Rural News Issue 502 2011

southdowns

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The fastest lambs off the back blocks? feature 43-46

British mower remains big favourite. page 49

Rural NEWS

lamb supply outlook Feedback from the north-east.

page 13

to all farmers, for all farmers

october 18, 2011: Issue 502

www.ruralnews.co.nz

Sector can be saved SUD ES H K I SSUN

THE PSA-PLAGUED kiwifruit industry is in for a couple of rough years, says Agriculture Minister David Carter, but he’s confident the industry will be saved.

Speaking to Rural News last week after a visit to Te Puke-based Kiwi Vine Health, the organisation leading the Psa battle, he said the situation is “very serious”. But he’s impressed by the research

response to combat its spread and select cultivars that will cope with the disease.

“I’m confident the industry will survive but am not sure how long it will take to find solutions,” he says.

Carter’s visit came as more parts of the region were declared high risk zones and had strict biosecurity measures imposed. The zones are Te Puke (317 infected orchards), Tauranga (6), and Waihi, Katikati and Whakatane (one each). Carter says 14% of New Zealand’s

kiwifruit area is in orchards with Psa. “These are trying times for kiwifruit growers. The situation is serious….

Twelve months ago we did not how Psa would manifest itself in New Zealand: now we are seeing the real effects of the disease.”

Horticulture New Zealand president and affected kiwifruit grower Andrew Fenton agrees the situation is serious.

While the 2011 crop is holding up and cashflows are strong, growers are brac-

From left Minister of Agriculture David Carter, the Plant and Food kiwifruit manager at Te Puke Dr Stuart Kay, and the local MP and Minister of Health Tony Ryall at Te Puke last week. Photo: Te Puke Times

ing for at least a 20% lower crop in 2012.

He’s lost about a dozen vines to Psa already and does not have high hopes for next season. “The question is how quickly [it] moves through my orchard.”

Carter predicts the production drop here and elsewhere in the world will cause a price spike, providing “some relief to growers and other stakeholders.”

However, Fenton says the effect on next year’s crop could be worse than the forecast 20%. “It is still moving through and whether we end up having a full crop, half crop or no crop at all remains to be seen. I don’t know whether there will be only a 20% drop in yield. Its early days... it could be more but definitely won’t be less.”

Fenton says the disease isn’t just bad news for growers; it’s dire for affected regions’ economies too, particularly Bay of Plenty. New Zealand’s 2700 growers produce 110m trays or 400,000t of kiwifruit every year off 13,350ha of orchard, split 80% green, 20% gold. About 80% is in Bay of Plenty. Exports fetch at least $1.2 billion.

Fenton says the industry has just not been a star performer, driving up to 15% of economic activity in the Bay of Plenty region. A downturn in the industry will have major impact on areas like Katikati and Te Puke.

The industry is getting support from the Government and the banks but he’s unsure how long it can survive.

“Right now the kiwifruit industry has a precarious future, in one or two years it might have fully recovered or be totally wiped out.”

Culture shift the big ask p e t e r bu r k e

CHANGING THE culture is the biggest challenge facing the meat industry, says KPMG’s Ian Proudfoot. He told Rural News that is the only way the Red Meat Sector Strategy (RMSS) can be implemented.

However, changing the culture of the meat industry will be much harder than it would be in some other primary sectors, he says.

“The key will be to achieve a culture change and then create a process that can sustain and drive that culture change into the future.

At the moment I’m not clear on what mechanisms are being proposed to achieve that.”

Proudfoot says the culture to date has been one of ‘independence’, but one of the key themes to come out of the KPMG Agribusiness Agenda in June was on the need for collaboration.

“There is growing realisation that we are a relatively small producer on a global scale. If we are going to be successful on international markets, there is a need for increased collaboration. One of the key points in a culture-change process is how you bring people together to get them to work collaboratively.”

In some areas people are exploring how to work collaboratively and this is positive.

“However there needs to be to page 3

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

news 3 issue 502

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World still short of lamb peter burke

News ��������������������������� 1-20 World ���������������������� 21-23 Agribusiness ��������� 24-25 Markets ������������������ 26-27 Hound, Edna �����������������28 Contacts �����������������������28 Opinion ��������������������� 28-31 Management ��������� 32-37 Animal Health ������38-42 southdown nz ����� 43-46 Machinery and Products ���������������� 47-52 Rural life ���������������53-54 Rural Trader ������� 54-55

A SHORTFALL of lamb is likely this year in Europe, and it appears no country is in a position to increase its production much in the short term. That’s the view of Rabobank food and agribusiness analyst Rebecca Redmond, who says most countries are like New Zealand, where ewe numbers have declined over recent years.

The UK sheep flock has been declining for years. The ewe kill there was up 20% because of good worldwide prices for mutton, and she notes a similar trend in New Zealand.

“Their breeding ewe numbers are down just below 15 million and the forecast is for lamb numbers this year to be down by 1% on last year, meaning about 15.5million lambs will be produced for sale.”

The UK exports much of its lamb to Europe, where sheeps flocks are also declining – in Spain, Greece, Romania Italy and France. So there’s not a lot of competition but there’s high demand by

consumers for lamb in those countries.

Redmond says New Zealand once again will not meet its EU quota, set this season at 220,000 tonnes. Last season we managed 85% of quota and Australia has been allocated extra quota to make up for our deficit. But Australia will not be a big player in the EU market, she says. It is focused instead on the Middle East and the US. Australia claims to be increasing production, but in reality it has declined for three years, Redmond says.

“Australia Meat and Livestock is forecasting they’ll kill 18 million lambs this season and by 2015 they’ll be killing 22 million.

But that’s wishful thinking.”

And she notes the strong Merino influence in the Australian sheep flock means much of the lamb will be for domestic consumption. Only 12% of the Australian sheep flock are pure meat breeds.

Redmond predicts a “solid year” for New Zealand sheep farmers.

“Prices are strong and will remain well above five year averages.

I expect the number of lambs available for slaughter to be just over 20 million compared with 19.3 million last season. That lift in production is due to the milder winter and spring.”

She expects prices to soften due to competition

from other meats – poultry, pork and beef – though these have been hit by higher grain prices.

Culture shift the big ask Head Office Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Phone: 09-307 0399 Fax: 09-307 0122 Postal Address PO Box 3855, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140 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: fionas@ruralnews.co.nz ABC audited circulation 80,327 as at 30.6.2011

from page 1

some sort of impetus given to creating that culture change on a larger scale, not just at the processor level.

It also has to come from the farmer right the way through the supply chain. At the moment there is a growing awareness of what needs to be done. I think the RMSS was quite bold on its goals and light on its detail.”.

Proudfoot says the challenge the industry now faces is putting the detail into how to get the step change behind the farm gate. “How do you achieve collaboration in markets?

All of those things to me are bound in culture. If you look at other organisations going through culture change, it’s not something that happens overnight. You don’t flick a switch and say ‘we have a new culture’, it’s

Rabobank analyst Rebecca Redmond.

RMSS report

something that can take five to ten years to drive through an industry and for people to believe it’s the right culture.”

He admits that with the time lag in achieving a culture change, opportunities will be lost, but Ian Proudfoot these would be lost anyway and starting the culture change process now will have benefits in the future. As the incremental changes flow through, people will start to see the benefits and this will spark a larger wave of people willing to make the change.

Another challenge with the meat industry, says Proudfoot, is the lack of a single leader to drive the change. Some will see commercial opportunities by doing their own thing. But he says it is important to have a vision so the majority of people can see a direction and vision for the future.

“I see young ambitious farmers as being important…. And it’s important that processors look at parts of their business where they can benefit from collaboration.”

THE FIRST of what will be quarterly reports from the Red Meat Sector Strategy Coordination Group (SCG) was released October 5, outlining current Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Meat Industry Association activity aligned to the Red Meat Sector Strategy.

It also identifies opportunities for further work.

Agriculture Minister David Carter says the report shows good progress is being made.

“The signs are encouraging that farmers and meat processing companies are working more constructively to build a stronger sector. They recognise that even with prices at a high, change is still necessary for the long-term.”

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

4 news

Carter delivers ultimatum on dairy database debacle SUD ES H K I SSUN

TWO DAIRY heavyweights have been told to resolve an impasse over the national herd improvement database or risk Government intervention.

Agriculture Minister David Carter says he wants LIC and DairyNZ to work out a solution. “Otherwise I will be forced to step in and find a solution on their behalf,” he told Rural News.

Carter says the dispute has potential to disrupt the dairy sector. LIC and DairyNZ wrote to Carter recently pushing their cases but he has been “on the road” and unable to respond. “My advice is

for LIC and DairyNZ to find a solution.”

The dispute – over setting up a new national database – became public when DairyNZ chairman John Luxton said in a media release that negotiations with LIC had failed.

But LIC chairman Stuart Bay says the matter is still on the table for discussion and criticised DairyNZ for making the issue public.

The dispute is about acting on recommendations in a review of a herd improvement database.

The Anderson Report recommended, among other things, shifting control of 46 fields in a core database from LIC to DairyNZ.

LIC claims DairyNZ now wants data from 288 fields contained in LIC’s commercial database.

These reflect multi-million dollar shareholder investment, over generations, in the intellectual property and assets behind LIC’s genetics and genomics, among other things.

DairyNZ wants to acquire those 288 fields at no cost or free, says Bay. “That is unacceptable to LIC shareholders who are a sub-set of all New Zealand dairy farmers, and LIC directors have clear duties of care to the cooperative and shareholders.

We will not simply give those things away but we have attempted to nego-

tiate in good faith with DairyNZ to achieve the transfer of the core database.”

Bay says LIC understands the matter is still under discussion. “We are disappointed DairyNZ has decided to make this issue public when farmers would clearly prefer both parties to reach a settlement in the best interests of the industry. That remains LIC’s goal. The model DairyNZ proposes is not compelling and would mean significant increased cost to farmers.”

DairyNZ is adamant the Anderson Report’s recommendation be acted on: that the full LIC database be supplied to the Dairy

NZTA allows tanker tweak to meet peak FONTERRA HAS the green light to increase its tanker loading limit as milk production soars. The operating weight of co-op tankers has been raised from 44 to 45 tonnes until the end of the year by the New Zealand Transport Agency.

As a result, Fonterra’s tanker fleet will collect 1.2 million litres extra milk every day for the next three months.

It gives the co-op more flexibility to manage the increase in milk flows

around the country.

Managing director trade and operations Gary Romano says a one tonne increase in operating weight means every tanker can collect 1000L extra milk on every run. With 450 tankers on the road during peak production, that’s a big help, he says.

“Some of the best weather we’ve had in years has resulted in a wave of milk coming in earlier than forecast.

Managing the extra milk is a huge job

and it’s great we’ve got Government agency support.”

The one tonne operating weight increase is within the design capacity of the tankers and Fonterra’s drivers are trained to handle the bigger loads.

“Safety is our first priority and our drivers go through extensive training before they get behind the wheel, making them well equipped to transport this additional milk.”

Industry Good Animal Database (DIGAB).

Negotiations have failed because “we could not agree on terms”, says

Luxton. DairyNZ is exploring other options.

“We are committed to finding the best way to bring about the key recom-

mendations of the Anderson Report and we will be working with all those involved to determine this,” says Luxton.

Feds’ position FEDERATED FARMERS says the dairy core database must be operated by DairyNZ. It says commercial interests should not come before an industrygood solution.

Federated Farmers Dairy vice-chairperson Robin Barkla says any solution must benefit the entire industry.

“To make the next jump in on-farm productivity requires an integrated dairy industry data network – a one-stop shop for our industry, which distils our onfarm data with breeding and herd testing.

“We believe the dairy core database

must be operated by DairyNZ in the interests of the industry. There must be no commercial driver; it should be for the dairy industry, by the dairy industry.”

Barkla notes the industry has a database built from decades of genetic improvement. It’s one of the reasons why our cows are the world’s best, he says.

“This is not a time for ego to fragment what we’ve worked so hard to build up.

It is time to build a single database with the information we need to take the New Zealand dairy industry forward.”

Rural News // october 18, 2011

news 5

Council gets TAF detail SUD ES H K I SSUN

THE FONTERRA Shareholders Council last week received the controversial proposed share trading plan from the co-op board. The council is studying the TAF (trading among farmers) proposal before updating Fonterra’s 10,500 shareholders on whether it endorses the plan.

However, groups of Fonterra farmers, concerned TAF will transfer control and ownership of traded shares to a custodian, are organising meetings around the country for more discussion. A meeting has been called in Winton on Wednesday (Oct 19), another in Whakatane next Wednesday (Oct26).

Fonterra last month held 50 shareholder meetings which included discussion on TAF. Fonterra Shareholders Council chairman Simon Couper says he doesn’t know why some farmers are again organising meetings.

“I’ve heard some meetings have been organised in some areas,” he told Rural News.

“Shareholders who wanted information on TAF attended our meetings. Maybe these meetings are for those who missed out.”

Whakatane farmer Donna Smit, organising a meeting at the Awakeri Events Centre, says farmers must be “well informed” on TAF. Smit attended a Fonterra meeting last month.

Capital structure is an important issue for the long term viability of farmer shareholders and the wellbeing of Fonterra, she says. “We are interested in obtaining independent advice on what influence the custodian will have under the proposed capital structure. We are concerned that trading among farmers will become trading among investors,” she told Rural News.

Couper agrees some shareholders are concerned about 100% ownership and control under TAF. Farmers at some meetings last month called for another shareholder vote on TAF. “In some regions there were strong calls for another vote, in other regions ownership and control concerns were raised, while in other regions farmers remain more comfortable with TAF. We’re taking on board all those concerns.”

He insists farmers still want to go ahead with TAF. But concerns remain about ownership and control. The council will in the next two months do due diligence on the board’s proposal, copies of which have been sent to all 35 councillors.

Couper could not discuss the board’s proposal on the role and power of the custodian, saying he hadn’t studied the proposal in detail. “We’ll be busy during the next two months studying it to see it delivers on the aspirations of our shareholders.”

He says he remains committed to 100% ownership and control of Fonterra by its shareholders.

Simon Couper

More regions muster for TAF meetings A LAWYER expert in co-ops will this month address two Fonterra shareholder meetings. David Stock will answer concerns on TAF. A meeting will be held this Wednesday , at 7pm, at the Salvation Army Hall, 7 Dejoux Road, Winton. A meeting next week ( on Wednesday), at 7.30pm, will be held at the Awarua Events Centre.

Whakatane meeting organiser Donna Smit says farmers want to know about ownership risks under TAF.

Clarification Rural News, Oct 4, reported Fonterra chairman Henry van der Heyden saying no shareholders had called for a second vote. The report should have included the words ‘at meetings he attended’.

Liberty settles AN OUT-OF-COURT settlement has been reached between LIC and Liberty Genetics on the use of 12 disputed bulls sired by re-imported LIC semen. LIC challenged Liberty Genetics’ right to use the sons resulting from the re-importation.

Liberty was forced to back down when it emerged in court that the semen transfer process was not carried out as the Liberty Genetics board had been led to believe.

This weakened its case. Liberty’s managing director David Hayman has resigned, but has been offered the role of sire analyst. Kevin Buckley is appointed acting executive chairman.

“Subsequently, on advice from our lawyer, we approached LIC and requested an out-of-court settlement,” says Liberty. The company is withdrawing semen from the 12 disputed bulls from the market and has also agreed to pay part of LIC’s court costs.

For more on the sexed semen debate turn to page 40.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

6 news

Crafar delays prompting calls p e t e r bu r k e

FEDERATED FARMERS president Bruce Wills says he’s concerned how long it’s taking to sort out the sale of the Crafar farms (in receivership). Currently the Overseas Investment Office is considering an application from the

offers but the receiver turned these down.

Wills says he is regularly telephoned about the issue and about the drawn-out process. “It’s a concern; the difficulty is these things are never easy, particularly when you are dealing with a receivership

Shanghai Pengxin Group to buy the 16 farms.

The OIO last December turned down an application from Natural Dairy Holdings.

It received the Pengxin application in April.

Meanwhile Landcorp and a consortium headed by Sir Michael Fay also made

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Wills says the sole motivation of the receiver is to maximise the return to the bank. But with fees mounting over time it is concerning.

Meanwhile Rural News has learned the OIO in August approved the sale of 20,000ha of forestry land valued at nearly $30million to overseas buyers. The biggest sale was $22.8 million

was to a Swiss company, Corisol.

Wills says it’s interesting to note that since 2005, 80% of total land sales approved by the OIO have been forestry. The latest approvals do not set a new trend and Wills accepts that some of the forestry land areas are much bigger than pastoral farming properties.

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“I suspect the ETS and the possibility of carbon credits adds to the attractiveness of forestry investment in New Zealand. I’m also conscious that farms have been in a bit of hole until fairly recent times, but I suspect this will change.

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and watch to see how that plays out before making any bids.”

Wills says in an ideal world it would be great if New Zealand investors, farmers and foresters were in a position to retain or buy these assets. But New Zealand has not been good at saving and is $47 billion dollars in debt, he points out.

New Zealand is paying the price for its ‘debt binge’ of the mid-2000’s.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

news 7

Farmers not the focus Fertiliser demand bounces back on river issue – for once PETER BURKE

PETER BURKE

THE BATTLE over who is, and is not, polluting the Manawatu River is becoming as murky as the river itself, and for a change farmers are on the sidelines of the latest battle.

Horizons Regional Council (HRC) has slapped an abatement notice on Palmerston North City Council (PNCC) for breaching one of 29 conditions on its discharge of treated effluent into the river.

But PNCC mayor Jono Naylor told Rural News he’s perplexed by the move. “They are telling us to stop, but they can’t tell us what to stop doing.”

And the issue appears

bigger than just the breach of a single condition of a consent. Farmers, particularly dairy farmers, have long argued they have been hit hard by HRC and that local authorities such as PNCC have been let off the hook for consent breaches. There are suggestions the move by Horizons to issue a significant non-compliance and abatement notice, requiring PNCC to meet its consent conditions by Nov 30, is laced with politics to appease farmers.

While Jono Naylor won’t say this directly, he’s clearly unhappy with the HRC decision. “Our reading of it is that it’s quite possible there are adverse effects on the aquatic life

in the Manawatu River as a result of our discharge.

But what we believe needs to happen is investigation work to evaluate what the issue is so we can figure out some corrective action to take. We believe an abatement notice at this stage is premature but we are willing to work with Horizons to work out the extent of the issue.”

HRC compliance manager Alison Russell says the issue in question had been brought to light following a benthic biota survey which looks at the river’s insect life upstream and downstream of the city’s discharge.

“There is a significant reduction in the type of insects in the water down-

stream from the discharge compared with upstream.

This is a sign water quality has declined to a point where it doesn’t support the same amount of aquatic life as further upstream in a short stretch of the river.”

Naylor says PNCC is happy to fix the problem but says it’s a complex matter especially when two scientists – one who did the work and another who evaluated the data – disagree. “When you’ve got two scientists disagreeing, which appears to be the case, I would tend to listen to guy who wrote the report and did the

study, and take from it the inferences he believes we should take.”

