, is not your typical side-by-side (SxS) user. By day he uses the vehicle in a busy driver training business, helping corporate and individual clients to safely use this type of machine in a safe and organised way, then he throws on his gear for recreational riding after hours. For the last four

years, his SxS of choice has been a Polaris Ranger XP900, which he describes as “having a very good power range, amazing suspension, a fantastic drive system to meet all challenges and the ability to tackle any obstacles easily”. Recently upgrading to the new 2017 Polaris Ranger XP 1000, he enjoys its 80hp Prostar engine with four wheel

descent control and a three-mode throttle control system. It also has true all-wheel-drive, turf mode for tight turns without ground damage, electronic power steering and an industry leading suspension system. Simpson says “the machine has to be the best of its type in the market”. The introduction of the engine descent con-

Andrew Simpson’s driver training business’ choice of side-by-side is a Polaris Ranger.

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trol (ADC) gives positive hold-back on steep gradients, and it works progressively rather than causing the sudden retardation found with some other brands, which can lead to wheel lock-up on slippery descents. The transmission has both electrical and mechanical componentry; a one-way needle

bearing on the driver clutch maintains PVT belt tension, and an electrically enabled coil provides loading to the front Hilliard cage and rollers, allowing load to be placed evenly on both hubs for a true fourwheel-descent control system. The three-mode throttle control system allows

the driver to select ‘performance’, ‘standard’ or ‘work’ throttle modes, tailoring power delivery to best suit terrain. The Polaris Ranger XP1000 is available in NZ in the Hunter Edition with a camouflage finish, a useful winch and lockand-ride twin gun holders on the rear deck. info@carnztraining.co.nz

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 49

Eye-catching bling on Holden site HOLDEN WILL take the wraps off two models making their New Zealand debut – an eyecatcher for Fieldays visitors. The hero position will be taken by the Holden Commodore Magnum ute, alongside the Spark, the Trax entry-model SUV and the Holden Astra saloon. The Magnum will be the first to land in NZ from the final run of limited edition models from the VF Commodore ute production line – number-one of only 51 of the limited edition coming here. Originally designed for farm work, the

SS-V Redline ute-based Magnum makes a sportsperformance statement, adding track-focused driving technology to its impressive 6.2L LS3 V8 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It’s fitting that this last and arguably best example of the ute will be bid farewell at Fieldays. The second new model making its debut is the Fieldays-inspired Colorado Blackout, a special production model based on a Colorado LS 4x2 manual with $11,000 of Holden accessories. It is available only in June, priced at $39,990+GST and on-road costs.

Both the Colorado and Magnum ute will be on show at the Holden site.

This limited-release model has front and rear flare guards, an extended sports bar, sport guard liner, steel side steps, 18” rims and tyres, an LED light bar and a nudge bar.

TRACTOR SALES SHOW RISING CONFIDENCE

LATEST STORIES EVERY DAY

Yamaha’s lined up some of the hardest working farm hands at this years New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays®. From the all NEW kiwi developed and tested AG125 or the rugged Viking 3 side-by-side to the ﬂeet footed Grizzly ATV range. Yamaha’s ‘Real World Tough’ machines are ready to work no matter what the conditions. Ask about their Fieldays® specials like, ZERO DEPOSIT and ZERO repayments for 12 Months, all backed by a Yamaha Motor ﬁnance rate of 4.95%. Or have a chin wag about their utility range and some of the farm solutions designed just for you, like their three year warranty on ATV and ROV models or exclusive Yamaha Insurance. You could even get up to $500 of Yamadollars on the purchase of selected Grizzly ATV models. So get to the National Agricultural Fieldays and see everything you need to help you work your land.

Yamaha Motor Finance rate of (Only available with Viking 3)

*Terms and conditions apply. The zero deposit, zero repayments for 12 months is available to approved applicants of Yamaha Motor Finance at an interest rate of 4.95% across the ATV, ROV and 2-wheel AG bike models. Value add ‘Swanndri Pack’ available on 2-wheel AG bikes only, ‘Yamadollars’ on nominated ATV’s and ‘Windscreen and Wiper Bundle’ on selected ROV’s. Available for a limited time only at participating Yamaha dealers while stocks last. Offer ends 31 Jul 2017 and available to registered agri-business customers on a loan term of 36 months with annual instalments on YMF’s Commercial Hire Purchase standard terms and conditions. Credit criteria, fees, charges, terms and conditions apply including an application fee of $325, $10 PPSR fee and a dealer administration fee. Yamaha Motor Finance New Zealand Ltd. (YMF) NZBN 9429036270798. FSP 9622

Static_Yam00007_RFD_RP

TRACTOR SALES remain steady, with sales to April 30, 2017 of 803 units versus 796 for the same period in 2016. This result shows continuing confidence in the primary industry, despite weather and volatility in global markets, says NZ Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) vice president Roger Nehoff. The YTD figures show sales increases in the horticulture and viticulture sec- Roger Nehoff tors in Northland, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough, driven by the current kiwifruit boom, increases in apple production and an ever-expanding NZ wine industry. Tractor sales in Marlborough increased by nearly 120% on last year, and sales in Hawke’s Bay rose 50%. But sales declined in the Bay of Plenty and Auckland. Taranaki, Otago and central North Island regions -- synonymous with dairying, sheep and beef -- are also reflecting positives in the economy. Sales in Taranaki almost doubled on last year, as dairy farmers’ confidence rose and machinery was replaced or updated prior to winter. This sentiment was expressed by many farmers attending the Fielding and South Island regional field days. – Mark Daniel

Get up-to-date news at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz Y00007_Range_FD_RuralPress_AdV2.indd 1

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

50 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Farm bike passes 20, still going THE DR200 Trojan farm motorcycle appeared 20 years ago when Suzuki New Zealand Ltd’s engineers first conceived a farm bike purpose built for our conditions. Farmers told Suzuki what features were needed to put the Trojan a step ahead of the competition. Starting with its already robust DR200 trail bike, the company custom-built a line-up of accessories then packaged the bike and returned it to Japan for manufacture. The Trojan has since

had several colour changes and many minor model changes but underneath the is still the farm workhorse its predecessors were. A key feature is its large 12V headlight, a bonus for dairy farmer making an early morning start. Another is its aluminium handlebar protectors that protect the controls if the bike is dropped or pushed over by stock; and these have saved many a knuckle from injury. Being built in Japan means quality

construction and componentry that ensure a long service life. For instance, the exhaust header pipe is stainless steel, and the four-stoke motor has an oil cooler and oil filter, meaning engine problems are rare. Dual side stands make parking a breeze when the ground’s soft underfoot, and sure-footed traction is delivered by Bridgestone knobbly tyres front and rear. Low gearing with quality O-ring chain allows slow speed riding with ease without

THE BEST OF 4X4 AND FARM TYRES, ALL ON ONE SITE!

Maxxis, Vredestein, Starmaxx and Nokian. The best of 4x4, Farm, and Industrial tyres, all on one site! Call in and see us at the Fieldays and find out how the right choice of tyres can make your job easier.

