CC 06/12

INSIDE

June 2012

BIG FOUR 10-11 YOUNG GROWER 12 FIELDAYS 23-32 RURAL DRIVER 33-41 WELCOME TO THE DISTRICTS 43-58 BUILDING & HEATING 66-67 TRADES & SERVICES 69 COMPETITIONS & SO MUCH MORE

Dairy ‘Gypsies’ Like hundreds of other sharemilkers up and down the country, David and Kelly Fisher and their daughters Ashlyn (7) and Yasmin (10) plus their dairy herd, were on the move on Gypsy Day June 1. It’s their fourth move in 10 years and this coming season they will be milking 510 cows – read their story on page 4. AVAILABLE FOR

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COAST & COUNTRY

Page 2

June 2012

Coast & Country tops in awards Coast & Country is among the publications from the Sun Media stable to harvest seven placings in the annual newspaper awards.

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Coast & Country reigned in the contest for Best Front Page and Best Overall Newspaper categories at the 2012 NZ Community Newspapers Association Awards in Dunedin in late May. The judges said: “This farming and lifestyle title knows and serves its readership well. It is full of information and human interest stories. The design is clean and the headlines pragmatic.” Coast & Country’s two winning front pages won over the judges with “eye catching and relevance to their target market.” The judges were also impressed with the stories on demand for local produce; and the other on some hard decisions faced by local farmers. Sister publication The Weekend Sun was a finalist in the Best Front Page, Community Involvement Award and Best All Round Newspaper. The Sun’s Tracy Hardy was a finalist in the category

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for Young Photographer of the Year, and won the top award in the Over 20,000 circulation category; for the second year running. The Bay’s leading news website, SunLive, was runner up in the Newspaper Awards section for Best Website, behind The Aucklander. It is the third year that SunLive has placed in the top three, after winning the category in 2010. Directors of the Tauranga owned and operated Sun Media, Claire and Brian Rogers, say they’re incredibly proud of the team in again placing highly across the board. “Their dedication and enthusiasm for the role of the Sun, SunLive and all the titles is inspiring,” says Claire, who attended the awards with staff members. “The Rena incident, which Sunlive broke to the world, was an example of a small, energetic local news team going above and beyond their horizons, literally, to get the news fast and accurately. That coupled with great promotional results and top service for our clients makes a well-balanced operation. “The judges recognised Sun Media’s efforts to keep the community updated. We are delighted with how well the weekly paper and the daily news site, SunLive and the associate publications such as Coast & Country all mesh together perfectly to bring a well-rounded news coverage to the largest readership in the Bay.” We have a bumper 72 page issue this month, featuring the Fieldays and Welcome to the Districts. Enjoy!

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June 2012

COAST & COUNTRY

Zimbabwe judge for Maori awards

Shocking pink helps breast cancer awareness Pink isn’t exactly a bloke’s colour but farmers have been putting that aside by buying pink electric fencing on pink reels, powered by pink batteries, all in the fight against breast cancer. Speedrite has produced the special coloured fencing, sold exclusively through PGG Wrightson and for every sale will donate $7 to The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation. In fact the company promises to make a donation of $25,000, saying on its website that 600 deaths from breast cancer a year is 600 too many. The funding will be used to support breast cancer education and awareness in rural communities. The pink products are available until the end of June.

Tafi Manjala. Ahuwhenua Trophy judge at Waewaetutuki 10 dairy farm near Paengaroa.

Maori culture is part of the success of Maori agriculture, believes Ahuwhenua Trophy judge Tafi Manjala. “Profit is not the sole driver and because the land will never be sold, the trustees take a very long term view,” said Tafi when he visited Waewaetutuki 10 near Paengaroa, one of the finalists in the 2012 Ahuwhenua awards. “Although I have been in New Zealand for 10 years I had not had the opportunity to experience Maori culture in the way I have through judging these awards and it’s opened my eyes to a whole new aspect of New Zealand farming.” Trustees employed the best people they could as farm workers, sharemilkers and farm advisors, but also worked to train their own people to become

future farmers, Tafi said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.” Concern about the wider impacts of their farming operations among the trustees of the three finalist properties also impressed Tafi. That was reinforced when Michael Kahotea, trustee for Waewaetutuki, told those attending the field day that he could remember gathering kai moana from Little Waihi Beach with his family when he was a child. His hope was that by reducing nutrient leaching from the dairy farm, the trust, along with other farmers in the area, could contribute to an improvement in water quality which would enable future generations to enjoy gathering food as he had. “That was really impressive. It shows the trustees are concerned for more than what happens on

their own land,” said Tafi. Tafi grew up and was educated in Zimbabwe but political unrest in that country and the promise of a bright future for his children brought him and wife Whitney to New Zealand in 2002. At first Tafi, who has a degree in agriculture, worked on dairy farms in the South Island but today is DairyNZ regional leader for Northland. This is not the first time Tafi has judged farming awards. He was for three years a finalist judge for the Farm Manager of the Year section of the Dairy Industry Awards and has judged the Ballance Farm Environment Awards and regional sharemilker competitions. He’s impressed with what he’s seen of Maori farming. “Maori farming has a bright future. Watch this space.” By Elaine Fisher

Page 3

COAST & COUNTRY

Page 4

June 2012

A good move for Fisher family From front cover

David and Kelly Fisher know the true meaning of Gypsy Day. They walked 230 cows eight kilometres from one farm to another when they changed sharemilking jobs in 2009, just the way generations of farmers before them once did.

Moving on – cow 284 from the Fisher herd beside Yasmin’s suitcase shortly before the family and herd moved to their new home.

Today few herds are moved on foot. Instead on June 1, fleets of trucks carry cows up and down the country. Gyspy Day 2012 for the Fishers was more of a logistical operation with 300 cows trucked from the couple’s previous sharemilking job on Steve and Dawn Connelly’s farm near Matamata to the property belonging to John and Eleanor Fraser near Tirau. A further 250 cows and yearlings arrived by truck from other locations. Then there was the furniture trucks filled with the family’s possession, plus farm machinery too. Daughters Yasmin, 10, and Ashlyn, 7, are enjoying their new home and happy they can still attend Matamata Primary School.

Lifestyle change

David was truck driving and Kelly hairdressing in Tauranga before going farming. They had their own home on a small piece of land at Whakamarama but when Yasmin was born the couple began to question the long hours David worked and looked for a change of lifestyle. Their first position was at Waitoa where David was a farm

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worker helping milk 470 cows. He completed a Level 4 NZQA farming qualification and the couple’s next job, two years later, was managing a dairy farm near Te Aroha, before they decided to purchase a herd. “It was pretty scary at first,” says Kelly. “We sold our house and went into debt to buy the herd. We went from a regular weekly wage to a monthly cheque and living on overdraft.” “June/July you get no income and just a small one in August, with things improving by September,” says David. Taking the step of buying their own herd was not easy but the couple say they haven’t looked back since the first tough year. “It’s given us the lifestyle we want, with time for us together and with our girls. It means we can be involved in their school and sports. I wouldn’t change it now,” says Kelly.

Bigger and better

The decision to go even bigger was easier, but also made after careful consideration and research. “The best thing we did was go on a BNZ strategic planning

three day course,” says David, who admits to initially thinking it was expensive and probably wouldn’t be worthwhile. “Farm ownership is out of the question for us so once we’ve paid off debt we’ll look for some off-farm investments,” says David. It is the Frasers who have given the couple the chance to expand. They moved from the 97ha Connelly farm with its 28-a-side herringbone shed to the 210ha (180ha effective) former sheep and beef property with its 44-aside shed. David hopes to raise production on the Fraser farm, as he has done on his pervious jobs. Last season he achieved 127,600kgMS, a new record for the Connelly operation and one achieved with similar feed inputs. Farm worker Juan Martins from Uruguay has joined the Fishers on the Fraser farm. Juan is contracted to the couple for three years and they are delighted with his work ethic and his keenness to learn. Kelly and David are looking forward to the challenges ahead – and the close proximity to Lake Karapiro for water skiing. By Elaine Fisher

COAST & COUNTRY

June 2012

Page 5

Bitter sweet fruit harvest Despite the ravages of Psa-V which has infected more than 1170 orchards, the majority of them in Te Puke, Zespri expects to export around 90 million trays of fruit this season. By Elaine Fisher

Dave Goodwin is pleased with the quality of the new gold variety G3, but disappointed he has to remove his established Hort16A vibes because of the disease Psa-V. The grower-owned exporter will again be at the Fieldays offering the public the chance to learn about the industry, and a place for growers to network and hear from the Zespri board and executive on the season so far and the progress of new varieties. While down on last year’s record 105 million trays, the drop in the 2012 crop volume is not all due to Psa-V but also to a normal seasonal variation which sees vines produce slightly fewer fruit in the year following a bumper harvest. This kiwifruit harvest has been bitter sweet for Pyes Pa orchardist Dave Goodwin. Sweet because his organically grown new Zespri variety G3 has produced a crop of good sized, well formed, sweet tasting fruit and bitter because just up the road the disease Psa-V has spelt the end of Hort16A gold vines on his other orchard. “I’m very pleased at how this G3 crop has turned out and while we’ve had some frights, so far there have been no positive tests results for Psa-V in this orchard.” G3, a new gold fruit developed by Plant & Food and Zespri, is the industry’s hoped for saviour at least in the short term, in the battle to recover from the devastating bacterial disease Psa-V. Dave was among the first growers to take part in pre-commercial trials of the fruit, before Psa-V was discovered in New Zealand in 2010. “Thank goodness we had this fruit and the other new varieties which appear to be more tolerant of Psa-V.” The first G3 vines were grafted in Dave’s orchard in 2008 and a second block in 2010. Both have produced well this season and the fruit has reached maturity in a condition which should ensure consumers enjoy a sweet eating experience. For the first time Zespri has enough organically

grown G3 to market as a separate category, something which pleases Dave because previously organic volumes were so small, the fruit was sold alongside conventionally grown fruit. Zespri will export more than one million trays of both conventional and organic G3 fruit this season and has 450 ha in production but that is expected to rise dramatically when more vines are grafted this winter. The size and volume of fruit achieved using organic growing techniques has impressed Dave because traditionally organic orchards produce smaller and lower volumes of fruit. He’s planning to graft G3 onto root stock in his Hort16A orchard, where the vines have produced their last fruit and have been removed. “We’ve done what we can with very careful biosecurity protocols to try to prevent spreading infection from the Hort16A orchard to this one, but I guess it’s inevitable it will eventually get here. “I’m confident we will learn to manage it but there’s no silver bullet. It will be a combination of more tolerant varieties, management and sprays.” Dave and his team have kept the organic orchard disease free so far, even though, because of the orchard’s organic status, they have less spray options available than conventional growers. The success of orchardists like Dave who have grown the new varieties for up to four years, have been closely watched by others in the industry deciding where their futures might lay. The hopes are that growers who graft new varietiescan return to a level of production within two years and the Bay of Plenty and the New Zealand economy both need that to happen because the kiwifruit industry accounts for about 25 per cent of the Bay's gross domestic product (GDP).

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COAST & COUNTRY

New dawn for Kopurererua A dawn unveiling, a bridge opening, and plantings marked out the winter projects in Tauranga’s Kopurererua Valley project.

The two pouwhenua at the entrance to the former swamp lands were unveiled in a recent dawn ceremony by Ngai Tamarawaho kaumatua Peri Kohu, who also officiated at the bridge opening later in the day. Also being celebrated was the project obtaining $60,000 in Ministry for the Environment funding to replant the more than 8ha island now accessible by the new bridge.

Planting days

The first of three public planting days planned before the end of the year was on May 27. The money is the result of a successful application made by the Rotary Centennial Kopurererua Valley Trust, and it will pay for

in the southern hemisphere. It began in 2003 and is a partnership between Tauranga City Council, iwi, the Rotary Centennial Trust and City Partners. Progress includes: clearance of 30 hectares of land, and replanting 15 hectares with more than 150,000 plants and large species trees, and the building of six kilometres of boardwalks and walkways. It represents an $850,000 investment facilitated through the Rotary Centennial Trust, $4M through Council and in-kind support from City Partners, which has helped pay for a partial stream realignment and 55 community planting days. The milestones celebrated were a fitting reward for years of hard work and dedication

Peri Kohu tells guests about the significance of the pouwhenua. 30,000 trees and other plants that will restore the island’s vegetation. Guests for the Friday afternoon ceremonies included Tauranga MP Simon Bridges, Tauranga City Council Deputy Mayor David Stewart, councillors and CEO Ken Paterson. Ian Wilson, Chairman of the Rotary Centennial Trust and other representatives from Rotary and Kathryn Howard from the Ministry for the Environment, Iwi members, Staff, children and caregivers from the Kids Campus childcare centre, and Council Staff, and Park Contractors. The Kopurererua Valley Redevelopment Project is the largest wetland restoration project

by many different groups and organisations, says Tauranga City Council Deputy Mayor David Stewart.

Many to thank

“The Rotary Trust and City Partners are obvious contributors to this project, but there are many more who should be recognised as well – from the schools growing trees for replanting, to Council staff, and the clubs and families who assist on community planting days. “I would particularly like to recognise the hapu of Ngai Tamarawaho, on whose ancestral lands the reserve sits, and who have helped to provide the vision for its future.” Tauranga MP Simon Bridges is

June 2012

June 2012

COAST & COUNTRY

Community planting days with enhance the valley.. pleased the Ministry for the Environment is able to assist with the replanting of the island area with native trees and shrubs through the Community Environment Fund. “The Kopurererua Valley is receiving an extreme make-over, thanks to the work of many volunteers, and this funding will give the project an extra boost,� says Simon.

Historically important

Kopurererua Valley is a 300 hectare block of low lying rural land situated between residential neighbourhoods in Tauranga. Running from Judea in

During the mid 1800s it was the staging point and retreat path for two significant battles between Maori and British Colonial forces - the Battle of Gate Pa and the Battle of Te Ranga. More recently the valley has suffered major environmental degradation through farmland development.

Flooding

Attempts had been made to drain the swampy valley floor and its streams had been altered, leaving a legacy of drainage canals and straightened water courses which carry silt and debris directly into Tauranga Harbour. In spite of those efforts flooding of the valley still occurs as it still functions as a natural wetland and flood plain. The valley also was previously an area rich in biodiversity which had been used by Maori to gather food and other resources. The neglect of this area meant that it was almost impossible for people to access and not very safe to do so. The area became a dumping ground for rubbish and some businesses and properties had encroached onto the site.

TK and Joel from Kids Campus pre-school in nearby Humber Crescent were invited by Tauranga MP Simon Bridges to cut the ribbon opening the new bridge. the north to Tauriko in the south, it is bordered by the neighbourhoods of Te Reti, Gate Pa, Greerton, Westridge and Cambridge Heights. For many years Kopurererua Valley was inhabited by the people of Ngai Tamarawaho. Remains of pa and other archaeological sites are located throughout the valley. In terms of New Zealand history the valley is important.

Restoration

Kopurererua Valley had become a sad, polluted, neglected eyesore in the heart of the city. And its state of abandonment had led to problems downstream from flooding, silt deposits into the harbour and pollution of the waterways. The Kopurererua Valley Restoration Project is a long term project to restore the valley to close to its original state and to provide opportunities for people to use and enjoy the improved environment.

Page 7

Page 8

COAST & COUNTRY

June 2012

Humate plays important role in soil productivity Humate is so important in pasture, crop and garden production that the necessity of maintaining adequate concentrations of it in productive soils has been recognised and emphasised by agriculturists for many years says Dave Whitteker, sales and operations manager for NZ Humates Ltd. “Good quality humate is not just ground up coal even though it is sourced from within coal mines. Humate is found in Humate comes from coal mines but is more than ground up coal.

seams just above good quality lignite and is very rich in carbon, humic and fulvic acids. Humates have been used since the 1930’s in certain parts of the world and their value to soils are recognised as some of the most powerful tools that a farmer can utilise.” “Humates can maximise the soil’s ability in so many ways benefiting agriculture, horticulture, turf and the environment.” A lot of New Zealand farms lack good organic matter and microorganisms matter which can lead to increased erosion and less nutrients for plant growth, says Dave. “Compared to other organic products, humic acids enhance plant growth, the growth of soil microorganisms and soil fertility. Humic acids act as a soil conditioner and a stimulant for plants, enhancing their

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growth and plant yield. “The addition of humic acids in combination with fertiliser gets the most out of a fertiliser programme by decreasing nutrient losses and making nutrients more available to plants. Humic acids also physically modify the structure of the soil, preventing soil cracking and surface water runoff and soil erosion. It increases water retention of the soil and also helps prevent drought.” Dave says humic acids can also change the chemical properties of the soil by improving and optimizing the uptake of nutrients and water, increasing buffering properties of the soil and retain fertiliser in the root zone as well as reducing significantly the leaching of nutrients. They also help to minimize the uptake of toxic substances by plants.

New coastal rules in plan for Bay A new Regional Coastal Environment Plan which sets rules, policies and objectives to protect the region’s coastal marine area is being developed by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Council has been reviewing its existing Coastal Environment Plan, which also includes policies for land along the coast, including sand dunes and coastal wetlands. The review looks at how well the current plan is working and what changes are needed to address coastal issues. Bay of Plenty Regional Council Group Manager Strategic Development Fiona McTavish says hui had been held with iwi and hapu across the region and the council has consulted with other councils, community groups and stakeholders in developing the Plan. “The parts that are working well include protecting high-value ecological sites in the coastal marine area [from mean high water springs out to sea], and identifying areas sensitive to coastal hazards.” All the region’s territorial authorities had either completed or made significant progress toward including district specific coastal hazard policies and rules in their plans, there is also room for improvement in several areas, she says.

“We’ve concerns about water quality in some of our estuaries and harbours. The community is still worried about the effects of vehicle and horse access to sensitive areas, along with the incremental loss and degradation of dune lands, wetlands and coastal forest. S “Some of the work being done to repair this damage is not ecologically appropriate. “Our consultation also identified some community concerns that are not addressed adequately in the current Plan, including managing mangroves and acquaculture activities.” Iwi and hapu felt they were not able to exercise kaitiakitanga or guardianship of coastal areas, or effectively participate in decision-making. “Iwi felt that cultural values were given insufficient weight, and that matauranga Maori or knowledge about the coast was not recognised by decision-makers.” “We’ll be talking to tangata whenua, stakeholders and the community to develop a draft version of the new Plan by the end of this year.” Changes to legislation

June 2012

COAST & COUNTRY

Page 9

Super low tractors for orchards Reliable, dependable and hard-working is how Darrel Williams describes the Italian range of Goldoni horticultural tractors DP Williams of Gisborne is now agents for.

The Goldoni tractor has been developed specifically for kiwifruit orchards.

“The beauty of the Goldoni tractors is that they are purpose built for horticulture and don’t have to be modified to work in kiwifruit orchards. They are well designed, reliable, and built specifically for orchardists. The Goldoni is the only manufacturer to develop a tractor specifically for the kiwifruit growers, with a “super low seat height” ex the factory.

“Orchardists generally don’t want tractors that are complicated and the Goldoni tractors don’t have computers.” D P Williams has recently become agents for the Goldoni range from Agtek in Tauranga and Darrel says the tractors are well known in the industry for their versatility and reliability. “They have all the horse power to do what’s required in the orchard and seldom need more than a routine service.” The tractors are available in a number of versions, but the two most popular have been the Star 3080 with a 4 cylinder turbo 75hp with its low seat height and the best value for money tractor in its class, and the 82hp turbo intercooled engine of the Quasar

Council wants feedback on coastal marine plan and national policy need to be reflected in the new Regional Coastal Environment Plan, particularly the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010. The new Plan will also give effect to the new proposed Bay of Plenty Regional Policy Statement once it is operative. To give effect to national policy direction and address current issues facing the coastal

environment, the Plan needs new objectives, policies and methods. These will consider integrated catchment management for sedimentation, mangrove management and water quality, aquaculture, infrastructure, renewable energy generation (including geothermal) and appropriate restoration, remediation and mitigation for natural character and biodiversity.

The Regional Council will ask for feedback on the draft Plan before publicly notifying a new proposed Bay of Plenty Regional Coastal Environment Plan in 2013.

Information on the coastal plan review is on the Regional Council’s website www. boprc.govt.nz/knowledge-centre/policies/ coastal-policy-review/

90, with its “super low” seat height of just 720mm and a top road speed of 40 kph. The features of the range include the "two-in-one" transmission, with dual power and reverse shuttle, both synchronised, integral braking on all four wheels, the rear power lift with its generous lifting capacity and the front axle with a steering angle of over 57°. The gearshift levers at the side are in an ergonomic position and make driving and the operator platform extremely comfortable. DP Williams has the staff and expertise to sell service and supply spare parts for the Goldoni and other farm and horticultural machinery and has a fully equipped truck for repairs and servicing in the field.

HUNT FISH EAT

Page 10

June 2012

Big Four with Geoff Hunting for up to $80,000 in prizes Hunting and fishing competitions such as Te Puna’s Big Four are an important reflection of a largely unrecognised slice of New Zealand life, says television personality Geoff Thomas who will again host the event this month. People living in the city often don’t realise

12 pointer shot last year in the Big Four Competition.

that one million Kiwis regularly hunt and fish and enjoy the outdoors,” says Geoff, who, with his crew, will be filming the event for the popular TV programme Outdoors with Geoff. “It’s not an easy event to cover because we can’t follow every member of every team so we have to hope we pick the ones who are going to see some action, but in hunting and fishing nothing is guaranteed.” Geoff applauds the decision to use an

average weight system to decide the winner of this year’s event. “That gives everyone an equal chance to win.” The Big Four contest begins on Wednesday June 20 and ends with the weigh in and prizegiving on Saturday June 23. One of this country’s most experienced fishermen, Geoff has fished all his life. After training as a journalist on the Auckland Star newspaper he made a living from fishing as the first professional fly fishing guide based in Rotorua.

The biggest of the “Big 4” won’t necessarily take home the major prize in this year’s Quarry Tavern Community Sports Club Hunting and Fishing competition.

Ken Griffin says the major team prize will be based on an average weight, giving every competitor a chance at the big prize – a Polaris Ranger 500 in the Polaris Big Four Hunting the Fishing Competition. “There will still be prizes for the heaviest stag, heaviest boar, heaviest trout and best pheasant but awarding the top prize based on average weights makes it fairer for everyone.” Now in its second year, the Big Four is the already the biggest contest of its kind in New Zealand and up to $80,000 in prizes are up for grabs. “We’ve had interest from teams from the South Island up North and even Australia. “Support from our sponsors has been fantastic and there are plenty of opportunities to win something.”

The prize pool for Big Four

2012 includes a Polaris Ranger 500; Hunting Hutt; Portable Chiller and the chance to win a new Toyota Hilux. Prizes Will this year be bigger and better? will be awarded teams will be heading for their to the first three teams based on a favourite hunting and fishing spots, points system. The three heaviest locations which will be close kept in each of the specie categories secrets. “Planning where to go will also be awarded prizes and and what to do goes on months there will be prizes for the best in advance. Even if they bag the antlers and the best tusks. Big Four early in the contest, most There’s also a raffle to win a Polaris Sportsman 400 H.O. worth $10,000 which is open to the public. It’s not necessary to attend the briefing on Wednesday June 20 but Ken says those who do have the chance to win prizes and learn more about the competition. Once the contest officially begins

people will keep going until weighin which is between 12 and 4pm on Saturday at the Quarry Tavern.” Ken says as well as contestants, their families and friends will attend the weigh-in. “The marque will still be up and we’ll have a band. It will be a good time to unwind.” Entry costs $200 for each team of four and numbers are limited to 100 teams.

The 500 story from combat to deer recovery “Low Level Hell”

by South Coast Productions The Hughes 500 helicopter helped shape this country’s deer farming industry thanks to its role in both hunting and capture of wild animals. The pilots and shooters who operated the nibble and powerful machines in rugged terrain are legendry among hunters and farmers but it was to hunt humans, not animals, that the chopper was designed. The DVD “Low Level Hell” tells the story of the remarkable helicopter from the company of the eccentric and reclusive American business magnate, aviator, film producer and philanthropist Howard Hughes from its beginnings in combat to flying New Zealand skies. Simply known as the 500, the chopper was flown by scouts sent by the military to seek out the enemy

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and this DVD includes archival footage from Vietnam as well as very frank interviews with scout pilots who describe their experiences of the machine and the enemy. Thanks to South Coast Productions, the company which produces DVDs to capture and preserve New Zealand’s Heritage, Coast and Country has a copy of “Low Level Hell” to give away. To be in to win answer the following question: “What is the name of the owner of the company which produced the 500?” Send your entry along with your name, address and phone number to elaine@thesun. co.nz or include these details on the back of an envelope and post to DVD Competition, Coast & Country PO Box 240 Tauranga 3110 to arrive no later than June 18, 2012. The winner will be announced in the July Coast & Country.

