Business Rural Autumn 2017

Autumn 2017

www.waterfordpress.co.nz

Draughtsman to stockman INSIDE

Adrian sticks with performers - PAGE 12

Centre-pivots change rules - PAGE 17

Marrying the daughter of the owner of a large sheep-and-beef farm brought radical change to city draughtsman David Thomas. He learnt from his father-in-law, from field days, from courses: ‘I think if you set your mind to doing something, you can do anything,’ says David. – page 26.

Young contractor ploughs ahead - PAGE 66

Trade services and equipment - PAGE 78

www.waterfordpress.co.nz

WORLD WIDE AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE

W O R L D

W I D E

AGRICULTURE Lincoln University Lincoln, July 5 - 7 Earlybird Registrations end May 1st

DICK TAYLER - NZ Guest Speaker Dick was the 1974 Commonwealth Games’ gold medalist in the 10,000m and held many New Zealand titles over 1500m to 10,000m distances

TIM REINBOTT - USA

STEPHANIE HOWARD - NEW ZEALAND

DR DON HUBER - USA

Will discuss market issues around genetic modification (GM)

NEAL KINSEY - USA

Discussing how to achieve nutrient-dense crops and foods. He will also discuss the role of sulphur

PETER EGGERS - CANADA

Will discuss his work using the Albrecht programme on corn and forages and the effects it has on soil health Will talk on the role nutrients have on plants and how these protect it from specific diseases

BOB PERRY - USA

Will provide an overview of peer reviewed papers investigating Albrecht and testing methods

He will talk about why and how his yields are better than both GMO and conventional crops

JOAN TIMMERMANS - NETHERLANDS

DR DALE BLEVINS - USA

PETER NORWOOD - AUSTRALIA

Discussing the inter-relationship between calcium and boron, and why we need these two elements

Farmer speakers from Australia and New Zealand

Will speak on use of plant sap analysis

Peter will be discussing human and animal nutrition

To register visit www.wwag.co.nz or email bruce@wwag.co.nz

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INDEX »

Business Rural

05 Water at heart of Battle of Maryburn

21 NZ move the best of wedding presents

An English couple, who announced at their wedding that they were moving to New Zealand, have no regrets - they say a dairy-farming career would not have been possible in the UK.

Changes to the rules sparked an 18-year battle when a high-country station in the Mackenzie Basin sought to renew its water rights to service all-important irrigation.

33-39 Some of the best of Kiwi bulls

The round of late autumn/early winter bull sales is just over the horizon. Some of the South Island’s best put their wares on the table. .

47 Koreans get taste for blackcurrants

Health-conscious South Koreans, concerned about the purity of their food, have taken a liking to New Zealand blackcurrants – because they have seen them on TV,.

52 Farming dreams can come true

Dreams and ideas, even if they’re of the ‘wild-arse’ variety, can come true – as the manager of a Southland hill-country station has found out..

PUBLISHER James Lynch GENERAL MANAGER Rex Lynch

112 Wrights Road, Addington PO Box 37 346, Christchurch www.waterfordpress.co.nz

EDITOR Dion Crooks Ph: 03 983 5505 | Email: dion@waterfordpress.co.nz JOURNALISTS Kelly Deeks, Karen Phelps, Neil Grant, Sue Russell Richard Loader, Russell Fredric, Kim Newth MARKETING CONSULTANTS Allan J Knowles, Adam Feaver, Mandi King, Lisa Moffat Ph: 03 983 5550 | Email: sales@waterfordpress.co.nz

58-80 Truck safety 101 launched

The New Zealand Trucking Association is taking its road safety message into schools. A variety of rural-service providers talk about what they’ve got to offer. .

ART DEPARTMENT Samantha Stuart, Liki Udam, Anton Gray, Mike Perry Connor Gosnell, Caleb Yappa, Donne Threadwell Ph: 03 983 5560 | Email: art@waterfordpress.co.nz

Autumn 2017

www.waterfordpress.co.nz

OFFICE / ACCOUNTS Helen Bourne, Jill Holland, Alex Cohen Ph: 03 983 5500 | Email: helen@waterfordpress.co.nz CUSTOMER SERVICES Ann-Marie Frentz, Mary Pycroft, Alissa Jones, Patti Brown, Kay McQuilkin Ph: 03 983 5554 | Email: annmarie@waterfordpress.co.nz

PRODUCTION MANAGER Luke Lynch

These conditions are prescribed for the sake of understanding between the Company and its clients. Advertising is charged for on the basis of space taken up using a standard tabloid page. Actual space may be reduced during the printing process but this will effect all advertisers equally so no credit will be given for any reduction in size due to processing. The Company reserves the right to alter, change or omit entirely any advertisement or article that it considers to be objectionable or which may contravene any law. In the event of a failure on the part of the Company to insert advertising as instructed the Company may publish the advertisement at the first available subsequent reasonable date unless the advertisement features date sensitive material. Every care shall be taken to publish the advertisement in accordance with the advertisers instructions as to page and position but the Company reserves the right for whatever reason to place advertising in a different position and in doing so shall incur no liability whatsoever. Advertisers must advise Business immediately of any error or omission in advertisements and shall work constructively to remedy the situation which in the first instance shall be a rerun of the corrected advertisement in the next available issue of Business. Where advertisement proofs have been faxed or mailed to the client 48 hours prior to the nominated printing cutoff time acquiesce shall be taken as confirmation and acceptance. Corrections made by telephone shall be accepted but the Company reserves the right to decide whether a further proof should be faxed or mailed to the client. Accounts for advertising are due for payment within seven days of publication of the newspaper. Accounts not paid within this time may incur a penalty of 3% per month until the account is paid. Any debt collection costs incurred by the Company will be added to the account of the debtor. Views and opinions expressed in Business Rural are not necessarily those of the editors, Waterford Press Ltd or publisher. Business Rural welcomes contributions from freelance writers & journalists. All articles published at editors discretion. Business Rural accepts no responsibilty for loss of photos or manuscripts. 17RS1

Draughtsman to stockman INSIDE

Adrian sticks with performers - PAGE 12

Centre-pivots change rules - PAGE 17

Marrying the daughter of the owner of a large sheep-and-beef farm brought radical change to city draughtsman David Thomas. He learnt from his father-in-law, from field days, from courses: ‘I think if you set your mind to doing something, you can do anything,’ says David. – page 26.

Young contractor ploughs ahead - PAGE 66

Trade services and equipment - PAGE 78

www.waterfordpress.co.nz

WORLD WIDE AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE DICK TAYLER - NZ Guest Speaker Dick was the 1974 Commonwealth Games’ gold medalist in the 10,000m and held many New Zealand titles over 1500m to 10,000m distances STEPHANIE HOWARD - NEW ZEALAND

W O R L D

W I D E

AGRICULTURE Lincoln University Lincoln, July 5 - 7 Earlybird Registrations end May 1st

Will discuss market issues around genetic modification (GM)

NEAL KINSEY - USA

Discussing how to achieve nutrient-dense crops and foods. He will also discuss the role of sulphur

PETER EGGERS - CANADA

He will talk about why and how his yields are better than both GMO and conventional crops

DR DALE BLEVINS - USA

Discussing the inter-relationship between calcium and boron, and why we need these two elements

Farmer speakers from Australia and New Zealand

TIM REINBOTT - USA

Will discuss his work using the Albrecht programme on corn and forages and the effects it has on soil health

DR DON HUBER - USA

Will talk on the role nutrients have on plants and how these protect it from specific diseases

BOB PERRY - USA

Will provide an overview of peer reviewed papers investigating Albrecht and testing methods

JOAN TIMMERMANS - NETHERLANDS Will speak on use of plant sap analysis

PETER NORWOOD - AUSTRALIA

Peter will be discussing human and animal nutrition

To register visit www.wwag.co.nz or email bruce@wwag.co.nz

RURAL PEOPLE » David Eason

Business Rural

|3

Helicopter a handy helper Neil Grant The Umbrella Mountains lie to the west of the Clutha River near Roxburgh. Near their southern end, Crown Rock Station occupies two blocks.

The 485-hectare home block is on rolling land around 400 metres in altitude, and is all cultivated.

Half an hour away by road – or three minutes by helicopter – the 3600ha run block heads up into steep country reaching over 1100 metres.

Eighty hectares of this are cultivated, 2000ha are oversown and top-dressed. The rest is native vegetation.

David Eason is the third generation of his family to farm here. His grandfather bought the station in 1964, and it passed on to David through his father.

All farms have their quirks. This one lies to the south, so can be cold. Winter can bring three good snowfalls, with up to a metre and a half on the tops.

Listening in to the weather forecast is important if snow raking is to be avoided.

But, being on the edge of Central Otago, there’s plenty of heat in the summer sun. Creeks and streams run through, so stockwater is no problem.

Fodder beet, kale and swedes occupy 60ha of the home block. A thousand bales of grass balage and 500 of lucerne are made, all without irrigation as rainfall is sufficient.

“We fatten our own lambs and cattle,” David Eason says. “It’s a system Dad worked out, and if it’s not broken, why change it?”

Crown Rock runs 7500 romdale ewes and 750 cows – hereford, angus and first-cross angus.

“We put a terminal charolais over the first-cross cows. They grow out better,” says David. “We put angus over the angus cows, and hereford or angus over the herefords to get those first-cross cows. All the crossing comes down to getting hybrid vigour.

The charolais eat more, but the calves mature faster and are heavier.”

With the sheep, they pick out the top two-thirds of the romdale ewes and put a romdale ram over them. A suffolk goes over the rest.

“Blackface lambs are good and grow good carcases,” David reckons.

At the moment, he and his partner, Ruth, are doing everything themselves. Usually they have two staff, but are expecting a new staff member soon, with another to follow.

PHOTOS – Above: All hands on deck for mustering romdale ewes on steep country at Crown Rock Station. Lower left: Angus cattle on the move.

Getting staff can be tricky: “A lot of people would like to work on a sheep-and-beef farm, but...

“Getting a good team of dogs is the biggest problem. To buy good dogs is pretty expensive and they take time to train. But they work at a good daily rate.”

David had a helicopter licence when a young man, but let it lapse. Realising its advantages on this farm, he has made it current again.

They are expensive to fly, but are worth it for the time they save, especially with two separate blocks.

Also, if that early snowfall is forecast, and the stock are still out on the run, the chopper gets them down pretty quickly.

“We can get the cattle down in a day – cows and calves work well with the helicopter, but you have to be careful. Sheep are more stubborn, especially if it’s a hot day.”

Lurking in the background are two potential concerns.

The requirement of having to fence all the waterways has economic and management issues that may need to be faced. And tenure review has been niggling away.

“We don’t want to go through that. We would lose all that ground our stock go onto after weaning.

That would lead to a drop in stock units. We can say no and withdraw. But then they might increase the rental.”

A farmer always has something to think about.

Hill Shearing Services Ronny & Tracey Hill

Blade and Machine Shearing Experienced Shearers Certified Woolhandlers A contractor that shears in the shed Ph: 03 418 2926 Car: 027 418 2926 Email: hillshearing@ihug.co.nz

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Logan Affleck owner/operator Heriot, RD 2, Tapanui, West Otago Mobile: 027 230-6916 Ph/Fax: 03 204 2177

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RURAL PEOPLE » Stephen & Lynlee Langridge

Business Rural

New shed mirrors development Richard Loader Relaxed and pampered with tails and toes trimmed while listening to the soothing sounds of ABBA, Stephen and Lynlee Langridge’s cows might well compare their new 50-bail Milfos rotary shed to a five-star hotel, replete with beauty parlour.

The milking process, a pleasure now looked forward to by bovine guest and man alike, is somewhat different from the four-hour ordeal from the previous 34-year-old, 28-bail rotary.

And that was state of the art in comparison to the original four-bail, walk-through shed installed on the West Coast farm in 1947.

The transition from low to hi-tech sheds mirrors the development of the Langridges’ dairy and deer farm since it has been in their family’s ownership.

Located 22 kilometres inland from Kumara in the tiny settlement of Taramakau, the 429-hectare farm was bought by Stephen’s father in 1967.

“At that stage only 50 acres were in pasture with the rest was largely native forest along with river flats that flooded,” says Stephen.

Stephen, who was just five when his parents moved onto the farm, says they milked 45 cows through the walk-through shed for four years before his dad decided dairying wasn’t his thing, and changed to beef, sheep and venison.

The native bush abounded with deer and in his first three years on the farm, Stephen’s father put 600 deer in the venison chillers.

“It was the deer that really gave us our start,” says Stephen. “It set us up with the houses, sheds and other infrastructure.”

In his teens Stephen and his father worked together clearing gorse and heavy bush from the farm, turning it into usable farmland. Stopbanks were also placed along the edge of the Taramakau river to prevent flooding, enabling the river flats to be used.

After leaving school Stephen worked on neighbouring farms clearing scrub and bush by day, milking mornings and afternoons, and capturing deer on his parents’ farm by night.

“It was full on in those days, living on four hours’ sleep a day,” he says. “We carried on with the live capture of deer for 15 years and built our herd up to 400. It’s now a large part of our farming operation.”

In the early ‘80s, with Stephen and Lynlee back on the farm, a decision was made to convert back to dairy with a herd of 170 jersey-cross milked off

• To page 5

PHOTOS: Top: Lynlee and Stephen Langridge, in their Taramakau pasture with their daughter-in-law to be, Rachel. Above: Ryan Langridge on the job in the Langridges’ new 50-bail MIlfos dairy. One person can now do the milking in half the time it used to take.

PROUD TO SUPPORT

STEVE AND LYNLEY LANGRIDGE

IN THEIR NEW DAIRY SHED

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Proud to support Stephen and Lynley Langridge Transport Enquiries Contact Eddie 0274 328 429 Brad 027 250 1166 Contracting Enquiries Contact Eddie 0274 328 429 Stephen 027 325 8344

office@edswain.co.nz www.edswain.co.nz

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We service sheds on the West Coast through to Murchison Contact your local specialists in:

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For all your rural transportation needs Livestock Cartage Bulk Cartage

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Ph: 03 732 3719 Fax: 03 732 3783 A/Hrs: 03 732 3879

RURAL PEOPLE » Martin & Penny Murray

Business Rural

|5

Water at heart of the ‘Battle of Maryburn’ Richard Loader Battling periodic droughts, plagues of rabbits and an invasion of weeds such as hieracium, the farming families of the Mackenzie Basin need to be determined and resilient to survive. Water is their lifeblood; without it they cannot farm.

The Murray family typifies this determination and resilience. Not just with their ability to withstand whatever climatic extremes may be thrown their way, but also the 15-year battle they endured to gain vital irrigation consents for their sheep and beef farm.

Martin’s father, Tim, took possession of Maryburn, 9000 hectares of predominantly leasehold land, in 1957.

The station extends west from the Tekapo River to the Maryburn stream with a second block taking in the south-western end of the Mary Range to Lake Pukaki.

Today, Martin and his family farm hereford cattle, merino and merino-cross sheep, along with some faster growing poll merinos on a reduced 4500ha of freehold land.

The balance was surrendered to the Department of Conservation for a dryland park in the heart of the Mackenzie – the result of a tenure review that

took 20 years to complete, finally being signed off in 2014.

The next bridge to cross was irrigation. Water usage and irrigation is not something new to the Mackenzie.

Martin’s father was the first to bring border-dyke irrigation to the Mackenzie, taking water from te Maryburn stream in 1971 through a government subsidy.

“Dad put 170ha of border-dyke irrigation onto our property,” says Martin. “The border dykes put an ‘engine room’ into the station and we were no longer dictated by ‘the dry’. Prior to that, no winter feed was made – or bugger all. We were totally reliant on a good spring basically and a good autumn.”

With no water restrictions, 300 litres/second was taken to irrigate the land when needed, right up till 1992 when Environment Canterbury (Ecan) reviewed the rules and regulations for water use because dairy farming was starting down country.

A constraint was imposed that required Maryburn stream to have a minimum flow of 170 litres per second before the border dykes could be used.

The Murrays could work with that. But in 1998 they had to renew their water rights and the

Above: Martin Murray drafts sheep. Lower left: The dry side of Maryburn...typical Mackenzie tussock brown. minimum stream flow was increased to 330 litres per second.

“That basically took away all the water we had always had, and we lost our engine room really,” says Martin. “We could water in November—when we didn’t really need it. But not in January when we did need it, because the flow wasn’t there.”

Applying for consent to use pivot irrigators that would avoid taking water from the Maryburn saw Martin caught up in 15 years’ worth of submissions, hearings and reviews before consent was finally given on the irrigation scheme in February 2016.

In the intervening years stock were sold much earlier than they otherwise would have been, and stock numbers were reduced.

A lot more of the land had to be developed and about 300ha of lucerne put in. Even with the lucerne, a huge amount of money was spent on grain, says Martin.

The eventual consent was to run a pipeline from the Tekapo canal to the farm out-take. The scheme is designed to connect to four pivot irrigators (the

consent is for eight pivots, four of which will be through the Pukaki Irrigation Company).

All infrastructure, including the in-ground pipeline from the canal to the farm out-take and a massive fish screen in the canal, were at the Murrays’ expense.

The first two pivots were installed in December 2016, covering 200ha with water supplied under pressure to eliminate pumping costs. Another two will be installed this autumn and will cover a further 180ha.