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continual stalling or heavy clutch use, and the fuel tank holds 13L, enough to last most farmers all week. www.suzuki.co.nz. Suzuki’s DR200 Trojan farm bike.

BIGGEST CONTINGENT YET THIS YEAR’S National Fieldays will attract visitors from 20 countries. Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation says it will be the biggest international delegation ever. Nine countries are exhibiting at the event; others are sending trade delegations or visitors.

An international dinner will held at the Fieldays to promote NZ Inc. There will also be four new foodcourts which will allow visitors to eat sitting down, rather than standing around hot dog stands. “We have put in four massive foodcourts instead of having food

stalls all around the site; people can go there and refuel… sit down and rest,” says Nation. Wi-fi and cellphone recharging will also be available at the foodcourts. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 51

Grab handy for yard and feedpad MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

GILTRAP AGRIZONE’S Prodig Shear Genius grab, made in Ireland, is a versatile unit for around the yard and feedpad, doing three jobs in one. Its Hardox blades enable the operator to leave a clean clamp face and so help reduce secondary fermentation; it is ideal for handling bulk quantities of grass or maize silage. Also the machine can be used to split round bales, simultaneously retaining the film wrap and net wrap beneath for easy disposal. The bucket-like lower portion of the unit allows easy feeding of concen-

Easy on/off quick hitch attachment.

trates, minerals or PKE. Althimasse front and rear weights suit front or rear mounting, either on the tractor bolster or the three point linkages. Base weights range from 600 to 1700kg,

which can be supplemented by extra drop-in weights of 300-700kg. Rear weights can also be optioned with Cat 3 hook ends to allow for carrying implements. Meanwhile, Giltrap’s Hi-

See us at National Fieldays Site C52

www.revolutionpostdrivers.co.nz

0800 957 868

CRUSH PROTECTION IS PROVING IT SAVES LIVES The world’s only flexible, passive O.P.D. offering crush protection ATV LIFEGUARD, unique in its segmented design, extensively tested and has been proven in the field to save the lives of many farmers.

SEE US AT THE FIELDAYS – SITE H41 • SPECIAL PRICING • Ph 021-228 3679 or 09-439 7166 info@atvlifeguard.co.nz

Check our how the ATV LIFEGUARD works – videos available on www.atvlifeguard.co.nz or www.atvlifeguards.com

Spec range of side spreaders are worth a look, given that manure and effluent use are a necessary and popular means of reducing fertiliser costs and cutting pollution. Available in 5.75cu.m and 7.3cu.m capacities, the 800 and 1000 model are based around a heavy-duty chassis frame carrying the main spreader body. Through the body a 170mm rotor shaft, supported by external 65mm rotor bearings, in turn carries 12mm chains with heavy-duty flails, said to give easy start-up and unloading. All machines are finished with an anti-corrosive base coat and high-grade enamel top coat for durability and a long service life.

KIWIS VS VISITORS IN FENCING DEMOS FENCING DEMONSTRATORS from New Zealand and three other countries will give ‘The Fieldays Fencing Demonstrations by Taragate’ – now in its fourth year – an international flavour. The fencing Experts from England, demonstrations Australia and the US will always attract show techniques used in plenty of interest. their respective counAnd from Tennesee will come Moses tries. The events will allow visitors to Woodson, to demonstrate US techget up close to the fence lines and niques, particularly horse fencing. The fencing area is located at demonstrators in a relaxed environment. The site will display a wide the end of L Road and supported by range of fences including organic, Eurocorp, Permapine, Farmlands, electric, post and batten, netting, Fieldays, Agmardt, Husqvarna and post and rail, plus new ideas and Taragate. Taragate will also run the inauguproducts. The NZ team includes two- ral International Invitational Fenctime Golden Pliers winner Trevor ing Challenge, pitting the overseas Woolston and well-known profes- and Kiwi demonstrators against one sional John Steedman. From the UK another in a 30-minute challenge. will come Gary Batley, a competi- This will start at 10.30am each day tion winner, organiser and judge of on the corner of M and D roads, near UK national fencing competitions. the main pavillion.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

52 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Spray gear minimises waste AN OPTICAL spot spraying unit, developed with Weedit over the last five years, will be on the Croplands New Zealand site. The company says it sees a place for Weedit on cropping farms, in vineyards and in roadside spraying operations; a notable benefit will be reducing chemical use. Weedit uses nearinfrared sensors to detect weeds by identifying their active chlorophyll, then sends a signal to a solenoid that activates the correct nozzle as it passes over the weed, all but preventing herbicide being applied to bare ground. The technology can also help in managing

The Weedit unit uses near-infrared sensors to detect weeds.

herbicide resistance, and allow growers to use tank mixes and chemicals that would normally be unaffordable in blanket application. For example, says Croplands, some NZ vineyards that find they have ryegrass-resistant glyphosate could use Weedit technology to first blanket spray with glyphosate, then later

come in with selective chemicals to target the ryegrass. Croplands will also show two Bargam selfpropelled sprayers new to the NZ market -- the Grimpeur JR and MAC SJ models. The Grimpeur (French for climber) is built to spray in rolling terrain and heavy ground conditions, using a 170hp

engine and a unique hydrostatic transmission; this drives a conventional 4WD two-speed transmission that in turn powers a front and rear mechanical differential. The machine has four-wheel steering, cruise control and a new integrated engine management system. With tank sizes from 2000 to 4000L and booms up to 36m working width, the machine should suit medium to large areas. The MAC SJ 4000, 5000 and 6000L self-propelled sprayers have a new cab that offers more comfort and visibility, better air filtration and less noise. It has a longer chassis to carry large tanks.

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The DeLaval BSC system is said to be the world’s first automated daily body scoring technology.

AUTO BC SCORING NEEDS NO FARMER INPUT DE LAVAL, which last year won ‘best international agribusiness site’, will this year launch a new milking system designed for pasture-based dairying. The DeLaval BCS system is said to be the world’s first automated daily body condition scoring technology for cows without farmer input. Removing the guesswork and labour required with a manual process, the system’s 3D camera selects the best still image of the cow in a video sequence as it passes through a gate. The chosen image is converted into an accurate body condition score which allows the user to determine effectiveness of feed regimes, feed requirements, drying off parameters and to assist with reproductive performance. DeLaval’s voluntary milking system (VMS) uses robots that allow cows to choose when and how often they are milked; it can be further optioned for udder health monitoring and other data

capture. The company says VMS farmers are seeing improvements in animal welfare, farm profitability, worker efficiency and milk quality. Also to see on the site will be DeLaval’s teat spray robot -- a standalone that automatically administers preor post- teat-dip, providing consistent application and optimal use of the dip, and reducing labour costs. Designed for external milking rotaries where cows are sprayed during rotation, the unit can be installed on most milking rotary models. DeLaval’s DelPro farm management software centralises the whole farm’s data, overseeing milking, feeding, animal health, reproduction and labour management data in one place. It simplifies and automates the hundreds of decisions required each day, the software can measurably improve milk quality and animal health, DeLaval says.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 53

