Coast & country nov 2016

Helen and Eric Pidduck have built a factory to spout barley as an additional fodder for the thousands of beef and dairy calves they rear on their farm on the boundary of Hamilton City. Read their story pages 12-13.

Photo: Elaine Fisher.

Saving Farm History PAGE 4-5

WHAKATANE

Hamilton Gardens PAGE 8-9

07 308 7299

Avoco Rescue PAGE 16

Eastern BOP PAGE 17-21

Pasture/Maize PAGE 28-29

Western Bay Museum PAGE 30

0800 4 TRACTORS TAURANGA

Country Living PAGE 48-51

07 543 0021

Page 2

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Last summer has been described by many as “the wettest drought ever”.

That’s because forecasters were predicting a long hot season but what we got was plenty of rain and growing conditions that had farmers smiling.

However, this spring delivered a very, very wet season – so wet avocado harvesters in the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland struggled to get fruit off in September, early October. See story on page 3.

It’s fortunate that avocados keep well on trees and the harvest season is a long one.

Pastoral farmers and agricultural contractors weren’t so lucky.

In one 36-day stretch just two-and-a-half days were dry enough for machinery to get onto paddocks to cut silage – see Bill Webb’s column on page 35.

Day after day of rain and low sunshine hours impacted on grass growth, and so cow condition and milk production.

Some properties became so water-logged farmers abandoned farm bikes and vehicles and took to walking to bring in the cows – not a happy prospect in pre-dawn driving rain.

Anyone involved in agriculture or horticulture knows there’s nothing they can do about the weather other than prepare for any eventuality best they can and look to forecasters for some indication of what’s ahead.

NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll has given a regional outlook for New Zealand’s temperature and rainfall for the rest of spring and into summer 2016.

Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty regional predictions for the October-December 2016 season are temperatures very

likely to be above average – with a 60 per cent chance.

Rainfall totals are about equally likely to be above normal – with a 45 per cent chance – or near normal – with a 40 per cent chance.

Soil moisture levels and river flows are equally likely to be near normal.

Predictions are, of course, just that. And these ones...well it looks like a slightly warmer, wetter summer ahead.

A normal amount of rain and sunshine would be great.

That would help pastures to be restored, cow health to improve and dairy production to be extended, hopefully enough to compensate for the up to 20 per cent deficit some dairy farmers are experiencing now.

So bring on a summer of kind weather – that would lift all our spirits after such a soggy spring.

APP LY N OW

Elaine Fisher

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COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 3

Soggy start but optimism high for avocado season Prolonged wet weather in September and October has hampered the avocado harvesting and caused frustration for picking contractors and packhouses alike.

Just Avocados Limited managing director Andrew Darling says the prolonged wet weather has impacted harvest plan in the BOP by a few weeks.

“However, we have a strong grower base across three growing regions meaning we have been able to harvest Northland orchards to meet our customer orders.

“Just Avocados remains vigilant on sticking to best practice with regards to not harvesting after significant rain, as our aim is to ensure good quality avocados. Picking contractors are, of course, increasingly frustrated because

However, industry confidence for positive results from this year’s big crop remains high.

“Without a doubt the prolonged rain has caused issues for the industry. Harvesting is made far more difficult, because best practice suggests avocados should not be harvested when more than 5mm of rain has fallen in the previous 24 hours,” says Avocado Growers’ Association and Industry Council CEO Jen Scoular.

Because avocado trees have delicate root systems, driving heavy machinery across sodden orchards is detrimental to the tree root health.

“It’s not easy for harvesters, as equipment was literally getting stuck in the mud.”

However, Jen says the industry plans well and harvesters, packers and exporters are managing the change of fruit flow to meet customer orders in market.

Nearly all exporters source avocados from more than one growing region, so when weather events impact they have more than one option for supply.

Managing that is very much a part of their normal activity every season.

of the effect this has on their workers.

Meeting demand

“The weather has proved very testing, but to date we have continued to meet market demand, and from an Australian market perspective the wet weather has helped put the brakes on supplying a market that was under pressure.”

While Australia remains the highest volume market for New Zealand avocados, this season’s fruit will also be sold in New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and India.

Elaine Fisher

Industry plan

Jen says New Zealand avocado exporters all contribute to a consolidated industry export flow plan.

“Exporters collectively assess and discuss market demand and the flow plan on a fortnightly basis, which means they are able to adjust the flow of export avocados to meet market demand.

“The wet weather in the Bay of Plenty and wider North Island has coincided with a slower period of demand in our largest export market, Australia, which has meant harvest volumes have remained at a good level to meet market demand.

“Market conditions in Australia are now improving and exporters are looking to increase weekly harvest volumes to keep pace with demand,” says Jen. Avoco’s Alistair Young says the season is shaping up well. “Managed correctly it could be a goodie.”

Because of the wet conditions, Avoco did accelerate harvest from the dryer districts in the north.

“Picking contractors have struggled as their labour force needs hours of employment to earn a living.

“As weather clears they will get back on track,” says Alistair.

“The wet weather delays has been affective in clearing the oversupply in the Australian market that occurred in September. NZ fruit is selling well as in previous years.”

Fresh Direct’s Glyn Williams says harvesting in the Bay is about three weeks behind the company’s projected start date.

“Some BOP packhouses have been struggling to retain staff due to the weather and the inconsistency of the picking, but are fortunate they are still repacking kiwifruit at the moment.

Picking pressure

“Picking contractors are also under a lot of pressure, as there are limited numbers in the Bay for the size of the crop this year, and they are all in catch-up mode.

“We are lucky that market demands have not been too strong at the moment, as those markets have also been experiencing the same weather patterns.”

Behind schedule

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Seeka Kiwifruit Industries’ general manager Annmarie Lee says her company did halt harvesting during wet weather and is behind in its original schedule, but this will cause no concerns going forward.

“It’s been frustrating for our Bay of Plenty packhouse but we are used to adapting to weather conditions, ensuring we provide quality fruit to the market.

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 4

Saving farm history from scrap heap Jim Richardson is well-known in Edgecumbe for two things – his extremely large collection of tractors, and the fact he hasn’t worn shoes since he left school.

A Fiat bulldozer in the collection.

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“I don’t like shoes. Only wear them for weddings, funerals and when I travel on commercial flights – but I take the shoes off as soon as the plane is in the air,” says Jim, as he walks through puddles leading gumboot-shoed followers on a guided tour of sheds full of an estimated 400-plus tractors.

“I particularly like odd-ball tractors – ones which not many were made of, or have been used for specialised jobs, or are just unusual.”

Accordingly, every tractor or bulldozer in Jim’s sheds has a story.

“This McCormick Farmall Cub used to pull the baggage cart out to the NAC aircraft at Gisborne Airport and it’s still got its original colours and the NAC sign.

Not many people today know that NAC stands for National Airways Corporation.”

NAC was the national domestic airline of New Zealand from 1947 until 1978, when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand.

Then there’s the rather decrepit-looking tractor with a pulley-operated front-end loader used during sulphur mining operations on White Island, which finally ceased in the 1930s.

Horse hair filter

A number of Jim’s tractors have been modified by their manufacturers, to suit specific roles like those with a wider wheelbase and higher clearance for cropping, or tractors which are lowered with narrow wheelbase for orchard work.

He’s imported tractors from America and Australia as well as collected them from around NZ. “I guess I’ve saved a lot from going into scrap.”

‘Odd-ball’ is certainly a fitting description for the appearance of the big American Advance tractor

with its oversized frontmounted air filter.

“These air filters were filled with oil and horse hair to stop the dust and dirt of the prairies getting into the engine and damaging it. However, there was no protection for the driver – he just had to put up with the dust.”

Among Jim’s favourite make of tractors is the Oliver brand and he’s got several. Not all are odd-ball but Jim likes their style and design.

According to Wikipedia, The Oliver Farm Equipment Company of American was formed as a result of a 1929 merger of four companies: the American Seeding Machine Company of Richmond, Indiana; Oliver Top -’Helen’. Above: Chilled Plow Works of South The Case logo.

Bend, Indiana; Hart-Parr Tractor Company of Charles City, Iowa; and Nichols and Shepard Company of Battle Creek, Michigan.

Changes the name

Jim also has a Hart-Parr New Zealand Special Tractor – made by one of Oliver’s founding companies, which was the first to coin the word ‘tractor’. W H Williams, who was Hart-Parr sales manager in 1906, decided the words ‘traction engine’ were vague and too long to be used in press releases, so he came up with the word ‘Tractor’, a combination of the words traction and ...continued power, instead.

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COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 5

‘Odd-ball’ qualification for collection continued...

There’s one machine Jim has given his own name – it’s a Rumely Oil Pull traction engine called ‘Helen’ “because it gave me a lot of trouble – I’ll say no more”.

When Jim acquired it the giant and very old machine was in pieces, packed on 12 pallets. “I did have a manual but every time I got to something complicated it advised calling the manufacturer. Well that wasn’t going to work was it?”

Eventually, Jim reassembled the machine and got it working. He has another smaller version he regularly takes to vintage machinery shows. Both are representative of Rumely’s most famous product, the kerosene-powered Rumely Oil Pull traction engine, first developed in 1909.

The Rumely Oil Pull was the first tractor to use an oil cooling system, which kept the engine at a steady temperature no matter how heavy the tractor’s load. The cooling system allowed hotter cylinders and easier ignition. The Oil Pull starts on gas but runs on kerosene, making it much lighter and easier to manoeuvre than its steam-driven predecessors.

“The beauty of tractors which ran on kero is that they need to be hot to run good, so they were ideal in the winter in the [United] States because they

The Advance tractor has an air filter field with horse hair and oil. never froze up.”

Jim’s interest in tractors began when he was a child growing up on the family farm at Edgecumbe. “My dad taught me practical things. I learnt to weld when I was still at primary school.”

However, he has no formal training in engineering or mechanics but there’s not much about restoring old machinery that stumps him. What he can’t source from other collectors he either makes himself or has engineered.

Throughout his sheds there are dozens of tractors under restoration – more projects than Jim reckons he’ll have time to complete.

Why does he keep them all? “Otherwise they’d end up as scrap and there’s so much history here.

“I like old machinery because, with a bit of time and know-how you can get most of it going again – even machines 80 or more years old will still do a good day’s work.

“Modern tractors with all their computer systems – you can’t work on them yourself and they have a limited life.”

Jim’s knowledge of his tractors is impressive and well-researched – if oldschool. “I don’t have a computer. I find out what I need to know by talking to other people.”

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Page 6

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Extravaganza of everything equine at Mystery Creek Equidays is all about the horse.

And they come in all shapes and sizes, all colours and breeds and all of them have enthusiastic riders, owners and breeders enjoyng the spectacle that brings horse and horse-lover together.

The three-day horse extravaganza at Mystery Creek on October 14-16 certainly delivered on variety and entertainment with seminars, clinics, displays and competition. The horse-

loving spectator needed the three days just to take everything in.

Lucy Olphert won the feature event of the second day of Equidays, on a horse she and her family bred and produced. Winning the $10,000 Hyundai Derby was a tough with several top riders contesting closely for the win.

Lucy went into the competition with a positive mindset. “We had prepared for this as best as we could. I have a very special horse and at the end of the day you just have to ride your heart out and she [the horse] jumped her heart out,” says Lucy.

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䄀瘀愀椀氀愀戀氀攀 椀渀 琀栀爀攀攀 猀椀稀攀猀 昀漀爀 挀漀洀瀀氀攀琀攀 椀渀琀攀爀氀漀挀欀椀渀最 吀栀攀 昀愀猀琀攀猀琀 愀渀搀 洀漀猀琀 攀挀漀渀漀洀椀挀愀氀 洀攀琀栀漀搀 漀昀 挀漀渀猀琀爀甀挀琀椀漀渀 昀漀爀⸀⸀⸀⸀⸀⸀ ⴀ 倀愀氀洀 欀攀爀渀攀氀 戀椀渀猀 ⴀ 䴀愀椀稀攀 戀椀渀猀 ⴀ 匀椀氀愀最攀 戀椀渀猀 ⴀ 䴀攀琀愀氀 戀椀渀猀 ⴀ 䈀甀氀欀 猀琀漀爀攀 戀椀渀猀 ⴀ 刀攀琀愀椀渀椀渀最 眀愀氀氀猀 ⴀ 吀爀愀昀昀椀挀 戀愀爀爀椀攀爀猀 ⴀ 䈀愀爀爀椀攀爀猀 ⴀ 䐀椀瘀椀搀椀渀最 眀愀氀氀猀 ⴀ 䌀漀甀渀琀攀爀 眀攀椀最栀琀猀 䌀愀氀氀 昀漀爀 愀 昀爀攀攀 焀甀漀琀攀 愀渀搀 氀愀礀漀甀琀 琀漀搀愀礀

Eve Saint Laurent has been a nine-year project for Lucy. “It is just a very special and rewarding feeling when hard work and patience pays off.

“It has been a tough road and a lot of people have asked me why I have hung on to her. She has not been easy, but I think the good ones have those quirks and that is what makes them so special.”

Lucy says the $10,000 first prize will be spent on sensible things.

“The equipment I use, the horses’ nutrition. I need to put the money towards those things but maybe I will be able to upgrade my tow vehicle.

We are so lucky to have incredible sponsors like Hyundai. It is a really, really generous prize.”

Bling certainly lived up to his name during the ‘trot up’ with his rider Oliver Dalton.

Chris Blair of Hyundai presents a $10,000 cheque to Lucy Olphert.

Photo: Equidays

Gypsy Cob under saddle in the Gypsy Cob display.

Lucy was the only rider in the two-round competition to produce two clear rounds.

Vicki Wilson on Ngahiwi Showtym Premier really put the pressure on Lucy, jumping clear in the second round after having just one rail in the first round and finished second.

Taupo rider Holly Morrell was third on Pampero and the horse Grand Prix winner, Amanda Wilson on Showtym Cassanova, was fourth.

The Equidays Pony Grand Prix was also hotly contested but in the end it was Emma Watson on Fun Time who won. She was just a second faster than Deanna Horsburgh on Showtym Endeavour in the timed jump-off.

Credit to Pink

Emma gave her 12-year-old part-Appaloosa pony, who goes by the nickname of ‘Pink’, a lot of the credit.

“The competition was very tight, there were some really fast clear rounds.

“I am lucky enough to have Pink and we took an inside turn that no one else did and so we came away with the best time!”

Emma was last to go in the jump off, so she knew what she had to do. “It was either make it or break it with that inside turn.”

Fritha Tagg

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 7

‘Thin end of wedge’ for drystock farmers While dairy farmers may be worrying about their future fertiliser application levels in the light of the Healthy Rivers Wai Ora recommendations, drystock farmers are in no doubt that they got the thin end of the wedge.

At a meeting last month in Hamilton, organised by a new group calling themselves Farmers for Positive Change, about 150 farmers turned up to find out just what they were facing in the next 10 years, and whether it would get worse for them after that.

The meeting lasted nearly three hours, and the various speakers got a good hearing, and were asked some very tricky questions. Some of the latter could not be answered because the Waikato Regional Council obviously has some longer term thinking to do on the implications for both individual farm economics, and the socio-economic effects on the numerous rural communities involved in the wide area. “Keep thinking about your communities” was an often-repeated mantra from various speakers.

So what are the issues upsetting the drystock sector most? The most often raised was ‘grandparenting’. Whether the council sees it as such, or not, these farmers see what is proposed as very much that – and they see it as morally wrong.

Natural capital

That high-user dairy farmers can, mostly, go on polluting with urea for another decade, while drystock farmers, who don’t use much anyway, can’t increase from their low levels when they need a boost to allow them to do such activities as dairy grazing when money is tight, seems somewhat lopsided.

The sheep and beef industry had only one representative on the Collaborative Stakeholder Group, with a backup when needed, while dairy had two plus some ‘sympathisers’ from other categories.

Efforts by the drystock representative to change the CSG’s focus from urea usage to assessing land for Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services, so it would be used to best advantage, apparently got nowhere. When multiple dairy farmers say: ‘You can’t grow grass without urea’ we have to ask just how influential the fertiliser industry is in what gets taught at tertiary level and to farmers by consultants?

Some interesting historical information was forthcoming from those who’d

been involved in the planning and execution of Variation 5, which dealt with land use around Lake Taupo. At that stage there had been a fair degree of trust by farmers of how the council would treat them.

After living with the results, including apparent significant falls in land values, creeping costs and inability to make significant changes, much of that trust seems to have dissipated. And farmers are being exhorted to put in submissions this time, with B+LNZ supporting them by holding of nine workshops around the region to help farmers make the most of their submissions in relation to what implications the plan will have on their own farms.

and would need to visit each farm for the system to work fairly. Whereas an ‘industry-based’ system could be used, the view was drystock farms were too different from each other to adopt a ‘tick box’ approach.

Specialising in Specialising in • • • • • •

Black and white

While the legislatively-agreed Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River contains 13 objectives to be pursued, the plan change proposal has focused only on the swim-ability and food-taking objective. This seems to be regarded as a black and white issue akin to achieving the holy grail of being achieved 365 days a year, no matter what nature and climate change throw at us in the future.

They may have given us 80 years to achieve it, but it’s going to require some very persuasive reasoning, and the finding of methods which don’t put the region’s farmers out of business in the next few years.

The aim of Farmers for Positive Change is to involve the other land use interests – dairy, forestry, horticulture – in their approach to getting this vision achieved: ‘Vibrant provincial communities underpinned by resilient pastoral farm businesses utilising the natural resources in a sustainable manner’.

Sue Edmonds

chipping of whole tr Removal• Removal / chipping/ of whole trees On site for chipping for pads stand off p On site •chipping stand off • Wood chip for sale Wood chip for sale Orchardremoval shelter removal Orchard• shelter • Stump removal Stump removal Woodlot marketing all tree s Woodlot• marketing of all tree of species

Time consuming

It appears that to ensure accurate levels for each farm are used to calculate Nitrogen Reference Points based on the two relevant years will be very time-consuming for those farmers who haven’t filed their paperwork on fertiliser applications appropriately.

And it will be particularly difficult for those who’ve purchased land within that period, as records will have to be obtained from previous owners.

The implicit threat seemed to be that if you couldn’t prove it accurately, then your level would be set by the council at what was considered suitable for your sub-catchment.

As much drystock land is hilly, there is already some protest about the degrees of slope allowed to be farmed.

Apparently the Land & Water Forum had set their recommendations at a different level to what was being recommended now.

With vast lengths of “permanent water flows” supposedly now required to be fenced, some farmers had already discovered the planners would be recommending fences be put at the edges of flat land, and all slopes would be off-limits, whether or not erosion was likely to occur.

With about 6000 Farm Environment Plans required to be done, it appears the council-certified planners will be somewhat busy. But it was stressed at the meeting that planners would need to be very familiar with farming systems

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The Tudor Garden is part of the Fantasy Collection.

Stroll around the world – or step back in time. With a little imagination, both are possible at the Hamilton Gardens.

That’s because the unique municipal gardens are based on the concept conceived in the early-1980s

by Hamilton Gardens director Dr Peter Sergel –that there is a story to tell about gardens, their uses, their development over time and across cultures.

These stories unfold as you follow a maze of paths leading to gardens so distinctly different from each other, that within a few steps you are transported to another place and time.

There are the productive gardens. Te Parapara Moari Garden, Kitchen Garden, Herb Garden and Sustainable Backyard Garden – complete with hens – with take-home lessons on how to grow fruit and vegetables.

It is the Paradise Garden collection, however, which provides the most contrast. There’s a stark difference between the Modernist Garden with its blue swimming pool, white abstract art installation and Marilyn Munro image; and the Japanese Garden of Contemplation with its rustic pavilion, minimalist raked garden, and lake surrounded by maple-trees.

These are but a few of the features, including the Roger’s Rose Garden and the Rhododendron Lawn and a host of art works, which occupy the 54 hectare site that is today so different from its beginning back in the 1960s.

Then it was a bleak city rubbish dump covered in blackberries with seagulls circling above. Remnants of the gardens’ earlier history as a pre-European Pa, British military post, Victorian rifle-range and dogdosing station lay scattered across the site.

...continued

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 9

Garden ‘ramble’ around the world

Left and above; The Chinese Scholar’s Garden.

continued...

Today, more than 40 years later, the gardens are an award-winning attraction, internationally recognised for their unique concept: The history, context and meaning of gardens.

Dr Peter Sergel’s concept for the gardens has also been compared to a museum, where each garden collection has historic integrity and provides a window into A visual impact of the story of in the Italian Re colour and form naissance Garde civilisations, n. their arts, beliefs and lifestyles. More than 30 years later, Sergel’s sketchbook designs are almost identical to the themed gardens existing today.

