Coast & Country - Nov 2011

Bay of Plenty and Waikato Farm, Orchard and Rural Lifestyle News

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Issue No. 135

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November 2011

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November is the month of all things equine with the inaugural Equidays being launched at Mystery Creek on November 18-20. The three day exhibition is the first national event to cater for the entire equine industry. November 15-16 also marks the Ready to Run sale at Karaka, which involves more than 350 two-year-old thoroughbreds on sale at auction. Pre trainer Jeremy Whale, pictured, has broken in 20 horses and trained them in preparation for the sale. Read more on Page 2 and Page 7-9.

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Page 2

COAST & COUNTRY

Mixed handful of spring fortune Spring has brought a mixed bunch of fortunes this year; while farmers are enjoying great grass growth and record productions (apart from some having to tip thousands of litres of milk down the drain after the Maui pipeline gas leak), the plight of kiwifruit growers’ dwindles as the warming conditions reveal more orchards infected with Psa-V. The Bay of Plenty – kiwifruit country – is heading towards economic difficulties as packhouses lay off staff, contractors struggle to find work and orchards drop in value from $450,000 canopy hectare to the bare land price of $60,000 canopy hectare.

The Bay is also being impacted by the fall out of container ship Rena stranding of the coast of Tauranga, pouring oil onto local beaches and putting the community and local businesses under stress.

Read about the impact on the Bay of Plenty on page 4-5 and find out the valuations of kiwifruit orchards on

page 28-29. Meanwhile, in this issue of Coast & Country, we showcase some of the exhibitors at the inaugural Equidays being held at Mystery Creek in November in our Equine feature on Page 7-9.

We also explain the concept of Pin Hooking (see below) and talk to a trainer about the Ready to Run sale being held at Karaka this month.

Check out our Hunt, Fish, Eat feature on page 46-47 to read about the ventures of the Wild Side team who took the new BMW X3 down to Tongariro Lodge, for expert advice on trout fishing and the all important lessons on how best to eat them.

Writer Graeme Dobson gives us another article on aquaculture, this month diving into the prospects of the sea cucumber industry.

Coast & Country Horses breeze up the home straight at Te Rapa in preperation for the Ready to Run sale.

Pin hooking hopes on sale Pin Hooking; the act of breaking in, breezing up, and getting Ready to Run. These terms may not make sense to some, but are part of the vocabulary reserved for those in the thoroughbred horseracing business.

The Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs (Two Year Olds) is at Karaka on November 15 and 16 this year.

It is where owners of horses, originally bought at the Karaka Yearling Sale in January, will try to sell (‘Pin Hook’) the same horses for a profit.

Now broken in and showing their galloping form, buyers have more of an idea of how the horse moves across

Worth having a punt

the track and what time it can run – attracting a better price than for a yearling that hasn’t shown yet if it is capable of racing.

The 354 horses to be sold at the Ready to Run Sale this year mobbed together at Te Rapa Racecourse in Hamilton on October 16-17 to ‘Breeze Up’.

The Breeze Up programme consists of horses running in pairs or by themselves side-by-side down the home straight.

The horses get videoed over the last 400m and timed over the last 200m.

The videos are then made available to potential buyers, national and international, prior to the auction at Karaka in November.

November is the month of equine The winner of last weekend’s $1.95 million Victoria Derby was bought at last year’s Ready To Run Sale for just $19,000.

Three-year-old Sangster is out of Savabeel and Quinta Special – Savabeel is a son of Zabeel and won the Cox Plate in 2004.

Sangster was purcharsed from the Karaka auction last year by Cambridge trainer Trent Busuttin.

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COAST & COUNTRY

Page 3

No dairy = no nitrogen Council wants land use change The Bay of Plenty regional council’s intention to change land use in the Rotorua Lakes catchment is going to have far reaching consequences says Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty branch president John Scrimgeour.

Blaming dirty dairying Dairying is blamed for Lake Rotorua’s degraded water quality caused by high nitrogen and phosphorous levels. The regional council wants to drastically reduce the amounts which are mainly pasture fertiliser run off.

The lake currently receives 755 tonnes of nitrogen per year from the catchment. Council says a

“Changing land use on property owners is a huge loss of right.”

So far, the draft policy is a statement of intent only says Warwick.

It identifies where the council stands on land management and land use change at this point in time. The positions do not identify any methods or plan of action to be undertaken.

“The ways the positions can be implemented will be addressed as a next step and will involve extensive community discussions and debate,” says Warwick.

For dairy farmers, land management changes mean riparian planting, less use of nitrogen fertilisers, changing grazing patterns and stand off pads.

Land use change means changing the farm from dairying to something else.

“The council hasn’t agreed on

how that might be done,” says Warwick.

“Basically it’s just in principle at this stage, that we recognise that land use change will be required and we accept an obligation in principal to consider financially supporting it.”

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“In other words, if council’s going to spend money on getting these changes it will put its priority effort into financially supporting land use change, rather than land management change.

“That’s not to say they are not prepared to provide financial support for land management change, but the priority effort will be going towards land use change.”

By implication, the responsibility for achieving land management change will rest with the landowner says Warwick.

Dairy farmers are currently up about 56kg/ha nitrogen loss on average. They are talking about getting down to about 40kg/ ha says Warwick. There’s 16kg/ ha that could be quite readily achieved by adopting better land management.

“There’s lots of arguments about how much reduction can be achieved, we are keen to have a symposium where we can get that debated and discussed,” says Warwick.

John Scrimgeour is also looking forward to the negotiating phase. He says changing land use on property owners is a huge loss of right. There are also huge financial implications for property owners if their earning capacity is lowered.

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“It sets a precedent for other issues,” says John.

“If they are successful in saying to farmers that you can’t dairy on this land, then it becomes a question of where else they can apply that same principle – and say you can’t do whatever.

“It doesn’t have to be dairying.

It could be some other land use.

That certainly is an area of concern obviously.”

The BOP regional council’s draft policy on the lakes catchment suggests council resources will in future focus on land use changes over land management changes.

“The farming community is well aware of the need to minimise the runoff into those lakes and I know has been working quite hard to minimise that and will continue to do so,” says John.

“But at the same time, should still have the freedom to practice the most appropriate use of their land.”

The council’s policy is a shift from land management which the council doesn’t believe will achieve its environmental targets. It puts dairy farming in the lakes catchment on notice.

decrease of 320 tonnes is required to achieve the water quality target for the lake.

The Strategic Policy and Planning Committee heard in October that the target can only be achieved by changes in land use. Pastoral farming round the lake is the source of about 70 per cent of the nitrogen flowing into the lake.

“If all farmers in the Rotorua Lakes catchment adopted best management practice and made the changes that we know are available now, it still wouldn’t achieve the reduction that’s needed,” says the council’s land management group manager Warwick Murray.

“Clearly we are going to need to have land use change so the council is considering or has an obligation to consider how it might support land use change – by implication financially support land use change.”

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COAST & COUNTRY

Page 4

Coast & Country

Bay of Plenty battles Rena and Psa Bay of Plenty businesses are taking hits from every side as they deal with the threat of Psa and now the environmental disaster emanating from stricken container ship Rena.

Photo Maritime NZ.

F QUOREE TES!

The Liberian flagged ship Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga on October 5, spilling more than 350 tonnes of oil into the ocean, some of which has already washed up on Bay of Plenty beaches.

Salvors have spent the last month attempting to pump the 1700 tonnes of oil from the ship onto the barge vessel Awanuia and prohibit more oil from reaching the beaches.

Maketu Beach Holiday Park owner Shane Beech says he is “gutted” about the situation.

“This is the first time in 50 years we did not have a booking for Labour Weekend.

“We usually have up to 20 different bookings.”

Oil washed up at Maketu on Wednesday, October 12 closing beaches for the opening of the summer season.

“We make the majority of our money between Labour weekend and Easter – this could shut us right down.”

Shane has already received cancellations for bookings during the Christmas

period from families concerned about oil on the beaches.

“You can’t blame people for not wanting to go and stay near a contaminated beach.”

Shane’s bookings come from around New Zealand and overseas and in the off-season the holiday park is used to accommodating kiwifruit packhouse workers.

With Psa threatening to destroy kiwifruit orchards, Shane says it is likely the first people to go will be the overseas workers that use the park’s housing during the winter months.

“It’s the double whammy.

“Psa will have a huge impact on our off-season. Ninety per cent of our accommodation is for overseas workers, so if Psa makes the impact it could, the overseas workers could be the first ones to drop off.

“This could basically shut us right down.

“Also with the recession as well people are watching their pennies and not going on as many holidays.”

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Double burden on Bay economy Financial Independence Group managing director Philip Holland says the “double whammy” of Psa and the potential impact of Rena is concerning for Bay of Plenty businesses.

“I believe economically at the moment it is having a positive impact because of the volume of people in the area, working with the salvage and response.”

Philip says the influx of people and resources required to deal with the Rena is boosting the hospitality and industrial industries.

But it is also having a negative impact on the dive, fish and ecotourism industries.

“There are always going to be pockets and sectors that are going to do well out of it.”

Philip says Rena’s impact on the Bay of Plenty is short term, as opposed to the long term affects of Psa. “As the owner of an insurancebased business, the flow on affect from Rena and Psa is very worrying.

“I have talked to growers and they are worried. They are asking the question, how long can people survive without the income? The flow on affect is far bigger than people think.”

Philip says now, more than ever, it is important for local businesses to support other local businesses.

“The more we can spend here – will keep the jobs and businesses

Phillipa Yalden gets a firsthand look at the oil leaking from Rena. going.

“Businesses need to bunker down, diversify if they can and be more efficient with what they have got.

“If they are only selling one product it is going to be extremely different.”

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce is working with Ministry of Social Development to produce a compensation package for local businesses affected by the Rena.

Compensation was offered to the first severely affected orchardists with Psa, but that has been withdrawn.

Chamber members met with local business owners to gauge the impact of Rena on the commercial fishing, visitor and tourism industry and recreational and marine water sports operators.

“What is emerging from our discussions with these industries is that it is not just about a financial package,” says cham-

ber chief executive officer Max Mason.

“It is about how all the different departments of government can allow the operators to ease their cashflow and how they can operationally get out there and do their business.

“These people are not necessarily looking for financial support, they just really want to get on with their business and get back into operation.”

Max says the Rena grounding is directly impacting dolphin encounter businesses, surf schools, dive boats and charter boats.

He says the commercial and recreational fishing industry are also immediately affected with crayfish operators and crab fishers not being able to fish in Bay of Plenty waters and recreational fishers unable to fish in the harbour and surrounding Tauranga waters.

“There are huge amounts of recreational boating activity in

Tauranga, so there is an industry around that, like bait suppliers and fishing clubs who are dependent on that income.”

Max says fishers are concerned about the practical side of their operations with two of the key concerns being: The 45 kilometre exclusion zone around the Rena wreck on Astrolabe Reef and loss of the ship’s cargo into the ocean.

“They want to know how soon it will be until Maritime New Zealand can shrink the exclusion zone.”

Max is advising businesses to tell potential customers they are open for business, but to explain it will be dependent on how Rena’s situation develops in the next week.

Max says the government is looking at all angles to assist businesses, including how the Department of Inland Revenue can contribute, by being lenient to businesses when it comes to provisional tax and GST. “There are lots of things the government ministries can do to help. It’s a whole package of things.”

The chamber is also creating its own package of business programmes to provide marketing direction and financial forecast advice.

“We are giving advice on how best go to their bank and how to develop cashflow forecasts to show their bank how they are going to be impacted.”

By Phillipa Yalden

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COAST & COUNTRY

Coast & Country

Update on red meat sector strategy Whatever the ‘Doubting Thomases’ are saying about the likely outcome of the Red Meat Sector Strategy, there’s no doubt that the recently formed Strategy Coordination Group (SCG) is trying a different approach to help it along.

The strategy itself didn’t go for a massive ‘fix’ involving huge amalgamations and single desk selling. Instead, it recommended ‘informed, aligned behaviour change’ by all involved in growing, processing and selling red meat.

It looked for changes to ‘coordinated in-market behaviour’, ‘efficient and aligned procurement’ and ‘sector best

SCG will report quarterly on progress in each area. practice’ as routes to what could be $6 billion of revenue growth.

So instead of baying at the moon or praying for miracles, the SCG started with a stocktake of what was actually happening and already they have found good things going on.

Market research and sales channels are already getting a degree of in-market collaboration. Procurement models are being made more aligned and transparent and, in some areas, the thorny problems of efficiency in production, processing and logistics are being tackled.

The computer whizzes at B+LNZ have been busy jazzing up the website so farmers are able to benchmark data and systems to see where their good and weak spots are. They are also trying to catch up with DairyNZ in supplying far more information online.

The new regional committees are working on face-to-face opportunities, including selecting demonstration farms to work on individually-chosen projects, which aim for an increase of $100,000 in annual income.

The sad lack of skills of a large

proportion of farmers in financial planning/budgets/cashflows, which was revealed in the strategy report, is being remedied by projects to help farmers increase these skills.

To make sure farmers are all up with the play, the SCG will report quarterly on progress in each area.

It is hard to believe that, at least in recent years, the meat sector has not had a collective approach to keep government officials dealing with trade informed on its strategic market access agenda and priorities. No wonder processors are all out there undercutting each other in significant markets.

The strategy was also somewhat critical of how qualified and clued up farm advisors actually are and advisors themselves have been heard to say that commercial organisations don’t necessarily keep them up to date with developments.

If farmers are getting their advice third hand, then no wonder it varies. One of the projects will be working on some form of accreditation for advisors, so farmers know what they are paying for.

There are also moves to create a

voluntary code of practice which will define ‘the attributes of a high performing stock agent’ as recommended in the strategy.

Even meat research projects are getting a new emphasis on ‘togetherness’, building on existing projects such as the Ovine Automation Consortium, plus new work on tenderness, shelf life and meat colour. The regulatory regime is getting a hard look at maximising its value and minimising compliance costs.

“Look how dairy does it” is being examined, potentially in regard to an online trading platform, coordinated transport and shipping etcetera. Procurement as a case study may give the whole process more transparency and lo and behold, they are looking at ‘who knows what’ in the multitude of those working for such as B+LNZ Economic Service, MAF and elsewhere, to see if all that knowledge can be pooled for the greater good.

Obviously it won’t all happen overnight, but the efforts being made certainly sound more promising than what’s come previously.

By Sue Edmonds

EQUINE

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Page 7

Best kept secret comes to Hawke’s Bay The Great New Zealand Trek is a unique week long holiday for walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders.

Each day, trekkers make their way at their own pace along a well-marked route off the beaten track through farmland, beaches and forestry to where a new campsite is set up each day. Trekkers are supported on route by marshals on quad bikes and horses, medics, vets and farrier. A team of volunteers dismantles the mini town of marquees, flush toilets, hot showers etcetera – moving it to the next campsite in the middle of nowhere and erecting the mini town so it is up and running by the time the trekkers reach camp. Cold refreshments are available from the bar and at night trekkers are entertained in the huge marquee. A team of awesome caterers travel with

them supplying mouth watering gourmet catering.

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The first Equidays at Mystery Creek Mystery Creek Events Centre is launching the inaugural Equidays event in November.

Equidays is New Zealand’s only event for the entire equine industry – a national showcase to be held every two years.

The introductory Equidays is at Mystery Creek on November 18, 19 and 20.

It is the first event of its kind in New Zealand, with two elements that differentiate Equidays from other equine events; a focus on education; and value for money.

Organisers have secured top clinicians to share their knowledge, yet kept it affordable. Event entry including the full programme of day clinics is included in the $25 adult day entry fee – $65 for all three days.

Equidays has two impressive indoor night shows; Friday and Sat-

urday evening shows will be unique with Friday following a classical discipline format with international Dressage and Eventing clinicians and Saturday will spotlight Horsemanship. Night show tickets are $40 adult, $20 child.

Organisers have worked hard to ensure Equidays features a good balance of all disciplines, with a healthy line up of clinicians, activities and demonstrations. New Zealand clinicians have been quick to support the event and amongst the many topics are a variety of clinics on Dressage, Eventing, Show Jumping, Show Hunter, Horsemanship, Western, stable management, veterinary clinics, feed and nutrition.

Visitors can expect decent representations from a variety of disciplines, confirmed to date; Dressage NZ, Side Saddle, Harness, Hoofball, Heavy Horse, Polo Crosse, Polo, Hunt, Reining, Cutting, Cowboy Challenge, RAS, Miniature.

Preview of clinics to date include; Jackie Chant, 4 star Parelli Professional: 3 clinics including control and confidence while riding Vaughn Jefferis: Show jumping clinics Grant Mackie: Cutting Horse clinic, rider aides and cues Tim Featherstone: In hand training using Classical Dressage and horsemanship Peggy Cumming: Connected Riding clinics Kate Hewlett and Tim Featherstone: Training the winning team Jacque Williams: Buying the first pony and investing in the competition pony or horse Double Dan: Horsemanship classes Josh Lyons: Lyons Legacy Horsemanship The Three Horsemen - Scott O’Malley, Ben Longwell, Dan Steers: Horse starting clinic For more information visit www.equidays.co.nz

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EQUINE

Coast & Country

Breezing up black and blue

By Sheryl Brown

Pre-trainer Jeremy Whale might come out a bit black and blue when he is breaking in horses, but he’s more worried about what the colours do at the Breeze Up for the Ready to Run Sale.

Black and Blue are the jockey colours of Jeremy’s stables, Diamond Lodge – Blue, Black seams, Black cap.

The Cambridge-based pre-trainer has 20 horses in the Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs at Karaka on November 15-16 and his jockey colours were on show at the ‘Breeze Up’ at Te Rapa last month, where all 20 horses got to show off their galloping form to potential buyers before the Karaka auction.