Drill will suit all conditions suspension system, whose basic concept has been proven in the company’s Pronto drill range, should result in excellent performance with minimal repair and maintenance costs. “The significance of the reduction in the number of moving and wearing parts shouldn’t be underestimated,” says Jamie Hanna, of CB Norwood Distributors’ Groundforce division. “Competitive machines are still seen to suffer from excessive wear rates due to their over-complicated designs, which can require extensive seasonal repair and rebuilding – with associated parts and labour costs – to bring machines back into a usable condition.” Standard equipment has the machine set up for seed, fertiliser and small seeds/insecticides,

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

DIRECT DRILLING is the favoured approach of farmers and contractors looking to reduce establishment costs, so the new Avatar SD from Horsch will attract visitors. Said to be suitable for establishing crops in tough conditions, the Avatar 6.16SD has a working width of 6m, 36 rows at 16.7cm spacing and weighs about 9300kg. The high tare weight allows the machine to deliver up to 250kg of coulter pressure, to ensure penetration in all conditions. Meanwhile, the simple design includes a 480mm diameter single disc opener, followed by a press and gauge wheel setup, which helps reduce the number of moving and wearing parts. A heavy-duty rubber

with a 5000L hopper split 60:40, and a separate small seeds/ insecticide hopper with a 200L capacity. The main hopper can be easily configured for single- or dual-product operation. Metering is by Horsch’s proven unit, which uses interchangeable rollers for seed or fertiliser, and can achieve rates down to 0.5kg/ha, controlled by the Horsch Drill Manager which can be configured for ISOBUS or standalone operation. The manufacturer says power needs are reduced by the combination of the single disc openers, carried in two banks on the coulter frames, which are strengthened to preclude sideways movement; this results in an accurate sowing depth irrespective of the ground conditions or terrain.

THE PEOPLE’S WAGONS EXHIBITING AT Fieldays for the seventh time, Volkswagen New Zealand will display its Amarok V6, 4Motion allwheel-drive ute, the new Tiguan SUV and the iconic facelifted VW Golf. The company will also continue its promotion of the IHC Calf and Rural Scheme with a sausage sizzle off a barbecue on the Amarok tray, with all proceeds going to the scheme. In support of that scheme it loans

two Amarok utes to allow the organisers to travel to calf sales or to visit farmers. VW NZ will offer coffee or soup to all site visitors -- welcome if the weather lives up to its reputation of being wet or foggy. Says general manager Tom Ruddenklau, “showing our incredible range at Fieldays is a great opportunity to reach a large number of people in one place”. – Mark Daniel

The Avatar SD is made for establishing crops in difficult conditions.

FENCEPRO Farmtek 4.5 Professional Post Drivers • Sidemounted with 900mm of travel • 4.5m Hydraulic Hinge Mast • 230 KG Block • 5 Lever valve Bank • Toolbox and tool holders • Low Transport height

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

54 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

Italian implements direct from Gore MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

AGRILINE WILL use Fieldays 2017 to show its range of Vigolo mulchers and power harrows built by an Italian family business founded in 1963. Agriline, from Gore, sells direct to end users, enabling them to “deliver high specification machines at competitive pricing”. Built to specifications to suit NZ conditions, the mulchers have large diameter rotors for extra strength and momentum, a triple flail setup for easy driving and fine cut, double row of chains in front for protection, wide skids for a smooth ride

and, importantly, a high power rating for a long service life. Likewise, Vigolo power harrows are said to be built with strength in mind to tackle harsh environments. Available from 2.5m to 8m operating widths, the largest machines can take inputs of up to 500hp, are fitted with cam clutches as standard for overload protection, and have rotors protected against damage from stones or trash. The heart of the machines is a rotor shaft mounted on tapered roller bearings for durability and a long service life; all machines are supplied with packer rollers as standard.

CowScout tags monitor cows 24/7.

TAGS HELP RAISE ON-FARM EFFICIENCY Italian-made Vigolo mulchers and power harrows will be on show at this year’s Fieldays.

“Designed by a Farmer for Farmers”

Mystery Creek See usDays at Field Site H26 Mystery Creek Site G41

PHONE 0800 4 AGBITS | 0800 4 242 487 WEBSITE www.agbits.co.nz

GEA’S COWSCOUT tags are a boon to Cambridge dairy farmer Brad Payne, says the company. The benefits include efficient heat detection, more cows in calf earlier, fewer empties (and less herd wastage) and more days in milk. Milking 800 cows through a 60-bail external rotary shed, Payne runs a grassbased system with in-shed feeding and a feed pad. With two full time staff and the aim of adding 100 cows to the herd each year for three years, he needed a reliable tool to free up his time, says GEA. CowScout tags monitor cows 24/7, providing accurate data on heat detection, eating and rumination. Cows on heat are pre-drafted automatically at their optimal insemination time, and Payne gets a notice and simply turns up to do the insemination. “We now have better insight into optimal insemination times; in the past we may have been too early. “Also, with tail paint I would only inseminate in the mornings. However, CowScout indicated the optimal time for

80% of the herd was in the afternoon during the first year.” Last season the optimal time was in the morning. “We used to get about 8-9% empties with 11 weeks AB. We’re now at eight weeks AB and 8% empties. Our aim is to have 4% empties with seven weeks AB.” Heat detection isn’t the only strength of the tag system, GEA says. In the past, Payne says he relied on inline sensor technology installed on every fourth bale in the rotary shed, checking the milk for high cell count and so alerting staff to the possibility of mastitis. “With CowScout, we can afford to tag every cow and we’re able to pick up mastitis and metabolic disorders before the cows go down sick. This is because the tag tells us how much each cow is eating. “When a cow isn’t eating as much as she should – for example, she might go from eating 11 hours per day to just three hours – we receive an alert. Cows are drafted out automatically, enabling us to check them and treat them a day or two earlier than we might have done before.”

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

MANAGEMENT 55

Gap growing between top and bottom PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THE DIFFERENCE today in the beef industry between the top- and bottomperforming cattle is greater than it has ever been, says Bill Austin, of Austins Ultrasound Ltd. The gap between farmers using technology and genetics to improve their herds and those ignoring the technology is ever widening, Austin says. The attributes for intramuscular fat in the Angus world are 32% heritable, weight and growth are 32-42% heritable; and retail beef yield has now gone up to 60% heritable, he says. “Milk is only 10% heritable,” Austin says. “We have some huge advantages on the dairy industry if we want to move these things along. “We don’t have any excuse really because we have such high heritabilities. It is a no-brainer if we want to improve balance sheets.” Austin made the comments as he demonstrated ultrasound scanning on beef cattle at a genetics showcase day at Landcorp’s Kapiro Station in Northland.