Hamilton Gardens is located on State Highway 1, just south of central Hamilton. Access from Cobham Drive by either Gate 1 or 2 will take you directly to parking near most of the main facilities, including a café and information centre. During the weekends you are more likely to find plenty of parking from Gate 2.

To find out more, see: http://hamiltongardens.co.nz

Hens wonder through the Sustainable Backyard Garden.

Sweet - less sugar in kids’ yoghurt Fonterra’s Anchor Uno now contains the lowest levels of sugar per 100 grams in any kids’ yoghurt brand in New Zealand, with 40 per cent less sugar than the original Uno formulation.

Good nutrition is important for growing children as they are developing nutritional habits that can continue throughout their lives.

The Anchor team recognise this and has come up with a way to provide a healthier alternative that kids still enjoy, says Anchor cultured brand manager Nicola Carroll.

“Anchor is committed to continuously improving its product portfolio to reduce the use of added sugars without compromising the quality, taste and texture of the product.

“We are always working on our product formulations, fine-tuning, reviewing and improving our products, prioritising ones that deliver the goodness of dairy nutrition to kids.”

This fine tuning has meant Anchor Uno – which previously contained similar levels of added sugar to competitors – has removed the sugar from the yoghurt base and now only includes added sugar through the fruit preparation.

A 40 per cent reduction in sugar has been achieved with no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.

Below: the blue bridge in the Tropical garden.

Elaine Fisher

CAPITAL TRACTORS

Page 10

FEED MANAGEMENT

Agrecovery – why wouldn’t you use it?

It’s hard not to feel the pressure to look after “Now you only have to make a booking you’re making a difference,” says Judy. the land when you live in such a beautiful and “It’s just really easy.” valley as Judy Begovich does.

Judy is among farmers, contractors and She’s been farming land at Kiwitahi with her husband, Mark, since 2001. “Agrecovery really helps us watch our footprint and be a good steward of the land,” says Judy.

“I started using Agrecovery because we were already recycling at home and we wanted to do more on the farm.”

And with finances tight in the dairy industry at the moment, the Agrecovery drum programme provides free on-farm pick up for participating brand owners, so as Judy says: ‘Why wouldn’t you use it?’

“The booking system on the website was so easy to use. I’m not very good with computers, so if I can use it anybody can!”

Judy also takes her smaller containers to her local Agrecovery collection site.

“I expect the next generation will do a lot better than past generations, because this is such an easy system.

Back in the day, everything used to get burned and buried.

growers throughout New Zealand who

between them have recycled 1.4 million kilograms of container plastic.

“We’re now in our 10th year of operations and the numbers prove that farmers will make good environmental choices if they have accessible options for their farm waste,” says Agrecovery Foundation chair Adrienne

Wilcock, who is a dairy farmer herself.

“Together with contractors, growers and other users of agrichemicals, farmers have recycled 1.4 million kilograms of plastic containers and safely disposed of 100,000kg of unwanted chemicals.

“In the past these options simply weren’t available but Agrecovery proves that if it’s there, they will use it.”

Agrecovery provides recycling Judy Begovich – and recovery for recycling through chemicals and their Agrecovery is packaging, through really easy. a combination of onproperty collections, recycling events and a network of permanent collection sites throughout the country.

“We started the programme with 18 brands that recognised their responsibility to provide a long-term solution for their products’ packaging when the farmer or contractor had finished with it.

“Not only has that number grown to 65 brands, but we’ve also added large drum

recovery and chemical collection,” says Adrienne.

These manufacturers and distributors are setting a great example for all New Zealand businesses, not just in the rural sector, by providing a stewardship solution for their customers who have products and packaging to dispose of.

According to Adrienne, a 20 litre container buried on-farm will take more than 400 years to break down, while burning it releases harmful dioxins and furans into the air and soil. The alternative, recycling it, saves energy equivalent to two litres of petrol per 20 litre container.

“It’s a bit of no-brainer – as some of our recyclers like to say.”

And what was acceptable practice in the past will not be acceptable in the future, says Adrienne.

“We have to find ethical ways of dealing with farm waste, which line up with the demands of our export markets and with farmers’ desire to be good stewards of their land. Burning and burying containers when there’s free recycling available just doesn’t stack up.”

Don’t plant last year’s fodder beet seed The Ministry for Primary Industries is cautioning farmers not to plant left-over seed from any of the six lines of fodder beet seed imported last year and known to be contaminated with velvetleaf.

MPI is working with industry players and regional councils to manage the incursion of the pest weed resulting from the importation of the contaminated seed.

MPI’s response incident controller David Yard says there are hundreds of properties throughout New Zealand with velvetleaf on them – and we don’t want any more.

“MPI has banned the importation of any of the affected lines, but we believe there are likely to be farmers out there who bought contaminated seed lines last year and could have leftover seed in their sheds.

“Our advice is quite simply – don’t plant it this year.

“While velvetleaf may not have seemed a significant problem last season, individual velvetleaf plants produce up to 17,000 seeds, so undetected plants that grew last season may result in a major infestation this season.

“If left unmanaged, those plants will be a significant farm and biosecurity issue.”

Velvetleaf is an unwanted organism and under the Biosecurity Act 1993 it is an offence to knowingly plant and grow it.

Farmers and contractors need to understand it is illegal to plant these lines that are known to contain velvetleaf seed.

Farmers who planted these fodder beet lines last season – not knowing they were contaminated – are also urged to check paddocks where they planted the seed.

“If velvetleaf plants are found, our advice, if they are not yet flowering, is to note and mark the location – for checking in future year ¬– pull them out immediately and dispose of by deep burial.”

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 11

Passive income and ‘retirement’ Given that I am semiretired, still as busy as ever, and given that I see and hear a lot about life, I thought I should traverse some of the key issues around passive income.

It is tough enough giving up our farms and orchards to the next generation or selling to a new purchaser, let alone having to face lack of retirement cashflow.

I admit right here that I had scant regard as to how our twilight years might look 10 years ago with very little passive income organised. I am a bit like the mechanic and his car – fixing everyone else’s problems.

Fortunately, with a little encouragement from my lovely wife and some serious focus on our own business, along with some strategic moves on the old chess board, we have put ourselves back in a strong passive income position.

So, why am I telling you all this? Because I care about others who have not and cannot provide for their golden years of life, who have little or no money.

Also remember that ‘we guys’ are expected to live to an average age of 83 and 85 for women. That damn testosterone.

How can one provide for passive income? One place to start thinking is to go online to the Retirement Commission and have a look there.

Some of the options could include: Farm leasing: Maybe selling the cows and the shares, clearing the remaining debt if you can, staying in the house – then you don’t have to buy one – and leasing your farm out.

Fund management: Selling up and investing the cash with a suitable fund manager, who will look after your money by investing it in a balanced portfolio and trickling money back to you. Choosing a fund manager requires skill and focus – and making sure they

are approved and your money will be secure. Watch out here for going for a high return as your capital may be more at risk. Talk to your professional advisers, particularly your accountant.

Houses: Buying houses to provide passive rental income is great for capital gain at the moment, but not so good a ‘return’ on investment. If you are tempted, remember you have to pay rates, insurance and all maintenance out of your rental income. And then there are issues with ‘tenants from hell’, not to mention risk of methamphetamine issues with rentals.

Commercial Property: Historically this has shown very good returns to the investor. Ordinarily the tenant pays rates and insurance and most of the maintenance.

Cash returns have been about twice that of residential.

Commercial does require excellent negotiation skills and a clear understanding of the issues. Frankly this is where I personally have invested my capital.

Combination: A combination of the above with many and varied options.

Remain: Finally, some remain on the farm and choose to soldier on.

Here’s some caveats

Remember that any form of partnership is easy to get into and hard to get out of.

Buying minority shares in commercial property can work, but sometimes you take a hit on exiting. For example, is a 20 per cent share of a building really 20 per cent when you want to exit? Or something less like 16 to 17 per cent.

And back to passive income. If you do not have this organised as you approach ‘slowing down’ and retirement (it’s a dirty word really), please, please focus down on it – now. Get some professional advice and ensure you manage your affairs so you can provide for yourself and your partner/wife and or family into the future.

I know there are far too many people trying to live off little more than the national super. Some can and many can’t. Make sure you are not one of them.

Disclaimer – 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. A disclosure document is available on request.

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SHEEP & BEEF

Page 12

‘Carpets’ - not fields - of barley for these calves A strip of rich green, deep pile ‘carpet’ slides off a conveyor and tumbles into an almost overflowing trailer below.

Closer inspection reveals the trailer is filled, not with carpet, but with sprouted barley, its roots so tightly woven they form a mat holding the young plants together.

Barley, says Helen and Eric Pidduck, is providing a nutritious supplement for the diet of the thousands of calves the couple are rearing on their farm on the outskirts of Hamilton.

“The calves love it but it’s the health benefits of the sprouted barley we are most interested in,” says Helen.

Sprouted barley is known to contain vitamins A, E, C and B complex and the vitamin content of some seeds is

believed to increase by up to 20 times their original value within several days of sprouting Nearly all of the starch present in the grain is converted to sugar by sprouting, so it can be better used by the rumen than dry grain. This reduces acidosis problems, as the rumen pH stays more stable.

Helen says there are other benefits from enzymes in the barley, which have yet to be fully understood, but she and Eric are satisfied it’s helping improve the health and performance of their calves this year.

Future research

“In the past we’ve had problems with pneumonia in calves but despite this being a very wet spring, we’ve had few cases this year; and I think feeding barley sprouts has helped.

Up and away – Gerard Mehme from Australia shifts calves after hoisting their feeder above the yard on the Pidduck farm near Hamilton.

Enhance Fertiliser Performance

Barbara Mareira del Colletto working with young calves on the Pidduck farm.

“The calves also look in better condition than last year. We can’t prove the results because we are not running side-by-side trials of calves that are fed barley and those which aren’t.”

The Pidducks hope in future a student might conduct a research trial on their farm to provide accurate data on the benefits of barley.

Sprouting their own barley is yet another example of the innovation the Pidducks bring to their well-known calf-rearing operation. ...continued

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SHEEP & BEEF

Page 13

Innovation and upcycling keeps enterprise running

Eric Pidduck with a mat of spouted barley ready for harvest. continued...

That the barley operation is running successfully is tribute to Eric’s inventive and ‘upcycling’ skills and Helen’s talents in researching not only the attributes of barley sprouts, but also in finding the materials and expertise required to make the project a reality.

The result is a custom-built ‘factory’ with coolstore-type cladding and underfloor heating and cooling.

Eric sourced used pipework from a Katikati glass house facility to construct the two bays of three metre high racks, which between them hold 512 sprouting trays, each three metres long by 400mm wide.

The process, now just four months old, begins with South Island barley dispensed into 20 litre buckets placed in deep troughs and flooded with water to soak the seed for six hours.

From there the barley is spread evenly onto the PVC trays.

“The barley doesn’t get watered the first day,” says Eric, who designed both the chain-driven system that moves the trays along the racks, and the irrigation, on a timer, which waters them.

Within eight days, and after careful monitoring and attention by Hone O’Leary, the trays reach the end of the production line. The trays of tall, evenly grown green sprouts look impressive, but achieving that consistent result has taken a good deal of trial and error including experimenting to find out the optimum amount of water, the ideal air temperature and the seed density in the trays.

Helen says flexibility is a benefit of the system. “Because it takes just eight days to grow, we can quickly reduce the amount produced if we have fewer calves, or if the grass is growing well. We can also increase production too when required.”

Hone O’Leary and Hadley Mora with calves feeding on barley sprouts.

Helen attends sales, buying mid-range calves of consistent size, and looking for animals she knows her clients want.

“We have no control over how the calves have been treated in their first few days of life – including whether they have received colostrum, so our programme is designed to develop their rumen and boost immune systems as quickly as possible,” says Helen.

While conventional drenches and vet medicines are used as required, homeopathic remedies are also administered.

Competent staff are vital to the operation. “Our manager of 11 years is Hadley Mora who has made a huge contribution to everything we do. We are grateful for his hard work, reliability, and dedication to our business.”

Elaine Fisher

Intensive operation

The barley has been a welcome addition to the diet of the calves this spring, when prolonged wet weather has reduced grass growth and turned parts of some paddocks into mud.

It’s also enabling the Pidducks to continue their intensive operation, rearing 5000 beef and dairy calves annually for clients throughout the North Island, on their relatively small property.

The couple, both from farming backgrounds, purchased their 40ha property when it was a very rundown dairy farm in 1992. “There were no fences and hardly any buildings on the property,” says Eric.

When the farm was no longer economic as a dairy unit, it switched to calf-rearing. Today it’s fenced into 40 paddocks and has several barns, and handling yards as well as the sprouting facility, and accommodation for staff.

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Page 14

SHEEP & BEEF

Theileria in cattle – it’s spreading The ‘tick disease’ Theileria has again this spring continued its insidious spread through dairy cattle herds of the upper North Island, including the Bay of Plenty, as well as further down the country.

Nationwide cases have been reported since September 2012 with the rate of new farms being infected each week showing in due course virtually every cattle farm – both dairy and beef – will become infected at some point in the short to medium term.

The distribution generally follows the known distribution of the cattle tick, but there have been confirmed cases on the West Coast of the South Island and other random occurrences outside the tick zone.

Many cows are infected without becoming clinically ill, while others are devastated by the infection and do not survive.

September is the peak month for new infections, associated with the stress of calving and weather. Young stock are also vulnerable especially during the New Year period, when other postweaning stresses start to figure and again in the late-autumn.

The main effect of the blood borne parasite is to cause anaemia in cattle cow due to destruction of red blood cells.

What to look for

Lethargy, weakness, depression, inappetence, poor milk production, mortality. Pale or yellow mucous membranes – for example, gums, vulva and white of the eyes. Increased respiration and heart rates, and raised temperature; and bloody urine.

If you suspect any of your animals have anaemia you should contact your local vet for advice.

measure you can take is to control ticks on your cattle with Flumethrin or Bayticol.

During summer and into the autumn is a good time for this, with the aim of reducing the number of ticks before risk periods.

If you already see ticks on your cattle, or you have cattle sick with Theileria, unfortunately the best time to treat ticks was yesterday so to speak.

All the same, the impact of disease on your cattle may be mitigated if tick control is done at the next available opportunity. Don’t forget stock movement, including bulls – ideally all stock should be treated coming on to or leaving the farm.

Treatment options

There is a treatment called Buparvaquone available that improves the chance of survival. However, the drug comes with a very long milk withholding period and an 18-month meat withholding period and some other conditions of use that have limited its use considerably.

An additional option is to give a blood transfusion, which does give an immediate response in the worst affected cows when done early in the disease course.

Some cows will recover with supportive treatments, plus vitamin injections and tonics.

The most important preventative

Beef + Lamb levies remain unchanged The Board of Beef + Lamb New Zealand has determined levy rates for sheep meat and beef for the year starting October 1, 2016, will remain the same.

This means levies will be per head of cattle slaughtered – excluding bobby calves – at $4.40 excluding GST. And per head of sheep slaughtered at $0.60.

Attractive tractor mix up Mick walks into Paddy’s barn and catches him dancing naked in front of the Massey Ferguson.

Mick says: “Oh no, Paddy, what ya doing?”

Paddy says: “Well, me and Mary haven’t been getting on in the bedroom lately.

The therapist recommended I do something sexy to a tractor.”

SHEEP & BEEF

Page 15

Quality proven beef sires will benefit farmers and finishers

V NO

DEC

JA N

DAYS ON H OST PH 5 M NY SEPT OC G T U A

E 7+ DAYS ON HO ST RVA LA

LIFECYCLE OF A TICK OVER A YEAR*

JUN

JU LY

Kirsten says in this article from Beef + Lamb website, during the last few weeks B+LNZ director thousands of lambs have Kirsten Bryant. been docked and weaned and sheep shorn, as well as hundreds of cows calved.

“The downside of a later lambing and calving is everything concertinas into a condensed period. It’s a physically and mentally demanding time of the year.

“Throw in weather vagaries and my heart starts racing a little,” says Kirsten.

Meanwhile, factors entirely out of our control percolate around the globe – economic and financial volatility, Brexit, United States elections, supply and demand, exchange rates and a touch of social unrest.

“These influences – and many others – conspire to make price signals to farmers a real challenge for our exporters.”

And unlike the dairy industry, where farm gate pricing is signalled regularly, Kirsten says the red meat sector encounters perennial uncertainties around what our natural, free-range and grass-fed product may return. “It’s an uncomfortable place to be.”

7 DAYS ON HO ST ULT D A

AP R

While farmers can’t control global factors, they can control a lot within the farm gate, says B+LNZ director Kirsten Bryant.

than bobbies. Calf-rearers or finishers benefit from faster growing animals, which finish earlier and have a high carcass value.

Meat processors and consumers will also ejnoy an improved supply of quality table beef.

With the dairy mating season getting underway throughout NZ, Doug is encouraging farmers to read the final report from the Dairy Beef Integration Programme and speak with their advisors about the best option to treble their calf cheque next year.

The Final Report of the Beef+Lamb New Zealand Dairy Beef Integration Project is online at: http://www.beeflambnz.com/ Print copies of the report are also available on request.

MAR

No instant solution – but there are options

options. They can sell the resulting calves to a rearer, at the yards or grow them on to 100kg if they have surplus land.

“And even if they opt to put them on the bobby calf truck, the dairy-beef calves will weigh out more than a straight dairy animal.

“There is a wide range of quality proven beef genetics on offer to farmers – from Artificial Insemination through to leasing or purchasing proven bulls.

“Grazing bulls is time-consuming and resource-hungry so it pays to ensure they are proven and will deliver a good result, “says Doug.

Increased use of quality proven beef sires will benefit dairy farmers with easy calving, high quality calves worth up to $150 more

B FE

The Beef + Lamb New Zealand Dairy-Beef Integration Programme aimed to analyse and demonstrate the benefits and risks involved throughout the supply chain in order to increase the supply of quality calves to the finishing industry.

The AgResearch-led project led by their farm systems scientist Dr Vicki Burggraaf was funded by Beef + Lamb NZ Mid-Northern Farmer Council with in-kind support from LIC and Ezicalve bull breeders.

The release of the final report provides the detail behind preliminary findings released to the red meat and dairy sectors in early-September.

Vicki says the beef industry is becoming increasingly reliant on calves sourced from dairy farms but the sires of these calves have traditionally been of poor or unknown genetic potential for beef production.

“The study demonstrated using proven sires with high Estimated Breeding Values – or EBVs – for calving ease limited calving problems and those with high EBVs for liveweight produced cattle with higher growth rates.

“The use of proven beef sires with high EBVs for calving ease and liveweight over dairy cows has benefits for

dairy and beef farmers.”

The Dairy Beef Integration Programme manager Doug Lineham says the findings “confirm what we’re seeing in the market where dairy farmers are receiving up to three or four times the value of a bobby calf for a quality dairybeef animal”.

“The detail included in the final report provides dairy farmers with renewed confidence that breeding low Body Weight cows to proven beef genetics is the way to go for the future.

“That change to their mating strategy gives them a range of

Y MA

The final report of a five-year study into the use of quality beef genetics in a dairy beef supply chain confirms the potential for dairy farmers to produce high value calves with minimal calving problems using proven beef genetics.

H I B E R N AT I O N

STOP THE INVASION: TREAT FOR TICKS NOW.

Profitable farmers focus

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Economic Service manager for the western North Island region, Tim Hembrow, recently reminded Kirsten of what the most profitable sheep and beef farmers focus on – “despite facing the same challenges as the rest of us”.

“These focus areas include better genetics – it’s a cheap win. Improving survival, especially pre-weaning.

Hogget mating, where practical. Autumn and spring nitrogen – nitrogen grows grass. A committed pasture replacement policy.”

Plus crop options that fill feed voids and improving growth rates. And being aggressive on costs. The B+LNZ Western North Island survey reveals the differences in shearing and scanning costs, for example, are significant.

Then there’s diversification of income mix. And finally a focus on measurable yield improvement.

“So, while there is no instant solution – nor will all of these options suit every system – there are things that we can consider and action over the next few weeks – and beyond.”

Did you know each female tick can lay 2000 eggs and, under the right conditions, several generations can be produced in one year?

Stock are most at risk in the warmer months when ticks attach and feed. They can cause anaemia and infect your herd with Theileria. Both conditions result in lethargy, loss of production, reduction in weight gain and a lower bottom line.

Control all stages of ticks over the upcoming warmer months with Flumenil® Pour-on.

While stocks last. ACVM No. A011279. *Diagram is approximate and for illustrative purposes only.

www.virbac.co.nz

ASK YOUR VET FOR MORE INFO

AVOCADO

Page 16

Small machine ideal for orchard mulching Ecomulch operates the ultimate machine for clever, efficient mulching of orchard prunings, says Ecomulch owner-operator Dan Young.