It is Jeremy’s second year training horses for the Ready to Run Sale. He had 12 horses last year.

“I’ve probably got nicer bred horses, better sires this year.”

One horse, which sold for $70,000 as a yearling at Karaka, is hopefully worth about $120,000 now says Jeremy.

“I’d like to think it would bring $120,000 at least, but there are a lot of variables.

“That’s the name of the game, to try and turn them over and make a bit of money.”

Jeremy has been involved with horses most of his life, starting out doing showjumping and eventing in his home town of Whakatane before starting to ride race horses before school in the mornings.

He decided to have a ‘gap year’ after leaving school to decide what he wanted to do. He found himself in Cambridge and nine years later he hasn’t left.

The 26-year-old says he “fell in love” with the work.

“I love it: it does get a little bit stressful, but it doesn’t worry me, I quite enjoy it.

“We prepare them for the sales on behalf of the clients. They just say it’s going to sale, so get it ready.

“We’ll break them in and then they’ll go out for a spell and then come in at the start of August and we’ll have them right through until the sale in November.”

Jeremy says it takes about six weeks to break a horse in.“It just depends on the horse and its attitude and how nice it wants to be.”

In preparation for the Breeze Up, the horses are ridden every day and galloped once a week over 600m at about 3/4 pace.

continued...

EQUINE

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Page 9

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...continued “As the preparation progresses, we start speeding up and quicken up over the last 200 metres.”

Jeremy says he doesn’t like to push the horses too hard or wind them up as they can get sore shins galloping on hard ground.

“We’ve been pretty lucky with the rain we’ve had, we’ve had more give in the track.

“But if you do too much they get shin sore when they’re galloping – they won’t step out right and won’t look good over the last 200 metres.

“We educate our horses so they breeze up nicely in a good manner, doing everything properly.”

He says horses which run over the 200 metres in the low 10 seconds margin have usually run a good time, except the rain leading up to the Breeze Up this year slowed horses down.

“Our best times on Monday were 10.22 and 10.25, lot 12 and 47 respectively.

“Overall I am very happy with the way the horses performed at the breeze ups, it’s a credit to my staff and the jockeys Sam Collett and Alex Forbes.

“Things couldn’t have gone better.”

Looking ahead to the sale, Jeremy says it will be interesting to see what prices the horses bring.

“People don’t have the play money because of the recession at the moment, but there is still a lot of money out there – in places like Hong Kong.

“The big people always have the money.”

Page 10

DAIRY

Coast & Country

How much water is there?

The Department of Statistics keep tabs on everything, including water and every five years they put out a fairly comprehensive report on how much comes down, some figures on how much gets abstracted and how much stored and how much flows to sea.

Apparently New Zealand gets about 600 billion cubic metres of rainfall each year, although some regions get a lot more than their fair share and others less so,

Some years we all get more and in others more than half a billion less.

In the realms of abstraction, statistics get a bit short on actual figures because there simply aren’t enough water meters around the place to get reliably statistical measurements.

But there is a whole section on livestock drinking water and dairy shed requirements, which provide some food for thought.

The Resource Management Act has stock drinking water as a permitted activity and in the year to June

How much water is needed to clean this yard?

2010, New Zealand’s dairy cows were estimated to drink 113.3 million m3.

The estimate for dairy shed water (washing equipment and the shed area) was 84.9 million m3.

The latter did not include an allowance for yard washing. To give an idea of how much that looks like, it’s an equivalent of 198 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water every day for the year.

Since 1995, the estimated national water usage for these two activities has increased by 49.2 million m3, of which an extra 28.4 million m3 was presumably drunk and 20.8 million m3 extra got used for washing dairy sheds – the number of which have grown hugely in that time.

To give a local perspective, between 1995 and 2010, cow numbers increased by; 195,961 – 17.4 per cent in the Waikato; and 46,467 – 16.3 per cent in the Bay of Plenty.

Those extra cows, at 70 litres per day

each, drink an extra 17 million litres or 17,000 m3. The total herds in these two regions – 1,656,560 cows – now guzzle down 20 million m3 a year and we haven’t begun to wash sheds yet. No wonder dairy farmers’ power bills are going up.

This isn’t a diatribe on using less water.

Rather, it’s a wake up call for farmers to use what water they have to as sensibly as possible, even if only to save power on running pumps needlessly.

There are rules on using only clean water to wash sheds and plant. Yards don’t have to be cleaned with clean water.

Recycling cooling water and maybe plant washdown water and catching shed roof water makes good sense. Putting it all through a tank and then using it to wash the yards not only saves water, but reduces the amount going into the effluent storage.

Why build a storage ‘lake’ when you could get away with a much smaller ‘pond’?

Installing water meters may seem an expense you could do without, but with the new regulations being introduced by regional councils – particularly after the change last year to the Resource Management (Measurement and Reporting of Water Takes) regulations which requires meters for any industrial take over five litres per second –they are probably going to be something farmers have to do anyway.

A number of those who tried water meters early in the piece have done some hard thinking about their actual water usage and found ways to save money by using it better. Not to mention finding pipe leaks before they’ve produced new wetlands on the farm.

So next time you find yourself standing in the yard at the end of milking, dreamily squirting that huge hose around or discover your worker doing it – ask yourself if it’s delivering more than five litres a second.

By Sue Edmonds

DAIRY

PH 07 578 0030

Great return on investment If an effluent storage pond is built well it can have a great return on investment – but what does ‘good’ look like?

DairyNZ and the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) have answered this question by pulling together information to create the IPENZ Practice Note 21: Farm Dairy Effluent Pond Design and Construction.

This includes detailed information on the regulations and legislation related to ponds, site investigations, design, construction and certification and contracting.

It’s a technical document that sets out standards and a process to follow so engineers and contractors building ponds meet their clients’ expectations.

To simplify this information, DairyNZ has produced ‘A Farmer’s Guide to Building a New Effluent Storage Pond’. This guide aims to help farmers through the process and outlines factors to consider when building a new effluent pond including: planning, working with consultants and contractors and design options.

We all hear stories of ponds that have not been built to meet any standards other than to hold more effluent than the old sump. As a result, it is understandable that people have held off putting in a new pond until there is more certainty that what is paid for will do the job.

Installing an effluent pond is an expensive exercise, costing anywhere from $30,000 to more than $100,000. It pays to do the homework before any big decisions are made. That’s where the new pond Practice Note and the farmer guide will help you by giving you and your contractors and engineers some certainty

dairy nz

By Theresa Wilson, DairyNZ Project Manager

around what a good design looks like and how it should be constructed.

Getting pond standards established and understood by engineers, pond companies and contractors should help you take on this critical project with confidence that you’ll ‘do it once and do it right’. It is also an important part of how the current level of significant non-compliance with effluent regulations can be lowered even further.

DairyNZ is running a series of workshops on effluent storage to give you an opportunity to ask any burning questions. The nationwide events will be hosted by regional effluent systems specialists during November and December.

For more information go to dairynz.co.nz/events or email Trevor Foley at trevor.foley@dairynz.co.nz FDE storage and pond construction field days in Waikato and Bay of Plenty: 17 November – Paeroa, 22 November – Gordonton, 23 November – Franklin, 24 November –Morrinsville , 29 November – Putaruru, 30 November – Te Awamutu, 9 December – Te Puke, 12 December – Rotorua, 13 December – Whakatane, 14 December - Taupo * Look out for our Effluent and Irrigation feature in next month’s Coast & Country.

Much work to do This last month has been profoundly challenging, with the Rena grounding and the lifting of the Rugby World Cup producing a major trough and peak.

Farmers everywhere winced at the prospect of the harm to our shores arising from the oil spill.

The impact on sensitive catchments in the Bay of Plenty has been particularly disturbing knowing, as farmers do, the extent of the work from all sectors of the community to keep them pristine.

The Rugby World Cup has however lifted spirits and it would be a bold columnist that pointed to a downside.

In the aftermath we must look hard though at the true costs and benefits of government and local government’s investment in the tournament. Clearly there were economic winners and losers, yet

all contributed through taxes and rates. Through this topsy-turvy time, Federated Farmers has continued its essential work on behalf of rural New Zealand. In October, we released our Variable Order Sharemilking Agreement 2012.

Federated Farmers has a statutory role on this agreement, which is the product of good faith bargaining between employers and sharemilkers.

This user friendly agreement is an important part of New Zealand’s unique system of sharemilking as a path to farm ownership and has been developed and updated by Federated Farmers for many years.

The election took a back seat during the world cup, but is now nearly upon us. Federated Farmers will again be producing a manifesto of sound policies, aimed at less regulation and government spending and the economic growth that arises from that.

We have been concerned at some of the policy put forward by the

Labour party in recent weeks.

Labour’s high country policy, which plans to drop the tenure review process, has many flaws and agriculture policy releases threaten a return to “nanny state” (has it ever gone away?).

Perhaps most disturbing is their draconian Emissions Trading Scheme which would put New Zealand farmers at a severe disadvantage to international competitors by including animal emissions from 2013.

At local level, councils are in full swing developing their long term plans, which will be released next year with major policy reviews and expenditure and rating forecasts.

There is not much sign of a turnaround on the massive rates paid by farmers, in fact there is worrying word of big increases for Whakatane farmers as council looks at big changes to the rating system.

We’ve won the world cup, but as ever in farming, there is much to do.

Page 11

DAIRY

Page 12

Coast & Country

Summer pests and soil conditions An important concept to grasp is that clover flea and weevil, along with grass grub and beetles of various colour, arrive in abundance because conditions favour them.

These conditions typically come in late spring and early summer temperatures.

Every season the pest pressure

varies, with some seasons bringing more of one and less of another.

This is because each year our climatic conditions differ from previous.

Interestingly, pests never take out all plants. Careful observation will show that even in the worst situation, some plants survive and even flourish. Pests need food for the future so to wipe out all vegetation would lead to their demise and this doesn’t occur.

Pest damage can be limited

by creating the best conditions we can to favour the beneficial insects and soil dwellers which are essential for strong resilient plant growth. These conditions are different to those that favour pests.

As the health of any farming operation is dependent on the soil, creating a healthy soil becomes the priority and the most effective way of limiting pest damage.

More than 20 years ago there were a large number of animals affected by facial eczema in areas of the

Bay of Plenty with many deaths as a result. Although weather conditions were the same for all properties, spore counts varied widely from property to property.

Soil tests, along with records of past nutrient inputs, provide the information necessary to formulate sound nutrient programmes, however, that data provides little information on the health of the soil.

The best means of determining soil health is by digging holes. This doesn’t need to be an arduous exercise, an hour with a spade will provide sufficient

information to know whether the health of your most valuable asset is good, bad or indifferent.

The first clue is the ease with which a strong, sharp spade blade is able to be sunk to its full depth, typically 25cm.

Should it penetrate easily and a sod removed without difficulty, soil health is probably okay.

Break open the sod and look to see whether plant roots are growing directly downwards with plenty of fine white root visible at the bottom of the sod. Are roots matted in the top 5-7.5cm of the surface or is there

a hard layer at about 10-12cm causing plant roots to grow sideways?

Should there be a hard layer or matting of roots near the surface, soil health is less than ideal and an infestation of flea, weevil, grass grub or beetle could occur this summer. By creating conditions more favourable to beneficial soil dwellers possible damage this summer can be reduced.

DoloZest and CalciZest are soil improvers, developed and sold by Eco-Logic Soil Improvement that rapidly improve the health of soil.

Typically CalciZest, based on high quality lime, is applied at this time of the year and a single application at 400kg/ha will immediately provide the impetus necessary for improved soil health and a reduction in damage by pests this summer.

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Page 13

TAKING THE CREAM Poor grasp of issues Federated Farmers says the Labour Party’s water policy completes a hat trick of ill conceived policy releases, “highlighting a poor grasp of agricultural issues and a worrying anti-farming streak”.

“The worst aspects of Labour’s proposals around water management are they are pre-empting the Land and Water Forum’s nutrient management and water allocation recommendations, whilst imposing punitive taxes on a small, but dynamic part of the agriculture sector,” says Federated Farmers national spokesmen Ian Mackenzie.

“The policy’s nutrient management plan is formed around anti-dairy farming principles rather than sensibly addressing water quality

issues. The water quality policy also fails to acknowledge urban New Zealand’s significant contribution to water pollution.

“Also, picking on urea as the root of all water quality evils shows Labours’ science advisors have yet to pass agronomy 101.

“Again it is anti-farming, being perversely weighted against our horticultural and arable industries and would not deliver any positive environmental gains and could encourage more movement to dairying.”

Mo’s for Movember

New Zealand’s Young Farmers are laying the challenge to prove they can multi task: cultivate something on their top lips

Balancing soil for better fertility Soil fertility specialist Neal Kinsey is returning to New Zealand in 2012 to present his three day ‘Principles of Building Soil Fertility’ courses.

The soil fertility specialist from Kinsey Agricultural Services, Charleston, Missouri, lectures and consults to farmers and horticulturists world-wide, serving 66 countries.

Neal is one of the foremost practitioners of the Albrecht-style soil fertility balancing and is the author of ‘Hands on Agronomy’.

Golden Bay Dolomite Limited and the Neal Kinsey NZ group is pleased to be again sponsoring this “dean” of soil fertility to hold workshops in Taupo, Bay of Plenty, Invercargill and Southland says Dolomite North Island sales manager Ron McLean.

“Many of the attendees of previous courses follow up on Neal’s teaching and advice. As a result, they have proved to themselves and others that biological farming is the new way forward. Many have reported positive changes to pasture, animal health and profit.”

Ron says this is especially pleasing considering the challenging seasonal weather conditions and recessionary times. Often farmers become bogged down in the detail of a sophisticated soil audit and are confused as to whom to believe.

Neal conveys the message of soil fertility in a simple to understand manner

that makes sense to his audience.

He offers world-wide examples of how and why the system works, including examples from New Zealand.

“What we learn from the successful Albrecht system of soil balancing is that when calcium and magnesium and all other nutrients, including the micro-nutrients, are in proper balance in the soil, crops thrive, animal health improves, weed and insect pressures lessen and yields and soils improve season after season,” says Ron. Dolomite believe the $560 +GST investment and the time in attending these three days will enhance your knowledge and perhaps the knowledge of your colleagues into the future – we look forward to you participating in a three day course.

“We are passionate about the services and products we provide as healthy soils are a prerequisite for healthy crops, healthy animals and healthy people.

“It is the informed farmer who is at the forefront of this chain. The goal of all farming operations must be to produce top quality, nutrient dense food for our generation, our children and our grandchildren.”

The Taupo course is at the Huka Falls Lodge, Taupo on March 5-7.

To check out Neal Kinsey’s credentials visit www.kinseyag.com For more information and to register visit www.nealkinseynz.co.nz email seminar@goldenbaydolomite.co.nz or visit www.goldenbaydolomite.co.nz

Darryl Isaac Ltd

while at the same time think about their health.

Movember is back and this year NZYF is calling for a concerted effort.

The NZYF regions will battle it out to see who can produce the biggest ‘face fleece’. At the end of the month each club will have a shave off and combine their ‘face fleece’ yield with the rest of their region’s in the hopes of gaining bragging rights as the hairiest region for 2011.

NZYF chief executive Richard Fitzgerald says this is a good cause because men’s health is seldom talked about in farming circles and Young Farmers are keen to raise awareness of this issue.

Proceeds from Movember are

shared between the Mental Health Foundation of NZ for male depression, and the Cancer Society which is placing a huge emphasis on various aspects of men’s health.

New effluent guide Bay of Plenty dairy farmers have a new guide for managing farm dairy effluent.

DairyNZ regional leader for Bay of Plenty Sharon Morrell says the resource is part of a collaborative industry-wide approach to getting more workable information to Bay of Plenty farmers.

“Our aim is to give farmers consistent advice and provide tools so that they can benefit from the nutrient value of effluent and make long-term cost savings.”

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Page 14

Coast & Country

One + in murky times At least the All Blacks won the rugby and the grass is growing – because the Bay of Plenty is taking plenty of other knocks at the moment, says contractor Bill Webb.

What with the kiwifruit industry buckling under the burden of Psa and the community trying to recover from the Rena disaster, the All Blacks win hopefully lifted the depression cloud slightly.

Bill says he feels for the kiwifruit industry.

“With the kiwifruit industry it’s in a real serious situation. By the way Psa is spreading, the industry might only last five years and be just about wiped out in its current form.”

Orchard work

Bill says they used to get some work on the orchards, but “that has dropped off to nothing, so it’s affecting us a little bit”.

He says the statistics show the kiwifruit industry produces 24 per cent of the Western Bay GDP – which equates to about one in four jobs.

“So it’s very significant. That’s a big part of the rural sector in the Bay of Plenty.

“A lot of suppliers and contractors will be greatly affected, so my sympathy goes to them obviously.

“I know what’s it like to be hit by an industry that’s not going well and contracts are not able to be honoured and that sort of thing.

“And then we’ve got the environmental devastation with the Rena out there causing more grief for the area and the environment.”

The clean-up operation is still in place after the 225m Liberiaflagged vessel ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef, 25km from Tauranga on Wednesday, October 5.

“The ongoing cost to the people in the fishing industry and the tourist industry – they will all be feeling the pinch,” says Bill.

“The motels, hotels, chartering

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Bill Webb. boats, tourist boats, dolphin watching boats, dive boats etcetera – the fishing community relying on it.

“The local iwi – it’s affecting them dramatically too, not being able to go and collect their shellfish.

“It’s having a bigger affect than the oil washed up on the beach. It’s behind the scenes.

Community at large

“We feel for all these industries and the community at large – it’s affecting everybody in one way or another.”