His ultrasound analysis of beef cattle reveals marketable qualities like eye muscle area (EMA) and intra-muscular fat (IMF). The information can be used to improve the herd through selection. There is definitely a place for this in the commercial world, he says. “Until four years ago we didn’t do any commercial cattle. Now possibly a quarter of what I do is commercial herds -- scanning yearling heifers either just pre-mating or post-mating. We do an intramuscular scan and rib fat along with the EMA, so it’s cheap and breeders are using that to cull their replacement females. “If they are buying good bulls to go over those females, then they are making progress pretty rapidly.” Mt Linton has been using technology for a number of years and most people have heard their top results in eating quality grading through Silver Fern. “There are real premiums in the market now through Silver Fern, Anzco, Angus Pure – to name just three. “Intramuscular fat is part of the prerequisite for hitting those premium

Bill Austin

grades. The premiums are pretty serious; they are worth a lot of money per truckload of cattle.” Traditionally our cattle have had twice the fat on the rump as on the rib. “What we need to aim for is to get that rib fat and rump fat even,” says Austin. “There is a strong correlation between rib fat and intramuscular fat, but if there is a lot of rump fat you don’t get as much intramuscular fat. But if you get that fat disposition smooth across the carcase, you help to get the intramuscular fat in as well. “It is strongly heritable at 32-34%.

If you put three generations in you are locking that trait into your cattle. I have a different take on longevity than most people. If cattle aren’t where we want them to be we need generation turnover – if we are prepared to buy the bulls to improve the product.” As an example of improving the commercial end, Austin says a client he works with breeding Wagyu-cross cattle was getting only a 50% hit rate on the scale with the skin off. They started scanning his replacement females and culled whole lines of cattle. “In three years we have shifted his

hit rate from 50% to 80% on the scales. The marble score on a scale of 1-9 we have shifted up nearly two points, and that is worth a lot of money to him. That is just on the Wagyu side but similar premiums are available in other areas of the commercial beef world.” The raw data is only a means to an end, says Austin. It is important that raw data is collected in a mob situation. The stud scanning data is sent to the University of New England, Armidale, NSW, and put through the Breed Plan computer program. Each animal is measured against each of its peers within that mob. But it is also the most powerful user of pedigree – as in family relations. The scan from the one animal and all his siblings, aunts, uncles, brothers of the sire and dam and all her relations are used to create the EBV. So several thousand animals can have an input into data on that animal. “Breed Plan is the greatest user of pedigree known to man,” says Austin. “It actually puts beside every animal a figure for every trait used to create the individual EBV for this animal; so it is pretty robust.”

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

56 MANAGEMENT

Getting young working and thriving Getting young New Zealanders to take up work in agriculture and horticulture is a challenge. For some, even the thought of work is scary. But a Whangarei family company is succeeding in its efforts to get NZers working. Peter Burke reports on the Malley family. DERMOTT AND Linzi Malley, their son Patrick and his wife Rebecca own Onyx Horticulture which employs 140 people – some full-time and others part-time. The Malleys have their own kiwifruit, raspberry and blackberry orchard and are heading out of avocados on their 30ha block. But they also run an orchard contracting

and management business, providing high level advice and staff to do the practical work in the orchards such as pruning and packing, including in their own pack-house. They also have a separate software business associated with the horticultural operation. In 2014 their company won the Westpac Large Business Award

for Northland and Patrick won Horticulture NZ Young Grower Competition and later the National Horticulturalist of the Year competition. The four family members have particular roles. Dermott is the numbers man and responsible for some of the development work. Linzi is involved in the plants, Rebecca handles the administration

and Patrick manages new projects, employment and the contracting side of the business. By anyone’s standards, they are a large business. However, the key to their success is the emphasis on people and giving them opportunities. The Malley’s horticulture business depends on having reliable and capable workers. But getting

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Patrick, Rebecca, Linzi and Dermot Malley

such workers in Whangarei has its challenges,

which has led them to a different approach to

employing staff.

Work is scary “A LOT of the kids we employ up here are young Maori who already have families and while they might still be juveniles in

some respects they still want to support their family, buy nice things and do nice things,” says Malley.

“For them, having a secure income is quite important. Horticulture is perceived – and this is TO PAGE 57

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

MANAGEMENT 57 Starting new job can be scary FROM PAGE 56

warranted – as being seasonal only, but that is now just a perception.” Lots of work is available now in horticulture, and in coming years more people will be needed as the sector expands. Malley says that by virtue of the range of crops they grow and manage, they are able to reduce the peaks and troughs in the employment cycle and maybe other growers need to look at creative ways of doing the same. He also believes that government regulations have to be modified so that people aren’t penalised for trying to get into work and that people need to be supported better in the first year when they are transitioning off the dole into employment. Also the climatic vagaries that are part of horticulture need to be taken into account by the legislators. Malley says the standard complaint in society is that people on the dole don’t even want to work, and while he admits there are some lazy individuals, his experience is that people get sick of sitting and watching TV all day and would prefer to work. “For some of these kids going to work is scary. They can go into an office in town and go on the dole and it’s not scary. There is someone there who is going to help them through the process and they have seen their parents do it as well. It’s not so much a generational thing; it’s the experience they understand and for a lot of them coming to us is their first proper job. “They haven’t got someone to hold their hand because it is expensive for us to employ someone to hold their hand the whole time. There is genuine fear. They don’t want to fail or be shamed and for some bravado is all they have got, so damage to their ego is one of the last things they want.” Malley says when they take on staff, ini-

tially on part time basis, they tell them that if they work hard and present the right attitude there will be opportunities for them to progress to a permanent or semi-permanent role. He says many of the young people they hire have good ‘hand-eye’ coordination, which suits some roles in the horticultural sector. They try hard to give people chances, but it is not an endless set of chances. If people fail they let them go. Malley says in his experience about 25%

THE WHANGAREI ISSUE WHANGAREI HAS a high unemployment rate and so horticultural businesses don’t readily qualify to employ overseas workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employment Scheme (RSE). Likewise in Hawkes Bay, Bay of Plenty and the lower North Island; even Kerikeri, in the Far North, has access to RSE workers. Patrick Malley decided to try to employ locals and figured that the best way of doing this was to put himself in their shoes. He says

there are a lot of employers out there who say they have got work and there are people out of work. This work is usually on contract rates, so if they work hard they can get paid well. “Then they ask ‘why don’t they work for me?’ You can talk about the myriad of social, economic, community and narcotic restraints that may exist on people, but I come back to a base level,” he told Rural News. “If I had to be on call seven days

a week for three months, and get paid only when there is work -- and remember there may be no work on wet days -- that wouldn’t excite me. It probably wouldn’t get me out of bed in the morning and ultimately that’s what it comes down to. “You need to get people excited about getting into horticulture because it is an exciting industry and there are jobs that vary day by day and even hour by hour as opposed to an office job

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where you are just doing the same thing day in, day out.” Malley says this prompts the question of how you excite people to get into a job. He believes a big issue is giving them some sense of security: if they transition from being on the dole to employment there is an opportunity for them to work a lot more hours and potentially move from part-time to fulltime employment, then they can support themselves and their families.