The Ecomulch machine mulches the leaves, branches, even trunks right where they are – under your avocado, olive, blueberry bush, or any sort of orchard tree.

“It is a fast efficient method which turns the raw material into fine mulch, which can then be distributed back under the trees.”

Looking like a cross between an oversized ride-on lawnmower and a small, fast bulldozer the Ecomulch machine is small enough to

give high manoeuvrability in and around the orchard trees with little or no impact on their growing ability.

Orchardist prune their trees, leave the prunings under the trees and then Ecomulch brings its machine in and grinds up the leaves and branches to either small or ultra-small.

Small enough that a lawnmower will get over them without issue.

Dan says it takes less than half of the time to remove prunings and process into mulch.

“No more dragging or pulling branches into piles, loading onto trailers or trucks. Our machine comes in and ‘eats’ its way under the pruned trees, leaving a clean and tidy finished product. And, the goodness from the mulch

goes back into the ground.”

Ecomulch covers the whole North Island and it is just a matter of booking the time and the Ecomulch machine will come to your orchard to quickly and efficiently deal with any prunings turning

that headache into dirt.

For more information Search for ‘NZ avocado mulching’ on Youtube to see it for yourself!

The Ecomulch machine ready to devour tree prunings.

AVOCO buoys Coastguard with new partnership AVOCO is taking its longstanding community commitments on to the water by becoming a proud new partner of the Waihi Beach Volunteer Coastguard – just in time for summer.

AVOCO has teamed up with the Western Bay of Plenty Coastguard unit, agreeing to an ongoing partnership and pledging an annual sponsorship contribution of $20,000 for three years.

This will go towards coastguard’s yearly operational costs of $110,000 as well as the running costs of a new rescue vessel to be named ‘AVOCO Rescue’, to

hit the water in November.

AVOCO Rescue will replace ‘Search Two’. The new $197,000 vessel is a 5.8m Naiad designed Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat powered by twin 115hp Yamaha outboards.

AVOCO director Alistair Young says teaming up with the coastguard is a natural fit for AVOCO, given its unwavering commitment to the community and a number of its members being keen boaties.

“We are proud to be backing Waihi Beach Volunteer Coastguard and the amazing efforts they contribute yearround to keep the community safe, usually through countless hours of

AVOCO Rescue – Waihi Beach Coastguard’s new vessel will be operation this summer.

Let us take it from here. enquiries@avoco.co.nz Leading AVOCO Bay of Plenty growers Hugh Moore, John Schnackenberg and Ron Bailey.

CC010916

 Grower-led  Future proofed  Delivering value

voluntary service, on and off the water.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of this community and every dollar counts when it comes to helping support these fantastic efforts.”

Waihi Beach Volunteer Coastguard spokesperson Jim Pooley says the new rescue boat will enhance coastguard’s overall capabilities in keeping a community – which swells from 2700 permanent residents to an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 during summer – safe on the water.

“It is very exciting for us. The addition of AVOCO Rescue means we have the capability to cover two completely different areas with Gallagher Rescue overseeing the Bowentown Bar, one of the most notorious in New Zealand, and AVOCO Rescue the channels and shallow areas of the northern Tauranga Harbour.”

In the last three years coastguard responded to 83 calls for assistance and returned 201 people to land.

While in 2015 alone, they provided 7800 volunteer hours and logged 10,792 radio calls with boaties.

They assisted Police on search and rescue missions, worked with the volunteer fire brigade on shoreline scrub fires and assisted the Tauranga harbour master in locating and towing floating trees and other significant hazards back to shore.

Jim believes this partnership will usher in a new era for the volunteer organisation, with AVOCO Rescue providing essential resources previously unattainable with Search Two. AVOCO Rescue is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

EASTERN BOP FOCUS

Page 17

Artist creates international following online The Millennials or the Gen Ys are those most associated with creating business opportunities online.

However, home schooling her three children, Chloe, Jac and April, put that career on the backburner. The children are young adults now and Tracey Lee has returned to art – discovering at the same time, a whole new way of promoting her work through the internet.

Diverse styles

“My style of painting has changed too. Back in the 1980s I would have described myself as a painter of flowers but now my subjects are much more diverse and my artistic style is contemporary with the inclusion of abstract, natural and botanical elements.”

Birds, both exotic and native, feature strongly in her work, as do seascapes, and most recently, feathers. “I’m really enjoying painting feathers and they seem popular with the public too.”

Some paintings are inspired by what she sees around her, but not all. “Sometimes I dream a painting and wake up the next morning to begin working on it.”

Tracey Lee’s use of mediums is also diverse, from water colour, to acrylics to oils.

Tracey Lee’s photography and inspirational quotes.

Describing herself as an ‘upcycler’, she also gets pleasure from creating something beautiful or useful from objects that may otherwise be discarded, and showing, online, how others can do the same.

Her step-by-step instructions on how to create a range of simple but effective crafts and DIY projects are illustrated by photographs, initially taken by daughter April.

“However, April has left home so I had to learn how

to take my own photographs and have also developed a real passion for macro-photography, especially of plants.

“I like to focus on the beauty people might miss, which we can find all around us if we look carefully enough.”

Tracey Lee’s art work can also be found hanging on the walls of Poppy’s Café on The Strand in Whakatane or at:http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz

Whakatane artist Tracey Lee Cassin has built a Apparel collection Her art doesn’t just hang on strong international following for her art and walls.

She’s an artistic designer her crafts through an online blog. for Vida & Co, a US-based company, which incorporates While Whakatane artist Tracey Lee her artwork in an apparel collection that Cassin may not fit that profile, it hasn’t includes scarves and wraps. stopped her building a following of Earlier this year she was asked to thousands worldwide. submit an artwork to the Imago Mundi “I jokingly call myself ‘the Nonna of Benetton ‘Kiwi Consciousness’ New bloggers’ in New Zealand because most Zealand project, which is based in of our successful bloggers are much Treviso, Italy. younger than me,” says Tracey Lee, who In 2012, encouraged by friends and uses the Italian word for grandmother as those who enjoyed her day-to-day creaa reflection of her Italian heritage. tivity and art online, Tracey Lee began “However, in the [United] States there her Mia Bella Passions Blog. Today it are thousands of bloggers of my age or has thousands of followers via Google+, older. In fact, the vast majority of my Facebook and email subscription. followers are in the USA.” “I do two or three blog posts a week The self-taught artist grew up in and each one takes a lot of time because Nelson and moved to Whakatane at I want to be sure everything is correct age 18, where she worked as a florist, then a copy writer for local radio station and of high quality.”

It’s not a personal blog as such, but 1XX. By the late-1980s she’d become an features art, craft, DIY, gardens, baking, established artist.

Alpaca

Dairy

Kiwifruit

Elaine Fisher

EASTERN BOP FOCUS

Page 18

Kiwi farmers influence Honda designs New Zealand farmers have helped influence the design and features of Honda’s ATVs and side-by-side vehicles, says Tony Rees of Tony Rees Motorcycles in Whakatane.

suited to New Zealand conditions.

The Honda side-by-sides can tow loads up to 907kg and have a bed capacity of 454kg. They are fitted with liquidcooled, fuel-injected engines and Honda automatic transmission plus fully independent front and rear suspension for a smooth ride and excellent traction over rough terrain.

The vehicles also come with a range of optional accessories to customise them to suit their owner’s specific needs.

“Farmers also like the fact that with the side-by-sides they can take another person, including their children, out on the farm with them; they can tow a trailer; or with the Pioneer 700 and

“Honda sent a team out to New Zealand to look at how their vehicles were used on farms here and asked farmers what improvements they wanted and needed.”

Designers took those suggestions back to Japan and incorporated many into the latest of the rugged and versatile vehicles, which is why they are so well

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hondamotorbikes.co.nz/breakup

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1000 series, use the adjustable onda’s ith one of H tilt bed deck to carry gear and Tony Rees w by-side vehicle. efeed.” popular sid Tony says Honda’s range of ATV and two-wheel farm bikes continue to be in demand too and the company offers a machine for every application.

“Farm bikes, ATVs and side-bysides get a pretty hard life. They are used seven days a week and in all weathers. That’s why we advise owners to have their bikes serviced regularly so they are reliable – no one wants to walk instead of ride, especially when it’s wet and cold.

“We offer on-site repairs or a pickup and delivery service for bikes and vehicles that need to come into the the administration manager and she and Tony’s sons workshop.”

Mitchell, who is manager in the parts department, Tony Rees Motorcycles services the Eastern Bay of and Damon an apprentice mechanic in the service Plenty region for new and used motorcycles, parts and department.

00 5 R NEEof its clients have been with the comservicing. Many Motorcycles are more than a business for the Rees PIO pany since Tony first started it in Kawerau 22 years family – they are their passion and sport too. Last ago, after completing mechanical apprenticeship.

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New owners for milking equipment company

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Llaurellee and Steve Darrah understand farming from “all sides of the fence” which is among the reasons they’re the ideal newERowners for 500 NE PIO Whakatane’s Bay Milking Equipment Ltd.

ground”, Steve and Llaurellee are delighted to be embarking on a new adventure with the wellrespected Whakatane business.

The couple bought the business Ho t y ven after returning from Australia acit Pro erplan p a ⊲ c g y pow acit owin cap where, after leasing out their family kg t rack 453 r a ⊲ e e kg r wid dairy farm, they had intended to 180 cm ⊲ 127 nt Only nde n e p stay for just 12 months. However, ⊲ rrowy ind ensio a y n T ll wSn eb Fu susp GG ⊲ r DINdo ize sid Ule t Lp rea they enjoyed the change of lifestyle if C s o h X e 2 Ep e full dle-s s arry wher t pad rovide The couple,⊲ Coriginally ks n’t fianual dairy so much it was seven years before r p king a trac s cad e m a g br ee first ineDistrict, sid-sepHauraki farmers from ⊲the 5 they came home. While there Steve LOW l eng c c with ptiona 0 a 50 xce have bought the ebusiness ond from worked as a seasonal tractor driver H n ve lant ity hondamotorbikes.co.nz/breakup Pro Lynley pac Rick visit Finucane and erp ⊲ caBedand most recently was a tractor pow ity ing c w a o p At participating Honda Dealers. Offer ends 30th November 2016. ca kg t ingham who founded rack years 453 it a26 r salesman for a Case IH dealer. ⊲ e e kg r wid 180 ago. cm ⊲ The couple have two young 127 t n ly On nde n ⊲ dpe “proud Describing themselves as row grandchildren in Thames and nsio y in nar wn side by Full suspe o d r ple ize rea Kiwis with a strong⊲ rural backpeo e full s spending more time with them was r ry 2 Car ks whe fit ⊲ c ’t a n r among the motivat ca s e visit hondamotorbikes.co.nz/breakup sid tions to return. The At participating Honda Dealers. Offer ends 30th November 2016.

Darrahs say they’ve also found the ideal business in Bay Milking Equipment 2016 Ltd. “It is a great fit with our backgrounds, as visit hondamotorbikes.co.nz/breakup we have been on all At participating Honda Dealers. Offer ends 30th November 2016. sides of the fence in terms of farming,” says Steve.

Previous owners Lynley and Rick Bay Milking Equipment 2016 Ltd’s new are also delighted owners Steve and Llaurellee Darrah with former to be handing owners Rick Finucane and Lynley Bedingham. over the business

7 8 3 $ 17,

they founded to its new owners, in the knowledge its customers are in good hands. While Llaurellee and Steve are new to the business all the staff are staying on, ensuring the same service, experience and an on-call 24 hours a day service to all new and existing customers.

Bay Milking Equipment2016 Ltd is the local agent for Waikato Milking Systems NZ, which is the only NZ-owned milking machine company. Based in Hamilton, it manufactures components and exports milking systems around the world.

Bay Milking Equipment 2016 Ltd offers new milking systems, extensions and alterations to all systems, electronic cup removers, effluent and irrigation systems, drench systems, and its experienced dairy and water technicians provide a 24-hour callout service.

The company also stocks a wide range of farm and orchard products including water tanks, water pumping systems, UV and domestic water filtering systems.

In addition it is Whakatane’s only specialist pool, spa pool and pool accessories shop.

Steve and Llaurellee are enjoying meeting existing and new customers and welcome visitors to their Gateway West premises.

EASTERN BOP FOCUS

Cutting edge for challenging projects The team at Waiotahi Contractors love a challenge and there is nothing like an unusual job to really get everyone thinking, which is where the Whakatane-based company really comes into its own.

“A recent example is when we were asked to lower a 360 metre long, eight metre high shelterbelt hedge surrounding a kiwifruit orchard in Edgecumbe to a

“The hedge was too close to the enclosed orchard area to allow us to work from inside the property without the potential to damage the enclosure fabric and support poles.

“This meant we had to operate from the road side of the hedge, requiring a traffic management plan and traffic control people to be on site during the project’s duration,” says Frank.

Finally, due to this proximity, the digger operator had to be extremely accurate in his work when snapping the trees and loading them onto trucks for removal to avoid the powerlines.

“We used a 12tonne digger with a 300mm tree grab extension to target individual trees and snap each one off at three metres.

“The severed tree was then loaded onto a truck and carted away for stacking and burning at a later date.

“The total project was completed and cleaned up inside of three days and went without a single hitch or any one getting electrocuted,” says Frank.

Lowering the height of this kiwifruit orchard shelterbelt hedge presented some challenges, but Waitotahi Contractors has the machinery and expertise to do the job safely.

height of three metres,” says Frank Watty of Waiotahi Contractors.

The 2.7ha orchard had just recently been fully enclosed with shelter fabric. However, the shelter hedge was restricting air flow around the site. And the project presented several problems in its own right.

It was 1.5 metres inside, but also level with an 11,000kV power line, requiring a permit and a power supply support person on-site during the whole operation.

Goat’s milk soap winners

Marion Slagter’s White Lye goat’s milk soap and body butter prize pack, which featured in last month’s issue, certainly appealed to Coast & Country News readers with dozens of emails and postal entries arriving from throughout the circulation area.

All were correct in stating that Marion’s soap contains 38 per cent goat’s milk. The

winners are Frank and Maryanne Fransen of Hamilton, who wanted to win the soap for their son who is in hospital.

“The soap would be lovely when they bath him in bed,” they write.

To find out more about Marion’s goat’s milk products, go to: www.facebook.com/ WhiteLye

Page 19

EASTERN BOP FOCUS

Page 20

SAFETY NOTICE - TREES NEAR POWER LINES Horizon Energy Distribution Limited, as a line owner in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, wishes to ensure that all of its customers are aware of the dangers that can be created when trees get near power lines.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO TOUCH A LIVE LINE TO RECEIVE A SHOCK The Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003 governs the trimming of trees near power lines to promote public safety and protect the security of the electricity supply. A detailed summary of the Regulations is available on the Ministry of Economic Development website, www.med.govt.nz search key words: Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003. An electronic version of the Regulations is also located on our website www.horizonenergy.net.nz under Trees and Your Power Supply.

Trees close to power lines are dangerous for a number of reasons. Falling branches can break lines, cause fires and increase the risk of electrocution. Trees can also damage power lines and equipment during high winds, causing power failures and danger to the public. Tree owners are responsible for keeping their trees clear of power lines and can be liable for the costs of any damage their trees cause.

Increased hazards are created by adverse weather conditions, as a wet tree is more likely to conduct electricity. Even in dry weather a tree contacting live power lines can cause a potentially fatal electric shock to a person touching or climbing the tree. The following sets out the legal requirements, but Horizon Energy encourage tree owners to act early and keep trees well away from power lines:

TREES AND LIVE POWER LINES DO NOT MIX

THAT LOVELY LITTLE SHRUB YOU PLANTED MAY BECOME A FIVE METRE MONSTER IN A FEW YEARS! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? Tree owners are responsible for keeping their trees clear of power lines, but be aware that if a tree is already near or in contact with a power line then touching the tree may result in an electric shock.

WHAT MUST I DO? Once a cut or trim notice has been issued, the tree owner must within a prescribed time limit, have the tree cut or trimmed so that it does not encroach on the notice zone. Because of the hazards involved, only persons who are trained should be engaged to undertake trimming of trees near lines. Horizon Energy is able to provide this service.

ARE YOU AWARE THAT YOU MAY BE LIABLE FOR ALL COSTS RELATED TO ANY DAMAGE OR POWER OUTAGES CAUSED BY YOUR TREES TO HORIZON ENERGY’S NETWORK TREE OWNER OFFENCES AND PENALTIES A tree owner who is given a Hazard Warning Notice and Cut or Trim Notice relating to a tree and fails to have the tree cut or trimmed, or fails to advise the line owner of the time and location of the cutting or trimming of the tree, is deemed to have committed an offence under the Act. The maximum fine is $10,000 and, if the offence is a continuing one, a further fine may apply of up to $500 for every day or part of a day during which the offence has continued.

Tree owners need to ensure that they know what their responsibility is in regard to trees that are located close to overhead lines. This also applies to lines that are owned by the customer, for example, a service line installed on private property.

Horizon Energy will ensure that its staff and contractors are able to assist you in the management of your trees in regard to the Regulations.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUTTING Responsibility for cutting or trimming and the associated costs may depend on the circumstances of some cases, but generally after the free first cut or trim the ongoing responsibility will lie with the tree owner.

Different voltages and spans have different clearances OVERHEAD LINE LINE OVERHEAD

A (Growth (Growth Limit Limit Zone) Zone) B B (Notice (Notice Zone) Zone) A

33kV -- High High Voltage Voltage 33kV

2.5 metres metres 2.5

3.5 metres metres 3.5

11kV -- High High Voltage Voltage 11kV

1.6 metres metres 1.6

2.6 metres metres 2.6

400V/230V -- Low Low Voltage Voltage 400V/230V

0.5 metres metres 0.5

1.5 metres metres 1.5

C The Controlled Access Zone is four metres from any conductor. No unapproved person may enter this zone and if any part of a tree is within this zone an approved contractor must be used to cut or trim that tree.

THE DIFFERENT ZONES When Horizon Energy becomes aware of a tree growing within the specified separation distance of a power line, Horizon Energy may give a Hazard Warning Notice and a Cut or Trim Notice to the tree owner. The purpose of a warning notice is to warn the tree owner that their tree is encroaching a notice zone and must not encroach a growth limit zone.

The growth limit zone is a clearance distance around the line into which the tree must not grow. The notice zone is one (1) additional metre outside this growth limit zone.

FALL ZONE It is important to realise that larger trees located outside the minimum safe distance from power lines can still fall through the lines and cause extensive damage that the tree owner is liable for. Any work that occurs within four metres of power lines requires Horizon Energy consent.

Serious consideration should be given to the species and placement of trees to ensure they do not interfere with the power lines now or in the future.

WHAT MUST I DO IF I AM A SHELTERBELT OWNER? If you have a shelterbelt on your property, continue to trim as you have in the past.

Make arrangements with Horizon Energy or other approved contractors to cut or trim the shelterbelt to ensure that the trees do not encroach the Growth Limit Zone.

Note: the free first cut and trim may not apply due to past agreements under the Shelterbelt Code of Practice

AN APPROVED CONTRACTOR MUST BE USED IF ANY PART OF THE TREE IS WITHIN FOUR METRES OF THE POWER LINE MORE INFORMATION If you have trees that you feel may interfere with the power lines and you would like assistance in defining your responsibility please give us a call on 0800 764 228 and we will get our Vegetation Manager to contact you, or email: vegetation@horizonenergy.net.nz. More detailed information is available on our website, www.horizonenergy.net.nz.

If you are on our tree database you may already have received information from us.

If you have not received anything and would like copies of the additional information referred to above please let us know and we will send it to you.

QUERIES & COMPLAINTS If you have a query or complaint about our service, please contact us in the first instance. Horizon Energy’s in-house complaints handling process is confidential and free for you to use. For more information about our in-house complaints handling process, visit www.horizonenergy.net.nz.

Horizon Energy is a member of the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner Scheme (“EGCC”). The EGCC Scheme is free and independent. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of a complaint, or if we have not resolved your complaint within twenty (20) working days, you have the option of contacting the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner on 0800 22 33 40, www.egcomplaints.co.nz.

YOUR SAFETY IS IMPORTANT TO US, CONTACT HORIZON ENERGY ON 0800 764 228 FOR ADVICE RELATING TO THE MANAGEMENT OF TREES NEAR POWER LINES

EASTERN BOP FOCUS

Page 21

No charge for underground cable location service Serious injury or even death could be the result of failing to use a free Horizon Energy service to identify underground cables before digging, says Horizon Energy general manager network Derek Caudwell.

“Horizon Energy has a free service to identify underground cables and we urge anyone considering any work that involves digging, such as for urban or farm fences, orchard structures or buildings, to make use of the service.

“If underground cables are struck, not only could it lead to electrocution – it can end up costing those who cause the damage thousands of dollars in reparation,” says Derek.