HUNT FISH EAT

June 2012

Page 11

Polaris prize for lucky team It’s one of the most rugged, yet safest all-wheel drive vehicles around and every team which enters this year’s Polaris Big Four has the chance to win a Polaris Ranger 500.

ment with ease. The model is powered by a 500 Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) Single Cylinder

The Ranger is easy to manoeuvre, park and store and fits on a trailer or the bed of many trucks. The model automatically engages all four wheels when needed for more forward traction and reverts back to 2WD automatically too. Plenty of ground clearance keeps the ride smooth, clearing obstacles and reducing high-centering on rough terrain and the Ranger can tow trailers and wheeled equip-

If you enter a Team you have the chance to win a Polaris Ranger 500.

32 HP engine which delivers big power in a midsize chassis. Cab ergonomics have been designed to deliver outstanding

driver and passenger comfort, with extra legroom and easy cab slidethrough design so two adults can get in and out quickly. The Polaris has smooth Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) with five-point adjustable preload to stiffen the suspension for heavy loads. A black ignition key maximizes engine power and top speed, while a yellow key lowers the top speed to 23 mph. The 500 EFI power plant has standard equipment that includes a new speedometer and an instrument cluster with an electronic fuel gauge. The mid-size chassis and lighter overall vehicle weight deliver easier handling and manoeuvring on turf, trails and rough terrain.

UFO cooking at the Big Four Everyone who enters the Polaris Big Four Hunting and Fishing Competition will be in to win one of four prizes from the UFO cooker range.

Gary Mitchell of UFO cooking up a feast.

Just to prove how good the cookers are contestant will also be able to buy a hot roast pork roll filled with delicious, tasty and tender meat cooked in UFO. The team from UFO will be on site at the competition roasting some sensational pork and selling it with a gourmet bun from Pukeko Bakery. These rolls were available recently at Central Districts Fieldays and sold out fast. UFO team is sponsoring the Big Four this year and has offered up two UFO Roaster/smokers and two Shane Cameron Universal Cookers which make every day cooking an absolute breeze. Thanks to their steaming and smoking capabilities there’s no more kitchen mess to clean. Prizes are to the value of $2000 and there will some spot prizes to.

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HORTICULTURE

June 2012

Industry’s brightest compete The region’s brightest young fruit growers compete for the title of Bay of Plenty Young Fruit Grower of the year at a day-long event on June 20.

Campbell Wood won the 2011 Bay of Plenty Young Fruit Grower of the Year title.

Designed to test their practical skills, industry knowledge and leadership potential, the event at Bay Park Stadium, Mount Maunganui has a first prize of $1500. The contestanrs are Adam Bond, Cody Bent, Chris Jennings, Tim Webb, Greg Brown and Joel Wanhill. The winner has the opportunity to compete for two prestigious national titles, the New Zealand Young Fruit Grower of 2012 and the Young Grower of the Year for 2012. Runner up will receive $1000 and the second runner-up $500. However, it’s not all about winning as all contestants share the opportunities the contest offers. Robert Humphries who took part in 2006 and 2007 and went on to represent the region at the national Young Grower of the Year competition is now helping organise the event. ``Taking part gives you the chance to test your skills and knowledge alongside your peers and to meet new people, including leaders in the industry.” For Campbell Wood the last 12 months have been exceptional. Not only did he win the 2011 Bay of Plenty Young Fruit Grower of the Year title, but he was also awarded the Zespri-funded Bruce Stowell Schol- Dave Goodwin of Pyes Pa and he returned home in time to be part of the harvest of the new gold variety arship for three months in Italy. G3 which he helped graft in 2010. “It’s been fantastic. I’ve learned so much about During his three months in Italy Campbell saw just myself and the industry and even now I don’t think what the bacterial disease Psa-V can do to kiwifruit I fully realise how much I’ve gained,” says Campbell vines. who returned from Italy in late April. “The gold Hort16A vines are virtually gone and it’s The 22-year-old is vine manager for organic and conventional kiwifruit orchards owned by Kathy and into the green Hayward now.” He was based in Latina with Zespri’s team where Psa-V research is being carried out. By doing trials in Italy, the industry has the advantage of two growing seasons in one year, increasing the rapidity of results. Despite the devastation caused by the spread of the disease in Italy, Campbell says he has every confidence in the future of the New Zealand kiwifruit industry.

Table grape group set up A small group of table grape growers and researchers have set up a national association to represent them and work on promoting and developing expertise for New Zealand table grapes.

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New Zealand grows plenty of grapes, but almost all of them end up in wine bottles. Lincoln University viticulture lecturer Glen Creasy says the group believes there is a lot of potential in newer varieties that are better suited to New Zealand conditions. North island grower and organisation founder Robin Janson says his initial trials show the potential is there to develop a sustainable industry, given that New Zealand imports $50 million in table grapes every year. Anyone interested in being a part of the New Zealand Table Grape Growers Association should contact Dr. Robin Janson, email futurefarms@egl.ac.nz.

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HORTICULTURE

June 2012

Page 13

Primeval codes may help feed a hungry world Just as one large science company hid the knowledge of what Roundup could do for many years, another is apparently now sitting on a widespread patent for a process which could do a lot to help feed the world, and which is the antithesis of genetic engineering. When a scientist friend rang me to suggest I write about what this process could do for maize production (8-12 cobs per plant), it sounded

much too good to be true. Since then I’ve read more about it, seen photos and found more corroboration on the internet, so I thought our readers would be interested too.

In 1988 two chemists working for what was then Ciba Geigy, Guido Ebner and Heinz Schurch exposed maize and wheat seeds and trout ova to an ‘electrostatic field’, in other words to a high voltage field in which no current flows. The results appear to have switched on primeval growth mechanisms, resulting in maize with 12 ears per stalk, wheat which grew multiple stalks and multiple ears which was ready to harvest in four to six weeks, and giant trout which had been extinct in Europe for 130 years. The company patented the process and then stopped the research in 1992. Why? probably because these ‘primeval cereals’ require hardly any fertilizers or pesticides, and if you are a company which specialises in such things, new/ old discoveries are best protected and then forgotten, which is what happened. But recently a German author, Luc Burgin, has collaborated with the sons of the original scientists (both of whom died in 2001) to document the process, and publish a full account, with photos and details of the patent. The book is called ‘Der Urzeit-Code (The Primeval Code) - the ecological alternative to controversial genetic engineering’. While some scientists are sceptical, others are now speaking publicly about the results and the effects it could have on feeding the hungry of the world. Daniel Ebner, son of Guido and himself a biologist, has been continuing the experiments on a private basis. He is now attempting to export the technology to Africa as part of an aid project with UN help, in order to make it available to local farmers free of charge, as an ecological alternative to the

Taking the hassle out of farm projects Supply materials and labour, says Steve. “We can look after a project from beginning to end, or give advice or just supply the materials required at the end of the day. We’ll work with clients to give them the service they need.” Steve, who began his working career in the horticulture industry, discovered what he really enjoyed was the construction side of any rural industry. “I helped develop many kiwifruit orchards from a bare land and got a lot of Close attention to detail, including the satisfaction out of placement of water troughs, is important in that, this included getting farm projects right. repairs and mainte“Hard-working farmers and nance plus the introduction of farm orchardists often can’t afford time buildings.” out of their business managing He later joined two national building or development projects building supply companies which which is where I can help.” gave him the extra experience he C.P.S stands for Consultation/ needed and helped grow their rural Design, Project management, clientele before establishing his own Planning for and building a shed, a new set of yards, fence or managers house can take a farmer away from his core business which is why Steve Butler has established CPS Services Ltd and CPS Built.

business. “Because I understand the farming and horticulture industries I can put myself in my client’s work boots so to speak, and look at a project from their point of view. Farmers know what they want, for example which way a shed should face, which way the prevailing wind comes from, which fence type they want to use and I know how to help them get the result they want. It’s all grass roots stuff. “I have contacts and relationships with major suppliers and can supply material straight from the mill and factory if required. I’m not aligned to any one brand so will supply clients with the fencing materials that they prefer from poles, post, timber, wire and hardware etc. The list goes on.” Based in Te Puke, Steve works with clients in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Thames, Coromandel and Taupo but also has clients and contacts from outer regions as well that have experienced the service that CPS Services Ltd has to offer.

controversial GE seeds sold by the agro-multinationals. Having recently listened to Nick Pyke, CEO of the Foundation for Arable Research, speak of the potential for New Zealand to become a world leader in providing maize seed for export, just think what we could do if each maize plant here could produce 12 kernels apiece. And guaranteed

‘primeval’ and GE free. To me this seems just another example of vested business interests putting profits before people, by hiding research which could materially assist in feeding the world with more product from the same areas of land.To read more about this go to

http://www.urzeit-code.com/index.php?id=23

By Sue Edmonds

HORTICULTURE

Page 14

NE

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June 2012

Fluidised fertiliser

NE NE NENE NE W W WW W

Futurespread (North) ltd has released the new fertME fertiliser range, custom designed and formulated by their consultant Dr Bert Quin of Quin Environmentals (NZ) Ltd, for fluidised application.

Dusty ingredients (including lime and RPR) are no longer a problem. Accuracy of placement is very high, minimising direct entry to waterways. Evenness of spreading is also very high, optimising production. This even spreading and rapidly-adjustable placement control is a perfect match with variable-rate application technolThe range of high solids fluid fertilisogy. ers encourages optimum nutrient Additives, both dry and liquid, can uptake via the foliage and through the easily be added, including trace eleroot zone and offers new opportunities ments, inhibitors, anti-P fixation and to simultaneously provide maximum Al-toxicity control polymers, growth nutrient efficiency and cost-effecpromotants such as gibberellic acid and tiveness on farms, while minimising weedicides. any adverse environmental effects the Movement of finer fertiliser particles company says. into the soil surface is faster than with Using the fertME range of fluidised granules, reducing the risk of surface fertilisers in conjunction with the run-off further. fluidising technology maximises the Dr Bert Quin of Quin Given that many farms are receivefficiency of the nutrients applied by Enviromentals (NZ) Ltd. ing N four or more times per year, all careful selection of nutrient forms. nutrients, lime and additives required can be applied Optimisation of the particle size of each nutrient with no increase in the total number of applications ensures leaf, root uptake and additives designed to providing significant cost and benefit advantages over assist plant uptake and avoid losses, both to the envitraditional fertiliser and spreading technologies. ronment and through soil fixation are incorporated. The use of fertME fluidized fertilisers and the fluidThe fertME process provides improved accuracy and izing technology means the efficiency of products evenness of application, allowing application in the increase significantly. widest range of weather and ground conditions possible.

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An age-old tradition of friends and neighbours harvesting olives by hand is preserved by Deb Brock and Rick Brown in the beautiful Kauaeranga Valley near Thames. Harvesting olives by hand was an experience enjoyed by many on Debbie Brock and Rick Brown’s property in Kauaeranga Valley near Thames.

In May neighbours and friends spent a day harvesting the fruit from 300 olive trees on the couple’s 4.04 ha (10 acre) property, drawn by the promise of a day in the valley and Deb’s fine food. “Picking the olives has become a social event with neighbours and friends taking part, but we also have WOOFers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and other interested people who just hear about what a fun day it is,” says Deb. The olives were originally planted

R

to compliment an eco-friendly retreat centre and workshop space the couple intend to build. Picking is all by hand, without using rakes or shaking the trees, so the fruit and the trees receive fairly gentle treatment, even though it is labour-intensive. It took around 20 people all day to pick the olives, stripping them to drop onto sheets spread Strat Peters and his stone olive press. below the trees, before they The net were taken to the stone olive press harvest was 330 kg of olives, resultowned by neighbour Stratt Peters. ing in 25 litres of top quality oil. However, it wasn’t all about work. The pickers enjoyed sumptuous morning and afternoon teas, lunch and dinner, all catered for by Deb, and a bonfire to end the day. “The Kauaeranga Valley is very beautiful. It has its own micro-climate and free-draining soils, which is probably why olives do so well here. “There’s a lovely river with swimming holes, and the area is popular with trampers and cyclists.” The olive trees from which the fruit was harvested are around 16 years old and of six different varieties, some of which include: Frantoio, Leccino, Manzanillo, and Pendolino. All were picked and pressed to make extra virgin olive oil for Debbie’s catering business, and to share with friends and family.

June 2012

HORTICULTURE

Page 15

Hard questions to follow fly discovery Bio-security is the hot topic at the moment with the Fruit Fly find in Auckland. The question everyone is asking is: how secure are our borders from bio-security risks from other countries? After all it was only in November 2010 that we include x-ray screening and physical searches, but also may include detector dogs, risk assessment, risk found we had Psa and then in May fruit fly. profiling, social marketing campaigns and requirFirst some facts. Initially only one male fruit fly ing passengers to declare any biosecurity risk goods had been found. Just as one swallow doesn’t make a when entering New Zealand. This more summer, one fruit fly doesn’t make targeted approach gives MAF a better a fruit fly incursion. You need F l y t . i Fru chance of finding items that pose some female fruit flies as sland n e a genuine high risk amongst ue well. Very fortunately this Q A thousands of international is not a good time of passengers that enter New year for fruit flies to Zealand every day. breed. They appar“MAF considers these ently like to mate interventions effective at around dusk and preventing fruit fly from need warm temperaentering via the passenger tures over 16 degrees pathway at all airports. Celsius. Regardless of where the But one fruit fly is one airport is located, the requirefruit fly too many. The locaments for passengers entering New tion of the find would indicate Zealand are the same.” that this fruit fly came in on an Once we have got through the fruit fly find this will Australian flight with a passenger or in the passenger’s luggage. Although international air travel is a signifi- all be open for further review. cant risk, the even greater risk is our sea ports. But Disastrous effects that’s a topic for another article. New Zealand used To finish off I want to stress how disastrous a fruit to operate 100 per cent x-ray procedures for passengers’ luggage – this meant that everyone’s luggage was fly incursion in the Bay of Plenty would be. In 2007 HortNZ commissioned a study into the economic x-rayed for fruit. It doesn’t anymore. We also use beagles (detector dogs) to sniff out fruit, impact of a fruit fly incursion in the Bay of Plenty. It shows the potential for the loss of more than 3,400 but the beagles are not always on duty. For example Wellington International Airport has not had a beagle jobs and $820 million in lost earnings in the first year on duty since September last year. Rotorua and Ham- of a fruit fly incursion. This is very serious not only ilton International Airports only have beagles on duty for kiwifruit but for the entire region. So once the current fruit fly find is resolved some very hard quesevery so often. Not every international flight into tions will be asked about our bio-security. Auckland is met by beagles.

Put a positive ‘SPIN’ on your next fertiliser application

Better managing risks

Late last year New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated raised this biosecurity predicament with the Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry MAF (now called the Ministry of Primary Industries). This is the Government department responsible for New Zealand’s Biosecurity. This is some of what he said in reply: “As you are aware, MAF is making changes at the border to better manage the biosecurity risks posed by incoming passengers, goods and craft. “Part of the changes includes the removal of the obligation for MAF to x-ray screen or physically search all international passenger baggage entering New Zealand. This change enables MAF to better target resources to biosecurity risk. “In the trans-Tasman environment in particular, MAF has implemented the direct exit Lane at international airports. This allows low risk compliant passengers to exit the airport more quickly while MAF can focus its efforts and become more sophisticated at targeting passengers who are more likely to carry risk goods and toughen up on non-compliant passengers and criminal behaviour. “MAF will still continue interacting and checking all travellers from Australia but may use a range of tools and intelligence to determine if they are carrying risk goods rather than relying only on X-ray screening or physical searches. The range of tools may

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Page 16

CALF REARING

June 2012

Rearing calves both demanding and fun Each year rural schools around New Zealand hold events that encourage children to take an active interest in the welfare and presentation of an animal of their choice.

Originally the day was known as Calf Club even though children exhibited animals like lambs and goats, but with fewer children now having access to 'farm animals' the day has become known, in some areas, as Pet, Livestock or Agriculture Day, with events for all classes of animals, pets and handcrafts.

LIC strongly supports New Zealand's dairy, beef, deer and sheep industries and recognises that there are young farmers who work hard each year to select, prepare and show young animals at these school events.

Helpful tips LIC’s website provides information and guidelines to help select, train and show a pet - and most importantly, ensure everyone enjoys the experience. For the first three to four days of its life, a calf will normally drink colostrum which is the first milk produced by a cow after giving birth. It has special ingredients that protect the calf from infection and help it become strong in the first days after its birth. When the calf's care is passed to a child, it will generally have finished this colostrum phase (when it will usually have been with other calves in an indoor pen drinking from a calfeteria) and should know how to suck from an artificial teat. At this stage it is important to have arranged to have a pen or small paddock where the calf can be kept on its own, or with other calves which are being hand-reared. For the first few days as the child and calf become friends, it will help if this is a small area so, wherever the child is are in the pen, they are close to the calf and it can hear their voice and will soon begin to trust the child. The best way to forge a friendship, of course, is by feeding it. Right from the start, the calf will need feeding twice a day - in the morning (before school) and the afternoon.

Warm milk

Children who live on a dairy farm, will probably get milk direct from the farm dairy in the mornings and afternoons, when it is still warm so they can immediately feed the calf. Those not on farms will mix special calf milk formula with warm water (the water-powder ratio is given on the outside of the bag of milk powder) and feed the calf. It is very important to keep whatever utensil are used (bucket, mother udder, calfeteria) very, very clean - calves can get 'a tummy bug' called scours (diarrhoea) from dirty feeding utensils, so be very careful to clean everything in hot soapy water after each feed so it is clean for the next feed. The farmer will be the best one to explain how much milk to feed and this will be reviewed at regular intervals because the calf will grow very quickly. As a general rule, after feeding a calf will look full, his/her tummy will look round and the calf will be happy, not calling out for more milk. Use whole milk or one of the brands of milk powder available at from local farming stores. A common rule is 10 per cent of body-weight, so a 40kg calf needs four litres each day or two litres twice a day. It is important to mix powders at the correct

Grandaughter Danika helps Alex Sellars feed the hungry calves their special milk. levels so be sure to read the instructions on the calf milk packet very carefully, and follow them strictly. Be sure to feed the calf at the same time each day it will soon learn when 'dinner time' is. In addition to milk, acalf needs access to clear water and good quality, fresh, grass.

Calf meal

Calves will grow quickly and will soon begin nibbling grass and drinking water from the trough. At around two weeks introduce calf meal to its diet so it grows well and has 'good condition' (has a good cover of fat and muscle) and is contented during the day between feeds. Meal is fed in the mornings, after a milk feed. A large, flat-bottomed feeder which a calf can't push around the paddock is best. Although the supply of grass, hay and meal increases as the calf grows, it is still important to keep feeding milk as this ensures the calf keeps a shiny coat for calf club.

Weaning

At around two to three weeks, and after checking with the farmer, the calf's twice daily milk feeds can be reduced to one - generally in the morning. The amount of milk generally increases so the calf is getting one larger drink of milk each day. Calves generally remain on once-a-day milk feeds with grain until after Calf Club. Weaning then takes place when the calf returns to the farm. To find out more check out the LIC website www.lic.co.nz/lic_Calf_Clubs.cfm

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CALF REARING

June 2012

Page 17

Farmers wonder – which left is left? Which is an animal’s left ear?

That question has proved so taxing the National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme has decided new compulsory tags can be fitted to either ear. NAIT operations manager Tony Corcoran told the Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers provincial conference last month that specifying tags should be placed only in an animal’s left ear was deemed too confusing.

“Farmers asked: which is the left ear – the one on the animal’s left side or on the left as you look at the animal?” The NAIT scheme comes into force for cattle from July 1 this year and for deer from March 1, 2013. It is designed to assure New Zealand’s overseas markets that a livestock disease can be quickly

contained in the event of any biosecurity incidents. Newborn animals must be tagged NAIT Ltd is the industry-owned company responwith approved tags within 180 days of sible for implementing the NAIT scheme for cattle birth or before their first movement to and deer, designed to link people, property and liveanother NAIT number. stock. Its shareholders are Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Exceptions made DairyNZ, and Deer Industry New Zealand. There are some exemptions from applying tags and these include bobby Added value calves going direct to slaughter, which Tony said the scheme could add value to farmers by making available information on the condition of will continue to have the tags issued by meat processing companies. their livestock at slaughter. Animals which were considered He said farmers should ask impractical to tag but already have meat processing companies AHB barcoded primary tags and were to use the tag system to being transported directly to a meat give them individual carcass reports. “Some (processors) don’t want to do that but the technology means they can.” Farmers didn’t need to purchase the tag readers but may find being able to read and record the information contained on the electronic tags was an advantage to their operation. Tony said every person in charge of animals at a given location must register with NAIT to get a NAIT number, which is different from an Animal Health Board number or dairy participant code. “Any properties within 20 kilometres, as the crow flies, of each other where the same person is in charge of animals can be registered under the same NAIT number.” Existing stock have a three-year grace period before they need to be tagged with NAIT approved tags, unless they are being moved off the farm.

First calf club day in Otago in 1911 Dairy cows came to New Zealand on sailing ships with early settlers during the 1800s. By the early 1900s, the industry was prospering and growing with farmers joining together to form herd testing co-operatives and dairy factories to process the milk their herds produced. The earliest recording of the forerunner of today's calf club was in 1911, when the Boys and Agricultural Group began in Otago. As the adult side of the industry grew, so too did the junior. The

natural partnership of children and young animals was encouraged as farmers recognised the benefits to be gained by children having the responsibility of training and caring for a young animal. In regions around the country, the enthusiasm of farming parents combined with local schools gave life to Calf Club. And so it has been for nearly 100 years. Many dairy farmers and their children look back with affection at the time they spent selecting, feeding and training calves for

Calf Club. The benefits derived from involvement in Calf Club extend beyond the dairy industry to personal qualities that have value in many spheres of life - motivation, commitment, responsibility and compassion. Today Calf Club, or its modern equivalent, is held each year in a large number of schools across New Zealand dependent on the support and patronage of generally rural communities and their supporting structures.

(Source LIC)

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processor did not need to be tagged but would incur a levy of $13 per head plus GST. Animal movements to NAIT-accredited meat processors and sale yards will be recorded by those organisations on behalf of farmers. However, farm to farm movements such as private sales or animals sent for grazing must be recorded by the person in charge of the animals. For more information, phone 0800 624 843 or visit www.nait.co.nz By Elaine Fisher

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June 2012

Surviving the winter to enjoy spring The following information will provide farmers with the ability to grow more feed in spring. For those who don’t enjoy winter, there’s the added benefit of getting to spring in a better frame of mind. Our first few years of pastoral farming were spent close to the coast where grass usually grew strongly until mid-May with signs of spring growth as early the first week in September. And among those one hundred days there were periods of warmth when grass showed encouraging signs of wanting to grow. We then spent a number of years inland at 1,000ft, and height alone meant temperatures were 3°C lower. Along with being exposed to the south winters became a period to endure, rather than the relatively short time spent recharging the batteries before the bustle of spring we had enjoyed previously. What we didn’t know at that time is that

areas that are colder in winter grow more feed in spring than regions that enjoy warmer winters. It just comes a little later so when calving and lambing are adjusted accordingly, feed pressure can be lessened and total production is maintained or even increased. Spring growth in cold regions arrives as though a switch has been flicked, suddenly there’s feed everywhere, while in the warmer regions it just creeps up, with no great excitement. The reasons for the difference are largely about what’s taking place in the soil, although the amount of sunlight does play a part. At temperatures less than 10°C the speed at which nutrient cycles slows rapidly, and so too does grass growth. The upside is that earthworms are busiest

over winter as their ideal operating temperature is around 10°C. Worms are the soils macro digesters, processing all the big stuff, old roots, along with dead grass and dung left on the surface during the season. There are plenty of other beneficial soil workers, with their combined weight being at least the same as the weight of stock carried above. If you want to increase the carrying capacity of your property long term, first increase the number of earthworms. There are two things that earthworms particularly enjoy, more calcium and more fresh air and dolomite from Golden Bay provides both. Earthworm numbers and activity increase with extra calcium, and the extra fresh air is provided by dolomite’s unique ability to physically aerate the soil. With an increase in both, more humus is formed and potential pasture production steadily lifts. As well as 24 per cent calcium, Dolomite also contains 11.5 per cent magnesium and

is applied where there is a requirement for magnesium, and that’s the case on nearly all dairy country. Dolomite is the most effective magnesium fertiliser available anywhere, as the late Prof Walker said, “….individual farmers will have to make their own calculations, but in my view dolomite is the ideal material to use on acid soils low in magnesium….” If the idea of enjoying the benefits provided by dolomite over the next twelve months sounds good we’ll send or email an easy to understand sheet that includes all the technical data along with a recommended spreading rate, and price delivered direct to your farm or spreader. Generally we find the cost of supplying dolomite for 50ha is no more than the price of one good dairy cow, and the savings are usually a good deal more than that. Should you wish we’ll spend whatever time it takes to discuss your queries on soil fertility and with over 20 years’ experience with dolomite there’s always plenty more to add.