Bill was approached by a trustee of one of his lease blocks when she saw the one tonne fertiliser bags they were using.

“She wanted them to put the rags and rubbish in from wiping the oil off the rocks around the Mount.

“They only had little bags and she said the one tonne bags would be ideal.

“So I suppose if any farmers out there have any one-tonne bags lying around wondering where to dispose of them, they could offer them to the clean-up crews.”

Despite the threat of the Taranaki gas leak and having to tip milk down the drain, dairy farmers on the other hand are having a pretty good season so far – touch wood.

“It’s probably the best year’s growing season farmers have had for the

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last five years,” says Bill.

“The last five years, come October it’s turned cold and dry and no follow up rain, so no silage season. Now, with this follow up rain, farmers will get good grass growth.”

Bill says most farmers he has talked to are getting record farm production.

“A guy I was talking to last week was up 27 per cent till now, so long may that last.

“Of course then there’s the problem of the gas line and hopefully they don’t have to tip too much of their profits away and it doesn’t have too much on their final payout.

“We don’t want any more disasters.”

Grass growing well

Bill says the grass is growing well, but when there is a good growing season with plenty of rain in the spring it’s hard to get ground worked up and planted.

“Because if it’s wet your ground doesn’t have enough time to dry, so it’s a challenge to get onto swamp areas to get it all cultivated and planted.

“In a dry season you get through the work well, but there’s not a lot of it.

“In the wet season there’s a lot of silage and you struggle to get through the work because it’s raining every third or fourth day.

“So we’re challenged whichever way we go.”

But it’s better to have the good growing season than the dry says Bill and the current conditions should give farmers and contractors a needed boost to get them back on track.

Bill says despite the short window they’ve had, they’re well over halfway through their planting.

“Soil temperature is up over 16 now. We got off to a slow start because soil temperatures were cold mid October.”

Bill is looking for some extra quality grass to make into hay and silage. If anybody has surplus grass, please contact Bill at Bill Webb Feed Solutions.

07 862 9064

PH 07 578 0030

FEED MANAGEMENT

Page 15

Top feed value for summer crop Growing summer crops on peatland farms can be tricky. Experience in the Waikato has shown that some crops, such as turnips, dry out when the grass dries out during ‘big dries’.

Last year, BettaGraze, a sorghum/sudan grass hybrid from Pioneer’s Genetic Technologies was tried successfully on the 120ha peat farm owned by Richard and Christine Lansdaal near Morrinsville, where Mike and Lisa Healey will sharemilk 350 cows this year.

With careful management, the crop, planted in two plots over 6ha in late November, provided three repeat grazings over 100 days, with some mown for silage in April. Total crop production was estimated at 10-15tDM/ha, at a cost of about $1000/ha including cultivation and sowing.

Sorghum needs a soil temperature of 17 degrees to germinate, so the recommended planting time is late November, at a rate of between 25 and 45kg/ha. Once it gets going it really shoots away and a first grazing last year was about 35 days after planting, when the plants were about ‘top of gumboot’ height.

Like many summer crops, there is a need to watch for nitrate poisoning, so grazing periods were limited to intakes of 2kg/cow. Initially, this grazing was introduced about 2pm, but later, for staff convenience, changed to straight after-morning milking, with the cows shifted onto grass after staff breakfast time.

At a recent farm discussion day, there was some talk about whether the afternoon, when some wilt and higher sugar content, might make the crop more palatable.

Mike Healey, however, reported that the

Farm owner Richard Lansdaal and sharemilkers Mike and Lisa Healey.

Benefits of pasture renewal Pasture growth can decline over time due to a number of factors.

Pasture renovation methods describe how to improve the long-term production and persistence of poor performing paddocks. The most successful approach is often complete pasture renewal.

To get a return from investment in pasture renovation requires the identification of underperforming paddocks and estimating the potential extra pasture production.

For example, where the yield can be increased by 2t DM/ha the return is about 130kg MS/ha. The return will be greater if the extra growth occurs at a time of the season when animal demand exceeds pasture growth.

Many New Zealand farmers are managing pastures that have less than desired density of ryegrass and clover as a result of insect and drought conditions incurred during the previous summer or treading damage this spring.

A DairyNZ led industry group comprising researchers, seed industry and contractors have agreed on an approach for farmers faced with this situation. This group recommends farmers carry out a paddock by paddock assessment of the damage by ranking paddocks one to five based on the extent of damage. They should then use the tools suggested actions to establish a plan for each paddock.

Benefits of pasture renewal:

• Increased total pasture yield (1.0 - 8.0 t DM/ha/yr) • Increased milksolids production (if the extra growth is eaten) • Improved pasture quality • Can make pasture management easier by using late heading varieties to minimise the drop in pasture quality as seed heads appear in late spring • Reduced animal health problems.

To download the Pasture Condition Score Tool and the Pasture Renewal Guide visit www.dairynz.co.nz

herd had eaten their ration enthusiastically during morning sessions. He did stress the need for back-fencing each strip, so the plants weren’t grazed down to less than 15-20cm, allowing for rapid regrowth.

The feed value of sorghum is highest at ‘top of gumboot’ height and the plants should not be allowed to grow

more than waist height. Any excess growth can be mown for silage. By the time the plants reach shoulder height, if left unchecked, the feed value is virtually nil or equivalent to straw.

This summer the area planted in BettaGraze on the Lansdaal farm will be increased to 7ha.

By Sue Edmonds

Page 16

FEED MANAGEMENT

Coast & Country

Technology to meet farm needs

Do cows need more feed to get in calf?

Agricultural producers around the world face new challenges in providing food, fibre and fuel to a rapidly growing population.

They need equipment and precision services to produce more crops and livestock, while using fewer inputs and more sustainable practices for the long-term growth of their businesses.

With that in mind, John Deere introduces a comprehensive and integrated suite of solutions, John Deere FarmSight™, to meet farm and business needs today and in the future.

This array of services will provide technology solutions in the following three areas: • Machine Optimisation – John Deere FarmSight™ provides solutions that get the most out of machinery on the farm using precision technology and wireless data networks for higher levels of productivity and increased uptime.

• Logistics Optimisation – The new technology will assist producers to better manage logistics and machinery from remote locations through a variety of fleet management solutions and increased machine-to-machine communication.

• Ag Decision Support – John Deere FarmSight™ includes user-friendly monitors, sensors and wireless networks that provide easy access to machinery and agronomic data essential to making proactive management decisions for your operation.

John Deere FarmSight™ wireless technology is accessible and easy to use. Based on customer preferences, the machinery,

DairyNZ staff recently reviewed the scientific literature on the effect of nutrition on fertility for pasture-based cows.

• Fertility has declined significantly during the last two decades for many reasons.

• Cow nutrition is important for getting cows in calf.

This does not mean you will get more cows in calf by feeding supplements during the breeding season.

• Achieving body condition score (BCS) targets at calving is probably the most important nutritional influence on getting cows in calf. Late lactation and dry cow nutrition are, therefore, very important.

• Transition cow management to reduce liver inflammation in early lactation may be important in reducing uterine infections.

• Supplements are unlikely to improve fertility when grazing residuals are 1500-1600 kg DM/ha or greater.

• Starch (grain) or sugar (molasses)-based supplements in early lactation have inconsistent effects on post-calving anoestrus and some reports suggest these supplements will reduce embryo survival following insemination.

• High protein intake does not reduce conception rates in pasture-based systems. operators, owners, dealers, and ag consultants can be connected for proactive service and support.

Machinery will be able to communicate remotely from the field about overall machine performance. This allows for proactive diagnostics on service issues, such as filter changes and other maintenance items to help reduce downtime. This intelligent, automated technology will bring more precision,

convenience and up-time to a producer’s equipment operation.

Since John Deere manufactures the machinery and develops the software and wireless connectivity, all systems are integrated to work seamlessly with easy plug-and-play technology. Nobody but John Deere and your local John Deere dealer has the capability to bring all these technologies together for more efficient, profitable farming.

Background

Getting lactating cows in calf has never been easy. It has become even harder during the last 25 years.

• USA: inter-calving interval increased by one month and services per conception increased 33 per cent.

• Ireland: services per conception increased by 14 per cent.

• UK: calving rate to first insemination declined from 56 to 40 per cent.

• New Zealand: Six week re-calving rate declined from 70 to 50 per cent.

These studies indicate a reduction in conception rate and an increase in embryo mortality during the last 25 years, while longer post-calving anoestrous intervals and reduced expression of oestrous have also contributed to the decline.

During the same period, milk production/cow has increased and cows now tend to lose more BCS in early lactation.

Because of this, many people have associated failure to get cows in calf with negative energy balance in early lactation and assume that feeding cows more pasture (higher post-grazing residuals) or feeding particular supplements in early lactation will improve reproduction.

DairyNZ conclusions

There are many reasons why cows do not get in calf.

However, nutrition of the cow during breeding tends to be over-emphasised.

Late lactation and dry cow nutrition to achieve a BCS of 5.0 at calving in mature cows and BCS 5.5 for heifers and second calvers is arguably the most important nutrition-related influence on fertility in the New Zealand system.

There is also evidence that level of feeding pre-calving and its effect on liver health may affect reproduction.

Other feeds are not better than pasture in early lactation. Therefore, if grazing residuals are 1500-1600 kg DM/ha or greater, supplementation will not improve reproduction.

John Roche, Chris Burke, Susanne Meier, and Caroline Walker, DairyNZ Animal Science Team

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Page 17

La Nina threat warrants early feed decisions With La Nina just around the corner, it’s decision time for growers.

As weather starts to warm up and with the promise of hot dry La Nina conditions on the horizon, farmers and growers need to make sure they have their summer and autumn feed requirements covered.

“It’s particularly important that they make the decision early this season,” says Pacific Seeds regional manager Barry Smallridge.

“Because the demand of our remaining maize and forage hybrids is already very heavy.

“Maize hybrids PAC 624 along with DKC 57-83 are in limited supply, while PAC 504, a 97 crm hybrid with outstanding cob-tostover ratios as well as a cash back offer of $20 per bag is facing increased demand.”

Based on previous La Nina episodes, growers can expect hotter and dryer periods than they would normally experience.

This type of climatic phenomenon makes fast growing Pacific Seeds forages like Sprint, Super Dan 2, BMR and Nectar an excellent fit in planning calculations for late summer and early autumn.

“Although nothing out-performs a quality rye grass and clover sward, once the ryegrass has seeded and the clover has flowered, for growers wanting to maintain milk solid production during the late summer and autumn period, these forages are all excellent solutions,” says Barry.

Pacific Seeds is the one stop for all your summer forage needs. In environments or situations where you need a summer feed option, they have a full range of alternatives to fill any shortfalls. “The beauty of growing forages like BMR means you can grass down selected paddocks when the autumn rains

Farmlands Te Puke Manager Willy Koberstein, left and Errol Watts checking BMR crop. arrive – or take an extra grazing out of the BMR if they don’t,” says Errol Watts.

“I always mow the crop prior to grazing to prevent pulling and to speed up crop recovery.” BMR Rocket/BMR Octane BMR hybrids are a breakthrough for Pacific Seeds in summer forage option offering improved palatability, digestibility and metabolisable energy.

• Quick and ultra late flowering types • Excellent vigour and re-growth rates • High energy and protein levels • Graze early for optimum quality • Soft, sweet stems • Enhanced digestibility, palatability and

metabolisable energy • Suitable for hay, baleage and pit silage • Ideal summer grazing for cattle and dairy Feed analysis of Pacific Seeds BMR hybrids shows a 3-6 per cent digestibility advantage over non BMR hybrids, translating to an extra 0.3-0.7 MJ/kg of metabolisable energy.

An increase of 0.5 ME on 100 tonne of DM will give an increase of 800 milksolids – you do the numbers. These benefits, along with their balance of energy to protein levels, make BMR sorghums ideal for the dairy platform. Compared to Brassicas, dairy cows grazing BMR sorghums maintain much better body condition.

Sprint/Superdan 2 These Sudan x Sudan hybrids offer growers versatile and extremely rapid growing summer feed options in two handy maturity lengths. Pacific Seeds, through innovative breeding offers the only Sudan x Sudan option in New Zealand • Quick to medium flowering • Rapid growth and re-growth • Fine stems and leaves, when compared to a sorghum, with prolific tillering • Suitable for hay, wrapped baleage.

• Sheep, cattle and dairy • Tolerant of heavy grazing, mowing prior to feeding is recommended.

• Suitable for direct drilling, however, the process of cultivation offers best results • Greater flexibility than summer brassicas Nectar Sweet Sorghum x Sudan This versatile hybrid combines the easy grazing management of sweet sorghum with the rapid growth – and re-growth – of sudan grass. Featuring high sugar stem content, Nectar delivers high productivity with minimal wastage, with the added advantage of increased sugars over a standard sorghum type.

Hear growers talk hybrids @ www.pacificseeds.co.nz

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That’s why he grew Pacific BMR last season.

Errol Watts (on right) talks BMR...

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“The beauty of growing BMR means you can grass down selected paddocks when the autumn rains arrive - or take an extra grazing out of the BMR if they don’t”.

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“I always mow the crop prior to grazing to prevent pulling and to speed up crop recovery”.

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FORESTRY

Page 18

Coast & Country

Tidings of the Pacific log trade Events of the last few months have really shown what an intricate network the Pacific Rim log trade really is.

In 2008, when the world went into financial crisis, the tipping point was the United States housing market and credit issues relating to it. One of the first and most seriously affected victims

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was the housing market in the US itself. Construction firms went under at the rate of about 500 a month.

This flowed down the supply chain to building supply companies, timber companies and sawmills and forestry. Right along the building industry supply chain companies suffered or even disappeared as volumes and margins collapsed.

Meanwhile in Russia, government tariffs to restrain log exports in favour of processed lumber exports saw the supply of logs to the booming Chinese market slowing right down.

The New Zealand log market has had a buoyant two years filling

the void left by Russia’s withdraw from the Chinese market. The supply and demand equation worked in our favour and pushed log prices up steadily during the two years, peaking in April this year.

The struggling timber and logging industries in Canada and the United States looked across to China and saw an opportunity to take advantage of these high prices. In the last two years, the supply of logs from the United States and Canada has ramped up from nothing to 1.2 million tonnes per month. The value of lumber shipments from Canada has increased from just $55 million in 2005 to an estimated $1.2 billion dollars this year.

The result has been that the United States’ log supply has largely replaced the Russian volume that was lost to the Chinese market. This resulted in a drop back in prices this winter and some further softening through the spring. Prices are expected to recover as the volumes being produced in New Zealand have been reduced and stocks are reported to be diminishing in China.

Most market analysts are saying that as soon as the domestic market in the United States picks up the Chinese option will be a lot less attractive and they are likely to largely withdraw from the market. In the meantime, we in New Zealand will have to accept that our prices in China are likely to be capped at a level which attracts wood in from the United States and Canada.

By Peter Harington

PH 07 578 0030

FORESTRY

Page 19

Forestry sector to rebuild disaster areas New Zealand wood panels are being used for momentum,” says Andrew. reconstruction in Japan after the devastating The earthquakes experienced in Canterbury since September 2010 have so far had no discernable effect earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. on total sawn timber production figures.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s forestry production and trade figures for the April to June 2011 quarter show that roundwood removals reached an estimated 6.9 million cubic metres during the quarter.

This is the ninth consecutive quarter of growth underpinned by the large volume of log exports says Andrew Doube, MAF’s Acting Manager of

Sector Infrastructure.

Demand from China continues to dominate New Zealand’s log market, accounting for 59.6 per cent of total log export volumes this quarter – compared with 53.7 per cent in the same quarter last year.

Sawn timber production, meanwhile, continues to be impacted by high domestic log prices and weak domestic and international demand.

It fell by 7.8 per cent to 990,000 cubic metres during the quarter.

A pickup in demand from Japan, where wood is traditionally used for housing construction, has helped push up total panel production by 9.9 per cent this quarter to 516,000 cubic metres.

Wood panel exports to Japan accounted for 48.2 per cent of total panel export volumes this quarter, up from 40 per cent in the June 2010 quarter.

Exports to Japan of fibreboard, plywood and particleboard were also up.

“Demand from Japan is expected to be strong over the year, as the rebuild of affected areas gathers

But demand is expected to lift once the rebuild of affected areas commences.

“We expect a lift in production resulting both from

increasing demand for traditional uses like residential house framing and also for the construction of multistorey wooden buildings using the latest advances in building technology and design. “MAF sees an exciting opportunity for the wood processing

sector to build some world-leading, iconic, multi-storey wooden structures in Christchurch.”

The forestry production and trade statistical release provides a comprehensive review of forestry activity on a quarterly basis.

Page 20

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

Coast & Country

Rural wait for broadband As the government rolls out a $285 million infrastructure to provide faster broadband to rural areas, there are questions on what services this will give farmers.

“Farmers are collecting more and more data about their animals and their land everyday and the vast majority record this electronically.

Rob says farmers need to be able to instantly access information about their animals, pasture and land remotely from anywhere on the farm.

The initiative is set to provide ultra fast broadband coverage to 95 per cent of rural schools, extend mobile coverage by 6200 square kilometres and grant more rural areas access to higher speed internet access.

The construction of 154 new fibreconnected cell phone towers and the upgrading of 380 existing cell towers is expected to enable fixed wireless broadband to rural customers, as well as improved mobile coverage.

The final release of two tender documents in the RBI will cover an additional 192 schools, integrated family healthcare centres in rural areas and up to 82 libraries in rural communities.

Rob Ford, one of the member’s on the government advisory board that provides advice and insight for how the plans can best meet the needs of the rural people, says there is a direct link between farming, the internet, productivity and profit – so faster broadband can mean bigger profits for farmers.