Recently, a rural contractor received a nasty fright when he realised the post holes his team where digging for kiwifruit supports where dangerously close to 11,000 volt underground cables.

“He was very upset when we marked out the cable location, which showed how close his workers and their machines had come to the cables,” says Horizon

Energy’s Marius Bezuidenhoudt, who located the cables on the orchard.

Close call

Horizon Energy staff had previously visited the orchard to identify other cables but the posts were being installed in an area where vegetation had only just been removed and the contractor didn’t

request a cable location service until after work had begun.

Derek says that is just one example of close calls that happen all too frequently across the

industry involving underground cables or overhead power lines.

“We want to keep the public informed about safety and for them to maintain a safe distance away from our infrastructure at all times.

“Anyone looking to work near powerlines should be familiar with the codes of practice (NZECP34) which sets the minimum safe distances.”

Horizon Energy requires just two days’ notice of the need for an inspection, but its staff can respond more quickly if required.

Horizon Energy’s free advisory service will locate underground

network cables supplying electricity to the boundary of private property. This free service includes the on-site mark up of network cable routes.

A charge applies for locating privatelyowned underground cables. Costs may also be recovered if a Horizon Energy representative is required to be present as a standover observer during works for high risk assets.

Overhead lines

Derek says care must also be taken around overhead powerlines “because even though the powerlines are more obvious than cables we still find that there are close-calls involving the felling of trees or operation of plant and machinery around the lines”.

The minimum safe distance for any person, plant or equipment to overhead powerlines is at least four metres. This includes the boom arm

and bucket attachments of hydraulic diggers. To work within the 4m zone a Close Approach Consent from Horizon Energy is required.

“We encourage people to contact Horizon Energy first with at least two working days’ notice prior to starting work to discuss the necessary safety aspects and work methods.”

For more infromation, see: www. horizonenergy.net.nz Horizon Energy is the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s electricity distribution company. Other energy providers have similar services. Eastland Network is the electricity lines company for Gisborne, Wairoa and the East Coast; Powerco is the provider for Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty district, ThamesCoromandel, Hauraki, Matamata-Piako and South Waikato districts while Unison is the provider for Hawke’s Bay, Rotorua and Taupo regions.

Too close for comfort – orange marks indicate underground cables very close to where posts have been placed.

Choosing right tool for the job essential Choosing the right outdoor power equipment is important for getting the task done properly and safely, says Stihl Shop Whakatane store manager Patrick Redward.

“We have the product knowledge and range to be able to advise customers on which chainsaw, mower or power tool is best for them and the job they want to use it for without compromise.

“We’ll even do on-site demonstrations of our ride-on mowers to be sure clients are confident in their operation and that they choose the best model for their property.

“That’s the kind of service you don’t get from ‘big box’ stores. Buying cheap is often a false economy because the equipment either isn’t right for the job or is of inferior quality.”

Stihl Shop Whakatane services clients

throughout the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

The team encourage clients considering buying new outdoor power equipment to call in to see the range of Stihl equipment from chainsaws to brush cutters, to water blasters and quality hand-tools with lithium ion battery powered products available in most product lines.

They also stock Masport lawnmowers, Rover ride-on mowers and Big Dog zero-turn mowers with models available to suit domestic use right through to the most demanding commercial applications.

There’s also a range of safety gear including helmets, eye and ear protection, safety gloves, boots, chainsaw chaps plus quality outdoor and wet weather clothing.

The shop also has a full service department with two qualified technicians, who provide after-sales service for new equipment and service and repairs for all makes and models of

small machinery.

“The recent purchase of a T-Rex automatic chain sharpener has been an excellent acquisition enabling us to provide a prompt, quality sharpen at competitive rates for our forestry contractors using mechanical harvesters,” says Patrick.

Tough enough to mow both the Lawn and the Tanker Track

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STIHL SHOP™ WHAKATANE 7/11 King Street, Whakatane Ph: 07 308 8658 Stihl Shop Whakatane store manager Patrick Redward with a customer bringing a mower in for repair.

STIHL SHOP™ TAURANGA 154 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga Ph: 07 577 0747 WAIHI SHOP™ OUTDOORWHAKATANE POWER EQUIPMENT 36 Kenny Waihi Ph:Ph: 07 07 308 8196 STIHL 7/11 King Street,Street, Whakatane 8658

STIHL SHOP™ TAURANGA 154 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga Ph: 07 577 0747 WAIHI OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT 36 Kenny Street, Waihi Ph: 07

www.stihlshop.co.nz

www.stihlshop.co.nz

KIWIFRUIT

Page 22

Birth order might point to future leadership Future leaders may be “moulded” by their birth order and the first 10 years of life within their families, believes HortNZ president Julian Raine.

He’s conducted his own unofficial research and found the majority of people in leadership roles are first-born.

“Often the eldest child is relied on more by their siblings and consequently learn leadership skills from an early age,” says Julian, a first child himself, told those attending a Future Leaders Group meeting in Tauranga in October.

Julian is a Nuffield Scholar and chairman of the NZ Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust and says up to 90 per cent of the world’s Nuffield scholars are the oldest in their families.

Julian and HortNZ vice president Tony Howey, spoke to the Future Leaders Group at the end of a visit by the HortNZ board to the Bay of Plenty on October 19.

They say while birth order may influence leadership tendencies, leaders are not “born”

but need to develop these skills.

Both stressed the importance of developing young leaders in the horticultural industry, saying those who wished to be leaders shouldn’t wait for someone to “shoulder tap” them.

Instead they should be self-starters and look for mentors to assist them develop the skills required.

Tony, who is a middle, not a first, child, says his older sister was among his mentors as he was growing up. “She was and still is incredibly organised and a great role model.

“However, I never took up leadership roles at school or university.” Tony says he became a leader when he realised he couldn’t achieve his goals without working with other people.

Lonely role

Both speakers warned that leaders can at times be lonely and open to criticism. That’s where self-belief, and belief that the goals they want to achieve are the right ones, become vital.

“Also, have fun. Leaders who are not having

fun are not in the right place. You must enjoy what you are doing,” says Julian.

Tony and Julian also credit their respective wives and their 30-plus year marriages with playing vital roles in their personal successes. In response to questions from the meeting, they also acknowledged that taking on demanding leadership roles can be more difficult for women who also wish to have a family.

Work-life balance

They and fellow HortNZ directors Leon Stallard and Barry O’Neil admitted to working exceptionally long hours, often seven days a week, and struggling to find a “work-life” balance.

Each speaker suggested there is no one definition of leadership, and those who aspire to be leaders should set their own goals and ways of achieving them.

Julian says the next generation of young leaders has different attitudes to work-life balance than his generation and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

My Name is Neil Woodward.

I am a director of Z-Contracting- we are family run business, our team consists of three, being myself, my son and my brother.

Our organisation has been established for over 18 years. I have been involved in applying crop protection programmes within the horticultal industry since 1966.

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

My Name is Neil Woodward.

I am a director of Z-Contracting- we are family run business, our team consists of three, being myself, my son and my brother.

Our organisation has been established for over 18 years. I have been involved in applying crop protection programmes within the horticultal industry since 1966.

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

Our Atoms are set up with radar speed sensors, this combined with fully automated sprayer controllers and three nozzle rings enhances application efficiency and accuracy.

We also use a quad bike for strip weed spray applications.

We hold all certificates needed to meet Globalgap compliance.

We look at all challenges to help ensure we protect your crop with excellence.

All the speakers urged young people to take up leadership training opportunities through Julian Raine. industry and other organisations and to develop their personal skills because the rewards to be gained from leadership are significant and lifechanging.

The Future Leaders Group is made up of people from within, or associated with, the horticultural industry.

To join email: info@nzkgi.org.nz or find more information at: www.nzkgi.org.nz/ careers/future-leaders.aspx For the HortNZ Leadership Programme. See: www.hortnz.co.nz/our-work/people/ For the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, see: www.kellogg.org.nz For the Nuffield Scholarship, see: http://nuffield.org.nz Elaine Fisher

Chance of a seat on the board

Our Atoms are set up with radar speed sensors, this combined with fully automated sprayer controllers and Vine Health is offering efficiency “The threeKiwifruit nozzle rings enhances application and associate director will also have anyone within the kiwifruit industry the opportunity to be mentored by an accuracy. with leadership aspirations the chance industry leader and a contribution from 216 Pongakawa Bush Road Wetoalso use a quad bike fordirector strip weed become an associate on spray its KVH towards their governance trainapplications.

Te Puke board. ing.”

The organisation’s CEO Barry O’Neil We hold all certificates needed to meet Globalgap This is a non-voting role, however, says this is an exciting development compliance. contact us: the board seeks fullTo participation in opportunity for a future leader to join meetings and Barry says 021 welcomes We look at all challenges to help ensure we protect Phone: 907 621 thecrop Kiwifruit Vine Health Incorporated your with excellence. constructive contributions from the E-mail: zcl@zanadu.co.nz and the KVH Foundation Incorporated associate director in the workings of the Boards of Directors. board.”

“The opportunity will expose the For further information and a copy of successful applicant to experience in the position description, contact Jacqui governance, leadership and strategy Craig on 0800 665 825 or email: while bringing his or her own industry jacqui.craig@kvh.org.nz knowledge and experience to the KVH Applications close November 11. board table. 216 Pongakawa Bush Road Te Puke

To contact us: Phone: 021 907 621 E-mail: zcl@zanadu.co.nz

KIWIFRUIT

2017 kiwifruit crop volume could be down Kiwifruit crop volumes are likely to be down next season as a result of variable bud break which may be related to winter and spring weather, says Nikki Johnson, CEO of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers.

A drop in volume may mean issues of crop management faced this year are unlikely to return next year and that may benefit the industry over-all with a potential increase in per tray returns.

However, Nikki says some individual growers could be severely impacted through decreased orchard production.

“NZKGI is very mindful of the challenges some growers may face this season.”

It was exceptionally favourable growing conditions last summer and autumn which contributed to the 32 per cent increase in kiwifruit export volumes and the application of crop management.

Gold licences

Managing fruit volumes and growth, especially of the highly popular SunGold variety, is an issue facing the industry going forward.

“There will be another release of gold licences by Zespri soon and managing gold and green volumes will become increasingly important including from a capacity perspective, including labour.”

NZKGI is so confident New Zealand will soon be growing a red kiwifruit too, that it has included a red variety in its new logo.

“That’s a nod to the future. We don’t have a red kiwifruit ready for commercial production yet but as soon as

first portal growers go to when they have questions.

It will enable them to link to others websites to find information, including from Zespri, regional councils, government websites and more.”

In August the Government approved amendments to the Kiwifruit Export Regulations which among other provisions, will allow for alignment of shareholding in Zespri with producing growers, maintain critical grower input to regulator Kiwifruit New Zealand through the board’s make up and expand the definition of Zespri’s core business.

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers CEO Nikki Johnson. researchers crack the issues of colour, taste and storage we will be on to a winner.”

Red fruit

Nikki, who took over the role of CEO six months ago, has recently returned from an overseas fact finding tour which included visiting China.

“Red kiwifruit are very important in China which does grow its own red fruit.” However, she believes a New Zealand red would be of superior quality.

The logo – launched at the NZKGI annual meeting in August, will also feature on the grower organisation’s website which is currently being re-designed. “Among the aims are to streamline the website and make it the

Kiwifruit regulations

“The regulations are now being drafted by the Ministry for Primary Industries and we are hopeful they will go to cabinet before the end of the year. NZKGI will be in consultation with MPI once the final wording of the regulations is released and the industry is aiming to implement the changes requested by growers in the Kiwifruit Industry Strategy Project (KISP) by mid next year.”

NZKGI has begun the process of monitoring Zespri’s performance to ensure it is doing the best job it can for growers. “We will be appointing a new staff member in the next couple of months to oversee this work.”

NZKGI’s levy is up for review in March 2017. “We need 50 per cent support for the levy and 50 per cent by volume but the big issue is that growers do take part, whichever way they vote, as the volume of votes is key. NZKGI will be focusing on encouraging grower participation in the levy vote during our road shows and through communication with growers.”

There are no plans to increase the rate of the levy from one cent per export tray, says Nikki.

Page 23

HP

HORTICULTURE

Page 24

Wealth of knowledge in master dealership Matamata Tractors Tractors and Machinery has a great depth of knowledge and experience to call on – and new salesperson Tony Johnston is a good example of this.

He brings a wealth of experience to the team having been in the tractor and machinery industry for 29 years. “He started as a mechanic and then went into sales,” says Matamata Tractors and Machinery manager Kevin Morey.

“Tony has always worked in Tauranga, so he knows the area well.

He will be selling Massey Ferguson

tractors and farm machinery in the Tauranga area.”

The company is able to maximize on-farm servicing of tractors and farm machinery because it operates up-to-date service vehicles equipped with modern tools and diagnostic equipment.

Their Massey Ferguson trained mechanics have the knowledge to service and repair a wide variety of tractors and farm machinery.

Family owned and operated since 1981, Matamata Tractors and Machinery is a master dealer for agriculture manufacturing company AGCO. This gives the company the ability

to sell Massey Ferguson tractors and offer genuine parts and fully trained mechanics to ensure full servicing is available to their customers.

Matamata Tractors and Machinery carries a selection of new Massey Ferguson tractors, as well as secondhand ones in a wider variety of brands.

The yard is well stocked with Massey Ferguson products including tractors, utility vehicles, ride-on lawn mowers, as well as a wide range of other farming and lifestyle block machinery.

The company’s parts and sales office is fully staffed to ensure they can respond to customers’ needs in a timely manner.

Matamata tractors and Machinery salesperson Tony Johnston.

Making science more accessible The University of Waikato, together with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, have launched the new and improved Science Learning Hub website.

The Science Learning Hub website was initially developed 10 years ago, building on the success of its sister site, the Biotechnology Learning Hub. The aim was to make contemporary New Zealand science research and development more accessible, relevant and visible to school teachers and students.

Thousands of resources have since been produced, featuring all of New Zealand’s universities and Crown Research Institutes. The University of Waikato has managed the website since its inception, with support from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and current funding through the Government’s 2015 Strate-

gic Plan for Science in Society.

The new-look website combines resources from the Science Learning Hub and the Biotechnology Learning Hub. The modern, intuitive website design reflects the shifts in web technology and user expectations during the last decade, protecting the significant investment that’s seen the ongoing growth and success of the Science Learning Hub. Professor Jones says MBIE has shown real vision in continuing to fund the website, and he thanks them for their ongoing support.

“Science education continues to be a focus for Government investment, and the University of Waikato is proud of its long history of supporting science education in New Zealand. Projects like this help foster an understanding of the relevance and importance of science in young people.”

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HORTICULTURE

Page 25

Less regulation – do not reinvent the wheel One of Horticulture New Zealand’s jobs in Wellington is to keep an eye out for what new rules and laws the Government is producing and, when necessary, represent the views of our growers to advise or influence in that process.

Recently the Primary Production Select Committee considered an amendment to the Food Act. The committee is a group of Members of Parliament drawn from all political parties, who have an interest or speciality in our primary industries.

When law is being made for the primary industries, it is referred to this select committee for evaluation and, if necessary, correction before it is made law by Parliament. Anyone can make a submission to a select committee, either in writing, orally, or both. It’s our, and the public’s, chance to have a say and hopefully, if needed, get some changes made.

Product traceability

Our submission was about less regulation and not reinventing the wheel. The amendment to the Food Act is putting in place a system of product traceability so that if there is a food scare, the food at risk can be isolated, tracked back to the cause of the problem, and fixed. We totally support this. However, we advised the select committee that with our Good Agriculture Practice and Good Manufacturing Practice schemes, that are internationally accredited and have been running for 20 years, horticulture already has traceability.

What this amendment to the Food Act is doing is creating another state-run system, on top of

‘Brainy’ teen brains Teenagers often get a bad rap for seeking instant gratification, but a new study suggests heightened reaction to reward could be an evolutionary adaptation that makes them better at learning from experiences.

United States researchers pitted 41 teens against 31 adults in a picture-based learning game – a subset of participants played the game – while being scanned by MRI. The teenagers did better in the experiment, but that’s not all.

Teen brains displayed greater activity in the hippocampus, a brain region heavily involved in reward and memory.

The researchers suggest this part of the brain is contributing to learning through rewards, and results could be useful for finding the best way to teach teens, according to the ‘Neuron’ journal.

the systems we already run that are recognised internationally and internationally accredited and accepted by all the major supermarkets our growers supply.

In short, we do not need another scheme; a state-run scheme that is not recognised internationally, is not internationally accredited, and is not recognised by the supermarkets our growers supply.

More costs

On top of that it will cost growers much more for the two schemes to operate. So our submission was: recognise our schemes for horticulture and don’t create extra regulation that will cost more and achieve nothing more. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to make a submission to the select committee and we will continue to advocate for recognition of our schemes.

The submitter directly before us, artisan cheesemaker Biddy FraserDavies, had certainly made some strong points about over-regulation and unnecessary costs, particularly for small producers, which landed as well as the cheese she brought for select committee members to taste.

As they complimented her cheese, she pointed out the difficulties of being a small producer in a system that was being designed for the large players, such as Fonterra,

and how red tape was killing innovation.

Our example, and the cheese example, demonstrate the importance of the select committee process and the value Horticulture New Zealand adds by

advocating for growers in Wellington.

We plan to continue conversations with the Ministry for Primary Industries to ensure this legislation doesn’t disadvantage horticulture and meets the Government’s requirements.

Page 26

FORESTRY

Forest innovators take to the skies – and the soil

Scientists are scanning our pine forests from the sky to learn more about tree growth and are peering under the roots to find beneficial microbes.

“In forest growing, everything we do is underpinned by research and successful innovation. “We benefit today from the research investments made by both government and industry in the past.

Increased investment

Now they have been rewarded for their “Since 2014, when a commodity levy efforts by appreciative forest owners. on logs was introduced, I’m pleased to Four Canterbury and two Rotoruasay research investment has increased.

Brionny Hooper based scientists have been awarded for the “By innovating and investing in our innovation they are bringing to the sector future, we will stay ahead of the compeat the 2016 Forest Science Awards dinner tition and all things being equal, forest in Napier. owners will prosper and New Zealand as The award winners are Steve Pawson, a country will reap many rewards.”

Scion, Rotorua; Robert Hill, Lincoln Bio Steve Pawson has been recognised for Protection, Canterbury; Euan Mason, Candoing “an outstanding job in communiterbury University School of Forestry; Ian cating and engaging with the industry” Hinton, Timberlands, Rotorua; Keith Rayin his search for alternatives to methyl mond, Future Forests Research, Rotorua; bromide, the gas used to fumigate export and Brionny Hooper, Scion, Christchurch. logs and lumber. This has involved NZSteve Pawson Robert Hill says his award is a tribute to wide surveys to define the periods when the tremendous contribution many very forests are free of the insect pests that good people have made to the biological pose export biosecurity risks. control of pests and diseases during the years.

Russell Dale says Steve has also been a champion of “When we first started back in the 1980s we were public science, developing a biosecurity mobile phone considered to be on the lunatic fringe. “The prevailing app and encouraging its use by forest owners. view was that a good spray would fix anything. BioRobert Hill has been awarded for his innovative and logical control is now seen as the ideal fit with forest sustainable approaches to boosting tree growth and sustainability.” health, through the use of beneficial root fungi.

Brionny Hooper, who won the inaugural young This work has also been recognised in the prestigious scientist’s award, says she firmly believes if industries 2016 Kiwinet Innovation Awards, where Robert was looked at the way humans are programmed to see runner-up. accidents and risks, and learnt from that, there would be fewer accidents.

Evolutionary behaviour

“It’s a matter of understanding intuitive and evolutionary behaviour in humans, instead of just treating safety in a structured and regulatory way.”

Forest Owners Association research manager Russell Dale says the science awards were initiated in 2011 to recognise the extremely important contributions scientists and innovators make to the profitability and sustainability of forestry.

Mortality decrease

Russell says preliminary results from Robert’s research indicate that inoculation with trichoderma fungi will give a 20 per cent increase in initial radiata pine tree growth and a 33 per cent drop in mortality. “If applied widely, this technology could give forest owners a value gain of $50 million a year.”

The award for science of international quality went to Euan Mason, whose work is widely published in international journals.

“With levy funding assistance he’s working with a group of NZ companies to apply growth modelling techniques to NZ forests,” says Russell. “His work has the potential to result in a step change in forest management and profitability.”

Ian Hinton has been awarded for his participation on behalf of all forest growers in industry-good research and its implementation. He’s a member of the Forest Research Committee and has recently been appointed chair of the Biosecurity Research Committee.

Ian’s been instrumental in the application of new technologies to site assessment, inventory management and improved productivity.