Tricky trace elements Winter time is a time for planning next season’s animal health requirements, including magnesium, lime flour, maize balancers and trace element supplements. There are a lot of differing opinions and controversy on what dairy cows need in terms of trace elements and unfortunately there are the usual unscrupulous companies selling expensive products with no proven benefits.

vet’s view with Ravensdown Vet Gavin Goble BVSc MRCVS

For grazing ruminants (eg cattle and sheep), there are only five trace elements that need to be considered in terms of deficiency; copper, selenium, cobalt, iodine and zinc; of which the first two are the main ones. Iodine is most important when cows are being fed on brassicas, and/or precalving and pre-mating. Despite the fact that only a proportion of dairy farms are naturally low in one or more these minerals, it has become common practice to supplement the herd with a mixture containing all five, as an ‘insurance policy’ against production-limiting deficiencies. In the absence of considerable monitoring (ie pasture, blood and liver testing), this strategy is not unreasonable. However I have seen no evidence at all that dairy cows will benefit from other trace elements commonly touted as

useful, such as chromium, boron, manganese or nickel. Even if cows do require these, the levels that naturally occur in the diet are sufficient. If you are being sold a product containing these other mineral (or other ingredients such as probiotics or seaweed), particularly if it costs you more, ask to see real trial data of the benefits (not just anecdotal evidence). And beware of people using overseas data, or even worse data from other species, to justify their product. In terms of trace element chelates vs (inorganic) sulphates, there is again a lot of mixed opinion on the best option, but little, if any robust data showing that chelates are more cost-effective than inorganic options. Before you pay significantly more for chelated products, ask for evidence or seek advice from an independent source.

June 2012

DAIRY

Page 19

Building and using cow immunity Matthew Ruthe, OMS user with Neal Kinsey

Both farms had moved toward a biological farming system, and both farmers wore beaming smiles and talked about unbelievably low input costs these days and good production. Different farms often have problems which recur every year at a particular stage in the season. These may relate to mating, pre-calving, different stages of lactation, or difficulty getting young stock to develop fully as expected. High SCC counts in the herd may see a potential grade looming, while the complications presented by a variety of cows

dosed with antibiotics at different times can be a nightmare in the farm dairy. Poor condition, stress and infections are animal health problems that commonly arise from natural challenges. A simple biological way of helping the animals to handle these challenges is to develop their immune systems through better nutrition. OMS is proving to be one of the really useful tools available. The hundreds of farmers who have used it and the thousands of cows it has benefitted can’t be wrong. By Sue Edmonds

IMAGINE...

Many farmers have got used to the idea that when a cow gets sick, they can ‘fix’ it, frequently with the use of antibiotics. And often it works and the cow recovers. But how many are aware that if the cow’s immune system was working as Nature intended, then it would generally have been able to overcome the bugs, possibly suffer a mild dose, but be able to get better without drugs. And when you think of the difficulties and hazards of making sure you don’t get antibiotic milk in the vat, having cows which can generally do without antibiotics has got to be a good idea. Robert Pickering, founder of Wormade Ltd, had long cared about animal welfare and looked for ways of boosting an animal’s immune response. He invented Oral Mineral Supplement (OMS), which is now in its seventh season of use around the country, and which hundreds of farmers are now using with their herds. A product compliant with all Food Safety Authority requirements, information on its efficacy has been spread from farmer to

farmer by word of mouth. OMS is used as a drench and helps strengthen the cow’s immune system. The cow is then better able to control the bacteria causing mastitis, facial eczema and some forms of lameness, which might otherwise proliferate until the cow sickened and possibly died. Used as part of a regular nutrition system, OMS helps young animals to develop their own natural (genetic) immune systems, as well as helping older animals make a faster recovery from illness. Wormade has clear manuals to guide farmers in using what is now called the Mastade Nutritional Supplement Plan, which can be started at any point in the year. Having healthy animals often means a significant reduction in animal health costs. Recently I visited two farms on the Central Plateau where long-running worries with problems like heifer mastitis had been reduced to almost nothing. On one farm a ready-charged single drench gun was kept handy during milking so that cows which seemed to need a dietary boost could be given a dose of OMS on the spot. On the second farm lameness had been a big problem, but was now reduced to an occasional minor irritation.

Put toe in water with these courses Getting their feet wet is what farmers do almost daily but now there’s a course to help them put their toes in `water’ of another kind. Federated Farmers is offering two leadership courses for members. `Getting your Feet Wet”, is an entry level course designed for people not currently active in a leadership role but keen to do so and the level two course `Shining under the Spotlight’ gives the chance to practice presentation skills and strategic thinking. The courses are balanced with workshop sessions and opportunities to network with others who work on agricultural policy. The courses are popular and fill quickly so registering interest early is advised. The next level two leadership course is on July 11-12 and

a level one course will be held on October 24-25. To register or for more information, contact the Federated Farmers Events Coordinator, Hannah Williamson, on 0800 327 646 or email events@fedfarm.org.nz.

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Page 20

June 2012

El Nino summer predicted We are at the end of a brilliant summer for grass growth but now is not the time to be complacent.

When it comes to the weather and farming you never know what’s around the corner. The weather experts are predicting an 80 per cent chance of El Nino weather conditions for the coming summer which could mean drier conditions from Taupo north, and from east to west. They could be wrong but it’s wise to be cautious. Even though there’s good grass cover now, moving stock off the farm will spell the pasture and reduce the risk of pugging. Good farming is not all about the cows. Giving staff and owners time for holidays is important so they come back refreshed and focused for the season ahead. Keeping cows in good condition, as most are right now, combined with good pasture cover and a good calving date should make for maximum production next season. Achieving good production will be important

because the Fonterra pay out has dropped, on the back of the recent prices achieved from the GlobalDairyTrade auctions. However, the dollar also dropped which might take some of the edge off the impact of falling prices. Taking the long view of weather, we may never be able to farm for `an average year’ again. Experts say there has been a threefold increase in extreme weather events in the last 30 years and there’s nothing to suggest that won’t continue. Weather changes can result in more floods or droughts but also provide ideal conditions for pests and diseases which aren’t currently too much of a problem. Making a living off the land comes with uncertainty and challenge but it always has. The most successful farmers are those who are well informed and who pay close attention to the wellbeing of their pasture, their livestock and their staff. By Bill Webb

High protein diet not the ideal for stock “My animals have been on lush tucker but won’t put on weight.” I have heard this cry over and over this last season, and a little explanation should suffice to prompt the brain cells. Most of you will have heard of the protein diet, it is based on the premise that if you restrict the intake of carbohydrates and increase the consumption of protein, the body will work its butt off to fill its energy requirements by burning the protein as an energy source and thus have less usable protein for the maintenance or restoration of body tissue. Over the past few months we have had more than our ‘normal’ supply of precipitation and as a result the grass has kept growing. At least this has been the case here in the Hawkes Bay. The net result is a feed intake stacked with protein and lacking sufficient energy for the animal to convert it into meat – milk or wool. We still use the old term TDN. TDN is an abbreviation for Total Digestible Nutrients. It is the sum of the Digestible Crude Protein + the Digestible Crude Fibre + the Digestible Nitrogen free Extract + (the percentage of Digestible Ether Extract [fat] X 2.25) Collectively this represents the

amount of potential energy in the feed. Unfortunately this better than usual season has produced feed which is well endowed with protein; about two and a half times the animals requirement, and yet low in potential energy. This causes a stress on the animal consuming it as the animal’s requirement for energy takes precedence over all other function. These functions include making milk, making wool, making meat and producing an offspring. I will pen more on this subject later; at present I will give you a tip which will tip the scales in your favour. I’ll take a normal milk cow to demonstrate. I’ll also assume that this animal is grazing on protein rich pasture and that the pasture contains around 28 per cent crude protein. The TDN content of this feed, calculated by averaging the feeds going through our laboratory, contains 62 per cent TDN. The animal requires around 15 per cent protein and at present it is receiving about 28 per cent. As protein is calculated by measuring the total nitrogen and multiplying that by 6.25 ( a very crude measurement by the way) more about

the later, and as the TDN value includes protein in its equation, it is not hard to assess that the animal is going to run out of both protein and energy very fast. I gave a figure of 62 per cent for energy; measured as the TDN content. The animal needs at least 72 per cent TDN to maintain its energy needs and as we can see it is 10 per cent short. We are going to assume that this cow weighs 350 kilograms and we know that it will need to intake at least 3 per cent of its live weight in feed daily on a dry basis; 3 per cent of 350 = 10.5 kilograms. We have also ascertained that this is 10 per cent short in energy, 10 per cent of 10.5 = 1.05 kilograms of energy required to make up the deficit. If you supply this, the animal will reward you handsomely. As it is, she is using the protein as a source of energy and protein burnt up for energy is no longer available for milk – wool – meat or production. A client came into the lab recently complaining that his animals were only putting on about 0.21 kilograms a day, I would suggest that that was not meat but only bone.

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Gypsy Day origins explained By Elaine Fisher

Everyone in the dairy industry knows that Gypsy Day is June 1 – the day when farms change hands and sharemilkers move their herds to new properties.

That was until I emailed Coast & Country columnist Don Fraser. “It dates back to the days of the State Advances Corporation, where it was agreed that the June 1 was transaction day to make things easier for everyone,” replied Don who thinks that may have been in the 1960s but They know too that this date makes sense he’s not completely sure. because it’s a time when cows are dry but it “It was also the cut off point for the variturns out not too many people know how ous dairy companies which included all the June 1 became an ‘official’ date. little old When I asked farmers and others involved in stand-alone the industry for many years about Gypsy Day companies most recounted memories of herds of cows such as walking along the roads to new farms, but none could enlighten me on how the industry agreed on just one day.

June 1 became an ‘official’ date to herd the cows along the roads to new farms.

Cambridge Dairy Factory (you know the old buildings sitting around empty now). “Basically it gave everybody an agreed date so that transfers could be aligned. There are farms transacting after that date into June and July, but they are ordinarily going concerns where the stock goes with the farm. “In the days of manual transactions legal secretaries could be seen running all over town carrying cheques to settle on properties – it was a huge day.” A little more research revealed that the State Advances Corporation had its beginnings as far back as 1894, when in order to accelerate

the development of the country the government made provisions for settlers to obtain finance for land development at economic interest rates. Over time the corporation made advances (loans) to settlers on the security of farm property for re-financing and development purposes. It also assisted workers in the purchase and construction of homes, either in rural or urban areas. Advances were also made to local authorities to finance the construction of roads, bridges, and for the provision of other civic amenities.

FIELDAYS

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NEW

June 2012

FIELDAYS

June 2012

Fieldays for all – gumboots advised Fieldays aren’t just for farmers. Every year thousands of urban dwellers also pour through the gates at Mystery Creek, (admittedly many in their designer gumboots) to enjoy the sights, sounds and experiences of the largest agribusiness exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere. Now in its 44th year, the New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays can take credit for raising the profile of this country’s primary industries both at home and abroad, and for bringing town closer to country. This year will be no exception. Ag Fieldays chairman Warwick Roberts says the four days of Fieldays are a spectacle of farming and farming processes not to be missed. Not only that, but it will be even easier to get around the huge site and its 1000 exhibitors. In recognition of the need for easier walking and the ability to rest, organisers have improved transport between car parks and installed more seating. As always there’s plenty to eat and drink with a selection of foods from fast to exotic. In addition to the impressive display of farm

machinery and equipment there’s a daily programme of events including fencing championships, tractor pull, miniature horses, the Kiwi’s Best Kitchen Theatre, sheep dog trials, Chelsea & the Dog Stars, Ag Art Wear, New Zealand Cutting Horse Association demonstrations, extreme motorcycle displays and Western Riding demonstrations. Entrants in the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation Waikato Regional Excavator Competitions will show off their skills, possibly even as delicate as pouring a glass of wine with the bucket of an excavator. Then there is the premiere feature, ‘The Changing Face of Farming’ in the Mystery Creek Pavilion with exhibitors who proactively combat issues related to the altering landscape of farming ownership models. The University of Waikato is also holding a series of seminars looking at land use, water management and innovation in Maori agribusiness. Entries in the Fieldays No 8 Wire awards will also be on display as will the latest in rural inventions at the Innovation Centre. There’s plenty to buy from clothing to plants to gift ware and gadgets. Fieldays are a great way to spend a day or four - fron June 13 to 16.

Diverse dealership has region covered Piako Tractors is a dedicated tractor and machinery dealership based in Morrinsville, Rotorua and Paeroa, covering the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and the central plateau areas. This large diverse area is supported by 10 mobile

major breakdown on a piece of major equipment or a service on a tractor or machine. “Catering for such a diverse range of equipment is no easy task and the parts managers spend hours looking at the machine park to see

The new Massey Ferguson 5400 Z10 tractor.

service vehicles with fully qualified technicians who are in full contact with the service centres in Morrinsville and Rotorua says Brian Matchett of Paiko Tractors. “All technicians both mobile and on the workshop floor are supported by fully stocked parts departments which caters for all the customers’ needs no matter if it is a

what items need to be on the shelves. This is made more difficult by the seasonal nature of the business with farmers and contractors not wanting any downtime so the demands are very high.” Piako Tractors have just invested in a new 1074m² agricultural fully equipped workshop in Morrinsville with a further 1008m² used for

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parts, storage and administration. The workshop has huge bays for the technicians and allows them to park service vehicles in the workshop and work directly from them making for efficiencies. Rotorua has achieved AGCO’s Master Dealer Five Star accreditation for the tenth year running. “This is a major achievement and shows that the complete business is running to very high standards. “Being an AGCO dealer for tractors and hay tools allows Piako Tractors access to a wide range of new and exciting tractors and hay tools,” says Brian. The newly released Massey Ferguson 7600 series tractors with Dyna-6 and Dyna-VT variable transmissions is among the latest arrivals as are the new Massey Ferguson 5420, 5430, 5440 & 5450 Z10 range, part of the successful 5400 series. With horsepower ranging from 82 to 107 combined with the

proven four stage power shift and clutchless power shuttle transmissions these machines well specced for farmers. “While the specification is above most competitors the machine is surprisingly well priced.”

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Feedback wanted on rule change The Ministry of Transport (working with the Rural Transport Forum) has come up with a range of proposed changes for agricultural vehicle rules and is now seeking feedback on them. One proposal is for agricultural vehicles licensed to operate at up to 40 km/h

to be exempt from licence fees, periodic inspection and road user charges. The ministry is holding a series of workshops to provide growers and farmers with further information and to get feedback. A list of the workshop dates and locations are on the MOT website, and a position paper setting out the proposed changes as well as information on how to make a submission is available on the Ministry of Transport website: www.transport.govt.nz.

June 2012

Protection from sheep’s back It’s more than wool which keeps sheep dry. The lanolin from the fleece repels water and an innovative Omokoroa company has harnessed this unique product to create a range of environmentally friendly, high performance, protective industrial lanolin lubricants, corrosion inhibitors and anti-seize greases. Julie and Murray Shaw founded Prolan in 2003 and today the products they manufacture are exported around the world and used in the coldest and toughest of environments to protect machinery and vehicles, including wind turbines. “Prolan products are replacing traditional petrochemical lubricants in Europe and one company alone has replaced 25 products with ours,” says Julie.

Freezing challenge

NEED A SHED? COME SEE PLACEMAKERS AT FIELD DAYS 2012 - SITE N9

Meeting the demands of the European climate presented a challenge. “Some of our products turned solid in the cold but Murray worked with AgResearch to find ways to keep them liquid in Denmark’s freezing temperatures.” In New Zealand Prolan’s corrosion inhibitors are sprayed on the underside of quad bikes to slow down deterioration. “Bikes used on dairy farms probably need an application every nine to 12 months but for those on sheep and beef farms, one application can last for up to two years. The products can be applied by the machinery owners. Bikes can be waterblasted after use and the Prolan stays on providing long term protection.”

The mussel farming industry uses the products to protect trucks operating in salt water conditions and Julie says fleet owners report far fewer warrant of fitness failures from rust since using Prolan products. The company also produces lanolin based anti-seize and lubricant products.

Natural versatility

The main ingredient of all their products is lanolin (natural wool grease), one of the most versatile natural substances on the planet. “Its unique properties surpass petrochemical products in performance, versatility, longevity, protection, safety and asset maintenance. Prolan’s natural products reduce costs, protect plant and machinery for longer, increase productivity and are safe to use.” Prolan will be at site M3 at the Fieldays.

Kiwi’s best cuisine Placemakers Kiwi Best is the place for food lovers at the 2012 Fieldays. Not only will this country’s best food and beverages be on display but also the Best Kitchen Theatre will feature celebrity chef Nici Wickes and other demonstrating how to prepare them in mouthwatering dishes. There are several demonstrations each day so check out the programme and visit the Kiwi’s Best marque in the Rural Living area at Fieldays from June 13 to 16.

PRE-CAST CONCRETE & STEEL CONSTRUCTION SPECIALISTS PLACEMAKERS STORES EXHIBITING AT THIS YEAR’S FIELD DAYS: HAMILTON HUNTLY MORRINSVILLE MT MAUNGANUI PUKEKOHE

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June 2012

FIELDAYS

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Robotic rotary dairy reality in Tasmania A revolutionary robotic rotary dairy is now in operation at Gala, the dairy farm operated by the Dornauf family in northern Tasmania. Marketed under the AMRTM the new milking system was developed collaboratively by Swedish dairy equipment company DeLaval and the Sydney-based FutureDairy team. The Dornauf family have been milking with the AMRTM since February this year, and are delighted with the results. “It is a different approach, not just to milking cows, but the farming system in general,” said Nick Dornauf who runs the farm with his partner Rebekah Tyler. The Dornauf ’s AMR is currently milking 250 cows but has the capacity to milk up to 600 cows. The plan is to further develop the property and expand the herd to capacity over the coming years. The Dornauf ’s AMRTM has a 24-unit internal, herringbone rotary platform. Milking tasks are performed by five robots: two for udder

preparation, two for cup attachment and one for teat disinfection after milking. Cows wear electronic collars which are recognised by the robots, smart gates, automatic feeders and the herd management software, DelproTM, giving the Dornauf ’s the ability to manage many of the farm operations from the computer. Richard Alderton, Regional President, DeLaval Oceania, said the company had worked closely with the Australian dairy industry to develop the AMRTM. “We collaborated with the FutureDairy

For more information contact: David Widdicombe, team to design an automatic milking system suited to Australian conditions, particularly DeLaval Australia 0408 335 164 or Ron Mulder, larger herds within a pasture feedbase,” Mr DeLaval, New Zealand 0212 208 647. Alderton said. However the system is flexible enough to operate in a variety of dairy systems including free stalls and loose housing that are typical of overseas dairy operations. The reasons the Dornaufs invested in the AMRTM included the ability to retain labour, flexibility of farm management, improved stimulation, freeing up time from milking to focus on farm management and improved lifestyle. While the Dornaufs are still getting used to this new way of farming, they are already seeing some of the benefits. “It’s really exciting to be adopting new technology and challenging the paradigms for dairy farming. There’s lots of intellectual stimulation for me,” Nick Dornauf said. The Dornauf ’s AMRTM has a 24-unit internal, herringbone rotary platform.

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June 2012

Family foundations set in concrete Concrete is one of the most durable, versatile and proven construction materials available and few know its properties better than Bowers and Son, the Te Awamutu company which has been serving the rural and building sectors in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty for 65 years. • Ready Mix Concrete • Effluent Storage • Water tanks • Feed Pads • Septic tanks • Feed troughs • Bunker Walls

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Scott Hill is the fourth generation to be a partner in Bowers and Son. The fact that it is a family owned and operated business is a true strength of Bowers and Son because knowledge has been retained and passed on and now a fourth generation has bought into the company. Scott Hill and his wife Rebecca have become partners with Robyn and Jeff Bowers, now that Scott’s parents John and Glenice Hill have retired. However, Scott is not new to the business as he’s worked for it for 15 years and is well known to customers. Bowers and Son is recognised for its innovation and its new arch bridge design for stock and farm machinery to cross waterways will be on display at

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the Fieldays on site F29. The company also manufactures walls for effluent ponds, which are made to order for ponds either small or large. Silage bunker walls at 2.4 metres high are another speciality. Bowers also construct concrete Duracrete water tanks, septic tanks, effluent sumps and stone traps using self-compacting concrete which is a very high strength durable product with a high quality finish. Feed pads, fertilizer and palm kernel bunkers are made to individual requirements and the company also manufacturers of a large range of water and feed troughs.

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Watchful eye for remote locations

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An innocent looking black box has been responsible for the successful prosecutions of thieves and vandals in remote rural areas, thanks to some very smart camera technology and the fact the surveillance cameras have their own power source. Maurice French of Spirit Networks, Mi5 reseller for the Bay of Plenty and Waikato, says the Mi5 RedEye or RedEye Wireless is ideal for monitoring farms, forestry blocks, building sites, equipment, and managing All it takes – Maurice site access because mains French with the Mi5 power is not required thanks camera and the iPad to the five month life of its he can use to remotely rechargeable battery. view images. “There’s also a solar panel option to charge the battery. The system can be installed almost anywhere, without the need to lay expensive cabling or other infrastructure.” The Mi5 system is not closed circuit television and is not designed for “live” video. Rather its motion sensors trigger the remotely located camera, contained in the small (144x84x72mm) black box. The still images can be read by removing the 65,000 image capacity SD card from the camera, or can be sent directly to a computer, iPad or mobile phone using the MyMi5 web platform. “Deciding where to place the camera and its triggers is important to gathering the required information,” says Maurice. The cameras take high quality images which can show vehicle number plates, and identify people, and as each image is marked with the date and time, they can be used in legal proceedings. “Forestry contractors and farmers use the Mi5 system to detect people stealing diesel from vehicles or tanks in remote locations. The system has also been used successfully on buildings sites targeted by thieves, and by councils attempting to identify vandals and taggers.” The system is currently being used by some local authorities to monitor fly dumping sites and council premises. “The beauty is that the system is portable and selfpowered. Once it has served its purpose on one site, it can be moved to another.” Mi5 will be at the Fieldays next month demonstrating its range of surveillance cameras, such as the RedEye and RedEye Wireless and including one which a patrol person can wear. For more information Contact Maurice at Spirit Networks on 0800 147747 or check out their website www.spiritnetworks.co.nz

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FIELDAYS

Page 28

June 2012

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High concentrations of Streptococcus uberis are found in the environment in the colder pre-calving months. It has been proven that ensuring optimum teat and udder health before calving can reduce post-calving infections caused by S.uberis, particularly in heifers during early lactation. Pre-calving measures available to the dairy farmer for prevention of S.uberis infections include dry cow therapy, teat sealing, or teat spraying. Dry cow therapy/ teat sealing can be ineffective or even contribute to the problem if not done correctly, according to WEtiT, the Tuakau company which specialises in teat sprayers.

The technologically advanced QD0 in-race system monitors each cow, switching on and off at different positions and frequencies for individual cow requirements. Cow flow is not an issue and the coverage is second to none for every single cow. Now this technology is easily able to be taken to the cows – wherever they happen to be. By mounting the QD0 and pumping

another crop or paddock break by putting the cows into the race than allowing them onto the new break over the portable QD0. Pre-calving teat spraying benefits include: • Reduced teat and udder damage caused environmentally. • Soft, supple resilient teats in early lactation. • Reduced mastitis bugs present when the teat canal opens for the calf. • QD0 can be dropped into the milking routine wherever it is required.

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WETiT designer, David Carey, says that the portable QD0 will provide better results than any other equipment on the market because it delivers: • Accurate application of solution in this very challenging cow flow environment • Precision and thorough coverage to unwell, high-risk cows that limp, strugProven effectiveness gle or stop while passing through the Teat spraying has been proven QD0 to reduce heifer mastitis cases by • The ability of complete teat barrel up to 50 per cent in the first three coverage with zero shadowing due to the The WETiT portable sprayer can be weeks of lactation if done three spray droplet flight path positioned in a race to ensure all cows are treated. times a week for the three weeks • Effective surface area coverage onto prior to calving. Effective teat the teat due to angle compensations made spraying is difficult to achieve when the herd system in a portable frame WETiT have for air pressure in front of and behind the are grazed off-farm at locations which have made it possible for the unit to be posiudder limited facilities. tioned in a race or gateway and used when • Almost no missed cows from highly enthuWETiT Teat Sprayers have developed a it is needed in the weeks prior to calving. siastic overlapping cows portable system to effectively apply emollient The portable QD0 means that spraying can Of course, after moving the system around and a sanitising solution to the udder, offerbe done as the cows exit the yard, feed or to deal with pre-calving spraying, it can ing a low-cost, drug-free solution that can standoff pad. then be positioned at the shed for the rest be done with no or minimal labour input. They can be sprayed when they are given of the season.