HRC has acknowledged PNCC has always dealt with problems in the past, but cleaning up the Manawatu River is clearly now an emotive as well as a scientific issue.

HRC chairman Bruce Gordon says the matter concerns all involved and must be put right for the sake of the river. “We are focused on achieving this outcome for the community. There is a high degree of public interest in this matter and it’s important it is addressed as a matter of urgency.”

FERTILISER BUSINESS is returning to normal as orders from farmers start to flow in.

Graeme Smith, sales and marketing manager for Balance Agri-Nutrients, says the sheep and beef farmers are coming back into the market for product, buoyed by last year’s good prices and positive predictions for the year ahead.

“We’re certainly seeing people putting fertiliser on the hill country who might not have had it for the last three or four years. In the past few years, fertiliser application on the hill country has been sub-maintenance.”

Even in the dairy industry some have ‘mined’ phosphate levels but high indices meant they had more scope to do that, he notes.

“We’re seeing them come back into a maintenance type behaviour. But in that hill country we are seeing farmers … lifting the nutrient levels so they can carry more stock.”

The east coast of the lower North Island and the upper South Island in particular have ramped up demand.

“But having said that in Southland when the lamb cheques came in we couldn’t keep up because sheep farmers were jumping into it so fast,” he adds. to page 8

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

8 news

RWC fans biosecurity debate Ba r ba ra Gil l ha m

THE RUGBY World Cup has brought biosecurity concerns bubbling back to the surface with Horticulture NZ and Minister David Carter trading views over the risk trans-Tasman visitors pose.

Horticulture NZ president Andrew Fenton says growers fear New Zealand

may have welcomed a variety of new pests into the country along with thousands of rugby fans, who walked straight out of our international airports without having their bags checked.

An investigation by TV3’s Firstline revealed growers feared the Rugby World Cup may have been used to greatly reduce

New Zealand’s border protection. At least 270,000 visitors have walked out of our international airports without bag checks and last month half our transTasman arrivals were not x-rayed.

Horticulture NZ believes the 100% baggage screening Kiwis are familiar with at our international airports encourages

awareness and has created generations of New Zealanders who understand why border protection and biosecurity are so important to our horticultural and agricultural industries.

Fenton says if this is being done simply to save 15 minutes for rugby fans, then he hopes they have got it right. “The risk is

enormous: $800 million alone just in the bay of Plenty, not to mention up to 5000 jobs lost. All it takes is one Queensland fruit fly, found in one monitoring trap on one orchard, and the international markets will close to us for at least a year if not longer.

“Horticulture NZ is concerned by the atti-

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tude of the Government to make trans-Tasman travel “domestic- like”.

Biosecurity Minister David Carter disagrees and says Horticulture NZ’s claim New Zealand’s border protection has been reduced because of the World Cup is “rubbish.”

“It is ridiculous to suggest New Zealand would relax its biosecurity safeguards as thousands of visitors pour into the country. Horticulture NZ is being alarmist about a screening process that has been in place at our airports for some time.”

Carter says in 2009 the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers agreed on a joint plan to streamline trans-Tasman travel, including a ‘direct exit’ enabling biosecurity staff to focus on high risk travellers and enabling low risk New Zealand and Australian passport holders to by-pass the x-ray process.

Carter emphasised no passenger left the airport without being risk assessed by MAF in some way, and all non-New Zealand or Australian passport holders had their bags x-ray screened or searched in some way.

“Horticulture NZ does itself a disservice by suggesting New Zealand is using the Rugby World Cup as a reason to relax our border protection. We would not put our crucial horticultural and agricultural sectors at such risk.”

Horticulture NZ President Andrew Fenton is not convinced and says the risk is too high.

“The fact is the trip between Brisbane and anywhere in New Zealand should never be domestic-like. This Government initiative could turn out a very expensive decision, if one fruit fly halts New Zealand fruit exports all to save visitors a few minutes at the airport.”

Fertiliser demand bounces back from page 7

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Sulphur super, and nitrogen are the main lines being used.

For all the resurgent demand, Smith doesn’t believe this year will beat 2008 for volume.

“That year was a bit artificially high because people were jumping in to beat price rises.”

Given the demand, Smith urges early ordering to avoid a late rush like last autumn.

“Give us expected pickup dates so that we can plan all of that. Certainly, for aerial guys, take advantage of the non traditional peak times. If we can keep people working through the summer then that takes the demand off.”

There’s no problem applying super in the dry – it’s just as effective then as in spring or autumn, he adds.

Prices are trending up internationally but are a lot more stable this year and he doesn’t anticipate any list changes during the spring. But after that, summer and autumn rates will be reviewed.

Rural News // october 18, 2011

news 9

Gorge closure starts to grate p e t e r bu r k e

THE ONGOING closure of a major lower North Island arterial route is starting to grate with the farmers, firms and transporters that rely on it.

State Highway 2 through the Manawatu Gorge was closed by slips in August and despite promises of reopening last month, it now looks likely to remain closed for up to two more months.

Users either have to take a slower, more tricky route over the top of the ranges, or a massive detour.

The cause is a large slip blocking the Woodville end of the gorge road, and land instability.

Farmers Transport (FT) based in Dannevirke is one of the major transport companies hit by the closure of

the gorge. Operations supervisor Kelvin Gyde says the gorge closure has added another 20 minutes to journeys to the east. The alternative route is costing the company more, and so far they’ve been absorbing those costs.

The alternative route from Hawkes Bay is the Saddle Road to the north of the gorge which weaves in and around the wind turbines that dominate the Manawatu skyline.

“The Saddle Road is okay,” says Gyde.

“A lot of motorists don’t seem to like it. It’s better than being isolated. Some of the big freight truck boys are not used to all this winding road stuff, whereas the stock truck boys say there is nothing wrong with the road.”

But then stock truck drivers tend to drive some very difficult roads com-

Hazardous history There have been problems with the road since it opened in 1872, with many closures over the years. In 2004 it was closed for two months, but this latest closure looks like topping that. A rail link which runs through the gorge on the opposite side to the road hasn’t been affected by the latest slip.

pared with the other truckies, he points out.

“Stockies know what they are doing; it’s a specialised job. Some of our roads out the coast here are shocking. If you put some of these long haul jokers on some of these roads they’d wonder what they’d struck.”

Gyde says at the moment most of the stock being transported are just old season lambs, bobby calves and some cattle going over to works in Wanganui, Palmerston North and Bulls.

It’s relatively quiet at present, but will pick up soon and that will put pressure on the Saddle Road.

Down south in Masterton, PGW livestock manager for Wairarapa, Chris McBride, says the closure makes life difficult getting stock to the sale in Feilding and to the freezing works in the Manawatu and Wanganui regions.

For Wairarapa, the alternative route to the south is the Pahiatua Track which isn’t a bad road, but it is winding and there are few places for traffic to pass.

“It’s adding almost an hour extra to the time it takes to get stock to the Feilding sale. Drivers would normally load stock at a farm at say 7am; now

This sign on SH2 says it all.

they have to start at 6am. The alternative roads are not ideal for larger trucks and people get impatient waiting behind some of the slow moving semi trailers.”

McBride says if the gorge is closed for another month it will start to cause greater problems because that is when the season starts to peak and there will be a lot more trucks on the road.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

10 news

Agcarm slams Govt data plan GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS on data protection are a huge disappointment to the makers and sellers of agrichemicals and veterinary medicines, says their industry representative body Agcarm.

The proposals – included in a Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry discussion document – recommend no change in much of the current regime and float the possibility of small change in only one aspect of

data protection.

“Continued lack of data protection reduces the availability of technology for farmers and growers, but that’s not all,” says Agcarm chief executive Graeme Peters.

“Lack of data protection results in labels carrying incorrect or out-of-date information; the continued sale of older and more hazardous substances which the

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Government would like to deregister; and ing a return on the high cost of registermore products being used off label, mean- ing many products, in particular new uses ing they are used in situations for which and improved versions of existing prodthey have not been tested and approved ucts,” says Peters.

The Government appears to believe by regulators.”

The absence of data protection is a par- even modest amounts of data protection ticular headache for growers of minor crops stifle generic competition, which isn’t so, and farmers of minor species. They find it he says.

Many generics companies support difficult, if not impossible, to obtain proddata protection ucts registered because they are for their particukeen to develop lar needs, and are “This criticism is cruel and improve existthen unfairly crit- and unfair as the ing products, for icised for breachwhich they are ing residue limits Government’s data required to submit on their produce. protection regime sets own data.

“This criticism these growers up to fail.” their They also supis cruel and unfair port data protecas the Governtion because they ment’s data protection regime sets these growers up to cannot copy a product or new use which isn’t registered because of a lack of data fail,” says Peters.

Data protection is common overseas protection, he explains.

“There is widespread industry support and is particularly important in New Zealand because it is a small market, Agcarm for data protection, which was clearly evimaintains. Many examples of off-patent dent from the 11 submissions in an earlier products will not be registered for sale in round of public consultation. Indeed, it’s New Zealand because suppliers cannot difficult to find anyone opposed to data make money out of registering them. protection apart from the Government, Also, companies are reluctant to spend on which seems to be basing its decisions on researching New Zealand solutions to New flawed information, incorrect modelling Zealand pest and disease control problems. and a lack of real knowledge about a com“New Zealand is the only developed plicated topic. country in the world which does not www.foodsafety.govt.nz/elibrary/industry/ give businesses a decent go at generat- consultation-data-protection

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

12 news

MAF reveals merger detail MAF HAS revealed the detail of the restructure following its merger with Ministry of Fisheries.

“The changes we are making will build a unified ministry focussed on the success of the primary sectors, the engine room of New Zealand’s export economy,” says MAF director general

Wayne McNee. “Our strategy [with] four pillars – maximising export opportunities, improving sector productivity, increasing sustainable resource use and protecting from biological risk – has been the driving force behind the redesigned MAF.” The unified, redesigned

MAF/MoF merger aims • Concentrate resources on core functions.

• Reduce costs to stakeholders and taxpayers, while improving services.

• Increased agility and flexibility.

• Clear decision rights and accountability for work by group.

• Demonstrate a clear and integrated view of stakeholder issues, from paddock/ocean to plate.

ministry will support the success of New Zealand’s primary sectors, providing a ‘gateway to Government’ for the primary sector, with a clear vision of ‘growing and protecting New Zealand’.

More emphasis on identifying and maximising opportunities for Maori fisheries and agribusiness is promised, and it will be more consistent about regulations in the fisheries, agriculture, food and forestry sectors.

Science will have a stronger voice in the ministry and will underpin decisions in areas such as fisheries catch limits.

“We are creating a ministry that is agile, informed, adaptable and

continuously improving its services. Our stakeholders will see a difference. We will partner with them, and seek to enable their success. Our design seeks to establish a clear view of stakeholder issues from the paddock and the ocean to the plate.”

As foreshadowed, staff cuts will be largely in ‘cross-organisation’ services such as corporate services and policy advice.

No cuts are announced to fisheries surveillance officers, quarantine inspectors or animal welfare officers. Job cuts will total 233, of which 105 are vacant, mostly in Wellington.

McNee says the next step will be to appoint

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staff to senior management roles, expected to be complete by the year’s end. Appointment processes for staff in all roles are expected to be completed in early 2012.

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The ministry’s organisational strategy was approved by the Cabinet on August 8, defining MAF’s vision as ‘Growing and Protecting New Zealand’.

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The Irish Farmers Association with 94,000 members has paid for a new conference room for its members. It resembles a university lecture theatre, with tiered seating for 200 delegates. The room is at IFA’s offices in Bluebell, Dublin, also the headquarters of the weekly Irish Farmers Journal.

IFA livestock director Kevin Kinsella and vice-president Eddie Downey proudly showed Rural News reporter Peter Burke the room during his recent visit.

It’s hard to see the Feds spending on such a complex. IFA is a respected, influential lobby group in Ireland and Brussels where it also has a base.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

news 13

Lift in lamb drop on cards PETER BURKE

EARLY REPORTS suggest more lambs will be available for slaughter this season.

While BLNZ have yet to release their figures on the exact number docked,

early indications are that things are looking good.

This is also in spite of a huge mutton kill this past season: 4.32 million ewes – 600,000 more than expected. That’s 20% up on last season and is expected to further slow the rebuilding of the already depleted ewe flock.

On the bright side, despite a generally low scanning rate, especially in the North Island, the survival rates of lambs dropped so far has been higher than last year.

Rob Davison, director of BLNZ’s Economic Service, says scanning rates in the North Island were down between 5% and 15%, whereas in the South Island scanning rates were about the same as last year or up by about 5%.

Garth Coleman runs 2100 hoggets, 200 ewes and 300 bulls on his farms just out of Dannevirke, southern Hawkes Bay. He is chairman of the BLNZ Farmer Council for Eastern North Island and a partner in a scanning busi-

ness so he has a good idea of how things are going in his region and in the North Island generally.

Reflecting on the last 12 months, Coleman says last winter and spring were hell, summer was average, but things picked up in autumn and winter, and this spring has been good.

“Condition-wise, the ewes were way behind last winter and spring.

They caught up a lot over the summer/autumn and everyone was expecting a good scanning But the feeling is that although people say their sheep were looking good and gained a lot of condition, they were still light and possibly behind in condition score.

“So those people who weighed their ewes and knew they were light and

managed to get them up to a good weight had a good scanning.

“But most people don’t weigh their sheep and instead use the ‘eyeometer’ and that let them down this year because they thought they were heavier than they were.

So these ewes were light and out of condition and didn’t conceive as well.”

The result, Coleman says, was that the scanning rates were down, in his area by about 5% on mixed-aged ewes and 10% down on two-tooths, equating to an average of 150%. Overall this is down by about 10% on last year.

But Coleman says while this was a reality check for some, apart

from the unusual snow it’s been good weather in the North Island during lambing with survival rates very good. This should translate into some reasonable docking percentages, he says. The snow didn’t affect his area because it melted quickly, but in parts of Wairapapa the snow stayed on the ground longer and ewes were lost to sleepy sickness.

“But overall we’ll get a better result this year.

There are lots of lambs on the ground and the ewes are in better condition.

Things are looking good and it could be a ‘normal’ year,” he says. Feed supplies are by and large good, but he’s had reports some farmers are short.

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“The forecast is for another $100 lamb price so those who finish their lambs to heavier weights will get more than that.

Those that sell a few stores will get less. That’s down a little bit on last year, but there will be more lambs

to sell so that will help.

“The schedule is very good at the moment and the prediction is that it’s not going to drop much.

This means there will be slightly less money per lamb, but this will be offset by farmers having more lambs to sell.”

GARTH COLEMAN says the beef scannings weren’t so good due to last year’s bad spring, but he says the same situation applied to beef cows as it did to ewes as the weather improved in summer, autumn and winter.

“Personally I’ve had slightly better growth rates with my bulls over the winter and I think most others would be the same. The good autumn would have added a few kilos onto people’s live weights. The beef finishing people will probably be well ahead on last year. The big issue is what the beef schedule will be,” he says.

Coleman says US beef price is dropping back a bit but he still thinks it’s going to be a good year for beef as well.

He says income wise everything is looking pretty good, but a question mark hangs over input costs and how these will impact farm profitability. Fertiliser costs are increasing and fuel is threatening to do the same.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

14 news

Top-dressing to beat autumn rush? looking to rebuild their stock units to make sure they get the best out of their farms.

DEMAND IS now so high for “During the past few years a aerial spreading of fertiliser and lot of farmers have just put on lime on hill country that farmsub-maintenance fertiliser and ers are being urged to order some have done nothing.” promptly for summer top-dressMartin is quick to point out ing – not just the traditional this season will only help aerial spring and autumn. topdressers regain Agricultural Aviasome ground lost over tion Association presi- “Over the past few years the past few years. dent Graeme Martin told “The whole indusRural News farmers need a lot of farmes have just try has been hanging on to decide now about fer- put on sub-maintenance by the skin of its teeth. tiliser and so plan to get it fertiliser and some have We’ve seen people exit on in a timely fashion. because they couldn’t “It makes it a lot easier done nothing.” keep going. In reality for us if we can work through the summer, tradition- lambs they’ve got they want to there was overcapacity in the ally a down time for us. Histor- make the best of. We’re seeing industry but now it’s realigned ically farmers are reluctant to orders for fertiliser product, itself following the recession put on superphosphate during closely followed by lime. So the for the last couple of the years the summer months when, in cashflow’s strong and even the and the demand that’s coming is agronomical terms, it makes no banks are promoting or support- going to test us.”

He doesn’t think there is an ing fertiliser spend.” difference.

He’s optimistic about the operator out there now who “If we can get farmers to make their decisions and put it season because of good returns hasn’t got good volumes of on a bit earlier, to smooth out to farmers. “The lamb price is orders on his books.

One such operator is the legthe workload, then we’ll be able looking good, wool’s good, all the indexes are up. So farmers are endary Hallet Griffin, Manawatu. to keep up.” p e t e r bu r k e

There’s a risk in farmers waiting until March to spread fertiliser, Martin says. “We’ll run out of weather and light and we just won’t get it all on.”

His business is having its best spring for years. “Particularly the high country guys are looking to get their fertility back up. What

Demand soaring: top-dressing operators are flat-tack.

He’s been flying 46 years and you’ll see him spraying crops in his distinctive yellow Ag Cat biplane. Hallet also runs two Cresco aircraft for top dressing in the lower half of the North Island. They are already on the job.

The signs are much more pos-

itive than for the last three or four years, Griffin says. Last year he didn’t start working until February or March.

Now farmers must take advantage of the good spring and summer weather.

“There’ll be high demand; the challenge will be can the

combined industry put on that amount of fertiliser? The industry is lot smaller than it used to be.”

Griffin’s spraying business has been good; he’s done a lot of thistle spraying during the winter and plans a lot of crop spraying in the summer.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

news 15

Common sense call on school bus sign issue a ndr ew swa l low

SPEED OF traffic passing school buses is only part of the problem, a former rural school bus driver says.

The upbringing of children, and management of bus signs and stop locations, are at least as important, Deborah Walkley, Dannevirke, told Rural News after reading of Rural Women’s campaign for illuminated signs (Sept 20).

Too often buses stop where other motorists won’t see them until it’s too late to safely slow to 20km/h.

“You can’t just slam on the brakes. Next thing you know the ute behind you will overtake and then you’ve got two vehicles passing the stopped bus at the same time.”

Parents have to be prepared for children to either walk, or be driven, to a location where there is reasonable visibility so a stopped bus can be seen and traffic can slow safely, she argues.

She also believes slowing to 20km/h on a 100km/h road is an excessive requirement where

the bus can pull off the road. “In a 50km/h area it’s not a problem but I can’t see how you’re going to get traffic to slow down to that on a 100km/h road.”

Regardless of the location of the stop, or the speed of the passing traffic, the other issue is the behaviour of the children.