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of the people who are offered such opportunities go on to better things within the company. “We have a rule that says ‘if you treat us like family we will work through your problems with you’.” One of the challenges Malley finds is preparing people for work: getting across to them the need to communicate, be punctual and to work within the rules of the company. Some, he says, have no concept of this and is full of praise for the work that MSD has started to do in this regard. Malley’s company staff are giving training and recognising achievements by awarding certificates. The company also works with other training providers and tries to build up staff confidence and satisfaction. Malley says they get a real buzz when people succeed and often these people go on to train others. In the last five years there have been positive changes in the horticultural sector; people with real passion are coming in and they need to be rewarded.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

58 ANIMAL HEALTH

Take the Steve Hansen approach PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

SELECTING A ram or a bull is like selecting a rugby team, says Jo Scott, Zoetis Genetics’ North Island area manager. “Say you have 30 guys and you were asked to select a rugby team from these guys. What are you

going to do? Select the big ones, the strong ones, the fit ones?” she asked a Landcorp Genetics Showcase day in Northland. “When they are out in front of you that’s all you know. But they tell me that looks isn’t all that counts. They have to be able to play the game so they need the right struc-

ture. But what else do we want to know about these guys before we select them to play in our rugby team?” If their parents had been professional rugby players, you would know they had some history in the game. But you’d also run tests – put them through

running races and other physical tests to actually see how they play. Breeders advise with rams and bulls the best indication of how they will perform is from their progeny. In rugby the best way is watching them play a game. “But we don’t get that when we buy a bull or

ram. We get some information about their pedigree and their parents, we get to look at them and see if they are structurally able to do the job. “But we don’t necessarily get to see how they will play the game. That’s where another technology comes in – genomics.” Steve Hansen

MOVING OR MOVED YOUR HERD TO A NEW FARM?

Genomics can help us get an understanding of the animals before they are performing, she says. “It is like watching them play the game before they have actually played. It is simply one of the tools that complement the structure, the pedigree and their [existing] records. “We take a small sample, we analyse that DNA and we predict the future performance of that animal while it is young.” Taking that back to the rugby team, that sample will tell you, when it is a young animal, whether it

is a Dan Carter or a club rugby player. “Genomics is simply another tool in your toolbox to enhance your genetic gain. It complements phenotype; it complements the performance records. “It is really important when selecting your bulls and rams that you get an understanding of all the available information. You may not be able to understand it; if not ask your breeder, who knows all about this stuff. “There are many tools but your breeder is best for selecting a bull or a ram.”

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MPI HAS launched a mobile app to help farmers, truckers, stock agents and veterinarians determine whether an animal is fit for transport. Developed with industry and vets, the app helps people easily and efficiently decide correctly about the welfare of animals, MPI says. It consolidates available information in one place without requiring internet access, so it suits onfarm use. MPI’s director of verification services, Dr Chris Kebbell, says most people in the primary sectors know about animal fitness requirements for trucking, yet MPI vets at processing plants are still seeing animals arriving that should not have been trucked. “Animal welfare is everyone’s responsibility and farmers, transporters, stock agents and veterinarians all have a role to play in ensuring only fit animals are transported. “The information in the app is based on the transport requirements in the codes of welfare for dairy cattle, deer, sheep and beef cattle.” Developed under MPI’s ‘Safeguarding our Animals, Safeguarding our Reputation Programme’, the app is to improve voluntary compliance with animal welfare rules -- a “resource to support owners and people in charge of animals,” Kebbell says. “There has been demand for this tool and many are excited it’s now available. We’ve had great feedback.” The app also contains the new rules for trucking young calves. New fit-for-transport regulations are now being developed and the app will be updated once they kick in. To download the app, search ‘fit for transport’ on iTunes (for Apple) or Google Play (for Android).

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

ANIMAL HEALTH 59

Sheep industry needs stronger focus on selection – breeder OUT DAMN BLACK SPOTS!

PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THE SHEEP industry needs to watch out for some structural issues emerging in animals, such as straight back legs and turned-in feet, says Romney stud breeder Gordon Levet. He adds that traits such as black wool are strongly re-emerging in flocks. “In breeding animals, if you don’t keep selecting for a trait you will lose it because the natural tendency is to gradually revert back to traits of the original feral sheep.” But taking a good trait too far can become a problem, Levet told a Northland Genetics Showcase Day. The easy option is to select by the index without bothering to look at the sheep. It is harder to combine looking at the index then looking at the physical aspects of the sheep, but of more benefit. “The index doesn’t tell you anything about wool quality, it tells you about wool weight. “If you select for wool weight, hair weighs heavier than wool and it will gradually come back. It is the dominant fibre because it was an original trait. “Horns will come back unless they are selected for because it is another dominant trait.” Black fibre is probably the most noticeable one and Levet hears there is a greater black fibre problem today than ever. It was the camouflage of the original sheep and is a very strong gene. He says if you stop selecting for such things as black fibre or feet structure, horns and hair, you will get away

Northland ram breeder Gordon Levet.

with it for several generations because there is a long history of breeding it out of the modern sheep. “You go several generations…. and after three generations you won’t see any problems. But if you start neglecting dark ears then black fibre will start to creep in; it will carry on getting

worse until eventually they will be back to their original state. “If you decide to turn it around you won’t turn around immediately and you’ve got it in your flock.” For some traits the descent will be quicker than others. Feet “will not be too slow”.

WHEN GORDON Levet is judging sheep, he not only looks at teeth, but also the tongue, as it is an indicator of black fibre. He says sheep with a major problem with black fibre invariably have a dark grey tongue. If the tongue is pink there will be no black fibre, if it’s grey he will look further and if it’s black he knows the sheep will have black fibre. While a lamb showing black fibre can be culled, the real problem is black spots which emerge later in the sheep’s life. It may have already had daughters who are in the flock and it can take several generations to breed out again. As a young Romney breeder Levet knew for many years that sheep should have thick ears, but in those days you didn’t show your ignorance and ask why. Finally a long-time breeder told him thin ears meant thin skin. “If you have thin ears you have thin skin and the lambs die in a snowstorm.” Thin skinned animals are also more prone to dehydration. Early breeders bred strong jaws with wide flat teeth but they went too far and suddenly teeth were protruding beyond the front pad which made it difficult for them to eat. The correct setting for teeth is about 2mm back from the front of the pad so it fits on the pad. If they are flush with the front of the pad they will often move back with time also. On structural soundness he says the back end view should be legs

looking straight down so the feet meet squarely on the ground. If you have a sheep which is bowlegged, the digits on the feet get forced together. That will collect debris and is an ideal spot for foot problems to emerge. The same happens if they are ‘cow-hocked’; the feet are splayed and once again the digits are forced together. Excessive growth in feet is a strongly inherited fault. He has seen animals virtually tripping over themselves and instances where breeders have only selected for production traits and the sheep had shocking feet. You need feet which meet squarely on the ground with a good space between the toes. If the rump is higher than the shoulder, the joints at the back get straightened out. Sheep and cattle need to have angles in the joints. He has seen a bull that couldn’t mate because of straight hocked legs and a ram that couldn’t walk up hills. Angles in the legs provide ‘springing’ and give propulsion. However if an animal’s legs are too bent they lose strength. “You’ve got to have an ideal between the two which gives optimum springing and optimum strength.” Constitution is the ability to thrive under adverse conditions. In both cattle and sheep a ‘u’ neck – a hollow between the shoulder and the neck -- and also a weak neck, are almost invariably signs of a weak constitution.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