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Effluent storage ponds from Canterbury and Taranaki have picked up DairyNZ Prize Pond Awards for keeping pond levels low in an event believed to be the first of its kind in the world. Canterbury farm owners Murray and Shirley Thomas and sharemilkers Dave and Pip Howard, have a 30 day holding pond irrigating 160ha under a central pivot system.

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Dave Howard, who farms near Ashburton, says keeping pond levels low is a no-brainer. “It’s pretty simple; if we keep some room in our pond and it’s not too full, we have options on how we manage the farm. If we have no capacity, we have no options. Otherwise it's a bit of an effort to keep on top of it, therefore we just make it part of how we manage the farm," says Dave. The Taranaki ‘Prize Pond’ is owned by Ken Sole and is managed by sharemilker Dan Merritt. Ken is glad they entered. “We’re really pleased that our low pond, and how we manage it, has been recognised,” says Ken.

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Prize Pond Chief Judge DairyNZ’s development project manager for effluent, Dr Theresa Wilson says the unique competition threw up examples of wellmanaged and constructed ponds. “The Prize Pond entries from farmers nation-wide showed many effective ponds at low levels, and judges from the effluent team were pushed to select a winner,” says Theresa. “We’re thrilled to be able to put on barbecues for the winners and their farm teams to celebrate their awards with our Prize Pond supporter, farming commentator and former All-Black Richard Loe.” DairyNZ ran the competition, alongside a series of cartoons, articles and reminders to help people in charge of managing farm effluent systems to keep as much effluent storage free as possible heading into winter. “It was great to see so many farmers getting into the fun spirit of the competition. We had entries that really demonstrated how proud farmers are of how they manage their ponds. Their ponds didn’t just look great but they dressed up in the spirit of the awards too.” DairyNZ hopes the initiative contributes to an improvement in effluent compliance results.

FIELDAYS

June 2012

Page 29

Waihi Angus among country’s CHICKEN FERTILISER & LIME best steak producers cken certified organic chi We sell standard & manure. ctive, all year round It is a natural, cost effeture, maize crops, N.P.K fertiliser for passmall blocks. market gardens and spread. We supply, cart and le in bags or bulk. Wood shavings availabshavings for bulk Free delivery of wood orders. and cart Also available: Supply l Lime l Metal l Sand

Alistair and Patricia Sharpe’s Waitawheta Angus Stud has made the finals of the national Steak of Origin Producer of the Decade competition.

When it comes to producing tasty, tender steaks, Waihi Angus breeders Alistair and Patricia Sharpe are in the country’s top 10.

based on their body conformation but also on blood lines. Alistair keeps careful breeding records of his herd which has 60 per cent traditional New Zealand genetics, traced back to animals which arrived with the early pioneers. Alistair also uses ultra sound scanning of live animals to determine the quality of the meat they will produce. The technology can measure rib and rump fat thickness, the rib-eye area, and intramuscular fat percentage (or marbling). “This is the information which will be required by buyers in the future and it is up to breeder to take the lead in using it.” Pat says the decision to breed Angus cattle came about almost by accident. “We bought the farm at the time of the 1981 floods which went right through this area and took out houses in Waikino. We had only three paddocks which weren’t flooded and the cows had to get up into the bush margins. When we finally brought them down again it was the black ones which had survived the best so we decided to concentrate on them.” Thirty-one years on they are still happy with their decision. By Elaine Fisher

The couple who have bred Angus cattle on their Waitawheta stud since 1981 competed against nine others in the national Steak of Origin Producer of the Decade competition. “We didn’t win but it was an honour to be a finalist,” says Pat. Winners were Chris and Karren Biddles, of Northland and Don Buchanan, of Taumarunui was runner-up. The yearling heifer the Sharpes entered in the Queen of Hearts Competition, run in conjunction with the steak event, came sixth out of 23 and sold for $4000 at the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Beef Expo in Feilding in May. Alistair and Pat were Meat and Wool New Zealand Steak of Origin Grand Champions in 2008 with a sirloin steak which beat off 300 other entries. Waitawheta Angus is among the smaller of the studs to enter, having just 160 breeding cows, grazing on 121 ha of land in the foothills of the Kaimai Ranges near Waihi. Deciding which animals to pick for the contest is

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FIELDAYS

Page 30

June 2012

Superior service and commitment the key to customer loyalty Decades of experience, a commitment to service and some of the best farm machinery on the market are keys to the success of privately owned Capital Tractors. Tractors and machinery have been sold and serviced from the same site in Tauranga since 1964. Dave Mackarth and partner Kathy Craig bought the well-known business on Barkes Corner (on the State Highway 29 – Pyes Pa roundabout) 19 years ago, and many clients have been with the company for as long, or even longer. “Customer loyalty is something we really value,” says Dave.

That loyalty comes from not only stocking top machinery and equipment, but also the advice and service clients receive, thanks to the experience of Capital Tractors’ staff. Sales manager Tony Johnston has been in the business for 38 years and I’ve had 50 years’ experience. We have a team of well qualified and experienced staff to take care of our clients from sales to servicing.” The company is a multifranchise dealer for Power Farming Wholesale products which include the Same, Deutz Fahr top quality tractors from Germany and Italy, plus the Iseki and Kioti range of tractors for lifestyle blocks and lawn care, and the Italian Goldoni horticultural tractors from

Agtek. Capital Tractors is New Zealand largest supplier of the Hustler zero turn ride on mowers and specialises in lawn care equipment for orchards, lifestyle blocks and domestic gardens. The company also stock a range of equipment to suit their agricultural and horticultural customers’ requirements, all backed by after sales spare parts, workshop and on-site servicing. Capital Tractors will be at the 2012 Fieldays at Mystery Creek with Power Farming and Goldoni products. “The Fieldays are a great opportunity for people to compare a wide range of products in their own time and to ask questions to help decide on their purchase.”

Print a personal map for Fieldays The National Fieldays are as big as a small town, with highways, byways and crowds so it’s possible to not exactly get lost, but at least disorientated. This year to reduce that risk, visitors can plan their route and print out maps even before they arrive thanks to the Fieldays new interactive on line map available at www.fieldays.co.nz The idea is to search for the type of businesses to be visited and then select the exhibitors. They will be automatically added to a trip planner along with the best route for all the chosen destinations. Once planning is complete, a map marked with the points of interest can be printed. All the details on how to use the online map are on the website, along with comprehensive information about the four day event. Technology may be smart at Fieldays but the human touch is still vital to the event from the volunteers helping in the car parks to those who carry out hundreds of unseen tasks to keep the event ticking along. This year around 160 members of the Fieldays society will be working during the event, co-ordinated by Kerry Clarkin who began his involvement four decades ago, helping park cars. He’s also a former board member and chairman too.

Barkes Corner, Tauranga. Ph. 543 0021

FIELDAYS

June 2012

Milking once a day

“Animal health’s a lot better, costs are down and production’s up—even the staff are happier. What’s not to like?”

One farmer’s experience

Two seasons ago Graham Best began milking once a day. It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, Graham had been intending to milk once a day since he and wife Avril bought their Waikite Valley property eight years ago, but with one thing and another it took him a few years to implement the plan. Graham milks 400 Friesians off an effective 148ha of rolling to steep dairy country. Initially he bought Jerseys, but soon found that while they may be better suited to once-a-day milking, they were not suited to the hills. “They wouldn’t walk up the hills, so we brought in the Friesians, big strong beasts that don’t mind the steep hills at all.” It was those very hills that first decided Graham to milk once a day. Walking to and from the shed, the cows were expending a lot of time and energy which could be better used making milk, but while many cows respond well to spending more time in the paddock, others do not. “Lower milk yield and higher protein/fat percentage is one of the deciding factors because a cow at peak can only store a certain amount of milk in her udder. “If you have a cow that has higher milk solid percentage and less milk, she is more likely to store a full 24 hours’ worth of milk, but a high volume producer may only store her milk for 16 hours the other eight hours she’s not producing. This (being left with a full udder) sends a signal to drop production and dry off. And if you under feed on any given day production drops

and you can’t get it to come back without a herd bred for once-a-day milking.” Graham has installed an in-shed feed system to maintain regular feed input and ensure the cows are fed ‘to the max’ every day. It seems to have worked as production is up, this season is the second best since he’s had on the farm—and he achieved that with 80 less cows than his best year. For the long term he’s going through an aggressive selective breeding and culling programme that will ultimately produce a ‘once-a-day herd’ of 450 – 500 cows that will increase production even further. There is also a difference in the seasonal production pattern. On twice-a-day there is normally a peak in spring, then production gradually tails off over summer until another, smaller peak in autumn. This doesn’t happen on once-a-day—there is a lower spring peak followed by a slow but steady decline without the second peak. Production is more constant and the cows milk longer because they’re in better condition, so it all evens out.

Better health

As with people, less stress in cows leads to better all-round health and better condition. “Per cow they don’t produce as much because the demand [of twice a day milking] is not there, but you get a longer lactation time because they’re in better condition. You also get more compact calving. On twice-a-day we were getting a submission rate of only about 75 per cent with intervention, last year we had a submission rate of 92 per cent without intervention, and an in-calf rate in the first three weeks of about 70 per cent versus 50 per cent. We had an average empty rate

before of around 15 per cent, now, in the last two years we’ve mated for three weeks less and our empty rate is down to 6 per cent” Graham said. There are other benefits apart from production and pregnancy. Vet bills are down about 15 per cent Graham’s been able to reduce AB from six weeks to three; there’s less lameness because they’re only walking half the distance and the somatic cell count is down. There are, however, a few health problems specific to once-a-day milking—for example while clinical mastitis rates remain about the same, it’s harder to find and treat. There’s also a problem if a cow has weak ligaments—the udder gets fuller and heavier, which puts quite a bit more strain on her. Older cows come in with their teats dragging on the ground, so the older cows tend to get culled earlier than they would otherwise. But on the plus side and there’s the advantage that younger, healthier and fatter cows, especially big Friesians, fetch about $200 more per carcass. Cows aside, there are considerable gains on the farm. Power consumption is close to halved, rubber needs replacing only once a season, there’s all round less wear and tear so machinery and equipment and race-ways need less maintenance. Freed up work time is reallocated to reduce the use of contractors— for instance all the farms weed control is now ‘in house’. Graham’s final word? “Once-a-day is not for everyone—a smaller herd on flat land where the cows are not stressed may not reap the same benefits, but on the steep country it works well. I wouldn’t go back.”

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SPECS

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SsangYong Actyon Workmate Ute

Ph 575 6722 Where- Sheaff Motors, Corner Hewletts Rd and Waimarie St. diesel rail on comm litre 2 lant: Powerp Transmission: 6 speed Manual –High/Low range. Towing ability: 2.5 tonne Warranty: 3yr, 100,000km Price (as tested): 4wd $28,686

June 2012

No frills ute For anyone with some country in their veins, winter brings not only a spot of duck shooting, but also that perennial must see – Mystery Creek Fieldays. By Richard Rennie

This year, visitors with a ute on their shopping list can add the SsangYong Actyon Workmate to the list of “must see” test drives, and it may be the first and only test drive they have before writing the cheque. The four door ute market is the most fiercely contested section of the market with manufacturers falling over each other to capture the commercial and farm buyer, and with stronger commodity prices a few farmers are probably giving some strong consideration to upgrading their wheels. The Actyon has been around for a number of years, loyally supported by family owned Scheaff Motors on Hewletts Road. Priced at $28,686 plus GST, it is a 4wd coming with a price tag significantly less than the typical ute, making it very much a machine for the times. Buying a ute is not a small outlay for any business, often with little change out of $50,000. Ssang Yong is plugging a gap in the market for anyone looking for a wellpriced machine that does what it needs to do, without draining the bank account in the process. The Workmate’s $28,686 price tag is what the Actyon 2wd typically retails at, highlighting just what a good deal this is.

The Workmate is a variant on the Actyon Sports, less a few of the luxuries that come as standard on the Sports variation. So the Workmate comes with 16” steel wheels, rather than alloys, no Bluetooth or trip computer, no front seat warmers or music input, no cruise control and self levelling headlights. That is not so much to go without for a machine that comes in well under $30,000. The Workmate also delivers some under the hood bonuses that serious commercial and farm ute users will probably appreciate more – that is a 2.0 litre diesel that delivers 114kW against 104kW previously, can tow 2.5 tonne, up from 2.3 tonne, and has a spring lift assisted tail gate. These are the sorts of features anyone searching for a ute for farming or work are looking for. On top of that, the Workmate includes a six speed manual gearbox, High-Low transfer for on/off road work and comes with a 100,000km 3 year warranty package. Obviously it is good enough for that legend of Kiwi tough guys, Colin “Pinetree” Meads, to endorse it. He will be ably promoting the Workmate at this year’s Fieldays, and is offering his gruff endorsement of it across the media at present.

RURAL DRIVER

June 2012

Page 33

New vehicle sales up a massive 26% New vehicle sales continue to be at the forefront of economic recovery with another strong sales month recorded in April, according to the Motor Trade Association (MTA). “The market is really powering ahead at the moment. April’s usually the quietest month of the year, and that’s reflected in the overall volumes, but most importantly it’s still well ahead of last year’s levels,” says MTA spokesperson Ian Stronach. Last month 7,048 new vehicles were sold overall compared to just 5,610 in April 2011, an increase of 1,438 units (26 per cent). Year to date, overall sales are up by 3,642 units (13 per cent). New passenger car sales of 5,430 units, were 1,172 units (28 per cent) ahead compared to April 2011. Year to date, new car sales are ahead by 3,670 units (17 per cent). New commercial vehicle sales of

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1,618 was up 266 (20 per cent) compared to April 2011. Year to date, overall new commercial sales are virtually identical to 2011’s levels. Toyota was the top passenger vehicle with 785 sales (14 per cent share) followed by Holden with 550 units (10 per cent share) narrowly ahead of Hyundai with 546 (10 per cent share). Suzuki Swift was the leading passenger car model with 228 sales, followed by Toyota Corolla with 218 and Mazda’s new CX-5 on 179 units. Toyota was the top selling commercial brand with sales of 420 units (26 per cent share) followed by Ford with s 331 units (20 per cent share) and Nissan with 219 units (14 per cent share). Ford Ranger was the best-selling commercial and best-selling vehicle overall with sales of 279 units ahead of Toyota Hilux with 278 sales, followed by Toyota Hiace with 130. With sales of 5,877 units, first time used imported passenger cars were down 279 units (5 per cent) compared

to April 2011. Despite fears that the market would struggle in the face of reduced availability, it has held up well with overall sales for the year to date

down by just 2,053 units (8 per cent). Figures provide by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).

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Fieldays off ersJune available until 30th June 2012, stocks last. These special prices are not available in other conjunction with any other offregistration, ers. Driveaway prices include 12 months registration, ers days available available Fieldays offersuntil available until off30th ers30th available June until June 2012, 30th 2012, until while June while 30th 2012, stocks stocks while last. 2012, last. stocks These while These last. special stocks special These prices last. prices special These arewhile are not prices special not available available are prices not inavailable are conjunction in conjunction not available in conjunction with with in any conjunction any other with other off any ers. off with other ers. Driveaway any Driveaway off ers. prices Driveaway offprices ers. include Driveaway include prices 12 months 12 include prices months 12 include months registration, 12 months registration, registration, and a full tank ofRRP fuel. Kuga Titanium RRP $53,990, XR6 (MkII) RRP $53,990, Territory TX RWD RRP $49,990 and $35,490. Focus Ambiente RRP $35,490. full Ftank and tank WOF of a full fuel. ofand fuel. tank Kuga a full Kuga ofTitanium fuel. tank Titanium Kuga ofWOF fuel. RRP Titanium RRP Kuga $53,990, $53,990, Titanium RRP Falcon $53,990, Falcon XR6$53,990, XR6 Falcon (MkII) (MkII) RRP XR6 Falcon RRP $53,990, (MkII) $53,990, XR6 RRP (MkII) Territory $53,990, Territory RRPFalcon TX $53,990, Territory TX RWD RWD RRP Territory TX RRP $49,990 RWD $49,990 TX RRP and RWD $49,990 and Focus RRP Focus $49,990 Ambiente andAmbiente Focus and RRP Ambiente Focus RRP $35,490. $35,490. Ambiente RRP $35,490. RRP

umg.co.nz

RURAL DRIVER

Page 34

RotoruaRotorua ToyotaToyota Rotorua Toyota

June 2012

FIEDLEDAALYSS

CELEBRATING 30 YRS OF HILUX AT

#1

LAND CRUISER 70 $63,000* CAB/CHASSIS

ACCESSORIES NOT INCLUDED

PRADO VX $79,990*

DIESEL, AUTOMATIC

HILUX 4WD $49,995 $49,995* SR5 DOUBLE CAB DIESEL, MANUAL

LAND CRUISER 200 VX $116,500* WAGON

HIACE ZL $41,990* DIESEL MANUAL

* weekly payment based on 20% deposit, 48 months term, includes on road costs, classic finance, Toyota financial services, terms & conditions apply, offer expires 31/05/11

PLUS WIN A FISHING TRIP WITHON TS MATT+ FISHWA ING GEAR*

TOY3948/HBT

when you purchase a Hilux, Hiace or Land Cruiser model

OUR ENTIRE RANGE | 304 Te Ngae Road, Rotorua. Phone 07 345 9199 View ourTfull selection E ACRO@SSwww.rotorua.toyota.co.nz VALU EA GR After Hours: Graeme 021 772 361, Danny 027 552 1176, Murray 027 283 7790, Rory 021 456 395

AN +FREE 3YR SEINERVACICCEESSPL ORIES +30% OFF GENU Visit your local Toyota

.nz/greatoffers dealer or visit Toyota.co

cial nancing with Toyota Finan Ask your dealer about fi

Services today

* weekly payment based on 20% deposit, 48 months term, includes on road costs, classic finance, Toyota financial services, terms & conditions apply, offer expires 31/05/11 * weekly payment based on 20% deposit, 48 months term, includes on road costs, classic finance, Toyota financial services, terms & conditions apply, offer expires 31/05/11

View our full selection @ www.rotorua.toyota.co.nz | 304 Te Ngae Road, Rotorua. Phone 07 345 9199 ViewAfter our full selection @ www.rotorua.toyota.co.nz 3041176, Te Ngae Road,027 Rotorua. PhoneRory 07 345 Hours: Graeme 021 772 361, Danny 027 |552 Murray 283 7790, 0219199 456 395 After Hours: Graeme 021 772 361, Danny 027 552 1176, Murray 027 283 7790, Rory 021 456 395 *The advertised RSP’s apply to the models shown, subject to stock availability and purchased and delivered prior to 30th June 2012. Benefit offer available on all Toyota models for 1st May to 30 June 2012. Excludes Lexus and Daihatsu vehicles. The service plan covers parts and labour costs of scheduled service items for three years or 45,000km (whichever occurs first under normal operating conditions). Accessory offer is for a discount of 30% off RRP on Toyota New Zealand supplied Accessories and excludes fitment. All purchases of a new Hilux, Hiace or Land Cruiser model purchased from 1st May and 30th June 2012 qualifies for one entry into the Matt Watson Fishing Trip draw. Offer not available in conjunction with any other offer, is not transferrable or redeemable for cash or discount, is available to GST and non-GST registered New Zealand residents only. Employees of Toyota New Zealand Limited, Toyota Financial Services Limited, their advertising agents, subsidiaries and Toyota dealership staff, and their immediate families are not eligible for the offer. Vehicles may differ slightly from those pictured. For full terms and conditions visit toyota.co.nz

RURAL DRIVER

June 2012

WE WON’T BE BEATEN ON PRICE & SPEC’S INCLUDES

EURO

AVAILABLE FOR MAY/JUNE ONLY

INCLUDES

INCLUDES

TRIMA 280

LOADER

LOADER

75HP

85HP

Agrolux 4.75

• Best spec’d 4x4 ROPS available

ONLY

$45,900+GST

LOADER

Agrolux 85/Agrofarm 410 GS

• 4x4 ROPS or 410 Cabin • Optional 40Kph power shuttle/shift • Fitted with Euro III loader or High Spec Trima 280 high spec loader (410 only)

FROM ONLY

85HP

$59,900+GST

Agrofarm 410 GS

• Factory cabin/A/c fully spec’d • 40Kph power shuttle/powershift • 4 wheel disc braking

FROM ONLY

100, 112 OR 130HP

INCLUDES

TRIMA 280 LOADER

98,900

+GST

130hp 6 cyl FROM

109,900

$

German 2012 4 litre available in ROPS or Cabin Standard low profile radial 480/65R24/540/65R34 tyres Best platform/cabin, high-vis, highly spec’d Full power shuttle/powershift 4 wheel disc braking

FROM ONLY

$77,700+GST

SPECIAL OFFER!

20HP AT NO EXTRA COST

TRIMA

LOADER

FINANCE FROM

4.95%*

+GST

B&POW0044I

• • • • •

Agrofarm 420 GS

INCLUDES

4 cyl FROM

$

100HP

$77,700+GST

166HP

Agrotron K Series

• • • • •

Page 35

Worlds most economical Deutz Engines Powershift trans 24x8 40Kph ECO Worlds best & quietest cabin. Cab suspension options ALO Trima +3 loader options (6 cyl Trima +4) Profiline versions available

132-192HP • • • • • • •

Agrotron M Series

Deutz 12 Valve and 24 Valve engine options World leading ZF transmission 40-50Kph options 24x24 Trans, 4 speed powershift ECO 4 speed PTO INCLUDES World leaders in Cabin comfort High quality ALO Trima +4 loader fitted Tyres: 540/65R24 600/65R38

FROM ONLY

TRIMA +4 LOADER

$124,500+GST

Agrotron M620

• Deutz 6 cyl DCR. 24x24 Trans, 4 speed PS, 40Kph ECO • Hyd 120L c/w 4 spool valves. Hydraulic 6200kg lift capacity • Tyres: 16.9R28 - 20.8-R38. High quality Loader available

MBERS! LIMITED NULED ORDER DUE TO CANCEL AT M615 PRICING AGROTRON M620

CONDITIONS: All offers end 30th June on current NZ stock. All pricing + GST. Freight & PD costs may apply. Finance from 4.95% (normal lending criteria & conditions apply) Full Factory Warranty backed up by Power Farming New Zealand nationwide parts and service support. *Normal lending criteria and conditions apply. ** Some photos may show optional extras.

CAPITAL TRACTORS MACHINERY LTD Barkes Corner, Tauranga 07 543 0021 Dave Mackereth 027 493 9566 JACKS MACHINERY LTD State Highway 30, Whakatane 07 308 7299 Steve Jacks 027 599 2938 TRUCK & TRACTOR SERVICES 190 Riri Street, Rotorua 07 349 6528 Douglas Acutt 021 891 058 Clynton Russell 021 817 032 www.powerfarming.co.nz

Page 36

RURAL DRIVER

June 2012

Visit us. Visit us.

116 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga City Tel: 07 578 6017 www.farmerautovillage.co.nz

Follow us on Facebook

June 2012

RURAL DRIVER

Page 37

Visit us.

Visit us.