Among these is LiDAR – an aerial radar system that penetrates the foliage, enabling forests to be measured and monitored remotely.

“His support of research extends to the hosting of field trials within the Kaingaroa Timberlands estate.

He’s also very effective at bringing a forest manager’s perspective to the application of research findings in a commercial forest.” ...continued

FORESTRY

Page 27

Reduced harm Handling the tricky woodlots

continued...

The fifth award went to Keith Raymond for his contribution to the Future Forests Research steep-land harvesting research team.

Steep-land programme

The steep-land harvesting programme is highly regarded and widely promoted by MPI and the Government as an example of a Primary Growth Partnership success story.

“Raymond has been involved with this programme since its inception in 2010. His clear direction and programme management skills have been key ingredients in the success of this research and its commercialisation,” says Russell.

“The programme has been a catalyst for a new wave of innovation in harvesting and has led to a step change in industry practice.

“Mechanisation has increased from 23 per cent of the harvest in 2009 to 54 per cent today – a period that has coincided with a halving of serious harm injuries.”

For his part, Raymond dedicated his award to Peter McElvie, his professor at the University Of Canterbury School Of Forestry for “giving me a second chance, instead of booting me out”.

A new award this year is for young scientists, with Brionny Hooper the inaugural winner.

Russell says during the 18 months Brionny has been in the forest industry she’s been very successful at building relationships at all levels of the industry.

“She’s able to identify key issues quickly and offers solutions for industry partners. She’s an outstanding communicator, is passionate about her work and has the potential to develop a very successful science career.”

Cam Negus and Mike Cornwell’s business – Farmers Forestry – are woodlot logging specialists in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato with 70 years’ combined experience between Cam, Mike and subcontractor Chris Heath.

Farm woodlots are the company’s speciality.

“We can cope well with the difficult - the woodlots near waterways, powerlines or woodlots which are a little hard to access. We are very careful about soil conservation and work closely with regional council to ensure a good outcome for all,” says Cam. “You have to be careful when working around waterways, especially today. You need to keep any soil disturbance to a minimum.

“We aim to maximise the return for the tree owner. We specialise in pine, Douglas fir, gum, poplar and shelterbelts. We’ve got excellent equipment and it is well maintained. We are very efficient in what we do. It’s part of our all-round work ethic.

“We believe we are quite unique as we can market the timber direct to local and export markets which gives the woodlot owner the best return for his timber.

“Our experienced crew are all part of the business and with their years of forestry experience they can apply their expertise to ensure a good outcome.

“We have a very high quality control and maximise the timber grade to ensure the quality recoverable volume which gives the best return.”

Farmers Forestry does not charge management fees. “We manage the job as we go and we work around the weather because it saves costs too.

“If it’s pouring with rain we might have that day off so we won’t jeopardise access for trucks. We look after the area we are logging it works for everyone.”

The company’s clean-up skills are guaranteed with specialised tools to clean up without disturbing the soil.

“We work with the landowner to leave the cut-over in the state they require – whether it be for replanting or to put back into pasture.”

SPRING PLANTING & MAIZE

Page 28

How to maximise summer forage crops As some pastures are nearing their end of lifespan, it’s time for dryland farmers to start actioning their summer cropping plan.

a iN &

SEED DrESSi

ID G E CRSEEDS

Gr

NG

qua lity paSturE SEED

Summer can be hard on your soil and pastures so the more lead in time farmers give themselves, the better.

There are forage options with tried and true technics to help you maximise your dryland cropping production.

Lucerne

Lucerne is a high performing legume plant, due to its ability to utilise moisture better than other forage crop options. It can produce 12-20 tonnes of dry matter per hectare a year, dependent on soil conditions and management.

To maximise establishment, soil testing should have occurred in the autumn to allow time for any soil nutrients correction to be made.

If not the paddock options may be limited depending on soil nutrient and, or, physical characteristics. A free draining paddock – with no risk of water logging – with a pH above 6.1 is a must, with enough area for rotational grazing.

Make sure you have good control of weeds prior to sowing, nutrient levels are at the optimum and take some plant tissue tests once the crop has established to ensure the nutrient levels in the plant are also correct.

Break crops are highly advised for both weed control and nutrient corrections.

Whether direct drilling or cultivating, sow the seed no deeper than 25mm in light/sandy soils, and no deeper than 12mm in heavy soil types.

Rape – a good option

Rape is a good brassica option for farmers who require a multi-graze option with limited summer moisture. Maturity of different rapes varies between 70-110 days, with there being giant and intermediate type rapes.

In good fertility soils, rape can produce eight tonnes or more of dry matter per hectare, and is generally sown at 3-4kg/ha.

Insects are something to be aware of.

Applications of insecticides are generally advised from initial spray-out of the paddock and the early growing stages of the crop. Insecticides can be incorporated with herbicides if there are post emergence of weeds.

An application of nitrogen is generally applied post emerge at 100kg/ ha, but in some cases an application

of DAP can be very beneficial also, if your phosphorus levels are below optimum.

High feed quality

Clovers, legumes, are key drivers to animal performance because of the high feed quality.

There are many different types of clovers – white, red, sub, annual, strawberry – to suite a range of different soil and management types.

Sowing rates differ between varieties due to size of the seed. For example, red clover is twice the size of white clover seed so needs a higher sowing rate to get the same plant numbers.

When sowing clovers into a pasture mix, be mindful clovers take longer to emerge and mature.

Higher sowing rates of clovers give you better production results. Clovers are also highly variable in yield and can be either used as a stand-alone crop or in a forage mix for a higher performing crop.

Aerial application of clovers with fertiliser is a very good option for increasing hill country production.

The local environment will determine the species of clover.

For example, if your summer rainfall is less than 700ml then sub clover is advised.

If rainfall is more than 700ml white or red clover is recommended. The added bonus is the improvement in the soil nutrients, because clovers are nitrogen fixators.

Due to the variability of New Zealand’s climate there’s no one size of shoe that fits all, so contact your local agronomist to tailor a plan that is right for your farm.

James Bryan,

Ravensdown agronomist, central North Island

SPRING PLANTING & MAIZE

Page 29

Cover crop benefits for maize Globally, there is increasing interest and research in cover crops within cropping systems. The questions New Zealand growers are asking are: “What benefits can they bring to our systems? And how can they be practically managed?”

FAR's Waikato-based research and extension manager Allister Holmes says weed suppression, improved soil health and reduced erosion, nitrogen fixation, improved biodiversity and the ability to provide in situ or cut and carry animal feed are just some of the reported benefits associated with the use of cover crops.

However, more work is required in order to understand how any effects, either positive or negative, can be managed in individual farm systems.

“Recently FAR has increased research into cover crops, focusing on their integration with maize systems.

“Much of this research has been based at FAR’s Northern Crop Research Site at Tamahere in Waikato, where currently six cover crop trials are underway,” says Allister.

“These trials are investigating issues such weed suppression, growth and development patterns, growing cover crops under maize, intercropping, establishment techniques and the impact of cover crops on following crops.”

Assessing different cover crops and their weed suppressive abilities the trial – which is looking at faba beans, gland clover, oats and annual ryegrass – builds on a trial from last season, investigating a range of pre and post-emergent herbicides and whether the weed control provided by cover crops could be used to reduce herbicide applications.

The cover crops were sown in early winter and maize will be over sown in spring, before harvest assessments are carried out in autumn. Trevor James and Mike Trolove from AgResearch’s Farm Systems are undertaking this work.

Development patterns

Observing growth and development patterns of a range of cover crop species were sown with two sowing dates, and 11 cover crop species – faba bean, oats, annual ryegrass, six annual clovers, red clover and lupin – sown in monoculture and one mix species plot – of faba beans, oats and red clover. This is a small plot trial and will be concluding shortly.

A similar trial is being undertaken near Pukekawa,

Threatening wet weather did reduce the turnout for a tour of FAR’s cover crop trials at the Northern Crop Research Site at Tamahere in September.

observing five monocultures (faba beans, alsike clover, subterranean clover, triticale and annual ryegrass) and four bi-cultures, containing triticale and either faba beans, alsike clover, subterranean clover or red clover.

Assessments of accumulated dry matter will be made before spring.

Two trials have been established researching methods of growing cover crops concurrently underneath maize crops.

This approach reduces weed establishment and maximises solar radiation utilisation around the maize crop.

However, the challenge is to find crops and methods that don’t compete with the maize crop and therefore reduce yields.

Crop establishment

An intercropping trial was established in October 2015, with a range of six cover crop species being sown into standing maize at three different timings.

The plantings occurred at V4, V7 and the start of dry-down. Preliminary results suggest chicory and red clover performed well when sown into V4 maize.

This coming season, further research into managing the effects of herbicides on cover crop establishment and trialling of suitable species is planned.

In late autumn, a new trial was established looking at a new approach to establishing cover crops, with four clover species and annual ryegrass.

Two herbicides will be used to ‘knock back’ the cover crops at the time of maize planting, with the ultimate aim being to allow the maize to establish above the cover crops and managing the cover crop growth until silage harvesting or the start of grain dry down.

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LIFESTYLE FARMING

Butter-making caps off museum experience Frilled mop hats and aprons or baker boy caps and waistcoats couldn’t be further from the dress code for modern students.

But these are exactly what pupils wear when they attend the Western Bay Museum’s school room experience.

Dressing in Victorian costumes and sitting on the floor in front of a ‘school marm’, also in period costume, is all part of making history come alive at the new museum that opened in Katikati in August.

“The children love the experience, especially the hands-on activities which include churning butter in the dairy and then spreading it on scones they make

on the coal range,” says museum manager and curator Paula Gaelic.

Also popular is marching in time to music played on a gramophone and old-fashioned games like egg and spoon and sack races, skipping and more, which align with the current exhibition

Butter making in the Western Bay Museum’s school room.

‘Fun & Games’. These activities are held in the Seeka Interactive Exhibition Space, which is also available for use by community groups.

“The museum provides fascination and learning for the children and a walk through memory lane for mature visitors,” says Paula.

The museum in the former Katikati Fire station building in the heart of the town, opened with the first of its regularly-changing exhibitions in the Taylor Brothers Transport Ltd Exhibition Gallery, called ‘Fun & Games’. This focuses on social events, sport, leisure and fun and games enjoyed by the region’s early settlers and runs until mid-December when it will be replaced by a summer harvest-themed exhibition.

Through regularly changing exhibitions, the museum tells the story of the Western Bay region from pre-Maori

Girls in mop hat and boys in caps pay attention to the school marm in the museum’s school room. times to the current day. Items not on display are housed in a facility provided

by Aongatete Coolstores’ which is also the sponsor for the ‘Fun & Games’ exhibition.

The only permanent display is the Taonga Maori & The Samuel Middlebrook Collection. In his long association with Katikati, Samuel Middlebrook acquired a fine collection of Taonga Maori, mostly as payment for translating documents in cases before the Maori Land Court. The collection contains items such as: stone toki, kete and poi, moa bone, and patu.

On Sunday, November 6, the museum is hosting a pioneer picnic on the adjacent reserve alongside the Uretara Stream. “The Katikati Brass Band will play, there will be kite flying, and oldfashioned games and races for children and adults, plus the Tauranga Vintage Tractor and Machinery Club will be there with vintage cars. It will be a fun and free family day out,” says Paula.

The Western Bay Museum in Katikati’s main street, is open from 10am-4pm daily. Admission is adults $5 and children under 15 cost $2.

Elaine Fisher

Stage 12 of luxury trek is in 2017 The Great NZ Trek, first launched 10 years ago, is nearing the end of the goal to traverse the length of New Zealand. So, with just three more years left to complete the feat – if it is on your bucket list, do it now.

“If you are into mountain biking, walking or horse riding this is for you. It’s luxury trekking with hot showers, flush toilets, commercial catering and marquee to seat 350 people,” says Kitty Johnson of the Great NZ Trek.

In 2006 the Great NZ Trek began at Cape Reinga with the intent to traverse the length of New Zealand raising funds for Multiple Sclerosis. And so far the trek has contributed $314,000 to the Malaghan Institute of Medicine to help with research into MS. Kitty says after 11 successful events the trek has made its way from the Far North to Fairlie in the South Island and from that area Stage 12, which runs from March 4-12, 2017, will begin.

“Each day the campsite is moved to a new location in the middle of

nowhere – all you have to do is pack up your gear, make a lunch, take a day bag and trek through some of the South Island’s most picturesque countryside.

“All your other belongings will be transported by the crew.

“You only need to bring your personal effects, tent, horse, bike or boots and a great sense of humour. The rest will be supplied.”

Thanks to the generosity of landowners this trek will take you where no trek has been before.

“With an average of 240 trekkers and a strong team of about 70 volunteers it is a week filled with adventure and fun, you will make friends for life and experience challenges you will be proud of.”

To find out more, visit: www.greatnewzealandtrek. org.nz

LIFESTYLE FARMING

Page 31

Industry collaboration for farmer benefit The combination of AgriSea’s nutrient source with Blue Pacific Mineral’s zeolite has exceeded initial expectations, says Tane Bradley of Agrisea.

AgriSea has created three new solid products; Animal +, Soil + and Combo + by including zeolite, a hydrated form of silica with its liquid seaweed concentrates.

BPM’s zeolite account manager Nigel Kewish says zeolite is a unique natural mineral, which was formed many years ago in the Rotorua/Taupo area through volcanic activity.

Zeolite goes through a geothermal alteration, which transforms clay into soft porous rocks with a three-dimensional honeycomb framework with a negative charge giving it the ability to exchange cations.

“Our unique zeolite is an excellent chemical or liquid carrier, but once that liquid has gone through its benefit cycle and been depleted from the zeolite after application the end user is left with some residual value.”

This value comes from its high Cation Exchange Capacity – referred to as CEC – its ability to retain and make plant available excess nutrient

apply one product is now spread across multiple products.”

Zeolite and seaweeds in animal health is not a new concept. The Japanese were the first people to realise both of these materials unique properties.

Animal feed in the dairy sectors are changing with the increasing popularity of forage crops. These tend to be high in nitrogen, which can have a detrimental effect on animal welfare and create greater nutrient loading onto soils.

Tane says this can be mitigated with the inclusion of Agrisea Animal + in the feed or applying to those crops prior to grazing.

“The probiotic and complex nutrients in the Animal + are released in the rumen, helping to improve rumen function. Any excess nutrient will be mopped up by the Zeolite and made available at a later stage if required.

“If there is no uptake, the excess nutrient will safely pass through the animal and stay bound until plant

Zeolite is processed and despatched from Blue Pacific Mineral’s Tokoroa facility.

through the soil profile, “reducing any leaching, and ensuring you are getting best efficiency of available nutrient”.

AgriSea’s liquid seaweed concentrates for animal, soil and plant health have been used and trusted by farmers and growers in NZ for 20 years.

Nigel says adding zeolite has opened up new markets opportunities for AgriSea especially in the high country where liquid application would be by helicopter.

“Now there is a product that is stable, free flowing and can blend with a standard fertiliser mix – the cost to

demand require its release, thus giving you improved stock health while looking after your environment.”

Nigel says the solid form of Animal +, Soil + and Combo + broadens AgriSea market applications, and gives BPM the opportunity to add value to its unique Zeolite.

“We’ve been able to grow zeolite sales but we’ve also helped another business grow their market as well.”

Electric fence remote control App Is the voltage on your electric fence important to you? What if you could monitor it while you were having breakfast?

The Energizer works by sending updates and alarms to your phone via your home or farm’s local Wi-Fi network. With the Red Trout IP Energizer, electric fence management becomes a breeze, “This has become realimproving effiity. This facility is now ciency and ease of available in the three monitoring. largest Red Trout Ener“When problems gisers, and what is even do occur, the IP more astonishing, you Energizer keeps you won’t be charged for it,” in control, allowsays Red Snap’r director ing you to turn the Hans J Dresel. energiser off and The Red Trout IP Eneron remotely at the gizer and IP Energizer touch of a button.

Controller App combine “Together with the latest technology to this innovation, provide you with the which is available in ultimate in farm control. our larger EnergizCompared to more ers, we launched a complex fence moninew Energizer with The Red Trout Energiser. toring systems, the IP an output joule Energizer is an all-in-one solution to rating of 16 – it powers up to 160 farm management – no need for extra km of fence line – which sells at $990 devices or complex and expensive including GST.” systems.

Hans says the new Red Trout “With in-built IP technology, simply Energizers with IP Technology are, connect your energiser to a wirein comparison to other energisers on less network and download the IP the New Zealand market, much more Energizer Controller App to your economical, and are equipped with smartphone for convenient and reliable the latest electronics and are more fence monitoring from anywhere in the advanced. For more details: world.” www.redsnapr.co.nz

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LIFESTYLE FARMING

Page 32

Offer some happy and heart-warming captions Dogs evoke the full range of emotions in humans, but often they make those who love them laugh and smile.

Some are philosophical, others light-hearted — but all are memorable. Accompanied by beautiful photography, and presented in a high-quality gift format, this is a collection of heart-warming quotes to treasure.

“Whoever said you can’t buy happiness forgot little puppies,” is the quote from Gene Hill. “A well trained dog will make no attempt to share your lunch. He will just make you feel so guilty that you cannot enjoy it,” says Helen Thomson.

“In order to really enjoy a dog,

N NIE

S

C

FU

Y

O U NT R

This month’s Country Funnies photograph comes for the engaging book ‘Woof - A book of happiness for dog lovers’ edited by Anouska Jones and published

by Exisle. Send in your captions for the photograph at far righ and be in to win the book.

‘Woof ’ is a compendium of delightful quotes that capture the essence of our affection for these wonderful animals.

Some quotes are from famous people – Aldous Huxley, Mark Twain, Charles M. Schulz, Milan Kundera, G.K. Chesterton – while others not well-known.

‘Rottwellies’ by James McDonnell is the winning caption for this photograph.

one doesn’t merely train him to be semi-human. The point of it is to open yourself to the possibility of becoming partly dog,” says Edward Hoagland. And: “Know yourself.

Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful,” says Ann Landers.

To be in to win a copy of ‘Woof ’ email captions for the photograph above, along with your name and address, with Country Funnies as the subject, to: elaine@ thesun.co.nz Or put these details on the back of an envelope and post to: Country Funnies, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3140 to arrive no later than October 26.

September’s Country Funnies photo of gumboot dogs attracted some amusing captions.

“Gumbootasaurus chat room” comes from A Bowles of Katikati.

“Reflections of Wellywood” is the suggestion from Don Roberts of Te Kuiti. “Come on guys, let’s get into this – boots ‘n all” is from Lynn Pinkerton of Te Awamutu.

Betty White of Otorohanga wrote: “Taihape Stormwoofers”.

Caption th photogra is p from ‘Wo h o to be in to f ’ w the book in .

The winner is the caption “Rottwellies” from James McDonnell of Otorohanga.

Going electric – on and off farm Two wheels, two motors, no gas, no noise. The Ubco 2X2 is the world’s first dual electric drive motorbike – and it’s designed right here in New Zealand.

ZTR Mowers are the Western Bay of Plenty agents and distributors for the Ubco two wheel drive electric motorbike. ZTR’s Andrew Peacocke says this bike is perfect for quietly getting to hunting spots and, of course, perfect on farm or orchard.

Powered by two whisper-quiet electric motors, the Ubco 2X2 has a lightweight, stable frame that makes jobs around the farm or orchard easy. The 43Ah lithium-ion battery not only fuels the bike; it also provides 12 volt and USB power, wherever you are. And once the work is done the Ubco 2X2

will allow you to access your favourite hunting locations in silence.

“The bike has 17 handy accessory lugs and an impressive carrying capacity, so you can customise your ride to suit the needs while at work or play,” says Andrew.

But the best part is you can forget the trip to the gas station. When fully charged, the 2X2 runs for up to 100km at a cost of just 88¢, leaving more money in your pocket.

“But don’t take our word for it, call 0800 822 6292 or visit ubcobikes.com to arrange a test ride with your nearest dealer,” says Andrew.

The Ubco is perfect for farm work and for hunting – quiet and so cheap to run.

LIFESTYLE FARMING

Page 33

Workshops tackle succession planning topic With the average age of New Zealand farmers close to 60, and land values on a steady increase, it’s no surprise succession planning is topof-mind for many in the agricultural industry.

managing partner Rick Cranswick says for many farmers, the idea of leaving the farm is a tough subject to talk about.

“As a result, it’s often put on the backburner. So it’s important to help farmers understand the urgency of getting started early.”

In fact, leading commentators see private farm succession as the single biggest challenge for the industry to overcome during the next decade.

Dairy Women’s Network and its partners ASB and Crowe Horwath are coming together to offer support to farmers around this daunting and extremely personal, but important issue, during the next few months.

The partners will be delivering free succession planning workshops throughout the country during the next six months.