Some have no road sense and parents need to take responsibility for that, she believes.

“I think the kids need training. I had one fiveyear-old who, even though she had an older sister, tried to cross in front of the bus. After that I couldn’t let her off until I had it drummed into her what she had to do when she got off.”

Drivers are also having increasing problems with unruly youngsters disrupting journeys, one of the reasons she decided to call it a day after three years driving a bus for the Weber school, she says.

As for illuminated signs on buses, though she doesn’t believe 20km/h is necessarily the right limit, a sign that lit up only during stops might help solve the problem of signs remaining on when buses

Greens blasted over stance FOOD SAFETY Minister Kate Wilkinson has hit back at Green Party criticism of the Food Bill.

“Small growers who share or trade their produce with neighbours or who sell direct to consumers have nothing to fear from the new Food Bill.

“They will not face costs of any kind, or require to be registered or verified.

“At most, they will be supplied with free educational pamphlets with basic tips on how to handle food safely,” says Wilkinson.

Bartering is already permitted and covered under the current Food Act and occurs freely in New Zealand communities, she points out.

“This will not change. The bill is about modernising legislation now 30 years old. It is about ensuring people who sell and prepare food do so safely.

“Unfortunately a small minority have decided the bill is some sort of global corporate conspiracy designed to take control of the food chain and will lead to armed police storming the homes of private gardeners.”

Wilkinson urges “anyone unsure of the impacts of this legislation to read it for themselves.” www.foodsafety.govt. nz/policy-law/food-bill

Check out our free classifieds listings at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/classifieds

were not in service, she acknowledges.

“I’m sick and tired of seeing buses parked [not in service] on the side of the road with their signs still turned around

[i.e. showing the ‘school’ side].”

Walkley says she’s a big believer in the school bus system, but parents need to be reasonable in their expectations of it, as do

bodies such as Rural Women in calling for more regulation.

“It’s a big issue and it needs sorting out.”

Rural News // October 18, 2011

16 news

Bad press hits ag science AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE in New Zealand is demoralised, and our society needs a ‘culture shift’ to restore a reasoned view of science and farming, says Federated Farmers Vice President William Rolleston.

He told Rural News, shortly after speaking to the New Zealand Institute

of Agricultural & Horticultural Science, at Wellington, that he blames the malaise on media reports of ‘urban community’ attacks on the farming sector.

“There’s been a lot of negative talk about agriculture by the urban population…. It’s important for farmers and agricultural

scientists to unite [in the urban context] and spread a message about the benefits agriculture bestows.

“Also I think regulation is quite onerous and this limits innovation.”

A negative view of agriculture is also voiced “by some – but not all – scientists,” Rolleston says.

The problem is, bad

news sells, and all sorts of negative campaigns, such as dirty dairying, are grabbing the headlines.

“The good-news stories just don’t get out there.

We need to [refrain from] scientific conversations in the media. These things need to be communicated in a much more subtle and sophisticated way than

William Rolleston

in one- or two-minute – or one- or two-second – sound bites.”

The situation wasn’t helped by the auditor-general’s recent review of four regional councils’ water management (Rural News, Oct 4), he says.

“I don’t think they have the expertise to make such comments. The OAG report was totally unbalanced. It just did not look at point-source discharges and it completely missed what the Palmerston North City Council was doing.”

All that aside, Rolleston believes the root of the negative attitude to science and agriculture stems from schools.

“For example, I have a sister-in-law who’s just

been looking after some nieces and nephews. She was surprised this eightyear-old farming son came home one day talking about global warming and methane emissions and how terrible farmers all were.”

New Zealand needs a culture shift to see science and agriculture promoted as a reasonable career option, Rolleston says.

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AgResearch upbeat about CRI changes THE IMPACT of recent CRI reforms on AgResearch and the pastoral sector is “overwhelmingly positive” says organisation chair Sam Robinson.

The reforms provide clarity of purpose and emphasise the need for AgResearch to move closer to the sector, he noted, announcing the release of its annual report earlier this month.

“This shift will inform our ongoing strategy and the science we undertake. During the year FRST and MoRST merged to form a new entity, the Ministry of Science & Innovation (MSI). This change has consolidated ownership, funding and monitoring functions, and has provided further clarity in our dealings with the Crown.”

AgResearch says it had a successful year delivering science outputs to the agricultural sector, while undergoing substantial change as it developed its new strategy, encompassing the CRI reforms and closer alignment to key industry stakeholders.

“The last twelve months have been characterised by immense change for AgResearch,” said Robinson.

Tom Richardson, chief executive, is upbeat about the changes and says it’s been a pivotal year for the business.

“Financially it’s also been a good year for us, with a modest surplus achieved, which will be reinvested into science for the benefit of the sector”

Rural News // october 18, 2011

news 17

Recycling scheme extended to drums of these also sell product in large drums. It’s a logical step for them to also get behind the drum programme.”

Scotland says such a strong initial buy-in from manufacturers shows an appetite in the primary sector for supporting stewardship schemes such as Agrecovery.

“Taking responsibility for products right through the life cycle includes providing a safe and compliant disposal solution and then finding a suitable end use; that’s true stewardship.”

The scheme follows international best practice ensuring drums go back to the maker or are reconditioned by an approved contractor. Those at the end of their useful life will

AGRECOVERY RURAL recycling has extended its recovery scheme to onfarm collection of plastic and steel drums from 61-1000 litres.

Collection will be free for participating brand owners.

The extension is due to demand from growers and farmers who use the existing Agrecovery Container scheme.

An initial seven manufacturers have stepped in to support the drum programme and Duncan Scotland, sales and marketing manager of the Agrecovery scheme, expects this number to increase.

“We have 53 companies supporting the container programme which caters for containers from 1 – 60 litres and about half

be appropriately recycled, a process certified

by Agrecovery’s recycling partners.

Matthew Dolan, Horticulture NZ business manager responsible for Growsafe, says including safe and compliant disposal of drums in Agrecovery will be convenient for growers.

“Growers can use one service provider, Agrecovery, to dispose of their used containers and drums, and access auditable recycling records for GAP programmes.

“Having to store empty drums on site and dispose of them by other means has been inconvenient for growers. This free-onproperty collection solves the problem.”

Bayer Crop Science

New Zealand, a founding member of the Agrecovery Container scheme, and has signed for drum collection.

Supply chain manager Hugh Lemmon says the firm is committed globally and in New Zealand to product stewardship, including appropriate disposal.

“Encouraging appropriate recycling and reuse of empty containers and drums is one of our guiding stewardship principles. It’s essential we follow international best practice and Agrecovery offers this.

“More importantly, through Agrecovery we can provide our customers with a free-on-property collection of our drums.”

Container preparation AGRECOVERY SAYS drums must be empty and triple rinsed and only those belonging to the supporting brand owners will be accepted free.

Growers and farmers wishing to dispose of unwanted or expired agrichemicals should contact Agrecovery separately to book disposal

through the chemicals scheme.

Agrecovery also recycles silage plastics, Fiber Fresh feed bags and crop protection net.

Its chemical and container schemes are accredited by the Minister for the Environment under the Waste Minimisation Act.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

18 news La Nina is back – NIWA

It’s like drafting on autopilot

NIWA’S NATIONAL Climate Centre says expect a dry OctDec everywhere except the west and south of the South Island.

La Nina is resurgent in the tropical Pacific and expected to build through spring and summer.

That means soil moisture and river flows are likely to be below normal in most regions.

The Centre noted as of the end of September soils were already drier than normal in north Canterbury, MacKenzie country and central Otago, as well as parts of the North Island.

Temperatures for October to December are likely to be average or above average in the North Island and northern South Island, and near average in the rest of the South Island.

High pressure systems are likely to dominate with weaker westerly winds over the country.

This La Nina follows a similar situation from July 2010 to April 2011, after which the tropical Pacific returned to neutral conditions.

However, over the past 4-6 weeks there’s been mounting evidence of a transition back to La Niña conditions.

The majority of global climate models are now forecasting further development of La Niña patterns over spring and a continuation through the summer of 2011/12, notes NIWA. Looking back at September, it was dry, sunny and cool for most.

NIWA’s national climate summary for the month showed higher pressure than normal over the Tasman and lower pressure to the south and east.

That combination brought more southwest wind than normal making it 120-149% wetter than average for the month in coastal Southland but almost everywhere else it was drier than average, except for Central Otago and Auckland which were on par.

Less than half the normal rain fell in Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, West Coast, and the Mackenzie Country. It was the driest September on record for Whakatane.

It was extremely sunny in the North Island, and north and east of South Island. Dargaville, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Dannevirke, Gisborne, Waipawa, Takaka, and Cheviot had their sunniest September on record.

The average temperature was 9.7°C, which is 0.7°C below the 1971–2000 September average. In much of the North Island the mean temperatures were 0.5-1.2°C below normal, as they were in most of Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast, coastal Fiordland, and south Canterbury.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

news 19 Nicky, Hannah, Jack, Lucy and William Allomes see husband/dad Ben off.

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WAIRARAPA DAIRY farmer Ben Allomes is going the extra mile to try to get elected on DairyNZ’s board – literally.

The 33-year-old set off last week on a nationwide tour aiming to take in “seven discussion groups, in seven regions, in seven days.” Besides getting his face known around the country, the trip will help him see the organisation at work outside his own area and hopefully raise overall voter turnout.

“It’s about participation. If my driving around the country raising awareness about the DairyNZ elections can increase voter turnout from the usual 20%, it’s got to be a good thing.”

Allomes is one of five candidates challenging three incumbents who are all seeking re-election in the poll that began October 4. He believes with DairyNZ now well established following the 2007 merger of Dexcel and Dairy Insight, some “fresh blood” at the board table would be timely.

“I’ll definitely bring a fresh voice. I represent a new generation of farmers, with new ideas. There’s already enormous experience around the board table. That’s important if someone fresh is to come in.”

Not that Allomes doesn’t have experience

off the farm: he’s a former president of New Zealand Young Farmers and, with wife Nicky, was national winner of Sharemilker of the Year in 2008.

They’re into their second season as equity partners on one farm while sharemilking on two others.

“We milk 1450 cows over three farms with a team of 10 staff, producing 1150-1350kgMS/ha using [farming] systems three and four.”

In 11 years of dairy farming, he and Nicky have been involved with many DairyNZ activities, he adds – “discussion groups, Mark and Measure, sire proving, speaking engagements.

My genuine interest and involvement has given me a solid understanding of how we tick and what works.”

He’s stood once before for the DairyNZ board – two years ago. His candidacy is on a platform of honesty, integrity, hard work, enthusiasm and motivation, he says. A vote for him is a vote for change.

“The future of our industry relies on three things: great research, sound strategy and timely action. Achieving this takes strong leadership.

“I bring a long-term commitment to dairy and represent the next generation of farmers. I am proud of our history and achieve-

ments and am determined to help define its future.”

He and Nicky have four children and he’s a member of the local school’s board of trustees. He’s a Fonterra Networker and has completed an Institute of Directors Course. He’s adamant he has “the time and commitment” to represent levy payers on the board of their industry-good body.

“I would bring an open mind, a balanced opinion and a strong voice to the table.”

As for the road trip, taking in events in Marlborough, Southland, Otago, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Taranaki, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, by the time he’s finished he reckons his Hyundai will have clocked close on an extra 4000km.

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Eight candidates for three seats EIGHT NOMINATIONS are in for three director positions at DairyNZ. Three retiring directors are seeking re-election: chairman John Luxton, Michael Spaans and Kevin Ferris.

Luxton, a former agriculture minister, has extensive farming interests supplying both Fonterra and Tatua.

He serves on the board of Landcare Research, Tatua Cooperative and Wallace Corporation.

Spaans, who farms in Te Aroha, is a former Fonterra Shareholders Council member. He is chairman of Innovation Waikato Ltd and Animal Breeding Services Ltd. Spaans represents DairyNZ on the NAIT board. He also heads the Tokanui Advisory Committee which oversees the conversion and research activities of AgResearch’s new dairy farm at Tokanui.

Ferris runs dairy farms and support businesses in Te Awamutu, Northern King Country and Southland. A Fonterra Shareholders Council member, he is a board members of Southland Demonstration Farm.

The other candidates are Greg Maughan, Marton; Mary Cooper, Palmerston North; Gary Stokes, Hamilton; Ben Allomes, Woodville; and Denis Aitken, Outram.

Voter packs, with information about the candidates, were sent to farmers two weeks ago.

All dairy farmers who pay a milksolids levy are eligible to vote.

Results will be announced at DairyNZ’s annual meeting in Hamilton on November 2.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

20 news

Farmers as leaders on water ba r ba ra Gi l lh a m

RAI VALLEY and Pelorus district farmers have been celebrating their success towards implement-

ing ‘best management practices’ on their farms to improve water quality in local rivers and waterways.

Friday last week saw

Environment Minister Nick Smith and MP Colin King launch the Rai/Pelorus Best Management Factsheet at Havelock, and later make a farm visit

to see the principles in practice.

It all started ten years or so ago, with concerns that agriculture was having a detrimen-

tal impact on local water quality. Health issues associated with poor water quality appeared to be affecting river users, prompting local business

Outward Bound to meet Marlborough District Council and Rai Valley farmers to find a solution.

Despite extensive work to improve conditions, council monitoring results still found bacteria contamination in lowmedium flow conditions at the Rai Falls.

In 2009, inspired by work done in local catchment areas with similar issues, local farmers took the ‘farmers as leaders’ approach with support from the NZ Landcare Trust in a MAF Sustainable Farming Fund project.

Landcare project coordinator Jodie Robertson

has worked closely with farmers in the area on the project and is impressed with what is happening.

“Things are really happening, there has been a lot of work done improving bridging and fencing and now farmers are starting to put in suitable effluent systems and look at adequate storage.

“Farmers are starting to get on board and get excited. It helps that they can see the positive results achieved in the Sherry Valley and Aorere Catchment and they are getting involved.”

More about the project, and the Minister’s visit, in Rural News’ next issue.

Funds for water in less well-off areas GOVERNMENT HAS approved $9.4m to improve water supply to 22,000 people living in communities of less than 5000.

The funds will go towards 18 territorial local authority and 11 private supplies. They’re the first subsidies granted since last year when criteria to the 2006 initiated Drinking Water Subsidy Scheme were amended to include a deprivation score.

Now, only communities with a deprivation index of 7 and above, on a 1-10 scale where 10 is the least socially and materially well-off, qualify.

Up to 85% of scheme costs may be funded, with up to $10 million available each year until 2015.

Rural News // october 18, 2011

world 21

International dairy guide revamped ALAN HARMA N

THE INTERNATIONAL Dairy Federation (IDF) has revised its guide to good dairy farming practice.

Brussels-based IDF rates this a top priority as the social and environmental aspects of milk production are increasingly in the focus of consumers and producers.

“It covers key aspects such as animal health, milk hygiene, nutrition, welfare, the environment and socio-economic management,” says project chairwoman Helen Dornom.

“These are essential tools to ensure the needs of the food industry and the expectations of consumers are met.”

The guide updates IDF’s original document released in 2004 jointly with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

It is intended to improve quality assurance at farm

level, allowing dairy farmers to better respond to market incentives, add value and adopt new methods.

farmers are encouraged to select and implement guidelines relevant to their situation.

Doing so “is good risk

Proactive, preventative practice is encouraged, rather than waiting for problems to occur.

IDF president Richard Doyle says the guide will support the production and marketing of safe, quality-assured milk and dairy products.

“Dairy farmers’ production systems worldwide need to be able to combine profitability with protecting human and animal health, animal welfare and the environment.”

Content has been drawn from best practice guidelines and existing assurance schemes around the world, and individual practices will vary in their applicability to various dairying regions. IDF says it’s not intended to be legally binding and

management for the short and long term future of the dairy farming enterprise,” the guide says.

Proactive, preventative practice is encouraged, rather than waiting for problems to occur. For example, farmers should only buy animals of known health status (herd and individual animals) and control their introduction to the farm using quarantine.

“Develop effective herd health management focused on prevention to meet farm needs as well as regional and national requirements,” the guide says.

It also recommends

herd management and husbandry that do not unnecessarily compromise the animals’ resting and social behaviours.

Sustainable farming can be achieved by using farm inputs such as water and nutrients efficiently and sustainably; minimising production of environmental pollutants; managing livestock to minimise adverse environmental impacts;

selecting and using energy resources appropriately; and maintaining or encouraging biodiversity on the farm.

Farms should implement practices to reduce, reuse or recycle farm waste; manage the storage and disposal of wastes to minimise environmental impacts and limit the potential impact of dairy farming practices on the environment.

in brief Elders ends grain Jv ELDERS SAYS it is exiting its international grain trading joint venture with Germany’s Toepfer Grain to “concentrate on farm-gate services to Australian grain growers.”

Elders managing director Malcolm Jackman said the decision reflected Elders desire to focus on grain accumulation “without exposure to the volatility inherent in grain trading.”

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

22 world

Record lamb prices lift Irish spirits PETER BURKE

IRISH SHEEP and beef farmers are enjoying their best prices for two decades says the Irish Farmers Association (IFA).

Director of livestock Kevin Kinsella told Rural News reporter Peter Burke during his recent visit to Ireland that New Zealand farmers would love the prices their Irish counterparts are getting now.

Kinsella knows New Zealand pretty well. He’s been here and dined at

Kevin Kinsella

the Mission Vineyard with Mike Petersen and others from BLNZ. He sees Petersen and other BLNZ directors and staff during

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their annual pilgrimage to Europe. Kinsella says like New Zealand, agriculture in Ireland is now seen as the saviour of the economy after a fatal flirtation with ‘financial services’ which he says put the ‘Celtic tiger’ economy on life support.

Right now the average price paid for a 21kg lamb in Ireland is 100 euro – roughly $NZ200. That’s up $20 on last year. “The vibrancy of the industry and the desire of many farmers to get back into sheep is reflected in store prices. Replacement ewe lambs are making from $250-300 while the best ewe hoggets are fetching as much as $400 per head,” he says. Coincidently beef prices are also up 15% on last year, says Kinsella, but he warns that fuel, feed and fertiliser prices are also rising.

The fall and now rise of the Irish sheep industry in some way mirrors that of New Zealand. The rocky desolate landscape of Connemara, County Galway, where my folks live, is one of many homes for the famous, horned hill

On the road to recovery: Ireland’s traditional hill-country sheep.

country sheep. They are black faced, a bit skinny, have the mobility of Cheviots and roam freely on the boggy, rocky hillsides, not to mention the roads where they are a tourist attraction.

Kinsella says there was a big reduction in the numbers of these sheep.

They went down from 1.5 million to 700,000. “The reason for the change was

that people claimed the hills were overstocked and the sheep were causing environmental damage so subsidies were given to reduce their numbers.

Now they are finding the hills are becoming overgrown and it’s only this year that we’ve started looking at how we can increase the stocking rates on the hills.”