116 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga City Tel: 07 578 6017 www.farmerautovillage.co.nz

Follow us on Facebook

Page 38

RURAL DRIVER

June 2012

* AUTO OPTION AVAILABLE

$35,990 + *

4WD Triton GL Single Cab/Chassis with FLAT DECK.....$31,269 + ORC + GST 4WD Triton GL Club Cab/Chassis with FLAT DECK........$32,297 + ORC + GST 4WD Triton GL Dbl Cab/Chassis with FLAT DECK.........$33,541 + ORC + GST

GST ORC

Colorado C all-new a th all-new t built for all-new all-new all-new Color th Colorado Co the hol the Colorado C you buiC Colorado Colorado Combo built for Colorado Com built for RURAL DRIVER

June 2012

Page 39

is a tha and tha is a small is a bus

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Features inclu • Stu E ••Tw Sli • 1.4 Litre, D Features include: Tw ECOTEC••4-C Features include: Ai • 1.4 Litre, Twin Port DOHC 16 Valve, Fe ••Dra Fu • Dual an 1.4 Litre, Twin Port front DOHC 1 ECOTEC 4-Cylinder•Engine • •St1 • Dual front and side Airbags ECOTEC 4-Cylinder Engine • Air Condition • Sl • Air Conditioning • Dual front and sideConsum Airbags • Fuel • Fuel Consumption Combined = 6.2L / 100km • •Tw D • Air Conditioning • Sturdy Cargo •D • Sturdy Cargo Partition • Fuel Consumption Combine • • Sliding KerbA • Sliding Kerb Side Load Area Door • Sturdy Cargo Partition • F Twin Vertical • Twin Vertical Rear Doors OpenKerb to • 180 Degrees • Sliding Side Load Area •S • Drawer Storage Under Front Passenger Seat • Rear Drawer Stora • Twin Vertical Doors Op •S • Drawer Storage Under Fron •T •D

Sp SA

Sp Fieldays introductory offer SA Special Combo Price Fieldays introdu Specia LT 4x4 crew cab introductory manual Special Fieldays offer SAVE OVER $5,400* LT 4x4 crew cab Com man SO SAVE LT 4x4 crew cab manual all-new $46,990 SAVE +ORCOVER $ Fieldays introductory offer

the holden rado Combo the holden Fieldays introductory offer Fieldays introductory offer Colorado Combo all-new uilt for Fieldays introductory offer LT 4x4 crew cab manual the holden the holden LT 4x4 crew cab manual built for w the holden w LT 4x4 crew cab manual+ORC you Colorado Combo the holden $46,990 the holden o Combo $46,990 +ORC you o Combo $46,990 +ORC built for o Combo r Combo all-new

Offer ends 31st July 2012

is a small-sized van LT 4x4 crew cab manual Offer ends 31st July 2012 Offer ends 31st July 2012

Offer ends 31st July 2012

r r u u u

that’s big on space a small-sized van and features - a vanis+ORC $46,990 that’s big on space that you and your and features - a van business can rely on. that you and your

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- hurry a strict

Offer ends 31st July 2012

is a small-sized van that’s big on space is a small-sized van and - a van that’s big on space is afeatures small-sized van and features -your aspace vanvan youbig and isthat athat’s small-sized on that and business can rely on. andyou features - a van that’s big onyour space business can rely on. that you and your and features - a van business can rely on.

can rely is abusiness small-sized vanon. that’s big on space 204 – 209 Anglesea St, Ham Offer ends 31st July 2012 Features include: andFeatures features a van include: 204 0949 – 209 Anglesea St, Ham p 07 838 | www.ebbet Litre,and Twin Port DOHC 16 Valve, • 1.4 Litre, Twin Port DOHC 16• 1.4 Valve, that you your ECOTEC 4-Cylinder Engine p 07 838 0949 | www.ebbe ECOTEC 4-Cylinder Engine • Dual front can and siderely Airbags business on.

you

• Dual front and204 side Airbags Air Conditioning – 209• Anglesea St, Hamilton • Fuel Consumption Combined = 6.2L / 100km • Air Conditioning • Sturdy|Cargo Partition p 07 838 0949 • Fuel Consumption Combined = 6.2L /www.ebbett.co.nz 100km • Sliding Kerb Side Load Area Door Features include: 204 – Doors 209OpenAnglesea St, Hamilton • Twin Vertical Rear to 180 Degrees • Sturdy Cargo Partition • 1.4•Litre, Twin PortUnder DOHC 16 Passenger Valve, Drawer Storage Front Seat • Sliding Kerb Side Load Area Door ECOTEC 4-Cylinder pto07 838 Engine 0949 | www.ebbett.co.nz • Twin Vertical Rear Doors•Open 180 Dual front and Degrees side Airbags • Air Conditioning • Drawer Storage Under Front Passenger Seat

Features include: that you and your Features include: • 1.4 Litre, Twin Port DOHC 16 Valve, • 1.4 Litre, Twin Port DOHC 16 Valve, business can rely on. ECOTEC 4-Cylinder Engine ECOTEC 4-Cylinder Engine

Features include: ••Dual andside sideAirbags Airbags Dual front front and •Air 1.4 Litre, Twin Port DOHC 16 Valve, ••Air Conditioning Conditioning ECOTEC 4-Cylinder Engine ••Fuel Consumption Combined = 6.2L / 100km Fuel Consumption Combined = 6.2L / 100km •Sturdy Dual front and side Airbags Cargo Partition ••Sturdy Cargo Partition Features include: •Sliding Air Conditioning Kerb Area Door ••Sliding KerbSide SideLoad Load Area Door • 1.4 Litre, Twin Port DOHC Vertical Rear Doors Open to16 180 Degrees •Twin Fuel Consumption Combined = Valve, 6.2L /Degrees 100km ••Twin Vertical Rear Doors Open to 180 • •Drawer Under Front Passenger Seat SturdyStorage Cargo Partition ECOTEC 4-Cylinder Engine • Drawer Storage Under Front Passenger Seat • Sliding Area Door • Dual frontKerb andSide sideLoad Airbags FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENT • Twin Vertical Rear Doors Open to 180 Degrees FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENT • Air• Conditioning Drawer Storage Under Front Passenger Seat

204 – 209 Anglesea St, Hamilton 204 – 209 Anglesea St, Ha Special Combo Price $20,990* • Fuel Consumption Combined / 100km |ONLY p 07 838= 6.2L 0949 www.ebbett.co.nz • Sturdy Cargo Partition SAVE OVER $5,400* | www.ebbe • Sliding Kerb Side Load Area Doorp 07 838 0949 *Excludes GST and on road costs

Special Fieldays introductory offer Combo Price ONLY $20,990* • Twin Vertical Rear Doors Open to 180 Degrees • Drawer Storage Under Front Passenger Seat

Take advantage of this special Combo deal *Excludes GSTand and on save road costs Special Combo Price ONLY $20,990* Special Combo Price ONLY $20,990* $46,990 +ORC - hurry as stocks are • Fuel Consumption Combined = 6.2L / 100km Offer ends 31stCombo July 2012 Special Price ONLY $20,990* • Sturdy Cargo Partition$5,400* strictly limited! SAVE OVER $5,400* *Excludes GST and on road costs SAVE OVER *Excludes GST and on road costs

LT 4x4 crew cab manual

oductory offer

SAVE OVER $5,400*

Centred Centred

Take advantage of this special SAVE OVER $5,400* Special Combo Price ONLY $20,990* anual • Twin Vertical Rear Doors Open to 180 Degrees offer Fieldays introductory • Sliding Kerb Side Load Area Door

*Excludes GST and on road costs

Combo deal and save of this special Take advantage of this special *Excludes GST and on road costs Combo deal and Take advantage ofsave this special - hurry asCombo deal $46,990 +ORC stocks areand save 204 – 209 Anglesea St, Hamilton deal and save MARQUE OF EXCELLENCE -Combo C Special hurry as stocks are Take advantage of this MARQUE OF EXCELLENCE $46,990 +ORC p 07ONLY 838 0949 special | $20,990* www.ebbett.co.nz strictly- limited! hurry as stocks are Combo Price Offer ends 31st July 2012 strictly limited! Combo deal and save C - hurry as stocks are strictly limited! MARQUE OF EXCELLENCE MARQUE OF EXCELLENCE

SAVE OVER $5,400* LT 4x4 crew cab manual

• Drawer Storage Under Frontadvantage Passenger Seat Take

Left Align Left Align

MARQUE OF EXCELLENCE MARQUE OF EXCELLENCE

RURAL DRIVER

Page 40

OCEAN

June 2012

YNZ6761_ATV_Tough Going_FP_curves.indd 1 YNZ6761_ATV_Tough Going_FP_curves.indd 1 YNZ6761_ATV_Tough Going_FP_curves.indd 1 YNZ6761_ATV_Tough Going_FP_curves.indd 1 YNZ6761_ATV_Tough Going_FP_curves.indd 1 YNZ6761_ATV_Tough Going_FP_curves.indd 1

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The X240 4WD

w w w. g r e a t w a l l a u t o . c o . n z DEALER DETAILS

YNZ6761_ATV_Tough Going_FP_curves.indd 1

11/04/12 2:29 PM

+ORC Metallic paint an optional extra. Metallic paint an optional extra.

+ORC

Metallic paint an optional extra.

+ORC

OB1257

OB1257

+ORC

OB1257

0

OB1257

V200

V24

Metallic paint an optional extra.

+ORC

+ORC

Metallic paint an optionalMetallic extra. paint an Metallic paint an optional extra. Metallic pain

RURAL DRIVER

June 2012

Page 41

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OPEN: Monday-Friday 8.00am-5.30pm Saturday 9.00am-12.00pm

OPEN: Monday-FridayÊ8.00am-5.30pmÊÊÊ OPEN: Monday-FridayÊ8.00am-5.30pmÊÊÊ *Plus on road costs. Offers only available between 1st May - 30th June 2012 while stocks last. SaturdayÊ9.00am-5.00pm SaturdayÊ9.00am-5.00pm OPEN: Monday-FridayÊ8.00am-5.30pmÊÊÊ NISSAN SPECIALISTS: 116 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui. SaturdayÊ9.00am-5.00pm Roger Matthews 029 222 3840 nissan.co.nz *Plus on road costs. Offers only available between 1st May - 30th June 2012 while stocks last. 116 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui. Mark Vercoe

116 Hewletts Road, MountTel:Ê07Ê578Ê6017 Maunganui. www.farmerautovillage.co.nz 116 Hewletts Road, Mountwww.farmerautovillage.co.nz Maunganui.

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CONTRACTORS

Page 42

June 2012

Paengaroa dairy farm finalist in Ahuwhenua Trophy Waewaetutuki 10 is the smallest dairy farm of the three finalists in the 2012 Ahuwhenua Trophy but it’s an award judged not on size, but on excellence across a number of criteria including governance, financing, management and recognition of nga tikanga Maori. Wharepi Whanau Trust, which owns the 71ha dairy farm near Paengaroa, hosted a field day in May to showcase what it has achieved since it began farming the land in 2009.

Close to 200 people, including members of the trophy’s judging panel, were welcomed at Te Whetu o te Rangi Marae at Welcome Bay before travelling by bus to the farm. The trust which owns and administers the farm was set up in 1996 with the aim of becoming the sole operators of the property, which was then being leased, by 2019. Trust chairman Rehua Smallman says that aim was achieved 10 years early, in 2009 when the lease was not renewed. Earlier, in 2000 the trust built a new dairy shed on the property, repaying the debt by 2004. Another significant achievement has been the 2011 operating profit of 4 per cent higher than the Bay of Plenty average and a return on assets 10 per cent above average. The trust bought the herd and equipment from the lessee and since taking back operation of the farm, the trustees have employed Quinn Muir and Karen Silvester as contract milkers. Peter Livingstone of AgFirst is the trust’s farm advisor. The milkers milk 200 cows on 60 effective hectares of rolling – low lying pasture and this season exceeded the goal of 72,000kgMS by 536kg. Peter believes the farm has the potential to produce up to 78,000kgMS and he’s pleased with the significant improvement in production, achieved with a `no frills’ basic farm system and attention to detail. Return on investment is not the only

Colin’s Kick-Off Fieldays Specials Korando

$25,996

+GST +ORC

Sample photo only. Specs may differ from vehicle shown

6 speed manual, 2WD, Euro 5 Diesel, ESP, Bluetooth, 2,000kg towing capacity, black and white only

ou got the Havedrive? you got the drive?

Kyron

$25,996

+GST +ORC

aim of the trustees, who all descend from a common tipuna, Wharepi, who had five children. The trust board has a strong focus on caring for the environment and longterm, sustainable operation of the farm for the benefit of the 59 shareholders now and into the future. To this end waterways have been fenced and water quality significantly improved. The farm’s effluent system has a 20 year consent, and it and the dairy have been built with a view of future-proofing the farm and its operation. The other finalists are: Kapenga M Trust, which operates a 334ha dairy unit, 20km south of Rotorua running a mixed Jersey/ Friesian herd of 1020, producing 371,169kgMS. The trust has 915 registered shareholders. Tauhara Moana Trust administers an 853ha, 690ha effective farm near Taupo, milking 1620 cows which produced 550,000kgMS. The trust has 2037 owners. Both also hosted field days as part of the final round of judging. The supreme winner of the 2012 Ahuwhenua Trophy will be announced at the gala awards dinner in Auckland on Friday June 8. By Elaine Fisher

“There’ll be a scrum when these deals get out!”

Rexton

Sample photo only. Specs may differ from vehicle shown

Diesel, 5 speed manual, 4x4 part time low range

Waewaetutuki Trustee Mchael Kahptea.

$34,992

+GST +ORC

Sample photo only. Specs may differ from vehicle shown

Diesel, 5 speed manual, 7 seater, 3,200kg towing capacity, black, silver and tonic only, get in quick - limited stock

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WELCOME TO WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY

June 2012

Page 43

Western Bay of Plenty Contacts Federated Farmers

Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Bay of Plenty John Scrimgeour President T: 07 533 3681 M: 027 653 3368 E: jscrim@xtra.co.nz

Barkes Corner, Greerton, Tauranga T: 07 571 8008 www.westernbay.govt.nz

Te Puke Young Farmers Emma Richardson T: 027 631 1486 Em_richie@hotmail.com

Wednesday 6 June Hauraki Ladies Group Turua Hall, Hauraki Road, Turua 7.30pm. This discussion group is open to any women involved in dairying or dairy related agri-business. Topic: Computer program workshop (eg Excel, MINDA, Cash Manager).

Thursday 7 June Taupiri/Orini Ladies Discussion Group At Carolyn Johnson’s, 308 Kneebone Road, Taupiri SN72232 7pm. This discussion group exists to provide a strong community focus for social interaction and learning for women actively involved with dairy farming in the North Waikato region. Creating the plan for the next 12 months and social evening. Bring a plate for desert. Ph Phil 027 483 9820 or email: phil. irvine@dairynz.co.nz New Womens Rural Group Meet Thursday 7 June at Okoriore Pub 7pm. New members welcome. Ph 0210236656 or 021687578

Tuesday 12 June Whakatane Biz Grow At EastBay REAP, 21 Pyne St,

Bay of Plenty Regional Council 5 Quay St Whakatane T: 0800 884 880 www.boprc.govt.nz

Whakatane 7pm. Open group focused on up-skilling farmers who want to progress further in the dairy industry. Drawing on the experience of established farmers, rural professionals and members of the group. Registrations now open for 2012 groups, register at www.dairynz.co.nz/progressiongroups

Te Puke i-Site

130 Jellicoe Street, Te Puke T: 07 573 9172 Waihi i-Site Seddon St 07 863 6715

Katikati i-Site

36 Main Road, Katikiati T: 07 549 1658

To list your rural event please email: julie@ thesun.co.nz with Rural Event in the subject heading.

Wednesday 13 June NZ National Agricultural Fieldays Held June 13 – 16 8am – 5pm at Mystery Creek Events Centre, 125 Mystery Creek Rd, Mystery Creek, Hamilton. This is the largest agribusiness exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere, with over 100 exhibitors, essential in keeping up with the latest trends and developments in the agriculture and farming industries.

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Page 44

WELCOME TO WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY

June 2012

Retirement questions not so simple When we retire there are three crucial questions: What will we do? Where will we live? What are we going to do with the money? It takes time to sort through these big decisions and get the right answers. We may think the answers are obvious to all three questions, but sometimes, they are not. So, who do we talk to anyway? A good place to start is with your professional advisors, such as solicitor, Accountant, consultant, bankers etc. Having

worked with us for years, hopefully they know us, and our business as well as anybody. We will talk to family and friends too, but they are often not well informed. They will only look at it from their point of view and are not qualified to give balanced advice. Just remember, we need to be very careful and assess the agenda of anybody that we talk to. If we are going to sell, everybody will want to invest our money and often to get a cut for themselves. Nowadays the rules have really tightened up here, but we must be aware.

No 1

What will we do? This can be clear for some, but difficult for others. Golf everyday gets boring pretty quickly, but we need something to get up for

We specialise in driveways, entranceways, tanker tracks, hard stands and more. We can offer you metal for farm races, shed sites etc deliver to site ex quarry.

in the morning. If we have a farming background, we could work at the local farm outlet store. Real estate is often considered, or lawn mowing rounds. Generally we will find it harder to obtain meaningful work as we get older.

No 2

Where will we live? If we own a farm, will we keep a block of land with a house, live there and sell the rest of the farm? We could move to town, but remember that we will have lost our taxable activity? A house in town will cut well into our cash reserves. Robert Kiosaki calls a house a liability, not an asset. We could rent long term and invest the cash wisely. I have seen people very happy doing this. Let’s do the numbers: House cost, say $700,000 or $700,000 invested at say 8% (56,000), less rent of say $350.00 p.wk. x 52 weeks (18,200), giving a benefit per annum of $37,800. So $37,800 ÷ 52 weeks equal $726.92 p.wk. Not bad aye? With this option, we are not tempted to renovate, put in new kitchens, rebuild the bedrooms etc. More than that, we can change houses or towns at virtually no cost. This is particularly important until we get settled and more focussed. Some of us go to the beach to live. This suits some and not others. A new town or a new beach can be a very lonely place if you don’t know anyone in the street. Beach towns can also be desolate over the winter months.

No 3

What are we going to do with the money? (If we still have any!) This is the big one to achieve a settled future. We can make reasonably well informed decisions on the first two questions, but where we invest the money is the important question. Remember selling will be hugely stressful. I recommend farmers put their money in the bank

for a few months until they get settled and find their feet. Exactly where to invest will depend on a number of issues, most particularly on our appetite for risk. It could stay in the bank, but inflation, at the current level may see our capital being eaten away. We could invest in commercial property, either by ourselves or with partners. We could invest in the share market. This would see our money given to a company to invest on our behalf to make a return. Part of the return may come back to us as dividends from shares. If the company does well, our share value goes up, but if it does not do so well then the share value goes down. As we already know from what has happened over the last few years, getting good, honest advice is paramount. Achieving a balanced portfolio is essential so we need to think very carefully about what we do. There may be taxation issues on sale of farms and sale of stock. There may be a trust to think about. If you have a family trust, is there clarity around who owns what? Does the trust own the new house in town and the shares etc? Do we need to de-register the GST? Could we occupy the house and lease the farm to a third party? - This is becoming an increasingly popular option. In summary, the three simple questions are perhaps not so simple and decisions need to be made carefully. Getting good professional advice from suitably qualified people is important and expect to pay for it. Avoid those who have a vested interest in what they do. Be very careful how and where we invest our money as it is all unchartered territory. We have worked hard to build our asset base. It is easy to make a few wrong decisions only to see our hard earned nest egg fall on the ground and break. 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. Contact him on 0800 777 675 or 021 777 675.

June 2012

WELCOME TO WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY

Biological farming methods are helping one Reporoa farmer meet Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s tougher regulations in a cost effective way, a seminar on Biological Farming systems at Ngongataha was told.

unable to attend for health reasons. Bay of Plenty Regional Council has a considerable interest in in the farming systems because of its apparent capacity to reduce nutrient leaching from farms to waterways, a serious problem in its drive to clean up the environment. John Paterson said that the current nitrate leaching Gifford McFadden, a trustee and the project problem from animal urine patches could be summed leader for from the NZ Biological Farming Systems up with an 80/20 rule—approximately 20 per cent Research Centre has been practising the methods on of the nitrogen in cow urine that lands on a pasture his property for several years. is taken up by plants, the remaining 80 per cent escapes into ground water aquifers and eventually “...better water into waterways. Unlike nitrogen, phosphorous is Softer soil He told the seminar the soil and nutrient not lost through leaching but in surface run-off was noticeably softer, but withduring storms, 80 per cent of it from ‘Critical retention, out the pugging that he used Source Areas’—hot spots such as feed pads. to get. Grass and clover growth Both regional council speakers said that higher worm had improved and overall he biological farming still needs to be scientifically numbers and proven to be better for the environment than was happy with the change, especially as it was helping him increased root conventional farming, especially with respect to meet environmental regulations in measurable reductions in nitrate leaching. depth” a cost-effective way. But he cautioned that farmers should never go ‘cold turkey’ Implement and improve as there was a transition phase when production The meeting also heard that it was time for farmers could drop and a number of things, such as the lack to adopt more formal environmental management, of the immediate reassuring green flush that comes including nutrient budgets and nutrients managewith urea application, which could raise a few insement plans. Such plans would help organise and curities. implement ways to improve their environmental The one-day seminar was conducted by Dr Guna bottom line and biologicalfarming may be a tool that Magesan, Head Scientist from the NZ Biologican help them. cal Farming Systems Research Centre, which is the Speakers Dr Ravi Sangakkara, chair in crop scitrade name of the Rotorua Lakes and Land Trust—a ence at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka,and joint venture between Te Arawa Federation of Maori Nicole Masters from the Association of Biological Authorities and Rotorua/Taupo Province of Federated Farmers.

Break down nutrients

Biological farming, (not to be confused with organic farming) is pasture or crop enhancement by the application of biological fertilizers (a mix of micro-fauna and natural elements) that break down nutrients, soften the soil and promote plant growth and root development. Guna was overwhelmed by the interest—he expecting about 40 people to attend, but on the day more than 100 packed the Ngongataha Community Hall. Attendees came from as far afield as Balclutha in the south to Whangarei in the north and included representatives from the farming and business communities, academic and crown research institutes (including at least half a dozen PhD scientists), regional councils, FoMA, Maori Land Trusts, Federated Farmers and various BF companies. The day was opened with a karakia by Kaumatua Tai Eru, regional councillor and Maori committee chairperson with the day’s sponsors, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. He was followed by a welcome speech from Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Sustainable Farming Advisor John Paterson on behalf of Regional Council Chairman John Cronin, who was

Pool & Hardscaping Specialists

Farmers spoke about biological farming being successfully applied in many parts of the world, including New Zealand. The main claim is that it improves soil quality resulting in better water and nutrient retention, higher worm numbers and increased root depth (by up to 900mm), better plant uptake of water and improved drought resistance. Increased biological activity also raised soil temperatures by up to 2o centigrade which extends the grass growing, and therefore the milking season.

The issues raised by the speakers promoted lively discussions over lunch. The only negative to the day was that, despite the high turnout, there was a lack of non-biological farmers (there appeared to have been only one) which made it seem that speakers were ‘preaching to the converted’. Although the biological farming movement is expanding it will obviously need much wider publicity before it becomes significant in New Zealand farming.

For more information about quality feeds contact:

SealesWinslow P: 0800 287 325

Page 45

By Graeme Dobson

Page 46

WELCOME TO WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY

June 2012

On-line service for commercial machinery Construction, forestry, farming equipment and trucks are among the listings on a new website just established by a Tauranga company, exclusively for the hiring, buying, selling or servicing of machinery and equipment.

plant and equipment”, says Jack –who didn’t Gofindit.co.nz is the brain child of Jack Prince learn to use a computer until he was 72. (81) who came up with the idea when he retired as a The site also lists trades and services, contractor and machinery marketing specialist two parts and agencies, giving those in the years ago. plant and equipment “After spending two industries quick, costweeks in an armchair effective access to the I decided enough was suppliers of mainteenough and went to nance services for their talk to an IT consultexpensive gear. ant about an idea I had It began with around for a website dedicated fifteen companies solely to the needs paying a joining fee to of the construction, list on the GoFindit transport, farming, forwebsite, and has been estry and their support growing ever since service industries”. Colin Amrein Contracting is among those with GoFindit is unique GoFindit is the result vehicles and equipment listed on Gofindit. in that it only carries of months of work listings that are relevant and planning and now to the industries that it has four partners, Jack serves, and also because himself, Bob Hick there are no commis(Civil Contractor ), sions or success fees. Barry Mitchell of softMembers can make ware marketing and unlimited listings. development company “We decided on HCS New Zealand, this format because and Colin Downs, a businesses are paying former contractor who too much elsewhere now operates a 2,700 for access to sites that are not even dedicated to their ton dragline in an Australian mine. industry. It is New Zealand’s first online marketplace to help GoFindit charges an annual foundation fee of $290 contractors get the job done by giving them an easy, for 12 months of unlimited listings on the site. comprehensive online destination for hiring or buying

New limits to protect fishery Blue cod, bluenose and the portion of fish in your fish and chips should all benefit from changes to catch limits and other measures that came into effect on May 1. The changes – which were announced by Government last September – are designed to support management of stocks of blue cod, bluenose, and rig (a species of small shark). MAF acting inshore fisheries manager Steve Halley says good fisheries management requires a continuing process of review and adjustment using up-to-date scientific research and information. “Catch limits need to be reviewed to reflect changes in the abundance of a fish stock and to ensure fishing is kept at sustainable levels. “Other management controls are also reviewed to make sure they are operating effectively. If the catch limit for a species is reduced, controls that help limit catch also need to be adjusted to make sure limits are not exceeded.”