Crowe Horwath Hawkes Bay

Dramatic implications

Facilitating the transfer of inter-generational wealth between family groups has historically been the nexus of some tragic family breakdowns and when done incorrectly, can have dramatic financial and social implications across all generations, says Rick.

“It’s not ‘one size fits all’, and it’s not just a choice between selling the farm or giving it to the kids. Farmers need to think about how to account for things such as non-farming children or succession beyond family circles.”

Farm owners need to evaluate

what their plan is for the next 30 years and if they have an exit strategy in place. People often plan for when they would like to leave the farm, and are left short if they are forced to depart quickly.

Rick suggests farm owners ask themselves if they think their family will be looked after, should they exit the farm. It is essential to have the right structures in place to ensure that if they get the choice to retire, they do it when they want to and in a manner they would like.

“We are not aiming to solve the complexities of succession planning in the 2.5 hour workshops, but to simply open the door for farmers

to start thinking about it and offer them support to facilitate the tough conversations that may lie ahead,” says Rick.

“We want DWN members to feel confident to advance their thinking and conversations in regards to their own succession planning, and we’ll endeavour to make them aware of what pitfalls to avoid and what to expect when going through the process, as well as what success looks like.”

Financial success

ASB general manager rural Mark Heer says when it comes to succession planning, capital is an important part of the mix.

“The financial success of New Zea-

land’s rural economy comes down to finding sufficient capital to fund a new generation into farm ownership in a way that means they are able to sustainably continue to farm.

“Access to capital is an issue and careful succession planning can help overcome this.”

Dairy Women’s Network chief executive Zelda de Villiers says the network is pleased to be able to help its members approach this important topic with the specialist input from its valued partners.

The free succession planning workshops are being offered throughout the North and South islands until May 2017. For more information or to register, visit: www.dwn.co.nz

Matching mowers to owners and property vital Buying a new mower or replacing an old one can was proposed and a demonstration organised.

“Trying out the mower on your own lawn is ideal, if often be a bit of a dilemma, says Andy Lawson it is practical, especially if changing to a different style of Transport Maintenance. of mower. This makes sure it will get around the garden “The questions that arise include – who should I buy from? Which brand is best? Which model suits my property? Will the neighbours think it’s cool?”

Andy recently helped Transport Maintenance customers Gavin and Tracy answer these questions when they brought in their old mower to be serviced for spring.

“Unfortunately, the mower had a lot of wear and replacement was a good option. They had specific requirements; they want a technician they trust, a brand they trust, a deck that is suitable for their property, and a mower with plenty of power.”

The next consideration was a conventional or zeroturn mower. What size deck and type of deck was also considered. Because they own a rural property, a fabricated 46 inch deck would be the best option, so a conventional mower with a 46 inch fabricated deck

between the beds and trees. Also check that it will fit in the shed,” says Andy.

After going through all the options and testing the mower at their home, Gavin and Tracy are now the happy owners of a new Club Cadet mower that will do all they require of it and they are confident they will get good after-sales service.

The Club Cadet with its 46 inch fabricated deck is the ideal ride-on for a rural property.

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DAIRY

Page 34

Golden rule of investment: Diversify

DAIRY TECH

‘Turning the Albrect-Kinsey model of soil fertility into sustainable profits’ is the title of a presentation

by Marlborough farmer Steve Mackenzie. This second of two columns is based on that report.

DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

To recount briefly on last month’s column – Steve first discovered the balancing effect of soil nutrients more than 20 years ago, when he met Neal Kinsey at a seminar in Blenheim. He’s gone on to use Neal’s teaching and here we share some more of Steve’s results.

Growing cereals after clover crops requires very little nitrogen. The rule is 1kg of nitrogen to break down 100kg crop residue. Over-sow in grass and clover after two to three years to restore the soil.

If you are able to irrigate, grow crops and grasses that can tolerate heat. For example, fescue and timothy and red clover.

Grow plants and animals that suit your conditions and consider genetics after soil balancing is addressed.

Most people get this the wrong way round and end up selecting for poor conditions when they should have changed those conditions.

An example of this is Friesian bulls adapt to spring or autumn flushes far quicker than beef bred animals because their dams have been selected for these conditions.

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Some of Steve’s production figures since balancing his soils are: Red clover seed 750kg/ha Lucerne seed 500kg/ha Sweet corn 20 – 25 tonnes /ha Barley 7-8 tonnes/ha with 58lb bushel weight Steers average 1.1kg/day throughout the year run-

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Nutrient density

Dry matter measurement doesn’t tell us the nutrient density or if the cell wall is elongated by excessive nitrogen use. And ME doesn’t tell us the balance between protein and energy. This ratio is critical for proper production. For example, one part protein for three parts energy. Boosted dairy pastures are one to one.

Because maize is high in energy, cows supplemented with maize silage do better. Barley straw will also work, especially if roughage is required.

Half a round bale per 50 bulls every second day will increase their growth rates and stop laminitis during the autumn flush.

Think of your fertiliser programme as an investment and the golden rule of investment is to diversify. Steve has a vineyard, sweetcorn, peas, clover seed, Lucerne seed, beef, lambs, hay and baleage and he has a contracting business. He profits from off-farm investments too, all made possible by soil balancing.

Dairy farmers should, where possible, grow their own supplements to avoid risk of supply and quality.

Run-off properties need to be balanced so the cows can restore the calcium in their bones, otherwise they won’t produce as well.

Bones are 2:1 calcium to phosphorus. If the ratio in the feed is less; say 1:1, the excess phosphorus has to be excreted leaving a shortage of both calcium and phosphorus for bone growth. The end result is lower productivity, milk fever and infertility. Perhaps this is why the number of dairy cows’ lactations have decreased markedly in recent years.

Sustainable profits

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ning 3-4/ha Lambing 150 per cent without selecting for lambing ability; tail end ewe lambs are kept.

Average of 15 tonnes/ha of grapes with excellent brix, acid levels and taste.

These levels of production are well above average for the area. Currently, crops are measured by weight; grass is measured by dry matter content; feed is measured by Metabolic Energy. These measurements do not tell us the quality of the produce. We need to know more. In Steve’s grain crops the thousand grain weight and bushel weights are important.

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How does this translate into sustainable profits?

Expenses are less, pollution is less, sprays and remedies for pests and diseases are not required, except for extreme challenges. For example, some years powdery mildew is challenging; fungicide is still used to control it. This problem is related to a monoculture, not to soil fertility.

However, the quality of the wine is still in the top 10 per cent thanks to our soil balancing programme. The Albrecht-Kinsey system has been adopted by many high profile Marlborough wineries and vineyards, with 40-50 on the programme.

One grower was about to pull his vines out as he hadn’t had a crop in three years. He was persuaded to try the A-K programme and as a result, harvested his first crop within 12 months.

Crops mature on time, which means harvesting can take place before the bad weather. Overuse of nitrogen will delay harvest.

Grow the right crops for your climate; keep rotation right for the nitrogen available; use livestock in conjunction with crops to make use of crop residues and to improve the symbiotic relationship between rumen microbes and soil microbes. The soil comes first. Everything else follows from there.

DAIRY

Hoping nature’s balancing act will be gentle To say this spring has been challenging for everyone involved in agriculture in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato is an understatement.

Between September and early-October there were 36 days of rain with only two-and-a-half anything like dry enough for us to get machinery into paddocks to make silage. This has been the worst unusual weather pattern I can remember.

Because of the wet weather, maize cultivation is now three weeks late so we are changing to short-maturing varieties, which unfortunately have lower yields.

However, they do mean we can harvest around the same time as normal and so we’ve pasture re-sown ready for winter grazers.

Seed companies will hold the seed we have already bought and paid for this year, but won’t give any refund so we’ll be paying for two seasons’ worth of seed in one year.

All the rain has been hard on farmers and on stock too. Cows need sun for their health and grass needs sun to grow and harden up and increase sugar levels.

Milk production in the Bay of Plenty is down about 10 to 15 per cent. And in the Hauraki Plains it’s down about six per cent as a direct result of the wet weather.

Feeding supplements

Feeding supplements through the coming summer and autumn to keep cows in milk and good condition for as long as possible may be an option some farmers choose to make up for low production now. However, they need to be mindful high energy supplements like maize silage might be hard to find as not as much maize is being grown this season.

Some farmers who normally grow maize are flagging it this year because they don’t want to take the risk of not being able to get pasture re-established early enough once the maize is off.

Contractors, including ourselves, won’t be planting as many hectares this year either as not as much maize sold last season. Maize silage is too much of an expensive and risky crop to grow if you can’t be sure of sales.

Pennyroyal weed.

However, having said that, we do have well-wrapped, milking quality silage still available and plan to have more throughout the summer to assist farmers with any shortfalls that might arise.

Weed risk

The combination of too much rain, too little sunshine and stock pugging pastures has set up ideal conditions for weeds to take over, so now is the time to monitor pasture carefully and spray for weeds to prevent buttercup, pennyroyal, willow weed and others getting established. Older grass species and kikuyu, which have low feed values, need to be controlled to allow more modern, high energy grasses to dominate.

The adverse impacts of the prolonged wet weather will be felt eight to 10 months later because cows that aren’t fully fed now will likely have problems getting in-calf.

Farmers and contractors need to be planning ahead in an effort to mitigate as much as possible, the effects of this

Remember school bus rule Rural Women New Zealand is reminding drivers that sometimes unpredictable things happen around school buses when they have stopped.

“It is very important in all communities, particularly in rural areas, that drivers adhere to the rule and slow down to 20km/h passing a school bus that has stopped – no matter which side of the road you are driving on,” says RWNZ national president Wendy McGowan.

“The roads in our rural communities

are not always quiet roads and we need to be responsible for playing our part to make the roads safer for everyone who uses the roads, especially our children.”

RWNZ also advocate for parents and caregivers to teach children about road safety when they are getting on and off the bus at the gate or at the designated point on the road.

Accompanying children to the bus stop and ensuring they understand what to do is advised.

As is letting friends and neighbours without school students know to watch out for children.

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very wet spring on their businesses. It’s not easy because just what is ahead is unpredictable.

Last summer all the forecasts were for a drought, which we didn’t get. Now we’ve had an exceptionally wet spring, I wonder what this summer will bring? Nature has a way of balancing itself out. I just hope that balancing act won’t be too extreme.

Page 35

DAIRY

Page 36

‘Bad advice’ costing farms, environment It’s interesting the conversations one can have in a single day. I’ve just returned from a field day organised by the Auckland branch of the NZ Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science held on an organic dairy farm I’ve provided soil fertility advice on for more than two decades.

present was the high clover component in the pastures, and soil test figures show relatively good fertility from the use of Reactive Phosphate Rock fertilisers along with sulphur, potassium, trace minerals, lime and organic chicken manure.

Initially, biodynamics was tried but this alone depleted soil fertility and longterm earthworm numbers declined. Now biodynamic preps are no longer used This particular client got interested in organics due to family health issues, which were attributed to using and earthworm numbers are starting to build up again. agricultural chemicals and for more than 30 years – and has taken a holistic approach to farming.

What was noticeable for all of the rural professionals High milk prices At this field day there were Fonterra and DairyNZ staff as well as some members of corporate dairy groups considering organics on some of their farms with the attractive high prices currently being paid for organic milk.

CPAg MBSPC Talking to one of these corporate dairy representaIndependent Agronomy & tives, he informed me they’re currently applying about 180 kg/ha of nitrogen/ha on their upper North Soil Fertility Consultant Island farms, which I thought was far too high. He considered it low compared to what their South Island farms get – two to three times this amount.

No wonder the country has environmental problems and the finger is being pointed at dairying. Next the Dairy NZ consultant entered our conversation and he too thought 180 kg/ha of N was quite the norm. I told them both I sometimes tell my clients off if they are using more than 100 kg/ha N. Conversely, I had one of my dairy farmer clients recently inform me that when he told his local Dairy NZ discussion group he was using only 60 kg/ha N the consulting officer told him off and said he should be using at least 150 kg/ha N to get the most out of his farm.

Robin Boom

Not sustainable

Applying large amounts of nitrogen is not sustainable, is environmentally destructive, has deleterious effects on soil health and is economically questionAuthorised Dealers Authorised Dealers

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able. There is no doubt that applying nitrogen can make the grass look deep green. But if there is a lack of sunshine, like there has been this last month with all of the rain, the grass is high in nitrates and crude protein and low in sugars and structural carbohydrates – and it comes straight out the back end of the cow as liquid faeces.

Talking to one client whose cows were doing 2.2 kilograms of milksolids each back in early September and whose Milk Urea Nitrogen levels were about 16 at the time, after applying a whole lot of urea around the farm – at the advice of his consultant – has doubled his MUN levels to about 30.

And the cows are only doing 1.8 kg/ ms in early October, even though more grass is on offer.

There is a known direct correlation with MUN levels in the milk and the nitrogen concentration in urine, which is the main contribution of nitrogen getting into ground water and waterways generally.

Get clovers right

Another problem with artificial nitrogen is it makes grasses more competitive, which can choke out clovers and can also make clovers “lazy” so they don’t fix their own nitrogen from the atmosphere.

Cows also milk better and animals fatten better on clovers than they do grasses, so the fertiliser budget should focus on getting clovers right in pastures first which fix nitrogen for free. If you haven’t got much clover in your pastures, then something is likely to be out of balance in

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DESIGN – SUPPLY – BUILD

your soil or there is too much nitrogen being used.

This brings us back to the main reason this organic farm had a good clover sward making up at least 30 per cent of the pasture mix – a balanced soil and the fact no nitrogen had been used for more than two decades.

If you’re going to use nitrogen, the best time to actually apply it is latespring going into summer, when plants want to go to seed and are growing rapidly.

Applying nitrogen then produces more leaf rather than stalk; and because plants are growing rapidly and soils are not saturated, more of it gets taken up by plants rather than being lost into the environment.

Also if there is a surplus of grass, paddocks can be shut up to make hay or silage. Ideally, effluent paddocks should be the ones used for silage – even though they may be close to the cowshed, as the surplus nutrients being applied to these from effluent can then be redistributed around the farm when the harvested supplements are being fed out.

It also saves on the fertiliser bill because there is no need for additional fertiliser to replace what is being harvested, since these paddocks usually have surplus nutrients to begin with.

ROBIN BOOM, CPAg, member of the Institute of Professional Soil Scientists.

Phone him on 0274448764.

DAIRY

Page 37

The challenges of changing soil fertility practices Fundamental changes in soil fertility practice are already underway, and people are finding their way into one of three camps.

There are those that understand common usage doesn’t necessarily make any practice the best option and are embracing new technologies, or are busy canvassing all their options in preparation for change.

There are those that are unaware fundamental change is inevitable, and the time to ‘change over’ is near.

And there are those that are absolutely determined nothing will shift them from their present practices – regardless of their consequences, and the benefits of embracing a new paradigm.

They’re challenging and fascinating times, with plenty to be learnt from observing people’s reactions to the mounting pressure.

Opposing positions

Change always brings uncertainty, and that’s seldom welcome. Soil fertility and associated science have recently become much-debated topics, with a number of scientists taking opposing positions, leaving farmers and growers wondering what’s right and whether consensus might ever be reached.

There is much that can be done on farm to understand the current situation and what, if any, changes may be required.

Initially, a fencing spade will provide a wealth of useful information.

Carefully digging a cube of soil, spade square to full spade depth from the middle of an ‘average’ paddock will provide a useful insight.

Ideally, soils are 50 per cent air and moisture, and contain sufficient obvious ‘crumb’ to provide gaps large enough for water to percolate through and plant roots to travel easily down.

Soil compaction

Under heavy treading, which is inevitable with grazing animals, soils compress. Compaction occurs when the soil does not regain its original pre-grazing structure prior to the next grazing. In most situations at this time of the year digging should be reasonably easy.

Should you find the soil is hard and tight it’s likely the bulk of plant roots will be in the top few centimetres. One observational sign of shallow rooting is irregular growth patterns. When all conditions, moisture, temperature, and sunlight are favourable exceptional growth is likely, followed by a sudden reduction if conditions become less favourable.

The crowns of pasture plants should be close to the surface of the soil.

Should they be sitting high it may be possible to remove a plant by hand, and the length of the roots will give an indication of the structure below.

Where conditions favourable for pasture have been established, there should be few if any bare patches of soil. Large-leafed clover should already be starting to fill the gaps between grass plants in readiness for summer.

Many areas of the North Island have experienced far more rain than usual

innovative, industry-led agricultural research and education opportunities.

“The Southern Dairy Hub will provide relevant, up-to-date local research for Southland dairy farmers. We are thrilled to see it now moving into the development phase and farmers will see research getting underway next season,” says Michael.

“This is a key project for DairyNZ and Southland dairy farmers will gain a lot of value from it.”

AgResearch board chair Sam Robinson says the organisation is pleased to be able to play a key role in developing the 349 hectare property, which is sited at Makarewa, 15km north of Invercargill. The new facility will be made up of two independently owned adjoining beef and sheep farms.

“The plan is to convert the existing farm operation into a dairy farm this season and then supply the Fonterra Co-operative Group at the start of the 2017-2018 season.

“It will initially milk 640 cows but that will increase to around 800 cows. So as well as being a smart financial investment for AgResearch, this is a chance to really

further the science developments in this sector.,” says Sam. In total the start-up investment equates to $5m each from DairyNZ and AgResearch, and about $1.25m from the Southern Dairy Development Trust.

This is an example of soil crumb.

Nitrogen extraction

Nutrient, including nitrogen produced by the clover, will be extracted by plants before being lost to groundwater, reducing the amount of nutrient required to maintain high levels of pasture growth throughout the season.

Faster growth also results in higher quality grazing, as there is more leaf surface area for plants to capture the sun’s energy and convert it to soluble sugars.

During more than a decade we’ve found there are no downsides to implementing Functional Fertiliser’s full nutrient programmes, based on the well-documented performance of the soil improvers CalciZest and DoloZest. For more information please call Peter on 0800 843 809.

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Large leaf clover

New southern dairy research hub A joint AgResearch, DairyNZ and Southern Dairy Development Trust initiative has created a new dairy development and research farm in Southland, which will address the sector’s specific challenges through on-site science and innovation.

Called the Southern Dairy Hub, the new facility is a key investment for the partnership of Southland dairy farmers in the trust, which until now have been underrepresented in terms of sector research and development.

The investment recognises the current scale and importance of dairying in the region by creating a geo-specific research environment; and therefore a constant working example of dairy science.

It also recognises dairy farming techniques used in other parts of New Zealand are not easily adapted in Southland, given its unique landscape, climate and soil types.

DairyNZ chair Michael Spaans says the Southern Dairy Hub investment reflects the importance of dairying in the south and expects it to deliver

during late-winter and spring, and on many, but not all farms, this has resulted in excessive mud.

Functional Fertiliser clients have reported their properties have grown strongly with genuine pugging confined to the small areas when stock were confined and heavy rain occurred overnight.

Trucks have been able to spread fertiliser when this has not been possible on neighbouring farms. These properties will also retain more moisture and, with their plant roots growing down to below half a metre, it will take a prolonged dry spell for growth to slow appreciably.

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Page 38

RURAL DRIVER

Joining the green brigade in MX2 National 125cc champion Ben Broad, from Ngatea, has switched to the green brigade and will now step up to race in the MX2 250cc class on board one of the new Kawasaki KX250F bikes, riding under the Whyteline Kawasaki banner.

“I feel very positive about my future riding for Kawasaki,” says the 17-year-old, who in addition to being backed by Kawasaki New Zealand and Whyteline will race with support also from Motul Oil, Epic Decals, Fox, Scott, Pirelli, BikesportNZ.com, M-Spec Racing, Renthal, Twin-air, Carter Coaching and CFX Seats.

“There is a good pathway for the future for me here and it was an offer too good to pass up. We went to Auckland to talk with new Kawasaki New Zealand boss Shane Verhoeven and that was fantastic.

Ben says he’s already had a lot of fun on the bike – but will so some testing and suspension set-up work before his first big race for Kawasaki, at the annual MX Fest at Taupo during Labour Weekend.

And despite being a current national champion, Ben still has to prove himself in the MX2 class.

“I won’t be able to have the No.1 on the bike because I’m

switching classes, but will revert to my old No.21.

That number is significant only because it’s my birth date, November 21, and that’s why dad put it on my bikes in the beginning,” says Ben. “I always train to win, but I have no expectations of how I’ll fare in the MX2 class. We’ll just have to see how I stack up at Taupo.”

Shane says he wants to “bring back the sea of green” to the race tracks and leading MX2 class rider Tyler Steiner could help with that realisation too. The Te Puke racer is also now on a Kawasaki KX250F bike this season, with additional support from Crown Kiwi and Alpinestars.