The decline of the hill

sheep had an impact on the lowland sheep producers. The ewe lambs are often used as replacements for the lowland flock, says Kinsella. As a result of that the lowland flock started to fall and it dropped from 3 million to 1.5 million and that land was taken up by other livestock and tillage.

Today there are about 4.6 million sheep in Ire-

land of which about 2.2 million are ewes. That’s down from a peak of about 7 million in 2000. But with agriculture seen as as sunrise industry, sheep numbers are expected to slowly rise. While the numbers might be different, there are remarkable parallels between the Irish and New Zealand sheep industries.

They have both gone from sunset to sunrise.

NZ’s amazing access to EU market KEVIN KINSELLA says the IFA has huge respect for the work of BLNZ and the very good job they do for New Zealand farmers in Europe.

He is full of praise for Mike Petersen. “He talks farmers language. We have a tough but positive working relationship with him and we know where we stand. We both call it as we see it.”

While New Zealand sends virtually no lamb to Ireland, the two countries are in competition in the UK and more so in France. Twenty years

ago New Zealand and Ireland were locked in battle over this market, but with lamb in short supply, both countries are now working more collaboratively.

“As you reduce production as we have, you tend to diversify better. In France what we are doing now is the vac-pack retail consumer packs. We are competing directly with New Zealand in all the French supermarkets and we have made it clear to Mike Petersen that we don’t want to be competing with New Zea-

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land on price.

“Our question to New Zealand is ‘why are you selling it so cheap in Europe when you can get more for it and pass that back to New Zealand farmers?’ ” Kinsella says he’s amazed the EU agrees to New Zealand sending in 220,000 tonnes of lamb there each year tax free. “That was a huge gift to New Zealand and to all intents and purposes with sheepmeat, the Kiwis were almost treated like a member state of the EU.”

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

world 23

ADF says farmers’ future threatened ALAN HARMA N

AN AUSTRALIAN Senate economic committee inquiry has heard super-

market Coles’ $A1/litre milk initiative seriously threatens farmers survival in key drinking milk markets of Queensland, northern New South Wales and Western Australia .

Australian Dairy Federation president Chris Griffin told a Senate economic committee inquiry that for the last eight months dairy farmers have had to contend with the uncertainty created by Coles’ cut-

throat discounting of fresh milk.

“This is leading to a lack of investment in the industry in the drinking milk states at a time when it is vital that farmers develop their farms to meet anticipated future demand,” Griffin says.

Dairy industry modelling on the potential impact

of the continued discounting outlines a potential annual loss of S$44 million from the value chain due to the shift to home brand products.

The modeling indicates this scenario would lead to a drop of two cents a litre in the farm gate price.

For the vast majority of northern NSW and

Queensland dairy farmers this would result in the loss of any profit margin on their milk.

“The price cuts are unsustainable and the plain fact is milk priced at $1 per litre does not bring in enough money to support farmers, processors and retailers,” Griffiths says. “The evidence shows

sioner or ombudsman to be appointed to investigate complaints and enforce the new code.

“We look forward to the Senate economic references committee report to provide direction to the government on a resolution to the unsustainable pricing and unfair practices of Coles.”

it and Coles knows it.

“This is why the ADF is calling on the Federal Parliament to support industry’s recommendation for an enforceable and mandatory code of conduct for supermarkets that covers the entire value chain, from farmer to retailer.”

The industry also wants a supermarket commis-

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EU milk supply and exports up EUROPE PRODUCED 2.4% more milk January to July in 2011 than in 2010, latest Eurostat figures for the 27 nation trading block show.

Ireland recorded the largest percentage increase, up 10.7% to 3.7mt, but in volume France’s extra 732,000t, a 5.2% increase to 14.7mt, was greater.

Germany, the EU’s largest producer, pumped out 17.4mt, a 2.6% increase, while the UK’s 8.3mt was a 2.9% increase. Danish and Italian output was down.

Weaker consumer demand and slowing economic growth means stocks are mounting and exports of skim milk powder rose 33% during the period, notes UK producer body, Dairy Co.

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A GLOBAL hunger report released last week by a trio of UN agencies holds a ringing endorsement of private investment and free trade.

“Restrictive trade policies can protect domestic prices from international price swings, but such restrictions often also increase susceptibility to domestic production shocks, thus failing to reduce domestic price volatility,” it warns.

They also “risk increasing volatility and prices on international markets.”

Such trends make poor farmers, consumers and countries particularly vulnerable and “the entire international community must act today,” says the UN. Increased consumer demand in emerging economies, population growth, and expansion in biofuels will place extra demands on the food system. More investment in agriculture – notably cost-effective irrigation, improved land management practice and better seeds – is needed to meet that.

High food prices have prompted increased investment by corporates, including cross-border public and private entities, in all parts of the agricultural value chain, it notes. Such investment should consider and respect rights of existing land and related natural resource users, benefit local communities and be environmentally sustainable.

Governments’ role is to provide “transparent and predictable” regulation that promotes private investment and increases farm productivity, it argues.

FAO’s best estimate of the number of hungry people for 2010 was 925 million, up from 850 million for 20062008.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

24 agribusiness

Funding water schemes GRAH AM TURLEY

WITH SUMMER on the way, many farmers will turn their thoughts to water and how to get through a forecast hot, dry season.

Water management is an issue for all New Zealand, so much so that in May this year the Government announced a strategy to address issues related to water supply and use. From a farmer’s

perspective, one of the most important aspects of the strategy focuses on developing irrigation schemes to ‘unlock economic growth and prosperity in our primary sector’.

Irrigation schemes are a costly exercise and the Government has set aside $35 million over five years for qualifying groups to get scheme proposals to an investment-ready stage. MAF, with indus-

try experts, has developed best-practice guidelines to assist schemes with their application. ANZ was invited by MAF to help develop these guidelines.

Currently 620,000ha are irrigated in New Zealand, about 4% of arable land. About 40% of the current irrigation water is extracted relatively easily from groundwater naturally stored in aquifers.

The proposed irrigation schemes will draw

Farmers need to consider the value to their farm of irrigating, particularly if they have a view to change of ownership in the foreseeable future on more complex water resources, requiring harvesting and involving storage and distribution networks larger and more costly than local scheme developments.

Farmers are among the

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AFRICA – May: The best of Africa... A wonderful array of farms, safaris, sights plus scenic garden route to Cape Town and Nampo field days. Stunning Victoria Falls/Botswana extension.

FRANCE – June: Wonderful Paris and beautiful champagne, Alascae and a relaxing few days in Provence with its charming villages, vineyards, lavender fields and culinary delights!

CANADA – June/July: Taking in a variety of enterprises and sights as you visit beautiful Victoria and Vancouver, the majestic Rockies, Calgary Stampede, Niagara Falls, Quebec. Plus superb Alaskan Cruise option.

UK & IRELAND – June/July: Enjoy the best of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland – Highland Show, farms, gardens, villages, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and more. Extend your trip for five days in beautiful Holland, including Floriade – a special treat for garden and horticultural enthusiasts.

USA – June/July: Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Mid West heartland and more – farms, sights and rural hospitality second to none.

AUSTRALIA – June: “Winter in the sun” Brisbane to Cairns, outback stations, farm stay, Darling Downs, Barrier Reef and more SCANDINAVIA – July: Farms, fiords, and sights in Sweden, Denmark and Norway plus beautiful Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. Fantastic extension to Finland and St Petersburg, Russia.

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0800 38 38 747 Farm To Farm Tours Box 239, 108A High Street, Rangiora PH 03 313 5855 FAX 03 313 5596 FARM TO FARM EMAIL info@farmtofarm.co.nz NEW ZEALAND TOURS WEBSITE www.farmtofarm.co.nz

main beneficiaries of irrigation schemes, which is why the Government wants funding to come from the private sector.

So from a funding perspective, the challenge is sourcing the vast sums

of cash needed to get offfarm and on-farm infrastructure built in a timely manner so that farmers reap the financial benefits increased irrigation can provide.

With the widespread changes these schemes are likely to bring, many farmers need to start to consider lack of water as a risk that needs to be mitigated on a year-round basis, not just seasonally.

This is a complex issue and one each farmer needs to assess based on his own particular land, region and type of farming. However, in general, the following are the issues to address: What are the schemes in my area?

There are 14 major schemes proposed and MAF has estimated the construction cost and average cost per hectare for each scheme. How these costs will be met will depend on the funding option adopted by that scheme, but it is fair to assume all schemes will include some sort of ‘userpay’ option that will result in a cost to participating farmers.

What are the benefits of joining a scheme?

Research from other countries and New Zealand shows irrigation provides farmers with increased productivity in their existing farming and provides options for con-

Graham Turley

version to more profitable forms of farming.

Further, farmers need to consider the value to their farm of irrigating, particularly if they forsee change of ownership. As the broader water strategy becomes embedded, participation in an irrigation scheme could greatly affect farm values.

For a farmer, the choice to irrigate will come down to whether the expected returns will cover the investment. In making this decision, farmers need to consider all options – not just the financial cost of irrigation, but also the possible cost of not irrigating. This is particularly important if their existing water source is likely to change as a result of broader water changes and the introduction of a water scheme in their region.

• Graham Turley is managing director commercial & agri at ANZ

Rural News // october 18, 2011

agribusiness 25

Landcorp chips in with $27.5m SUD ES H K I SSUN

STATE-OWNED FARMER Landcorp is paying a record $27.5 million dividend to the Government.

Last year it delivered $18m into the state coffers.

Buoyed by greater returns from dairy and livestock operations, the company has posted a net profit of $42.2 million for year ending June 30, a 320% increase over the previous year’s profit.

Milk revenue jumped 35% to $95m on record production of 12.5mkgMS. Sheepmeat revenues were up 36% to $51m on strong recovery in the lamb export market. Beef revenue increased 28% to $40m. Wool, venison and forestry revenues also rose.

Landcorp chairman Jim Sutton says it is gratifying the company can made an increased cash contribution to the country as it recovers from the effect of the Christchurch earthquakes. “Our commitment in 2011-12 and beyond is to keep delivering in financial terms and in response to other big economic and environmental challenges facing this nation.”

Total revenues for the year reached $219m, a 35% increase over the previous year’s revenues of $162m.

Landcorp chief executive Chris Kelly attributes the results to its strategy of diversification, best practice farming and people development. Higher commodity prices and favourable weather conditions also helped.

Conditions improved markedly since January this year following adverse weather late last year, he says.

“Storms in August and September (2010) reduced lamb and calf survival and these were followed by dry conditions in the North Island that saw stock numbers reduced further in the run-up to Christmas.”

To maintain stock condition and production, Landcorp used more feed leading to 12% increase in operating expenses.

Kelly says it will pursue profit growth by increasing productivity, linking production closely to end markets and optimising use of land. “This strategy builds on our successful diversification into dairying and deer and our focus on building scale and synergy across extensive farming operations.” Staff training and development will also be a priority.

In addition to its net operating profit, Landcorp earned $10.3m through farm land sales last year. It

acquired three farms.

Debt was kept under control and the balance sheet remains strong to fund further investments, it says.

Commenting on 201112, Kelly says the new

season has begun with stock in excellent condition after a mild winter and focus on animal nutrition. The company forecasts a net operating profit of $16m with a dividend payout of $15m.

s R E m R A f L A E R E timE R o m E v hA o k o m s foR

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

Market Snapshot North Island c/kgCWT

Lamb - PM 16.0kg

Lamb Market Trends

Meat South Island

Lamb Prices Last Year

Change

Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year

P2 Steer - 300kg

n/c

4.50

4.50

4.08

M2 Bull - 300kg

n/c

4.30

4.30

3.91

P2 Cow - 230kg

n/c

3.50

3.50

3.20

5.89

M Cow - 200kg

n/c

3.20

3.20

3.08

4.60

3.48

Local Trade - 230kg

n/c

4.50

4.50

4.25

7.58

7.58

5.31

P2 Steer - 300kg

n/c

4.35

4.35

3.95

n/c

7.58

7.58

5.88

M2 Bull - 300kg

n/c

4.00

4.00

3.60

n/c

7.58

7.58

5.89

P2 Cow - 230kg

n/c

3.10

3.10

2.75

n/c

7.58

7.58

5.84

M Cow - 200kg

n/c

3.00

3.00

2.67

n/c

4.08

4.08

3.15

Local Trade - 230kg

n/c

4.28

4.28

3.95

Change c/kg

Last Week

n/c

7.82

7.82

5.66

n/c

7.84

n/c

7.58

PM - 16.0kg

n/c

7.84

7.84

5.88

PX - 19.0kg

n/c

7.86

7.86

5.89

PH - 22.0kg

n/c

7.87

7.87

MX1 - 21kg

n/c

4.60

n/c

PM - 16.0kg PX - 19.0kg PH - 22.0kg

n/c

4.50

n/c

4.35

Bull - M2 300kg

n/c

4.30

n/c

4.00

Venison - AP 60kg

+5

9.00

+10

9.45

c/kgCWT YM - 13.5kg

Mutton SI Lamb

YM - 13.5kg

North Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price $8.5

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

$7.5 $6.5

Mutton

MX1 -

1000s

$4.5 $3.5 Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

21kg

NZ Slaughter

$5.5

Aug

Change

2 Wks Ago

Last Week

Steer - P2 300kg

Jul

Beef Prices Last Week

Change c/kg

NI Lamb

Change

2Wks Ago

3 Wks Ago

Last Year

5yr Ave

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

$6.5 $5.5

Oct

Nov

144

Cattle NI

+4%

16.4

15.7

17.3

64

75

Cattle SI

-9%

4.0

4.4

3.9

3.4

Lamb NZ

+23%

224

182

199

219

Cattle NZ

+1%

20.4

20.1

21.2

17.8

+1%

15

15

19

22

Bull NI

0%

1.1

1.1

1.6

1.6

Bull SI

0%

0.1

0.1

0.3

0.4

+2%

9.7

9.5

8.7

7.9

Mutton NZ

Str & Hfr NI

600

Str & Hfr SI

-14%

3.0

3.5

2.3

2.1

450

Cows NI

+10%

5.6

5.1

7.0

4.9

300

Cows SI

+13%

0.9

0.8

1.3

0.9

Last Year

NZ Weekly Beef Kill

This Year Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Change UK Leg

Last Year

60

Dec

This Year

40

Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year

5yr Ave

£/lb

n/c

2.40

2.40

2.02

1.50

NZ$/kg

-20

10.58

10.78

9.41

8.14

20 0 Jul

Aug

Sep

95CL US$/lb

£2.10 Sep

Oct

Nov

NZ$/kg

$5.0

Jul

$4.5 $4.0

Aug

$3.0 $2.5 Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sep

Oct

$9.0

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

$8.0

Last Year

5yr Ave

+1

1.86

1.85

1.67

1.48

-3

5.30

5.33

4.89

4.57

$2.00

Dec

$1.80

2Wks Ago

3 Wks Ago

Last Year

5yr Ave

% Returned NI

+1%

75.2%

73.8%

63.8%

53.7%

% Returned SI

+1%

71.8%

70.5%

63.8%

61.8%

Last Year

$1.60

This Year $1.40 Jul

Aug

Change

Last Year This Year

60%

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2Wks Ago

3 Wks Ago

Last Year

5yr Ave

% Returned NI

+1%

81.1%

80.1%

80.94%

82.3%

% Returned SI

+0%

75.5%

75.0%

74.6%

75.8%

Procurement Indicator - North I.

85%

50% Jul

Sep

Procurement Indicator

Procurement Indicator - North I.

80% 70%

North Island 60kg Stag Price

Nov

Procurement Indicator Change

$3.5

2 Wks Ago

Demand Indicator - US 95CL Beef

This Year

£1.60 5yr Ave Last Year This Year

Dec

Last Year

Dec

South Island 300kg Steer Price

Nov

Last Week

Change

$3.0

Oct

Export Market Demand

Demand Indicator - UK Leg Price

$3.5

Aug

14.4

135

£2.60

Jul

5yr Ave

61

North Island 300kg Bull Price

$4.0

Last Year

121

Dec

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

3 Wks Ago

77

Export Market Demand $4.5

2Wks Ago

146

Jul Sep

Change

+28%

$3.5 Aug

1000s

Estimated Weekly Kill

+21%

0 Jul

SI

Lamb SI

150

$4.5

NI

Lamb NI

NZ Weekly Lamb Kill

$7.5

c/kgCWT

NZ Slaughter

Estimated Weekly Kill

South Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price

$8.5

Beef Market Trends

80%

Nov

75% $7.0

70%

Procurement Indicator - South I.

$6.0 Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

60%

This Year

65%

Last Year

65%

Last Year

75%

This Year Jul

Sep

Nov

South Island 60kg Stag Price

$9.5

5yr Ave Last Year This Year

$8.5

55%

Procurement Indicator - South I. 45% Jul

Sep

Last Year This Year

85%

Nov

75%

Venison Prices

$7.5

Change $6.5 Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

65%

Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year

5yr Ave

NI Stag - 60kg

+5

9.00

8.95

8.00

7.56

SI Stag - 60kg

+10

9.45

9.35

8.20

7.90

55% Jul

Sep

Nov

Beef & venison prices are reported as gross (before normal levies & charges are deducted). Lamb & mutton prices are reported nett (after levies & charges are deducted). Note: Freight is paid in the North Island but not by all companies in the South Island.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

Beef Wool Price Watch Export cattle prices hold for now North Island export cattle prices held their ground last week with processors wary that price falls could halt cattle supplies now that some rain has fallen over parts of the island. Prices for 300kg cwt steers held at an average of $4.50/kg with 300kg cwt bulls around $4.30/kg. Many farmers are now choosing to hold their cattle on-farm in order to put more weight on. With many plants about to reopen after maintenance breaks there is the potential for some upside in pricing if procurement ramps up in the weeks ahead. Export cattle prices in the South Island held steady last week. 300kg cwt steers averaged $4.35/kg with 300kg cwt bulls holding at $4.00/kg. Last weeks rain will start to ease some feed pressures in some regions which could see kill rates dip even lower than recent levels. It will be a wait and see game as to whether this places any upward pressure on prices, provided the NZ$ remains at its current level.

Cattle slaughter rates mixed Slaughter statistics show a lift in the North Island cattle kill through late September. With returns to farmers remaining well above historical levels and cattle generally in reasonable condition, the early flow of cattle into the processing plants has lifted slaughter rates above fiveyear average levels for this time of the season. In the South Island the cattle slaughter rate has dipped to 4,000 head a week, reflecting a 9% drop on three weeks ago.

However between July and September the weekly South Island cattle slaughter tracked 32% above five-year average levels, which may lead to much tighter slaughter rates over the remainder of spring and into summer.

Lamb

Dairy Price Watch Change

06-Oct

29-Sep

Last Year

Coarse Xbred Indic.

+11

6.57

6.46

4.85

Fine Xbred Indicator

+18

6.88

6.70

5.04

Lamb Indicator

-

-

-

-

Mid Micron Indic.