The changes to recreational catch limits taking effect from May 1 are: • A new recreational daily bag limit for blue cod in the Central(Egmont) Fishery Management Area (from North Taranaki to Titahi Bay) of 10 blue cod, within the existing 20 mixed finfish bag limit. • A new recreational daily bag limit for blue cod in the Southland and Sub-Antarctic Fishery Management Area of 20 blue cod, within the existing 30

mixed finfish bag limit. • A new recreational daily bag limit for bluenose of five bluenose, within the existing mixed finfish bag limit applicable in each area. • Rig, popular for use by fish and chip shops, are now listed on Schedule 6 of the Fisheries Act, allowing commercial fishers to return them to sea when likely to survive. For more information, visit the MAF website: http://www.maf. govt.nz

A Bluenose.

June 2012

WELCOME TO WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY

Page 47

Friendly efficient shelter trimmers The Bay of Plenty’s soils and mild climate make it an ideal region for horticultural crops, but those favourable conditions also mean the trees planted to protect kiwifruit and avocado grow really well too. Keeping those shelter belts throughout the Bay of Plenty trimmed is what Rob and Emma of Bostock Shelter Trimmers specialise in. “We aim to please, giving clients what they want, doing the job to their satisfaction,’’ says Rob who operates the company’s tractor fitted with a shelter belt trimmer which has a reach of up to 40 feet or 12.19 metres. Rob and Emma with their tractor fitted with a shelter belt trimmer which has a reach of up to 40 feet or 12.19 metres.

Easing Gypsy-day children into school June can be both an exciting and unsettling month for dairy farming children, because for hundreds up and down the country, winter means a new home and new school. While some may keenly anticipate the changes, others will be apprehensive about starting at a new school when their parents move sharemilking jobs or farms on June 1 (Gypsy Day). Chris Day, acting regional manager for the Ministry of Education says parents can help make the changes easier. “The best advice for parents to ensure smooth a transition is to enrol their children as soon as they have chosen a school and meet with the principal to discuss any needs that their child may have.” The majority of rural schools are well used to children leaving and arriving around June 1 and are skilled at helping newcomers settle. “Schools help learners settle in by arranging pre-school visits. They ensure continuity of education by meeting the needs of each learner, particularly those

with special education needs.” Familiarising families with the new school through regular newsletters, board of trustees meetings and welcoming events are other ways to help students settle. Continuity for learners is ensured by discussing with a previous school what each of the student’s academic and social needs are. Gypsy Day also impacts on schools in other ways. “In small rural schools, learners leaving may affect the staffing entitlement for the following year,” says Chris. Students who transfer regularly from school to school may take time to adjust to a new educational placement. “This change can impact on their achievement which may require a school to dedicate additional effort to meet the needs of these learners.” Chris says the majority of rural schools are skilled at preparing for roll growth or decline during the mid-year movements in the dairy industry. They do this by maintaining regular communication with their community to establish which children are potentially going to leave or enrol on or

HARD, FAST, FREE NEWS

around Gypsy Day and sending out enrolment packs to prospective parents. By Elaine Fisher

Emma and Rob understand the need for clients to have the assurance of an efficient, safe and reliable service and make a commitment to give a downto-earth, friendly service which encourages good communications between themselves and their clients. Rob can trim shelter belts around orchards or trees which line driveways and will arrange to have the trimming mulched if clients require that service. Well-trimmed shelter belts not only look attractive, but also function better in protecting vines and trees from wind and cold. Emma says Bostock Shelter Trimmers strive for excellence. “We enjoy what we do and take a pride in our work,’’ she says.

Page 48

WELCOME TO WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY

June 2012

Fast growing region of great diversity Western Bay is one of the fastest growing areas in New Zealand with its current population of just over 45,400 people estimated to reach 60,268 by 2026. The Western Bay District covers 212,000 hectares of coastal, rural and urban areas consisting of five wards Waihi Beach, Katikati, Kaimai, Te Puke and Maketu. The district is serviced by the townships of Waihi Beach, Katikati, Omokoroa, Te Puna,Te Puke and Maketu. Smaller rural settlements to the east are at Paengaroa, Pongakawa and Pukehina and small but growing coastal settlements in the west are Kauri Point, Tanners Point, Ongare, Tuapiro and Athenree. The land of the Western Bay of Plenty faces northeast to the sea. To the west are the rugged bush-covered Kaimai Ranges. Numerous streams drain the Kaimais, flowing down through the hills and coastal lowlands, into the swampy estuaries and mudflats of the Tauranga Harbour. The Kaituna River drains the lakes of Rotorua and Rotoiti into the Maketu Estuary and out to sea, while smaller streams drain the eastern District into the Waihi Estuary. Matakana Island forms a natural barrier between Tauranga Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. This diverse landscape combined with a favourable temperate climate, provides an area rich in resources

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such as indigenous flora and fauna, highly versatile soils, rivers and harbours. Prior to human settlement, the district was largely covered in forest, scrub and wetlands. Pohutukawa forest occurred on many of the headlands and hill slopes adjacent to the harbour in association with tall coastal forest including puriri, karaka, tawa, rewarewa and kohekohe. The extensive swamps of Kawa and Waihi were to the east of the district, while around Tauranga Harbour there were extensive freshwater and saline wetlands. Many species of birds, animals and fish were present, including some species now extinct, such as the huia. Coastal margins provided nesting sites for a huge number of seabirds. In the course of several centuries of Maori occupation much of the original forest cover was cleared by fire and replaced by manuka and fern. Forest remained mostly on the steeper hills and in the gullies. In terms of ecological significance, the major difference between present day vegetation and preEuropean vegetation cover is the change to wetlands. Extensive drainage has resulted in only a tiny proportion (about 5 per cent) of the freshwater wetlands remaining today and there is very little swamp forest. Strips of indigenous forest extend down many of the gorges that drain the plateaux of pastoral land and exotic forestry. These gorges and waterways form important natural corridors for movement of species between the coast and hills. Source: www.westernbay.govt.nz/

June 2012

WELCOME TO EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY

Winter warmth in Eastern Bay Because of its mild climate, Eastern Bay of Plenty residents are surprised if they have to wear more than a light jumper in winter. Whakatane regularly records the highest sunshine hours in New Zealand, even though that title is often fiercely contested. The region has a subtropical, temperate, maritime climate, with warm, humid summers and mild winters. It is one of the warmest in New Zealand, particularly along the coastline, and most areas experience at least 2,000 hours of sunshine per annum. Average daily maximum temperatures in the region range from 9-16 °C in winter to 22-26 °C in summer.

Rainfall occurs more frequently in winter than in summer, but tropical storms in summer and autumn can produce heavy rain with high winds. Central parts of the region can receive up to 2000 mm of rainfall annually, while the eastern areas can receive up to 4000 mm. It is also a beautiful place which takes in over 200km of New Zealand’s coastline, from the lonely sands of the Matata straights through to the rugged rocks of the East Coast. The pristine natural environment plays such an important part in the region’s lifestyle which offers plenty of outdoor pursuits. Well known for its game fishing, Whakatane hosts an annual tuna tournament, attracting competitors from around the world.

Those with adventurous souls love the untouched bush of the Urewera; and for those who prefer relaxing, there are the best sandy beaches in New Zealand. Many kiwi families have fond memories of summer days spent at Ohope beach. Many swift and clear rivers offer recreational opportunities for rafting, kayaking, fishing and game hunting. Inland, a significant proportion of the region is protected native forest within Te Urewera National Park (the third largest national park in New Zealand). Along with the Whirinaki Forest Park, this is part of the largest remaining indigenous forest tract left in the North Island. The region is made up of three Districts - Kawerau, Opotiki and Whakatane. Source: www.liveintheeasternbay.co.nz/ eastern-bay-of-plenty-region.html

Eastern Bay of Plenty Contacts Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty John Scrimgeour President 07 533 3681 027 653 3368 jscrim@xtra.co.nz

Young farmers Eastern Bay Charles Price 027 422 1333 ebyoungfarmers@hotmail.com

Opotiki Thornton Spackman 027 358 8506 twotitpullaz@yahoo.co.nz

Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Whakatane i-Site

Cnr Kakahoroa Drive & Quay St, Whakanate 5 Quay St Whakatane 07 306 2030 0800 884 880 www.boprc.govt.nz Whakatane District Council Opotiki i-Site Civic Centre, Commerce St, Cnr St John & Elliott Street Opotiki Whakatane 07 306 0500 www.whakatane.govt.nz 07 315 3031

Page 49

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WELCOME TO EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY

June 2012

Bay demo day They were demonstration days with the difference when Jacks Machinery gave Eastern Bay of Plenty farmers the chance to get behind the wheel of brand new tractors to see just what they could do.

Bruce Donald of Jacks Machinery said the events in Opotiki, Whakatane and Galatea were something of an eye opener for many. “We had about 50 farmers come along and many who drove a tractor were amazed at what you get in a modern tractor and how nice they are to drive.” Tractors from 95 hp to 200 hp were test driven, some of them operating mowers or cultivars. “Farmers who haven’t driven a modern tractor were impressed at how comfortable they are. Today’s tractors are ergonomically designed to reduce driver fatigue and enable the driver to better operate the implements they are working with. When some drivers do 1000 hours a

Open wide – tractors received a thorough inspection from farmers at the Jacks Machinery demonstration days. year, that’s really important.” Fuel economy of the Deutz range of tractors also impressed. “The Deutz can operate at 15 litres an hour compared with some tractors which use 50 litres an hour.”

Bruce says the demonstration days were so successful they are likely to be repeated in March next year. The winner of the Polaris Outlaw kids ATV at the demo days was Dean Boonen from Edgecumbe.

Time to service your plant Frustrating and costly break downs in the dairy can often be avoided by servicing the plant at

this time of year says Claire Marshall of ABC Milking Solutions in Rotorua. “Preventative maintenance now including machinery testing, replacement of rubber ware and plant servicing can save money and tempers later. A break down when cows are in full production is the last things farmers need.” Now is also a good time to replace rubber ware and ensure all is ready for the milking season ahead. This is ABC Milking Solution’s second season as a new business but its staff isn’t short on experience. Part owner Alan van den Heuvel has 16 years’ experience in the industry, having worked for a company which went out of operation. Alan was concerned DeLaval clients

in the area were without the service and support they needed which led to the establishment of ABC Milking Solutions, with the agency for the area which includes Mamaku, Kaharoa, Waikitie, Rerewhakaaitu, Repora, Atimuri and Ngakuru. Tony Mellow also has extensive experience in milking machines and Rory Sommerville is the company’s water pump expert. The team has clients in size from those operating large dairies to small lifestyle blocks. “We work closely with our clients to help them get the outcomes they need. Our motto is `if they can’t fix it, we can’ and no job is too big or small,” says Claire.

Road trip all stitched up There are many ways to plan a holiday but few can be as appealing for those with `an itch to stitch’ as one based around some of the country’s finest craft shops. The book Crafty Girls’ Road Trip by Wellington freelance journalist Ann Packer is just the companion those with a creative bent keen to hit the road .Organised by

region, it’s essentially a guide to the many places in New Zealand where you can buy everything you need to make your own textile-based crafts. This revised edition of this much-loved classic has gorgeous map illustrations by Lorraine Smith and photography by Deborah and Mark Smith. Thanks to publishers Random House,

Coast & Country has a copy of Crafty Girls’ Road Trip to give away.

To be in to win answer the following question: “Where does Ann Packer live?” Send your entry along with your name, address and phone number to elaine@thesun.co.nz or include these details on the back of an envelope and post to Book Competition, Coast & Country PO Box 240 Tauranga 3110 to arrive no later than June 18, 2012. The winner will be announced in the July Coast & Country.

June 2012

WELCOME TO EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY

Page 51

Working to preserve kiwi in the Bay In 1999 a few North Island brown kiwi were discovered in Ohope Scenic Reserve, southeast of Whakatane and south of Ohope. Miraculously, adult kiwi had survived in the reserve without any predator control. The discovery initiated the Whakatane Kiwi Project, at that time a partnership between Environment Bay of Plenty and Department of Conservation, in conjunction with Te Runanga o Ngati Awa. Since then the Whakatane Kiwi Trust and the Whakatane District Council have also become partners in the Project. Te Runanga o Ngati Awa are joint managers of Moutohora and Ohope Scenic Reserve and also hold statutory acknowledgement rights over Kohi Point and Mokorua Scenic Reserves. Targeted predator control and Operation Nest

Consents may become licence to farm Resource consents for effluent may become a license to farm, John Howard warned those who attended the Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers Provincial Conference in May.

and the justice system is choosing to make each case an example to other farmers. “The punishment is inconsistent when compared to urban system accidents or failures which force beach closures and actually have a more significant impact on the environment than farmers.” “Our real risk is that the new consents are actuJohn said the goal posts for consents were shifting, ally become a license or permit to farm, not just to due to science and technology but also to the best dispose of effluent,” says John who is chair of the practice guidelines put out by DairyNZ, which were region’s dairy section. becoming consent conditions. “The consents are only there to deal with 20 per “The effluent resource consents are full of condicent of the effluent that is left in the farm dairy. The tions that just shouldn’t be there as conditions, but rest happens in the paddock.” merely as advisory notes. Farmers were spending a lot on effluent ponds, “I would urge farmers when applying for efflusometimes as much as $100,000. ent consents that the figures you quote are not the “The question must be asked, is this sort of minimum, for example for application rates. This has expenditure being matched by city or district counbeen known to become the rate of application for cils or urban effluent disposal? It feels as though we your consent. are assumed to be easy pickings for regional councils “You do not have to accept all the conditions in the consent. In fact I would urge you to decline the rain warning conditions.” Bay of Plenty regional councillor and farmer Ian Noble said it was his personal view that council and farmers should to work together, taking a long term view of the bigger environmental issues around effluent and stocking rates. What was happening on the land now could take 20 to 30 years to show up in the rivers and lakes. “In the Bay of Plenty we have one third Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers newly elected management of the area in pines and one third in native bush, both of which deliver high quality committee left to right - John Howard, Tim Mackintosh, water. That leaves one third of the area for Bruce Wills (President of Federated Farmers NZ), Barry farming to take place.” Roberts, John Scrimgeour (President of Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers), Rick Powdrell (Vice President of Bay of The issue of water quality was complex and Plenty Federated Farmers), Steve Bailey, Dennis McFetridge while it was possible to clean up waterways, it came at a cost, Ian said. By Elaine Fisher (absent: Derek Spratt & Alan Law).

Egg have gone a long way to the hope of achieving a self-sustaining kiwi population in Ohope Scenic Reserve and Moutohora (Whale Island) and expansion of management into other areas. There are now more than 150 kiwi under management in the Whakatane area. By 2015, the Whakatane Kiwi Project aims to have at least 200 kiwi that have originated from or are managed under the Whakatane Kiwi Project. It also aims to have at least 120 kiwi, including 20 breeding pairs, in the core area – double the numbers of the 2010 target.

Increasing the number of kiwi in the privately-owned land areas and at least four sub-populations in the expansion area are also goals to be achieved in the next three years. Funding is another goal with the aim that 75 per cent of the project’s budget should come from investments, external funders, sponsors and donations through the Whakatane Kiwi Trust. And the final aim is that the project becomes community based, with community representatives taking on leadership roles. For more information go to www.whakatanekiwi.org.nz/

Page 52

WELCOME TO WAIKATO

June 2012

River, caves and so much more

Situated in the heart of the North Island the diverse Hamilton and Waikato region encompasses New Zealand's fourth largest city, the country's longest river, and the world famous Waitomo Caves with its glowworms and adventure tourism activities.

Well-known for its nature-based tourism, underground adventure and off-the-beaten track experiences the Hamilton and Waikato region offers stunning black sand surf beaches of Raglan to Hamilton's vibrant café scene and the rolling hills and majestic forests that shape the landscape. At the heart of the region are its towns and main city of Hamilton, one of New Zealand's fastest growing and most vibrant cities. All come with great shops and galleries, fantastic eateries with top events and visitor attractions to match. The region’s main metropolitan hub of Hamilton is situated on the banks of the mighty Waikato River, and has a rich cultural mix and vibrant centre. Hamilton is also rapidly gaining a reputation as a destination for world-class international, national and local events. Meanwhile Cambridge, just a short drive down

SH1, adds to the mix with its thriving café scene and there are two boutique-style vineyards on its outskirts. Mystery Creek, famed as the location for the annual Fieldays plus a number of other events, is just minutes from Hamilton and Cambridge. The Waikato River is one of Hamilton city’s iconic features and the simplest way to enjoy it is by taking a stroll or bike ride along its banks. There also cruises on the river with the chance to learn more about the city’s history and culture or you can kayak along the river and see the cityscape from a different angle. Another perspective altogether is offered by way of a magical hot air balloon ride, rising serenely above the city and with great views of the green countryside. The Hamilton and Waikato region has perfect conditions for such flights. Source: www.hamiltonwaikato.com/

Waikato Contacts Federated Farmers James Houghton President T: 07 872 4560 F: 07 872 4563 M: 027 437 7632 E: jchoughton@xtra.co.nz

Young farmers Cambridge Kayleigh Hatt T: 027 847 6019 daisey679@hotmail.com Franklin Rob Cashmore T: 09 292 2671

Hamilton City Council Garden Place Hamilton T: 07 838 6699 www.hamilton.co.nz

Waikato Regional Council 401 Grey St Hamilton T: 07 859 0999 www.waikatoregion.govt.nz

Waipa District Council 101 Bank St, Te Awamutu T: 0800-924-723 www.waipadc.govt.nz

Hamilton i-Site

5 Garden Place Hamilton T: 07 958 5960

Te Awamutu i-Site

1 Gorst Avenue Te Awamutu T: 07 871 3259

THREE BROTHERS

THREE BROTHERS

Cambridge i-Site

Cnr Queen & Victoria St Cambridge T: 07 823 3456

WELCOME TO WAIKATO

June 2012

Page 53

Fieldays in June; the university is a strategic partner at Fieldays which this year runs June 13-16. The gate works like an extra pair of hands for farmers. Cows are fitted with an electronic identification tag, and a farmer pre-programmes which animals need drafting - during milking the automatic gate takes care of the rest.

Farmer friendly

Trials of the new Drafter took place at four Waikato farms and on one in the South Island. Parmar says the on-farm testing was invaluable. “In the field things happen you can’t anticipate. It’s where you see what’s really going on.” Upgrades have been made to the milking screen in the Herringbone shed pit which instantly shows which cows have been drafted, which are due to be drafted and total draft numbers. Pop-ups also tell a farmer when a cow has reached the gate. “The user interface is a lot friendlier for farmers now.” The gates can also separate animals into three different groups, allowing for greater efficiency.

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Improved accuracy Teenage cows can be rebellious - Dushyant Parmar has learned.

A summer studying cows has given a University of Waikato student an unparalleled insight into bovine behaviour. Dushyant Parmar’s farming experience was pretty limited before he started working with farmer cooperative Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), in the Protrack department over summer. Now he’s something of an expert.

Compliant followers

“Newborns will follow anything,” he says. “The teenagers are a lot more rebellious and like to do things their own way in their own time. And then there’s the

older cows – they’re too lazy to be bothered trying to figure things out for themselves so they’re very compliant.” Dushyant, a mechanical engineering student was involved with the development and testing of LIC’s new Protrack Drafter product that uses an automated drafting gate. Dushyant did the work placement as part of his degree at the University of Waikato. The gate will be on show at one of two University of Waikato stands at

A Protrack mobile app has also been developed which enables farmers to schedule drafts from the paddock. Once the farmer is in range of the wireless network on the milking shed the draft will synchronise with the Drafter PC. This means drafting can be organised ahead of time, and from anywhere on farm. The accuracy of the system has also improved dramatically – from about 78 per cent when Dushyant first began trials to about 99 per cent now. This improvement is due to ironing out early bugs in the software that were making the automated drafting gate underperform. As for the cows, Dushyant reckons it takes them about six months to get used to the system. “But eventually they all get it.”

Feathered beauties on display at show It’s bound to be noisy but it will also be colourful when up to 1800 of the country’s best bred chooks, ducks and pigeons go on display at the National Poultry and Pigeon Show in Hamilton from July 7 to 8.

chicks in brooder aquariums bound to appeal to kids of all ages, as well the array of birds officially entered in the contests. “Some of the birds entered will be part of a silent auction so people can place their bids and take the birds home on Sunday.” The National Poultry and Pigeon Show at Hamilton Bays High School gymnasium is open from 9am to 5pm on Saturday July 7, and from 9am to midday on Sunday July 8. Admission is $5 for adults and those under 16 have free admission. www.waikatopoultryandpigeonclub.com

Strutting his stuff – a Buff Laced Wyandotte Rooster is an example of the kind of birds which will be on display at the National Poultry and Pigeon Show in Hamilton from July 7 to 8. “People who aren’t poultry or pigeon breeders are always astounded at the diversity and colour among the breeds,” says Kathleen Bayliss of the Waikato Poultry and Pigeon Club which is hosting this year's national show at the Hamilton Boys High School. The event will be more than just a static show with guided tours on Saturday led by the clubs' most experienced judges and breed experts, for those that wish to learn more about specific breeds varieties. On Saturday afternoon there will be three chickenspecific, interactive workshops led by New Zealand experts, who will talk about incubation and rearing, general chicken husbandry and colour breeding. The show is family friendly, with freshly hatched

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WELCOME TO SOUTH EAST WAIKATO

Page 54

June 2012

Hot pools, hobbits and Hinuera stone South East Waikato has a number of service towns and smaller communities, each with distinctive attractions and attributes.

former post office displaying local art and works from the Wallace Collection.

In the days of early pioneers, the distance between each town was probably determined by how far a horse drawn vehicle could travel but today the towns are within minutes of each other.

Timber milling is a large part of Putaruru’s story as the town grew to service the industry sparked by the huge pine plantations of the Central Plateau. It also lays claim to being the home of 1000 year old water from the Blue Spring which is bottled and sold all over the country.

Te Aroha

Thermal waters have been valued for the curative qualities they are believed to bestow for thousands of years and when European settlers discovered Te Aroha’s hot soda water, it marked the beginnings of what was to become an Edwardian spa town. Cadman House bath-house is now a museum set in the Hot Springs Domain in the centre of the town, which covers an area of 44 hectares and includes hot mineral spa baths and soak pools, rolling lawns, formal gardens, barbecue and picnic areas. Many mountain and bush walks start near the hot pools complex.

Morrinsville

Morrinsville is in the heart of dairy country and the Fonterra factory is a major employer. The town is also a service centre for the farming industry with a thriving retail and light industrial development flanking the approaches to its CBD. Morrinsville has become an art town with the opening of the Wallace Gallery in the

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Putaruru’s

Tokoroa

Tokoroa is still encircled by pine forest but many hectares have been cleared for dairy farming and the town, once very much a mill town, is reinventing itself as a service centre for an industry based on pasture rather than pines.

Matamata

Matamata is famous world -wide for its role in the Lord of the Rings movies and Hobbiton, the location for scenes in the first in the trilogy is now a popular tourist attraction. However, there’s more to Matamata than Hobbits. Its lush pastures are ideal for dairying and horse breeding. The region is also home to Hinuera stone, quarried for use in the construction of homes and building and popular with carvers too. Matamata, like its neighbour Te Aroha also has hot pools.

Conference showcases good farming Tools to Farm Within Limits is the title of a two-day conference in Cambridge on June 11 and 12. Hosted by New Zealand Association of Resource Management and Fertiliser Manufacturers' Research Association (Fert Research), the conference showcases practical approaches for farming within limits in order to meet environmental and produc-

tion goals. It will be a forum to discuss, share and build support networks while enhancing farmer’s own toolkits. Delegates from around the country have been invited to attend. Highlights include an update on the work of the Land and Water Forum, a selection of successful case studies, a discussion of how to make targets and benchmarks work

for you, an overview of the newly upgraded OVERSEER Nutrient Budgets Model, and a showcase of the wide range of tools available to support good farming practices. The conference, which begins two days before the 2012 National Fieldays will be held at the Don Rowlands Centre, 601 Maungatautari Road, Cambridge on June 11-12. For more information go to www. groundworkassociates.co.nz

Southeast Waikato Contacts Federated Farmers James Houghton President 07 872 4560 07 872 4563 027 437 7632 jchoughton@xtra.co.nz

Young Farmers South Waikato Joshua Woods 027 437 4080 ajm_matthews@hotmail.com

Matamata-Piako District Council www.mpdc.govt.nz

35 Kenrick St Te Aroha 07 884 0060 Cnr Tanui & Tui Streets, Matamata 07 881 0950 56-62 Canada St, Morrinsville 07 884 0060 45 Broadway, Matamata 07 888 7260

South Waikato District Council

Torphin Crescent, Tokoroa 07 885 0340 www.southwaikato.govt.nz

Tokoroa i-Site

State HJighway 1, Tokoroa 07 886 8872

Tirau i-Site

State Highway 1, Tirua 07 883 1202

Morrinsville i-Site

251 Thames St, Morrinsville 07 889 5575 www.morrinsvillenz.co.nz

June 2012

WELCOME TO SOUTH EAST WAIKATO

Page 55

Ken played a role in the Billion Dollar Scheme Memories of Waihi Beach resident and former bull farm collection supervisor, Ken Burgess, feature in a book which chronicles the history and impact of artificial breeding on the New Zealand dairy industry.