And the green momentum doesn’t end there, with Tauranga pair Rhys Carter and Josh Tredinnick continuing to race for the 3Twenty3 Racing Team this season, supported through Mr Motorcycles in Pukekohe, although the team is now armed with KX450F and KX250F bikes respectively.

The season kicked off with the traditional MX Fest at Taupo on Labour Weekend, October 22-23, followed by the annual Whakatane Summercross just after Christmas and then the annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville in late-January.

The four-round national championship series kicks off at the start of February and winds up at the end of March.

Mark Whyte of Whyteline Kawasaki with Ngatea’s Ben Broad and his Kawasaki KX250F, set to tackle the MX2 class at the nationals this 2016-2017 season.

Photo: Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

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Study into chemical - biological systems I felt honoured to be included in a group of 11 farmers and advisers who recently converged on the South Island for a week-long study tour.

Our purpose was to observe better management systems on dairy farms, particularly in respect to biological and chemical usage of fertiliser.

Our first destination was a Dairy NZ field day held at Back Track Farms in Methven, Canterbury.

Farmers Jeremy Casey and Kim Solly are comparing their two dairy units, running one under a conventional fertiliser approach with recommendations from Ballance Agri-Nutrients and the other under the alternative Albrecht-Kinsey nutrient management system in a three-year experiment. An outline of the study was in the January 2014 ‘Dairy Exporter’ magazine.

Honest truth

My mission was to gather all of the information available to us, including the initial parameters, the Albrecht-Kinsey process and the approach of Ballance AgriNutrients as referenced from their website, and general client practice in New Zealand.

I’ve attended the last two annual field days where the annual scientific measurements have been presented. I’ve observed that to go to a single field day without looking at the whole picture will give a totally different outcome to a person’s thinking if you are looking for an indicator of the honest truth.

Both parties involved with the

fertiliser have full and open access to fertiliser tests, applications and the results of those applications. It was interesting to see the biological side is producing generally more positive results.

At the May Field day at Back Track Farms the Albecht-Kinsey farm reported 500kg/ ha more grass grown during the year than the chemical farm while using 43 units of nitrogen/ha less.

More clover

More clover growth, higher winter soil temperature, higher production per hectare, lower somatic cell count and a higher effective farm surplus were all points to be noted in support of the Albrecht-Kinsey farm.

On October 6, the AlbrechtKinsey farm was still showing positive gains over and above the chemical farm, namely higher soil temperatures, cows producing 2.4kg/ms per cow per day compared to 2.2, and 5.57kg/ms per cow per day compared to 5.26 and 13 cows showing clinical milk fever compared to 35.

An observation made was that the higher production and better clean-up of pasture on the Albrecht-Kinsey farm was from better quality pasture because of higher amounts of clover.

In recent months the AlbrechtKinsey system has been called a “pseudo-science” by a leading soil scientist, who also suggests that science has already proved any

innovation is just wasting taxpayer’s money – particularly relating to soil fertility.

If this soil scientist is referring to the science, which is being practised in New Zealand by Ballance Agri-Nutrients, then let’s take a look at them.

Their website is very impressive and there are a couple of very important scientific standards that they follow. Many farmers in New Zealand would agree their standard advice is to have a pH in the soil of between 5.8 and 6.0.

In fact their leading scientist had an article at the beginning of the 2015 dairy season stating that if the pH is 5.9, then you are wasting your money putting on fertiliser that would increase it. Based on this information, I went to the May 2016 field day to find the pH on the conventional farm was sitting at 6.3.

at that field day suggested the chemical farm would follow suit.

For Ballance to copy and follow the AlbrechtKinsey system, then there will not be any significant difference which is, of course, what they are reporting.

My conclusion is the Albrecht-Kinsey system of soil fertility in this trial is leading science; and Ballance Agri-Nutrients is learning a lot from it.

The next field day should prove interesting.

David Law, Forward Farming Consultancy

Changing polices

Upon questioning them how they got that pH to 6.3, they replied they had applied 2.5 tonne/ha of lime. My next question, of course, was: “Did they know what the pH was before they applied that lime?”

They said that: “Yes, it was 5.9 pH”. A sceptic might suggest Ballance Agri-Nutrients is changing their policies to keep up with the positive advantages being shown by the Albrecht-Kinsey system.

At the October 6 field day there was a positive move from the biological side to target a reduction in the amount of nitrogen applied yet again from 117kg/ha/year to around 100kg/ha/year. Discussions

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EFFLUENT & IRRIGATION

Page 41

Real estate market ‘taking nutrient environment in its stride’ Regional water plans have farmers and rural professionals warily eyeing what the implications are on farm equity and property values.

The latest plan to be unveiled is the Healthy Rivers plan for the Waikato and Waipa rivers, with the aim to make the two waterways and lakes within their catchment swimmable and fishable along their length within 80 years.

Like all plans around the country the Healthy Rivers plan is required under the Government’s national policy statement on freshwater management, with the aim to ensure fresh water quality is either maintained or improved nationally.

Plans including the Healthy Rivers are requiring some significant shifts in how farms will operate in coming years, with tighter constraints around management of key nutrients including nitrogen and phosphate, along with tighter controls on bacteria levels and sediment losses.

Bayleys country manager Simon Anderson says recent comments by the Bank of New Zealand agribusiness head John Janssen, about the risk the Healthy Rivers plan poses to land values, highlights a level of nervousness about the issue.

However, Simon says the regional plans were also working to lengthy timeframes to achieve improved water quality, giving communities and farmers time to adjust to the changes they may bring.

“If you were to look at the Waikato plan, we are talking an 80-year timeframe to bring that goal into a reality. It is not as if these changes will be coming overnight, and the changes that will be coming are being clearly signalled.”

Consultation periods

Simon also welcomes the extensive consultation periods that have accompanied such plans.

The Waikato plan, for example, was going to allow 80 working days for affected parties to place a submission, pushing the close off date well beyond the standard 20 days and into next autumn.

“With about a million hectares of land in the catchment, the Waikato is one of the country’s most intensively farmed, productive regions with 4000 dairy farms and a similar number of dry stock farmer, along with significant horticultural areas now.

“Communities deserve that sort of time to consider how to respond to such a far-reaching plan.”

A report released earlier this year by 2015 dairy consultant of the year Phil Journeaux showed reducing farming’s environmental footprint could have some downward effect on land values during coming years.

He estimated the national impact of environmental constraints on farm production as being worth a $16.8 million loss on-farm land value. His work had shown a farm’s location to good communities, recreational assets and schools can be stronger in affecting its value than its profitability.

But the emerging caveat was that same proximity to natural assets like rivers and lakes could, in coming years, impact in a negative way on the property’s value.

Waikato registered valuer Byron Gray of Curnow Tizard says it’s too early in the Healthy Rivers plan life to determine if it’s having any real impact upon property values.

However, he anticipates based on the proposed rules some properties may strengthen in value, including arable properties where there are limitations on the ability to convert suitable properties to arable land use.

“For example, the growth in Pukekohe is leading to growers looking for lower value land elsewhere, with this particularly evident in Matamata and Pukekawa.

A restriction on land use changes may lead to increased competition for the arable land in the medium term.”

Byron says properties with good mitigation measures in place, for example planting of waterways, and those already compliant with the proposed rules, are likely to receive a premium over those where work is required to comply.

Simon agrees the same plans that required mitigation expenditure also have the potential to add value.

“We are seeing more farmers planting riparian strips to absorb phosphate losses, native trees and wetlands for nitrogen loss minimisation, and fencing around waterways. It is all investment in the property that adds aesthetic and economic value to it.”

are based on a high degree of certainty.

As a result the market appears to be taking the nutrient environment in its

stride and operating with a high degree of confidence.”

Richard Rennie

contractors

Nutrient information

Bayleys North Canterbury rural specialist Dean Pugh says buyers of rural real estate in Canterbury are very aware of the nutrient regimes governing different areas of the province, and the need to take specific catchment regulations into account when making land use and value decisions on properties.

“Some vendors are very organised, depending often on farm type and location and already have nutrient information prepared and available at the time of sale for prospective purchasers to review.

“Others are taking the opportunity the sales process presents to have this work done so buyers can undertake their due diligence with confidence, and early in the process.”

There is plenty of opportunity to seek out technical expertise and advice that is available from professionals working in the field to help everyone make informed decisions and buyers are certainly taking these steps.

“Consequently, most of the transactions we are seeing

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CARTAGE & EARTHWORKS

Page 42

Holistic approach to peat lakes restoration Living Water, the partnership between Fonterra and the Department of Conservation, has called on charitable organisation Te Whangai Trust to help restore part of New Zealand’s threatened peat lakes system.

A team from Te Whangai Trust has carried out extensive planting work at Lake Ruatuna, part of the Waikato Peat Lakes network – which is described as ‘acutely threatened’ under the Land Environments of New Zealand’s threatened environments classification.

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Te Whangai Trust founders Gary and Adrienne Dalton says as Fonterra farmers “it means a lot to us to be part of this important restoration project”.

“We’re very grateful for Fonterra and DOC’s support of Te Whangai’s vision and our mutual passion for social and environmental good.”

Living Water site lead Mike Paviour says Te Whangai’s work in the restoration delivers multiple benefits.

“We’re thrilled to have Te Whangai out here on the peat lakes. We get a real buzz out of working with these guys… especially because of the whole social factor.”

Te Whangai Trust, the Pukorokoro Miranda-based charitable organisation

$6 million for clean-up projects The Waikato River Authority has received requests for $11.5 million of funding for environmental clean-up projects in the Waikato and Waipa river catchments for its 2016 funding round.

The team from Te Whangai Trust helping to restore part of New Zealand’s threatened peat lakes system. trains its participants in sustainable agriculture, horticulture and environmental management, preparing and helping them gain full time employment.

“It’s not just the environmental restoration and biodiversity aspect we like – but the holistic view of what Te Whangai stand for and what they’re doing to help people,” says Mike.

By the end of the project, the team will have placed 20,000 new natives in the ground, including significant planting on the newly-formed silt traps, which help prevent sediment entering and polluting the lake.

“Engaging the same team who raise and care for the plants to also invest their time into the restoration work connects all the pieces…people, place and restoring our environment.”

In total 56 requests were lodged for funding and the authority has allocated up to $6 million to distribute this year.

Waikato River Authority chief executive Bob Penter says there is a strong focus on lakes and wetlands for this funding round with a spread of applications across the whole catchment.

“We’ve signalled that wetlands and lakes are priority areas for restoration so it is encouraging to have support for this strategy through the application process.”

After five years of project funding there are naturally some challenges for groups and individuals to continue to have capacity for substantial projects. “We are pleased to see that further capability and capacity is being generated in the community to deliver clean-up projects.

“We are also pleased to see once again a strong showing of quality projects from iwi trusts and iwi-based organisations in the funding applications.

“Iwi are particularly motivated to see the clean-up of Waikato and Waipa waterways progress and they are demonstrating this more than ever through projects they are putting forward,” says Bob. The applications will undergo an independent evaluation process. The evaluation panel will make recommendations to a sub-committee of the authority, which in turn will make the final funding recommendations to the authority’s board. It is intended successful project applicants will be announced by the end of October.

In the previous five years of funding, the WRA has allocated about $27 million to 169 individual projects.

The authority promotes an integrated and coordinated approach for clean-up activities across the river catchment, which covers 11,000km2.

FARM MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

Page 43

Farm machinery dealership celebrates 20 years of service CLAAS Harvest Centre Bay of Plenty has been recognised as one of the country’s most successful farm machinery dealerships for the CLAAS and JCB brands.

Sales Manager Vaughn Carson has recently been recognised as the country’s top salesperson for CLAAS Greenline forage harvesting technology and JCB telehandlers and loaders.

Servicing the region’s dairy, beef, sheep and contracting sectors, the branch is also one of the country’s best-performing dealerships for sales of CLAAS advanced technology tractors.

“CLAAS is now firmly established as a top-tier competitor in the local tractor market,” says Vaughn.

“They are quality European-designed and manufactured tractors that represent genuine value-for-money.

“The new series AXION and ARION have been particularly well-received.

but working for a branch that has a great reputation for service makes our job so much easier.”

CLAAS Harvest Centre Bay of Plenty was established as a Landpower franchise in 1996 by well-known local figure, Vern Bates.

In 2009, it was re-badged as a CLAAS Harvest Centre, a dedicated ‘super dealership’ representing CLAAS, AMAZONE, JCB, Grégoire Besson, Fliegl, Trioliet and other leading farm machinery brands.

The dealership was acquired by Land-

power, the franchisor of the CLAAS Harvest Centre network, in July last year.

New owner

Branch manager Bruce Rankin, who has more than 15 years’ experience in the agricultural finance and machinery hire sectors, joined soon afterwards.

“The only thing that’s changed during the last 15 months is the ownership,” says Bruce.

“The history, the service and the people are all still here – and Vern drops in occa-

sionally to see how we’re going.”

Located in Te Ngae Rd, Rotorua, CLAAS Harvest Centre Bay of Plenty employs about 20 staff, including 10 technicians and apprentices.

During harvest season, this often increases with the addition of service technicians from CLAAS dealerships in United Kingdom.

Other key staff include administration manager Jo Branson, parts manager Kevin Folley; and a dedicated sales and service team.

Celebrating 20 years of service…. the team from CLAAS Harvest Centre – Bay of Plenty.

Quality brands

“One of our highest selling models is the ARION 620C, which delivers the same high levels of performance, efficiency, comfort and reliability found in all CLAAS tractors, but in a lower specification suitable for ‘everyday’ farm work.”

Vaughn attributes the success of the dealership to its long history of service and the quality of its brands.

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FARM MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

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Century-old tractor still in the family On a secluded farm not far from Whakatane is a tractor which, nearly 100 years ago, played an important role in Britain’s war effort.

The story of a 1917 International Titan tractor, one of probably only seven in New Zealand, is even more remarkable because it has been owned by the same family for nearly a century.

The grandfather of current

owner, John Couch, bought the Titan at the end of World War 1, after being leased the tractor to cultivate his and other local farmers’ land to grow crops by bringing extra land into cultivation to produce more food for civilians and troops.

“During the First World War about 3000 Titan tractors were shipped to Britain from America on the ‘Lease Lend’ system to be used by farmers to work the land to grow food and crops,” says John.

“They were leased to farmers on the understanding that they used the tractors on their own farms and their neighbours’ too. At the end of the war my grandfather was given the option of buying the Titan.”

Threshing machine

John’s grandfather was an arable and stock farmer in Hertfordshire and among other roles, the Titan was used to operate a threshing machine threshing wheat, barley, oats and clover.

John, who remembers playing on the old tractor as a child, didn’t follow the family farming tradition but trained as an engineer when he left school. His father died in 1958, but it wasn’t until the early-1970s that John thought to ask where the Titan was.

He was talking to his Uncle about old tractors and the Titan came up. John said it was a pity it was sold at the farm sale, but his uncle said it had been lent to a man at a local

The Titan is frequently on display at machinery shows, often teamed up with a Tangye pump of similar age to create a working demonstration of both machines.

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agricultural engineers who said he would restore it.

It took a while for John to track it down and when he did, he found it was dismantled and some parts were missing. John set about reassembling and restoring the Titan, a project which took 28 years.

New home

Ten years ago, when John and New Zealand born wife Gayle decided to move to New Zealand, the Titan, by then fully operational, was loaded into the container with all their household goods for shipment to their new home.

Manufactured at the International Milwaukee Works, the Titan has a two-cylinder horizontal engine, a transmission with two forward speeds and runs on kerosene.

It takes two hands to swing the handle to crank the Titan into life and once fired up, the ride is slow and not too uncomfortable.

“It travels at about two-and-a-half miles an hour forward and slightly faster backwards,” says John.

The tractor doesn’t have tyres, but steel wheels with strakes and is driven by two oversized chains similar to those used on push bikes.

John’s Titan is frequently on display at machinery shows, often teamed up with a Tangye pump of similar age to create a working demonstration of both machines. As well as the Titan and the Tangye, John also has a 1928 Stewart 11/4 ton truck he’s restored. While old machinery and vehicles are John’s hobby, John and Gayle also run a Jim Couch needs both pedigree Red Devon hands to crank the stud on their 40ha 1917 International property near Matata.

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COUNTRY LIVING

Page 48

There’s help for sore joints Abundant Health Bettaflex Super Joint Formula What is Bettaflex?

• Bettaflex is a joint support formula to promote healthy joint cartilage function.

• Bettaflex combines high grade chondroitin sulphate, glucosamine sulphate and a potent 95% curcumin (turmeric) extract.

• Each capsule of Bettaflex contains 382mg of high grade chondroitin, 425mg of glucosamine and 50mg of curcumin extract

How can Bettaflex help?

BEST BUY! $79.95 for 3 bottles free freight or 1 bottle for $28.95 plus $4.99 postage

• Chondroitin and glucosamine are building blocks of cartilage.

• Supplementation with correct levels can support healthy cartilage function and cartilage repair processes.

• Curcumin from turmeric helps to balance joint immune function to support joint health • Research suggests chondroitin is effective only at levels of over 700mg daily.

John Arts comments: “I formulated Bettaflex based on the latest research into natural compounds that can help with joint support and function. The normal dose is 2 capsules daily but I recommend a double dose for the first 1-2 bottles to saturate joint tissue.”

(John Arts, Founder Abundant Health Ltd)

Abundant Health

Cautions: Always read the label and use only as directed. See your health care practitioner if symptoms persist.

TO ORDER PHONE: 0800 423 559

Or order online at www.abundant.co.nz or post a cheque to Abundant Health Ltd, PO Box 4347, Mt Maunganui South, 3149

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Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease with more than 70 per cent of people affected at some time, often from middle age. For me, it struck much earlier.

My hyper-flexible thumb joints meant by my thirties the joint cartilage was severely worn.

From my forties this caused significant problems, limiting the use of my hands.

Now at 61, I still have worn joints but have almost no symptoms. This is testimony to the combination of an anti-inflammatory diet and a supplement programme high in Omega 3, antioxidants and joint support compounds especially high doses of chondroitin and curcumin, also known as turmeric.

Joint products with glucosamine and chondroitin have been available for 20 years.

The last few years have seen more intensive research to assess the effectiveness of these compounds. Older style formulations were heavily weighted towards glucosamine sulphate. This was probably because of research published in ‘Lancet’ in 2001, showing benefits from using glucosamine for knee osteoarthritis.

More recent research has focused on the reasons why these compounds seem to work.

An excellent French study published in 2011 looked specifically at Chondroitin Sulphate and concluded CS treatment significantly reduced the cartilage volume loss in knee osteoarthritis, starting at six months of treatment.

“These findings suggest a joint structure protective effect of CS and provide new in-vivo information on its mode of action in knee osteoarthritis.

(Wldi et al, 2011, ‘Annals of Rheumatic Diseases’)”.

As a result I re-formulated my joint product to boost chondroitin to the levels used in this research. In experience, I’ve found combining these ingredients with Omega 3 and potent antioxidants can really make a difference.

Give me a call or email for more information.

John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.Dip.Nut. Med) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health Ltd. For personalised advice, contact John on 0800 423559 or email: john@abundant.co.nz. Join his full weekly newsletter at: www.abundant.co.nz.

Southern Ranges tour opportunity Robbie and Connie Crickett of NZ Adventures have enjoyed a strong uptake of the available places of their wide range of self-drive 4x4 tours throughout the South Island for the 2016-2017 season with almost all of the tours fully booked.

However, there are still places remaining in the Southern Ranges tour, which runs from February 6-10. This five-day tour assembles in Omarama and winds its way across the mountain ranges and vast sheep stations of Central Otago before travelling into the green lushness of Northern Southland.

It is the stark contrast in the countryside and land use that is the dominant feature of the Southern Ranges tour.

Robbie says highlights of the tour include the tussock grasslands of the Dunstan and Old Man Ranges, the intensive sheep farm properties of West Otago and Northern Southland along with the Mataura River Valley, which leads back to Lake Wakatipu. The tour finishes at the Golden Gate Lodge in Cromwell.

“The views from the tops of the mountains stretch out right across the bottom of the South Island and on a clear day, which is quite normal during February, to Stewart Island.”

The tours are led by business owners Robbie and Connie. Robbie has more than 17 years of experience guiding vehicle tours throughout the high country trails.

Each customer vehicle gets a two-way radio for communication and to enjoy Robbie’s commentary.

There are some exciting tours planned for the 2017-2018 season so keep an eye on www.nzadventures.co.nz for updates and for further details and an entry form for the Southern Ranges tour.

Call now and enquire about our full scale portable pilot system and see first hand results for yourself.

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COUNTRY LIVING

Page 49

Women more likely to vote than men Voting-age women in New Zealand outnumbered men by about 137,000 at the 2013 Census – and women are more likely to vote, according to Statistics NZ. In 1893, New Zealand became the first nation in the world to grant women the right to vote. This year, Suffrage Day, on September 19, came just as local government voting papers went out to voters.