“Real-time information is critical to the onfarm decision making process and high-speed broadband in more rural areas is key to that.

“Access to their farm information, at the right time and the right place, is imperative for making the right decisions – and rural broadband is absolutely critical to that.”

People in residential rural properties can be waiting up to two years to gain access to rural broadband.

Whakamarama lifestyle block owner Mark Yalden has been trying to gain access to wire-

less broadband, but has been told it is a two year waiting list.

His phone and internet provider has said there are only a limited number of ports available in the area and unless someone moves out of the area or cancels their contract it will be up to two years before he is able to gain access.

Vodafone is funding a new scheme for people who do not receive rural coverage and are not being included in the government’s RBI. Vodafone head of community and government relations Roger Ellis says small communities and people who live in rural areas can apply to Vodafone for improved mobile coverage.

Applications are open to any willing landowners who have support of local iwi and council and access to existing power supplies and able to provide a line of site options for microwave linking.

Decisions get based on the community’s ability to meet the required criteria and the positive impact the site will have on the local community.

Vodafone is planning to build a minimum of two sites every year, between the North and South Island.

Applications are open from October 15 to December 15, with a decision expected to be made by January 15.

Checklist for machinery safety on the farm Vehicle injuries account for 18 per cent of all Quad bikes & motorbikes injuries on dairy farms and 11 per cent of all • Ensure quad bikes and motorbikes are regularly serviced and maintained. Daily injuries on sheep and beef farms. checks before use are also desirable.

Injuries from the use of ATVs, particularly ATV rollovers, are a significant factor on dairy farms arising from things such as collisions with objects, driving into holes or animals, inadvertent machinery movement, lurching/ jerks in vehicles, mechanical malfunction, misjudgement, goods shifting/becoming loose, overturning, loss of control, punctures and skidding.

• Helmets should be worn at all times when riding a quad bike or motorbike.

• Training should be given to all riders to ensure that they have the skills to operate the quad bike or motorbike in any situation.

• Know and discuss the limitations of the vehicle in any situation: For example, the effect of slopes, speed, weather conditions, uneven surface, etc.

• Spray tanks, fertiliser spreaders, carry frames, silage trailers.

• No passengers unless seat and footrests are available.

• Environmental conditions are assessed.

Other vehicles & machinery

• Tractors should be regularly serviced and maintained and safe to operate.

• Assess operator skills: Provide the

training, skills and supervision necessary to operate the vehicle safely.

• Ensure operator is aware of any legal requirements, i.e. age, licence requirements, etcetera.

• Ensure operator is familiar with any other hazards where he or she is working.

• Ensure operator has knowledge of the vehicle's limitations for whatever situation or circumstance.

• Ensure suitable shield/guard is in place over the PTO shaft.

• Do not work/walk under an elevated front-end loader.

• Lower the front-end loader to ground when parked.

• Ensure operator is aware of the effect of the front-end loader when operating on hills.

• Ensure hydraulic hoses and pipes are maintained and are in good order.

• No loose clothing to be worn while operating machines, long hair tied back.

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

PH 07 578 0030

Update on redundancy In these rather uncertain times, many employers are considering restructuring their workforce for financial reasons.

If you are in this situation, you need to consider the recent Employment Court’s decision in The Vice-Chancellor of Massey University v Wrigley.

In this case, the court ruled the employer university undertaking the restructuring process should have provided information to the dismissed employees about other candidates applying for new positions, as well as provided information in the minds of the selection panel members, to comply with the obligations of good faith.

In this case, the restructure made some lecturer positions redundant.

Two of the dismissed lecturers, Wrigley and Kelly, were unsuccessful

candidates for new positions arising out of the changes. Wrigley and Kelly asserted that the university had breached their good faith obligations under the Employment Relations Act 2000 as they did not have the opportunity to comment on the information about themselves and the other candidates.

Examples of the further information Wrigley and Kelly requested include: The selection panel’s interview sheets for all candidates; assessment sheets for the successful candidates; a candidate summary ratings sheet; the panel’s recommendations to the university; interviewer’s handwritten notes; a memo provided to the selection panel from the HR department at

Page 21 Andrew Gorringe of Gorringe Bros Ltd.

the start of the process; and information in the minds of the selection panel.

The court accepted that much of the information requested was confidential, but that this was no good reason to withhold the information and that the university should have provided Wrigley and Kelly with the information.

This case means that in any proposal which may result in the disestablishment of an employee’s role, employees may be entitled to a broader range of information than previously thought. For this reason, any employer considering restructuring would be wise to be thoroughly prepared before undertaking the process.

This article is intended as a point of reference and should not be relied on as a substitute for professional advice. Specialist advice should always be sought in relation to any particular circumstances and no liability will be accepted for any losses incurred by those relying solely on this article.

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• Never work underneath an unsupported trailer when tipping.

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Page 22

FINANCE PLANNING

Getting the right ACC structure Eighty per cent of people claiming a disablement benefit are unable to work due to illness, not because of an accident.

For the last decade, Theresa Pharo has been working with business owners, self-employed people, farmers and their families as a qualified risk advisor.

Essentially, Theresa will make sure that if her clients are unable to continue work due to an accident or illness, that they and their families are looked after

financially. So often people say “I look after myself, I haven’t had a day off work in years”, but statistics show that does not happen.

One in four farmers are unable to work due to accidents every year. A large part of Theresa’s work is sorting out the right ACC structure for clients, particularly for those who are farming.

Correct contracts

Without the correct contract at claim time, you could find yourself having to prove that you’ve lost your income before you get paid and that is not always possible if you are farming or self-employed.

It is not just accidents, however, that are the issue here; 80 per cent of people on disability claim are unable to work due to an illness.

Whilst it is very important to make sure your life can continue and the bills are paid if you are off work, Theresa

will also look at other areas that could be preventing you from achieving your goals. She will discuss together with your accountant and/or lawyer if your business is structured correctly to meet your long-term objectives. Once Theresa knows where you want to be, she can map out a business plan, with some comprehensive risk preventions, to get you there.

Qualified professional

Theresa is a qualified professional advisor with a keen interest to help, whatever the situation maybe, keep all her clients on track.

She is accepting new clients by referral, if you would like an initial consultation free of charge to discuss your needs, phone 0800 838 676 or email theresa@ planwise.co.nz A copy of Theresa’s Disclosure Statement is available free of charge upon request – phone 0800 838 676 or email info@planwise.co.nz

Coast & Country

Some simple life lessons for farming These thoughts and my life experiences may help you improve your future business decisions: • It takes very little effort to be better than the other guy: That little extra effort can result in a huge return.

• Focus on the basics and only experiment on the fringes: Getting the basics right is everything. A rural banker recently insisted that all his clients do a simple business plan and focus on the basics to ensure their focus was in the right place. This might mean that the correct and adequate fertiliser to grow the maximum amount of grass, harvested with the correct number of animals sold to yield the maximum return, with an operation of minimal expenditure.

• Take your profits when you can: For example, cattle prices are pretty good before Christmas, the summer dry is looming, but you hold the cattle, prices recede and you run short of feed. Where have the profits gone?

• Do not hang your hat on one good season and stop focussing on the droughts: Remind yourself of the average sustainable production levels.

• In a down cycle, move quickly to minimise losses.

• Fully focus on your business and watch out for waging off farm wars with little hope of winning: I remember a farmer who sold a stag for $25,000. The purchaser said it was no good. The farmer should have refunded and taken the stag back, but no, he spent $100,000 defending his stag.

• Farming families must not let problems grow: Get the problem out in a meeting with a facilitator, lock the door and sort it out.

• Farms can be a bottomless pit for expenditure: We want it perfect, but again, stick to the basics and essential items, it will never be perfect. A good example of this can be seen in the dairy conversions where costs over runs on bank approved facilities were stupendous. Some of those people now find themselves over indebted and unsustainable.

• Maximum production per cow, per hectare is not maximum profit: Focus on profit, not how well your cows are producing. I well remember the 80s and wanting to start a farm discussion group called ‘farming for profit and fun’.

• Aim at maximising ‘free cash’: This cash is for drawings, education costs, taxes and holidays. Do not be tempted to spend money to keep your tax down.

• Watch out for iron disease: Many farmers spend inordinate amounts of tax-paid cash profit on iron. Yes, you can argue that you need yet another tractor, but it is chewing through real free cash and if it is on HP the figures get worse as there is interest cost and spread payment which will impinge future cash flow.

• If you make a mistake, then fix it straight away: No matter how far you have gone down the wrong road, turn back. Apologise to those affected around you. Mistakes are just that, learn from them, regroup and move forward.

So, I need to acknowledge Pita Alexander, accountant from Christchurch as an inspiration and my own life time of valuation, farming and finance for the experience that takes a lot longer than knowledge to acquire. With my work, I realise how important it is to get the basics right and the rest will follow. In these times, it is essential to focus down on what is important and forget the rest.

These are the opinions of Don Fraser of Fraser Farm Finance. Any decisions made should not be based on this article alone and appropriate professional assistance should be sought. Don Fraser is the Principal of Fraser Farm Finance and a consultant to the Farming Industry.

PH 07 578 0030

COAST & COUNTRY

Page 23

A new boss on the land Technical Specifications

Ford Ranger XLT Double Cab Engine: 3.2 litre 5 cylinder diesel Power: 147kW @ 3000rpm Torque: 470Nm @ 1500-2750rpm Transmission: Six speed manual or six speed auto with High-Low 4WD Load Capacity: 1.0 tonne Towing Capacity: 3.35 tonne (braked) Safety: Hill descent control, hill launch

With plenty to boast about, it’s no wonder that the all-new Ford Ranger was the vehicle chosen to carry our World Champion All Black team in the recent street parades.

It seems Ford can do no wrong these days.

After weathering the great ‘Auto Meltdown’ that struck some of its competitors in the United States in 2008-2009, the blue logo is proudly stuck to the front of some truly class-leading vehicles these days.

They include the perennial Kiwi favourite the Falcon, the car that almost everyone has driven at some time in their driving life and which seems to get better with every new model out.

Then there’s the stunning Mondeo, setting new standards in cabin space and features in a mid-size sedan; the Territory with a new diesel engine injecting more life into an already hugely successful vehicle; the hot new Focus, available in 1.6 or 2.0 litre (petrol or diesel) engines; and its ragingly successful little bro’, the Fiesta.

Completing the line-up this month is the all new Ford Ranger – and it proves that Ford’s utes are definitely not the poor cousins to the other sleek, sexy models in the Ford Family.

More muscular, more powerful

The previous Ranger went about its business quietly, it did the job, didn’t attract a lot of attention and performed as any good solid workhorse should.

With the new Ranger, however, you get almost twice the vehicle…literally. The chassis is almost twice the size of the last model, but it also comes with a far more purposeful look. It has a muscular, assertive profile, a heap of torque and a

very stylish design inside and out that fits as well “down town” as it will “up hill”.

Excitement about the new Ranger at Tauranga’s Ford dealership, Ultimate Motor Group, on Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui, is palpable and it is easy to see why before you even get it out of the yard.

All this power comes through a six-speed manual, with that sixth notch knocking the revs right down on the open road to a gentle 1800rpm spin. There’s also very little road or engine noise intruding into the well-insulated and spacious cabin.

Superior ride quality

With 180 markets in its sights for the Ranger globally, Ford has gone to great steps to make this a machine that everyone will feel comfortable in, up front and in the back, without dumbing it down or creating a functional, but bland means to get around.

The seating position is pure car and comfortable car at that – you don’t have that jittery

The driving environment is extremely well spec’d and laid out in an innovative manner, partly inspired by the Casio G Shock watch.

There is a very confident, masculine look about this machine, with a smooth, fluid design that runs along the driver’s door, drifts over the passenger door and on to the flared wheel arches. Then there’s the unmistakeable Ford front grille that captures some of the Territory’s DNA in its design and looks.

Under that handsome bonnet of the test vehicle, the XLT variant, sits a very grunty 3.2 litre five cylinder diesel that delivers a stump pulling mass of 470nM of torque – quite a jump on what is likely to be its biggest competitor the 3.0 litre Hilux.

Coming with that pulling power is a class leading towing ability, a closely-held accolade in ute circles, which comes in at 3.35 tonnes (braked) for the Ranger.

Hidden containers under the rear seats are a practical and easily-accessed storage option.

assist, electronic stability control with roll over mitigation, adaptive load and trailer sway control, front, side, knee and thorax airbags Other Features: Bluetooth, rear park assist, 23 cabin storage spaces, full underbody protection ($WD models only), front fog lamps, splash guards and mudflaps (XLT & Wildtrak only) Price: $58,690 (as tested). Other models available – please enquire Available at: Ultimate Motor Group, Cnr Hewletts Road & Totara Street, Mt Maunganui. Phone 07 579 1080 Contact: Paul Jackson 0275 888 232 or Chris Frost 021 945 801

feeling of being perched and rocked around while you combat the jiggers from a rough diesel up front. This feels like a car for ride quality, layout and comfort, mainly thanks to a new hard-rubber “hydro” mount system between the chassis rail and cabin which reduces body shake and intrusion.

Apparently, Ford cabin designers were inspired by the ultra-tough and proven Casio G Shock watch for inspiration, delivering a sleek, rounded ‘techno’ look to the dash that works well in a market tuned in to engineering, technology and simple tough coolness.

There is an extremely accurate voice operated system too, that didn’t struggle with this reviewer’s fading consonants, whether to change the radio station, increase the dual zone climate air conditioning or switch to the phone to make some calls.

There is plenty of good storage space including under the rear seats, plugs for USB and MP3’s, Bluetooth, of course and the ability to switch to High 4WD at speeds up to 120km/h – all with the simple turn of a dial.

A new leaf spring suspension down the back and a combination of coils and shocks up the front deliver secure, planted handling without any disconcerting skate you often get with utes.

The fact that it was comprehensively tested in the Australian Outback under some pretty trying conditions and came through with flying colours also speaks volumes.

In all honesty, this is the best ute Bay Driver has driven yet.

With its smart new design, great handling and deliciously grunty engine, which is as comfortable torquing over the hills as it is cruising on the motorway, it seems like the Ranger will be pretty hard to beat – on the farm or in town.

By Richard Rennie

Engineered to exceed your expectations

For just $44,990* you could be driving a new Falcon XR6, complete with 6-speed transmission, 17” alloys and sports body kit. You wouldn’t want to miss out on that. Visit your Ford Dealer today.

*Price shown excludes on road costs. Offer available until March 31, 2011.

ford.co.nz umg.co.nz

COAST & COUNTRY

Page 24

YOU’LL NOTICE THE EXTRA COMFORTS, THE KIDS’LL JUST FALL ASLEEP.

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THE Redeveloped from the ground up,ALL-NEW the all-new Mazda BT-50 is now as comfy, spacious and YOU’LL NOTICE easy to drive as a car but stillM{ZD{ has all the power and convenience of a ute. Family trips can be fun again with heaps of storage on hand for all the tents and toys while the car-like ride YOU’LL NOTICE comfort means the smiles stay on the faces - even around the curliest of corners. Add in a host of advanced safety technologies plus features like Cruise Control and Bluetooth® and Redeveloped from the ground up, the all-new Mazda BT-50 is now as comfy, spacious and there’s not a worry left in the world. easy to drive as a car but still has all the power and convenience of a ute. Family trips can New Fixed Price Servicing Servicing yourwith vehicle neveron been be fun again heapshas of storage handmore for all affordable. the tents and With toys while the car-like ride Redeveloped from the ground up, the all-new Mazda BT-50 is now as comfy, spacious and comfort Price means the smiles stay on the faces never - even around the curliest of corners. Add in a oureasy new option, pay more to mazda drive as commercialcare a car but still has all Fixed the power andServicing convenience of a ute.you’ll Family trips can host of advanced safety technologies plus features like Cruise Control and Bluetooth® and than $200 (incl. service - no for matter needs Fixed Price be fun again with GST) heaps per of storage on hand all thewhat tents and toysdoing. while the car-like rideServicing there’s not a worry left in the world. comfort means the smiles stay onor the faces - evenScheduled around the curliest of throughout corners. Add inthe a mazda is available for each 6 month 10,000km New Fixed Price Servicing Service Servicing your vehicle ® has never been more affordable. With host of advanced safety technologies plus features like Cruise Control and Bluetooth and commercialcare period of 3 years 100,000km (whichever occurs ouror new mazda commercialcare Fixed Price first).

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COAST & COUNTRY

PH 07 578 0030

Page 25

New model turns heads The all-new BMW 1 Series drew an admiring crowd at its recent launch at Coombes Johnston BMW, Tauranga.

Coombes Johnston BMW is proud supporters of Nourish, a magazine that promotes and showcases local flavour and local artisan producers. Nourish catered the events and their delicious food was a perfect complement to the smart new 1 Series, revealed for the first time to the admiring audience.

“The new 1 Series is the only rear-wheel drive vehicle in its class,” says Coombes Johnston Tauranga’s general manager Clive Holmes.

“This gives it more agility and, because the weight is distributed evenly between the front and rear axles, far better handling characteristics than its competitors.”

charged as ‘extras’.

This stunning new five door The extremely spacious cabin and model represents a perfect union generous leg room also came in for between performance and efficiency favourable comment. of size and space. It also looks sharp “Add to that the latest twin-turbo and can be individually styled to petrol and diesel engines that offer suit each owner’s taste. From the impressive power as well as excelelegance and sophistication of a lent fuel economy and you have the chrome plated grille and ambitotal package in one meticulously ent coloured interior lights, to the detailed compact car,” says Clive. sporty energy of light alloy wheels Starting from $46,600, the BMW and race-style front air intakes, the 1 Series can be given a totally unique 1 Series is now showing at Coombes personality.