“In the long term the drought is not going to affect us ever again,” says Martin. “My golf handicap has gone from 16 down to nine – because I don’t have to worry about where my animals’ next mouth of feed is coming from. It just means I can sleep at night.”

His wife, Penny, says she is incredibly proud of her husband’s resilience and determination to go the distance.

While the capital expenditure has been huge with many sleepless nights, it’s an investment that will ensure farming sustainability.

Ayrshires ‘keep on munching’ • From page 4 a platform of 210ha. A flash new 28-bail rotary was installed for the purpose.

The herd now sits at 500, split in thirds between jersey, friesian and ayrshire.

“We’re quite cold up in the top end of the valley, it’s a lot higher than the other farms,” Stephen says.

“My lovely big ayrshires just keep on munching and, as far as converting grass into milk, just don’t go down. A lot of our ayrshires do over 400 kilograms of milksolids.”

In December 2014, the dairy payouts were looking good and they decided to replace the aging rotary with a larger one that brought lots of automation.

“It had got to the stage that, with 480 cows, it was taking four hours’ of milking each morning and night.

“And it needed a lot of compliance work done to get it up to speed. Having people stand around wasting time milking cows is just ridiculous.”

So, they bought the state-of-the-art Milfos rotary and, amidst a plummeting dairy payout, the new shed was switched on in September 2015.

With a high level of automation and labour saving devices, milking is now a one-person job that takes a couple of hours, including the washing-

One of the great things is a wash gland that enables the system to be washed down while the table is still in rotation. That allows activities like drafting and A1 to continue after milking. up. The time and labour savings are redeployed to other areas on the farm.

“One of the great things is a wash gland that enables the system to be washed down while the table is still in rotation. That allows activities like drafting and AI to continue after milking.”

Stephen says it’s a happier place for everyone to work in and wishes he had one when he was putting the cups on. These days that job is left to his son, Ryan, and farm managers Colin and Michelle Holmes.

39 Ge o r g e St r e e t , Ti m a r u , Ne w P h o n e ( 03) 687 9222 Em a i l h c m a i l @ h c p w w w .h c p a r t n

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Serving the rural community since 1917 Always proud to support Maryburn Station 114 Allandale Road, Fairlie Ph (03) 685 8583 Fax (03) 685 8543 Email barwoods@barwoods.co.nz

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RURAL PEOPLE » Chris & Sam Wech

Business Rural

Samara (left) and Chris (right) Wech drench calves in their dairy shed. They peak-milk 420 friesian-based cows through the 32-a-side herringbone shed.

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Light at end of payout tunnel Russell Fredric

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The light at the end of the tunnel is growing a little brighter for dairy farmers like Chris and Samara Wech.

While it will still be some time before the last wagon on the train sees daylight, the Wechs count themselves as fortunate in being well prepared for the down-turn.

The couple, who have five children aged from six to 14, took ownership two years ago of the Northern Southland farm from Bob and Kathleen Manning, of Te Kauwhata, after 50:50 sharemilking for eight years.

Their time as sharemilkers was “brilliant”, Chris says.

“The owners were good and they left us alone and we upped the production. We increased annual production on this farm up by 46,000 kilograms of milksolids.”

Last season it totalled 197,200kg following a peak of 212,000kg – pleasing figures considering production was 164,000kg when the Wechs started sharemilking.

The farm peak-milks 420 friesian-based cows on 136 hectares (effective) through a 32-a-side herringbone shed.

It is supported by a 30-hectare, dry-stock property which the Wechs have leased to buy; they will take full ownership in June.

With about 1200 millimetres of “good Southland rain” annually, no irrigation is required. And, with the dry-stock block, the farm is self-sufficient year round for feed.

They have 10 hectares of winter crop (swede and kale) and two hectares of rape and Moata ryegrass which is fed to in-calf heifers.

Chris agrees that sharemilking for eight years before buying the farm has given them the benefit of time. They have reduced costs and improved pasture management along the way, as well as increasing production. Farm working expenses last season were $3.16/kg.

A philosophy of keeping things simple, such as breeding good cows and eliminating those that are marginal or unproductive, and focusing on genetics and good pasture management left the Wechs in a good position when the payout dropped.

“A lot of farmers culled heavily, but I never did because I didn’t need to. When I cull my cows, it’s all based on PW (production worth) and udders.”

A “big key” of the farm’s operation is that the Wechs have their own cultivation equipment; they

Mobile 0274 994 025 - Ph (03) 225 7480 - Sinclair Ave, Nightcaps

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Chris and Samara Wech with their five children, aged between six and 14.

• To page 7

RURAL PEOPLE » Matt & Anna O’Brien

Business Rural

|7

Lindis hones finishing finesse Kim Newth Large-scale investment has transformed Lindis Crossing Station over the past seven years into a highly efficient finishing operation.

The 770-hectare, former dryland, sheep station in Central Otago has undergone major irrigation development, with five centre-pivots now contributing the bulk of water over 430ha of irrigated land.

Getting water from the Lindis River has been no mean feat: the water is accessed by pumping up 140 metres in elevation. Two dams have been added for water storage, and additional water is sourced from the Clutha River.

Manager Matt O’Brien says stock numbers have increased significantly as the irrigated area has expanded. The station is now finishing 23,000 lambs, 3000 cattle and 750 weaner deer a year.

“We have also re-grassed the entire property and put in new yards and new fencing. The climate here is very dry, but we have found the grass grows really well if it gets enough water, and the stock do well too.”

Lindis Crossing is part of the Alpine Pastures group, which also owns the Marylands farm operation – across the road from Lindis Crossing – and Winchmore, near Ashburton.

Matt O’Brien says farm procedures are closely

managed and monitored, and the owners are updated regularly.

“We’ve been using the FarmIQ system for a couple of years and find it absolutely fantastic for keeping track of our data. We record everything,

‘Good grass’ an asset in downturn • From page 6 employ a manager and a second-in-charge, allowing Chris time to cultivate and re-grass paddocks.

“We’ve pretty much ploughed most of the farm and we’ve got really good grass,” he says, “We were lucky we were set up for a bad couple of seasons because we had good grass growth.”

“We pulled back on track maintenance, but the rest of the farming work cost-structure was the same as in previous years.”

During late autumn each season, a third of pastures are aerated.

Chris says this makes a noticeable difference to grass growth by counteracting the effect of cow compaction and opening up the soil pan, enabling grass roots to go deeper to draw from potentially dormant nutrients.

With the recent increases in Fonterra’s forecast farm-gate payout, the Wechs are now concentrating on reducing loans they have taken out to keep them on track during the past two seasons.

from spraying and fertiliser applications to stock shifts. Our staff seem to find it very easy to use; it’s all done on a mobile phone.”

Wetland areas and ponds are being progressively fenced off and planted with native trees and shrubs, and a river boundary with the Lindis River is being fenced off to keep stock out.”

Growing grass well to finish stock is the primary goal of the station, but lucerne is also grown over 90ha to provide spring feed for cattle and summer grazing for lambs.

After a successful trial planting of fodder beet four years ago, the station switched from kale to beet for supplementary winter stockfeed.

“The growth rates we can get over winter out of fodder beet and the amount of feed we can grow in a small area makes it a very good choice for us,” says Matt.

New weighing systems have been installed and last winter, a new stockwater scheme was installed across one side of the farm (including 3500 metres of new pipe and 25 troughs).

“We’re now looking at variable rate irrigation (VRI) on the pivots so that we can set precisely how much water goes over a particular area. It’s all about saving water.”

Matt’s wife, Anna, manages a veterinary clinic in Wanaka and the couple have two teenage children.

While there isn’t too much time for recreation, he enjoys taking a break every now and again to go hunting, fishing, tramping, or skiing over winter.

PHOTOS: Sheep (above) and cattle (lower left) on Lindis Crossing. Stock numbers have increased significantly following major irrigation development. The station now finishes 23,000 lambs, 3000 cattle and 750 weaner deer a year.

Richard Woodhead: 027 437 4863 Phone: 03 443 7017 Email: wanakaag@gmail.com Proud to support Lindis Crossing Station Cultivation - Direct Drilling Silage Harvesting - Baleage - Hay Baling

Upper Clutha Transport N o J ob too B i g or S mall Stock Cartage Bulk Cartage Sowing • Freight Gravel Supplies

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Phone Luggate 03 443 8221 • Phone Wanaka 03 443 7833

upper.clutha@xtra.co.nz • www.uppercluthatransport.co.nz Paul Nicolson

Servicing all Western Southland

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RURAL PEOPLE: Âť Fiona & Guy Redfern, Tina & Colin Nimmo

Business Rural

Isolated farm takes quake in its stride Karen Phelps Being one of New Zealand’s most isolated farms can make the job more challenging, but it proved to a blessing when the November earthquake hit Kaikoura.

Muzzle Station – which is halfway up the Clarence River between the Seaward and Inland Kaikoura ranges – experienced damage, but the fact it was already pretty self-sufficient proved an advantage, say Fiona and Guy Redfern, who run the property in conjunction with Fiona’s parents, Tina and Colin Nimmo.

The farm is accessible only by a track that connects to the inland road to Kaikoura. It takes about three hours by four-wheel-drive to get to Kaikoura – as long as snow or flooding doesn’t prevent crossing the Clarence River and getting over the 1370-metre Seaward Kaikoura range.

Aircraft owned by the family are, therefore, an important part of the farm equipment for access.

The farm also has its own water turbine to generate power and is used to not having cell-phone reception. It was 1994 when the farm got a landline phone and 1996 when it got television reception.

The main earthquake damage was to tracks and fences; there was some damage to the homestead, the stable and an 1860s cob cottage that had been used for worker accommodation.

PHOTOS Above: Mustering is a family affair at Muzzle Station, which is halfway up the Clarence River between the Seaward and Inland Kaikoura ranges.

The first priority was fixing the track – remedial work opened access at New Year. Land damage ranged from moderate to severe, and includes slips, rock falls, cracks, and creeks that have dammed and formed lakes.

Minor damage is self-repairing as cattle and sheep walk over the land, but larger damage will have to remain, says Fiona. However, because of the lie of the land, this shouldn’t affect their farming unless rain causes further slips.

One disruption was that the Redferns were not able to get their cattle out to sell until the new year – around six weeks later than usual. The family finishes its own stock as there is tuberculosis in the herd. This is limiting in a dry year as they cannot sell store cattle, says Fiona.

The station runs 2000 hereford cattle and 5000 merino sheep. The merinos average around 130 per cent weaning and clip 5.4 kilograms of wool over all classes at 18.5 microns. Wool is sold to New Zealand Merino – Fiona says they were very lucky to get it out over the track before the quake.

The 18,000-hectare, high-country property was originally the pastoral-lease part of Bluff Station.

The Muzzle name was derived from one of the large rivers on the property.

Tina and Colin Nimmo bought Muzzle in 1980.

In 2007 a tenure review was done – 10,000ha was taken over by the Department of Conservation, and 8000ha was kept by the Nimmos as freehold.

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE: » Peter Kinney

|9

Experienced couple calm over dairy ups and downs Sue Russell

Muzzle Station’s Fiona and Guy Redfern with their children, Matilda and Arthur.

The couple also obtained a long-term lease on 8000ha of the Clarence Reserve.

As part of its business, Muzzle also has 680 beehives producing blue-borage honey and a very small amount of bush-blend honey.

This part of the business started in the mid-’80s in conjunction with a local beekeeper to provide an additional income source.

Since 2007 Fiona’s sister, Lucy, and her husband, A J Mahuika, have run the honey business in a 50:50 partnership with Muzzle.

Clarence River Apiaries sells a small amount of branded product at farmers’ markets and through local stores, with the rest going to the Blenheimbased Taylor Pass Honey Company.

Because of the challenge of isolation, the Redferns have tackled some development, installing 30ha of k-line, gravity-fed irrigation to help ease the effects of weather on the feed supply.

They have a fairly low stocking rate and, with plenty of land to roam over, the stock normally manage to find enough feed. But because of last year’s dry weather, they had to buy in 300 bales, something they would prefer not to repeat.

Stock are finished on a 130ha property at Kaikoura where Tina and Colin live. It takes the

family two days to walk the stock over there – a journey they have to undertake six times a year – because the track is not suitable for trucks and trailers. The Redferns have their own medium-sized truck to cart fuel and larger, farm-related goods that cannot fit in the plane.

Horses are also important. Mustering is done mainly on horseback with assistance from a familyowned helicopter. Horses are bred on the property and are used for mustering.

And, as a hobby, Tina Nimmo and Fiona Redfern breed and sell a few competition horses, which they rate as very versatile. One bought by a United Kingdom-based customer was short-listed for the Beijing Olympics.

Despite the isolation Muzzle Station is a surprisingly busy place, says Fiona. When Business RuralSouth spoke to her, builders were working there, a student from Lincoln University was there gaining work experience, and a musterer from a nearby station was helping out.

Lance Godfrey has worked on the station for many years, and Fiona and Guy have two children, Matilda, aged two, and Arthur, four. With this generation bringing new energy and life to the station, there is never a dull moment, says Fiona.

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North Canterbury dairy farmers Peter and Joc Kinney are philosophical about the up-and-down nature of the industry after more than 20 years on their 310-hectare (effective) dairy unit, five kilometres from Culverden.

“We’ve had some tough years with drought and lower prices, but compared with other farms in the district, we have coped well,” says Peter. “Having all the milking platform under centre-pivot irrigation is a significant factor.”

Coping with tight seasons has also taught them the benefit of monitoring the performance of all inputs against the costs, and then running a tight ship. Having consistently reliable water from the Waiau and Hurunui rivers has also helped.

“Having to be prudent with expenditure isn’t a bad thing,” says Peter. “Having our 221ha support block is a big positive for us in terms of controlling the cost of feed and being totally self-sufficient.”

In 2015 the couple bought a 275ha beeffinishing block; while Peter has been a longtime dairy farmer, his goal is to own a high-country sheep-and-beef property – a legacy of growing up on a Central Otago sheep and beef farm.

“We have a manager on the beef unit. We’ve always been open to opportunities when they have presented. I think there will be more opportunities in relation to the beef farm.” .

The genetic make-up of their 1180 cows

has changed, with a shift away from the jersey influence to larger friesians.

“We were just getting too high a percentage of crossbred in the herd. I prefer more friesian for its capacity.”

The farm is one of nine in the district participating in a six-year ‘Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching’ research. A level of data recording is involved with the long-term aim of discerning which pasture and cropping regimes are best for reducing nitrate-leaching levels. Peter says has found recording farm-system inputs and outputs well worthwhile.

“We are constantly recording grazing, supplementary feed, irrigation, effluent, fertiliser, stock and feed movement both on and off the property. We’ve been growing fodder beet, a robust high yielding crop for about nine years. The crop is also low in nitrate leaching.”

This season excessive weight loss in cows at calving has affected production – both the peak and the curve are lower.

Part of the stability of their farming operation also relates to a very stable workforce. A farm manager has been with the Kinneys for 14 years, six as manager. There is also a secondin-command and a couple of intermediate herd managers, along with two agricultural students, one from Germany, the other Swedish, here for handson experience of dairy farming.

“They come with a really good attitude and work hard,” says Peter.

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10 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Chris van Wyk

Business Rural

Chris ‘a sucker for challenges’ Karen Phelps When Chris van Wyk took over the management of Landcorp’s Somervilles Dairy unit he saw real potential. “I’m a sucker for challenges,” he admits.

In just one and a half seasons the unit has already seen some significant changes, boosting production and bringing the farm’s pastures springing back to life. The 500-hectare effective/520ha total unit milks a herd of 950 predominantly crossbred cows through a 60-bail rotary shed equipped with automatic cup removers and Milkhub.

Chris, who started on the farm in July 2015 after having managed Landcorp’s Thompsons Dairy next door for two seasons, says that when he arrived, the average pasture cover was 1600 with about 500 bales of silage available to feed the cows. This prompted him to concentrate on improving pastures.

The farm is between Reefton and Greymouth, and the typical West Coast wetness brings challenges around pugging. The unit is rolling with most of the land is hump and hollow. Regular pasture walks and plate metering have seen better control of grass by getting grazing-round lengths correct, and the farm is now producing more than ever.

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This season 1300 tonnes of wet silage was cut compared with 425 tonnes previously. Chris says rampant weed growth has also limited the farm’s potential, so 85 per cent of the farm was sprayed just before winter last year to avoid knocking clover down. A chopper was used for because some paddocks are inaccessible by tractor in wetter weather.

Wild pigs have also been unwelcome residents on the unit, causing further damage to paddocks.

Local hunters have benefited from the situation after being invited onto the farm – this has helped restrict pig populations to healthier levels as well as resulting in some nice wild pork on the dinner plate.

A combination of dier weather patterns and applying fertiliser at the correct times has also been vital in maximising nutrients rather than seeing them washed away.

The farm’s effluent system and underpass have also been upgraded. Around 40ha of the farm is under irrigation using a pod system. The farm has a one-million-litre-capacity, 30-day storage pond.

Better grass production has also resulted in improved cow condition. Repairs to raceways have seen a marked reduction in lameness. The time cows take to get to the shed has also been cut – from an hour and a half to 45 minutes.