60 ANIMAL HEALTH Research shows dairy cows generally cope well in the cold.

Winter cold shouldn’t faze stock RESEARCH IS turning up better understanding of how livestock cope with wintry weather, and ways to help manage them in these seasons, says AgResearch. Concern for animal welfare is understandable, says animal welfare science leader Jim Webster. “Our research into dairy cows tells us they can generally cope well in cold weather, as long as they are in good condition, healthy and well fed. While extreme cold can stress animals, they are able to adjust by thickening of their skin and coats, and drawing on their fat reserves. “Cows are typically more affected by heat than by cold because lactation and rumination generate heat which can protect against cold, but can cause overheating in warm weather. “Rain and wind are the threats to New Zealand cows.... They don’t want to lie down in wet or muddy conditions. We know that daily periods of lying down are important for cows, and if they don’t lie down enough, this harms their health and productivity. Farmers can support cows through the coldest and wettest periods by providing shelter where practical, because cows will naturally seek it out in rainy and windy conditions, AgResearch says. Extra feed can be a buffer by generating energy and heat as food is digested -before bad weather sets in, because cows may tend to reduce their food intake during wet and cold weather. Cows must have good fat reserves to draw on going into the coldest peri-

ods, and farmers must keep a close eye on younger and thinner animals that are more sensitive to inclement weather. “Another thing farmers can do is to provide dry, comfortable areas for the cows to lie in during the cold and wet conditions,” Webster says. “Typically they will lie down less during these times, so looking for ways to increase this behaviour will be a real benefit.” DairyNZ’s animal husbandry and welfare specialist Helen Thoday says during a combination of cold, wind and rain farmers should ensure cows can access shelter. “It’s good practice when cows are grazing winter crops to fence them front and back, allowing them to access only a narrow strip of fodder at any one time. This helps to protect the soil and prevent them from stamping over and spoiling fodder,” she says. “However, when the weather turns nasty we recommend farmers drop the back fence so their cows can move to shelter. “And a good environmental practice is to graze cows downhill, but remembering that grazing downhill interrupts a cow’s natural grazing stance and reduces her feed intake. This can lead to underfeeding, so farmers should check what fodder the cows leave behind to estimate how much they have eaten and, if necessary, allow them more space and time to feed on sloping land.” Farm workers must understand cows’ needs and what sort of winter conditions can affect them.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 61 LATEST STORIES EVERY DAY Get up-to-date news at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz

Big M can’t hide MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

‘SPY’ SHOTS of new vehicles under test in zebra-style camouflage may not be unusual, but it’s not so common on large farm machines – all the more a pointer to the whopping Krone Big-M selfpropelled mower rig. Rural News hears that the German manufacturer has produced 10 pre-production Big-M 450 mowers, now going through their paces worldwide, though we don’t know if New Zealand is among the testing grounds.

The latest 450 is understood to be a re-design from the ground up, starting with the chassis. The machines are fitted with hydraulically adjusted axles front and rear, which alter overall height from 4m (road mode) to 4.2m (field mode), to allow greater clearance in work and lower height in transport. The set-up is also said to offer more comfort for the operator and increased speeds in work of up to 25km/h. Tyre equipment is 800/65-R32s fitted up front and 600/65 R28s on the rear. Power is from a Tier 4 (Final)

Liebherr 6-cylinder, 12L, 450hp engine with two operating modes: 1500rpm brings up 40km/h on the road for reduced fuel use, and a 1700rpm setting will allow mowing up to speeds of 25km/h. Power is transmitted by a Bosch CVT ground drive system. Improvements to the cooling package include a larger unit with a passive front rotor and an active exhaust set-up to keep dust at bay. Up front, overall mowing width has been nudged out to almost 10m, and the front mower unit is mounted using a more traditional 3-point linkage system rather than

the current triangular frame setup. Krone’s SafeCut disc safety system is standard, and power to the mower units is transmitted by gearboxes and shafts for more efficient power delivery than the current belt set-up. The improvements are said to allow high daily outputs of 100ha and more. Up top, the operator will benefit from a new cab design carried over from the BIG-X 480-630 forage harvesters, said to offer more space, more comfort and easy control via a multi-function joystick.

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

62 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Side-by-side hits sweet spot MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

FOR YEARS the quad market has been nibbled at by side-by-side (SxS) vehicles with their better carrying capacity and driver protec-

tion and, depending on options, shelter from the elements. The Honda Pioneer 500 has a good following among people looking for a compact machine: dimensions 1270mm wide x 2605mm long and a

kerb weight of 485kg; it’s easy to manoeuvre and light on the ground. Using componentry carried over from the venerable TRX 500 quad, a 475cc single cylinder engine delivers 29hp from its mounting low in

a robust ladder-framed chassis. A conventional transmission has five forward and one reverse speed, with shaft drives to front and rear axle differentials. A maximum speed of 65km/h is complemented

•SITS FLAT ON THE GROUND FOR EASY HOOK UP •COVERED IN BACK TO PREVENT RADIATOR PIERCING •BUILT WITH HIGH TENSILE PINS FOR EXTRA STRENGTH •TINE CURVATURE ALLOWS FOR OPTIMAL LOG GRAPPLING New mini-hand for under 80hp Tractor

FIELDAYS SPECIAL PRICE! TALK TO US AT SITE C94

295mm of travel. Testing the machine over several days and about 100km on a large dairy farm in central Waikato brought an extremely positive response from all operators. Their key observation was “you sit in the machine, rather than on it”, getting a feeling of safety and stability, probably enhanced by the substantial roll frame. Also getting a big tick were the half doors with safety nets and torso protection bars, easily opened with quick-release door knobs. Operators said the maximum speed of 65km/h was more than enough for a dairy operation, and they noted the ultra-low first gear was well-suited to following cows down a race at idle. The windscreen and roof options tick the boxes.

L OFFICIA ER IMPORT

FOLDING GRASS FORKS

Side Discharge Muck Spreaders

Available in 3.6m - 4.9m widths

• • • •

feederleader.co.nz

by engine braking delivered by a shaft-drive set, and the machine has no belt drives to wear or break when pushed hard. For the 2017-18 season several upgrades should find favour with users, particularly an auto-shifting function in the transmission. Allowing the ability to operate the machine in a set-andforget mode, the transmission smoothly shifts through the gears under acceleration, and downshifts as speed is reduced. It is selected by a dashboard mounted switch, and the operator can override the function at any time using paddleshifters under the steering, or select manual shifting if required. Also upgraded is the suspension: dual-rate springs in all corners act with the dual wishbone suspension to offer a smooth ride with up to

Low cost option for small jobs Ideal for small tractors - 90hp+ Simple & reliable solution Handles liquids & solids with ease

40mm Hardox steel tines Hydraulic accumulator fitted as standard Bushes and grease points on all pivots 60mm replaceable main pivot bushes

XCEL 1250 Muck Spreader

WIDE RANGE OF IMPLEMENTS AVAILABLE:

Spreading width of up to 24 metres 12 tonne capacity Ability to spread full load in 3-5 mins Optional scales available High quality - Built to last