Johnston, 575 Te Rapa Road, Among the most impressive Hamilton and 113 Hewletts Road, features noted by many guests was Mount Maunganui.

Coombes the superior levels of technology Phone to book a test drive or for Coombes BMW Johnston and comfort that are includedJohnston in the BMW more details visit www.cjbmw.co.nz 1 Series as standard features –Coombes not

By Gaylene Moore Coombes Johnston Johnston BMW BMW

Leading Bay of Plenty and Hamilton dealership Coombes Johnston BMW took centre stage in October with two exclusive events to promote the New Zealand launch of the stylish new 1 Series.

Hamilton Hamilton Tauranga Coombes Tauranga Johnston BMW Hamilton Hamilton Tauranga Tauranga

The events were held in conjunction with Nourish Magazine, who was celebrating its first birthday.

Hamilton Tauranga

From left; Tony Amos, sales consultant,Tauranga, Clive Holmes, general manager, Tauranga, Gary Coombes, Director and Richard Johnston, managing director of Coombes Johnston BMW.

IT’S THE ONE. IT’S THE ONE. IT’S THE ONE.

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COAST & COUNTRY

Page 26

Coast & Country

World famous motorcycles European motorcycle specialists, GP Red Baron Motorcycles, now have new owners with a whole lot more to offer riders from throughout the Bay and beyond.

Long-time motorcycle enthusiasts, Owen Jessop and Kerry Donaldson took over the business, located in MacDonald St, Mt Maunganui, in July. Both Owen & Kerry are looking forward to being able to provide ongoing sales and support for their premium range to bike owners.

“GP Red Baron Motorcycles is the exclusive agent for many of the world’s leading European bike

brands,” says Owen. “In fact, we are the only shop in the central North Island that sells MV Augusta, the ‘Ferrari’ of motorcycles, the highly respected Italian Aprilia along with renowned Spanish off-road bikes, Gas-Gas and the dirt bikes that are currently taking market by storm by Husqvarna.

New 2012 Husqvarna models have arrived and, for those who

Red Baron Motorcycles Ltd Owen Jessop and Kerry Donaldson. didn’t know, Husqvarna Dirt Bikes are now built by BMW. These bikes have had millions of dollars of research and development poured into them, resulting in a range of high performance bikes that are sturdy and mechanically robust. They have all the goodies on board so there’s no need to buy heaps of extras to try and make your bike go faster - they are ‘ready to ride’. “Best of all,” adds Owen, “they are very competitively priced.”

One of the special deals that Owen and Kerry have at the moment is a brand new model Husqvarna CR65 junior size bike for only $5,990.00. This tough little bike comes with a special branded race shirt for the rider … and they’ll throw in a pit shirt for Mum or Dad too!

The range of quality new motorcycles at GP Red Baron Motorcycles is backed up with a great selection of used bikes.

From kids bikes to large road bikes and

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everything in between, buyers have plenty of options to meet their budget.

GP Red Baron Motorcycles are also specialist service agents, not only for all of the European brands, but for all makes and models of motorcycles. Their service technician, Steve Sutherland, has had extensive training in Europe and his ability to get customers bikes ‘sorted’ has earned him a following among riders from all over New Zealand. GP Red Baron Motorcycles are also the only motorcycle dealer in the Bay of Plenty approved as a supplier and installer of power command and dyno jet kits.

Parts and accessories make up another key part of the business. Although they carry a good range of parts and tyres for most makes and models, Owen and Kerry will gladly order in to meet customers’ requests. Readers will also be pleased to hear that GP Red Baron Motorcycles are having a massive sale on all motorcycle accessories this weekend.

“We’re dropping the prices on all our accessories for two days only,” says Owen.

“It’s a great time to stock up or upgrade your gear or perhaps to even sort out a few early Christmas presents. We’re having a free BBQ too and we’ll have some bikes available for demo rides.”

Customers who can’t make it in for the sale days are welcome to call with enquiries. Please see the advertisement on this page for contact details.

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Page 27

HORTICULTURE

the side of the fruit and not the top.”

While activating the cutting head from the handle either, cut and let the fruit fall or hold it and lower the fruit into a picking bin.

“We thin fruit to avoid rub marks where fruit touch, this also assists in reducing thrip damage to lessen places for the insects to hide and also decreases fruit-loading in years of a heavy crop.

‘We like to do our own picking and we have found this Avocado Fruit Picker is ideal for the task, so much so we became local agents.”

By Judy Prior and Kevin McNamara

Perfect avocado pole picker Judy Prior and Kevin McNamara have 50 avocado trees on their lifestyle block just south of Katikati, which they manage using organic principles.

Their orchard is too small to justify the use of a Hydralada for picking and thinning the out of reach avocados. They have found the 3m extension pole picker perfect for the job, which eliminates the need for a ladder.

“This picker was advertised in a Tree Crop

Association newsletter and had a swivel head that could either hold or drop fruit, so we tracked down the importers in Auckland and bought one to try.

“The swivel head is great when picking those avocados where the stem comes out

No silver bullet coming for Psa Zespri’ general manager Psa innovation, David Tanner, told growers at Zespri’s Momentum conference that to survive Psa they have to stop waiting for a ‘silver bullet miracle’.

“To survive this interim period, where it will appear Psa is gaining the upper hand despite our best efforts, will take patience, resilience and confidence.

“The patience to accept the miracle cure will not likely be coming; the resilience to work through the tough times ahead; and the confidence in the future of the industry to stay the distance.”

David was speaking to more than 400 growers and kiwifruit industry representatives about Zespri’s initial reaction to finding Psa last year and the actions put in place hence.

“Last year we received that fateful call at 4.45pm on a Friday afternoon immediately after plant and food had made their necessary call to MAF to advise that an unwanted and previously unrecorded organism had been found in a Te Puke orchard.

“Those responsible for reporting the systems that were out of the ordinary must be commended.

“We now see that the rate of spread has been swift – and if we had not known that it was here in November we may be facing a more serious situation now than we do – and it’s pretty serious.”

David says the initial plan to confine and eradicate the Psa was unsuccessful and the industry has had to change to a long-term strategy being headed by Kiwifruit Vine Health.

“In recognition that the management of Psa will be a permanent part of our

landscape for some years to come”.

“It is also acknowledged by all that the research and development followed by well-executed implementation will be a key activity and we will initially learn to live and eventually breed our way out of this situation.”

There are more than 70 research and development projects underway, but the results don’t always come overnight, says David.

“Tension always exists in that we, and you as growers, want answers more immediately.

“Scientists are more risk-averse, they want to be sure of their results; they want to double and triple check if necessary.”

David says he’s confident the R&D projects are going as fast as possible.

“On a daily level out there it may feel that little is happening, particularly in the absence of a silver bullet cure to Psa; but we have to be realistic on what R&D will deliver – and in all likelihood, it will not deliver a silver bullet.

“What it will deliver is incremental knowledge and the occasional big step forward, which will help the industry develop a tool box that will allow it to live with Psa. “The tool box will be a combination of orchard management techniques, products, supply chain changes and more resilient varieties.

“It is for this reason, that while I do have an underlying optimism that we will learn to live with Psa and prosper in a world with Psa, I temper this with the fact there is still some way to go.”

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We specialise within the kiwi fruit industry, We have the equipment to spray orchards with our two Atom sprayers and one recently purchased Tracatom Formula tractor which is also available for mulching and mowing.

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HORTICULTURE

Page 28

Coast & Country

Disaster looming HOW DO KIWIFRUIT COSTS REALLY

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Valuer John Middleton says Psa-V has had a significant impact on the value of both Gold and Green variety kiwifruit orchards in the Bay of Plenty since it was first found in November.

By Sheryl Brown

“The importance of finding a solution to this disease is not only paramount to the survival of the industry and the rebuilding of the growers’ asset and equity situation, but also to the local communities who rely on the industry.

“While the media is pre-occupied with the Pike River mine enquiry, the Canterbury earthquake and more lately the Rena grounding, there is a slowly developing disaster taking place on our doorstep, the severity of which doesn’t seem to have registered with the media nor a majority of the public.”

John, a valuer for TelferYoung Group in Tauranga, says the 2011 Rating Valuations are due to be issued soon, which “will no doubt have to reflect the market and therefore will be significantly different from the 2008 valuations”.

Prior to the outbreak of Psa-V, Gold (Hort 16A) orchards which were achieving an Orchard Gate Return (OGR) of about $100,000 per canopy hec-

tare were selling for between $400,000 and $450,000 per canopy hectare.

“In fact, returns were so good that Gold orchard owners didn’t want to sell,” says John, “so there were very few sales”.

Green orchards on the other hand, generating an OGR of about $40,000 per canopy hectare, were selling for $200,000 to $250,000 per canopy hectare.

“The situation is now substantially different.

“Gold orchards now have limited saleability and those within the priority zones would probably have a value near land value of $60,000 to $80,000 per hectare.

“And outside of the priority zones, they could be $100,000 to $200,000 per canopy hectare,” although, John says, there is no recent sales evidence (of which he is aware) to support these values.

He says although the incidence of Psa-V is not so prevalent in Green orchards, their values have also been significantly affected due to a combination of the Psa-V threat and lower returns forecast for the 2011 crop.

“The most recent sales outside of the priority zones indicate prices of between $100,000 and $130,000 per canopy hectare, but if the disease becomes more widespread, these prices could drop further, and like Gold orchards, they could trend towards land value.”

After Psa-V was discovered in a Gold orchard in the Te Puke district in November 2010,

PH 07 578 0030

HORTICULTURE

Page 29

Kiwifruit orchards ‘losing value’

Kiwifruit Vine Health Incorporated was set up to administer and manage the disease and measures were put in place in an attempt to control its spread.

These included introduction of priority zones, vine removal and pruning vines back with compensation being payable to the earlier affected orchards.

“However, regardless of the vine removal, the disease continued to spread and compensation payments were withdrawn,” says John.

The disease has now spread to Tauranga, Katikati, Waihi and Whakatane.

Research of products to stem the spread of the disease is being undertaken with urgency in New Zealand and other countries. In addition to copper sprays there are some promising products and technology which are being developed which will hopefully be released in the near future,” says John.

“The impact of Psa-V has therefore created an enormous amount of uncertainty within the industry and this in turn has had a severe impact on orchard sales and values.

“Sales of orchards are virtually at a standstill with no recorded sales in Te Puke since early 2011, one sale in Tauranga, one in Te Puna and two orchards were sold in Katikati in June 2011.”

Like any investment, risk is usually reflected in returns. High risk, high returns relative to the investment and vice versa, says John.

“Clearly investment in kiwifruit orchards is now high risk and therefore this will translate into lower values – at least until a remedy to the disease is found or a resistant variety is bred (which could be several years away).”

The key to the future of the industry is in identifying a resistant rootstock and new resistant varieties to graft on to the rootstock as soon as possible.

Banks are also concerned says John, “the degree of which is dependent on their respective exposures to the

industry”.

“No banks are lending for orchard purchase unless an alternative form of security is also provided. Growers have their income for this season from the 2011 crop proceeds or from compensation, so the full impact of the disease will not be realised until next season when some orchardists will not be able to grow a crop and thereby generate an income.”

In anticipation of the financial difficulties likely to arise next season as a result of Psa-V, a financial advocates group has been set up by NZ Kiwifruit Growers and KVH. This group will assist those affected growers by liaising with banks and making arrangements for financial assistance so they can continue their business.

“The anticipation is that a remedy will be found before 2013 from when re-grafting can take place and orchard values should start improving.”

The uncertainty of the industry’s future is also generating talk of alternative crops.

“There are a selection of fruit tree varieties which could be planted such as avocados, figs and the like, however, if a remedy to Psa-V is found within the next two years, there is no point in planting varieties that take three to five years before they crop.

“Cash flow needs to be generated quickly, which could mean grazing stock, cash cropping or planting of short term crops.

I am aware of some growers who are looking at these short term measures with a view that a solution will be found.”

By Sheryl Brown

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HORTICULTURE

Page 30

Coast & Country

Turners and Growers withdraw appeal Turners and Growers has withdrawn its appeal against the High Court Zespri decision saying the kiwifruit industry is already under enough pressure from Psa.

“Severe Pressure” from the bacterial vine disease is cited as the reason T&G won’t be going ahead with the appeal, due to have been heard on November 1.

The Psa crisis within the New Zealand industry is putting kiwifruit growers and their families

under ‘severe pressure’ says T&G managing director Jeff Wesley.

“Psa will change the industry in a way that no one could have imagined.

“Like all kiwifruit growers, Turners & Growers is hoping a solution will be found quickly and that

needs to be the focus for everyone in the industry at this time.

“The Turners & Growers board remains committed to gaining the right to export our own kiwifruit varieties, but believe challenging the legality of the Kiwifruit Regulations 1999 is not the right course given the threat currently facing the industry.”

None of Turners and Growers orchards or its varieties on any commercial orchards have been impacted by Psa to date.

Turners & Growers will continue with its appeal on the second part of its action against Zespri to hear its claims under the Commerce Act. A date for

that appeal is yet to be set. In August, the High Court found that Zespri’s ‘loyalty’ contracts with growers are designed to preserve its monopoly over kiwifruit exports after deregulation.

The court also found Zespri had taken advantage of its market power in adopting a policy of only commercialising new cultivars owned by Zespri. The High Court said, however, that Turners & Growers could not show that Zespri had the purpose of substantially lessening competition in a market because it could not prove that the government would deregulate the industry or when it would do so.

By Andrew Campbell

HORTS SHORTS Psa found outside Bay

Kiwifruit Vine Health has received a preliminary Psa-V positive result on a kiwifruit orchard in Kerikeri. A verification process is underway and the result is expected this week.

Psa-V has been confirmed on more than 500 orchards in Tauranga, Katikati, Waihi, Whakatane and Opotiki.

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Floriade 10-year trip

A dozen Kiwis are looking forward to Northern Hemisphere spring when they’ll visit Floriade 2012 in Holland – an opportunity that only rolls around once every decade.

Floriade is one of the world’s most spectacular horticultural shows. The enormity of the event is the reason why it’s only held once every 10 years.

Calder & Lawson Tours is offering 30 lucky travellers the opportunity to experience the event, departing on 3 May 2012.

Skeltons increase staff

Skeltons has increased its Bay of Plenty technical advisory team in light of the challenges of Psa facing the region’s kiwifruit growers.

Mark Loeffen and Jonathan Newby will start consulting to growers from November.

“Kiwifruit growers are becoming confused and frustrated with the masses of information coming at them,” says Skeltons Bay of Plenty field manager Dean Gower.

“They just want advice where fact

has been sorted from fiction, to give a sound and clear recommendation based on latest information.”

Kiwi in China

Zespri welcomes news that steps towards the negotiation of a closer economic partnership with Chinese Taipei will begin this year.

The New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Wellington have announced they will explore the feasibility of an economic cooperation agreement between New Zealand and Chinese Taipei.

Chinese Taipei is Zespri’s seventh largest market by volume, earning around $70 million in export returns for the New Zealand kiwifruit industry last year.

NZ avos at Coles

New Zealand avocado grower’s company Fressure Foods has secured a deal with Australian supermarket giant Coles, to range its fresh guacamole products on more than 800 chilled store shelves around the country.

The company’s range is available in supermarkets in South East Asia, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand.

Fressure Foods general manager Graeme Laurence says the initial order is for approx15,000 cases, which represents around four shipping containers.

This additional volume is on top of the weekly container loads already on route to Japanese supermarkets. Coles will range the Mild and Spicy Guacamole in the fresh produce added value section.

PH 07 578 0030

HORTICULTURE

Page 31

Including horticulture in region’s future Across the country, regional councils are developing Regional Policy Statements (RPS). Every regional council is required to develop a RPS. This is the prime planning document for both the regional council and all the district councils in the region.

All regional and district plans must give effect to the Regional Policy Statement for their region.

The RPS is therefore a very important and powerful document.

Agriculture and horticulture industries need to make sure provision is made for: • The right to grow/farm sustainably. As councils create more rules regulating what you do on your land, we need to reserve the right to grow kiwifruit.

• The sustainable economic development of the region including horticultural development.

• The provision of high quality land for growing kiwifruit. The expansion of towns and lifestyle developments need to take account of this high value land, reserving it for horticulture.

• The protection of water quality

and adequate allocation of it to horticulture. Here we are in direct competition with urban water supply needs.

• Adequate Biosecurity measures in place to protect the region.

• An adequate and efficient transport network.

• Research and development being specifically catered for. The success of the kiwifruit industry has been built on research and devel-

opment and this will be vital in finding solutions to Psa. On October 7 the kiwifruit and avocado industries made submissions to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council on its Draft RPS. HortNZ (the national horticultural organisation who have a specialist resource management team) ably took the lead, making the key submission with supporting submissions being

made by: • Zespri on the growth projections for the industry, economic benefits provided to Bay of Plenty region and New Zealand’s economy.

• NZ Kiwifruit Growers on the role of kiwifruit in Bay of Plenty economy, the structure of the kiwifruit industry, the importance of biosecurity and water to growers, management of agrichemicals and what growers need to be successful orchardists from the RPS. • The local grower organisations, the Te Puke and Katikati Fruitgrower Associations on access to water and in support of the other submissions.

• Priority One (the Western Bay’s Economic Development Agency) supported the recognition and enabling of growth in the kiwifruit sector including the Post Harvest sector.

• Kiwifruit Vine Health on the role of regional councils in assisting with Psa management and the range of work being conducted with respect to Psa that involve regional council powers and duties.

• Plant & Food on the role of the

No 1 Road facility in providing research into kiwifruit and avocado production including plant varieties, commercialisation and the uniqueness of the facility in the country.