When Chris took over, the cow-condition score was 3.5-3.8. He targeted this for improvement, and with better feeding it has risen to 4.2. Last season 700 bales of hay and 60 tonnes of palm kernel were bought in.

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RURAL PEOPLE » Neil & Michelle Allers

Business Rural

| 11

Direct drilling proves ‘a better result’ Sue Russell Neil Allers is in his third season managing Blairs Dairy Unit, part of Landcorp’s Weka Complex, 25 minutes from Greymouth.

Blairs Dairy – one of 16 farms owned by Landcorp Farming Ltd on the West Coast – has an effective milking platform of 435 hectares, and a 60-bail Read Waikato rotary with automatic cup removers and MilkHub. For the bulk of the season, 830 cows are milked twice a day.

“The farm is fairly flat and stoney given its sitting on an old riverbed,” says Neil, “The whole farm is humped and hollowed. The soil and climate conditions we experience here means the farm dries out very fast and when there’s rain, growth is exceptionally strong.”

All waterways have been fenced off and planted in natives.

Feed for the stock comes in the form of wheat, fed in shed along with silage and straw supplemented with swede and kale over winter.

This season is tracking well given the exceptionally wet November and fewer sunshine days than usual, says Neil. By January he was

milking 780 cows and production was three per cent up on last year.

Condition scoring about now will determine which cows will be dried off. He expects milking will have stopped by mid-May. Assisting Neil with the day-to-day operation is second-in-command Krishna Dhakal from Nepal. A farm assistant position was being advertised.

Last year, for the first time, grass and crops were direct drilled, with the work done by Greymouth company Fairhall Agricultural Services Ltd. Neil outlines the reasons for the change: .

“When you sow using a conventional disk, the soil is churned up bringing stones to the surface, making it difficult for machinery to operate over.

With direct drilling, there is little disturbance and, with rolling after drilling, we have a much better surface.”

The direct-drilling process took place through October, November and December, with just over 100 hectares regressed or sown in crops.

“We are very pleased with the outcome,” says Neil. “It is not only a better result, with fewer processes occurring, but it is also more costeffective. Even with straw residue on the paddocks,

the direct drilling could happen.”

Neil, who comes from South Africa, says he is really enjoying the opportunities offered by working for Landcorp. His wife, Michelle, is on hand to help with calf rearing and, when needed, provides an extra hand in the shed, helps with herd testing and fetching the cows.

“I enjoy farming and plan to remain here some time,” Neil says. “Managing is a step up, dealing with employment and managing staff, being

ultimately responsible for the farm’s performance.”

Neil says this season’s goal is to produce 296,000 kilograms of milksolids. By with a smaller herd than last season, by mid-January production was tracking about five per cent below this target, given the reduced size of the milking herd from last season.

“I’m confident that we can claw back some of that deficit, but not too concerned given our smaller milking herd at this time,” says Neil.

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Pasture growth manager’s focus • on its units to preserve the environment, the farm will concentrate more heavily on grass and buy in just 30 tonnes of palm kernel; the goal is zero. No balage will be brought in as everything can now be grown on farm.

The farm will grow 17has of kale, and Chris is trialling 10ha of fodder beet – he is excited about the potential of this feed. Around 35ha of chicory is grown as a summer crop after a noted dip in production in summer when there is a deficit in grass quality.

Around 10 per cent of the farm is being regrassed each year, and Chris aims to increase this to 20% to bring pastures up to speed even quicker.

Improvements have also been made to enhance the farm’s environmental footprint. Two waterways run along the borders of the farm and these have been fenced off. The next plan is to begin riparian planting.

Efficiency in the shed has also been under the spotlight. Upgrades to the shed have included a

change for the cluster system – it is now placed on a hanging system instead of a table.

Four full-time staff live in houses on the farm.

Chris says all staff are sent on regular training courses as improving their skills helps them take ownership of their jobs and greater responsibility.

“A focus is to uplift staff so that they can progress through the system and through the farming industry,” he says.

Safety is always at the forefront. Chris is proud that of the 14 farms in the Landcorp West Coast group, Somervilles Dairy is near the top in this area.

The best Somervilles Dairy has produced in a season is 307,417 kilograms of milksolids, he says. Last season the total was 242,435kg and this season’s target is 320,000kg. Chris sees much more potential yet, and says this is what drives him each day.

“There is still a lot of scope for improvement on the farm, especially around pugging, pasture quality and production. It feels absolutely satisfying to see the farm transform. I love what I’m doing; farming is a passion.”

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12 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Adrian Lawson

Business Rural

Adrian sticks with performers Russell Fredric The history of romney sheep can be traced back centuries, to when they originated as a separate breed on the cold, isolated marshes of Kent in southern England.

In New Zealand, romneys have long been recognised as a dual-purpose sheep with an ability to handle climates across a range of latitudes from the sub-tropical north to areas exposed to the roaring 40s in the south.

Their contribution to New Zealand’s sheep industry is even recognised by a romney statue in Gore.

While the dominance of purebred romney has waned in favour of other breeds and cross-breeds from the 1980s, Southland farmer Adrian Lawson has never had reason to change.

His liking for romneys is not an emotional attachment. It’s because of their contribution to a farming business that shows excellent figures across a range of measures, as well as a history of accolades.

“The main reason I stuck with them is the sheep we had here were performing,” says Adrian.

The performance of his flock has been independently endorsed; he was the 2016 winner of the Merial Ancare West Otago-Southland ewe hogget competition, and in 2004 was New Zealand Romney Farmer of the Year.

He has been farming on the 161-hectare property since 1994. The farm in Morton Mains, near Invercargill, supports 1670 purebred romney breeding ewes, 400 hoggets and about 12 fattening cattle.

Rams are sourced from Todd and Fleur Anderson, of Kauana, near Winton in Southland.

About 800 of the breeding ewes go to a romney ram and the balance are crossed with a border leicester for the lucrative ewe lamb market.

“The top cut this year made $145 (per lamb) at the Lorneville two-tooth and ewe-lamb fair,” says Adrian. “That’s why I breed them.

“It’s a limited market, but there’s a very good demand for the top-quality lambs and we are pretty consistently in the top three pen prices in that market. That’s about what we’ve averaged for the last five or six years.”

Each year all of the farm’s romney ewe lambs are sold, and this year demand has completely outstripped supply.

•

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Jon Dampney & Hayley Bennett

| 13

‘Smart’ systems reduce shed time, track herd health, performance Sue Russell Jon Dampney and partner Hayley Bennett are in their second season of contract-milking a 273-hectare (effective) dairy unit near Lismore, in Mid-Canterbury.

The farm’s milking shed is a 50-bail Milfos rotary with DeLaval plant and Protrack, automatic cup removers, in-shed feeding and a GEA system which has yield, milk and protein meters in each set of cups.

“Because we have the GEA system, we effectively herd-test every day and we have in-shed feeding of wheat along with a mineral supplement,” says Jon Dampney.

This year 1100 cows were milked at peak, down from 1130 last season. Jon has been shifting the genetic pool of the herd over the last two years to try to lift condition and consequent milksolids performance.

“We are aiming for a bigger crossbred cow.

Currently we have a smaller crossbred/jersey herd, so we are putting friesian across the herd until we get the ideal-sized cow.”

For the past two seasons he has introduced a milking regime that has essentially maintained milksolids production performance while substantially reducing milking time.

In February 2015 a Max-T system was installed to allows the platform to be set at various speeds.

“I set the platform speed and the cups are automatically pulled off at the exit gate, therefore

having no repeats. At the start I was very sceptical as I didn’t believe the cows would learn to milk out after a certain time. But to my surprise they do, and I will never go back to the old way.

“Max-T reduced our milking time by an hour and a half in the morning, and 45 minutes in the afternoon, mastitis never became a problem, and we maintained 500 kilograms of milksolids a season per cow.”

He employs four staff, running a six-on two-off roster so that there are always three working. Roles range through second-in-command, an intermediate farm worker and two junior assistants. Over calving Hayley rears the calves.

At peak, a milking takes three and a half to four hours.

Jon says the farm operates intensive stocking and feeding systems, with a current stocking rate of 4.1 per hectare.

To supplement the grass-based system, fodder beet is grown over nine and a half hectares, and the cows winter-graze on kale.

“Feeding is a big thing around here,” says Jon. “With the size of the cow we are getting, we are breeding for capacity and ability to eat, which is helping with production.”

While the long-term production aim is 530kg milksolids per cow, he says he is satisfied with the 500kg of the last two seasons.

Jon and Hayley have a three-year contract on the farm, With two young children and the responsibilities of overseeing the operation, Jon chooses to not put himself on the regular roster.

“I basically float, filling in when necessary, not dealing with the day-to-day milking processes that take up the bulk of the working hours of my staff.”

The couples are aiming for 50:50 sharemilking status as their next step.

Jon says he is especially pleased at having

attained a production cost of $3.90/milksolids produced: “We are always looking for ways to get our costs lower. It’s about everyday working smarter to get the best out of every process. We are very fortunate to have irrigation, which gives us a degree of certainty to factor into planning.”

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Spring lambing ‘the best ever’ • The farm’s terminal flock comprises romneys crossed with a poll dorset/texel.

All lambs killed are processed by Blue Sky Meats; last year’s average carcass weight was 21.3 kilograms, which was another “string in the bow” in the ewe hogget competition.

“We had the heaviest lambs and the highest average price; our lambs last year averaged $110 which was well above average,”says Adrian.

Two years ago the farm’s pastures were heavily attacked by the clover root weevil, but have now recovered extremely well.

Last spring’s lambing was “the best ever” at 162 per cent from a ewe pregnancy scanning of 185%.

“I am happy with scanning at that level, and we have pretty high survival,” says Adrian.

He is also pleased with a triplet rate of just seven to eight per cent, which he believes contributes to the good survival rate.

This season’s weather presented some curved balls, with a bumper spring making grass growth difficult to manage, and a cold, windy summer with little heat until late February which made fattening lambs challenging.

“I’m pleased with how the lambs have done with an absolute minimum of feed from weaning onwards.”

Adrian has been trialling 6.5ha of AberZeus, a high sugar intermediate diploid perennial ryegrass.

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He is impressed with the growth rates of lambs fed on AberZeus, citing it as excellent fattening tucker on which lambs stay clean.

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14 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Chris & Anne-Marie Allen

Business Rural

Drive to improve behind Plate to Pasture success Kim Newth In more than 20 years on their Mid Canterbury farm, Chris and Anne-Marie Allen have never lost sight of their primary goal – to supply quality stock to meet consumers’ needs.

Their hard work and dedication to achieve that goal was rewarded last year when they were named winners of Silver Fern Farms’ 2016 Plate to Pasture awards.

Being receptive to new technology and innovation has underpinned their approach to farm management, says Chris. Since taking up Annadale farm at Ashburton Forks in 1994, their investments in infrastructure and precision farming techniques

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Winning the award has only whetted their appetite to keep on improving.

“It’s nice to be recognised by your peers, but the great benefit for us is being able to mix with some of the other competitors and look at what we can learn from them,” says Chris. “We’re always open to innovation. For example, we’re exploring how we may be able to use solar energy to power our irrigators.”

In terms of stock units, the farm has around 1800 breeding draft ewes and 400 hoggets, along with 350 rising-one-year and 350 rising-two-year cattle. The property finishes 5500 lambs a year.

Working closely with the Allens is stock manager Nicky Norrie, who shares the couple’s farm-improvement ethos. A student is also employed over the summer.

One of the most recent improvements made at Annadale has been the addition of new cattle yards, which are already repaying the investment, says Chris.

“Anne-Marie and Nicky can now walk in a large mob of cattle and weigh them all very easily and safely. It’s so much better than what we had before.

We can draft stock automatically, record weights against IDs and keep track of individual animals.”

Managing data collected through on-farm monitoring is Anne-Marie’s area of expertise. Farm IQ is being used to assist with data recording and analysis; accounting software is used to track the farm’s business performance.

The property has been extensively re-grassed – an ongoing process necessary to ensure there is always good pasture for finishing lambs.

With relatively low average annual rainfall (under 800mm), getting the most out of their water allocation has been another priority for the couple.

They have progressively upgraded the farm’s

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Marion & Jono Breach

| 15

Couple’s career move proves fulfils Breaches’ hopes Sue Russell Marion and Jonathan Breach moved to farm at Heddon Bush, 10 minutes north of Winton in Western Southland, because they they saw opportunity to advance their dairying careers. Nine years on, Jono says that is what has happened.

“We’re sharemilking on a beautiful farm of 394 hectares effective. Last summer we installed a new 20-million-litre effluent pond. With up to 270 days of storage, we don’t need to irrigate when soil temperatures are low and soil moisture levels are up, causing nutrient run-off.

“In winter here, the plants aren’t able to take up the nutrients, so this massive storage means we can irrigate the effluent as a resource rather than a waste product.”

Having the additional storage capability brings 60 per cent of the farm under irrigation and traditionally less-productive paddocks can grow good grass.

The farm operates to a system-three feeding regime, with barley introduced through the 64-bail DeLaval milking shed along with silage. The plant includes automatic cup removers, teat sprayer and protrack.

“In terms of infrastructure, there’s only a few tweaks ahead,” says Jono.

“There’s talk of maybe building a stand-off/ feedpad, but that will be a few years away. And

having cell-count meters would also be very useful given the size of the herd.”

The predominantly friesian herd of eight years ago has been pulled back to straight kiwicross.

Jono says the shift to a smaller-framed animal is better suited to Southland’s soils.

This season 1180 cows were peak-milked and production is tracking at five per cent above the season target of 500,000 kilograms of milksolids.

“We have some newer grasses coming through in the system, which has meant we’ve been able to

cut down on barley and silage. We have also got rid of a lot of old cows.”

Four staff work full-time staff on the farm. Two of them, Wade Hendriks and Neel Chand, have been with Jono for several years, while Tina Hobbs and Tyron Cull have been taken on this season.

The Breachs have two children, Katie, nine, and Ewan, seven, who go to Heddon Bush School. The school and its 51 pupils are an integral part of the district, says Jono.

Marion is president of the Home and School

group and does the farm administration and calfrearing.”

Jono finds his role as Federated Farmers Southland’s provincial sharemilkers’ section chairperson rewarding and also a way of giving back to the industry he cares so much about.

“We have been members of Federated Farmers for eight years. In my role I’m here to help any sharemilker/contract milker deal with issues, provide advice on contracts, and really just be a sounding board.”

At national level Federated Farmers is reviewing and aligning contracts to be more in step with industry conditions.

“We are a very strong political lobbying group which is taken seriously by politicians. To maintain this we need to have a stream of new members.

Southland has a large percentage of corporate farms and they don’t tend to join Federated Farmers. But you don’t have to be a farm-owner to join...any staff can become members too.”

The Southland Regional Council’s water and land policies are under scrutiny and Southland Federated Farmers is creating its policy network, “All we are calling for is a fair and just policy.

Farmers in this region are being proactive in taking on board their responsibilities. We want good science to inform policy, not emotion. The government policy makes it clear the council needs to take into account the economic impact of implementing their standards.

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At the same time, the Allens have preserved the farm’s shelter belts as much as possible to provide shelter for lambing ewes and shorn stock. Irrigation has been adapted to “wrap around” shelter belts, rather than removing trees.

Two new centre-pivots been installed recently and priority is riparian planting, where appropriate.

Storage ponds and moisture meters also assist with water management. A dam ensures there is water to get through dry periods.

“It holds enough water for 17 or 18 days,” says Chris.

“We draw on it all the time, but it’s only ever been empty once – that was two years ago. It was able to get us most of the way through the drought and we were able to farm our way out as we had used the extra water.”

Chris has carried through his interest in best-practice water management to national level and is now Federated Farmers’ national water spokesperson.

The farm supports a small cropping operation - barley, peas and winter fodder beet (for cattle).

Nearly 30 hectares of fodder beet is being grown this year, a substantial increase on the 10ha established in 2015. Chris says the crop is proving its worth, contributing to healthy, contented cattle.

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16 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Kerr Family

Business Rural

Kerrs run a truly family farm Karen Phelps Changing from winter to seasonal milking has been the biggest difference in the Kerr family’s farming operation for decades. That decision was made three years ago and the farm has adjusted well, says Thomas Kerr who, with his parents, Paul and Bev Kerr, runs the property, which is near Lincoln, just south of Christchurch.

“We now make more milksolids from the same milking platform, giving the opportunity for greater financial gain,” he says.

It has required significant investment to get to this point though. The family invested in a new 44-a-side herringbone shed to replace the 20-a-side to cater for the larger herd of 500 cows.

They had previously been milking 320 over summer and just over 100 in winter.

A mixed herd contains ayrshires, jerseys, friesians and crossbreds. The focus is now on improving the herd and maximise results through heavier culling and, now that mating has a tighter time-frame, ensuring cows are at their peak at this time of the year.

Technology is also starting to play a greater role. There is a focus on recording and herd testing so that more informed decisions can be made to help the cows reach their potential.

The Kerrs used to buy in all heifer calves, but will now aim to breed these on the farm to give them greater quality control and the information to build up a recorded history of their herd.

Control is also possible as cows are wintered off the farm on a 50-hectare, family-owned block at Rolleston. This is complemented by an 80ha lease block.