-

-

9.31

7.19

Indicators in NZ$

Wool Indicator Trends

750

Change

Last 2 Wks

Prev. 2 Wks

Last Year

Butter

+136

5356

5220

5696

Skim Milk Powder

+146

4425

4279

4340

Whole Milk Powder

+273

4507

4233

4713

Cheddar

+381

5601

5220

5391

Indicators in NZ$/T

Dairy Prices Trends

7,000

650

6,000

550

5,000

450

4,000

350

CXI

FXI

SMP But.

LI

250

3,000 Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Oct

Aug

Dec

Coarse Xbred Indicator

750

Feb

Apr

WMP Ched.

Jun

Aug

Whole Milk Powder Price (NZ$) Last Year

650 550

Last Year This

5,500

This Year

450

4,500

350 250

3,500 Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

29-Sep

Last Year

Jul

Overseas Price Indicators Indicators in US$/kg

Change

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Overseas Price Indicators 06-Oct

Indicators in US$/T

Change

Last 2 Wks

Prev. 2 Wks

Last Year

Coarse Xbred Indicator

+3

5.03

5.01

3.65

Butter

-200

4100

4300

4200

Fine Xbred Indicator

+8

5.27

5.19

3.80

Skim Milk Powder

-138

3388

3525

3200

Lamb Indicator

-

-

-

-

Whole Milk Powder

-38

3450

3488

3475

Mid Micron Indicator

-

-

Cheddar

-13

4288

4300

3975

7.22

5.41

Steady market for lamb Wool Indicator in US$ Dairy Prices in US$/Tonne 685 Export lamb prices in the North Island held steady last 585 4,500 week with a 16kg cwt lamb earning $7.84/kg (nett). Lamb 485 kill rates have surged as the worry about teeth becomes a 385 more pressing issue and further ground is prepared for 3,500 crops. Some are surprised at the numbers available given SMP WMP 285 CXI FXI LI But. Ched. this stage of the season but many have held on for a lot 185 2,500 Oct Dec Feb Apr Jun Aug Oct Dec Feb Apr Jun Aug longer this year with high slaughter weights needed to offset the strong buy in prices earlier in the season.

Coarse Xbred Indictor in US$ Whole Milk Powder Price in US$/T Average slaughter weights have lifted to 21kg which is 750 4,000 around 1.85kg heavier than this time last year. Export Last Year 3,800 lamb prices in the South Island remained unchanged at This Year 550 3,600 $7.58/kg (nett) for a 16kg cwt lamb last week. The 3,400 volume of lambs has picked up in the last 10 days with 350 Last Year 3,200 some plants full enough. Backlogs are showing up in This Year 150 3,000 some cases due to less processing capacity and another Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov surge of bobby calves, which can tend to reduce lamb space. Fortunately this has yet to impinge on prices with the fall in the NZ$ helping to keep returns buoyant.

Currency Watch US Dollar Last 2 Wks 4 Wks Last Mutton slaughter rockets above expectations vs. NZ Dollar 0.95 Week Ago Ago Year Last Year The 2010/11 slaughter season has drawn to a close with the mutton kill This Year US dollar 0.773 0.766 0.836 0.753 0.85 sky-rocketing beyond industry expectations. Earlier forecasts pointed to Euro 0.576 0.565 0.600 0.539 the national mutton kill coming in at 3.7 million head. However the 0.75 UK pound 0.500 0.491 0.523 0.474 statistics paint a different picture with over 600,000 more ewes being 0.65 Aus dollar 0.791 0.785 0.787 0.766 slaughtered than expected. The season ended with 4.32 million ewes Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Japan yen 59.28 58.63 64.81 61.93 heading to the works. This figure also represented a 20% increase (+700,000 hd) on last season’s kill. The heavy offload of ewes in the past Euro UK Pound 0.55 year will no doubt slow the rate of rebuilding and further dent this 0.65 Last Year season’s expected lamb crop.

This Year

0.50

Wool

0.60

Wool prices push higher Solid buyer demand and a lower currency continue to strengthen wool prices. Buyers are taking the opportunity to source their requirements while the going is good. Chinese buyer demand in particular is strong as they continue to grow their domestic wool carpet production.

0.55

0.45

0.50

0.40

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Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Last Year This Year Jul

Aug

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Oct

Nov

Dec

Rural News // October 18, 2011

28 opinion editorial

edna

Restore 100% border x-rays

BY THE time you read this editorial we’ll know whether the All Blacks are in the Rugby World Cup final, or if our neighbour and rival has again rained on our parade.

The influx of trans-Tasman tourists for the tournament sparked renewed concerns about changes to border screening of such travellers. First TV3, and then Hort NZ, said no fewer than 270,000 people came in without having their bags checked.

As usual their concerns were dismissed by Biosecurity Minister David Carter and to be fair the link to the RWC as a reason for the border control changes was a headline grabbing stunt. However, to say those raising concerns are being alarmist, as Carter did, is debateable. Here’s one example why.

Before this particular row blew up, I was talking to a frequent trans-Tasman traveller. He’s a farmer and businessman. I asked him what he made of the biosecurity screening process. Until recently, he’d always declared himself a farmer. Without fail he’d been stopped, asked a question or two, and had his bags x-rayed and sometimes manually checked too.

A few months before our discussion, he’d decided that, as his trip was sales orientated, he’d declare himself a salesman. He walked straight off the plane into New Zealand without so much as a word or wave of a wand from a biosecurity official. This guy’s a responsible fellow, understands the biosecurity risks and wouldn’t try to bypass the system, but it shows those who want to could, all too easily.

Responding to Hort NZ president Andrew Fenton’s RWC concerns, the minister sought to reassure.

“Direct Exit... enables our biosecurity staff to focus on high-risk travellers, while enabling lowrisk New Zealand and Australian passport holders to bypass the x-ray process.

“However, no passenger leaves the airport without being risk assessed by MAF in some way, either by roving biosecurity profilers, detector dogs, x-rays and declarations,” he said.

That may be so, but as the above story shows, that risk assessment seems to leave more than a little to be desired, and for what gain? A few minutes less travel time? A modest border control cost saving?

There’s an irony here: because we’re so thorough in our processes for importing plant and animal material legally, the likelihood of someone trying to do so illegally is that much greater. And any traveller may make a genuine mistake.

As incursions of Psa, potato psyllid, varroa and clover root weevil show, the costs of biosecurity breaches are massive. Some benefits are not worth the risk; x-ray screening all bags to check for plants and food should be reinstated without delay. Here’s hoping the RWC can be reinstated in the same way.

Rural NEWS Head office Postal address: PO Box 3855, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140 Publisher: Brian Hight...................................................... Ph 09 307 0399 General Manager: Adam Fricker.................................................... Ph 09 913 9632 Editor: Andrew Swallow............................................. Ph 03 688 2080 editor@ruralnews.co.nz................................... Ph 021 745 183

“No wonder our first-fives get groin problems! – upside down there’s a dirty big 10 in the middle of the word!”

the hound Less work for AHB? A MATE of the Hound overheard some wit say he hoped the Aussies would contest the RWC final, “so thousands of their supporters would come across – then we could give each a possum to take home.”

Try telling that to AHB boss-dog William McCook and his cobbers in downtown Wellington.

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound?

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

No sentiment behind Sockburn

Good Farm Stories site stagnates

Farm in Australia anyone?

A YEAR or so ago Silver Fern Farms was sometimes said to be the only firm making the hard calls on closures, but Alliance’s recent Sockburn announcement has blown that suggestion out the water. Talk about kicking folk when they’re down: closing such a major employer in Christchurch when people are still struggling in the wake of the quake shows Alliance’s management and board are prepared to make the hardest (hearted) calls.

YOUR OLD mate spotted a story in this paper’s sister publication, Dairy News, on the Green Party’s Good Farm Stories website. Apparently it hasn’t been updated in ages. The party offered some lame excuse about limited resources, but it strikes me the real reason’s obvious: the current party leader would rather keep paddling his kayak up creeks and trotting out the old dirty dairying diatribe than get off his backside and fess up to the fact there’s actually a lot of good being done out there.

WHAT DO you do when you can’t make your paper fat enough with ads from New Zealand?

Try some from across ‘the ditch’, it seems.

Flicking through one of the farming rags the other day your old mate was astounded to find no fewer than nine pages of ads for farms in Australia.

It’s not even as though the $NZ is particularly strong against its Aussie counterpart at the moment.

Strikes me said paper’s Aussie owners must have offered some super discounts on the space.

Vegetarian weak?

DID YOU know last week was ‘vegetarian week’? Wasn’t observed in our dog box, I can assure you, but it did prompt the comment that maybe it should be vegetarian “weak”, not week: that’s certainly the way your old mate felt when the missus mused maybe we should try it!

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

opinion 29

Untapped potential in dads’ army THE SUBTLE humour of Dad’s Army has become part of the English lexicon. Its timeless humour continues to amuse. Right now somewhere an audience is listening to or watching episodes penned 40 years ago.

So the recent news that Dad’s Army co-creator David Croft had died brought back great memories of a series that made gentle fun of serious wartime issues, with a bit of gallows humor as befits old men and boys playing soldiers.

The main characters, well known and still remembered, include Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring), John Le Mesurier (Arthur Wilson), Clive Dunn (Jack Jones), John Laurie (Jock Frazer) Ian Lavender (Frank Pike).

Each had his little quirks, Jack Jones, for example:

Rural News’ irreverent and hypothetical look at what’s happening in the farming world Top Bleats view all jimsuttonlandcorp: I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I can work out that a $27m return on $1.7b worth of assets is SFA. #whydontwesellit ckellylandcorp@jsuttonlandcorp: Shhhhh, we all know Landcorp is a dog of an investment. But trying to argue for the sale of a state asset and farmland to boot is akin to accusing Richie McCaw of cheating. #atoughsell dnicolsonwannabeactmp: So being fourth on the Act list is similar to being about 557th on National’s, meaning there’s more chance of Namibia winning the RWC than me getting into Parliament. #longshot

eye on the issues john stirling

The ‘soldiers’ range in age from late 60s to early 80s; they usually have a wide range of skills.

My sheepyards are beside a busy public road.

And I say to those who stop to watch – and smile – seeing the ‘army’ in action, “You’re looking at about 200 years of experience.” In many cases the skills picked up during those years are sitting dormant. With an increasing number of old mates now facing at 70, its interesting see how they’re handling life out of the fast lane.

Working on the belief that today’s 70-year-old is yesterday’s 60-year-old, ‘army’ numbers will get a boost as the ‘baby boomers’ arrive. “don’t panic” and “they don’t like it up ‘em.”

My interest in Dad’s Army, and that of many mates, relates to the value of older men in the work force. Many times on my farm I’ve assembled a team of older citizens all past over the superannuation mark. I call them ‘dad’s army’ and include myself among them.

Mine is a modest operation but at peak times extra labour is invaluable.

ag twits

Most of these men accept the ‘army’ title; and they want to stay involved, but at a slower pace. Though bowls, golf, fishing, gardening and even croquet are important to them, they also have a huge desire to keep using some of the old skills. Some strike a balance working two or three days a week, others within reason are available for peak periods. Vital to each is something – work or

thedonbrash@dnicolsonwannabeactmp: Ahhhhhh Don, my advice would be don’t give up your day job – if you had one! #actistoast henryfonterra: What the hell is TAF and why are we getting so much grief about it?

I thought it was the pet name for the Welsh rugby team? #confused fonterrapr@henryfonterra: TAF is actually our clever scheme to try a backdoor listing for the co-op. Only problem is our farmer/ shareholders – and some of them may well be Welsh – don’t think it clever. #spiningit dcarterminofag: World’s most popular agriculture minister looks forward to being re-elected without having to do too much except get photo ops with PM! #johnkeyscoattails.

play – that keeps the ‘grey matter’ active.

Working on the belief that today’s 70-year-old is yesterday’s 60-year-old, ‘army’ numbers will get a boost as the ‘baby boomers’ arrive. This group has had it made virtually from birth: womb-to-tomb security they see as their birthright. What will satisfy the Don Brash generation?

The outlook is good: from my vantage point it appears the ‘boomers’ want to stay near if not in the work force. This generation has the numbers to fill a significant gap, as did ‘dad’s army’ serving as the Home Guard or the Farmy Army helping clean up in Christchurch.

I know this suggestion exaggerates, but when my ‘dad’s army’ turns up, life seems a little easier, even if in my case their numbers can be counted on

one hand. There is a huge, largely untapped work-

force waiting to answer the call.

sallentatua: I don’t want to gloat or anything, but did you know we kicked Fonterra’s butt in the payout stakes this year? #wearebetterthanfonterra

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

30 opinion

What’s TAF ‘locked box’ made of?

LEO N IE GU I N EY

A NORTHLAND dairy farmer concerned about the risks of handing

farmer share ownership over to a custodian in the interests of TAF (trading among farmers) recently told Rural News’ sister

paper Dairy News that Fonterra has been built on intergenerational returns and dividends.

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prepared to put that at risk. To the government that thinks “all New Zealanders” deserve access to Fonterra via floating on the stock exchange I say this: that Northland farmer is absolutely correct. The returns came via a strong work ethic – good old fashioned long hours – and unique farming skill: grass-to-milk technology driven by science and the absence of any subsidies meaning the farmers got really smart at turning grass into profit. If they didn’t work hard and smart they went broke because they were exposed to volatile commodity prices.

The above two factors (work ethic and skill) combined with our temperate climate represented our comparative advantage over other milk producing countries. When co-ops joined together to pit that comparative advantage against other milk producing countries and so harness 40% of the international market in milk commodities, that comparative advantage is what made Fonterra great – not Fonterra management or leadership, even though they do a great job. It is the grass roots competitive skill plus climate advantage that is the reason Fonterra contributes so much to New Zealand’s GDP. All this could be unravelled by non-farmer owners pushing milk price

Leonie Guiney

to the producer downwards. It would be a disaster for New Zealand in the long run. One generation of investors would make a killing on the dairy industry shares and thereafter our industry would be owned by Chinese interests paying just enough to a farmer to make sure he stays in business, but not a penny more. Meanwhile the processing profits leave the country.

People who got rich fast in trading perhaps can’t see the benefits of true cooperative longterm, intergenerational, permanent wealth creation. It’s the New Zealand farmer who has created that wealth for New Zealand, not the commodities or foreign exchange trader who skims a margin off every deal.

As businesses succeed it is easy to start thinking you are bullet-proof and should keep growing flat out. Fonterra’s mission “to be the natural source of

dairy to everyone, everywhere, every day” raises questions for me. I struggle to reconcile this goal with a purpose to put the highest possible percentage of our milk returns into New Zealand farmers’ pockets.

Apparently Fonterra now needs to meet the whole world’s demand for milk? If Fonterra really is trying to achieve the above it’s obvious why a number of our board members believe we need outside capital. Outside capital will challenge the cooperative’s purpose of maximising the milk price to farmers – the non-farmer investors want a slice of that work ethic and farming skill diverted to their pockets . They can get it by pushing for higher dividends and share price, achievable if you can minimise the milk price. They could attain a slice of our returns via investment in cows, a pair of overalls and some 4am starts, but they

want it easier than that.

Our own board could put our entire co-op at risk in the interest of growth and dominance.

Why do we need TAF with a highly complex, highly risky shareholders fund to address redemption risk? Any proposal that needs a team of lawyers working on it to protect our cooperative interest has to be a dangerous proposal.

Fonterra is telling us they will ensure shares held with a custodian are in a ‘locked box’, but as a farmer at our Fonterra meeting said, the structure we have now, with all shares in farmers hands is a locked box. The proposed shareholder funds ‘box’ is a cardboard one.

The status quo actually protects our cooperative champion.

• Leonie Guiney and husband Kieran supply Fonterra from five farms near Fairlie, South Canterbury.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

opinion 31

Understanding co-op control ca ro line g il b e rt

THE KEY difference between a co-operative and an investor-owned company is that a cooperative is a business owned and operated to the mutual benefit of transacting members who buy from the cooperative or sell to it. For the owners of an investor-owned business, the focus is financial.

Because a co-operative is operated for the mutual benefit of members by members, control beyond the levels usually accepted in an investor-owned company is imperative to achieving successful outcomes for members, both in services and, from that, financially.

Control by members is important because in co-operatives, purpose includes how the co-operative interacts with members’ businesses, and this can vary and change over time. By contrast, in investor-owned businesses, purpose is always clear: to make money via dividend payments and improvement to the share price.

The types of controls members have over the decision making of a cooperative are: 1. Redemption of membership – ultimate form of control when very dissatisfied, rarely used.

2. Voting rights at AGM – official level of control.

Used annually, more frequently with concern.

3. Engagement with the co-operative – cooperative level of control and is directive or inter-

active only. Used regularly/daily in a variety of mediums. NB: Increases in reciprocal engagement decrease the dependence on other forms of control by improving outcomes for members.

Redemption of membership (ownership): exercised any time 1. Remove capital and cease trading with the co-op.

2. Personal risk to member’s primary business as trading security reduced.

3. Galvanises remaining members to direct the board.

Voting rights at AGM: exercised annually 1. Election of board members.

2. Changes to constitution – changes are to the parameters of the business, not on how the business is run.

3. Passing the annual report.

Appointment of auditor.

4. Winding up the organisation.

Engagement with co-op: varied and ongoing 1. Directive remits at AGM/SGM. 2. Speaking rights at AGM/SGM. 3. Access to co-op communications and publications.

4. Access to directors.

5. Access to member representatives.

6. Invitation to member update meetings.

7. Access to memberonly areas on co-op website.

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8. Participation in focus groups or local forums.

9. Clear complaints procedures on operational or governance issues.

10. Information-sharing networks.

11. Member/management working parties.

12. Co-operative educa-

Caroline Gilbert

tion and training.

13. Advocacy.

14. Polls and surveys.

15. Other forms of formal and informal communication throughout the co-op.

Improving member participation is the key to a successful, member-controlled, mem-

ber-focused co-operative.

It starts with the constitution: having a constitution that clearly defines the parameters of how the cooperative operates, how membership is defined and the rights and responsibilities of members is vital in setting the framework for a successful co-

operative.

Unlike investor-owned businesses, reciprocal engagement with members is the key component to the success of co-operatives. Having a board that works to develop strong member engagement directly with members to page 32

Rural News // October 18, 2011

32 management

Sorghum solution to summer dry?

SUE E DMO N DS

DAIRY FARMERS in Waikato are enjoying amazing spring pasture growth. But those farm-

ing on peat are wondering about the likelihood of a dry summer, and therefore what summer crop might survive such an event.

The turnout at a Dairy

NZ farm discussion group held last week on a peat farm owned by Richard and Christine Lansdaal, near Morrinsville, indicated concern: 33 turned

up, including representatives of five banks.

The farm is 120ha and sharemilkers Mike and Lisa Healey will this year milk 350 cows.

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to about 2kgDM/cow, to prevent nitrate poisoning they had begun by giving a new strip around 2pm, but later changed this to immediately after morning milking, shifting them onto grass after the staff’s breakfast, for convenience.

Discussion arose on whether cows would graze more efficiently during afternoons, when a certain amount of wilt softened plants and sugar content would most likely be higher.