Expert evidence was also presented on science, power generation, resource

management law, irrigation efficiency and nutrient use efficiency.

We are confident the council understood our submissions.

We therefore look forward to council making provision for horticulture in its RPS.

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Page 32

DAIRY DEVELOPMENT

Coast & Country

Rotary with post natal herringbone

When Peter and Vickie Risi decided to upgrade from their 28 a-side herringbone to a 60 bail rotary, they decided to take their established herringbone system along for the ride.

More and more farmers around the world are insisting on Waikato Milking Systems’ dairy equipment.

Peter Risi chose a Waikato Milking Systems’ 60 bail Orbit rotary milking system for his new dairy. He is impressed with the results and how easy the innovative system is to use.

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“I was worried that learning how to use the new technology would be really stressful - but it was so straightforward. The cup remover auto-start triggers all of the milking functions and one switch activates the cleaning system at the end of milking - it’s so simple!”

They incorporated a 22 bail, one-sided herringbone system alongside their new rotary platform, giving them a specialised area and separate milk line for colostrum cows and for any treated cows during the rest of the season.

The unique set up was something Peter had seen years earlier in an issue of Coast & Country and it has been part of his plans for a new shed ever since.

“We milk our colostrum cows through there, our mastitis cows; it’s our post natal ward,” says Vickie.

“That way, the calf rearers can get the milk straight away and don’t have to wait until the end of milking. It’s more efficient and it works really well.”

“We have mastitis detection,” says Peter, “so we just send the cows over there (to the herringbone); there is no chance of the vat being contaminated, it’s a totally different milk line.”

Up until this season, Peter and Vickie were milking 400 cows through their 1960s shed, having to duck under doors and squeeze around the tight gaps in the milk room.

The shed was very manual, from pushing the backing gate through to hosing down. Peter and Vickie purchased a neighbouring farm last year, which justified a new shed.

The rotary, built by Gibson Rural Builders, is a light, spacious working environment.

“It’s a happy place, a great environment for staff,” says Peter.

“It’s a light and airy shed, it’s not claustrophobic.”

Their oldest son Daniel insisted on big windows at the front of the shed says Vickie.

“It looks great.

“It’s a lot of money to spend and if you didn’t get what you wanted it would be gutting.”

Light is an important factor when it comes to building a shed says Pat Gibson.

“It is a big thing. We stipulate the inside has to be titanium – it’s the lightest colour you can get in colour steel.”

The two metres Pat always puts around the platform gives an extra width, adding to the feeling of plenty of space.

Peter first met Pat at the Fieldays in 2009. He had seen a few of Pat’s sheds and liked what he saw.

“We came out and talked about it and I came back with a concept and a layout,” says Pat. Peter knew what he wanted; the herringbone addition, vats under cover, square yards, an underpass and good amenities.

During the whole process, it is about building exactly what the client wants says Pat. “Things changed as they went, but we can always accommodate and adjust to what the client wants.

“We changed the design at the cow entrance area, the yard changed.

“The main priority is always to have it finished on time,” which they achieved, starting in January and were finished by mid-July.

“The boys went from wearing Mexican hats to being all rugged up,” says Peter.

Pat’s equity partner Brent Bird was the on-site manager for the job and Peter says his communication and organisation was top-notch.

“Brent looked after all the building contractors, the plumbers, electricians etc, we looked after the rest.

DAIRY DEVELOPMENT

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Seasoned contractors were the key “They were very good, all the subs (sub contractors) worked in really well together.

“There was a good feeling in the shed. They are all experienced operators, which is one of the things we made sure of – because you only get one chance at this.

“Pat and Brent have built so many rotarys, you can see why it’s so important to have people who know what they’re doing.

“There’s a lot of underground work you don’t see.”

Peter and Vickie went to Waikato Milking Systems for their milking plant.

Latest technology

North Waikato and Northland sales manager Josh Norquay says Peter has some of the latest technology from Waikato Milking Systems and can always add more down the line.

It’s CAN (operating from a central area network) enabled and easily adapted for the purposes of upgrading or adding new technology. The system allows plug and play components to be added quickly and easily and provides

flexibility for expansion into the future.

“The important thing is that our automation and milking technology is ‘future proofed’, we didn’t want individual herd management, we’ve gone middle of the road,” says Peter.

The shed has smartECR’s – electronic cup removers designed specifically for rotary installation, smartPULS – a digital electronic pulsation system that’s quiet and efficient and smartD-Tect an early warning mastitis detection system connected via smartLink to an automatic drafting system.

A smartD-Tect system detects clinical mastitis at a very early stage in its development and alerts operators long before it becomes a more significant and costly problem.

With smartD-Tect reporting levels are adjustable. For example, farmers can change the alarm threshold of the system to operate within a range they specify. This may be 10, 15 or 20 per cent above the average and depends on whether measurements are being made based on cow or herd averages.

Peter has installed smartSPRAY which is programmed from a large

touch screen controller positioned at cups on. Individual spray bullets are mounted on the deck at every bail and spray directly upward and onto the udder. The dual nozzle spray system can be tuned to suit the herd. Both spray time and volume is variable.

“We’ve set the spray bullets forward for our crossbred cows,” says Peter, “but if a sharemilker brings in a herd of big Friesians, you can adjust the nozzle position back toward the breach rail – once again it’s future proofing the system.”

Automated wash

The wash system is automated. It operates by pressing one button on the smartWash controller. Washing is then carried out consistently time after time, there’s no human error.

“It’s an automated system that’s so easy to use,” says Peter.

“After initial set-up and calibration the system is repetitive. It has tremendous flexibility, requires very little intervention and is extremely reliable,” according to Brendan Paul of Hutchies. The Waikato Milking System at Tui Glen was installed by Geo Hutchinson & Co Ltd – Morrinsville.

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Pat Gibson built Vickie and Peter Risi a ‘post natal ward’ herringbone on the side of their new rotary platform.

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PITGATES

DAIRY DEVELOPMENT

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Coast & Country

Full automation at push of button Peter and Vickie Risi made a considered choice…

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Hutchies also took care of the water reticulation system for the new cowshed.

Washdown pump is an 11kw Grundfos variable speed unit, this pump ramps up and down to meet the required water demand.

The milk is cooled through a double bank cooler that has washdown water on the primary side, with chilled water going through the secondary side of the cooler.

This chilled water is from a concrete tank that is buried in the ground that has its own chiller unit, this system is getting the milk down to 10 degrees going into the vat.

One of the interesting challengers was removing the old plant from the old cowshed, modifying it and installing it into the herringbone at the new rotary.

Brendan and the team from hutchies would like to say what a pleasure it has been working with the Risi’s and all the other contractors on their new shed project.

The wash system uses FIL products, supplied to the farm from the FIL plant in Mount Maunganui.

“It’s a fully automated system, it’s a matter of collaborating it and it washes the plant automatically.”

“We supply the dairy detergents and teat spray,” says Greg Duncan, FIL area manager for Cambridge, Matamata, Morrinsville East and Te Aroha.

Greg says there are three chemical pumps, all automatically programmed to filter the right chemicals into the wash system at the push of a button.

“There’s no wastage, no spillage, no exposure to chemicals.”

If the chemicals get low, the farmers can be alerted by text message.

“You don’t have to handle chemicals anymore,” says Peter.

“There’s no carrying cups of chemicals around.”

There is also a more sustainable source of hot water for the wash cycle thanks to the system put in place by Centigrade.

Peter wanted to use his old refrigeration plant from his herringbone shed, which was only a few years old. He’d purposefully upgraded to a bigger than necessary plant then in anticipation to building a bigger shed.

Centigrade project manager Paul Donderwinkel says the heat recovery system

is amazing. “The heat you get from the milk – you’re using heat that is usually just wasted, that goes into the air.

“You’re getting maximum efficiency out of it.”

Vickie says the pipe being heated by the milk is too hot to touch it is that hot.

“The water comes in incredibly hot so you only need to top up the hot water cylinder. All these bits and pieces add up to pretty big savings.

“With big vats and big plants you need a lot of hot water, it saves us an enormous amount of power.”

Vickie says it’s totally automatic; once it’s preset for a cowshed the tanker driver just has to push a button when he’s collected the milk.

“We burnt a few water heaters out in the old shed – when you’d forget to turn off the hot water – so it takes all human error out of it.”

All the electrical work was done by Wayne Bryant Electrical.

“He’s phenomenal,” says Peter.

“He’s been my electrician for many years, for 20 years.

“He’s been to Brazil to do cowsheds, he’s a cowshed specialist.

“It’s amazing how he works through the problems. He’s very much in demand.”

Another great water saving aspect is the new water hub installed with the cowshed

by Think Water Cambridge.

“It allows us to keep an eye on the water for the farm, all the pumps are in a centered area,” says Peter.

“All the water gets pumped here and then dispensed over the farm.

“So if you have a leak you know straight away in what area it is. The farm is split into nine zones, so if the cows don’t have water you know what zone it is.

“Or if you know by checking the water metre if there is no stock on an area of the farm and there is water going there – there is a leak.”

Phillip Clark from Think water Cambridge organised the water hub – to centralise the whole farm’s water.

“Phillip did an excellent job,” says Peter.

“He designed the water hub, in conjunction with all the farm water, effluent hoses and the drenching system.”

Devan Tanks provided the three 30-thousand litre water tanks and the 40 tonne molasses tank.

“We sell into a lot of these installations,

PH 07 578 0030

DAIRY DEVELOPMENT

Page 35

Efficient and time saving

new dairy sheds,” says sales manager Jamie Lunam.

He says farmers are prepared to spend more money on quality rather than go with a cheaper brand.

“People don’t mind spending a bit more dough on getting the best quality in there.

“We mould in brass outlets into the tank, which makes the plumbing really secure and easy.

“And we put a space frame in the dome of the tank, a tubular steel frame like spiders legs, so when you’re installing the tanks or servicing them you can get on top of the tank without caving in the top.”

Jamie says supplying molasses tanks is becoming more and more popular as well.

“We are the prepared supplier to Agrifeeds, they only sell our tanks.

The irrigation system is courtesy of Spitfire Irrigators, based in Petone.

“Peter and Vickie know that they have to wash down yards and irrigate the liquid manure – but that’s all they want to do,” says managing director Stuart Reid.

“The extra time required for desludging operations, solids spreading, and shifting small mixers around a large pond is something they don’t have the luxury of.

So their considered choice was to put all the washdown manure into a large thoroughly mixed pond, and then (when the soil was ready for it) they’d just irrigate.

The absence of fuss, the uniform consistency of the mixture, and the use of the effluent for grass growth at the right time of the season were compelling factors in their choice. Since Spitfire bridge-mixers suit pond sizes from 1500 to 16,000 cubic metres it was easy to choose a mixer for their 9800 m3 pond.

The elevated nature of the farm also meant an efficient high pressure pump was required, because traditional centrifugal solids pumps can’t manage the high head.

They can achieve a consistent 5l per second at each hydrant on the farm with only 7.5kW using a Netzsch progressive cavity pump.

This all arrived from Spitfire Irrigators with quick-to-assemble grooved pipe connections that made for a kitset type installation.

“Peter and Vickie have done some seriously deep thinking. They deserve their success.”

“Stuart was really good,” says Vickie, “even been at a distance. He’s very professional. He always kept in touch.”

“Effluent is a big thing, as it should be,” says Peter.

“If the pump breaks down we’ve got a pond there for back up.

“Even in the really wet winter. The last thing you want to do when you’re busy calving is go and shift the irrigator every day.”

Matamata contractors Graham and Micah Luxford are going to be digging out the effluent pond.

Graham also helped Peter clear the dirt from the cowshed site, did the tanker track and the connecting races to the new farm.

“We shifted a lot of dirt around the cowshed, “Micah was just loading tractors and trailers for 10 days straight. That gives you an idea of how much dirt came out of that slab alone.

“Peter did a lot himself, he actually did most of the titivating of the actual cowshed digging out where the roundabout went etcetera, we were more around the cowshed.

The main adjoining race was about

1.5km long, up through a block of trees says Graham, “So there was a whole lot of pine trees to get out of the way, Peter mulched those for calf bedding, so they weren’t wasted.”

“Graham and Micah are good operators, we’ve used Graham for years,” says Peter.

“They do a good job. The good thing about a small family-owned business is they are easy to deal with.”

Graham and Micah were there for about seven weeks, and are going back to dig the effluent pond and another two new races.

When it comes to getting the best production from the new shed into the new vats; Peter asked Liquid Feed Systems to help.

Liquid Feed Systems owner Mike Barrett and his son-in-law Ryan Burley installed their system along with stainless steel bins into the rotary to feed the cows a measured amount of molasses on the platform.

“We used to use the lick balls in the old shed,” says Peter.

“Some cows could get more, the cunning ones would push down the ball and suck the molasses out.

“With this system you get a measured amount in front of the cow and even if they go around on the platform twice for some reason they won’t get anymore.”

Peter says being able to give every cow a measured amount means it is accurate and there is no wastage.

“I am using less molasses now – some cows (the cunning ones) were getting 3-4kgs, so it’s a big saving. It’s an economical way to do it.

“All the feeds are expensive now so you don’t want to be wasting any.”

The system is controlled from cups on.

“We can change the settings. When it snowed we gave them a little bit more molasses,” says Peter.

“It’s easy, simple the bins are easy to clean.

“You just turn the pump on at the start of milking.

Mike says they put in a special 40 tonne tank for Peter.

“It’s the biggest we could put in, we normally put in a 30 tonne tanks.”

Peter only has to top up once a month.

“So when the tank gets down to about 10 tonne, it still gives us 8-10 days to wait for the next delivery,” says Peter.

Agrifeeds supplies the molasses, delivering the truck and trailer loads from Mount Maunganui.

Agrifeeds territory manager for Waikato, Hamilton, Cambridge, Otorohanga, Te Kuiti and Pio Pio Colin Templeton has been supplying Peter with molasses since 2006.

Colin says using molasses after calving helps keep the condition on the cows leading into mating.

Molasses also helps cows digest the protein feeds they get – particularly palm kernel.

“Palm kernel is 50 per cent more digestible when using molasses as well,” says Colin.

“Molasses drives appetite, improves ruman function, gives the cows more energy. You get good submission rates and good conception.”

Peter is on a loyalty contract with Agrifeeds and says the delivery is always on time and it helps to always know at the start of the season what he’ll be paying.

The shed is pretty much bang in the middle of the farm now. The family did the majority of earth moving on the site themselves with all the three kids pitching in.

Peter then got Rodney Bishop from

The new rotary cowshed is a great environement for staff. From left; Peter and Vickie Risi with son Matthew, farm works Eugene Marshall and son Josh and farm manager Thomas Hill.

Steelcon Construction to put up the bridge on the new tanker track and rebuild a shed Peter had bought several years ago.

“We had to build an access road, which we had to bring in a rock breaking digger for.”

The 10m clear span bridge went up in a matter of days says Peter.

“The bridge came all in pre-cast slabs which they did off-site. Putting foundations in and craning it in, the bridge took two days.

“They were pretty efficient with the bridge, so I though I’d get them to put the shed up, and they did it in a matter of days.”

Rodney has got a great amount of experience with commercial buildings – he reused the timber and steel and re-welded it and put it all together.

“It looks like a new building,” says Peter.

Viv says Steelcon Contstruction can also build feedpads, bunkers, underpasses and effluent ponds.

Peter says the shed is something they’ve worked towards for 15 years and are extremely happy with the result.

“It does all it’s asked of it. All the technology works really well.

“There is no wasted space – it’s a good one-man shed.”

By Sheryl Brown

WAIKATO MILKING

SYSTEMS

Page 36

Coast & Country

WAIKATO

New Young Farmers branch for Hamilton Nine years ago, Young Farmers was a slim beast indeed. Membership was at an all time low and its future didn’t look promising.

But rescue was at hand and during the last eight years, a series of bright ideas has revitalised the organisation and increased membership to about 6500 in a variety of suborganisations.

Primary schools around the country now have about 1200 members of AgKids learning about farming, a growing movement in secondary schools called TeenAg demonstrates the huge range of choices in agriculture-related careers and there are 1800 members and more branches of YFC. Young Farmers Clubs have always had an age limit of 30 and for a

while were primarily seen as an opportunity for young people working on farms to get together and have fun. But the increasing popularity and importance of the Young Farmer of the Year competitions, stemming from local and regional competitions to the major televised finals, has also brought opportunities to increase the huge variety of skills which farmers need today. Note that this year the national final will be held in Dunedin earlier than usual – May 24-27 instead of July.

And city types aren’t being left out. There are clubs in Wellington, Christchurch and, most recently, Hamilton. The clubs are bringing in under-30 rural related professionals working in city-based jobs to share their knowledge and enjoy mixing with those from farm-based jobs.

They’ve also found that people

want to meet others in their regions for business and professional development, so they are creating a nationwide Rural Business Network, based around hubs and districts, whose members will meet every three months – this section will have no age restriction.

The creation of the new Hamilton Branch of YFC was energetically led by Tim van den Molen and Erica van Reenen, who persuaded both the Hon David Carter and Sir Henry van der Heyden to attend the opening at the new Claudelands Event Centre on October 13.

Sarah Payne, a consulting officer at DairyNZ for South Auckland has accepted the role of initial chairperson. Those wanting to join this new branch can phone Sarah on 027 486 4344 or email sarah.payne@dairynz.co.nz

New club opening - Sarah Payne on right.

Supporting ‘created advantage’

By Sue Edmonds

During the last 40 years, the country has collapsed from 8th to 23rd in the OECD ranking of Gross Domestic Product per capita.

Member

Certified Builders

Consequently, our average annual wage rates are roughly 25 per cent lower than Australia’s and 20 per cent lower than Denmark’s. Between 1983 and 2009 our share prices remained near to static, whilst those of Australia and Denmark both rose by c.500 per cent.