A lot of attention is also paid to maximising water.

The 170ha total/166ha effective farm has four Roto Rainers, and the Kerrs have been busy combining consents over the whole farm to ensure the system with aim of making it as efficient and easy to operate as possible. They have joined up the main water line and shared the irrigation capacity more evenly over the pumps.

Thomas Kerr is the fourth generation to farm this land. He grew up on the farm and when he left school, worked as a dairy assistant on a neighbouring farm to gain experience.

He has also worked as a fencing contractor and completed a season on a cropping farm in Australia.

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Mike & Eliza Scarlett Brown

| 17

Centre-pivots change rules after droughts Sue Russell Though he comes from a dairy farming background at Opotiki in the eastern Bay of Plenty, Mike Scarlett Brown never intended to make a career of it. He did always want an outside job though..

Mike and Eliza, who comes from the West Coast, met while studying agriculture at university in Palmerston North. They moved to Opotiki where Mike worked on a couple of farms and Eliza worked for RD1.

They then worked side by side on a 350-cow farm at Opotiki before moving to Canterbury in search of better opportunities and to be closer to Eliza’s family. They are in their third season managing a 750-cow dairy unit near Culverden, in North Canterbury.

Eliza says the stock this season are doing much better after two tough droughts: “Having brought in centre-pivot irrigation, we feel much more in control and expect production to reflect this.”

The farm carries a 220-hectare (effective) milking platform and is relatively self-sufficient in terms of feed grown.

“We bring in 100 tonnes of barley and also some straw. The farm is now self-contained with all stock classes kept on farm. We have an additional 230ha of dryland, which is steeper and not irrigated, attached to the milking platform.”

Mike says carrying all stock classes is probably the biggest change since they came. They have been able to achieve this by growing summer and

winter crops (rape, fodder beet and grass crops), and lowering their stocking rate.

Installing the centre pivot in December has brought in an additional 12ha and replaced 12ha of k-lines, creating 24ha of productive land under the pivot.

This season the couple are confident of producing more than 420 kilograms of milksolids per cow.

They say they were lucky to escape damage from the 5.7-strong earthquake centred near Culverden – 45 minutes from the farm – in November 2016.

The farm operates to a feeding system 4, mainly grass-based with 100 tonnes of barley fed from calving to the end of May, with fodder beet carrying the herd through winter.

“I chose to give it a go and I love it,” says Mike.

“You have a few teething issues with transitioning.

In the first season there were no problems but because autumn was so warm last year (no frosts initially but then two big ones), the dry matter doubled and then a few of our stock had problems.”

The farm was converted from beef and sheep nearly a decade ago and is the only dairy unit within close proximity.

The Scarlett Browns have three staff – a Kiwi, a Nepalese and a Filipino. Eliza looks after the young stock, managing their growth for the first two years before they enter the milking herd.

“It’s great to see them getting older and progressing, as opposed to just waving goodbye to

them when they leave the calf shed,” she says. “I do all the calf rearing, apart from the bobby calves, and between Mike and me, we manage all aspects of their growth.

“We carry out regular drenching and weighing and make sure our animals are well handled, well fed, happy and healthy. I also help with relief work.”

After two-plus seasons on the property, Eliza says they are optimistic they have all the building blocks in place for a successful season.

“We always strive for excellence and we are now at the refining stage where all our ducks start lining up and we see the true results of the work we’ve put in. Our cows look healthy and happy.”

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Farmwork remains in family hands • Thomas acknowledges the debt he has to his parents who, he says, have made great sacrifices to keep the farm in the family.

Both Thomas and Paul are still very hands on, with Paul doing most of the tractor work and pasture renewal.

It’s obviously a labour of love for the family to carry on the tradition. They do all of their own cultivation, and hay and balage – they have has made 3500 bales of balage already this season.

Thomas’ wife,, Lesley, helps with the bookwork as well as raising the couple’s two children – Ella, two and Ollie, eight months.

“I’m certainly very proud of the farm and of being the fourth generation to work this land,” says Thomas.

‘It’s something I hold very close and we hope one of my children will want to carry it on to the fifth generation.”

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18 |

RURAL PEOPLE » John den Baars/ Michael Smith

Business Rural

Better pasture, more milk in vats Richard Loader Weathering erratic climatic conditions and an intuitive approach to pasture management are part of John den Baars’ steady approach to life on his South Otago dairy farm.

A butcher who wore the striped blue apron for 14 years, John decided customers and a life behind the counter were not for him.

Seeking the greener pastures of farm life with limited financial backing, he felt dairying presented the easiest gateway.

After working on farms around Canterbury and Southland, he took a sharemilking role with then corporate dairy farmer, Tasman Agricultural. He stayed for seven years, working on three farms, progressing from 250 to 1050 cows.

In 2010 he made the jump to farm ownership, buying his 96-hectare (effective) property bordering the Tokomairiro River four kilometres towards the coast from Milton.

He leased another eight hectares from the Presbyterian church, giving him a total milking platform of 104ha, mainly river silt.

He has embarked on a steady regime of

All the original walking lanes have been replaced and we’ve re-fenced all the paddocks so that most of them are now the same size, making them more manageable.

PHOTOS – Above: Improved pasture management has helped Jon den Baars raise production. Lower left: The den Baars dairy shed infrastructure development and farm maintenance, which is now paying dividends.

“We’re milking 320 friesian and jersey-cross cows through a 36-a-side herringbone shed.

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The previous owners used to average 55,000 kilograms of milksolids, but we are now achieving 125,000kg.”

The increase in production has resulted from better pasture management, he says. This includes the use of lime fertiliser, a re-grassing programme, and ensuring that young stock are sent off as soon as they’re weaned.

New infrastructure, including a 90-day effluent pond and new water systems, has provided significant environmental and pastoral benefits, all contributing to the rise in milksolids production, he says.

“All the original walking lanes have been replaced and we’ve re-fenced all the paddocks so that most of them are now the same size, making them more manageable.”

John admits that while he uses a plate meter to measure pasture growth, he doesn’t rely on this alone in deciding on pasture use. He prefers to trust his eye, experience and intuition.

The weather is a farmer’s constant curse or companion, but he believes it has been more challenging this year than most.

“We had a really good spring, then wet for six weeks. Then it blew nor-west for six weeks and then rained again. That stop-start growth has impacted on pasture quality.”

About three years ago he had a problem with salmonella typhimurium while calving, which resulted in several animals dying.

“It was an absolute nightmare with cows losing half their condition in about three days and then dropping dead. The vets did a great job though.

They got stuck right in and worked out what was wrong.”

John says he’s had a really good run this year and iworks hard with preventative measures such as maintaining minerals, blood testing and vaccinating for Salmonella every autumn.

Reflecting on his farming journey, John says he has enjoyed farming and his life outdoors.

“We don’t do anything spectacular on the farm.

We just get up and do what needs doing, and try to keep things pretty simple really.”

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Courage is synonymous with Southland farmer Michael Smith who hit the ground running following a family decision to convert the three-generational family sheep and beef farm at Wrights Bush, Southland to dairy four years ago.

Michael, who was 24 at the time, agrees the conversion was a big thing to take on, but says it reflects what he believes his father’s long-term wishes were, both for him and the farm.

Michael’s father, Geoffrey, was killed in an accident several years ago, and the sheep-and-beef operation had continued under the management of Michael’s mother.

“The circumstances of the accident had a significant effect on everyone and it took great strength to retain the farm,” says Michael.

The family discussed dairy conversion in the years following the accident until, in 2012, Michael felt it was time to get the job done.

“Dad always wanted me to get into dairy. He thought that was the way of the future. At 17 I went

For business advice that creates results

out as a farm assistant on a nearby farm. Before coming back home, I was working as a lower-order sharemilker with a herd of 1050 cows. I just felt the time was right to come home.”

A civil engineer was engaged to help with the consent process and, after a significant amount of work, the green light was eventually received to milk up to 900 cows on the property.

Because of the significant capital investment and given Michael’s age at the time and his mother’s lack of dairy experience, the bank required a comprehensive plan detailing the conversion and how it was going to be achieved.

“That was pretty good because it made us think more about the business and where we wanted to go,” says Michael.

Contractors were engaged to do the conversion work, which involved creating paddock boundaries, fencing, laneways, building a house, sheds and a 60-bail, fully automated Waikato rotary shed.

They milked off a 274-hectare platform and used a 70ha lease block to winter the herd in the first two seasons. The herd increased from 640 to 700, and then to 800 in the fourth season.

RURAL PEOPLE » Michael & Susie Woodward

Business Rural

| 19

Couple want to ‘open gates to the public’ Kim Newth

PHOTOS Michael and Susie Woodward have a hectic workload sharemilking 1000 cows at Tapatoru, near Dunsandel, and raising a young family. Michael is also doing a Kellogg leadership programme at Lincoln University and has recently taken on the role of Federated Farmers dairy spokesman for North Canterbury.

family legacy alive Dad always wanted me to get into dairy. He thought that was the way of the future. At 17 I went out as a farm assistant on a nearby farm. Before coming back home, I was working as a lower-order sharemilker with a herd of 1050 cows. I just felt the time was right to come home.

Production has steadily increased from 248,000 kilograms of milksolids in the first year to 284,000kg. The Smiths are targeting 330,000kg this season.

“Nothing has changed on the farm—everything has just got a little bit better,” says Michael.

“This season the herd will be wintered in Te Anau and the lease block will be used for young stock. We’ve also leased 28ha from my uncle’s neighbouring farm, increasing the milking platform to 302ha and enabling us to do a bit of cropping.”

He is shifting to a 16-hour milking system, which he used when sharemilking. He says the change will make life easier for cow, man and land and, of course, reduce shed running-costs. He hopes to maintain this system through to May. Michael says the decision to convert to dairy will ensure the legacy of the family farm is preserved, enabling an eventual succession plan to be put in place.

Very important, now that Michael is a father himself.

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Breaking down barriers between the primary sector and the public is something of a passion for Dunsandel dairy farmer Michael Woodward, who plans to explore potential strategies for this as part of work he’s doing for the 2017 Kellogg rural leadership programme.

“I’m passionate about trying to get kids back on farms and opening the gates to the public,” he says.

“It’s all about education and also working with groups like Greenpeace and other NGOs so that we can try and figure out a way we can all work together for the common good. We need to find that balance to ensure farmers can continue to make a living from farming while at the same time addressing the concerns of the public.”

Michael recently completed the first part of Lincoln University’s Kellogg programme, which is designed to foster personal development, growth and critical thinking for leadership roles within primary industries.

Both Michael and his wife, Susie, started as farm assistants more than a decade ago with corporate dairy farmer Synlait (now Theland Purata Farm Group). They progressed quickly to management positions at Tapatoru and then Robindale dairies, before moving into contractmilking roles. Since the start of the 2014-15 season they have been 50-50 sharemilkers at Tapatoru, milking 1000 cows on 297 hectares.

They are an award-winning combination, having gained the Canterbury/North Otago Farm Manager of the Year title in 2011 (placing third in the national event) and the Canterbury Sharfarmer of the Year award in 2016, (runners up in the national event).

Contributing to their success has been a willingness to constantly learn and improve.

Michael says it has been heartening to have this approach affirmed by industry leaders speaking at the Kellogg programme.

“James Parsons (chairman of Beef + Lamb New Zealand) said success is all about being prepared when opportunities come at you, and John Penno (Synlait chief executive officer) told us you should never think you know it all and you always need to be committed to learning.”

Michael took on the role of Federated Farmers dairy spokesman for North Canterbury last July, only a few months before the Kaikoura earthquake.

It was “a trial by fire” start to the role, but he says it was rewarding to help out with logistics and witness the strength of rural networks.

“It was great to see how everyone stepped up in those first few days and got support to the people that really needed it.”

Michael and Susie are pleased with the progress they have made on building up their herd – the 2016-17 season saw the first of their own calves coming on stream.

With rising two-year-old heifers coming in this year, they are looking forward to being selfsufficient and not having to buy in replacements.

Their breeding target is a three-quarter friesian/ quarter jersey.

Tapatoru receives a premium on its milksolids for being a Synlait, grass-fed. milk supplier.

This brings with it restrictions on the use of supplementary feed, but the farm makes up for that by being well stocked with grass balage, maize silage and straw. Fodder beet is also grown.

Operating procedures have been standardised through the Lead with Pride programme, which, they say, has proved invaluable for developing staff training and best-practice procedures.

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20 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Andrew & Deborah Overton

Business Rural

Lora Station’s Andrew and Deborah Overton.

To be a farmer, says Andrew, you have to be multi-talented – fix machinery, do feed budgets, manage pasture, work dogs. You learn to do lots of things well to make your business succeed.

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Lora Station, hidden in the middle of the fabled Hokonui Hills, was bought by Andrew Overton’s grandfather in 1926. His sons succeeded him in ownership. One son, Guy, took on one half in 1955; Guy’s son, Andrew, and his wife, Deborah, took over in 1985.

The highest point in the Hokonuis is Bare Hill, shown on the New Zealand topo map as 750

metres. Lora Station runs up to 700m, so some parts are pretty exposed to wintry weather.

The farm has 1800 hectares, 900 of good, rolling, hilly pasture, and the rest rougher, tussocky country. Snow is a regular feature in winter. Two years ago, there were 11 snowfalls. Andrew says it now snows about as often as before, but where a fall might have been up to 500 millimetres deep, they are now not usually much more than 100mm deep – and still a nuisance requiring more

feeding out and organising stock. Annual rainfall has remained consistent, although when it rains is unpredictable.

When Andrew took over the farm, it was regarded as store-lamb country. The flock was romney, and lambing sat at 86 per cent. He identified pasture improvement as essential, and replaced the romneys with romdale ewes which are

• To page 21

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RURAL PEOPLE » Jason & Liz Walton

Business Rural

| 21

NZ move the best of wedding presents Karen Phelps

Farm managers Jason and Liz Walton moved to New Zealand purely by chance. But, just a few years down the track, they have established dairy careers and say this would not be possible in their home country of England.

Jason, a butcher by trade, worked for around 11 years on dairy farms in the United Kingdom. Rather than working one job, as is typically the case in New Zealand, he was working on up to 14 farms at a time around Leicester.

“Farms are smaller in the UK and many farmers can’t afford to employ somebody full-time,” he explains.

The couple moved to New Zealand after receiving a sales call advertising the opportunity to study on this side of the world. It planted the idea in their minds, so they got on Google and began applying for jobs.

A few months on, at their wedding, they announced their plans to move to New Zealand, shocking friends and family. A month later they flew to their dairy job at Pareora, around 20 minutes south of Timaru.

Liz, a banker, took to relief milking quickly, supporting Jason in his role of dairy assistant on the 800-cow farm. A year later the farm was sold and they moved to Temuka to manage a 1450-cow herd.

Another year on, they shifted to a job at Clandeboye managing 1500 cows and then to their present role at Motukaika, on the Pareora River 20 minutes inland from Timaru.

The farm runs a herd of 1050 predominantly friesian cows through a 60-bail rotary shed with an in-shed feeding system. Around 305 hectares of the 349ha milking platform is under irrigation, which is essential with around 700mm of rainfall a year.

Jason and Liz Walton moved to New Zealand from the United Kingdom. They worked on several farms around South Canterbury and now manage a 1500-cow operation at Motukaika, on the Pareora River inland from near Timaru.

One staff member is dedicated full-time to moving the 250ha of k-line irrigation daily; the rest if the oroperty is under centre pivots. Around 44ha of the farm is steep country used for grazing but unable to be irrigated.

Jason says looking after precious staff is a number one priority. The farm operates a nine-dayon, three-days-off roster; the nine days are three on vat set-up and milking duties, three with 7am starts, three getting the cows in. During winter the roster changes to five-days-on, two-days-off.

Staff work an average of a 50-hour week with regular staff barbecues and outings. On most hot days, they head to the Pareora River at the end of the farm for a swim, says Jason.

“We want to retain good staff because as a large

Development targets 100ha of scrub, noxious weeds • From page 20 put to dorset down terminal sires. Lambing now is at 140% and he believes it is capable of further improvement.

“It all begins with the grass you grow,” he says.

“We are scanning as high as 178%, but lose a few between scanning and actual. For instance, in this type of country with gullies, lambs can slide down into a creek. It doesn’t take many deaths to knock your percentage.”

The romdales have proved successful. They are good movers around the hills and pretty easy care at lambing. The dorset downs are an early maturing, fattening terminal.

“We do go round at lambing, Even though the ewes are not woolly, sometimes one will get cast, or one might occasionally get bearings, so we try to save them. We don’t do any mothering on, but always have someone roaming around keeping an eye on things. We try to make things as simple as possible.”

Pasture renewal involves putting in grass after swedes. The Overtons produce all their own supplement: some swedes, 200 bales of balage, and 300 tonnes of silage. The balage and silage have produced better weight gains than swedes alone.

“Once we got the pasture up and humming, there was a remarkable change. Now we are able to finish our lambs. I’m more satisfied selling something I’ve finished myself. It is rewarding to see good stock go out the gate.”

Changing from eight-month to six-month shearing has put another 10% on the lambing percentage, because the ewes put on weight before the ram went out. A trial reverting to eight months led to a drop in percentage, so it’s back to the sixmonth timetable.