Healey insisted backfencing each strip was necessary, so the plants weren’t grazed down to less than 15-20cm, and the cows were only allowed so much at a time. Any excess growth between grazings during the season could be mown and stacked as silage.

On a 25-day round they had achieved 100 days of feed plus being able to make some into silage, with the crop lasting until April and overall producing 10-15tDM/ha.

Pioneer estimates establishment cost at $1000/ha including cultivation and sowing.

Understanding co-op control from page 31

will strengthen outcomes for members.

There has to be a clear pathway from the board to the members – and back again, and between members.

Member control of a co-operative is vastly different from owner control of an investor-owned business. It needs to be protected through the constitution and actively encouraged by a memberfocused board. Lack of co-operatively focused professional development training for the board, ‘selling’ board messages to members, an overly complicated constitution that does not focus on the

important issues, and no clear lines of open communication are all warning signs of poor co-operative health.

The use of reciprocal engagement methods that promote strong lines of formal and informal communication by the board and member representatives is one of the key ways of helping members exercise control over their co-operative.

Strong member control creates strong outcomes for the co-operative and all members.

• Caroline Gilbert is a Taranaki dairy farmer and associate member of the New Zealand Co-op Association.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

management 33

Award entry aids career progress “GIVE IT a go and don’t be scared you might not be the best.” That’s the advice of Dairy Farm Manager of the Year 2011 Jason Halford, now the proud owner of his own herd, sharemilking 280 cows at Opiki, Horowhenua.

In May (see sidebar) he pipped eleven other regional farm manager winners to the national title at an awards night in Queenstown.

Now, besides running his own herd, he’s coordinating the 2012 dairy trainee of the year contest for the Manawatu Rangitikei Horowhenua regional competition, one of the three levels of the awards replicated across 12 regions nationally as the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.

He says the experience of winning the national farm manager title has been great. Opportunities continue to present themselves and he has received many invitations.

“The highlight of it all was winning the award as it gives you real confidence that what you are doing is on the right track.”

“Challenge yourself and find out where you are at as you can only get better.”

It has also made him consider what he is doing on farm. “It’s made me think more about what I do, about the environment and about all those principles I have applied in the past and still do now.

Once you win a competition, there’s a responsibility to make sure you are doing everything right.”

Entries for the New

Trainee of the Year awards 2012 open November 1.

Halford encourages people to enter, whether they believe they can win or not. “Challenge yourself and find out where you are at as you can only get better. The awards are positive… it’s good for your hard work to be recognised. They’re also an excellent way to fast track your career.

Early entry rewards Entries to the awards receive d before December 1 go into the draw for three Honda 125 farm bikes, one for each category. Worth $4000 each, they’re the first tranche of a prize poo l wor th well over $100,000, say organi sers.

Zealand Farm Manager of the Year, New Zealand Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, and New Zealand Dairy

“I was ready for the next step and I think sharemilking is a great sector to be in and owning cows is a big positive.”

Right: Jason Halford, dairy farm manager of the year.

But progressing to sharemilking, from farm managing, has been a big change, he admits.

“You realise the difference between farm managing and sharemilking, where there is a hell of a lot more responsibility. You need to make sure everything is organised as the buck stops with you.”

He is also discovering new challenges with his own herd on John Seymour’s 90ha property.

“It’s quite a change when you have to do everything by yourself.

You see how organised you really are and you can be organised and still not get everything done.”

The awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown and RD1, along with industry partner AgITO.

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Getting back on the horse region outright, then picked up two national merit awards at Queenstown before landing the top title.

At the awards night farm manager judge Tafi Manjala, Dairy NZ, said Halford had huge passion and enthusiasm for how he managed pasture, soil and the environment.

“He has systems, policies and procedures for nearly everything on the farm and they are backed by a paper trail.

“He involved his staff in the judging presentation and they were well able to articulate the goals and objectives of the areas they were responsible for. They were as passionate

about achieving those goals as Jason was.”

Shortly after the Queenstown awards night he made the move from the 154ha, 440-cow farm he had been managing for Kevin and Joanne Argyle, on the outskirts of Palmerston North, to his new 50/50 sharemilking position nearby at Opiki.

Manjala said eight of the twelve farm manager national finalists were moving to new positions with the new season, and all were focused on goal setting. “They knew where they were now and the potential of where they could get to and the stuff in between.”

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FOR SOME people, picking up a merit award at regional level in a competition such as the Dairy Awards would be success enough, but Halford wanted to go further after his first crack at the contest ended there.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

34 management

Many meanings in ‘natural ability’ THE TOPIC of ‘natural ability’ was raised at one of my training days recently. What is it? There seems to be many ideas about it, and a lot of dogs have several homes or very short lives as a result.

Consider my views on natural ability.

I have a friend who thinks natural ability in a Heading dog is to bring sheep to the person. I have known him for at least ten years and in that time

he has reared and bought countless pups and young dogs. It is very rare for them to stay long. When asked why they went, the answer is ‘they’d no natural ability’. Rubbish, they just needed to be shown what was required of them.

A Heading dog’s natural instinct is to head/ overtake moving stock.

When it does, the stock then start running away from it and again it will

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head them. Before you know it they are all going around in circles. We have to train the dog to head the mob and then follow behind, bringing the stock to us rather than heading again.

Another friend remarked that his 9-month-old Heading pup had no natural ability. When questioned what he meant, he said it had no ‘eye’. ‘Eye’ is not ability. There are some very clever plain-eyed heading dogs.

A lot of people expect a young Huntaway to follow behind stock, barking his head off, and if it tries to head instead, there is something wrong

head ‘n hunt anna holland

with it. Years ago I was lucky enough to have had a number of exceptionally clever Huntaways who could do anything: head breaking lambs quietly and bringing them back, mustering with distance and very little command, noisily guiding a mob, and working in yards. With today’s standards they would lack noise but they sure didn’t lack brains and ability.

Incidentally, I teach all Huntaways to head and balance sheep to me, with noise, before teaching them to hunt stock away; it teaches them to handle and hold a mob together without being told every footstep to take.

Since dog graced earth his instinct has been survival and reproduction.

Over the centuries we have bred them to serve us and one of those services is herding sheep: to gather and hold together in a mob.

A young dog that wants and tries to keep 4-12 sheep in a group has, to me, a natural ‘domestic, farm’ ability and it makes my job as a trainer,

and his job of mustering, much easier because he will want to gather and hold stock together of his own accord. Whereas a young dog that flies in amongst them, splitting them in several directions and biting has the natural ‘wild, survival instinct’ closer to the surface. Sadly a lot of dogs like this never get the opportunity to excel because the owner doesn’t know how to teach them what is acceptable behaviour and what isn’t, and they are shot.

I have trained a lot of these so called ‘useless’ dogs and they have ended up being valuable team members for someone.

I have one now, a young

Huntaway. All Eve wanted to do was split the mob in every direction then grab some wool and hang on.

Time, training, patience and threats of the offal hole plus more time, training and patience and you want to see her now – stunning! And I can’t wait to try her with mustering and distance.

It is not hard to turn this sort of dog around.

Most things in life are easy if you know how to do them; training a working dog is no exception.

• Anna Holland is teaching people dog training. For more information www. annaholland.co.nz or Ph 027 28 44 639 or annaholland@xtra.co.nz

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

management 35

Software makes for better management BARBARA GI LLH AM

ASK ANY farmer to choose between being out on the farm or in the office doing the books and it’s a fair bet the farm will win.

But there’s no escaping crunching the numbers is important for the business and thanks to some clever systems on computers, the task isn’t the time consuming chore it once was, says CRS Software.

CRS has worked closely with farmers for years, this month celebrating its 30th anniversary. The company’s Cashmanager Rural program is used by farmers, farm accountants, rural bank managers and farm advisors in New Zealand and Australia.

What makes CRS Software different, and why is Cashmanager Rural the program of choice for so many? Owner and managing director Brian Eccles says the founding principle is the “plan, do and review” routine that allows farmers to see the big picture and fine tune their farming operations to make the most of opportunities as they arise. The system records

details of bank transactions. With electronic imports such as suppliers’ monthly account statements, and auto-coding, much if not all the effort can be taken out of this task.

Codes are customised for the user’s farm type. Handling GST and wages as well as generating invoices is simplified, helping save both time and money, says Eccles.

Those who use the software speak of it being “another farm tool” as important to their business as any other more tangible implement.

Ailsa and David Miller, Otorohonga, were among the first customers when they bought their program in 1989. “It’s the best thing I ever bought, and certainly the most important tool in all our 30 years of farming,” says Ailsa.

She says she loves the budgeting part of Cashmanager. “I complete our yearly budget on it and then I can look and compare that with our actuals and see where we are at any time. It’s also good because the bank manager then gets a copy and he

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But it’s not just the farm budget that gets done on the software. “I do budgets for my daughter who

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one user.”

Ailsa says the package “does what it says it will” and it’s obvious it was written by a farmer, for farmers. to page 36

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

36 management

New challenge for BFEA winners BALLANCE FARM Environment Award-winning Northland farmers Peter and Pam Kelly may have moved to town, but they haven’t lost their passion for farming.

The supreme winners of the 2009 Northland Ballance Farm Environment

Awards (BFEA) have put their 300ha beef and forestry farm in the hands of manager Bernard Fanning while they pursue a new challenge in Dargaville: converting an 1880s hotel into a bed-and-breakfast business.

But they often visit

their Omamari farm north of Dargaville which in 2009 won plaudits from the BFEA judges for its specialist beef operation.

Two-thirds of the west coast farm is under Technosystem, yielding up to 600kg/ha/year of beef carcass weight.

Judges noted high animal husbandry and were impressed with the farm’s production and excellent financial returns, achieved in balance with good pest and soil management, planting, and other environmental policies.

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The Kellys first entered the Northland Ballance Farm Environment Awards in 2007 because they wanted to get independent and expert feedback on the sustainability of their operation.

“When you are farming, you are often out there on your own,” says Peter, “and sometimes you are never quite sure if what you are doing is exactly the right thing.”

The judging process affirmed they were on the right track and they entered again in 2009.

“The judges are clever and they gave us useful advice. We met interesting people throughout the process and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience....

We loved the awards evening. The speakers were excellent and the whole thing was inspiring.”

Attending the annual Sustainability Showcase in Wellington with other supreme winners was a major highlight for the Kellys and the awards experience was extremely

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motivating, they say.

“If anything, the win has inspired us to get cracking and do more planting and more waterway fencing.... We felt we had to prove we were worthy winners.”

Kelly says he would recommend the competition to any farming, forestry or horticultural operation.

“It’s a great way to get feedback and inspiration.

Looking at your business through other peoples’ eyes makes you lift your game.”

Entries for the 2012 Northland Ballance Farm Environment Awards close on November 4, 2011.

Other regions dates vary. www.bfea.org.nz

Software makes for better management from page 35

“It’s not complicated. I had no experience on computers until I bought Cashmanager Rural and did one of their courses. It has everything you need in there and it is easy to use.”

The firm now has 20 employees at its office in Masterton and offers ongoing support and training courses throughout the country. Free phone support is also available. Eccles says he’s confident the company has a strong future meeting a growing niche management need on farms.

There will be a lot of change, but as an early adopter of technology, such as the ‘farming in the cloud’ Cashmanager Rural Online program (see sidebar p35), it’s well placed.

“I think people are only now grasping what ‘the cloud’ is. It’s definitely the way of the future.”

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

management 37

Hurry up to meet water meter regs WITH ONLY a year to go before the first level of mandatory water metering comes into force, most irrigators in one of the districts with the most watering have yet to comply.

“One of the most urgent issues facing water consent holders is the installation of water measuring devices and the reporting of actual water usage,” says Environment Canterbury team leader water metering, John Young.

In Ashburton District, as of early this month, only 14 per cent of surface water takes had compliant meters and loggers fitted,

and 39 per cent of ground water takes.

From November 10 next year holders of consents for takes of more than 20 litres/second must have approved water measuring and reporting systems. Consents for 10 to 20 litre/second takes must comply by November 2014 and those between 5 and 10 litres/second by November 2016.

Young says consent holders need to act soon to avoid the expected rush for equipment and installations.

“The government’s National Regulations are here to stay and there will

in brief Innovation in irrigation IRRIGATION NEW Zealand is calling for nominations for the second Innovation in Irrigation award.

The biennial award, run in association with Aqualinc, celebrates, encourages and promotes innovation and the benefit and impact irrigation provides to communities right throughout New Zealand, says INZ. “This is the chance for everyone to get involved and highlight the innovation that is happening and encourage more of it,” says INZ business manager Chris Coughlan.

Nominations may be from irrigators, schemes, water user groups, environmental groups, industry, university students or researchers.

Entries close February 1, 2012. Finalists will be showcased, and the official award presentation held at INZ’s conference, Timaru, April 2-4.

For full award information, criteria detail, and nomination/entry forms go to www.irrigationnz. co.nz

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be consequences for those who do not comply by the deadline.”

There are around 12,000 consents that will require meters and loggers under the regulations, 42% of which are in Canterbury.

Meters must provide continuous measurement, daily readings, and annual

records to the satisfaction of the regional council.

Young says there are obvious benefits to installing water measuring systems.

“Measuring water use will provide consent holders with the information they need to ensure they use water efficiently and optimise production,

comply with resource consent conditions, as well as reducing irrigation and pumping costs.

“You wouldn’t run your car without measuring its fuel performance or speed and running your farm or business is no different. It is important to have the information required to ensure you are getting

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

38 animal health

Assess risk before leaping to drench When do you reach for the drench gun and is it necessary to drench lambs as soon as they get daggy, even if they’re only a few weeks old?

Barbara Gillham asked independent specialist Greg Mirams WITH DOCKING underway, some farms will be preparing to drench lambs at the same time, but parasite specialist Greg Mirams believes this is unnecessary as lambs only a few weeks old haven’t yet faced a ‘parasite challenge’.

“There is no need to treat animals too early because at two to three

weeks of age they are pretty much 100% on a milk diet,” he told Rural News.

“That’s a pure form of protein and that milk is one of the best defences against parasites. Lambs only become infected with worms when they start eating grass and ingesting the larvae on the grass: that’s when the challenge

can emerge.”

Even then, they’ve still got a lot of milk in their diet which will help protect them, he points out.

Weather plays a big part in the parasite problem. A cold spring when grass isn’t growing can see ewes become stressed and produce less milk. If this happens lambs may be forced onto eating short

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Greg Mirams

grass which possibly has a lot of larvae on it and this can result in an early parasite problem. However, if there is good weather and the feed level of the ewes is good and their condition is really strong then a parasite burden may not occur until far later.

“There is a biological life cycle here that is actually known and if we understand it we don’t need to drench unnecessarily, we drench at the right time.

“Some farmers believe if they drench they get a long protection time after that but that’s often not the case. Protection time for most standard oral drenches is about two

or three days, where the drench goes in and kills the parasite and stops the production of eggs for three weeks. The reason for that is the animal has to eat larvae which take three weeks to mature into juvenile adults before they will have sex and the females then produce their first egg, that’s their life cycle.

“So when you drench an animal it doesn’t last three weeks, it lasts a couple of days and just cleans the animal out, then they start consuming the larvae again and you’ve got three more weeks before you’ll see the eggs coming out.

“A common mistake of many farmers is to believe if they drench lambs at tailing that will take them through close to weaning but it doesn’t; it will largely flush out what is in that animal on that day. So if you’re drenching them very young there really is not a lot of point, as they have not been exposed to a challenge.

“Also if you drench very young lambs with the wrong drench compound there is an inherent risk you can kill them.”

Whether all lambs

get worms depends on a number of factors: how contaminated the pasture is they are grazing on, weather conditions and feed and quality of the stock.

Mirams says this is why the ‘one approach fits all’ is simply not valid.

“Every farm is unique and that is why you have to diagnose the risk on your own farm and a lot of that comes down to stockmanship. The guys know... if

they go out and see things are tight, there’s no sunshine, there’s cold conditions and they notice the lambs are eating more grass, well they should be saying, ‘I’d better watch for worms’. That’s when egg counting can come in as well.

“You can do this on the farm or send samples away; basically if you’ve got lots of eggs in the FEC sample you’ve got worms in the animal.”

Vet urges efficacy check FEILDING VET Greta Baynes, of Totally Vets, echoes Mirams’ advice to drench test to ensure products will work and the investment will pay.

“You need to either use an effective drench or ensure you are using drenches in a way that is sustainable and know you will be able to use them for the next 10 or 20 years,” she told Rural News.

Baynes says ‘drenching immunity’ is a huge issue at the moment and there are farms around the country with internal parasites resistant even to triple combination drenches.

“That’s becoming increasingly prevalent. The parasites are building up immunity or are resistant and can survive in the presence of drench. It’s a huge issue.

“Unnecessary drenching can cause it and so can under drenching. Using a less than effective drench is going to encourage resistance and there are huge issues around it. Another thing of course is the cost: why spend money on a drench you don’t need or that doesn’t work?”

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

animal health 39

Plan cuts drench use MORE EFFECTIVE drench programmes, often at less cost, are going ahead on farms across the country via a computerbased planning tool, says Pfizer Animal Health.

Its Drench Plan software evolved from an Excel model inspired by one of the firm’s area managers, Brett Dixon.

While other drench management software is available, Pfizer says its software is part of a complete advisory package, delivering the experience and hands-on knowledge of its area managers.

“We sit down at the kitchen table with farmers who may, or may not, be using our products and get a real insight from them about how they want drench to fit into the rest of their seasonal management,” says Dixon.

The result is a plan that should extend drench life, reduce resistance development and be adhered to because it is realistic and workable for that particular farmer and property.

Dixon says the most appropriate solution may be to recommend nonPfizer products, which is appreciated by clients.

“We’re not trying to sell more Pfizer product.”

One of 200 or so cli-

ents benefitting from Dixon’s advice and software is Cambridge hill country farmer Janie Taylor. Farming the 250ha Te Miro family property, Taylor switched three years ago from the intense world of advertising to hill country farming.

Through her vet clinic Dixon was asked to help develop a drench plan for the farm; she knew nothing of its resistance status, parasite challenges or history.

Being a steeper property prone to summer dry, the farm’s mainly a store stock operation, with younger cattle and dairy heifers coming on to the property, bringing risk of parasite imports from other properties.

But achieving optimal growth rates and well-conditioned animals at the end of the heifer rearing contracts is also important.

Discussing Taylor’s operation with her, and noting the level of Dectomax Injection she was using, Dixon determined she could reduce drench frequency markedly, cutting costs. He also advised interspersing Dectomax with a combination oral drench, which would help delay parasite resistance

to the drenches used.

“We appreciated this coming from him, given he had a product to promote,” says Taylor.

“It gave us confidence the advice was realistic and genuine.”

Faecal egg counts after the Dectomax drenching established that the active, doramectin, was still

highly effective.

Drenching is now done on average every 6.5 weeks, though Taylor will treat earlier if environmental factors are conducive to parasite development and survival.