Census figures show there were

more than 1.66 million women in New Zealand aged 18-plus, compared with about 1.53 million men.

Women are more likely than men to vote in general and local body elections, according to past Statistics NZ General Social Surveys.

In a survey after the 2011 general election more than 80 per cent of women said they voted, compared with about 77 per cent of men.

Almost 95 per cent of women and men

aged 65-plus years said they voted in the 2011 general election, compared with a little more than half of those aged 18-24.

Voter turnout is lower for local body elections, at less than 65 per cent for women and 62 per cent for men. However, 87 per cent of all those aged 65-plus said they’d voted in local body elections in a 2012 survey, compared with just 28 per cent of people aged 18-24.

Census figures for 2013 showed there were 1.19 million

European women in New Zealand aged 18-plus. There were about 193,000 Maori women in that age group, closely

followed by almost 187,000 Asian women. Pacific women aged 18-plus totalled about 90,000.

When is it time to bring in care?

“The question of when care is needed is one of the most common concerns families that meet with us face with their older family or disabled relatives,” says Miranda Smith Homecare Tauranga’s manager Amanda Bush.

“When we begin to think about aged-care, images of hospital beds and retirement homes spring to mind.

Something that might be off-putting for individuals concerned and their families.”

Amanda says New Zealand has so many options available for the older person requiring support – but not everyone knows what they can access.

“Although we might not think that our loved ones require that much help there can be signs that it is time to begin to introduce support.”

These include: Forgetful or confused – do they misplace important things or sometimes go missing?

Not eating properly – have they lost weight, dishes

piling up or an empty fridge?

Missing medications – are they able to confidently tell you what they take when?

Loneliness – are they bringing home strangers or writing cheques to people you don’t know?

Falls and accidents – possibly the most concerning.

Have they unknowingly walked out in traffic, left the iron or stove on or something else?

Like many care providers, Miranda Smith Homecare hears many stories from concerned family members who know something is wrong but don’t know what to do about it.

Here are Amanda’s suggestions for where to begin.

“Firstly, talk about it with them. Help them understand your concerns and make sure they know you want the best for them.

“Secondly, gather information. Speak to GPs about options and check out www.eldernet.co.nz for unbiased information on care services.

“Thirdly, consider different options. From day clubs and seniors outings through to in-home care and retirement villages, there is a lot to choose from,” says Amanda.

Homecare Homecare

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EXCELLENCE IN DERMATOLOGY

Page 50

COUNTRY LIVING

COUNTRY LIVING

Page 51

Gardening’s benefits are more than plants Gardening provides the essence of health and wellbeing, with many studies confirming the benefits brought from the enjoyment and satisfaction of growing your own plants, says Tony Bishop of Edenlite Ltd.

three weeks and keep on picking the fruit. “ The Edenlite range consists of glasshouses, the company manufactures in Dunedin, which are of a quality that has stood the test of time. Edenlite also import greenhouses from Israel – the leading manufacturers of polycarbonate products worldwide, and these have a five-year warranty. All come in kitset form, and installation services are available in all “Experiencing the taste and regions. quality of vegetables you’ve The respective benefits of glass grown on your own property and the polycarbonate panes is is extremely gratifying; and our sy ea e ar s interesting and renders a choice oe at m mission here at Edenlite Ltd is to Top-tasting to Auto-pot selfthat each individual buyer should an g provide you with the best in glassto grow usin Edenlite consider applicable to their situaan in em st houses, greenhouses, and growing sy nutrient . se ou sh tion, says Tony.

Glass is timeless as gl essentials. greenhouse or and the Eden aluminium is from “Our glasshouses and greenhouses strong profiles made in New Zealand. provide important benefits such as The polycarbonate comes in both clear panes and the enhanced growing options with year-round results, dual-walled opaque panes, which offer extra insulation insulated from climatic conditions. from cold and diffuse the burning rays of the midsum“Your glasshouse or greenhouse will become a haven mer sun. where you can retreat from the stress and strain of “Our glasshouses have time-honoured methods such modern life and enjoy encouraging nature to provide as shade cloth for all your need. Greenhouses will not top-tasting tomatoes, beautiful orchids – the options last as long as glasshouses, but are very cost-effective are endless.” growing units.

For the busy person wanting top results from a glass“Experience the enjoyment, satisfaction and taste of house or greenhouse with minimal intervention, the encouraging nature to provide healthy results with an Auto-pot self-nutrient system, which requires as little Edenlite glasshouse or greenhouse and the Auto-pot as 15 minutes’ attention each week, is perfect. self-nutrient system.”

“All you need to do is refill the reservoir every two to

Yawn indication of brain size

Animals which have big yawns also have big brains, according to a study from the US that investigated the length of yawns in mammals of different brain sizes.

Mammals with a higher number of connections in the

brain, and thus bigger brains, were found to have longer yawns. Primates had the longest yawns among mammals in the study, and humans consistently had longer yawns than gorillas, camels, horses, lions, walruses and African elephants. The researchers recommend further studies into what else yawns can tell us about our brains.

TYRE WORLDga Courtney Road Tauran

Page 52

FERTILISER

Managing fertiliser in spring Getting the best bang for buck out of fertiliser, while protecting economic and environmental bottom lines, is a key balancing act for farmers.

As the soil starts warming up during the next few weeks, and farmers prepare to fertilise their paddocks, finding the right balance is best done with advice from fertiliser reps and consultants.

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minerals, organic residues and living micro and macro organisms – which all support farm production and provide various ecosystem services.

Because there are a range of risks when applying fertiliser, and strategies to help avoid them, I recommend all farmers have a nutrient budget and a nutrient management plan for their properties. These are a specific requirement of our current regional rules if nitrogen use exceeds 60 kilograms per hectare per year.

Nutrient budgeting is widely accepted as the appropriate first step in managing nutrient use; and it’s also the preferred tool for evaluating the environmental impact of farm management practices.

Overseer, a computer decision support model, is used to advise on nutrient management and greenhouse gas emissions. It predicts what happens to the nutrients that are brought onto the farm in the form of fertilisers and supplementary feed in the same way a financial budget can track money.

Fertiliser reps or consultants can help with nutrient budgets for those who don’t have them, while AgResearch recently released the new Overseer nutri-

ent budget model version 6.2.2, which can be downloaded at: www.overseer.org.nz.

One factor to bear in mind when doing nutrient budgets in Waikato is recent soil quality monitoring results reveal high fertility continues to remain as problem on some sampled sites. That means you may not have to fertilise if soils already have enough nutrients.

Another issue to consider is nitrate leaching. Plants need nitrogen for healthy leaf growth. But nitrogen is an extremely mobile nutrient. If more nitrogenous fertiliser is applied than plants can take up most of the un-used nitrogen ends up leaching down through the soil into groundwater. Sometimes nitrogen will also be lost to waterways as run-off and some is always released back into the air as gas.

The amount of nitrogen leaching from pastures can be reduced by: • Timing fertiliser application to avoid periods when plant uptake of N will be low, such as when soils are saturated, during heavy rain, colder periods and times of low soil temperatures.

...continued

FERTILISER

Page 53

Healthy planet, healthy people For about 400 million years our planet has supported many forms of life without exhausting any reserves and the main reason for that is Mother Nature’s recycling system, which keeps production sustainable year in, year out, says Agrissentials NZ Ltd CEO John Morris.

“After only a 100-odd years of chemical production we are going backwards. Chemicals have stifled and choked nature’s natural recy-

first creatures at the mineral cling system to a point that pollution on the planet dining table are the is a major problem micro-organisms,” says and increasing, as John. well as our foods They convert the harbouring toxins natural minerals and being low in to a plant-available the nutritional form. They lock the levels we need to minerals in humus stay healthy.

– organic matter – so John Morris.

“To grow a strong they won’t leach from healthy plant you need the soil. The plant takes minerals, microbes, sunlight up the minerals when needed. and water. “Agrissentials fertility The minerals are recognised by system is based on a multi-minthe plant at the cellular level – the eral, microbial rich method. The ultimate level for plant uptake.

“The plant converts the minerals to an animal and human available form, where everything is aligned to health and vitality.

“This is a beautiful system containing all the checks and balance for a healthy life and healthy planet.

“Call Agrissentials NZ Ltd or our reps Ken Pitts Waikato/King Country or Chris Storm Bombay/Coromandel/ Cambridge, for a chat or a free information pack, to find out how we can partner with you to find a better way of farming,” says John.

Avoid ground water contamination

continued...

• Applying nitrogen fertiliser in split dressings, as many split doses as possible.

• Irrigating farm dairy effluent to a large enough area.

• Adjusting fertiliser policy for effluent irrigated areas to account for the nutrient value of effluent.

• Using fenced wetlands and wellmanaged open drains as nutrient traps.

The nutrient phosphorus behaves very differently to nitrogen because it binds with the soil and dissolves slowly in water over time. This means it doesn’t readily leach to groundwater. But it can damage the health of waterways through soil erosion and surface run-off into

water.

Farmers can reduce the amount of phosphorus run-off by keeping Olsen P to optimum agronomic levels. Other tips include: • Following the NZ Fertiliser Manufacturers’ Research Association ‘Code of Practice for Nutrient Management’.

• Applying fertiliser when the grass is in an active growing phase.

• Leaving a grassed buffer strip between paddock and waterway – the strip filters the phosphorus before the run-off reaches the water.

• Controlling run-off from tracks, races, feed and stand-off pads.

In summary, a clear assessment

of fertiliser requirements will both improve economic returns from pasture and help avoid contamination of ground and surface water with nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus.

Under moves to protect the health of key rivers, there is increasing pressure for farmers to improve their nutrient management because of the effects that nitrogen and phosphorus can have on water.

Improving nutrient use efficiency is equally important for farm profitability. Bala Tikkisetty is a sustainable agriculture advisor at Waikato Regional Council. Contact him at: bala.tikkisetty@waikatoregion.govt.nz or 0800 800 401.

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COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 54

trades & services cars wanted WE ALWAYS PAY MORE!

$1000 CASH

TO LIST YOUR RURAL EVENT please email: julie@thesun.co.nz with ‘Rural Event’ in the subject line.

October 28-30

Waikato Agricultural & Pastoral Show At Claudelands Arena, Brooklyn Rd, Hamilton from 9am-4pm. Stud and non-stud stock competitions, Friday Calf Club and schools farm walk, Young Farmers competitions, wood chopping, sheep dog 21 DAYS SOUTH ISLAND TOUR trials, poultry display, farmDeparts Palmerston North – Auckland departures 7 am on day prior yard, trade and food stalls.

1 & 28 April 2017 COST $3,530 Friday public entry. General 18 DAYS SOUTH ISLAND TOUR admission $5.

per week

0800 382 828

activities/adventure

MARGARET’S GOLDEN TOURS 2 October 2017 COST $3,320

14 DAYS BAY OF ISLANDS TOUR 13 March 2017 COST $2,950

October 29

Avian First Aid Course From 9am-5pm, Acacia Bay Community Hall, Taupo. No previous experience necessary. To register email: p.a.nijman@massey. ac.nz

Oct 29 & Nov 4

Garden Makeover Course From 9am-3pm, Fraser High School, Hamilton, $85. Details: tinyurl.com/ j5gxfzq

October 29-30

Scarecrow Festival, Hamilton Gardens, free. Public voting to 1pm on Sunday.

Details at tinyurl.com/ hu5ol46

Oct 31-Nov 1

Urban Farm Design

for sale

trades & services

For an itinerary please ring MARGARET who has 26 years of experience

www.margaretsgoldentours.com

Enquiries any time: TOLL FREE 0800 77 00 70

trades & services

At Koanga Institute, Wairoa, $320. Details at tinyurl.com/og5pbgg

November 3

Sharemilking workshop Sharemilking – take your time before you sign – Matamata. At Matamata Sports Club, Bedford Park, Tainui, from 10am-2pm.

The aim of the workshops is to help create successful sharemilking experiences.

The checklist covers five key areas. These involve getting clarity on both parties’ goals, understanding the business, reading the fine print in agreements and establishing good processes for keeping open lines of communication. Suitable for farm owners, sharemilkers and contract milkers. Ph Ben 021 222 9028.

PechaKucha Night From 7pm, Opotiki Library, gold coin entry.

Speakers show 20 slides with 20 seconds to talk about each one. To volunteer as a speaker ph 07 315 6170 or email: library@odc. govt.nz.

November 5

Te Aroha’s 120th AP&H Show Traditional AP&H Show showcasing everything

trades & services

runon listings accommodation HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION Romantic, separate, selfcontained accommodation with a touch of luxury. Rural location 5 minutes from Hobbiton. Sleeps up to four. Continental breakfast included. Phone 021 059 5185

curriculum vitae NEED A C.V.? A C.V. For You can provide you with the professional touch. From scratch or alterations.

“Get the interview….Land the job” Contact via www.facebook.com/ acvforyou or 0204 037 6034

family reunion FAMILY REUNION RUSH/ ROGERS Palmerston Nth, Easter 2017. Calling all living descendants of Cecilia Eliza Rodgers/Rush to attend a combined family reunion during Easter 2017, in Palmerston Nth. For information or registration contact Steve Rush 029 653 3278 or captainpugwash@hotmail. co.nz or check out the website www.webgirl.co.nz/RushFamily/

for sale PULLETS HY-LINE BROWN, great layers. Phone 07 824 1762 www.eurekapoultryfarm.weebly.com

S

BER TR TIM E

NT ME AT

PEPP ER

rural rental WANTED LONG TERM. Responsible vet nurse and child.

Consider lease arrangement.

Must be pet friendly. References available. Ph Amber 07 544 8794 or 021 188 3043

advertise ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT or service in the listing every month.

Phone Julie on 07 578 0030 or email julie@thesun.co.nz

from home industries to equestrian and cattle competitions. Sheep racing, side shows, food and craft stalls, trade stalls. Held at Boyd Park, Stanley Ave, Te Aroha, from 9am-3pm. Adults $5, children 12-plus $2.

Plant sale in Hamilton From 10am-4pm, outside the information centre, Hamilton Gardens.

Guided Tour of Koanga Institute 1-4pm, 96 Kotare Rd, Wairoa, $20 (includes afternoon tea). Details: tinyurl. com/juxpod4 Free Home Composting Workshop, From 3pm-4.30pm, Taupo Community Gardens. Register: tinyurl.com/ gqseptb

November 5-6

Native plants workshop Native Plants and Their Medicinal Properties from 9.30am-2.30pm, Fraser High School, Hamilton, $75. Details at tinyurl.com/ hom22r5

November 6

50th BOP Iris Show From 10am-4pm, Armitage Hotel, Willow St, Tauranga, $3 (adults). Plant display, plants for sale, growing advice. Ph Roger, 07 548 2199.

Altrusa Te Awamutu Garden Ramble From 9.30am-4.30pm, $25, tickets from Te Awamutu i-Site and Playmates.

St Joseph’s School Garden Ramble From 10am-4pm, Hamilton, $40 (includes packed lunch). For tickets email: stjosgardenramble@clear. net.nz

November 7-Dec 16

St John & Waikato Federated Farmers first aid courses Various dates and locations in Waikato region.

St John and Waikato Federated Farmers are running a number of first aid courses for all rural people. Courses from 8am-5pm at a St Johns Building.

To register, email: gbamford@fedfarm. org.nz or phone 07 858 0820 or 0800 327 646.

November 10-13

Pacific Rosebowl Festival At Rogers Rose Garden, Hamilton, free. Details at tinyurl.com/hro79hm

November 12

Bromeliad display & sale From 8am-noon, Matua Hall, Levers Rd, Tauranga.

Buy from local growers. Ph 07 576 7711.

Waikato Botanical Society field trip From 9am-4pm, Pigott Wetland. Details at waikatobotsoc.org.nz Advanced Homesteading Workshop 9am-5pm, Thames, $144. Tutors: Harry Parke, Jeanette Fitzsimons & Yotam Kay. Details at pakarakafarm.co.nz

November 12-13

Waihi Lions Garden Ramble From 9.30am-4pm, $20 (Goldcard/groups of 10+ $18), gardens in Waihi town, Waikino and Waitawhita. Ph Chris for tickets, 07 863 6988.

Franklin Hospice Garden Ramble From 10am-4pm, Franklin district. Details: www.franklinhospiceramble.org.nz Garden Ramble From 9.30am-4pm, Tamahere & Matangi areas (near Hamilton), $25. Details at tinyurl. com/zc626gv

November 17-20

Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival, Tauranga Garden trails, speakers, workshops, floral art and more. Details at www. gardenandartfest.co.nz

November 19

Rotorua Botanical Society Field Trip Meet 7.30am to go to Matakana Island off Tauranga. Details: tinyurl. com/h4zph2x Practical Trapping Workshop Colville School, Coromandel, free. Details from Natalie, email: natalie@ meg.org.nz or 07 866 5337.

November 19-23

Ecological Restoration Australasian Conference, Hamilton. Student day November 19 and open day November 20. www. era2016.com

November 23

Free Home Composting Workshop From noon-1pm, Gisborne (take home a free compost bin, 1 per household). Register with Tairawhiti Environment Centre, ph 06 867 4708.

November 24

Waikato Horticultural Society talk Old-fashioned Roses 7.30pm, Wintec classroom, Hamilton Gardens (Gate 2), $5 for nonmembers. Ph Carmel 07 859 0158.

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Painful wash day memories Phyllis Fretwell of Whakatane has vivid, and somewhat painful memories of last month’s mystery item – the wooden wash board in particular.

“I remember my first weekly wash after getting married in 1953. I had hardly any skin left on my knuckles after using such a washboard.”

Phyllis also recognised the other items in the photo – the set of wooden wash tubs with a hand operated clothes wringer.

“When I was a child, if my mother washed blankets, she would soak them for a while and

This wash-day equipment is on display at the Opotiki Museum. then I had to get into the tub and stamp the blankets with my feet. Those were the days,” says Phyllis, who has won admission for two to the Opotiki Museum.

This month’s mystery item is a Burman men’s

Tell us you memories of using this device and be in to win a visit to the Western Bay Museum.

grooming device on display at the new Western Bay Museum in Katikati where it has sparked lots of memories among visitors.

To win admission for two to the museum, send your stories about this device to elaine@thesun. co.nz with ‘Mystery item’ in the subject line, or post to Mystery Item, Coast & Country, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3110. The Western Bay Museum in Katikati’s main street, is open from 10am-4pm daily. Admission is adults $5 and children under 15 cost $2

Here’s a guide to great morning teas for staff Businesses nationwide are being asked to enjoy a Guide biscuit with their cuppa and help empower Kiwi girls.

In an effort to increase sales of their iconic biscuits, and reduce the fundraising burden on girls, parents and volunteers, GirlGuiding NZ is asking businesses to purchase special morning tea packs which include 49 packs of biscuits.

Profits from the $250 packs – which include 49 packs of original, Guide choc and mini chocolate biscuits and a limited edition supporter’s jar – will help GirlGuiding NZ implement a range of programmes.

One of these is ‘Free Being Me’, an innovative international campaign to equip girls aged seven-14 with the tools to effectively manage factors affecting body confidence and self-esteem.

Extensive research by GirlGuiding NZ is also underway to identify what matters most to the girls

throughout the country, with wide-ranging questions relating to self-esteem and other topical issues.

Driven through schools, a little more than 4000 girls have taken the survey so far with 29 per cent of girls surveyed saying they worry about how they look, and 22 per cent of girls concerned about bullying.

“At GirlGuiding everything we do is about empowering girls and young women and nurturing those most important life skills – confidence, self-esteem, leadership and resilience,” says GirlGuiding CEO Susan Coleman.

“Of course nothing comes for free, which is why sales of our Guide Biscuits are so invaluable “By signing up for a morning tea pack, businesses will be doing their bit to support girls of today who may be our leaders of tomorrow,” says Susan.

To purchase a GirlGuiding Morning Tea Pack, visit: www.badge4life.co.nz

Page 55

COAST & COUNTRY NEWS

Page 56

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Pictures kathy@thesun.co.n and details can be emailed (high res Tauranga. Please z “Country Camera” or posted to Co olution jpgs) to include a name, ad ast dress and phone nu & Country, PO Box 240, mber with every en try.

Mario, 3, helps dad hose out the dairy shed yards - Thames.

d his Max Jackson an lamb d ol rea -y ee hr t T 5, give Max’s pe brother Oscar, hug - Tauranga.

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Lucy Field with Grandad’s farm dog Goldie - Tirau.

Inside the animal pettin g enc was not worried about the losure, this calf Kendall Marsh, 4, and Ty two fierce tigers, ler Carroll, Pa Gala day - Tauranga. 3. Pyes