“The processing of frozen semen was very time consuming and it would take me many hours to seal the glass ampoules over a Bunsen burner before storing them in a large cabinet filled with dry ice (frozen CO2). The dry ice arrived, by bus, from a manufacturing plant in Auckland and was 'The Billion Dollar Scheme' also used for transporting the was produced by LIC and ampoules packed in vacuum written by Clare Bayly on flasks for distribution into behalf of the dairy industry, the field. and tells the story of the “In later years, liquid development of artificial nitrogen was introduced. breeding and its uptake in “When Pat (Dr Patrick New Zealand via the LIC Shannon) left WelSire Proving Scheme. lington and came to Ken Burgess’ more than Newstead in 1956 he was four decades working in the employed as the Comartificial breeding sector of mercial Manager, but the dairy industry provides quickly found his niche in some unique insights into the laboratory testing new the early years of farming diluents which contribKen Burgess. bulls for artificial breeding. uted to the growth of AB Ken began his career in in New Zealand. the dairy industry in 1949 at Ruakura “The forerunner to the Sire Proving Research Station where he worked in Scheme was when the Dairy Board different areas such as the laboratory began purchasing yearling bulls which and tending bulls being used in research were sons of top bulls rated on their programmes, including early work in daughters’ production figures. artificial breeding. “Semen was collected and used in the When Dr John James began research field and the young bulls were sent to into a commercial artificial breeding the Dairy Board’s run-off property at service, Ken assisted with collection of Hoe-O-Tainui until production figures semen and when the Dairy Board comfrom their daughters came through. mercialised artificial breeding in 1953 “If the results were good enough the the operation was moved to its present bulls were taken back to Newstead and site at Newstead (Hamilton). used in what was then called, the Merit “The original buildings consisted of Team.” the laboratory and three staff houses – Sometimes Ken would go out on farms the superintendent’s, Stan Southcombe, to collect semen from bulls the company Laboratory manager’s, Paul Kneebone, may have wanted to buy, judged on (both of whom came from Ruakura) their daughters’ production figures and and the Farm Manager’s, Winston Hall. pedigree. The total staff numbered about 10. “We used a cow in season as a decoy “The following year the office block and an AV (artificial vagina) to collect was built. (This Huntly brick building the semen. It was then taken back to the still forms part of the Newstead offices laboratory for examination and, if suittoday, housing IT staff ). At the same able, was frozen. time staff numbers increased in all areas, “The purchase of the bull was subject but the working environment retained to the quality of the thawed semen. that family feeling. “Some farmers also wanted to have “To enable fresh semen to be dissemen frozen from their own bulls for tributed to all the Herd Improvement use in their herds and this was a service Associations, collections began at we provided.” 3:30am, every day from early August to Today on LIC bull farms, steers are December. used as decoys, however in the 1950s “In about 1957 the demand for AB and 1960s cows were used. increased, so extra staff were employed “Cows took a lot of breaking in and temporarily for the season and a number training as naturally they will only stand of these were students from Massey when in oestrous. The decision to start University who had just completed their using steers as decoys (early 1970s) was agricultural degrees. worth its weight in gold – it made life “Dr James helped develop the techand the job a lot easier for the collection nique for deep freezing semen and staff as steers would stand. frozen semen was used all over the Ken Burgess retired from LIC in 1992 country, but mainly in the South Island at the age of 60, having spent 42 years because the longer distances comproworking in the artificial breeding sector mised the use of fresh semen. of the dairy industry

Howies Checkpoint –LIC’s most recent star bull, is the modern-day product of all that went before in artificial breeding research.

Ken Burgess and Lindsay Burton with two of the early bulls used in the early days of the artifical breeding programme.

WELCOME TO FRANKLIN

Page 56

June 2012

Region that helps feed the city The Franklin District is Auckland’s food basket. It’s rich soils, especially those of the Bombay, Waiuku, Tuakau, Karaka and Pukekawa, produce a wealth of vegetables for the city. The hinterland is also important for dairying at Otaua, Aka Aka, part of the Awhitu peninsula and Karaka. The Awhitu Peninsula is known for its sheep farming and there are many lifestyle blocks across the district too. Forestry is another important primary industry, concentrated mainly in Klondyke Road and the Hunua Ranges.

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At the heart of the district is Pukekohe with a population of around 19,000. Pukekohe has two major supermarkets, major retail chains and a lively main street with many restaurants and cafés. It is only approximately 30 minutes from Manukau City Centre, 50 minutes from downtown Auckland and approximately an hour from Hamilton. Waiuku (population approximately 5,500) and Tuakau (population approximately 3000) are the district’s other main towns. There are many recreational options in Franklin. Pukekohe has a Council owned recreation centre with a gym and indoor heated swimming pool along with outdoor pools around the district. Then there’s the beautiful coast including the black sand beach of Karioitahi, and the beaches of Port Waikato and the Awhitu Peninsula. The district is also well known for motor sports and horse racing. Forty per cent of the Hunua sector is part of Auckland’s water catchment and regional park land, mostly in bush but with large areas of exotic forest.

Franklin Contacts Federated farmers Auckland Wendy Clark President 09 236 3082 021 155 1094 wclark@ps.gen.nz

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Franklin’s name may originate with Lady Jane Franklin, wife of Arctic explorer and Governor of Tasmania, Sir John Franklin. Lady Franklin explored the region in the 1840’s. The name Franklin was first taken by the electorate in 1860 and by the county council formed some 50 years later, at the same time as the Pukekohe Borough.

Young Farmers

Franklin Rob Cashmore 09 292 2671 franklinyf@hotmail.com

Auckland Council 09 301 0101 Pukekohe i-Site 12 Massey Avenue, Pukekohe 09 238 4081

June 2012

WELCOME TO KING COUNTRY

Page 57

Country of myths, legends and Kings The King Country is a land where stories, myths and legends abound, matched only by stunning landscapes. It's a land of contrasts with each scene a beauty of its own.

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SealesWinslow P: 0800 287 325

From the stunning and historical harbours of Kawhia and Aotea, to rugged landscapes, there’s off the beaten track experiences to enjoy. The King Country is named after the movement of the Maori warrior Chief "King Tawhiao", who with his determined followers, led a resistance against Europeans who were coveting their land. King Tawhiao and his followers sought refuge in the remoter parts of the region and for a time, the Pakeha (Europeans) ventured into the King Country and parts of the Waikato region at their own risk. Although the King Country now has several substantial towns, beyond them a sense of isolation still persists in what is some of the North Island's wildest, stunningly beautiful, and most unspoilt terrain. The King Country, or Rohe Potae, was originally a large tract of the western central North Island and

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comprised the tribal lands of Ngati Maniapoto Ngati Tama, Ngati Tuwharetoa (the portion lying west and south of Lake Taupo), the Waikato lands which escaped confiscation, and the northern fringes of Ngati Ruanui and Ngati Hau lands. Europeans called the area “the King Country” because it was here that Tawhiao sought refuge following the Maori Wars. It was a place of refuge for all who refused to make peace with the Queen of England. Maoris knew the district as Rohe Potae (“the edge or brim of the hat”) which name arose – according to tribal tradition – because Tawhiao threw his hat on a large map of the North Island in order to demonstrate the area he claimed. Within this district the “King” ruled as an independent monarch. Source: www.kingcountry.co.nz/

WELCOME TO CENTRAL PLATEAU

Page 58

June 2012

The legends of Lake Taupo Lake Taupo was formed 26,500 years ago by a super volcanic eruption but Maori legend has another explanation for its creation. According to Maori tradition Ngatoroirangi, navigator and high priest (tohunga) was searching for a suitable place to settle his followers. He climbed to the summit of Mt Tauhara, now backdrop to Taupo township, and saw before him a great dust bowl. Ngatoroirangi uprooted a totara tree from the mountainside and hurled it into the dust bowl. The wind caused him to miss his mark and striking a hard bank the tree bounced off and landed upside down. Its branches pierced the earth and fresh water welled up to form Taupo moana – “The sea of Taupo”. This tree is said to be still visible under the water about 70 metres off the shore at Wharewaka Point. Ngatoroirangi plucked strands from his cloak, throwing them into the water where they became the native fish of the lake.

The trout which swim there today didn’t come from that cloak but were introduced by European settlers. The fish flourish in what is a true wild fishery as the trout are not farmed. Taupo trout cannot be bought and are not found on any restaurant menu, but by purchasing a trout licence fishers can attempt to catch their own. The origin of the lake’s name is perhaps more believable. Tia, a chief and brother of one of the Arawa canoe captains arrived on the eastern side of the lake at what is now known as Hallet’s Bay and noted a cliff formation resembling his heavy rain cloak (Taupo). He claimed the place as Taupo-nui-a-tia “the great cloak or shoulder mat of Tia”. This was eventually abbreviated to Taupo although one local collage still uses the full name.

By Elaine Fisher

Parts,and Sales and Service for: Parts, Sales Service agents agents for:

Volcanic origins of region’s soils For more information about quality feeds contact:

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The Central Plateau is an extensive area of high but level country whose underlying rocks and soils are of volcanic origin; hence it is sometimes referred to as the Volcanic Plateau. It lies in the central part of the North Island extending from Ruapehu and Lake Taupo in the south towards Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty in the north-east. Rotorua and Tauranga are the main towns of the region. The general economic development of the postwar period has nowhere else been so spectacularly made manifest as in the Central Plateau. From a relatively under-populated and undeveloped region it has emerged as the most important centre for the

production of hydro-electric power, timber, pulp, and paper and more recently dairying, in the North Island. Its tourist and recreational facilities have undergone marked improvement, while the agricultural production of the region and the extent of the area grassed have increased tremendously. The improvement of roads and highways which has accompanied and assisted all the early developments in the region has not only facilitated access and circulation within the region but has also made it the principal route for motor traffic between the northern and southern parts of the North Island. Source: Te Ara - The Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Central Plateau Contacts Federated farmers

Rotorua Taupo NEIL HEATHER President T: 07 357 2142 F: 07 357 2908 E: neil-heather@xtra.co.nz

Taupo District Council Story Place, Taupo T: 07 376 0070 www.taupodc.govt.nz

Taupo i-Site

30 Tongariro Street, Taupo T: 07 376 0027

Turangi i-Site

Ngawaka Place, Turangi T: 07 386 8999

Young Farmers

Reporoa Alistair Neville 021 366 873 reporoayoungfarmers@gmail.com

June 2012

AVOCADOS

Page 59

Spray on frost protection for NZ,Chile ThermoMax, the organic spray on frost protection that has served growers well, over the last 10 seasons in New Zealand, has now been shown to work even better when applied through fertigation systems says Glen Atkinson, BdMax research director. “Trials carried out on productive avocados, last winter in Chile, showed they had

very good control during a series of -4C frosts. Due to their production system, - trees on metre high mounts about two meters apart - growers in Chile do not spray anything over their trees, so their only choice was to apply ThermoMax via fertigation. “It was applied at the normal rates of 250 mls per hectare, every three weeks, with better than usual results. Experience in New Zealand has shown good control on

avocados in the -2 to -3C range.” The increase in efficacy is probably due to the plant being able to uptake more ThermoMax through its root system rather than through its waxy leaves, Glen believes. “Other trials using fertigation as the application method, such as rabbit and rat control on vegetables, drought control products on vegetables, and a chlorine control product on grapes, have all produced very clear positive results.

These have been determined either visually in the case of rabbit and rats, and through plant tissue testing with the other products. “The real value of fertigation application, apart from products working more effectively, is the nil cost of application. The product is simply poured into the fertigation nutrient container, as it is needed. This is a significant cost saving in Chile’s large growing areas.”

Avocado industry beginnings traced to 1920 after about 12 to 14 years, one tree The first meeting of the New Zealand began to produce fruit of good Avocado Promotion Committee quality, which we marketed in (later the Avocado PromoAuckland for the first time in tion Association, and the 1939." The fruit was well forerunner of today's received, so the Greys Avocado Growers' decided to import a Association Inc and number of varieties Avocado Industry from California. Council Ltd) was During the 1940s held on Februtrials continued ary 11, 1980 until they had some but avocados 20 varieties. had been in The country's New Zealand first commercial for many years avocado orchard before a formal had been estabindustry struclished. Selecting ture came into the most promising being. varieties, they began In the 1965 raising their own California Avoseedlings (mostly cado Yearbook, Mexicola) and by C.A. Schroeder of 1965 had around 600 the University of trees. Main varieties California wrote that included Fuerte, Nabal the first avocado was and Hass, with some Hazprobably introduced in zard, Zutano, Hellen and the Gisborne area by the Mary Martin. They found Hass late Charles Grey in about a "good consistent cropper, with 1920. In 1926 Charles' son, the fruit of very high quality, and a tree late Len Grey wrote: "My late father which is compact and tidy in growth". raised severalinofBrushweeds these seedlings Specialists andand, Pasture Control

However, already the alternate bearing issue that still plagues the industry today was appearing. Len noted that in the 1960s avocados were not well known in New Zealand but the Grey family were giving them more publicity by exhibiting at horticultural shows, demonstrating uses of the fruit, and enclosing recipe leaflets and shop posters in each case marketed. Avocado promotion in New Zealand had begun. Source: www.nzavocado.co.nz/

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Page 60

COUNTRY LIVING

June 2012

Subdivision with heritage For 100 years the Rowe family farmed land at Ohauiti, enjoying spectacular views of the Tauranga Harbour, Mount Maunganui and the Kaimai Ranges, views which today can be shared by those who build new homes at Rowesdale.

When the decision was made to subdivide the family farm, Alison and Bernie Rowe and their sons Grant, Kevin Phillip and Mervyn formed Rowesdale Trust to create a development which did justice to the land and offered residents a peaceful and beautiful rural location in which to live. The family has enjoyed developing and marketing the sections. Prospective buyers speak directly to the owners with sales handled by Allison and

Bernie, who have built their own new home at Rowesdale. ‘It has been great to be able to develop the land in the way that we wanted, including the planting of lovely trees, in the reserves and the road sides “There’s a wonderful atmosphere at Rowesdale with a great mix of ages from young people, to families, to those whose children have left home and those who are retired, all of which makes for a vibrant community.” The final stage consists of 43 sections, and it has been a case of saving the best for last because these sections all enjoy spectacular views of Tauranga and the Mount and to the west the Kaimai Ranges. The land has been terraced, and contoured, to enhance the views. Building sites are mostly flat, the sections range from around 700m2 to over 1000m2. Beautiful stone walls have been used to terrace the land, which has enhanced the landscaping.

Father and son Bernie and Grant Rowe take pride in the subdivision the Rowe family has developed, and especially its magnificent views.

Rural Women scholarship for health professionals Health professionals with an interest in the rural sector are being invited to apply for the Rural Women NZ & Access Homehealth 2012 scholarship. “We will be awarding the $3000 Rural Women NZ & Access Homehealth 2012 scholarship to a health professional to help further his or her studies,” says Rural Women New Zealand National President, Liz Evans. “Given our rural focus, we are particularly keen to support someone who has an interest in providing health or disability services in rural communities.”

Preference will be given to applicants who are studying at post-graduate level. Last year the scholarship went to an intensive care paramedic and emergency helicopter crew member from Gisborne, to assist her towards becoming a Nurse Practitioner. Applications close July 1.

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COUNTRY LIVING

June 2012

Page 61

From potter to railway engineer at Driving Creek The skills of a potter would seem to have little in common with that of civil engineering but Barry Brickell has successfully combined both to create the popular tourists attraction, the Driving Creek Railway at Coromandel.

Barry didn’t set out to build a railway for passengers. Instead he constructed it to bring clay for his pottery and wood for its kilns down from the upper slopes of the steep 22ha land he bought in 1975. The former secondary school teacher’s ambition was to be a full-time

Tunnels, viaducts and pottery scupltures feature at Driving Creek.

potter and over the years Barry’s skills have drawn potters from throughout the country and the world to work with and learn from him at Driving Creek, but pots alone didn’t pay all the bills. It took 32 years and a considerable amount of money to turn what was a private railway into a tourist one but the 2.6km unique railway finally opened in 1990 and by December 2011 had carried one million passengers. It is a significant feat of engineering, much of it credit to Barry’s own ingenuity and that of those who helped make it possible. The narrow gauge railway (381 mm or 15 inches) passes through three tunnels and over eight bridges, one a double viaduct. The specially designed passenger trains were built at the railway’s own engineering workshop located beside the potteries. The Possum is a 14-seater twin-bogie diesel railcar built in 1994 and the Snake, built in 1992, is double-articulated and three-bodied so it can twist and turn around the line’s sharp curves. A new train called the Linx is a more sophisticated design, completed in 2004. Its units have special features possibly unique in New Zealand railway engineering, including the use of hydraulic transmission and designs for safe operation on the sharp curves and steep grades. The trains are also fitted with modern air-type braking and centre-mounted diesel engines. Turning Barry’s land into a tourist attraction required more than building a railway. The property was covered in scrub and self-sown pines, so thousands of native trees have been planted to re-generate the original bush. Barry may have turned railway builder, but he hasn’t been able to resist using his art to enhance the route and there are pottery sculptures along the way. The tunnels are lined with bricks and tiles made atquality the pottery too. is what I do “Selling business Arriving thewell Driving Creek Railway best,atso in fact that I amstation is a little like walking into a movie set. The quirky and seriously short of good quality quaint buildings and ambience are reminiscent of a Hobbit film or maybe evenour Harry Potter. businesses to offer long list of There’spre a short bush walk, with hints of Barry’s qualified purchasers.” humour, and sculpture garden, as well as the pottery

gift shop to fill in time before the train departs. The ride begins by passing pottery kilns and through the engineering workshop where the trains are built and maintained. The trip takes an hour, winding past native bush and is enlivened by a commentary from the engine driver who is also the points-man, driving into sidings, getting out to switch the rails so the train can traverse the next section of line. At times he moves to the back of the train to drive it from that end, eventually reaching the Eyeful Tower at 172 m above sea level. This is another unconventional and delightful building with spectacular views over Coromandel and the Hauraki Gulf and it’s here a short talk on the building of the railway is given. Despite building the railway and creating the wildlife sanctuary, Barry has continued to produce pots, many of them sculptural, and has also taken up painting. His work is well respected nationally and internationally and examples are displayed in galleries around the country. To find out more about Driving Creek Railway, visit www.drivingcreekrailway.co.nz

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COUNTRY LIVING

Page 62

June 2012

Waterless Innovative solution to shovelling horse dung Watching his neighbour laboriously shovelling horse Dehydrating dung prompted Hilton McLachlan to invent a device to do the task. Odourless Toilet

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“I said to Les (King) there had to be a better way but I wasn’t going to shovel it for him,” says Hilton who went to the drawing board and came up with the horse manure picker-upper – now called the “Paddock Groomer” and manufactured by Tuff Plastic Moulders of Rotorua, the company Hilton founded in the early 1990s. “Horse dung is good manure, but not if it’s left on the paddock. Cleaning it up reduces weeds, and the risk of re-infecting horses with worms. This machine is towed behind a quad bike or lawn mower and driven by its own wheels, flicks manure, bottles, dead grass and other debris into a catcher.” Les test drove the prototype for six months, helping identify any bugs and in return Hilton gave him one – easier Hilton figured than offering to shovel the dung himself. Horse manure picker-uppers are not all the company makes. It is the largest supplier of boat seats in New Zealand, produces quad bike trays, rural letter boxes, dog kennels, tanks and bins of various sizes for the farming sector as well as thousands of chairs for

conference rooms locally and overseas. Tuff Plastic Moulders also manufacture the luge carts which are used in New Zealand and around the world by Skyline Skyrides, they also produce a range of products for motorhomes, fishermen and caravaners, all using the rotational moulding method. This system, which Hilton saw in the US in the 1980s, involves pouring raw plastic into Neat – The Paddock a mould, Groomer is the easy then way to remove horse slowly manure from a turning it paddock. in an oven till it coats the inside of the mould. “We were among the first to use this method in New Zealand and today I still enjoy designing moulds to produce new products. We have our own in-house mould design and manufacturing division which keeps the set up costs down for any new products customers may want. You dream it up we can probably build it.” The paddock groomer be viewed in action on www.youtube.com/ watch?v=CbwpLk7xqd4

The weatherboard you never paint Masada vinyl weatherboards have been around for at least 30 years and is still being used on new houses as well as re-cladding on older homes. “It was originally used on beach houses as it does not break down in our enviroment, but now we are using it on all types of houses and commercial buildings. It is an alternative to wooden weatherboards and has a 25 year guarantee,” says Roly Bolton. There are six colours modern to choose from and has the colour right through it so there is no

Looks good and doesn’t need painting - Masada vinyl weatherboards.

COUNTRY LIVING

June 2012

Common Muscle Problems (Part 2) The two most common chronic muscle problems are Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) and Fibromyalgia (FM). Both FM and PMR are autoimmune diseases and result in muscle pain but that is about where the similarities stop. PMR mostly affects those over 60 and common symptoms are stiffness and pain commonly around the neck and shoulders especially in the mornings. Around 20 per cent of people with PMR also develop Temporal Arteritis. This is caused inflammation of the major arteries which pass through the temple causing vision problems and even blindness. The major medical therapy is the steroid prednisone which blocks the production of inflammatory cytokines usually with a rapid reduction in symptoms. Many recover in a year or so but others have this for an extended period or find that it recurs after a period of remission. People on statin medicines need to be aware that these can exacerbate PMR symptoms which is why I invariably add CoQ10 to those with PMR who take statins. Nutritional therapy complements the effects of prednisone by reducing immune system production of inflammatory chemicals. We add a wide range of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds to assist energy production and to lower inflammation. Serious fatigue is a feature of PMR and increases in energy is often the first benefit people feel from nutritional therapy.

New Zealand wide Before

After painting to do; making it easy to keep clean “Masada also insulates your home keeping it warmer in winter and cooler in summer. “We are also finding that Masada blocks out up to 20 db of noise a bit like double glazing your walls of your home.” Roly is an experienced builder and knows the versatility of Masada. He also offers free quotes for recladding your home in Masada as well as other improvements you might require.

Abundant Health FM is a lot more complex. These are often referred to as FM syndromes as they involve other problems especially Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There are relatively few medical treatment options but the most common are tri-cyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline taken in single evening doses to treat both pain and insomnia. FM is more difficult to treat with nutritional therapy as it is not a simple inflammatory problem. It appears that muscle mitochondria are damaged by free radicals which impair muscle fibre function which reduces energy and causes pain (M. Cordero et al, 2010). I have found people get real benefits from intensive multi-antioxidant therapy including CoQ10, OPC, resveratrol and many others. I always add broad spectrum vitamin and minerals and often high dose MSM before bed to help with muscle oxygenation. Curiously, as with PMR people with FM often notice an improvement in energy before any reduction in pain. Give me a call if you need help. To join my weekly newsletter go to www.johnarts.co.nz and visit www. abundant.co.nz

Page 63

COUNTRY LIVING

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June 2012

Too good to be true? Heat of the moment resignations are not uncommon in the workplace. Such resignations are a relief for an employer, when such a resignation is from a troublesome employee. However, it is not that easy as a recent case shows us. In the case of Kostic v Dodd, Mr Dodd, the employer, alleged that Mr Kostic, the employee, had been grossly insubordinate and had assaulted him. Mr Dodd allegedly told Mr Kostic, using colourful language, to leave. Mr Kostic then responded to his employer with a hail of expletives, saying that Dodd “could stick his job and sell his cars him-

F QUOREE TES!

self ”. The employer, Mr Dodd, considered that Mr Kostic’s words were a resignation and thus refused to discuss the matter further. Mr Kostic then claimed he had been unjustifiably dismissed. At the Employment Relations Authority (“ERA”) it was found that Mr Kostic had not been unjustifiably dismissed. However, on appeal to the Employment Court it was held that Mr Kostic had been unjustifiably dismissed as Mr Kostic’s words were said in the heat of the moment, and a reasonable employer would have discussed the matter once everyone had cooled off. Mr Kostic was awarded $7,200 in lost earnings and $8,000 for distress. The moral of the story, is that a problematic employee’s resignation said in the heat of the moment, may be too good to be true.