Janie Taylor found Pfizer’s plan extended intervals.

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PRE-WEANING lamb drenches won’t always produce a response (see above article), but a recent trial by Totally Vets, Feilding, did; a tapeworm treatment came out tops.

Veterinarian Greta Baynes says whether it was because it was a tougher spring last year, or another reason, isn’t clear, but the tapeworm triple combination gave 38g/day extra growth over the control group.

“The control group we used grew at 220 grams per day, the straight parasite drench group grew at 234 grams per day.

“The third group we had got the parasite drench – a triple combination with a tapeworm component; they grew at 258 grams per day.”

Baynes says these results differ from results of other trials with similar treatments. The lambs were drenched a month pre-weaning. Besides the weight gain, treated mobs were less daggy, with firmer faeces.

“Farmers need to do some testing; it’s good for them to know what has worked well on their farm. Did they get a productivity benefit out of it last year?

Look at the animals and the feed situation and make a decision from there rather than just reaching for the drench gun.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

40 animal health

LIC’s take on sexed semen debate p e t e r gat l ey

AN ARTICLE on sexed semen in the last issue of Rural News (October 4) contained some serious factual inaccuracies and a fair degree of hype from Liberty Genetics.

The statement “farmers who successfully use heifer synchrony and sexed semen can double genetic gain” is dangerously misleading. The national herd is achieving a rate of gain of around 10 BW units per annum, but Liberty is suggesting that use of secondstring bulls (the top ranked Peter Gatley bulls are not available sexed) in a form that depresses conception rate can double this. We are interested to see their analysis on this point.

The claim by Liberty Genetics that they “lead the world in the application of sexed semen as a fresh product” is nonsense. The result of their trial was an average 11% depression of conception rate compared to conventional semen. This contrasts with the result from LIC’s trial using our unique cap-

rogen formula at 5% below, which means the fertility of the LIC product is unmatched anywhere.

Farmers are rightly suspicious about the true net return from using sexed semen in a conventional commercial dairying operation. The combined factors of lower BW, higher price and depressed conception rate make the proposition unattractive to most.

LIC is far and away the leading supplier of the technology, but for the vast majority of our clients using sexed semen, the balance is only tipped by virtue of a contract we have offered on behalf of Fonterra to supply excess heifers for their offshore operations. Some others simply want to increase the chances of getting a heifer out of a favourite cow.

The statement that a court injunction taken by LIC has prevented sales of sexed semen was misleading but we understand was simply a journalistic error. LIC’s legal action had nothing to do with sexed semen and simply sought

There’s no need for sexed semen, says LIC.

to have Liberty honour its contractual obligations in respect of bulls bred with LIC semen. The matter has been settled by the removal of the disputed bulls from Liberty teams, and acceptance by Liberty directors that re-importation of semen from offshore does not absolve the organisation of its responsibilities.

At LIC we regard the development of sexed semen in the USA as a research

triumph, but we understand that its success in the northern hemisphere relates directly to the fundamental shortage of heifers that results from a farming system in which cows average only two lactations. With just two calves – and half of them bulls – of course there is a constant struggle to replace the breeding population, let alone achieve any growth.

LIC envisages a time when gene discovery identifies a rare and valuable genotype that is required by the New Zealand dairy industry in large numbers and in short time. When that happens, our development of fresh sexed semen will have an important role to play in the New Zealand market.

• Peter Gatley is LIC’s general manager genetics

Rural News // october 18, 2011

animal health 41

NZ tops worm know-how A N DREW SWALLOW

NEW ZEALAND has its problems in farm livestock parasite management, but compared to some of our offshore farmer-competitors we don’t know how lucky we are, says a leading vet.

Feilding vet Trevor Cook, of Wormwise, recently returned from the World Veterinary Parasitology conference in Buenos Aires. His overall impression was “they’re a lot worse off than us in terms of the situation they’re in and the way they’re managing it,” he told Rural News.

“We know a lot about our [worm] status and have developed good protocols [for managing] that situation. The information here is freely available and is being widely taken up.”

No other country has as good a handle on its parasite problems as New Zealand and consequently best practice protocols elsewhere aren’t nearly as well defined, or being applied on farm to the

degree they are here, he adds.

“We actually have quite a good link between the scientists and the farmers, but there is less money being spent here.”

Cook came away with the impression conference host Argentina has “no best practice protocol at all.”

“They have a real complication in ticks that cause huge animal health issues and which have huge levels of drug resistance.”

Besides the damage the ticks themselves do, they are vectors for diseases such as tick-borne fever, he points out.

Tick treatments such as pour-ons and moxydectinbased products have been so widely used they’ve inadvertently selected for ostertagia worms, which they now can’t control.

Meanwhile in Europe and the US vets and scientists are still arguing over what resistances are present and what’s the best practice to limit them.

“For example in Europe you can’t use combination

drenches and yet we know in New Zealand they have been very effective in managing resistance.”

Australia’s situation stood out as proba-

Trevor Cook

bly being the next best to New Zealand’s in scientific understanding of its parasite problems and links between the science and farm practice, he says.

NZ manager gets Asia-Pacific promo GLOBAL ANIMAL health and nutrition company Alltech has promoted its New Zealand general manager to the position of Asia-Pacific director.

Matthew Smith has been with the firm 15 years, working in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, consulting on silage and herd management.

“It is our desire to ensure Alltech remains engaged with the needs of the local feed industry and well-positioned for work in the Asia-Pacific region,” he says.

Alltech is ramping up activity in China, including relocating its Asia-Pacific Bioscience Centre to Tianjin, to support to the growing market. The company will focus on pioneering natural technologies or “programmed nutrition.” This views an animal throughout its life and uses specific feeding and feed management strategies to manage growth and product quality. It is not simply a change in feed formulation or supplementation strategy; it is a strategic shift in animal nutrition, says the firm.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

42 animal health

Lambs like protein best ALAN HARMA N

US RESEARCH indicates lambs naturally select for higher protein based on the taste of feed. However, most current feed regimes mean they have little opportunity to express this ability.

“This is like humans

eating only hamburger every day,” says Juan Villalba, associate professor of foraging behavior, Utah State University. “They get tired of eating that same flavour over and over.”

In research done with Alex Bach of Spain’s Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies,

The desire to eat a variety of flavours would be an evolutionary advantage as in the wild, and some pastures today, sheep encounter many kinds of plants young sheep were given a choice of plain feed,

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Umani, which means ‘pleasant savory taste’ in Japanese, usually indicates high protein content. Similarly bitterness tastes like plant toxins and sweetness indicates high-calories, but while the feeds in the trial had these flavours,

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nutritionally they were all the same.

The sheep disliked the bitter feed and favoured the umami feed. Previous studies comparing only plain and sweetened feeds have shown young sheep favour sweeter feed, but sweet feed wasn’t the favourite in Villalba’s study.

He says it probably doesn’t indicate sheep dislike sweet feed; they may just like umami feed more.

“That preference for protein is more relevant to growing animals,” he says.

Instead of gorging on one type of food at the very beginning of the feeding period, the animals switched between flavours and came back for more meals throughout the day.

Not only did this behaviour increase feed intake, it kept ruminal pH from fluctuating, reducing health risks.

“You won’t find those

peaks and valleys in pH that you typically see in animals fed in feedlots,” Villalba says.

Pacing feed intake could also help animals process the nutrients more efficiently, he says.

The desire to eat a variety of flavours would be an evolutionary advantage as in the wild, and some pastures today, sheep encounter many kinds of plants, argues Villalba.

By eating different plants they get a variety of nutrients and minimise exposure to any plant-specific toxins.

“Ruminants didn’t evolve in an environment where they had just one food to eat all the time.”

Lambs given a variety of flavours are also more willing to accept changes in feed later in life, which is good for farmers who want to switch feed types without reducing intake, he says.

Planting a natural pharmacy VILLALBA IS also researching feeding to overcome the problem of drug-resistant parasites by making pasture a natural pharmacy. Sheep will feed on plants with medicinal compounds such as tannins, saponins and other natural compounds that can kill internal parasites.

By growing a mix of medicinal plans and alfalfa on a 3.6ha site Villalba is working to find the best combination of plants for sheep.

KSL-TV reported his research shows sick sheep learn to eat medicinal plants that make them feel better. Parasite infected animals migrate to the area of the field where the medicinal plants are and feed off them.

“By offering animals choices, we allow them to build their diet as a function of their own needs.”

As the animals recover they stop eating the medicinal plants and move back to their normal diet in the field.

Villalba is looking to eventually develop a pasture pharmacy for sheep, reducing the need for traditional medicines and chemicals.

Rural News // october 18, 2011

southdown special 43

Meaty stores from Main Divide The Southdown is a breed that has re-invented itself in the past decade or so. This special four-page feature relays the role it is playing on farms across the country, and where the Southdown Society sees its future.

Tony Benny kicks-off with a report from The Lakes Station, in North Canterbury.

IN HIS 35 years on Lakes Station in inland North Canterbury, Ted Phipps has tried a few different breeds and has now turned to Southdown rams to produce meaty store lambs in his high country property’s short summer season.

Phipps started with merinos but struggled to get acceptable lambing percentages so then tried half-breds and Corriedales before settling on Perendales for his ewe flock.

“They’ve been good money makers for us,” Phipps says. “I’ve had to cut the numbers back a bit because they eat a bit more than the finer-wool sheep. I think they eat in their sleep just about, they soon chew the country out.”

Three years ago he decided to add Southdown rams to the mix and he’s been pleased with the results.

“The hoggets were doing quite well. They were big hoggets so I thought I’ll put some in lamb and that’s when I went to the Southdown and we put those to the hoggets. They were small lambs, easy lambing and virtually no trouble. We put 1100 ewe hoggets to the Southdown and about eight or nine hundred of the older ewes.”

What’s really impressed Phipps is how quickly those lambs grow – much faster than the progeny of his Perendale rams. He lambs in late October and aims to get all the lambs off the place by February.

“The hoggets were doing quite well. They were big hoggets so I thought I’ll put some in lamb and that’s when I went to the Southdown and we put those to the hoggets.”

He weans the pure Perendales off the easier, earlier half or “sumner end” of the 7200ha property first and does the ewes and hoggets put to the Southdown on the rest of the property a week later, with all the lambs going straight on the truck at weaning.

“The lambs from the Southdowns pick up really quick, great weight gain as well. They’re three weeks younger but they’re up with the older lambs.”

He aims to get the lambs up to an average of 32 kg. Once they’re loaded, the truck is weighed to find the average.

“They go as stores but a lot of them will be killed because we sell them all on weight. They average 30-32 kg but a lot of those lambs will be close to 40kg but some will be under too.”

The lambs all go to Southland with Alliance Meat. Some are killed straight away and Phipps says the rest are generally ready for the works after three or four weeks grazing on southern pasture.

Lakes Station is about as far west as you can go in Canterbury, nestled in the main divide. The homestead’s at more than 600m and the hills rise to 1724m.

“You’re right in the main divide. You go

through the saddle here (Harpers Pass, the lowest alpine pass in the South Island) and you drop down into the West Coast.

It’s probably closer to the west coast than it is the east coast.”

Finding the breed that can perform in that environment has been a challenge but Phipps says Perendales plus judicious

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use of Southdown rams have been a winner. He breeds his own Perendale rams to get the animals he’s looking for.

“I buy good big long Romney ewes and I put a Cheviot ram over them, so they’re first cross and I just use those over the flock ewes. They’re massive sheep. We do sell some, quite a few go to

Ted Phipps

the North Island,” Phipps says. “They’re not registered. I don ‘t keep any data on them. We keep all the twin ram lambs.”

This year his cull ram lambs also provided him with a welcome bonus.

“We went through the last of them and got a couple of hundred bucks for them. No-one wants them so it’s a waste of time waiting till they’ve cut their teeth so we sold them and got $200 for them on the place.”

And with the fast finishing progeny of the Southdowns added to the mix he’s expecting a good season. “They’ve done the job and I think those older ewes with those Southdown rams... we’ll get jolly good lambs from them because they’re older ewes and they’ll milk well. The lambs grow quickly and they all go.”

In-lamb ewes at The Lakes, late last month.

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Page 1

Rural News // October 18, 2011

Silverdale & Oakdale 44 southdown special For early maturing Southdowns.

“Some of my clients are drafting lambs at 10 weeks and 18.5Kg” Stud & flock rams & ewes available

‘TAUMATA’ • Sou t h d ow n St u d,

e S t.

1952 •

Modern Southdown bred on the hills

Most gone by Xmas

✥ ANDREW SWALLOW

Contact: Andrew Signal RD5 Feilding. Ph 06 328 7868 or 0275 765 161 sigs.twig@inspire.net.nz

TAKE A look at Peter Grant’s kill sheets and it’s easy to see why he’s keen on Southdown rams. A mob sent to Silver Fern Farms’ Pareora plant on Nov 9 last year averaged 20.9kg, and a week later the mean was 21kg.

“We send them straight off their mothers up to Christmas basically.

In dryland Canterbury you want most of your lambs away by then.

That’s the aim here: we want at least three-quarters gone before Christmas, and at good weights.”

He’s not lambing super early either. “We start the second week of August. That’s early enough for here.”

His 100ha farm runs down to the coast at Kingston, just south of Timaru. Any wind south of southwest hits it off the sea, with little shelter for the stock other than a few banks of round bales. Trees and toitois have been planted, but they’ve got some growing to do Peter Grant before they’ll provide effective cover.

He describes his 600 ewes as ‘Romney-cross’. The cross is mostly Texel, but there are about 200 Coopworth-cross among them. They all go to terminal sires, mostly Southdowns but with a couple of Suffolks among them.

“We stopped breeding replacements when we came down here – we downsized a few years ago.”

Previously he’d run 1100 ewes and a Hereford stud on the current block and the then home farm of a similar size

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a couple of kilometres away.

He started using Southdown’s eight years ago when his supply of Suffolk rams from his brother’s stud dried up.

“Basically I used to get the rams for nothing!” Not that he was unfamiliar with the breed. “My father had a Southdown stud in the 60s and 70s when they were all the rage.”

However, today’s Southdown is a markedly different animal from those, he points out: larger and longer. “Now they’re as big as the Suffolk.”

He leaves the selection of his rams to breeder John Macauley.

“He has all the SIL figures and knows what I want: nothing too extreme, reasonably long with good conformation, shoulders and feet. There’s no use buying an extreme ram and finding it breaks down in the first season.”

The lamb carcass looks to be good too. Silver Fern Farms’ x-ray scanning at Pareora was in its first year last season so he has no previous data to compare them with, but most of his lambs landed in the optimal range for fore, mid and leg yield.

Some were also over the normal weight limit of 23.5kg, he admits.

“But they don’t seem to penalise you quite as much early in the season if you get a few too heavy. It’s after Christmas that they really start to ping you for those [over] heavy lambs.”

Besides fitting the pasture growth curve of the farm,

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

southdown special 45 Good results across old ewes and hoggets A N DREW SWALLOW

EASY LAMBING and early finishing are two of the main reasons Neil Heather, Rotorua, gives for using Southdown rams.

He runs 1200 Romney breeding ewes and an Angus stud on 325ha on the slopes of Mt Ngongotaha. Romneys are used for his flock replacements but a couple of Southdowns go out with them, and Southdowns are run with lighter ewes drafted out pre-mating.

“I put the Southdown with them so there’s no chance I’ll keep their lambs,” he told Rural News. “I also use them over my hoggets. The lambs are nice and small and easy lambing which makes my life easier....

They’re feisty little things.

They’ve got plenty of get up and go.”

That’s reflected in the conversion of scanning percentage to docking. “We normally scan about 160% and dock about 140-150%. This year it will be reasonably high because we’ve had fantastic weather.”

Lambing is from mid September to October, with the rams only being out for a cycle and a half.

There’s the potential to take a draft at weaning in early December, but Heather’s preference is to leave the first draft until January “when everybody is back from holiday.”

“They generally kill out at 17kg plus. They don’t look big but they certainly kill out well. If we kill a lamb for the house it’s always a Southdown

Regional representative IF NEIL Heather’s name sounds familiar, that’s probably because you’ve heard him quoted on water and farming issues in the Rotorua Lakes catchment.

He’s the Rotorua/Taupo province president of Federated Farmers, and a board member of the Rotorua Lakes & Land Trust.

The Ngongotaha and Umurua streams flow through his Paradise Valley property, parts of which have been in his family since the 1920’s. Both streams are fenced off and all banks have been re-planted over 25 years.

The largest part of the farm is on the side and towards the top of Mt.Ngongotaha, with 17ha of native bush protected by a QEII Trust covenant.

• Heather is also a trustee of the Mount Ngongotaha Restoration Trust and a member of the Lands Use Future Board.

cross.”

He believes the breed’s under-rated as a meat sire, and should probably be used more widely than it is, though he acknowledges that’s based just on personal experience. “I see the results of what we produce here and what goes off to the works.

Nothing comes back as being too fat.”

He largely Neil Heather leaves ram selection to his breeder Charles Trousdale. “I have enough faith in him and he knows what I want....

I’m looking for good feet and a good long carcass on the rams. There is a lot of length in the Southdown now compared to the old days.”

The rams are typically kept until they’re five-six

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years old, and he’s been using the breed 10 years.

“I’ve always liked them as a breed and when we first crossed them with a Romney we got such good results we carried on.

Then when we’d started mating hoggets and we tried using the Southdown we found it decreased problems.”

Gone by Xmas from page 44

and workload – he also grows some cereals – getting the lambs away early normally means getting better prices than post-Christmas.

He’s hoping last year’s rising schedule as the season progressed proves to be the exception, rather than a new rule. “It’s the first year we’ve missed out a bit by being early.”

This year’s drop got off to a flying start with kind weather for lambing following a dry winter when the grass “never completely stopped growing.”

Earlier this month some rain was needed to kick-off the spring flush, though his generally heavy ground “hangs on” in the dry better than most.

He’s expecting his first draft will be away in the first week or two of November at about 19kg or better, and to achieve a 150-160% lambing percentage all delivered.

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Paddock to Plate!

Rural News // October 18, 2011

46 southdown special

Breed Soc president looks to future ANDREW SWALLOW

BUILD ON the illustrious history and look to the future, says Blair Robertson, president of the Southdown Society.

The 37-year-old sheep farmer from Waikoikoi, about 15km east of Gore, took on the president’s role earlier this year. He’s looking to build on the Southdown’s renewed status as a terminal sire to be reckoned with by encouraging breeders to sign up to SIL and get the figures to back the performance they and their clients see in the paddock.

“The objective is to get everyone onto SIL,” he told Rural News. “It’s just so you’ve got a measure; a reference.”

On his own 600-strong Southdown stud flock – they also run a Romney stud – SIL is used to cull the bottom end of rams, pick out any particular family line that isn’t performing, plus identify the top performers in traits the eye can’t reliably assess, such as meat yield and eye muscle.

“If a sheep’s got a short jaw, or horrendous legs, that’s not what SIL’s for.