Lora Station runs 8000 stock units – 5000 ewes, 1350 hoggets, and 180 breeding hereford/ angus cows.

“Last year we did sell store cattle because the

Once we got the pasture up and humming, there was a remarkable change.

Now we are able to finish our lambs. I’m more satisfied selling something I’ve finished myself. It is rewarding to see good stock go out the gate.

farm, we put in a lot of training and it’s important we keep the talent,” says Jason. “But we do always try and have junior members of staff as well to bring new blood through the dairy industry.”

There are six full-time staff, plus a calf rearer. Liz does the bookwork and, with sporadic cell phone reception on the farm, acts as receptionist taking phone calls at the house, then relaying messages

by RT to Jason.

The couple’s two year old daughter, Naomi, also helps – mainly in an observational role as her pram is parked in the shed and she can spend hours watching the cows.

The Waltons maintain a good relationship with farm owners Paul Barber and Vicky Hazners, who live in Foxton and run a 1500-cow unit. The weaned calves from Motukaika are grazed there and the good, young empty cows shift there to give them a chance to get in calf. Thirty-five of the 40 shifted last year got pregnant. The system also replenishes autumn calves for the Foxton farm.

Last season Motukaika produced 357,000 kilograms of milksolids from 970 cows; it is on target for 405,000kg this season.

“We really enjoy what we’re doing for great farm-owners,” says Jason. “In the UK we would never have had these opportunities, and we just love farming here.”

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price was great,” says Andrew. “We could have kept them for another four or five months and still got only the same money. We follow the pricing.

“I experiment to get things better. Most of it has worked. I’m a practical person. To be a farmer you have to be multi-talented – fix machinery, do feed budgets, manage pasture, work dogs.

You learn to do lots of things well to make your business succeed. New laws and regulations are challenging.”

Some of the hill country has been “growing scrub and noxious weeds”. Even though the costto-return ratio is not too flash, Andrew intends to clear and then oversow about 100ha to help the property run more cattle and lambs, and to diversify. Helicopters and fixed-wing planes will be used to spray and fertilise the newly broken-in land.

“It’s good to have a challenge,” he says. “We do the same things at the same time of the year all our lives. It’s good to have something else to think about.”

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22 |

Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Jon Harwood

A ewe flock a man can be proud of Kelly Deeks Golden Bay sheep and beef farmer Jon Harwood has a real soft spot for his 3600 Wairere romney ewe flock, saying it works hard every year and achieves excellent scanning (175 per cent) consistently on steep and exposed country.

Jon is the third generation to work the Harwood family’s farm on Takaka Hill. He is joined in the diverse family business by dad Dave and brothers Nigel and Simon.

The family operation winters 850 dairy cows on the best country, 1250 hinds and 100 hereford beef cows on the medium hill, leaving some pretty tough country for the ewes to lamb on.

Jon started with a fairly typical pre-1990 romney flock, lambing 90 to 100% (no scanning in those days).

When the Harwoods’ romney ram provider disbanded in the early 1990s, Jon and Dave had a chance to think about where they wanted to take their flock.

“We did a lot of research and by 1994, most sheep farmers were looking down the barrel of a gun,” Jon says. “We decided to have a go at a bit of east friesian through the flock...for their milking ability and their good fertility.

“We bought two purebreds and put them over 300 of our best ewes. That gave us a half-cross romney lamb which we put across the entire flock for the next five to six years. Lambing got up to 140%.

“Then, once we put east friesians right through the flock, we decided to head back the romney way.” Mainly because the country is pretty tough, and the Harwoods still liked the romneys’ wool traits and good all-round sheep.

Jon looked around for the best romneys he

Takaka Hill farmer Jon Harwood says his ewe flock consistently scans at 175 per cent. could get, and heard about Derek Daniell, from Wairere in the Wairarapa, who was farming in similar conditions, with only 2 per cent of flat land and a wet, cold and wind-chill-prone climate.

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“Wairere rams ticked all the boxes. We’ve been with Wairere for 16 years now. For 10 years, we had record scanning percentages; in the last five years it has levelled out at 175% consistently.

“The ewes sheep are consistently doing a fleece weight of 6kg, up a couple of kilograms from 20 years ago. I’ve tried to pick the best rams I can over the past 16 years and now I can see it through my flock. They are really starting to produce now.”

His sheep-management system takes full advantage of the easy-care virtues of the Waireres, although it’s a bit more labour intensive with such a high number of twins and triplets.

Last year, scanning showed 175% – 194 triplets, 2343 twins, 1080 singles, and 140 dry – out of 3490 scanned.

“My biggest problem is that I’ve got my scanning percentage, but now I have to lamb them,” Jon says. “They are all easy-care apart from

My biggest problem is I’ve got my scanning percentage, but now I have to lamb them the triplets. We didn’t use to have triplets. I cast my eye over them and I bring down all the triplets and twins off the hill country to some better lambing country. The more I can look after them, the higher my lambing percentage. I’m quite proud of my ewe flock, they work hard every year.”

However, he says, the wool market continues to be a disappointment.

“Twenty years ago Dad was getting $3 a kilo for the wool, and it cost $1 to shear a sheep. Twenty years later it costs $2.20 to shear them, and we’re not going to get much more than $3. We would like to see the price consistently above $5.”

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Mitch & Jo Russell

| 23

Flexible farming methods ease pay-out pain Karen Phelps A strategy of flexible farming systems has been the response to the lower dairy pay-out by the Russell family of Westerfield.

Cow numbers have dropped to 860 from 960 on each of the two dairy farms they operate to enable the family to graze young stock on farm and contain costs. Around 50 hectares has been shaved off the dairy platform so that 300 yearlings can be wintered on farm.

But next year this may all change again, says Mitch Russell.

“We will probably increase cow numbers to 960 per farm again because we have surplus heifers, the pay-out is looking healthier and we get a better premium from milking cows as opposed to grazing them,” he says.

It’s all part of the family’s move towards more flexibility so that the farm is better placed to cope with the rises and falls of the industry.

Farming inland from Ashburton, Mitch and Jo Russell are well-established dairy farmers after entering an equity partnership in 2003 with businessman Allan Hubbard and cropping farmers Brian and Lynn Stratford.

The partnership was dissolved in 2012, which paved the way for the Russells to go into a family equity partnership with son Mark, daughter Natalie and her husband, Phil.

The family now farms two dairy units, each totalling around 240ha effective, with a 60-bail rotary shed. The family also leases an additional 380ha.

Phil, who has a background as a builder, got into farming when he met Natalie. They worked for Mitch for two years before going contract milking for four years on farms around Mayfield and Hinds.

Phil and Natalie now run one of the dairy farms while Mark, also an ex-builder and farming for the family for some time, runs the other farm.

Mitch says this results in “healthy competition” to each improve their production each season.

Last season thee two farms produced a total of

We will probably increase cow numbers to 960 per farm again because we have surplus heifers, the pay-out is looking healthier and we get a better premium from milking cows as opposed to grazing them.

1,012,000 kilograms of milksolids, which he puts down to an ever-improving herd, hard-working staff and good management. Per cow production this season is ahead of the previous season, and is expected to total 860,000-900,000kg from the smaller herds.

Despite the improved pay-out the family is still firmly focused on minimising costs. Around 55ha of fodder beet is being grown on the dairy platform and run-off. Break-feeding on the dairy platform eliminates transportation costs.

The cows will transition onto crop in April/May. Each cow also receives 500kg of grain and 400kg of palm kernel each season, along with silage grown on the farms and run-offs.

The farms are fully irrigated with six centrepivots and one lateral system providing 3.5 millimetres of water every second day.

Effluent is distributed on selected parts of the farm through the centre-pivots from a twin-pond storage system. Around 10 per cent of the farms is re-grassed each year.

“I don’t think there was anyone that didn’t feel the squeeze,” says Mitch. “We’ve ridden the low and hope we will see a reasonable pay-out now...nothing stupid, just a steady pay-out giving consistency.”

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24 |

Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Ian & Jolene Gardner

Farming family in for long haul Karen Phelps Given the speed at which the world and the farming industry are changing, plus challenges such as weather, it’s quite an achievement for the same family to be farming the same land for more than 100 years. The Gardner family of North Canterbury has done just this.

Ian and Jolene Gardner and their children, Adele, 12, and Logan, nine, are the fourth generation of the family to farm Colenso, which was part of the original renowned Glenmark Station, near Scargill.

The Gardner family arrived in New Zealand in 1863, from Deal, in England. In 1904 the Gardners bought 1197 hectares which carried 4000 sheep and grew crops of turnips. The land was later divided into three, one of which was Colenso.

Ian Gardner grew up on Colenso and he and wife Jolene now farm the property under a family company which also includes his parents, Peter and Nancy.

Colenso, 100 kilometres north from Christchurch, consists of 384ha of lighter flat land to rolling tussock covered hills. The farm currently runs 2200 romney ewes and 800 hoggets, operating purely as a breeding unit, selling lambs pre-Christmas and selling anything not sold as primes as stores.

Winters are cold with some snow expected, but the summers are long and hot. With an average rainfall of 25 inches water is the biggest issue – the Gardners are just coming out of two dry seasons.

They have had to invest heavily in feed and off-farm grazing for sheep to get through, and are now working their way through a recovery phase. A good spring and summer has been a good start.

The Gardners also have shares in the proposed Hurunui water project, which they say would be a

game-changer, bringing vast changes to the way they farm their property.

The project is still in the developmental phase.

Crown Irrigation Investments’s November decision to invest up to $3.4m in the project has been a significant step forward.

If it goes ahead the irrigation scheme will be capable of irrigating up to 21,000 hectares on the south side of the Hurunui River and would include water intakes from the Hurunui and Waitohi rivers (both on plain and dam storage) and a pressurised, piped distribution system.

PHOTOS – Above: Ian and Jolene Gardner with children Logan and Adele. The Gardners are the fourth generation to farm Colenso in North Canterbury. Lower left: An aerial shot of the farm’s homestead, lighter flat land and rolling, tussock-covered hills.

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Logan Wallace

| 25

Young farmer sees sustainability as crucial to future Karen Phelps Two main factors made South Otago farmer Logan Wallace realise the importance of farming sustainably.

The first was an environmental tutor when Logan was studying for a Certificate in Agriculture and Diploma in Rural Business at Telford. The second was when his family farm was part of an Otago Regional Council early-water study with a view to plan changes.

Now he is a member of the Pomahaka Farmers Water Care Group, seeking to make changes he believes will improve and preserve water quality in the region.

The Pomahaka catchment contains a mix of farming types – dairy, sheep, beef and some deer.

The main communities are at Tapanui, Heriot, and Clydevale.

Farming in the catchment relies on artificial drainage (mostly tile and mole drains), which has been identified as a significant source of contaminants from grazed pastures to waterways.

Stock access to waterways and winter-feed crop grazing on saturated pastures are other issues, identified by the regional council.

Logan admits that convincing older farmers that changes need to be made has been challenging at times, but he is optimistic that meetings between farmers and key players such as Fish & Game

New Zealand, the Department of Conservation, the New Zealand Landcare Trust, local iwi and regional council will result in benefits to everyone.

“Some people don’t want waterways to be disturbed in any way and, while this would have short-term benefits, it wouldn’t be sustainable long term,” says Logan.

“Farmers need to clear weed out of waterways to ensure tile drains don’t block. If this happens, ground gets saturated and more nutrients find their way into the waterways leading to poorer environmental outcomes.”

The 27-year-old manages his parents’ 270-hectare (effective) sheep and dairy grazing property at Waipahi. The farm carries 2200 romney and romney-texel ewes and 600 replacement ewe hoggets, and 30ha is dedicated to grazing.

He has been making changes, such as putting in a constructed wetland area, which will drain 15ha and help purify the water. This is one of 12 planned wetlands on farms owned by Water Care Group members.

The aim, he says, is to test water where it enters and exits the wetland to determine the success of such areas in achieving environmental aims. The

PHOTOS – Above: Logan Wallace has planted a wetland to soak up nutrients. Lower left: He belongs to the Pomahaka Farmers Water Care Group, which seeks to improve water quality in the region. group is raising funds for the testing.

Logan is also developing a tussock block, although more for production than environmental reasons. The 25ha block typically allows for around eight weeks of grazing each year and he aims to increase pasture quality while maintaining tussock belts for stock shelter.

He has already built an airstrip for the block to be limed in autumn. He has chemically topped the area, oversown it with red and white clover, and applied fertiliser.

He has also been shifting the flock from romney to romney/texel to increase meat yield and growth rates. In his first season on the farm, he put pure texels over the romney flock and now, in his fourth season, will put 50:50 romney/texel rams over the flock.

We need to aim for for the wealthiest people to add value to our product and command premium prices.

He is already seeing results. Last season the average kill date was around three weeks earlier.

The average killing weight was up to 17 to 18.5-19 kilograms. Weaning weights and the numbers getting away at weaning have also increased. Last season 20% of the lambs went away off mum at 18kg carcass weight at weaning.

After seconds in 2014 and 2015, Logan won the 2016 Otago-Southland Young Farmer contest and was fifth in the national final. He has his eyes on a win this year. He says this experience has helped him gain access to a large network of knowledgeable people, and has been beneficial for the water projects.

He sees hugh potential in the sheep industry – as long as it aims for high-quality, sustainable produce.

“New Zealand can only grow enough lamb to feed 30 million people. So we need to aim for the wealthiest of those people to add value to our product and command premium prices. With the right marketing, I see huge potential to command that high price.”

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Record lambing brightens outlook • From page 24 The last two years of dry weather mean the Gardners’ stock numbers are low, and store-stock prices are high and their hay cupboards are bare.

The weather has provided plenty of moisture this season, resulting in green grass. But paddocks are still recovering, says Ian. He will spray out some to get them into good production for autumn.

Another positive was record lambing this year – about 155 per cent ewes mated to lambs sold.

The Gardners employ no staff. Ian does most of the farm work and Jolene, who also runs her own

graphic design business from home, helps where she can. Adele and Logan go to the Greta Valley Primary School and are also keen to help when they get the chance.

Ian, who took over the running of Colenso around 2007, says it is a privilege to be the fourth generation of the family on the property.

“The succession will next go to Logan or Adele if either of them chooses to make their life in the farming world. We hope to be here for many years to come, making use of new technologies and techniques, along with the knowledge gained so far.”

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26 |

RURAL PEOPLE » David & Liz Thomas

Business Rural

From draughtsman to stockman Russell Fredric Marrying the daughter of a large sheep-and-beef farm owner 25 years ago brought radical change to former city dweller David Thomas.

His marriage to Liz (nee Pears) saw an opportunity for converting from a career of draughting plans on a computer, to drafting with gates and pens.

David and Liz Thomas have run Dunrobin Valley Farm – a 1925-hectare property bordering the eastern flank of the Takitimu Mountains in Northern Southland – for the past 12 years.

One of Southland’s major waterways, the Aparima River, runs beside a lot of the farm which includes a mixture of flat pasture, river flats, terraces and tussock hill country up to 700 metres above sea level.

The property is a generational farm owned by the family for more than 100 years and run as a partnership with Liz’s parents, Robin and Alison Pears.

It was first owned by Liz’ great-grandfather, who bought it for her grandfather when he married. The property has increased in size as neighbours’ land was acquired.

Chewing’s fescue, first cultivated, harvested and sold as seed in Southland, was grown on the farm during the post-war era. There was strong demand for the seed in New Zealand as well as for export to the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

The sale of the seed brought much needed finance for developing pasture which helped make the farm what it is today. Pasture fertility has improved significantly.

Before moving to Dunrobin Valley Farm, David and Liz lived in Christchurch; David had never worked on a farm in his life.

“Basically Dad taught him how to farm from scratch,” Liz Thomas says. It worked well because David had no pre-conceived ideas.

It was also easier for her father to teach him the ropes than to teach someone who wanted to do things their own way.

“Dad and Dave have got on pretty well.”

David Thomas says taking on the role was a big challenge, “Farming came to me when I was 30 and I think if you set your mind to doing something, you can do anything. Maybe my mountaineering attitude helped.”

“Liz’s father taught me what he knew and also directed me to field days and other farming courses to broaden me out.”

Dunrobin Valley Farm supports 11,000 stock units, comprised of 7200 breeding ewes, 2000

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE» Aaron Wilson

| 27

Environment regulations ‘the next big challenge’ Russell Fredric While production, payouts and profit occupy the minds of most Southland farmers, impending environmental regulations are the next big challenge, says Balfour dairy farmer Aaron Wilson The proposed Southland Water and Land Plan seeks to address activities known to have a significant effect on water quality, such as land-use intensification, wintering, and stock exclusion from waterways.

Developed by Environment Southland under the Resource Management Act, the plan provides a regulatory tool for a variety of issues relating to land and water resources.There is particular emphasis on the management of activities that may adversely affect the quality of the region’s fresh water, much of which Environment Southland says is deteriorating.

Under the plan, all farmers with more than 20 hectares of land are required to prepare a farm environmental management plan. It must cover 10 categories of information – including physical information about a farm such as water bodies, drains and infrastructure; a nutrient budget; management practices; a riparian management plan; cultivation; intensive winter grazing; collected effluent management; irrigation management.