The test is what could a fair and reasonable employer do in the circumstances, and it appears accepting such a resignation is not considered fair and reasonable. If you have any employment queries that you would like assistance with, please email Wendy directly at wendy@accordservices. co.nz 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.

Winter’s a great time to clean buildings Mark Gordon has occasionally been told off by husbands who’ve returned home to find him washing their house – only to have them book him to do the same again in 12 months, once he’s finished. “Quite often a wife will book us to clean the house because they’re tired of waiting for their husband to do it,” says Mark of E Wash. “When the husbands sees we can do in a couple of hours what takes him days, they are happy to have us come back. “It’s about having the right equipment, including water blasters and long arms to reach high spots.” E Wash uses biodegradable cleaning products which aren’t harmful to pets or plants and can be used on roofs

where rainwater is collected for the household. “After three rainfalls it’s OK to re-connect the downpipes to the tank so this time of year is a good one to clean a roof as you don’t have to wait too long for rain.” Now is also a good time to clean dairy sheds, ready for the new season, and all E Wash products are approved for use in sheds which must meet food safety requirements. The company can clean small homes to multi-storied buildings, using cherry pickers for the tall jobs. “Cleaning a building helps prolong the life of paintwork and building materials. We also clean buildings as part of the preparation for a re-paint.” Mark is the owner operator of the business in the Bay of Plenty and with one staff member, covers the area from Katikati to Pukehina. “We offer free quotes and because we do all the work ourselves, we know the job will be done properly.” Before and After

Paying too much ACC? Check out your options ACC collects billions of dollars a year in levies and given the way the economy is, farmers are a major part of this annual collection. If you feel like you are paying too much its worthwhile to discuss your options. ACC have some relatively new

options which may be able help those of you who are self- employed and taking drawings. The use of these new options in tandem with private rural

income protection cover might even increase the quality of your cover and still save you costs. All of this of course is dependent on your own situation. We can help you to review your life insurance plan and as part of this review we will look at your ACC options. Remember bad things sometimes happen so taking some time out to consider your options is a worthwhile investment.

about with Rick

Blind ignorant Paddy tells Mick He's thinking of buying a Labrador. " Don’t," says Mick, "are you mad?” Have you seen how many of their owners go blind?"

COUNTRY LIVING

June 2012

Subdivision costs to rise Waipa and Matamata - Piako next

As rural councils push on with their plans to make rural lifestyle and small farming blocks much more difficult to establish, the end result will be a huge increase in costs. Most councils are making applications “discretionary” now when they do allow subdivision, but that means that council can either approve or decline the application. This will add a huge degree of risk for the landowner and push the application through a much more rigorous process, adding significant cost. Waipa and Matamata-Piako are next in line to announce their proposed changes to the subdivision rules. We were expecting Waipa to formally notify their changes earlier this year but that is obviously much delayed, whilst Matamata-Piako is due to publish a draft set of rules this year.

Both councils have indicated that they will be increasing the minimum lot size substantially to 40ha or more and virtually doing away with any current lifestyle block provisions. Contrary to council planners’ opinions, this will not take away the desire or need for these smaller blocks – but it will sure make them a whole lot harder to subdivide. Under these proposals any subdivision with lots below this magic 40ha size will likely become noncomplying. This doesn't mean that they are prohibited, but the process is much more complex, with significant additional specialist reporting required to back up the application. How will these proposed changes affect your plans? During the review process you can still carry out subdivision under the old rules so, if you have thought of subdividing, it is important to get on with it right now. Currently in Waipa you can

subdivide down to an average of 25ha and also many can make application for a 'long association' subdivision if they have been associated with the title for over 14 years. You can also rearrange larger lots into smaller lifestyle lots with a larger balance lot. In Matamata-Piako you can currently subdivide down to 8ha lots on quality farmland, cut a lifestyle block off an older title on good land and also subdivide lifestyle lots on more marginal land – subject to certain criteria. If current council proposals gain traction most of this subdivision will not be allowed as of right and, due to the complex and uncertain process, will be unachievable for most. If you are interested to find out how any of these rule changes may affect you, please feel free to give me a call.

Tyres converted to industrial fuel at Waharoa Tyres once dumped in landfills, are now helping fuel industry thanks to the ingenuity of Carbon Recovery Ltd, a Bay of Plenty and Waikato based tyre recycling company. General Manager Ray Austen says the company has been operating its Tyre Back scheme for over a year now, recycling hundreds of tonnes of old tyres. “The company has invested millions setting up tits tyre recycling plant in the Waikato because of its central location in the North Island. It’s just over an hour’s drive from Auckland where one third of the population lives and one third of tyres are worn out each day.” It’s also only 40 minutes to the Port of Tauranga, which makes it a strategic location for a product that is mainly exported at this stage of development. Carbon Recovery can recycle all scrap tyres. Car, truck and oversized tyres from tractors and large machines can all be collected and transported to the processing centre at Waharoa Industrial Park where they are chipped into a product which can replace coal as a fuel. Tyre Derived Fuel is a generic term given to small pieces of tyre used as a fuel. Some experts say up to 70 per cent of scrap tyres around the world are used as an alternative fuel supplement. “The main destination of most Tyre Derived Fuel is the

cement industry. The temperature inside cement kilns is around 1800 degrees Celsius which ensures complete combustion,” says Ray. The fuel has 20 per cent more energy by weight when compared to coal, no moisture and up to five times less sulphur which means it burns cleaner than coal in high heat facilities and meets tough air emission standards. It releases less carbon dioxide emissions than coal. Although primarily used in the making of cement, Tyre Derived Fuel has also been used by the pulp and paper industry and for power generation. Tyres are made from oil, a depleting natural resource, which can be recovered and used again. “All this is happening in our own backyard and most people wouldn’t have any idea,” says Ray. Although all the fuel is currently being exported, Ray hopes to supply the domestic market one day. “Using recovered materials to create energy to fire boilers is much smarter that dumping them into a landfill.” According to the Ministry for the Environment, that’s where 85 per cent of our tyres still end up. Ray would like to see us follow what the rest of the world seems to have done 30 years ago and ban tyres banned from landfills. “There are good opportunities for recycling, jobs and local economic development when we recover materials

Carbon Recovery’s tyre shredder is located in the Wahaora Industrial Park

from landfills. Europe banned tyres from landfills in 1991 and its commonplace around the globe, in a world of depleting resources.”

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BUILDING & HEATING

June 2012

Gas heater safety tips for winter As the winter chill starts to bite and heaters are being pulled out around the Western Bay – it is time to think about keeping your house safe by having your gas heater and cylinder checked.

When cabinet heaters are checked they look for leaks, perished hoses, a build-up of dust and that all parts are working properly. Along with checking your heater, he encourages home-owners to see if their LPG bottle is certified – with all bottles needing to be checked every 10 years. Safety guidelines from the Ministry of Economic Development recommend LPG cabinet heaters are kept more than a metre away from people or flammable items such as curtains, clothes, furniture and rugs. Fire guards or some protection should be placed around the heater to reduce the risk of people being burnt, and the recommendations advise that clothes never be hung on a heater to dry, as this is a common cause of fires. By Hamish Carter

Gas Fire and Cylinder Service owner Merv Ingram says regular checks are vital to extend the heater’s life and to ensure your family’s safety. “Cabinet gas heaters need to be given a good check and service every two-three years. If you use your heater all the time you should get it checked every year.” Merv is sometimes surprised by the state of cabinet heaters when they come in and urges everyone to be aware of safety issues. “If you can smell gas you need to get it checked for a leak.”

Insulation scheme popular in Bay In less than three years 5400 Western Bay of Plenty homes have been insulated as part of the Government’s ‘Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart’ scheme.

By Hamish Carter

The programme, which covers a third of the cost of installing insulation up to $1300, has been running for almost three years. Energy Minister Phil Heatley has trumpeted the programme’s success after it reached the milestone of 150,000 homes insulated nationwide. The scheme aims to retrofit a total of at least

The coloured areas show parts of the Bay of Plenty where there has been a strong uptake in the Government’s insulation scheme. 188,500 New Zealand homes over four years. The grants are only available to homes built before 2000. “Each of those 150,000 homes now insulated represents an average of between two and three New Zealanders, so we can be confident that around 450,000 New Zealanders are now better off. “Insulated homes are easier and cheaper to heat to healthy temperatures. Warmer homes mean fewer visits to the doctor, and greater productivity with less need to take time

off work or school.” On top of the 5400 homes insulated, 1200 of these properties have also had grants of up to $500 each towards the cost of installing a clean, effective heater. A total of 4250 houses have been insulated under the scheme in the Tauranga council area and 1150 in the Western Bay district area. The Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart scheme is run by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. For more information, go to www.energywise.govt.nz

 

June 2012

BUILDING & HEATING

Page 67

Upgrading homes with insulation and heating National MP Simon Bridges says there are now over 3100 warmer, drier homes in Tauranga thanks to National’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home insulation scheme.

says Simon. “This is fantastic news as we look towards another winter here.” This work has come at a cost of over $3.7 million. “I’m pleased people are thinking ahead and getting their homes insulated now, because a warm, dry home can make a big difference to the health and wellbeing of our families. “Even better, we have estimated 2000 Kiwis are working fulltime thanks to this programme. That is private sector installers

“Homes here in Tauranga have been retrofitted with insulation or new and more efficient heating such as heat pumps since the scheme started in 2009,”

Acting on insulation subsidy The latest figures from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority show, to date, 6173 homes have been improved in the Bay of Plenty region through the government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home insulation and heating programme. A total of 91,506 houses across the country have taken advantage of the programme since it began in July 2009. The Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme provides grants for installing insulation and efficient heating to keep a home warmer, drier and healthier and research shows it makes a noticeable difference. In

an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority satisfaction survey with homeowners, who had their home insulated under the programme, 91 per cent said they had noticed an improvement in the warmth of their house since the insulation was installed and 18 per cent have put an improvement in their health down to the insulation. EECA residential manager Robert Linterman says it’s great to see Bay of Plenty involved in the programme and hopes even more residents take advantage of the opportunity to insulate. Robert says people wanting to install insulation and heating should think about doing it now because it’s still relatively warm and demand is lower than in the colder months.

For more information about the programme phone 0800 749 782 or visit www.energywise.govt.nz

who have been kept busy thanks to our investment.” Simon says investing in home insulation makes sense from a health point of view and is the right type of boost our economy needs to keep jobs

through the downturn. National has committed $347 million to the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart scheme over four years. Over 89,000 homes have benefited so far.

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

Page 68

June 2012

Massey fits the bill for Pinnys

Orchard tractOrs

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aG tractOrs

Russell Pinny (right) says the outstanding support he received from Glenn Greay at Waikato Tractors was a big factor in his decision to buy his new MF 5440.

Morrinsville sharemilkers Russell and Margaretha Pinny found the answer to the dilemma of how to replace two large tractors with one smaller one answer in a Massey Fergusson 5440.

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The Pinnys took a break from the dairy industry and went contracting for a couple of years, hence their two large tractors. Once back to the cows, they wanted something smaller and more agile. The quality of the tractor was important but equally crucial was the level of service provided by Glenn Greay at Waikato Tractors.

Great service

“It was the first time we’d dealt with Waikato Tractors, and it was awesome service,” says Russell. “Glenn is the only sales guy who has kept coming back to see how it’s going and to ask what we need. If we do need anything he drops it in. It’s great back-up service.” Glenn was also the only agent who went to their place and sat down and worked out what the Pinnys needed in a tractor. He sent a tractor out for a trial, so by the time Russell bought his MF 5440 he knew it would do the job. He’d also ordered all the extras he needed factory-fitted, such as the spotlights for working at night. “The beauty was we’d talked through all the details. It’s easier to get things added in the factory than when it comes out,” Russell says. The MF 5440 is 102hp and does the feeding out and general work on the Pinnys 50 ha farm. He makes a lot of use of the front-end loader and he’s used it to do some grader work. “I will also be using it to make hay and silage for myself and another farmer. I am looking forward to trying it out on the rake and mower.” Russell says the MF 5440 has a very comfortable cab; even getting in is easy with its good wide door. There’s a seat for a passenger and plenty of room for the all-important lunchbox.

“It’s easy to get hold of things. When you utilise the levers you’re not stretching. Everything is in the right place, like the front end loader levers are where you expect them to be.” That front-end loader has a new float system on it. “Sometimes loaders bounce up and down when you’re going down a ramp, but they’ve added suspension and it’s so smooth on the front axle.”

Visibility important

Being able to see the loader at all times is very important and with the sloping bonnet Russell can see what he’s doing as he hooks on implements. There’s also good visibility behind and all around. Russell remarked at how much clearance there was under the cab, making it easy to access. In fact with all maintenance there’s a sense of space. “It’s easy to get at the bonnet and radiators and filters, there’s so much room.” Despite providing space where it is needed, the MF 5440 is not the size of a tank. “It’s the ideal weight and size for a farmer, and there’s enough traction and pull power but it’s not making ruts in the paddocks. It’s also agile and has a small turning radius.” Russell said a lot of thought has also gone into the hydraulics. His model has the standard 57 litres/min but it can work with raceways with a halftonne grader on back and not bat an eye. It provides more than enough fluid to run the log splitter, and extra big rams on the hydraulics also keep things smooth and stable. The Pinny’s new tractor has a Dyna-4 transmission, with 16 forward and 16 reverse gears. “There’s no delay in getting into the next range and no gear stick to muck around with. It’s just a lever on the side of the steering wheel. I had a mate get in and say, ‘Where‘s the gear stick?’ “It has gears A, B, C, D then into the next range 1, 2, 3 or 4. You just clutch it and whip it through,” Russell says. He also likes the fact that it is a very stable tractor and he can trundle along at 43km/h on the road.

TRADES & SERVICES

June 2012

Page 69

Neighbours alert to rustlers

WE ALWAYS PAY MORE!

Rural neighbourhood support networks can help catch stock rustlers says Rich Powdrell, Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers Meat and Fibre chairman.

per week

“Sheep, cattle, deer and goat rustling or theft has been far too common in our province,” Rich told the region’s provincial conference. “Farmers need to put in place

all practical security on farm and ensure their neighbourhood support networks understand the problem and are looking out for suspicious activity. “An active neighbourhood watch group did lead to an arrest and conviction in one case after a resident noted a number plate of a suspicious vehicle.”

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adult entertainment MENS SAUNA/STEAM/ SPA GuyZ Male Bath House 856a Victoria St Hamilton Tues-Sat 4pm Sun 1pm GuyZ Ph 07 839 5222 farm supplies MODULAR FARM BRIDGES Phone Pat now 0800 222 189 www.bridgebuilders. co.nz BRIDGE IT NZ LTD for sale PULLETS Brown Shaver. Point of lay, good layers. Ph 07 824 1762 house for sale FANTASTIC LIFESTYLE BLOCK AT PIKOWAI Within easy commuting to Tauranga, Te Puke and Whakatane this 4 bedroom brick home is in paradise! Beautiful sea and rural views 6 acres grazing land, horse pens, heaps of shedding, butchery and chiller for own use single garage with sleepout/ office big games room or can be converted to extra double garage, chook house, drenching race for the cattle. 11.5 x 4.5 metre in ground swimming pool which is fully decked and fenced. This is a beautiful home and comes with a share in the community woolshed, tennis courts and cattle yards. Own water scheme. Fantastic community to belong to - be in quick! Price of house has been slashed! to $550,000 - urgent sale. Ph 027 281 7427 today. house sitters HOUSE SITTERS FREE Active retired couple would love to look after your property, farm, stock, and pets. Expert refs & Police clearance. Avail from July 18th. Contact on flyandsissy@hotmail. com or Ph 027 923 7229 trades & services BOSTOCK SHELTER TRIMMERS LTD we have a keen eye and work hard to achieve a satisfactory finish. Phone Rob on 027 222 4157 GORSE SPRAYING do you have a gorse problem? Ph today for a FREE quote for all gorse control. Scott 0274 624 769 TREE FELLING, PRUNING, Removal & Chipping. No job to big or small. Phone Scott 0274 624 769 ADVERTISE YOUR TRADE or services in the Coast & Country RunOn listings for only $20+gst conditions apply. Phone Tasha on 07 928 3042 or email classi@thesun.co.nz

Keep your cows in milk over summer Plan your summer crops now • Pasture Sprayout

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Rick says police are aware of the size of the rustling problem and the federation has moved to create a closer working relationship with police in an attempt to reduce the instances of thefts.

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FORESTRY

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We have had a lot of customers contacting us recently for information on the progress of their emission trading scheme applications and other areas such as the carbon price. We hope you find this a useful update for any questions you may have. • Pre-1990 Applications update Emission trading scheme applications have been making their way slowly through the MAF process. Applications submitted before July have mostly come through but those submitted closer to the cut off in November are largely not approved yet. • Post 1989 summary and deadlines Forest owners of first rotation forest established after December 31, 1989 may voluntarily become participants in the post-1989 ETS scheme. In contrary to the pre-1990 scheme you are caped to surrender units to the amount you have received. In forest planted from 2008 ‘safe units’ can be claimed and will not need to be returned at harvest. Participants must report their carbon stocks every 1-5 years. If over 100 ha of forest the carbon stocks must be physically measured, and under 100 ha look up tables are used. • We can provide a free carbon workability report for your forest to aid in your decision to participate. • Post-1989 Deadline is December 31, 2012 for 2008-2012 credits. We want to get forests registered long before this busy date.

Caygill review

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There have been some major changes in carbon in recent months as a result of the latest United Nations climate talks in Durban, the European recession and our own Caygill review of the New Zealand ETS. Beginning at home, the Caygill Review was released in September. There are two major changes for forestry in this review. Firstly, off-setting for pre-1990 forest

June 2012

landowners will be introduced from January 1, 2013. Land will be able to be converted to the most economic use without deforestation liabilities being incurred if a comparable forest is replanted elsewhere. Secondly was the banning of Certified Emission Reduction units (CER’s). These ‘dodgy’ units were flooding our market thus contributing to the drop in the carbon price. Any units bought by New Zealand emitters on forward contacts that were in place before December 23, 2012 will be able to use these units until June 2013. This should lead to a steady increase in the carbon price. The CERS are approved by the United Nations, but it is believed that up to two thirds of the units are created by schemes that are producing industrial gases purely for the purpose of destroying them to make money off the credits. Many other countries have also chosen to ban them.

More stable The Durban conference in December did not bring consensus to extend agreements like Kyoto, instead agreeing to meet and try and agree in 2015. It seems as though the United Nations top down approach has had its day and this is seen as good thing by many. Rather than negotiations and agreements not working, individual countries such as New Zealand are developing their own ETS’s and then interacting with other countries schemes on their own terms. The Durban uncertainty has also been blamed for the drop in carbon price; however as the countries shift to their own schemes to suit their own development stage and business climate things should become more stable. The European recession has led to their industrial and utility enterprises selling their carbon stock piles to ease their financial

pain. In any downturn this should be expected and may aid in the markets eventual recovery.

The drop in the Euro has made these European units even more attractive for New Zealand emitters. Carbon units have demonstrated the price range from $22 in May to their current low of under $8. If the New Zealand government’s aim is for the scheme to function they cannot allow the price to remain so low. If only overseas units are purchased New Zealand will not achieve its carbon targets, and a lot of New Zealand money will head offshore. We hope to see a cap introduced for international units.

Way up We believe the only way is up for the price. The carbon price for later delivery (forward agreement i.e. 2013) is moving up. The scheme is designed to operate around the $20 mark and many foresters have their hearts set on $20/T carbon price. When emitters run out of CERs and if other international units are caped the price should rise sharply back towards $20. This is certainly not the right time to sell. For some customers this is the right time to buy, especially if they sold their units at above $20. Trading Prices May 2012 NZUs $6.15, Green CER $6.20. By Gerry Mortimer

FORESTRY

June 2012

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Christchurch re-build may shore up market After a wait of a year and a half it finally looks like the domestic sawmill and wood processing industry is starting to get a boost from the Christchurch earthquake rebuild.

The frustration expressed by the residents of Christchurch over the slow start to the rebuild process has been mirrored in the timber industry which has geared up for the anticipated demand. There are also encouraging signs that some of the innovative design options for multi-storey buildings in the CBD to be built out of engineered timber are gaining acceptance. The advantages of these buildings which are lighter and stronger than the traditional concrete and steel is now proven, but there is still a reluctance to embrace something new, even if the old

technology has just shaken down. If the Christchurch rebuild can stimulate a resurgence of activity in the domestic sawmill and wood processing industries the benefits could be far reaching. As I have said in this column before, the demise of the New Zealand wood processing industry has left the forest industry exposed to the whims of the Chinese market. To put it bluntly, if China needs our logs the price goes up, if China doesn't need our logs the price goes down. This has resulted in an unstable market with major fluctuations impacting all the way down the supply chain. At the moment we are seeing a slight settling of prices in response to high inventories being carried by the Chinese log yards. This has been exacerbated by a small increase in ocean freight rates and a stubborn New Zealand dollar exchange rate. This settling in price has been anticipated for a while as we have seen these high stock levels right through the summer. We can only hope that it will result in a stock levels running down so that when most farm forestry blocks start harvesting in the

Trees wise option

spring there will be a lift in prices. This has been something of a regular pattern we have seen for the last few years. Probably the most encouraging thing that has happened recently that may reduce our total reliance on China is a continual strengthening of the India

market with several new Indian trading houses actively sourcing logs in New Zealand at competitive prices. The best we can hope is that a combination of a stronger India market and a healthier domestic market will stabilise the log prices in New Zealand.

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Be prepared — call 0800 96 63 63 now to talk about your trees with Peter Harington, your Regional Manager.

Eucalyptus nitens coppiced in 2001, thinned in 2008. Free “Trees on Farms” workshops are being held in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato in June as part of an Sustainable Farming Fund initiative encouraging farmers and landowners to plant trees as part of wise land use strategies. The aim of the workshops is to help identify how planting the right trees in the right place can significantly boost farm profitability and enhance wise land use. These workshops draw on the expertise and practi-

Sequoia sempervirens – coast redwood pruned to 4m. cal experience of knowledgeable local farm foresters, farm advisers and consultants, regional councils and a range of other professionals, and each is customised to reflect local opportunities and issues. The day-long workshops include a unique combination of presentations, practical, hands-on discussions in the field and short video clips of successful farm foresters in each area. Morning presentation topics include the economic impacts of integrating trees into the farm business, as well as case studies and panel discussions on a range of practical topics, including trees as a long term land management strategy, planting for erosion control, riparian management and water quality, weed control, and protecting valuable soils, trees for animal feed and shelter, specialty timber species, use of indigenous species and more. The afternoon gets out in the field, looking at tree planting on a local farm that has been chosen to demonstrate best practice in planting trees to address specific problems or opportunities.

The Ohope, Bay of Plenty, workshop on June 20 is particularly designed for Maori landowners, and will feature Ngati Awa farm, looking at trees as an inter-generational land management tool providing sustainable agribusiness solutions and enhancing long term land use. The Waikato workshop on June 29 is at the Ballance Farm Environment Award winning dairy farm of Gray and Marilyn Baldwin, Putaruru, which features riparian, gully and woodlot plantings, as well as smart use of shelter belts. As well as receiving written information and hard copies of the presentations, all attendees will receive a DVD that contains electronic copies of the presentations, the video interviews with local farm foresters, and handbooks outlining best practice for growing and managing the most popular timber species. For more information and to register contact: June 20: Bay of Plenty 9.30 am start, Ohope Registrations to Ian Nicholas, tel 07 348 5923 / 0274 505 904, email i.nicholas@clear.net.nz June 29: Waikato For more information and to register contact John Simmons, tel 07 856 5710, email John.Simmons@ waikatoregion.govt.nz

FOREST & WOODLOT OWNERS

ABLE TASMAN FORESTRY SERVICES LTD

COAST & COUNTRY

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June 2012

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 number with every entry.

Paxton Conder from Tirau with Rufus her pet boar. Sent in by Annette Conder, Tirau.

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Makenzie is 8 months old and loves being on the farm. She is playing and feeding her pigs with help from dad. The little wild sow is Khloe, which Dad caught when he was out hunting! Sent in by mum, Holly Scott, Otorohanga.

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Our 3 farm girls: Brooke 6, Jordyn 4 and Charlize 2. They love climbing all over the loading ramp, this particular day I had my camera and asked them to, "smile for the camera" and this is what I got! Sent in by mum, Shannan Bell.