It’s for the internal things you can’t see.”

When all or nearly all the current 80 or so registered flocks are on board it will make it easier for Southdowns to enter and compete in progeny test schemes, he argues. As

Lively lambs: Southdown cross twins in tussock.

The objective for the breed is more of the same, building on its strengths of growth rate, yield and vigour it is, the society is taking steps to do some growth rate and meat yield trials with competitor breeds as comparisons this season, though Robertson is reluctant to reveal the detail as it hadn’t been finalised as this feature went to press.

Work with a North Island restaurant produced positive feedback on eating quality and the breed has had some success in the Glammies, he adds. But the breed’s

key strength, and the one which has seen its popularity bounce back from the brink of extinction to a total stud ewe count of around 4500, is growth rate.

“You should be able to kill them at 11-12 weeks old at 17.5-18.5kg carcass weight.” For producers prepared to lamb early, say in July, that can mean getting lambs away at the peak of the market in October, he points out.

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“That’s off their mothers but after weaning they’ll go on just as well. You can take them through to 24, 25kg without any overfats.”

The shift in structure to a longer bodied, larger animal than in the 1960s is what’s made that possible, but Southdowns elsewhere in the world haven’t all kept up, he notes. “In the UK they’re still a more old-fashioned animal: smaller, shorter, woollier.”

Australia’s Southdown flock is starting to move in the same direction as New Zealand’s, with quite a bit of NZ semen having been exported across the Tasman. In due course,

Robertson can see the trade becoming two-way.

“We’re going to need them to help us bring in some outside genetics in the long-term.”

As it is, the objective for the breed at present is more of the same, building on its strengths of growth rate, yield and vigour.

“It’s a very sound, meaty compact sheep that’s easy doing. The survival when it’s put across a maternal breed is quite outstanding.”

So what does he see as the Southdown’s main competitor. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not another terminal breed.

“Dairy cows!”

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

machinery & products 47

Feed well, send to paddock TON Y HOPK I N SO N

FARM HELPERS in New Zealand (FIHNZ) in 1994 began bringing together visitors to farms who wanted to help, in exchange for meals, a bed and some work. It’s going strong: last count was 350 farms – and growing.

Grady who runs FHINZ with his wife Heather.

Once a visitor has applied and been issued with a working holiday visa they also receive an IRD number which means they can take paid work.

A $25 booklet lists the scheme’s farms, updated monthly since some farms

“Beautiful and green, and the people are friendly with offers to help.”

Visitors are treated like members of the family and generally work for up to five hours a day.

“We take about 1000 overseas visitors a year from 25 countries that New Zealand has a reciprocal system with,” says coordinator Warwick

drop out for short or long periods for varied reasons.

“If we are contacted from overseas we post them a booklet but if they leave it till the last moment we can email the complete book so they can start to contact the farms.”

Visitors are required to contact the farms a few days before arriving, by post, telephone, fax or email, to tell the hosts 24 hours before arrival and to tell them how long they would like to stay.

Farmers wishing to join the organisation can do so at no cost.

Visitors must have a current booklet and there are simple rules regarding smoking, alcohol, toll calls, etc. Work may include cooking, housework, gardening and farm work.

Matt and his sister Rachel Andres from upstate New York travelling with college friend Margii Driscoll from Idaho had been in New Zealand three weeks when interviewed by Dairy News. They were on their second farm stay. They

Matt Andres

Rachel Andres

are variously qualified in communications, psychology, special education and social services, and enjoying a ‘gap’ year before starting work at home. All were on their first visit to New Zealand.

Says Rachel, “Where we live the geography is

similar to here. This is beautiful and green, and the people are friendly with offers to help” Matt: “We are out of a city and are loving the great scenery and the hills.”

Margii: “Arriving during the Rugby World

“...thIng IS SOn, lIFE IS All AbOUt ChOICES.

Margii Driscoll

Sarah Fatni

Cup is a bonus as everyone is enjoying the atmosphere it is generating.”

Another student travelling separately at the same farm was French woman Sarah Fatni who was having a seven month stay in New Zealand mainly to improve her English. She

is from Bordeaux where her mother is a nurse and her father is a manager of road works.

She is at university studying agriculture and hopes to specialise in genetic selection.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

48 machinery & products

‘Energy neutrality’ next step for Lely FIVE INSTALLATIONS of a new manure-refining system are due to be started next year in the Netherlands, says Lely.

The project is a joint venture with Green Energy

Technologies (GET) The systems, called AgriMoDEM, are developed by GET. Lely says the ‘big picture’ here is ‘lifecycle-neutral’ operations on dairy

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farms – all part of ‘sustainable applications.’ The company sees this as a logical step beyond products with a “proven long life span and lowest possible energy consumption.”

“Lely now also goes for complete business concepts that ensure energyneutral operations in the farming sector,” the company says.

It reported in April that

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it would take over servicing of this system. Now, the joint-venture plan is for GET and Lely to develop the system into a market-ready product to be sold and maintained under the Lely brand and through its distribution channels.

Testing and further development is under way.

AgriMoDEM “has potential to be a major solution to manure issues,” Lely says.

“Fermentation is gaining ground, for reducing emissions and to allow farmers to become autonomous in energy production.”

It allows manure refining without delay, and so cutting greenhouse gases to a “minimal” level. The system can reprocess biogas into a “natural gasquality” product. It collects methane-rich biogas

for farm gas supply, for electricity generation or for sale off-farm.

The system seperates nitrogen, potassium and phosphate, the latter usable by the farmer as a concentrate with nitrogen.

On good soil types, a production of 20,000 litres of milk per hectare can be achieved without having to discharge manure, Lely says.

GET co-founder Henk Harkema, is said to admire Lely’s “professionalism and passion” – pointing to “successful innovation.”

Lely Group chief executive Alexander van der Lely says GET’s approach “fits perfectly with Lely’s portfolio.”

“We’re confident of a new development with this system. And it will make the agricultural sector more sustainable, profitable and enjoyable.”

...pulverises prunings

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itely using less “The GMM is defin so running a 3.0m diesel and I’m al to my previous GMM compared er” - Farmer 2.3m drum mulch

“It is great to see such a well built, heavy duty machine, that will do a variety of tasks. We’re tired of light weight gear, that doesn’t stand up to our conditions. I wanted a machine to tackle rushes, maize stubble, and callies, as well as top my pasture; now I have got one” - North Island Farmer

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Bike, ATV sales up OFF-ROAD MOTORCYCLE and ATV sales Jan-Sept were up 681 units (7.4%) on the same period last year, reports the motorcycle group of the Motor Industry Association (MIA).

Sales of 5123 ATVs made them the largest contributor to this increase. Sales of farm 2-wheelers were also strong: 4741. In ATVs Honda sold 2118, Suzuki 1142, Yamaha 670, Can-Am 629, Polaris 343 and Kawasaki 221.

In 2-wheelers Honda sold 1579, Suzuki 1317, Yamaha 1116 and Kawasaki 276.

Total on-road registrations continued short of last year’s sales. Under 50cc sales rose by 12% (255), but sales of larger machines was down 10% (2849). Under 50cc sales are dominated by scooters.

Over 50cc road-bike Jan-Sept sales included Suzuki 658, Honda 432, Harley Davidson 386, Triumph 303, Yamaha 198, Kawasaki 133, Hyosung 124, BMW 85 and Ducati 68.

Rural News // october 18, 2011

machinery & products 49

Lawns with stripes MULCH OR collect grass using the same mower deck: that’s the offer from Steelfort Engineering, whose new Countax Combi Deck does both jobs.

British-made Countax is the one that gives your lawn the big stripes.

“Fit to a tractor for the best of both worlds,” says Steelfort.

“The rear-discharge cutter option uses the maker’s ‘unique’ interactive blade system. Teamed with our legendary power

grass collector, these give one of the best cut-andcollect systems in the world.”

Alternatively, attach the mulching adapter for fast, collection-free mowing, Steelfort says.

Meanwhile the Countax C series C600H continues popular for big spaces (see picture below).

Power comes from a 16hp Kawasaki V-twin driving via hydrostatic foot-controlled transmission. One pedal controls

forward speed, the other revrse.

The deck lift has cutting height manually adjustable from 12-101mm.

Dial-a-height electric lift is an optional extra.

Power take-off takes a variety of attachments including scarifier, chipper/shredder and spreader.

And the powered grass

collector: 300 litres, collecting leaves and garden debris – while the integrated roller creates a “perfect striped lawn finish.”

The engine may not be started unless the park brake is on.

Price $9599 incl GST. Tel. 06 350 1350 www.steelfort.co.nz

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The company says the insert also gives a perfect fit and a better bearing surface to reduce wear, while the two-bolt one-piece design increases clamping and limits unwanted gate movements.

The new hinge prevents gates from coming off the gudgeon, saving farmers from having to lift and drag them open – as well as from getting an unwelcome shock.

The hinge is being rolled out to new Hayes and Cyclone farm gates and is also sold separately.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

50 machinery & products

1

The thrill of ploughing SEVENTEEN PLOUGHMEN on October 1 took part in the ReporoaRotorua ploughing qualifying contest at Alan and Alison Wills’ farm at Forest Road, Reporoa.

Winners of the qualifying rounds are heading for the 2012 New Zealand National Ploughing Championships.

Fine weather made for a pleasant day for competitors and visitors.

Many spectators came to see the ploughmen using skills and equip-

ment of various eras. Horse ploughing was a major draw card, as usual.

Norman Wymer qualified for the national champs to be held next April at Cambridge. Paul Houghton qualified to represent the northern region in the vintage class at the same event.

Results: Case IH Silver Plough Class: (1) Norman Wymer, Glenbrook, (2) John Guy, Hamilton, (3) Kelvin Stokes, Taupiri.

Mainland Minerals Vintage Class: (1) Eddie Dench, Bunnythorpe (2) Elvery Hunt, Rongotea (3) Paul Houghton, Gordonton.

Horse Class: (1) Derrick Thornton, Cambridge (2) Fred Pilling, Hamilton.

1. Vintage class winner Eddie Drench.

2. Vintage class runner-up Elvery Hunt.

3. Horse class winner Derrick Thornton.

4. Eddie Drench.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

machinery & products 51

Pool good for salt water chlorinator A NEW range of resin capped pools from Pool Land, Christchurch, is compatible with salt water chlorinators.

“Being able to use salt water makes for a more pleasant swimming experience with added boyancy for not-so-good swimmers,” says Pool Land managing director Gary Hunt. “Salt water is also very therapeutic.”

Notably, these pools are ‘braceless’: in oval form their strength allows the long sides to stand without external bracing – no fencing needed. This makes for a clean profile.

Models are available in various sizes including now-popular lap pools. An attractive non-slip capping

about 170mm wide makes for maximum safety.

Pool Land has distributed Sterns Pools for 18 years in New Zealand.

These top quality Australian made pools are easily installed by any home handyman, Hunt says.

The salt water-compatible pool extends the company’s already extensive range of Sterns pools.

The company also sells high quality, low price swimming pool products direct to retail customers – no middlemen.

Says Hunt, “Rural customers find this a benefit.

It allows them to buy without the hassle of having to travel long distances to visit a retail pool outlet.”

Pool Land offers its

own brand of high-efficiency pool heat pumps that keep the water at a constant temperature – typically 27-28c. Running costs is low because of the high effeciency levels that can be obtained (up to

6.2-1 COP ).

Pool accessories sold

by Pool Land include rollers, covers, filtration tanks, pumps and automatic pool cleaners.

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SWEDISH IMPLEMENT maker Väderstad has begun building a 4560m2 factory extension. There it will build its new Tempo, among other things, says the New Zealand distributor.

The Tempo is designed for speed and precision, and so high capacity. Typical uses include drilling corn or sunflower plants, and others needing precision for optimal emergence.

“We believe in a bright future for farming and we are developing unique technology soon to be launched,”says board chairman Crister Stark. “This gives us the confidence to further invest and expand our business.”

The extension will open next June, on the firm’s 50th anniversary. It will have 30 offices and changing rooms for 100 employees.

In the existing factory a new painting area has been installed, conveyers are improved and manual welding plant is expanded.

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

52 motoring Korean fastest HYUNDAI HAS been named fastest-growing auto brand for the second year running, by global brand consultancy firm Interbrand.

This year the company rose four places to number 61 in the top 100 annual ranking of the world’s 100 best global brands.

Interbrand calculates rankings using company balance sheets, marketing activities and each brand’s potential profit. The organisation says Hyundai “displayed the most memorable performance continuing from the previous year, despite the growth slowdown of global brands”. Hyundai’s brand value increased from US$3.5 billion in 2005 to US$6 billion in 2011.

Huge team conceives ute FORD’S NEW Ranger – designed “from the ground up” – is the work of almost 500 engineers from around the Ford ‘world’.

It is now in the showrooms in 2WD and 4WD, developed to meet the needs of New Zealand ute and light truck customers, the company says.

Ford New Zealand today announced the line-up and recommended retail prices (RRP) for its all-new Ranger model range.

Managing director Neale Hill says the creation and design of the new Ranger “involved an Australian-based, four-year development programme.”

“It also involved exhaustive testing in some of the world’s harshest operating environments. The result: capable, comfortable, powerful, fuel-efficient and with outstanding safety features. It has been designed, engineered and produced to be a leader in its segment.”

New Zealand customers will select from three cab styles, body styles and drive configurations.

Three cab styles will be available: double cab (four doors), car-like comfort, seating for five people.

Super cab (two conventional doors; two rear panel doors): no B-pillar, giving easy access behind the front seats.

Single cab (two doors) on special order from early 2012.

Body styles: well side and cab-chassis .

A new 3.2 L Duratorq TDCi 5-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, with a maximum torque of 470 Nm and power rated at 147 kW, will power the line-up in New Zealand (a 2.2 litre Duratorq TDCi engine will be available from special order only, and only in the single cab 2WD XL cabchassis model from early 2012).

For the first time, turbo-diesel Ranger models will be available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission to provide reduced engine rpm and extend driving range on long highway trips or in city traffic. And 2WD and 4WD in the Hi-Rider variant (low-rider variant only available from special order, and only in the single cab 2WD XL cab-chassis model from early 2012).

Convenient electronic shift “on-the-fly” (ESOF) is fitted to all 4WD models and allows the driver to move between high-range 2WD, high-range 4WD and low-range 4WD using only a centre console-mounted switch.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

rural life 53

‘Mammary Memories’ for breast cancer A N DREW SWALLOW

A SCULPTURE with a difference could soon be hanging on farmhouse walls if Rural Women New Zealand’s ‘Mammary Memory’ support for Breast Cancer Action Month takes off.

“We’re building on our hugely successful ‘Let’s Get Plastered for Breast Cancer’ campaign in 2010, and once again selling breast plastering kits,” says Rural Women New Zealand national president Liz Evans.

“Breast plastering is a great way to break down barriers and encourages people to talk about this important health issue affecting thousands of New Zealand women, and even a handful of men, every year.”

Breast cancer is New Zealand’s most common female cancer, and the leading cause of cancer death in women. One in nine develop the disease and at least 600 die annually.

‘Mammary Memories’ reminds women that early

detection saves breasts and lives, Evans says. “By creating personal plaster casts we hope women will be encouraged to take a hands-on approach to monitoring their breasts.

“We also want to support women facing mastectomies who may wish to create their own ‘Mammary Memory’ before their breast surgery.”

Last year’s campaign “didn’t really start out as an opportunity to express yourself artistically,” but as Evans puts it, “once one [decorated the cast]

International day marked in many ways SATURDAY WAS International Day of Rural Women, celebrated here with an array of events around the country, says Rural Women New Zealand.

The aim of the day is to highlight the contributions women make in rural areas and the many challenges they face, says RWNZ. Multi-coloured balloons featured in Hamilton’s Rukuhia branch celebration, as members presented a car to Rainbow Place, a branch of Hospice Waikato.

The car will be used by therapists and nurses to provide mobile support services to children and their families affected by serious illness.

Other events included: South Canterbury and Marlborough members hosting a guest speaker from Tonga; Waipa King

Country women learning about research on child brain development with Neonatal Unity for Mothers and Babies (NUMB) and the Brainwave Trust; Lower North Island ladies lunching at Woodville with guest speaker Dame Miriam Dell; Otago branches being briefed by the Walking Access Commission; and Moutere members combined their branch’s 80th with the international day and a garden trail event.

Established in 2007 by the general assembly of the United Nations, the day recognises “the critical roles and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”

they all did it.”

“Thousands of kits were sold and as they went out the artistic aspect of it came to the fore. Some women decided they had to be displayed somewhere so they turned up in cafes, art galleries, even Parliament.”

But for her the most poignant are still the plain casts, “especially the ones with only one breast, or even no breasts,” she told Rural News.

Profits from the sale of the plastering kits will go to the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation. Last year RWNZ donated $16,000.

Kits, including full instructions, are $10 plus p&p. www.ruralwomen.org.nz or tel. 04 473 5524

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Rural News // October 18, 2011

54 rural life / rural trader Took the initiative: Sian ven Heuvel and Kay Aubrey.

Leek, parsnip & lemon soup STILL GOT some leeks and parsnips lurking in the garden? This recipe is a great way to use them up and make way for new season plantings.

25g butter 45g parsnips 3 leeks (not too much leaf as it makes the soup green) 1L vegetable stock Grated rind and juice of half a lemon 1 bay leaf 125ml single cream Salt to taste Melt butter and cook parsnips and leeks for 5 mins, covered so as not to brown them.

Add stock, lemon rind and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 mins. Cool. Remove bay leaf, add lemon juice and puree until smooth. Add cream, season and reheat without boiling. If freezing leave adding cream until defrosting.

Finding new friends in the country SUE E DMO N DS

WHILE THERE are many public service and special interest groups in rural New Zealand, some women newly moved to an area have difficulty locating like-minded potential friends.

Not so Sian van Heuvel and Kay Aubrey, both recently married to farmers and working in

Matamata,Waikato. Van Heuvel is a nurse working in A&E in Tokoroa, Aubrey shares the farm work with her husband.

They found groups for older women, for women with children and Young Farmers.

But they were too old for the latter, and didn’t feel they fitted the former.

Many of the groups met during the day too, which

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didn’t work for them.

So they put the word out for others like them, and were bowled over by the response: about 30 women turned up to their first meeting.

They found a pleasant venue in the Okoroire pub, and decided to meet the first Thursday of every month, 7pm.

Speakers chosen for the meetings until Christmas

are speaking about keeping fit and healthy, interesting food and making the most of yourself. You could call it ‘girlie stuff’ but the aim is to give women opportunity to make friends in a social situation, when many live fairly isolated lives, says van Heuvel.

They’re even on Facebook, though a permanent name for the group is

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yet to be decided. To date they’re ‘rural women’s social’.

The page is designed to connect women wanting to share an evening at a movie, organise company for events or discover where to get a good haircut.

Van Heuvel invites contact from women in her area.

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Rural News // october 18, 2011

rural trader 55 DOLOMITE

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