“It has stirred a lot of debate and brought attention to farming practices,” says Aaron Wilson.

“It’s going to have a real impact on-farm for farmers, but that’s just the beginning.”

The “big game”, he says, is the process that will set limits on nutrient inputs, a process Environment Southland has not mapped out yet.

“My point of view is that farmers need to be aware of this process. It’s potentially huge.”

With 2017 an election year, organisations such

as the Greens and the Federation of Freshwater Anglers have been highlighting water-quality issues in the media and on Facebook, with the dairy industry a particular target.

“The story is not dairy farming per se, the story is really land use and land use change, and it’s the past, present, and future,” says Aaron. “We’ve got to take the emotion out of the debate.

“Everyone gets emotional about water and rightly so and I’m not going to knock (urban people) that are passionate about the water quality. It’s a good thing, but marginalising a dairy farmer, for example, will not help that problem.”

In addition to the plan, there is a deadline for farmers nationally to meet in May this year; the Sustainable Dairying Water Accord requires stock to be excluded from waterways, including lakes, significant wetlands and permanently flowing rivers, streams, drains and springs more than a metre wide and 30 centimetres deep.

According to Dairy New Zealand chief executive Tim Mackle, farmers have spent more than $1 billion fencing waterways during the past five years.

Aaron Wilson says the dairy downturn would have created a positive effect on the environment because of a reduction in the national herd size as well as a trend away from higher inputs towards more self-sustainable, grass-based systems.

Submissions on the Southland plan will be considered in mid-2017 by a hearing panel in a public process.

“It will be prudent for everyone to keep a really close watch on what’s happening and try to remain engaged with it,” says Aaron. “The onus is going to be on the individual farmer.”

Aaron owns a 400-hectare dairy farm and milks 830 cows. He is an active member of the Waimea Land and Water Care Group.

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The farm has run romdales for the past 15 years because the constitution of the romney and perendale breeds is well suited to the climate and the nature of the property.

The Thomases concede there is room for improvement in their present lambing percentage of about 130 per cent, depending on the season, and scanning of 165%.

They aim to increase the lambing percentage by further improving the pasture fertility, while at the same also looking to make gains from boosting feed.

They are investing in a new breed of sheep this year, with texel and finn influence as well as the

traditional romdale to improve fertility and carcass weight.

Winter crop – swede is grown on 50 hectares, consisting of swede – supplemented by 11 hectares of fodder beet sown this year for feeding both sheep and cattle. The scale of the farm means stock can also be wintered on the farm on grass.

Two full-time stockmen, Gordon MacRae and Fay Allen, are employed and ploughman Graeme Keyse comes as needed.

While Liz says she brings a lifetime of experience to the station, David has proved himself a competent stockman and farm manager who also works the farm dogs well.

They say the station has been a great place to raise their family.

“It’s a really beautiful place,” says Liz. “My family just love coming home and immersing themselves in the farming lifestyle”

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28 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Sam & Jo Spencer-Bower

Business Rural

Converted historic farm adapts Kim Newth Marmaduke Dixon, one of Canterbury’s earliest settlers, arrived in New Zealand in 1852 to take up a large run on the banks of the Waimakariri. Today, at Claxby Farm near Rangiora, his descendants continue to adapt and innovate as they put their stamp on his enduring family farm legacy.

In the early days of farming in Canterbury, Marmaduke was quick to recognise the potential of using water from the Waimakariri River for irrigation.

In the early 1890s, he made intakes on the Waimakariri and used horse teams to dig water races. While this work was undone by floods, his grandson, Marmaduke Spencer-Bower, later fulfilled the potential of the concept by building a new river intake and channels to supply border dykes.

“That work has stood us in good stead,” says Claxby’s operations manager, Sam Spencer-Bower, who is the grandson of Marmaduke Spencer-Bower.

The same intake built by his grandfather is still used on the farm, along with many of the same channels.

However, the property’s conversion to three dairy farms from 2012 meant the border dyke system had to go, along with many old trees and fences. (The first conversion was 2012, the second was 2015 and the third dairy farm was bought in 2016).

With the help of dairy-industry specialists, including Waterforce and Densem Contractors, pivot irrigation was installed to increase production and a dam was built for water storage.

Sam completed a BCom(Ag) degree at Lincoln University and then worked for Agriseeds for seven years before returning to the family farm around the time his parents, Richard and Margaret, decided to convert to dairy. Sam’s wife, Jo, formerly an ANZ rural bank manager, shares the financial management of the property with Margaret, while Richard continues to be active on the farm. Sam and Jo are also raising two pre-schoolers.

“We didn’t know much about dairy farming to begin with,” says Sam. “So we started off with a 50:50 sharemilker on the first farm (Tony and Anna Wakelin), then used a lower-order sharemilker for the second farm and the most recent farm has a contract milker.”

While Sam admits to initial doubts about switching to dairy, he says the reality is that it has been “a breath of fresh air” in terms of the help and support forthcoming from the industry.

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Sam & Jo Spencer-Bower

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to new times block is drawn from wells and these are now pretty low after a couple of dry winters. Sam is hoping for some good rainfall to recharge these wells heading into winter.

Pasture improvement has been a big focus for Sam, with the benefits of re-grassing now starting to be realised.

“We’re using high-quality tetraploids and it’s making a big difference, with more milk effectively being produced from the same amount of feed.”

Claxby’s ongoing challenge is to reduce nitrate leaching, says Sam. “Again, it’s about irrigation, doing that as effectively as possible and investing in infrastructure and systems to try and farm better.

We have put farm environment plans in place and we measure and monitor everything that we do.”

Each farm also has health and safety plans with the aim of making sure work practices are documented and conducted properly to reduce potential risks. Claxby also has an advisory board that includes an accountant and a lawyer.

“We use another farmer – Andy Morris, of Ealing Pastures from below Hinds – as a mentor, and he has been really helpful.

“Essentially, we’re trying to run it all more like a business to really make sure we’re performing in every area.”

• three approximately 300-hectare farms, (1200, 1100 and 1000 cows). Each farm has a modern rotary shed, two 60-bail and one 50-bail.

Sam’s younger brother, Marcus, who has completed an agricultural diploma at Lincoln University, helps look after an additional 400ha runoff block around the original homestead.

Since 2012, the prevailing low milk pay-out environment has driven efficiencies across the family farm enterprise.

“We have dropped our stocking rate to an extent and tried to increase production per cow while keeping a similar production per hectare,” says Sam Improvements over the past few years include changing from kale to fodder beet for winter feed on the run-off block.

“We are also using a bit on the dairy platforms as autumn supplement to help reduce the cost of using silage.”

Moisture meters are used to ensure irrigation is conducted efficiently. Claxby’s light and stony soils coupled with low average rainfall of 650 millimetres mean irrigation is very important.

Most of the farms’ irrigation water is drawn from the Waimakariri and there have been good flows in the river this summer. Water for the run-off

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RURAL PEOPLE » Lindsay Paton

Business Rural

Pre-rut weaning helps hind condition Richard Loader The deer-mating season is off to a roaring start with the sounds of eager stags echoing around Orari Gorge Station in the South Canterbury foothills.

Seasoned stockman Lindsay Paton is driving a progressive transition from post-rut to pre-rut weaning, giving the hinds a good head start to gain condition for early conception.

Established in 1856 by the Tripp family, Orari Gorge Station sits just north of Geraldine and is managed by a direct Tripp family descendant, Robert Peacock, and his wife, Alex.

The 4300-hectare station consists of 400ha of flat paddocks, 700ha of rolling paddocks and lower hill country, with the rest dramatically steep hill country.

The 24,000 stock units are split 50 per cent sheep, 25% cattle and 25% deitser, including 1550 breeding hinds with Peel Forest Estate bloodlines, 450 of which go to a Peel Forest Estate B11 terminal sire.

Lindsay Paton took the role of commercial manager at Orari Gorge a little over 12 months ago,

bringing with him experience gained as Awakino Station manager, He immediately recognised an opportunity to shift to pre-rut weaning, before ‘the roar’ from late February to early April, to benefit hind condition and conception as well as weaner weight-gain.

“When I came here, there was no early weaning and we had a problem with hind condition to the stags. That meant low conception rates, especially amongst the younger hinds on hard hill country who were struggling with condition.

“Taking the weaner off the hind means she puts condition on very quickly because she’s not

feeding the fawn milk, and therefore she cycles and conceives faster.”

In Lindsay’s first year he brought in the 450 hinds that had been put to B11 sires, weaning them pre-rut.

Information from the pregnancy scanner in June confirmed that pregnancy rates were higher at 98% and they were all in fawn seven to 10 days earlier than post-rut weaning.

There was also an opportunity for the weaners to grow before winter to hit Orari’s 90-kilogram liveweight target for the chilled export trade in spring.

Lindsay says the early-weaned fawns grow at up to 50 grams a day faster through autumn than the late-weaned fawns: “If you wean the fawns pre-rut and get them in paddock country with good feed, you can grow them out before the winter to get extra weight on them.”

With optimal growth in autumn there is an opportunity to get them four to five kilos heavier during the autumn and closer to the 90kg liveweight for Orari’s killing target. Growing slows down over winter and recommences in spring.

“We give them a combination drench and mix in Biostart.That gets their rumen going to adjust them from the hill country pastures to the high-quality paddock feed.”

Lindsay is pleased with the changes he has initiated, saying that if you are not making progress, you are going backwards.

“We have to forge ahead and make improvements. Our objective is to make a profit— not just looking for high production but looking for profit—and profit comes from well fed, well bred happy and healthy stock. That’s what we are about.”

Proud to be associated with Orari Gorge Station for all enquires contact KRIS ORANGE P. 0800 163 013 E. kris@downlandsdeer.co.nz

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Business Rural

RURAL PEOPLE » Tony & Michelle Roberts

| 31

Antler design key for deer breeders Kelly Deeks For Tapanui farmers Tony and Michelle Roberts, work is all about designing antlers.

Tony’s passion for fallow deer was ignited in 1981 when he was a 13-year-old schoolboy. His dad fenced a paddock on his Taranaki farm, and Tony headed to the deer sales with his life savings, buying fallow does for $1000 each.

“We got into fallow deer in a small way, and I found it just fascinating. I was a keen hunter, only 13 years old, and I thought these were the most beautiful deer you could get. The fact we could farm these lovely creatures was tremendous, and I thought farming deer was the way to go.”

Tony got out of deer for a while after leaving school and embarking on a sharemilking career in Taranaki, before moving south with Michelle in tow to a sharemilking job in Tapanui, West Otago.

The couple eventually bought their own farm in Tapanui, then in 2008 they bought a run-off block at Conical Hill.

“I thought I’m going to get back into the fallow deer again,” Tony says. “We started with 35 fallow does we bought from Ken Swainson in the Manawatu and started breeding fallow deer to sell to the safari parks, which would on-sell them to local and international tourists as hunting trophies.”

The business has grown exponentially since, and the Robertses now run about 140 fallow does and about 110 fallow stags.

Fallow deer are a small species of deer, and the beauty recognised by Tony is largely a result of their broad, shovel-shaped antlers which grow after two

years of age, and their wide variation in coat colour.

Fallow deer fawn during December, and are very synchronised, with the herd all coming into heat at a similar time and fawning in a close time-frame.

Fertile and flighty, the less you have to do with them the better.

“They are the most beautiful animal you would ever want to have, but put them under pressure and they lose the plot,” Tony says.

“They are very easy-care animals. You don’t have to drench them, dag them, or calve them. They are very hardy. Just give them plenty of vitamin G, (grass), feed them properly all year round with highquality pasture, and a bit of hay and balage.”

The Robertses see their role as antler design, and their breeding goal is to produce a style that is long, ultra-wide, with multi-pointed palms, and with the ‘wow’ factor.

In their quest for improvement they have used stags from Pinewood Deer Farm and Alistair Midgley.

“They have great-styled antlers and have been breeding for a lot longer than I have,” Tony says. “I have been using them to improve our genetics, and we are starting to gain ground.”

The fallow deer industry in New Zealand is boutique, but demand is outstripping supply, he says. He and Michelle have run their fallow deer on the side of a dairy farming operation, but are now making it a larger part of their business.

“We want to buy another farm and put the fallow deer on with some red deer, and get into velveting,” he says.

Tony runs the New Zealand Fallow Deer Society website, and is its South Island representative.

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32 |

RURAL PEOPLE » Russell Drummond

Business Rural

Alliance director has skin in game Russell Fredric Owning and running three large businesses would be enough to keep some farmers counting sheep at night.

For Russell Drummond there has been even more to consider beyond the gates of his Southland farms since be became an Alliance Group director in 2014.

Russell and his wife, Janeen Drummond, own 2900 hectares of sheep and beef farms in Northern Southland.

Their home farm at Avondale comprises 866ha of rolling to steep contour, supporting about 5100 ewes, 1800 hoggets and 155 shorthorn cows and in-calf heifers, with 105 rising one-year-old heifers wintered on the property.

A short distance north is the second property – 524ha on Affleck Rd with a variety of contour from flat to steep.

This farm runs 2700 ewes, 950 hoggets, 60 beef cows and 30 to 40 rising-two-year-old bulls; 100 rising-one bulls are wintered and the property includes a beef unit with 300 bulls brought in each spring for fattening.

To the east at Five Rivers is a 1533ha farm bought five years ago, with a 160ha lease block added last October.

The farm supports 3500 ewes, 1000 hoggets, 380 angus breeding cows and in-calf heifers, 80 replacements heifers, 60 fattening heifers and 165 bulls.

“For the lease block, we’ve predominantly purchased some friesian and beef-cross bulls, both rising one and rising two on there at this stage,” says Russell Drummond. “We do a little bit of lamb fattening there too.”

The Drummonds have changed from a romney base to TEFRom, a stabilised texel/east friesian,/ romney composite.

“What we like about them particularly is the growth rate in the lambs and the muscling we are getting, the yield at the works,” says Russell.

Achieving good lamb weaning weights has been difficult this season as a result of the impact of the clover root weevil. The Drummonds’ area was badly it last year.

Unfavourable weather has had a further impact, with only a little more than half of lambs than usual sent for processing in February.

On the beef side, the addition of fodder beet has provided a boost to calf growth rates.

“I think that gives us quite exciting finishing opportunities to spread the kill for cattle throughout the year,” says Russell.

“It could benefit farmers and meat companies.”

To help keep tabs on the three farms, the Drummonds engage AbacusBio farm consultant Simon Glennie as well as using farm management software to help make “timely decisions” with pasture management, stock management and fertilisation.

Apart from wool, prices being paid for mutton and lamb have been “trending in the right direction” in most markets during the past two months, says Russell, .

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“It’s probably the first time I’ve seen that in two years. Sure, it’s not a big shift but it certainly looks like the tide’s heading in the right direction for a change.”

The Drummonds have been paid in the range of $87 to $97 for lambs processed so far this season.

Current prices are not enough for most sheep farmers to run and invest in their farm businesses the way they would like to, says Russell, who is in his first term as a director of Alliance Group “Like many I have been frustrated with the

sheep industry, but we are seeing some exciting opportunities for Alliance’s strategic future around products and marketing. The world doesn’t owe us a living; we need to go out and grab it, we have a great product.”

Prime beef market prices are “reasonably stable” but New Zealand beef growers face price pressure from the United States were the corn price (for grain-fed cattle) is about half what it was four years ago, while Brazil is able capitalise on sales to overseas markets because of a low exchange rate.

Proud to support Russell Drummond

Business Rural

BULL BREEDERS » Waiau Herefords

| 33

Quest for the ‘perfect cattle’ Karen Phelps Waiau Herefords is set to hold its 50th annual onfarm bull sale in May marking quite an achievement for the King family who took over the stud in 1976 when they bought the Western Southland property.

Darryl King, who owns the farm in partnership with his parents, Colin and Fay, says the longevity of the stud boils down to one thing – hard work.

The 2000-hectare farm sits in the picturesque Lillburn Valley, near Tuatapere. The farm runs 7500 open-faced romney sheep, 1000 red deer and 1400 beef cattle, 300 of them stud.

The Kings bought the farm and stud from Ted Edmonds, who started Waiau Herefords in 1954.

The Kings had experience in running studs – they had owned a shorthorn and dorset down stud – and hit the ground running.

The focus of Waiau Herefords is firmly on meat yield and structural qualities. The family imports genetics predominantly from North America and Australia, and buy stud bulls from New Zealand breeders.

Two years ago, they bought a bull from Locharburn Herefords – drawn to him by his eye pigment, meat and estimated breeding values. Next year his progeny will be available for sale.

Their own bulls are also an important part of their breeding programme and they’ve produced some top animals...Waiau Quantity 681, El Dorado and Waiau 603 Neon.

And at the moment Waiau Men At Work 76 is producing some really nice calves, says Darryl.

“His structure, muscle, temperament and figures are superb. His 600-day weight is +116, EMA +3.9 and 400 day weight +74.”

He says they are continually upgrading the stud, always trying to breed the perfect cattle: “It will never happen of course, as people’s ideas change in terms of what they want. But it’s always about trying to breed a good animal to give farmers a better income.”

Their own commercial herd is proof of the genetic gains made over the years. Commercial steers were recently sold averaging 277 kilograms at 16 months. All commercial steers leave the farm in 18-20 months at 500kg liveweight.