The country’s economic policy settings – stable for the last 25 years – have been insufficient to reverse the decline.

Presently, much of our economy remains trapped producing commodities and we rank poorly in our ability to create competitive advantage through development of unique products and processes (56th of 139 countries).

This is not a wise strategic position for a small, remote country to be in because long-run we cannot compete on scale.

The economy has two means of propulsion – natural advantages and created advantages. Humans inherited the natural advantages when they populated this

landmass; fertile soils, high luminosity, copious freshwater, mild temperatures, geothermal energy and buried hydrocarbons and hard minerals.

We have built significant export industries based on these natural advantages because we grow things well.

Our sheep, dairy, horticulture, seafood and forestry industries are internationally regarded, even though most could return more value to New Zealand if they went about things differently.

Where we manifestly struggle, however, is in created advantages; those that human endeavour invents and that do not so obviously rely on natural advantages, including all facets of specialist manufacturing, smart services, aspects of tourism and export education.

We are not adept at nurturing our created advantages although we are immensely inventive. Arguably, the most important sustenance derives from clustering like-minded firms on innovation parks or adjacent to them, with a supporting cast of polytechnics, universities and Crown Research Institutes.

The Waikato Innovation Park specialising in dairy and red-meat food technologies is New Zealand’s best example and it is heartening to see other such clusters being mooted in Tauranga and Canterbury.

If we can create six or seven clusters as vibrant as Waikato’s, the economy will be in better health and vitality.

COUNTRY LIVING

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Concrete construction takes off Concerns with leaky home issues, increased costs and a constantly changing building code has led Tauranga Master Builder Stuart Wood to offer homes with insulated concrete walls in a quality befitting valuable rural properties.

Interest has been high in a Papamoa home Stuart’s team are building in the Australian concrete system,which involves pouring the walls onsite into factory-assembled forms, to produce a high quality property at a similar cost to a well-built conventional home.

Stuart believes structural concrete is particularly suitable for rural properties with its greater warmth, noise reduction and strength. The solid permanent structure far better Home Builders BOP director Stuart withstands nature’s fury particularly Wood believes reinforced concrete on exposed sites or cold valleys, which wall panels – which are widely used may be home to families for generain Australia and Europe – will tions. become a popular rural building “Reduced internal noise and the choice here. Photo by Tracy Hardy. massive thermal mass keeping a more

even temperature all day will be of particular importance to those working from home in extreme weather conditions, hot and cold,” says Stuart.

“Increased costs of new building regulations, cold, poorly performing older homes and knowledge of superior methods globally, prompted a search for a better solution.”

The reinforced concrete walls are poured on site, in lightweight insulated forms, to your own design. The increased strength, warmth, stability, noise reduction and fire resistance are massive. High thermal mass is the key. There is no timber to rot, nasty treatments or voids for moisture and vermin to gather.

“The concrete absorbs heat during the day then releases it, so if you build to maximise passive solar gain you may not need any heating at all.”

This is a proven system used in many countries from single to 10-storey projects and to economically build custom designed architectural homes.

By Hamish Carter

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Suffolk ram sale at Waiuku in December Woodbine and Studholme studs have a similar philosophy regarding breeding: First and foremost, sheep have to be structurally sound before anything else.

Growth rate and scanning figures are used as a final tool in selection processes. Their aim is to breed hardy, medium framed, structurally sound sheep with good meaty hindquarters.

On December 1, 2011, at noon, Woodbine and Studholme Studs are combining for an on-farm ram sale, auctioning 65 Suffolk Rams and 35 Poll Dorset Rams at 37 Taurangaruru Road, Waiuku.

All rams purchased at the sale will give the buyer an entry into a draw for one weeks luxury holiday accommodation in New Zealand.

(Conditions Apply).

Woodbine and Studholme Studs are located near Waiuku, south of Auckland.

Woodbine is at the very top of the Awhitu Peninsula near the Manukau Heads lighthouse, while Studholme is on the west coast near Karioitahi Beach.

Both are wild and windswept properties and have been in their respective families since the mid1800s.

Woodbine Suffolk Stud was established in 1978 by Colin and Margaret Irwin after pursuing

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larger prime lambs for their commercial flock. Their farm comprises 180ha of rolling to hilly land and is currently running 130 stud Suffolk ewes and replacements, 100 stud Poll Dorset ewes and replacements and 200 commercial ewes for prime lambs, 180 cattle and 60 dairy grazers.

Woodbine Poll Dorset’s were introduced in 2005 to provide more Terminal sire choice for their clients.

Studholme Stud was established

by Brian and Debbie Holmes in 2003 after having purebred Suffolk’s for more than 25 years. Their farm is a very steep property 8ha property and another 60 acres of land is leased within 5km. Their flock comprises 85 stud ewes and 30 replacements. Both Brian and Debbie work off farm and they raise whiteface weaner calves to supplement the income.

Top stud sires have been used at every opportunity to continually improve carcass weight and growth rates. Performance recording is done within their own flocks and lambs are weighed frequently to

determine growth rates. All sheep that do not have the phenotype or temperament that they are aiming to breed are dispersed as lambs.

Lambs are culled ‘hard’ at weaning, with only the top percentage of lambs retained for breeding.

Both ewe and ram lambs are EMA scanned in autumn.

There are only nine Suffolk Flocks in NZ that have FTN status (flocks tested negative) for the genetic disorder Spider Syndrome.

Woodbine and Studholme are two of these nine FTN flocks.

Both studs participate in Cold Tolerance DNA trials run by Jon Hickford at Lincoln University.

The trials are studying the link between the cold tolerance gene and growth rate. Each stud has received excellent results and is aiming to improve their genetics each year. The top rams in each stud are also DNA tested at Lincoln University for Footscore and also DNA Scrapie tested for potential exporting of semen overseas. This year 16 of Woodbines Poll Dorset’s have recorded the best possible score for Scrapie.

Woodbine

Studholme

Colin and Margaret Irwin

Brian and Debbie Holmes

Suffolks & Poll Dorsets

Suffolks

COUNTRY LIVING

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Coast & Country

Building antioxidant defences One of my favourite cricketers is the Indian batsman Rahul Dravid. His nickname is ‘The Wall’.

His defence is so good he seems to be impenetrable, even to world class bowling.

Our bodies likewise have a potential defence wall.

The most important parts are our antioxidant and immune systems. When antioxidant systems fail, free radicals damage cell components, affecting cell function and is the first cause of most chronic disease.

Pick any disease you like and you will see antioxidant system failures. CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) is characterised by

high levels of nitrogen radicals which interfere with our body’s ability to create energy. Coronary Artery Disease starts with free radicals damaging trapped cholesterol particles, setting of an inflammatory process that result in plaques forming. Osteoarthritis is essentially caused by free radicals damaging cartilage cells.

Our antioxidant defence systems

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are complex. There are two main types; those we make ourselves and those we get directly from food or supplements.

The first line of defence are three enzymes we make ourselves. Excess free radicals are dismantled by these enzymes, but here is the most important nutritional fact: These enzymes are constructed from trace minerals we should get from diet or supplements.

Those of greatest importance are selenium, zinc, copper, manganese and iron, but others play a role. Obtaining sufficient of these from diet is very difficult and this is the benefit of well formulated supplements that contain major minerals, main trace elements and the numerous rare minerals found in salt water. The best combine these with multi-vitamins and broad spectrum antioxidants.

The second line of defence are the antioxidants we get from foods including some vitamins, especially C and E and potent biologically active

compounds including OPCs, green tea catechins and those found in dark berries. These disable free radicals that escape the enzyme systems and are like the final mop of a dirty floor. The benefit of well formulated supplements is they can select the most active and important while boosting levels dictated by individual health status.

If you are unwell you need to address these defence systems and the only way is through targeted nutrition, including well formulated supplements and you may well join the thousands of Kiwi’s benefiting from antioxidant therapy.

Give me a call if you need some guidance.

To contact John phone 0800 423559 or visit www.abundant.co.nz. To join the weekly newsletter visit www.johnarts.co.nz

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"That's the guy I want to talk to...the halfwit!" said the agent.

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Time up for rural subdivision It has been talked about for months now, but time is almost up for the lifestyle subdivision that we have been witnessing in the Waikato District, particularly close to Hamilton City on the smaller farms.

The rules have been reasonably accepting of lifestyle subdivision for those with more than a couple of hectares of land and perhaps it has allowed too much fragmentation of high quality land. That is going to change soon.

Waikato District Council has recently completed its public hearings on the proposed changes to the subdivision rules and will soon announce its decision. If you are one who has been procrastinating over how to get the best value out of your

land – now is the time to act if you want to use your current entitlement, before it’s too late.

Once council announce its decision, there will be a period of about a month for appeals to be referred to the Environment Court. Up until this period closes you will still be able to request a subdivision approval from council under the old rules.

Those rules often allow two lifestyle blocks to be cut from an older block.

Under the proposed rules, a block will have to be at least 6ha and created prior to December 1997 before it can be considered for subdivision.

Only one new lot can be subdivided from this and it will need to be at least 1.6ha (4 acres) in size. Unfortunately, this takes further land out of the main farm when compared with the 5000Sqm (1.25 acres)

minimum size currently allowed.

Should you want to subdivide further lots there is – and will probably remain – a rule that allows it under a non-complying application. With this type of application you must prove to council that the lifestyle block is not affecting ‘high quality soils’ and the application process is more complex, requiring consent of neighbours and affected parties.

There is currently a big shuffle up going on between councils which underlines how arbitrary the subdivision rules are in many areas. Western Bay has, in the

Page 39

e or elsewhere m o h r o f

past, had a minimum subdivision area of 40ha. They recently reduced that to 6ha on highly productive land, whilst other councils are proposing that it be increased to 40ha from between 6-25 hectares. If you own land in Hauraki, Matamata-Piako or Waipa Districts you should be having a good look into the likely changes right away because big changes are proposed.

There is little time left to apply for subdivision under the current rules that allow two lifestyle blocks so, if you are interested to find out how the changes may affect you, give me a call.

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Coast & Country

Farm planning for a sustainable future Environmental farm planning is a useful tool for helping farmers and landowners to manage their resources in a sustainable way.

Being sustainable means actively looking after environmental resources so they can be valued and enjoyed by future generations.

The benefits of protecting natural resources and sustainable management of land can extend well beyond the farm. Improvements to downstream water quality and enhanced habitat networks for wildlife are common outcomes.

Wildlands works with land managers to produce Integrated Sustainable Farm Plans.

The company provides high quality and cost-effective information, advice and technical services. This assists clients to achieve

sustainable management and enhancement of the indigenous biodiversity, ecosystems and resources they oversee. A critical objective is to integrate these features into farm management in a way that complements and adds value to landowners’ core operations and underlying business rather than compromising it. Plans include tasks and timeframes, estimated costs for works and a map of the farm – utilising up-to-date aerial photography.

Integrated sustainable farm plans provide a long-term, site specific, integrated approach to environmental management within the farming system. Wildlands’ approach stands apart in that it takes into account social, economic and commercial dimensions of farm management – in addition to on-theground features and operational and practical considerations.

A primary focus may be biodiversity, soil and water conservation, landscape enhancement, and or kaitiakitanga – guardianship – but plans are entirely flexible and can address all sorts of other items, for example: • Management and protection of bush and natural areas – biodiversity • Protection of streams, wetlands and waterways • Control of erosion, sediment and nutrients flowing into waterways • Fencing of natural and erosion prone areas • Pest animal and weed control • Construction or enhancement of habitat for wildlife e.g. waterfowl or other birds • Revegetation or afforestation projects • Carbon monitoring and assessment • Land use capability • GIS farm mapping

Alpaca Stud herding them in Sunset Alpaca Stud is owned and run by full-time alpaca breeders Willem and Dita Alblas.

Their herd has grown to more than 150 alpacas.

Dita and Willem, as well as all their alpacas, enjoy their 53 acre property on the top end of Te Matai Road in Te Puke.

For the last several years, Sunset Alpaca Stud has been concentrating on breeding top quality Black Huacaya Alpacas and has been expanding their herd with extensive imports from Australia. These animals all come with absolute top genetics.

Heritage

Most of Sunset Alpaca Stud’s black animals have full or half Peruvian heritage.

Sunset Alpaca Stud has been doing exceptionally well in many alpaca shows all around the country and have won several Champion Black Huacaya

titles during the last few years. These days, Sunset Alpaca Stud has a very extensive and impressive line-up of eight top quality black stud males.

Their latest purchase being a very spectacular young black stud male from Australia.

They also bred another three very promising black stud males themselves which will be ready for work this coming season. There is also a white, a fawn, a brown and a grey stud male available.

All colours and prices

Sunset Alpaca Stud has alpacas in all colours and in every price range, from pets to top quality breeding stock. So, if you are interested in alpacas or just want to come and have a look at these wonderful and interesting animals, just send Willem or Dita an email or give them a call. You are always welcome.

If you are interested and would like some information, they can give you all the advice you need.

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Page 41

A woman’s work is never done mention the painting of a plank from the back of the carport roof, which has been decorating my porch for a year. And some wayward branches to trim away from the power lines and the house gables and seven wooden windows to sand and paint.

They used to say a woman’s work was never done. It hasn’t. It just moved outdoors.

There’s something about a three-day weekend that brings out the labourer in me.

And when it’s called Labour Weekend and happens in spring, it seems perfectly logical that I should attack my mental list of ‘things which need to get done’.

Each year the list seems to get longer.

It may be because I’m busier. There’s my writing, my painting, some poetry, the animals, some community ‘good works’ and some friends. And we’re all getting older, with bits of us creaking and giving up – not least my right shoulder of late after two crashes, one involving an outdoor earth wire and the other a donkey who objected to being drenched.

Although the donkeys were enjoying the nearly knee high lawns, I felt that the half acre which isn’t paddock needed some trimming before the locals started to say ‘She isn’t coping’.

Herculean efforts with both small and ride-on mowers were required, including the long driveway – which had gone from respectable gravel to green weedy wonderland. I’d been putting off spraying it for months and when the shoulder gave out it seemed daft to don a heavy backpack to do it (any excuse).

The donkeys have responded by marching huffily out the gate and up and down the road on their daily search for delectable weeds and roughage. A neighbour from further afield arrived on his motorbike the other week to tell me in breathless tones that my donkeys

were ‘out of the paddock and up the road’. He looked a bit stunned when I told him they did it every day and always came home when they’d had enough.

I have planted the various summer vegetables which had been sitting in punnets and even remembered the slug baits. I’ve excavated innumerable buttercup plants from between some of the non-weeds, although there are still a good many metres of what was once herbaceous border filled with them.

I brought a friend out for the day and, in return for my providing dinner, he was required to labour mightily. We backfilled the soil over the septic tank lid, carried long logs which had been lying by fences for months round to the woodpile and spent an hour rebuilding the side wall of the donkey shed, after Sally cow’s energetic scratching had removed it from its moorings.

Someone, I suspect a goat, had managed to part the piping from well to pump, so my very elderly Stilson wrench was called into action, before the tank ran dry. Of course, much of this was ‘assisted’ by curious goats, so I took the opportunity to do some podiatry on Snowy’s frilly feet.

There’s still the little matter of the 19 sacks of lovely firewood donated by a friend, which have to be carted to the woodshed and stacked, the mowing of the bad dock areas in the stock camps under trees and the spreading of 10 sacks of lime and one of humate. Not to

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Otorohanga South Discussion Group

Farm sharemilked by Charlie Holmes, 536 Old Te Kuiti Road, Otewa SN 74818 11am – 1.30pm. This is Charlie’s family farm.

Come along and find out what the farm goals are and how their system is managed. A good chance to catch up with the community and compare three week submission rates to reassess mating strategies. BYO lunch. Ph Sarah 021 770 859 or email: sarah. dirks@dairynz.co.nz

Tuesday 15 November Tuesday 8 November Arohena Discussion Group

At Grant and Pam Wilson’s farm, 869 Waipapa Road, Arohena SN 74692 11am – 2pm. The Wilson’s have two dairies managed by their sons Scott and Glen. How are they able to work the two together to make the most of their business? BYO lunch. Ph Sarah 021 770 859 or email: sarah.dirks@dairynz.co.nz

Eureka Discussion Group

At Richard Morrow’s, 581 Puketaha Road. SN 72 882 11am.

The Eureka FSG is an active group which meet on the second Tuesday of the month. Richard is an experienced farm owner with some interesting experiences with the issues of pasture persistence.

Kiwitahi Discussion Group

At Peter Anderson’s, 187 Waterworks Road, Morrinsville SN 76684 11am – 1.30pm. The group discuses and investigates the farm system on the host farm. Ph David 027 474 3258 or email: david.swyney@dairynz.co.nz

Milksmart Workshop – Ngatea

Workshops are free of charge for levy-paying farmers & their staff. Prior registration essential. Ph Ben Turner 021 222 9028 or ben.turner@dairynz.co.nz

Elstow/Springdale Farm Systems Group

At Adri Rigter’s, No 1 Road, Waitoa SN 76549 10.30am – 1pm.

The group analyses the host farmer’s business and make recommendations to help them achieve their stated goals. This month covers optimising productivity pre-Christmas, and summer planting. Ph Wayne 027 293 4401 or email: wayne.berry@dairynz.co.nz

Otaua/Aka Aka Discussion Group

plans for the farm and Earwaker’s future goals?