SILAGE GRABS • BUCKET GRABS • BALE GRABS • FOLDING SILAGE FORKS • TELEHANDLER BUCKETS AND FORKS

SEE PRODIG, HISPEC & MORE @ THE NATIONAL AGRICULTUAL FIELDAYS: GILTRAP AGRIZONE SITE A16 Jarred L’amie | Product Manager 07 823 3765 | 027 203 5022

CAMBRIDGE 183 Victoria Road 07 827 7159

OTOROHANGA 1 Progress Drive 07 873 4004

ROTORUA 22 Fairy Springs Road 07 343 1915

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 63

Drive this over the Jones MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

MAKING A statement on the road might require, say, a Citroen 2CV or a Bugati Veyron. But in utes -- taking an ever-larger share of the New Zealand new vehicle market -- you either settle for a Ranger or Hilux or pick something to stand out from the crowd. And stand out you will if you hand over the moolah for the Jeep Brute Sport. It won’t so much be a case of ‘keeping up with the Jones’, as driving over them. American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) takes a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and does a factory-sanctioned upgrade/conversion, taking attention to detail and finish to the next level. Starting with the original Wrangler chassis, they chop in front of the rear axle and insert 59cm of metal to increase the wheelbase, then add a further 49cm behind that axle to make room for the well-side body. And some body it is, with 1530 x 1550mm dimensions, an injection moulded liner, slip resistant coating and multiple tie-down points. Then AEV bolt on goodies in the shape of HD front and rear fenders, the latter with an integral 26L clean water tank, skid plates, spotlights, upgraded water pump and a musclebound Warn Zeon winch up front. You won’t get a rearview camera and radar, a challenge given the vehicle’s 5.5m length, especially if you’re trying to park in town. But this truck’s 273mm of ground clearance – a challenge to getting into the pilot’s seat -- will give

you excellent visibility in all directions and to each corner of the vehicle. The cabin is pure Wrangler Unlimited, neither spectacular nor offensive, and a perfectly adequate place to take a ride. Seats are comfortable and supportive, the original Freedom pop-out roof panels are retained, and instrumentation is adequate and supplemented by AEV’s instrument cluster. Shod on with 17-inch alloy wheels with valve protectors, and sporting 35-inch diameter BF Goodrich mud tyres, the ride on-road ride is surprisingly good given the 2400kg kerb weight and the elevated position, and is probably helped by the extended wheelbase. The DualSport suspension package takes everything in its stride, the only slight negative being a little road noise from the block-pattern tyres. When you hit the dirt the Brute really comes into its own: pull the stubby shift lever to 4H, point it to where you want to go and just go there. At an off-road training facility near Cambridge we found nothing that was too taxing for this truck --water, grass, mud or gravel. Looking at stats, you will wonder if this vehicle makes any sense, with a 3600cc Pentastar V6 petrol engine pushing out 209kW power, 347Nm torque and consuming 15L/100km. The 5-speed auto sees 100km/h come up in about ten seconds, so this is no rocket-ship. But it’s different from the pack, as succinctly explained by a Canterbury high country man found looking at a higher-spec Brute Rubi-

con as we sadly handed our test steed back to the distributor. Said he, “All my neighbours and mates have Ford Rangers; we want to buy something different.” That summed it up nicely.

IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN FIVE HUNDRED HORSEPOWER

ALL-NEW

FENDT 1000 SERIES HAS ARRIVED | 380 – 500 HP There’s no other tractor like it. There’s no class for it. The immensely powerful All-New Fendt 1000 Series from 380 – 500 HP. Ingeniously compact design. Incredibly versatile. All-New Fendt 1000 Series. It’s – literally – in a class of its own.

CE RT I F I ED

1000

CORRECTION IN THE Eco Contracting Ltd story, Rural News May 15 (p40) incorrectly reported that the company’s service typically costs $360-$1000 per hour. This price was the cost per acre, and typical hourly costs are $250-$280. We apologise for the error.

SERIES DEALER

CE RT I F I ED

E RT I F I ED

1000

C E R T I F I Elocal D ContactCyour Certified Fendt 1000 Series Dealer

Hamilton 1000 SERIES Feilding DEALER Mosgiel / Otago

Visit fendt.co.nz Fendt is a worldwide brand of AGCO Corporation.

Waikato Tractors TRC Feilding JJ Limited

Ph: 07 843 7237 Rotorua SERIES SERIES LER DEAPh: 06 323 4117 Washdyke / Timaru DEA L ER Ph: 03 489 8199

Piako Tractors JJ Limited

Ph: 07 345 8560 Ph: 03 688 7401

says you’re serious.

RURAL NEWS // JUNE 6, 2017

64 RURAL TRADER CRAIGCO SENSOR JET

DEAL TO FLY AND LICE • Cost Effective • Complete Package • Unbeatable pricing • Performance Guaranteed

DOLOMITE

NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser For a delivered price call... 0800 436 566

LATEST STORIES ON www.ruralnews.co.nz BREAKING NEWS MARKETS & TRENDS COMPETITIONS MANAGEMENT STORIES MACHINERY REVIEWS AND MUCH MORE...

P 06 835 6863 - www.craigcojetters.com

EPOXY FLOOR REPAIR

SINGLE DOG BOX

YOUR ADVERT HERE For details contact: JULIE BEECH Ph 09-307 0399 •

Non Toxic, Solvent Free Chemical Resistant Self smoothing, easy to spread Covers eroded & pitted floors

Up to 6 rechargeable waterproof collar units & remotes • Model SD-1825 – 1.6 Kms range (1 mile) • Model SD-1225 – 1.2 Kms range • Model SD-825 – 800 Metre range All with Tone & Vibration options 24 levels of correction – 3 year warranty

REGIS COATINGS

0800 542 542 WEBSITE:

RegisCoatings.co.nz

incl GST

KEEP YOUR WORKING DOGS ON THE JOB

SIMPLE TO APPLY ! ORDERS AND ENQUIRIES Ph:

$745 Phone 0800 625 826 www.mckeeplastics.co.nz

EPOXY SCREED FOR ERODED FLOORS

Incredible adhesion Rapid cure Chemical resistant Extremely hard in 6 hours

Accommodates up to 4 dogs 6 individual air vents Removable centre board 2 lockable galvanised gates In-house drainage Tie down lugs on each side Fits all wellside & flatdeck utes (2 models) ❱❱ Raised floor for insulation ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱

GST $525 incl

julieb@ruralnews.co.nz

Cretex™ TR Epotread™SL250 TROWEL GRADE EPOXY FILLER

TOP DOG BOX

GREAT VALUE

SD-1825 with 1 1892 collar ................$695.00 PO Box 73 Tuakau SD-1225 collar ................ $595.00 Tel: (09)with 2361 8414 Stainless Structure PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tuakau 1892 construction SD-825 with 1 collar Fax: (09) 236 9321..................$495.00 Industries Ltd Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09) 236 8414 1,000 + Email: sheep/hr Extra collars $375.00 – PRICES INCLUDE GST PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Fax: (09) 236 Fax: 9321(09) 236 9321 Fantastic sdustries Ltd LtdEmail: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Penetration Automatic Super Jetter

Innovative Agriculture Equipment

$7,500 plus GST

With Davey Pump & Honda Motor

Lockable Pulley Used by farmers, hunters, home handyman, also in veterinary The Stanley practice, etc.