The family is also experimenting to see how differing winter feed can give them even better gains. They are growing 20ha of fodder beet for both sheep and cattle and trialling grass species to improve long-rotation pasture. With the Lillburn River running through the property the farm is a mix of Lillburn loam and clay-based top soils, which means different species are needed for each part of the farm.

Another change has been a move towards reducing sheep numbers and increasing the deer and cattle, based on better returns.

On May 31 they will offer 25 horned hereford bulls and 50 rising-three-year-old, commercial, pregnancy tested, in-calf heifers. Last year their in-calf rising-three-year-olds fetched an average of $1750 and enquiry about this year’s sale has been high, says Darryl.

Current developments on the farm include putting in a water scheme that will see 300 troughs installed over three years as well as ongoing maintenance and development work. Some 200ha blocks on the farm need to be broken into smaller units for easier management.

The family does most things themselves, including hay and balage, groundwork, digging and fencing. They also like to help the next generation and one week a month there are usually Telford students there gathering, on-farm work experience.

Four generations of the King family now work on the property. Colin and Fay, although enjoying a more relaxing lifestyle, are still involved in key decisions. Darryl is the manager, backed by his family – son Jamie and his partner, Nicole, daughter Kate and her husband, Scott, plus six grandchildren.

Everyone lives on the farm and Darryl says it’s a great place to bring up family.

“We’re very lucky, we certainly have a unique lifestyle here.”

CELEBRATING OUR

W AIAU H EREF O RD STU D 50TH ANNUAL BULL SALE AND PRODUCTION SALE

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WEDNESDAY 31st MAY 2017 AT 2.30PM On account and property of the King family, Lillburn Valley Rd. Tuatapere

WAIAU MEN AT WORK 12076

Milk 200 400 600 EMA +14 +45 +74 +116 +4.0

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Contact: Colin & Fay King 03 226 6791 waiau1@farmside.co.nz Darryl & Nicky King 03 226 6606 darryllillburn@gmail.com

34 |

BULL BREEDERS » Westholm Polled Herefords

Business Rural

We’re breeding for survival – Pat Richard Loader An unwavering philosophy of breeding structurally sound pedigree cattle has become increasingly important as dairying takes more flat land and pushes cattle further into the hills, says Peter Kane, from Westholm Polled Herefords.

With a dramatic landscape placing high demands on cattle walking long and steep distances, often in snowy conditions, head, legs and feet, and carcass-orientation are essential to survival, he says.

“The cows have to walk to survive. If they can’t walk up hills properly and efficiently, they are not going to survive.”

Along with his family, Peter owns and operates the diverse Westholm Farm, which sits beside Pomahaka River in the Tapanui area of Otago.

Westholm was founded in 1929 by Peter’s great grandparents, David and Nellie Kane.

The Kane family’s history of breeding pedigree cattle stems from when Peter’s grandfather, Murray Kane, bought his first polled hereford in 1963 and developed the Westholm Polled Hereford Stud.

Development was continued when Peter’s parents, Robert and Mary-Anne Kane, bought an angus heifer in 1998. This animal became the foundation of the Blue Mountain Angus Stud.

Peter contributed to the family tradition in 2008 when he bought four hereford, cows, a heifer and a bull calf, and created the KL1 Hereford Stud.

The three studs are run in conjunction with one another. Breeding cows are split: 100 Westholm Polled Herefords, 40 Blue Mountain Angus, 15 KL1 Herefords.

After gathering experience on stations in

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BULLS ON OFFER SIRED BY: POLLED HEREFORD Te Taumata Bonanza 10293 MF Daffy 5 HORNED HEREFORD HH Advance 0132X (Imp USA) ANGUS Blue Mountain Brillianz 05 Vision Unanimous 1418 (Imp CAN) S Chisum 6175 (Imp USA) 2017 BEEF EXPO LED HEIFER FOR SALE SIRED BY MONYMUSK GALLANT 110089 Westholm Audrey R 105

Born: 27/09/2016 • Birth Weight: 39 Kg 200 Day Weight: 233 kg For information contact: ROBERT KANE P: +64 3 204 8236 E: westholm@farmside.co.nz

K S U M Y N MO LANT GAL 89 0 0 1 1 GRASSMERE SARGE 01 786 (P) SIRE: MATARIKI DUNSTAN (P) MATARIKI LEONORA 00302 (P) OKAWA LAIDLAW 4156 (P) DAM: MONYMUSK DOROTHY 070083 (SBM) (P) MONYMUSK DOROTHY 04 0005 (S)

2017 FEBRUARY NZ HEREFORD GROUP BREEDPLAN EBVs EBV DIR DTRS BULL +1.6 +0.3 B Avg +0.2 +1.3 EBV CWT BULL +59 B Avg +45

GL -0.7 -0.2

BWT +4.3 +4.3

200 +34 +30

400 +56 +49

EMA RIB RUMP RBY IMF +5.5 +1.6 +2.2 +1.6 +0.9 +2.9 +0.4 +0.5 +0.8 +0.3

600 +83 +70

MWT +54 +64

MILK +16 +14

SS DTC +3.7 -4.9 +1.7 -2.4

INDEXES ($) HP +$129 DM +$90 EXP +$129 DT +$70

BULL BREEDERS» Taiaroa Charolais

Business Rural

| 35

Cross with charolais brings flow-on benefits for client Russell Fredric The charolais’s excellent growth rates can have flow-on benefits for other livestock in a farm system, says breeder Drew Dundass.

He says a Maniototo client has reported that crossing hereford or angus cattle with charolais improved growth rates so much he was able to send his cattle for processing three weeks earlier than usual. This made feed available sooner to flush sheep on paddocks the cattle would still be grazing.

Extra available feed could potentially increase a farm’s lambing percentage, says Drew. Even a small gain of two percentage points from 2000 ewes would mean an increase of 40 lambs: “That’s

an indirect benefit of having three weeks’ extra grass.”

Drew and Carolyn Dundass manage Glen Ayr in Paerau Valley, Maniototo, which is home to the Taiaroa Charolais stud.

Forty-seven years after the stud was started

by Carolyn’s father, Tom Aitken, it continues to concentrate on American polled bulls with easiercalving stock, while still achieving good weight gains.

Glen Ayr’s 1920 hectares includes the recent addition of a 340ha neighbouring block of flat land; this is complemented by Glenfield, a 600ha finishing property, and a 343ha run block managed

by Carolyn’s sister, Dawn Sangster and her husband, David.

A new pivot irrigator will provide irrigation to 110ha of the new block; Glen Ayrs already has 120ha of k-line irrigation.

“The plan is to winter more cattle,” says Drew.

“We’ll bring charolais-cross calves up from the other property instead of selling weaners, and finish them,” A recent success story at Glen Ayr has been the addition of fodder beet, he says.

“We supplement feed from May to probably the second week in October. Last year we tried fodder beet for the first time.”

The result was heifer calves and bull calves were 80 and 40 kilograms respectively heavier on average when coming off the fodder beet, and less supplementary feed was used.

He says Glen Ayr scored a genetic coup four years ago when it started share-farming 60 charolais cows from the Cotswold stud in Hawke’s Bay. Under this arrangement, the top 50 per cent of Cotswold’s stud cows were added to the top 50% of Glen Ayrs stud cows.

“We get half of the progeny and purchase the other half,” says Drew.

The result, he says, has been was a quantum leap in Glen Ayr’s genetics and a larger pool of quality cattle to choose from for its annual sale, held each year in May. This year, 35 rising-twoyear-old bulls are expected to be offered.

“In the last three years, we’ve managed to have pretty much a full clearance of all our bulls, so we are very happy with the way it has been going. We think we provide a good honest product.”

The Glen Ayr property has a total of 1920ha – 785ha summer country, 260ha hill faces, 520ha paddocks, 355ha river flats.

It s cattle population is made up of 148 mixed age charolais cows, 21 rising three-year-old heifers, 59 rising-two-year-old heifers, 67 rising two-yearold bulls and six mixed-age herd sires.

In addition, Glen Ayr carries 2650 mixed-age ewes, 750 ewe hoggets and 36 mixed-age rams.

Winter crop and supplements sown are made up of 20ha swede, 15ha of fodder beet, 14ha of italian ryegrass and turnips, and 8ha of kale.

Two thousand tonnes of silage are made, plus 250 bales of lucerne balage and 245 bales of hay.

Twenty tonnes of barley is also grown.

W e see business as more than j ust numbers. For us it’ s people, whic h is why we support G len A yr - D rew & C arolyn D undass onta t s or pra � al r al b siness ad i e and s pport that o nts.

“ Sh aping ong oing suc c ess” P hone 03 4 7 4 04 7 5 E mail info@ k mbusiness. c o. nz www. k eoghmc c ormac k . c o. nz

Your local livestock team.

Self-sufficient and intermingled • the Wanaka area and obtaining a Diploma in Agriculture, Peter has returned to take the reins of day-to-day management of Westholm’s dry-stock operation. His parents retain overall control of Kane Farms.

It’s a self-sufficient and intermingled operation that incorporates the three studs, 1800 ewes, dairying and cropping.

The 150 stud calves are weaned in late March/ early April, depending on weather conditions and grass growth. The bulls and heifers will be separated and fed on grass in the flats until midJune when they are fed a diet of brassica till the spring growth returns.

“We’ll go through the bull calves before the

spring and select the top 30 for the autumn sale when they are rising two-year-olds,” says Peter.

“The rest will go to the dairy and beef industry, and are preferentially fed when the spring growth returns. Some will be sold in private treaties. We are trying to add value to the dairy industry by giving farmers a better selection of progeny.”

A third of the 75 heifers – the best of the mob – will be picked as replacements. About half of the remainder will be put in calf and sold as in-calf heifers, and the rest will go to the works.

“All replacement heifers are selected for structural soundness as well as carcass quality,” says Peter. “They are artificially inseminated to low-birthweight, short-gestation bulls. We then select the best of the bull progeny to use over our dairy cows.”

Livestock Manager 027 240 3841

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36 |

BULL BREEDERS » Peters Genetics

Business Rural

Shane’s just mad about angus Russell Fredric Shane Carter, Peters Genetics’ stud manager for the last 10 years, says he enjoys the challenges the role brings in sheep and cattle genetics.

Owned by Trevor and Karen Peters, the romney sheep stud and angus bull stud is a large-scale operation spread around West Otago, Central Otago and Eastern Southland.

The Peters family farms six properties: the home farm, Clutha Downs, at Beaumont; Teviot Valley Station, near Ettrick; Spylaw, at Dunrobin; Bullock Range, at Moa Flat; Attadale Station, at Middlemarch; and a finishing farm in the Waikaka area.

In total the farms carry about 57,000 stock units on nearly 9000 hectares. The stud is based at Teviot Valley Station.

“I enjoy the stud side and the challenges it brings,” says Shane. “Trevor and Karen have been bloody good people to work for, so I’ve had no reason to change.”

The station consists of 485ha of flats to medium to steep hill country, including 41ha of irrigated flats on the home farm, plus a 295ha leased neighbouring block that includes 48ha of irrigated flats.

The stud is further supported by a 1300ha tussock/hill country run block about 20 kilometres west of Ettrick, rising to 1000 metres. Irrigation is sourced from Lake Onslow near the top of the run block.

With the home farm at just 90-metres altitude, the stud operates over a diverse range of terrain and climatic conditions.

While Shane is equally involved in sheep and cattle breeding, but is particularly passionate about the angus cattle and enjoys seeing the results of genetic selection coming through in bulls on sale as two-year-olds.

Peter’s Genetics will host its eighth spring bull sale in September.

“We are very fortunate that when buying in outside genetics, absolutely no expense is spared.

If we need a bull to make our stud better, Trevor is more than happy to pay good money for it.”

Cattle are bred from both artificial insemination and natural mating because “we can push our genetics further”.

“It speeds the process up. You can get better genetics in a lot quicker. We’ve had great results from it.”

Breeding values in recent years have focused on higher fats and increased eye-muscle area: “In the last three years, we have seen a huge improvement in these.”

In the sheep stud, the station has a long history of breeding romneys and claims one of the most successful ram breeding operations in New Zealand.

A policy of strict culling within the stud ewe

flock has resulted in clients seeing good gains in fertility, lambing percentages, lamb survivability, and weight gain, says Shane.

Suffolk/texel are crossed with the romneys for the station’s terminal ewe flock.

Teviot Valley Station takes in 1200 romney ram lambs from Moa Flat and Dunrobin at weaning.

“My job is started from that selection at weaning time; the weighing and selection of the progeny that’s going to come here.

“I also look after the black-faced sheep that are born on this property. We do a lot of weights to make sure we are on the right track for growth rates.”

All ram lambs are eye muscle scanned at the end of March and a collaborative decision is made for their final selection before being sold in spring.

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BULL BREEDERS » Glencairn Limousins

Business Rural

Limousin cross-breeding a ‘free lunch’ Karen Phelps Using limousin as a terminal sire is a good option for farmers wanting to increase meat yields and obtain premium prices for calves, says owner of Glencairn Limousins, Rob Johnstone.

“Cross-breeding with limousin is like a ‘free lunch’ because you get up to 16 per cent extra beef production by crossing a terminal sire over a pure or crossbred cow and genetically trimming excess fat off cattle where this is an issue,” he says.

Limousins grow and finish well and are keenly sought after in the market, obtaining good prices at calf sales as additional benefits, he says. He points to a sale last year at Lorneville where breeder Andy Mainland sold his limousin-cross weaner steers for $1350 a head.

Rob and wife Jean started Glencairn Limousins in 1984 and now run around 80 cows, plus progeny. Their aim is to breed sound cattle of even temperament, exhibiting good growth and yield.

“In our view limousin is superior to anything else in terms of meat and muscle. A bull can yield 66% and a heifer 63% average carcass weight to liveweight. More than 80% of the carcass will be saleable meat, so they are a very efficient animal at converting food to meat.”

Rob uses genetics sourced from North America where there is a focus on polling and intramuscular and subcutaneous fat. He says this part of the world has done a lot of work to introduce polled genetics and he includes homozygous polled genetics in his breeding programme.

The Johnstones sell up to 12 bulls and surplus heifers privately on their 700-hectare hill country farm just north of Outram. They will be starting their annual sale in Apri.

They have been breeding more polled genetics in the herd and this is reflected in the bulls for sale this year.

Rob Johnston acknowledges that pure limousin has less fat than ideal, but through scanning progeny he has discovered one of the cows produces progeny with twice as much fat cover as the rest. He has used her son, which also has high

fat cover, for the last two seasons over some cows to see if this beneficial trait can be passed on.

The main enterprise for the Johnstones though is sheep. They run 3400 ewes plus 900 ewe hoggets and produce prime lambs for ANZCO. They have a contract to supply Waitrose, a top-end English supermarket chain.

“They like lambs around 17-18 kilograms average and quality lambs,” says Rob. For us it’s good to have a contract price as we know what we are going to be getting for the season.”

The main ewe flock is Wairere romney, which they find produce easy lambing stock and a good carcass. About 2500 of their ewes go to a Wairere and they obtain their replacements from the progeny; the balance go to a suffolk/texel terminal sire. Ewe hoggets go to a cheviot ram for one cycle.

Rob says the sheep have through after two dryish summers well. Grazing the hoggets off farm worked well and they came back better than ever.

This also meant more feed was available for the ewes over winter. The farm achieved 142 per cent lambing from the ewes and more than 600 of the hoggets got in lamb.

A wetter season this year has seen more grass

growing, but the Johnstones are concerned about meat prices. They received good prices at weaning in December, but the rest of the season does not look so good, which, says Rob, could mean a tightening of the belt ahead.

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BULL BREEDERS » Kakahu Angus

Business Rural

| 39

Genetics, feeding, handling Neil Grant Genetics. Complicated or simple? It depends how you look at things. Put simply, a gene is the physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Almost every cell in our body has the same complete set of genes made of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) with instructions that determine how we look, feed, reproduce and react to our environment. Humans have about 25,000 different genes.

Complication starts when you study it. Humans have bred plants and animals to suit themselves; like cats that rub against your leg instead of trying to gnaw chunks off it, or grasses with seeds we can grind to a powder to turn into bread. In recent times, controlling how these traits are passed on has been particularly helpful in agriculture.

When Gerald Hargreaves took over the Kakahu Angus Stud from his father, he continued producing bulls from within the New Zealand pool. Then, on a trip to the United States 20 years ago, he discovered a vast array of angus genetics not available back home. He has developed a line of cattle he claims have the traits to revolutionise our beef industry by enhancing farmers’ bottom lines.

“We lift returns by using EBVs (estimated breeding values). There are 12 traits that will tell you how much a bull will earn over five years through its progeny. At Kakahu, we concentrate really heavily on those traits.”

In the USA, Certified Angus Beef (CAB) asked consumers what sort of meat they wanted. The consistent answer was tender, providing a good eating experience. American beef, which is mostly grain fed, produces this because the steak is well marbled. In New Zealand, where most beef is grassfed, high marbling is more difficult to achieve.