Ph Sarah 021 770 859 or email: sarah.dirks@ dairynz.co.nz

Putaruru Biz Start

Friday 18 November

Plaza Theatre Putaruru, 59 Kensington St, Putaruru 11am – 1pm. Steps to wealth creations: Leave with your own personal budget and know your net wealth. Ph Amy 027 483 2205 or email: amy.johnson@dairynz.co.nz

Te Kawa/Pokuru Discussion Group

At Hugh and Olwen Earwaker’s Farm managed

by Jo Varga, Te Kawa Road, Te Awamutu SN 74291 11am – 1.30pm. This is Jo’s first season managing the farm. What have the challenges been for the first season? What are the future

Milksmart Workshop- Reporoa, BOP

Workshops are free of charge to levy-paying farmers and their staff. Prior registration essential. Ph Sharon 027 492 2907 or email: Sharon. morrell@dairynz.co.nz

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Host: Bruce Parry, Aka Aka Church Road SN 71031 10.45am – 1.30pm. The group discusses and investigates the farm system on the host farm. Ph Sarah 027 486 4344 or email: sarah.payne@ dairynz.co.nz

Wednesday 16 November

Milksmart Workshop – Whitikahu, North Waikato Workshops are free or charge to levy-paying farmers and their staff, however prior registration essential. Ph Ben 021 222 9028 or email: ben.turner@dairynz.co.nz

Tatuanui Farm Systems Group

Hosted by Warren Becks, 2028 Arapuni Road, Pukeatua SN73985 11am – 1.30pm. Come and see what Warren is doing in his first year on an organic farm to get the most out of it. Ph Amy 0274 832 205 or email: amy.johnson@dairynz.co.nz

Tauranga Hills WFA Discussion Group

Thursday 17 November

Hosted by Gordon McFetridge, 788 Omanawa Rd, RD1, Tauranga SN 21267 11am – 2pm. The group discusses and investigates the farm system on the host farm. Ph Wilma Foster 021 246 2147

staff. Prior registration essential. Ph Cameron 027 288 8238 or email: cameron.bierre@ dairynz.co.nz

Katikati/Matakana Is Discussion Group

Hosted by Ian Jeffrey, 447 Youngson Road, Tauranga SN 21207 11am – 2pm. The group discusses and investigates the farm system on the host farm. Ph Wilma 021 246 2147 or email: wilma.foster@ dairynz.co.nz

At Johan and Kylie van Ras’, SH 27 (north) Tatua 109 10.30am – 1pm. The group discuss and analyse the host farmer’s business and make recommendations to help them achieve their stated goals. This month covers planning for summer and nutrient management plans. Ph Wayne 027 293 4401 or email: wayne.berry@ dairynz.co.nz

Pukeatua Discussion Group

Page 43

Milksmart Workshop – Whakatane, BOP

Workshops are free of charge for levy-paying farmers and their

Wednesday 9 November

Kaharoa/Mamaku WFA Discussion Grp

Hosted by Neil Roe, 38 Mauku St, Mamaku SN 78522 11am – 2pm. The group discusses and investigates the farm system on the host farm. Ph Wilma Foster 021 246 2147 or email: wilma.foster@ dairynz.co.nz

Kereone Discussion Group

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Hosted by Peter Martin, 401 Kereone Road, SN 76714 10.30am – 1.30pm. The group discusses and investigates the farm system on the host farm. Also discussing summer management and providing feedback for the host farmer. Ph Dave 027 474 3258 or email: david.swney@dairynz.co.nz

Thursday 10 November Hikutaia Discussion Group

Hosted by Bob Nichol’s, 478 Ferry Road, Hikutaia SN 75733 10.30am – 1pm. The group discusses and investigates the farm system on the host farm. Ph Murry 021 242 2127 or email: murray.perks@dairynz.co.nz

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COAST & COUNTRY

Coast & Country

Feeding the sea cucumber market What’s very unattractive, but very valuable?

The answer is sea cucumbers – or sea slugs as they’re sometimes called – and they’re in huge demand by Chinese gourmets who know them as hoi sam.

The Japanese and Koreans also eat them, but they stick mostly to their home grown species, whereas the Chinese eat a variety of species and have been doing so for more than 2000 years. For much of that time they imported most of their needs from South East Asia.

Demand during the last 500

years or so was so high it caused sea cucumber populations in Asia to plummet as fishermen ventured further and further afield to satisfy the market. Today, the demand is even higher because more Chinese than ever before can afford luxuries such as hoi sam, are determined to enjoy them and will pay big money to do so. While much of their needs are met by aquaculture within China, there is a big shortfall that importers are looking to fill and New Zealand, which has sea cucumbers very similar to the Chinese species, is high on their list.

It’s not just for their culinary value,

looked at closely by western researchers. As for being an aphrodisiac – well, there are many, many stories.

In South East Asia people began farming sea cucumbers several centuries ago by collecting baby sea cucumbers from sea grass beds, stocking them into enclosures and fattening them for the market. They are easily fed; they Tropical sea cucumber are detritovores, which Holothuria scabra. means they eat decaying material for the bacteria and other small organisms it contains.

Villagers feed them on a 60:40 mix of chicken manure and rice bran.

This method of cultivation relies on the collection of the babies from the wild, which is, for various reasons, not always possible. In recent years a great deal of work has been done on producing sea cucumbers for hatcheries and then either seeding them into a fishing ground or growing them in ponds. Outside China most of this work has been on the tropical species Holothuria scabra, but more recently there has also been work on cold water species such as the New Zealand’s Australostichopus mollis.

however, that the Chinese want sea cucumbers –they’re not even particularly tasty, a bit like boiled mushrooms – it’s their medicinal and reputed aphrodisiacal qualities that are in big demand.

Traditionally, they are used to cure many diseases including cancers, claims that are being

Quotas There is a small ‘exploratory fishery’ for A. mollis, but each fishing quota carries specific conditions, such as they can only be taken by free-diving, which rules out deep water harvesting. Donal Boyle, director of Echinoderm Diving at Mount Maunganui, has been active in the sea cucumber fishery for several years. He says that in the 2010-11 year only two quota holders were active and between them they took only 12.9 of the allowable 35 tonne.

Although they can be sent live to China, Donal prefers to process their catch here. The process involves gutting, cooking and drying to exacting standards and produces an end product variously called beche de mer, trepang or hoi sam – depending where in the world you are.

It also reduces the sea cucumber’s weight by between 90 and 95 per cent, meaning that from the 12.9 tonne caught in 2010-11, the real export quantity was only about 0.9 tonne. This is not enough to establish a reliable long-term market and even if the quotas were fully utilised, they would only produce about 2.5 tonne of dried product. With a

NZ sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis. (Photo courtesy of Donal Boyle). median price of NZ $350kg it would still not be a significant fishery.

It has been more than adequately demonstrated overseas, however, that sea cucumbers of any species can not naturally sustain heavy fishing, so the only way to increase production is by hatchery technology and some form of aquaculture.

In China there are currently 2000 sea cucumber hatcheries producing more than 20 billion juveniles each year.

The feeding habits of sea cucumbers present the possibility that they could be stocked beneath mussel farms where they would feed on the mussel’s waste, opening the possibility of polyculture farms – growing two or more species together.

This would be hugely beneficial, not just to mussel farmers, but also the environment.

Environmentally valuable

“Environmentally they’re valuable because they clean up the mussel farm’s waste. Potentially they could do the same under salmon farms, but that needs to be tested because there the waste is more concentrated and the composition of the faeces is different from that of mussels,” says Dr Phil Heath from NIWA. “And financially it’s a win – at present, dried A. mollis returns between NZ $250 and $500kg to the producer, not a bad return at all for something that can potentially be fed entirely on the wastes from another farmed species and therefore cost the farmer nothing. “A farm returning $30,000 annually from mussels could produce an estimated additional $100,000 from sea cucumbers.”

Those prices make sea cucumbers an attractive species to cultivate, however, at present hatchery technology for many species of sea cucumbers, including A. mollis, is still in the research stage.

Recently NIWA researchers, in collaboration with colleagues from China, have successfully reared A. mollis.

Although there is more work to be done to commercialise the hatchery process, developing the full package is only a matter of time and funding. The returns will more than repay the research costs, but as in most research in the current climate, funding is not easy to come by.

Phil has great faith though in this ‘black gold’ and predicts the day when mussels could be grown just to feed the sea

By Graeme Dobson cucumber crop.

HUNT, FISH & EAT

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Page 45

Eastern region trout hotspots The fishing district then runs south down through Gisborne until Wairoa is reached and then cuts across back towards Taupo where its boarder is the mighty Huka falls on the Waikato River.

The Eastern Region is world renown for its geothermal activity and many thousands of people travel to the area to experience the geysers and mud pools every year, but the Eastern Region

Rainbow trout.

A beautiful view of Lake Tarawera.

Waioeka, Motu and Ruakituri all making up significant fisheries that are of world class standard.

The topography and weather in the region changes from dry hot summers along the coastal aspect to dense, rich mountain forest that catch storms on a weekly basis. The mountain ranges vary from 600m above sea level to 1700m above sea level where snow falls and wicked weather can catch the unwary tramper out at any time of the year.

This all adds to the charm of the Eastern Region with its varied and rugged landscape.

also has a wealth of rich trout fisheries with many being of world class standard.

The area is renowned for very large consistent fish size and spectacular scenery as many of the lakes are surrounded by lush native bush that hug the landscape down to the waters edge. In the middle of summer when the Rata tree is in full flower and the native birds such as the Tuis and Bellbird are calling, a day out on one of the many lakes in the district is an absolute joy.

A dozen lakes within half an hour’s drive of Rotorua give the angler plenty of options to choose from such as the intimate Lake Okareka to the mass of Lake Tarawera that lays with the stark hulking Volcano over looking it.

If one is prepared to travel a little further a field the hypnotic scenic beauty of Lake Waikaremoana is something to be treasured.

The district is not just rich in lake fishing, but is equally blessed with many fine rivers and streams throughout the region. The major river systems in the region mostly dissect different mountain ranges in the Urewera National Park with rivers such as the Rangitaiki, Waiau,

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Page 46 Tongariro Trout

Fly rod

Tim McCarthy fishing guide

BMW X3

Taking the luxury option to Tongariro This month the Wild Side team went soft.

They let girls in.

Maybe it was the effects of rugby overload that befuddled their meagre male brains. Perhaps it was a reaction to excesses of testosterone that subconsciously caused them to

compensate on the soft side – or maybe it just seemed a waste to have only smelly blokes travelling in a luxury BMW staying in five star accommodation, with four course meals and exceptional service.

Whatever the reason, the lads loaded up the X3 from Coombes Johnston BMW – not only with their trout fishing gear – but with a couple of old trouts to boot.

The BMW is a bit of a departure from the usual utes and SUVs featured in this column.

Its sporty performance and features are a departure from the gritty 4WDs of previous excursions, but ideally suited for the highway cruising from the Bay coast to the Central Plateau. Yet with all wheel drive, the X3 has the balls to get down and dirty if needed.

And as we found out, an unplanned side trip to the ski slopes meant we were in the perfect vehicle for the task.

For a sporty compact SUV, the X3 gobbled up two couples and all our gear, no mean feat since the Wild Side team like to travel “well prepared”.

The handling and performance needs to be experienced to be appreciated and the BMW was so good to drive, I didn’t want to share it.

This two litre turbo diesel, with eight speed auto, works seamlessly to keep in the right rev range for performance driving. Plenty of zip for overtaking and simply superb handling and cornering. Not that we were in any sort of hurry, it was a delightful cruise south and great to be away from the cities and the associated hi-jinks of RWC. Our destination, the luxury Tongariro Lodge on the banks of the river just north of Turangi, lived up to all expectations. We were treated to warm, cosy and luxurious accommodation in one of the Lockwood villas on the riverside; with fine dining at the lodge’s restaurant and bar.

The four-course dinners – with an extensive awardwinning wine list – were an event in themselves. And with three nights ahead, we had a chance to sample plenty on the menu. Although, I have to confess that the chocolate fondant dessert was so good after the first night, that I just couldn’t go past it for the next two evenings as well.

Full breakfasts were all part of the deal, setting us well up for busy days in the field enjoying the bountiful activities of this amazing Central Plateau with its stun-

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ning mountains, lakes and rivers.

The staff were relaxed and friendly and, best of all, knowledgeable. Planning each day’s outings, with their local knowledge and contacts, made for an easy stay.

First up on morning one was trout fishing with one of the lodge’s local guides, Tim McCarthy. What this guy doesn’t know about fishing Tongariro and Taupo isn’t worth knowing. And he freely imparted a fair lash of it during our day out. The lads soaked up the priceless advice like a couple of sponges.

It’s well worth grabbing a local guide if you are new to an area or a newcomer to any sort of outdoor pursuit.

These guys have learnt the long, hard way. One day with a local expert is worth years of trial and error as a greenie. And learn we did; Tim took us through the basics of fishing the amazing waters of the Tongariro.

With four of us and the odd injury to contend with, we opted for boat fishing as starters.

Tim launched the Lodge’s Sea Nymph Hustler 570 at nearby Tokaanu and it was just a few minutes buzz out the lake to the Tongariro river mouth.

Here we nudged onto the gravel river bar in the shallows and dropped a couple of anchors to keep the boat positioned.

Tim whipped out the fly rods, loaded with shooting heads to keep the flies down deep. The bright lures are designed to pique the fish’s interest and entice them to get curious – with their mouths of course – by which time it’s too late to be suspicious.

The key was keeping the line ready for a strike, feeling the initial take and being ready for it. Easier said than done for some on the boat, clearly enjoying the day out and the refreshments as much as the thrill of the chase.

But hey, isn’t that all part of the great outdoors. Good company, good conversation and a good wine. So what if a pesky fish comes along every now and then to interrupt?

Well they did – and the team was very pleased with the day on the lake. It wasn’t all fly flicking. We took a break from the river mouth to troll about the bay, with a couple of boat rods set up with cobra lures.

Tim’s philosophy is to avoid downriggers, though they have become popular on the lakes. He says the crucial point of trout fishing is to feel the take and this isn’t possible with downriggers.

Better, says Tim, to have rod in hand, a tight line and feel the strike.

PH 07 578 0030

HUNT, FISH & EAT

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Feeling ‘the take’ the thrill of fly fishing The concept might not produce as many fish, but the quality of the fishing is certainly tops.

With weather looming up the Desert Road and trout for dinner, we headed back to the lodge, feeling quite rewarded for having sat on our backsides for several hours.

The chef at the lodge prepared our trout and smoked it, ready for entrees that evening.

We spent our first of three very pleasant evenings fine dining, sampling the delights of the lodge bar and watching the odd game of world cup rugby with other guests.

Day two was pegged as Tourist Joe day. A chance to get out and about in the X3, check out a few trails and river fishing possies, the odd winery and local attractions. The Beemer took the changes in terrain in its stride, from highway motoring one minute, to mildly challenging river tracks the next.

There’s a myriad of side trips to be done from home base, good walking and tramping tracks, lake and riverside trails and even snowy mountains. We pointed the X3 toward Ruapehu and in a flash the environment was transformed from a sunny dry spring day; to grey and moody mountain roads – icy and snowing.

The X3 was in its element and certainly looks the part too, amidst the mountain scene crowd. It drew plenty of looks from the skiing fraternity as we negotiated the snow covered roads to the Top of the Bruce

for a coffee and check out the skifields. The dashboard temperature read out plummeted from the balmy 16C at the lakeside to -2C in a matter of minutes as the X3 took us confidently to the top of the mountain road.

And being full time four wheel drive, there was no need for the driver to decide when to engage – the car had it all sorted.

The downhill was the acid test – how would it feel on the treacherous snow and ice covered road? We passed several ominous wheel tracks off into the snowy fringes where previous vehicles had not made the corners, but the X3 felt sure footed and took us down the mountain without fuss.

As we lost altitude and gained temperature, the X3 threw off its snow cape and

mountain goat guise, becoming once again the refined autobahn thoroughbred. We arrived back in Turangi to grab a few snapshots of our lodge neighbours landing some nice fish in the afternoon. Back at the lodge the rugby was in full swing, a fitting end to another great day out.

Day three and it was back on the highway, making our way north. We were a smelt

swimming against a massive tide of campervans streaming the opposite direction after Rotorua’s Ireland-Russia match. The X3 ate up the miles in fine style and after a sidetrip to visit friends at Rotoiti, it was back to the city and unfortunately, time to give back the X3.

Our thanks to Clive and the team at Coombes Johnston for providing the ideal vehicle and to our friends for making the travelling so enjoyable.

Great company, good food, fine wine and a versatile, classy car that was quiet enough for good travelling conversation and so intuitive and easy handling that the trip was a breeze.

EXTRAORDINARY EVERY DAY. Redesigned from the inside out, the X3 features uncompromising levels of luxury, best in segment performance and consumption, and driver focused technology never before seen in this class.

Visit Coombes Johnston BMW today to experience extraordinary for yourself.

Coombes Johnston BMW 113 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui, Phone (07) 575 5280. www.coombesjohnstonbmw.co.nz

COAST & COUNTRY Prize Pack up for Grabs!

Pictures and details can be emailed (high resolution jpgs) to contest@thesun.co.nz “Country Camera” or posted to Coast & Country, PO Box 240, Tauranga. Please include a name, address and phone numberwith every entry.

JORDAAN

NER

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Coast & Country LEFT: Oliver Boyt, 23 months, having time out with his big sister’s calf at Franklin Central Group Day. From Anna Boyt of Pukekohe.

WIN

Tauranga Towny.

Olivia Keane sharing the love with Nana Lockley’s calves.

From Jacqui Lockley of Tauranga.

Regan, front, Jayden, left rear and Josh Tretheway, right, ready to go get cows and calves.

From Craig Tretheway of Waihi.

Time out. From Rachel Hale of Katikati.

Thomas Stratton, 14 months, helping with this year’s pumpkin harvest. Never too young to help out! From Melissa Stratton of Tirau.