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

PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Dairy • Stainless steel PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tuakau 1892 • 4 sealed bearings WE’RE KNOCKING THE GST OFF Fax: (09) 236 9321 FLY OR LICE PROBLEMS? Free Range & Barn Eggs Feed Systems Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09) 236 8414 4-1 ratio airy ALL OUR OUTBACK•OIL SKINS Dairy The magic eye sheepjetter since 1989 Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Feed Systems • Rope included AND STANLEY PRODUCTS SUPPLIERS OF: (09) 236 Fax: Fax: 9321 (09)construction 236 9321 Quality and options • Get the contractors choice • Available in 2 sizes: eed tems SystemsEmail: • Nest boxes - manual or PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Featuring... 1) will lift up to 272kg automated Industries Ltd

sales@pppindustries.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

• Poultry Equipment

THE STANLEY LUNCH BOX durable, with huge capacity FREE G IF WITH T for a hearty lunch FIR

PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892

• Incredible chemical economy • Amazing ease 1500+ per hour • Unique self adjusting sides • Environmentally and user friendly • Automatically activated • Proven effective on lice as well as fly • Compatible with all dip chemicals • Accurate, effective application

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

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 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09) 236 8414 oultry Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz 07 573 8512 Fax: (09) 236 Fax: 9321(09) 236 9321 quipment nt Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz ❖

• Site C21 •

The Stanley Food Jar keeps food hot all day and the insulated lid doubles as a handy bowl.

2) 2000kg breaking strain

207 High Street, Solway, Masterton • QUALITY PRODUCTS MADE IN EUROPE OR BY PPPPO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 www.stockwhips.co.nz

❖

Flask has been keeping Seecoffee us at hot around the National the clock since Fieldays 1913

S PURCHT 10 ASES

06 378 9964 207 High Street, Solway, Masterton • 06-378 9964 www.stockwhips.co.nz • stockwhips@xtra.co.nz

| dipping@electrodip.co.nz – www.electrodip.com

Culvert Pipes New Zealand’s CHEAPEST Culvert Pipes! FREE joiners supplied on request.

ONE STOP WATER SHOP 300mm x 6 metre ................................ $410 400mm x 6 metre ................................ $515 500mm x 6 metre ................................ $690 600mm x 6 metre ................................ $925 800mm x 6 metre .............................. $1399 1000mm x 6 metre ............................ $2175 1200mm x 6 metre ............................ $3475 ALL PRICES INCLUDE G.S.T.

• Lightweight, easy to install • Made from polyethylene

McKee Plastics Mahinui Street, Feilding Ph 06 323 4181 Fax 06 323 4183

sales@mckeeplastics.co.nz | www.mckeeplastics.co.nz

Phone

0800 625 826

for your nearest stockist

Joiners supplied FREE with culvert pipes

“These guys have earned a reputation for strength, reliability and performance. They’ve been through more tests than you’ve had hot dinners, and always give 100%. If you want a farm bike that has been tried and tested for New Zealand farm conditions you can’t go past Suzuki’s tight five.”

Tony Woodcock

GN125F

TF125 DR200S

DR-Z250F

DR200SE

TF125 MUDBUG

SAVE $780 $2,795 EXCL. GST • • • • • •

FIELDAYS SAVINGS

Quality made in Japan Dual side-stands Comfortable seat Handlebar-mounted carrier 125cc 2-stroke 6-speed

NO DEPOSIT

NO PAYMENTS FOR 3 MONTHS

2 YEARS TO PAY

Normal lending criteria apply. Price excludes GST. Offer not available in conjunction with any other promotion. Offer ends 31 July 2017 or while stocks last.

DR200S based on $1,945.76 deposit or trade-in equivalent, 1 payment of $2,191.63 after 12 months and another payment of $2,191.63 after 24 months at 6.99% interest. Total cost of purchase $6,329.02 DR200SEL5 based on $1,945.76 deposit or trade-in equivalent, 1 payment of $2,191.63 after 12 months and another payment of $2,191.63 after 24 months at 6.99% interest. Total cost of purchase $6,329.02 TF125 based on No deposit and a payment holiday of 3 months, then 21 equal monthly payments of $188.16 at 19.95% interest. Total cost of purchase $3,951.36

DR200S DUAL-SPORT

SAVE $480

DR200SE TROJAN

INCL. GST

$4,795 EXCL. GST

• • • • • • •

5-speed push button electric start RM-Z styling Progressive linkage rear suspension Front disc brake Comfortable dual seat Economical four stroke motor Sound, reliable Japanese built quality

SAVE $480

INCL. GST

$4,795 EXCL. GST

• • • • • • •

Quality made in Japan Dual side-stands Comfortable seat Handlebar-mounted carrier 5-speed Electric start 4-stroke Large 12V headlight

INCL. GST

3.9% FINANCE ACROSS A RANGE OF SUZUKI VEHICLES Enjoy the benefits of a new Suzuki with no deposit, at 3.9% interest finance and payments from just $69 per week! Get a 5 year warranty, roadside assist package, and that new car smell. So why buy used? Hurry, offer available for a limited time. Talk to your local dealer today.

FROM JUST

PER WEEK

FROM JUST

PER WEEK

121

PER WEEK

FROM JUST

SAFARI

PER WEEK

FROM JUST

PER WEEK*

123

FROM JUST

PER WEEK

132

140

PER WEEK

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Weekly payments based on nil deposit, 3.9% p.a. interest rate and 5 year term. Payments include on-road costs, a $369 documentation fee and $13 PPSR fee. Offer available until 30 June 2017. Celerio GLX Manual SSP $15,230+orc $68.85 pw (total payable $17,969.85), Ignis GLX Manual $18,990+orc $84.71 pw (total payable $22,109.31), Vitara JLX 2WD Manual $27,990+orc $122.68 pw (total payable $32,019.48), Baleno GLX Manual $21,990+orc $97.37 pw (total payable $23,855.65), Swift Sport 1.6 Manual $27,500+orc $120.62 pw (total payable $31,481.82), S-Cross LTD 2WD Auto $29,990+orc $131.12 pw (total payable $34,222.32), Jimny 4WD JX Manual $19,990+orc $88.93 pw (total payable $23,210.73), *Jimny SAFARI 4WD JX Manual $20,990+orc $93.15 pw (total payable $24,312.15), *Jimny SAFARI 4WD Sierra Manual shown $23,990+orc $105.81 pw (total payable $27,616.41), Grand Vitara 4WD JLX 3-Dr Manual $31,990+orc $139.56 pw (total payable $36,425.16). Excludes SX-R, Swift 1.2 and 1.0T models, fleet purchases, demo vehicles and all other promotions. Normal lending credit criteria apply. See www.suzuki.co.nz for details.

SUZUKI NEW ZEALAND LIMITED 1 HEADS ROAD, WANGANUI.

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