This is where genetics becomes vital. By selecting globally we develop can find desirable genes and develop our grass-fed line. High carcase weight, marbling, good growth rate, and calving ease with low mature cow-weights to keep animals at a medium efficient frame...all combine in one package that does well in New Zealand. This takes several generations to achieve and, says Gerald

Hargreaves, these genetics must be enhanced by feeding offspring properly and handling them easily.

“You can have the best genetics, but inadequate feeding won’t achieve the best result. It’s a combination of things so that the animal will grow without impediment all its life. We still take a huge look at temperament, type, feet, legs and structure.”

Premiums can now be gained for these genetics through branded products such as Angus Pure, which he describes as a New Zealand equivalent of CAB. Farmers are required to produce meat to New Zealand Beef and Lamb quality mark standards: grass-fed, no growth hormones, from registered angus sires. But, the important qualities are taste, tenderness and succulence.

Gerald says that at this year’s Kakahu bull sale 98 per cent of bulls will be in the top 20% of the breed under the AngusPure index, and 70% of these will be in the top 10%.

“This will be amongst the highest anywhere in New Zealand. It gives our clients the opportunity to improve genetically in dollar terms. If, instead of having a carcase at 54% of whole weight, you can

get 58%, that’s a huge incentive. All bulls will be i50K genomically-tested – a test evaluating 12 key performance traits.”

The Kakahu sale on June 19 will offer 115 angus and 30 charolais bulls.

He maintains the future of angus cattle in

New Zealand can be assured only by continually embracing technology.

“Angus is popular because it can handle New Zealand conditions, but we must enhance marbling. If we don’t embrace genomics and technology, other breeds will be able to catch and pass us.”

Kakahu’s charolais stud uses the same principles to produce easy calving animals, medium thick, quiet and easy doing, with a high degree of marbling.

Gerald says New Zealand is the best farming country in the world...climate, stable government, stable society. And the world wants us and needs us.

“Once, cattle were put in the back paddock for topping and forgotten about. We can reverse that by being more adventurous. We have clients earning more per stock unit from cattle than from their sheep lambing at 150%. Farmers who are bellyaching they are not getting paid enough are probably not producing a product that can sell.”

Genetics science has environmental applications through such issues as net food efficiency – producing more from the same piece of land, or ensuring the energy required to produce a food is not greater than the energy the food provides.

“It’s imperative we stay up with society’s requirements. You can’t muffle science.”

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40 |

SOUTH ISLAND FARMER OF THE YEAR » Geoff & Lauren Shaw

Business Rural

SI Farmers of the Year - three red-meat farmers and a wine business A husband-and-wife “super team” was judged the Lincoln University Foundation’s 2016 South Island Farmer of the Year. Neil and Lyn Campbell run sheep, beef, bulls and deer, and grow arable crops on 769 hectares (650ha effective) in Middle Valley, near Fairlie, in South Canterbury.

Their property is a mix of rolling hills and flats, ranging from summer dry valley floor to higher, moist country.

They have planted wetland areas to catch sediment run-off from the deer pasture, planted 60ha in exotic trees, and set aside 20ha as

regenerating native bush. They also do cottage farm-stays for tourists and own a vineyard in Marlborough The judges praised their “efficient, incredibly flexible and adaptive” approach to development.

The other finalists were: • Geoff and Lauren Shaw, sheep and beef farmers from Ranfurly, in the Maniototo, Central Otago • James Dicey, whose Bannockburn-based company Grape Vision Ltd, provides consultancy and management services to wineries and grape-

growers in Central Otago. He is also a partner in Ceres Wines. i • endii i s tation anaged i on and Miesha Lee), a high-country sheep, beef and deer farming property near Parnassus, in North Canterbury Four special category prizes were also awarded as part of the awards:.

•The Silver Fern Farms “plate to pasture” award for the best consumer awareness by a red-meat farmer – Neil and Lyn: Campbell • The Lincoln University prize for best use of

new technology and innovation – James Dicey, Ceres Wines, • The Farmlands prize for best on and off -farm resource management – James Dicey, Ceres Wines • e inco n ni ersit o ndation a ard for human resource management – Mendip Hills Station (Simon and Miesha Lee).

BusinessRuralSouth profiles the Shaws and Grape Vision in this issue. Mendip Hills Station was profiled in the spring 2016 issue of BusinessRuralSouth. The property suffered major damage in the November earthquake.

Grazing a winning formula Neil Grant Flexibility has been the key to Geoff and Lauren Shaw successfully farming a dryland property in the Maniototo.

Their farm, near Ranfurly, was a traditional sheep-breeding business when they came on it in 2000.

Winters can start as early as March. Feeding out hay, and break-feeding brassicas to the 3000 corriedale ewes, 1000 hoggets and 30 cattle during winter was time consuming and expensive, and a volatile lamb market was unhelpful. One dry year they were able to make 28 bales of hay, but needed 1028.

This was leading to disillusionment with farming the property. In 2008 they made a change.

They had been replacing about 20 per cent of the pasture with lucerne and lucerne/grass mix each year. The corriedales were gradually phased out to be replaced over four years by 700 crossbred ewes, all mated to terminal sires.

The focus of the business changed to shortterm grazing on contract of ewes, lambs, hoggets and dairy cattle from spring to autumn. Store lambs, ewes and beef calves are bought in as capital stock.

“We’ll graze anything but wallabies and deer,” Geoff Shaw says. “We talked to agents to get our name out there.”

The lucerne pasture is the key to the farm’s flexibility. As a dryland farm with only a tiny bit of irrigation, lucerne copes with the lack of applied or natural moisture.

Grazing stock is cleared by the end of April so that pastures can build up again through autumn.

No winter crops are now grown, but a small amount of supplement is produced for emergencies.

The 80 hectares of straight lucerne, and the rest of the effective part of the 702ha farm in a lucerne/mixed-grass pasture stand up well to winter snowfall and summer drought.

Planning ahead is important.

Information from NIWA reports of likely weather events such as El Nino and its effect on their farm and its pasture or their clients’ farms; identifying the likely animals farmers in various areas of the southern South Island may want to have grazed; keeping in touch with transport firms to take advantage of back-loading – all help determine what combination of animals the farm will carry each season.

“Every person who wants us to graze for them comes here to have a look at what we do,” says Geoff Shaw says.

“We always have a plan B up our sleeves if something goes wrong, but we haven’t had to send any stock back yet.

“We want to be the ‘go to’ people for anyone wanting grazing. We take on enough, or less, so that we can do better. We always want to return the stock better than when we got it.”

The Shaws entered the South Island Farmer of the Year awards in 2016, and were among the four finalists.

Although they did not win the competition, Geoff Shaw reckons it was worthwhile.

“We put our names forward so that we could measure ourselves against others. We didn’t want plaudits. We wanted to rub shoulders with others, get advice and tips, and advertise ourselves as stock grazers. If we found out we could do better, we would do so.”

Their success in reaching the finals was affirmation that the change they had made was worthwhile. Their management and innovation

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The Campbell’s farm consists of 769ha of rolling hills and flats near Fairlie producing sheep, deer breeding and finishing, and a variety of crops. Judges praised their “efficient, incredibly flexible and adaptive” approach that generates the most profit at the most effective point of time.

Venue: Fairlie Rugby Club, 17 Mount Cook Road, Fairlie.

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Monday, 3 April 2017 9:30am – 3:30pm

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SOUTH ISLAND FARMER OF THE YEAR » Geoff & Lauren Shaw

Business Rural

showed the changed system had suited their environment.

Furthermore, from having been sufficiently disillusioned to have put the property on the market before the changes, Geoff Shaw says he is enjoying farming again.

He says the farm is more profitable without his having to do things like make 12 feed break changes a day, and they are no longer so dependent on the vagaries of the meat and wool markets.

A 128ha block of land south of Ranfurly, which

they bought in 2011 has proved useful as a support block.

It should also prove useful when they decide to retire – the main farm can pass on to their son if he wants to take it on, and they can build a house for themselves on the smaller block.

“We did the hard work for the first 10 years in order to get the benefit for the next 20 years,” says Geoff.

“We like to think there are no problems, only solutions.”

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42 |

SOUTH ISLAND FARMER OF THE YEAR » Grape Vision

Business Rural

Pinot noir fuels expansion Neil Grant Things are fluid in Central Otago’s wine industry.

Until recently, most of the region’s wines were produced by small, family-owned vineyards, but change is under way.

James Dicey runs Grape Vision, a vineyard development and management company based in Cromwell. He was one of four finalists in the 2016 South Island Farmer of the Year Awards.

His company not only develops many of the increasing number of vineyards pushing further up the Clutha Valley from Cromwell, but manages many of the smaller ones on behalf of, often, absentee owners, and provides consultancy services to others.

He also has his own winery, Ceres Wines, in collaboration with his brother, Matt, and father, Robin.

He is well placed to observe what’s happening in the region.

“More people are coming back into the wine industry,which is gratifying and satisfying,” he says.

“There is a lot of demand for pinot noir from Central Otago, and now more companies, particularly from around Blenheim, are securing high-end Central Otago pinot vineyards to try to protect their position on wine lists in restaurants, bars and cafes.

There’s an unquenchable demand for Marlborough sauvignon blanc. Its financial numbers are desirable, so it needs less capital and effort to get higher returns. The Marlborough infrastructure

Tending grapes involves a mix of hands-on (above) and mechanical (right) attention.

Central Otago is a desirable place to be, but it’s not easy to grow grapes here. Pinot noir is the king – it’s 76 per cent of what’s planted. The rest are aromatic white varieties, including some stunning rieslings and cost of production means these producers can out-compete smaller (Central Otago) companies.”

Now, 30 per cent of pinot grapes grown in Central Otago are made into wine outside it.

Larger local businesses are also buying smaller producers, so some of those brands are quietly disappearing.

Grape Vision is involved in new areas being developed as vineyards in Bannockburn, Bendigo and along Wanaka Road.

“This year, we will be planting 50 hectares in Central Otago. That is reasonably significant considering there are only 2000ha in grapes in the region.

“Central Otago is a desirable place to be, but it’s not easy to grow grapes here. Pinot noir is the king – it’s 76 per cent of what’s planted. The rest are aromatic white varieties, including some stunning rieslings.”

Lake Dunstan, behind the Clyde Dam, has made many of the vineyards viable if they are able to get water for irrigation from the lake rather than from bores.

Water rights are being reissued, and vineyards have to compete with other users, such as established farms, lifestyle blocks and the increasing area being developed for cherries. The latter two are changing the value of land in the valley to the extent that in some cases, production from vineyards cannot be justified.

At the end of 2016, owners of The Wooing Tree vineyard on the northern edge of Cromwell town announced a proposal to convert part of their existing vineyard into a residential and commercial space. It would have tourist and community facilities, retail, accommodation and housing areas which they feel will complement their wine business and regional tourism.

James Dicey is supportive of the concept of mixed land use, with a periphery of grapes around a village. He believes Wooing Tree Estate has the potential to enhance the local economy, but he is somewhat nervous about the long-term effect on what has proved a successful and distinctive wine region.

“Wine growers are light on the environment.

Unlike some other farming, we do not create nitrogen leaching, for instance.”

Acknowledging that the current farms have been long established and the wine industry, as very much the new kid on the block, needs to fit into an economy, he says co-existence does produce problems.

“Farmers around us spraying chemicals and hormones at the wrong time of the year does cause us significant issues.”

He believes these can be solved through education and working with the Otago Regional Council.

The history of wine producing in New Zealand has always been one of change. What has been a constant is an increase in production, improved quality, and a steadily more educated clientele.

What has always changed is vineyard and winery ownership. Customers may have to sample some different labels from time to time to find a favourite Central Otago pinot noir.

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SOUTH ISLAND FARMER OF THE YEAR » Grape Vision

Business Rural

| 43

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ervices for to horticultural, viticultural industries

O perating since 208, H ortus is already well known for its ability to offer a number of key servi ces including labour supply for the vi ticulture and horticulture industries and machinery contracting and management services for vi neyards. ompany general manager osh Wilkinson taking part in the cehouse owner manager programme and several leadership development programmes has provided the impetus for the company to make key changes, which has resulted in growth and a move into other areas of business including adding a gardens and landscaping division to the company. osh says that Hortus identified a gap in the market to add the additional division, which creates, builds and maintains both public and residential gardens, to offer clients a complete servi ce. The new divi sion can carry out a range of tasks including spraying, mowing, hedging, weeding, irrigation, weed eating and pruning. andscaping pro ects include timber construction, decking and steps, irrigation, new lawns, fences and ga ebos. osh says that the offering has been keenly picked up by residential home owners and the company has also undertaken larger projects including work for exhibitors taking part in the popular G arden Marlborough eve nt. It has also landed a contract for a subdivision in Blenheim to undertake edging and planting.

Another significant change has been a move into supplying seasonal worker accommodation when H ortus brought D uncannon accommodation last year. ocated on tate Highway south of Blenheim, uncannon, has the capacity to house 196 pe ople and will also become the company headquarters this year once a new o ce is constructed on site. osh says this will greatly increase e ciencies by bringing all

H ortus crew m ontage of the company’s staff onto one site. “ n the past, for example, our seasonal workers were accommodated in various locations making things logistically challenging. Now our seasonal workers, permanent staff, machinery and vehicles will all be based from one site.”

H ortus also has deve loped the facility and put in a football field, petanque courts, a gym and a shop, as well as improving the kitchen facilities. As a ecognised easonal mployer osh says Hortus is proud to comply with stringent business conditions from

NZ mmigration and inistry of Business, nnovation and mployment. By providing quality, safe and friendly accommodation he says the company hopes to go above and beyond expectations.

“We believe investing in this can secure a better future for the employees and ensure New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industry continues to grow.” osh says that in order to deliver a complete solution to vi neyard owners, such as Y ealands, and the horticulture industry, Hortus has staff

readily available whether they require one person or 10 pe ople.

“We know that timing is critical so we pride ourselves in getting a task completed e ciently and to the highest of standards. We specialise in vi neyard tasks, but also provi de labour for all aspects of the horticulture industry,” he explains. “We strive to provide the best working environment for our employees, encouraging progression through training to ensure they perform to their potential and as a team. We welcome customer feedback and are always looking for continuous improvement.”

Hortus can supply machinery, with competent operators if required, and osh says that all equipment is serviced regularly and maintained to a high standard to avoid downtime.

“Flexibility is the key,” says osh, “and our clients can control as much as they desire.

We are fully equipped to provide machinery, implements, labour and viticultural advice. ur goal is to manage our client’s vineyard as e ciently as possible with aims to increase total tonnes and fruit quality.”

He cites the company’s key points of difference as the diversity of offering and providing a high quality service. The company has dedicated supervisors and quality control personnel to work with each crew dispatched.

Being an integral part of the local community, local sponsorship is also an important focus for Hortus, which sponsors a number of local sports clubs and charities.

With the wine and other industries in the region growing, osh says Hortus aims to keep up with demand for services. The company currently employs a permanent team of staff and has its sights set on expansion into the H awkes B ay.

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VITICULTURE » Yealands Family Wines

Business Rural

| 45

Quake shakes development plans Karen Phelps Yealands Family Wines plans to build a new $25 million, 20,000 square-metre winery to complement its present facilities.

Founder Peter Yealands says the the company has been meeting demand by adding additional tanks outside on concrete pads. The long-term plan is to build a shell around these tanks so that they are indoors, which will mean less energy is used for cooling.

The Marlborough-based company’s expansion plans experienced a set back from the November 2016 earthquake, which saw damage to wine tanks.

Although the company has not taken a financial hit, Peter Yealands admits it has put a strain on resources as staff have been busy repairing tanks that could be salvaged and replacing those that could not.

Yealands is now the sixth-largest wine exporter in New Zealand, delivering product to more than 85 countries. The company employs around 165 full-time staff.

“When we started we never envisaged being as successful as we are,” says Peter. “For a long time we have been expanding at a compound growth rate of 45 per cent.”

He says growth in Marlborough will be limited by the availability of suitable land to increase plantings.

He estimates there are around 25,000 hectares of vineyards in Marlborough and capacity to increase this by around 5000ha.

Winemakers in the region will then be forced to investigate planting on steeper hill country on soils of fine grain mica and silica, which is soluble and moves easily, which makes planting vineyard terraces problematic.

Yealands is currently completing a new, 75ha vineyard on steep hill country on an adjoining boundary to its Seaview vineyard in the Awatere Valley. Peter Yealands says the company is experimenting with various techniques to make things viable, including stripping off top soil, re-shaping the land then putting the same top soil back. He is also building trellises higher to accommodate “normal-size” sheep.

For some time the company has used Babydoll miniature sheep, which measure just 600 millimetres at the shoulder, on its vineyards as a method of eliminating weeds, keeping grass growth in check and plucking leaves from vines. Yealands has the world’s largest flock of this breed, but being able to use full-size breeds would be easier, says Peter “We’re trying to find clever ways to manage this

The Seaview Vineyard winery, owned by the Yealands Wine Group, has a total of 1314 photovoltaic solar panels on the northern side of its roof. It is New Zealand’s largest solar-panel installation. hill country and we’ll learn as we go.”

Peter Yealands – who with wife Vai, son Aaron and daughter Danielle, runs Yealands – says he views himself primarily as a farmer. He says he happiest working the land at the controls of a bulldozer or digger.

And his entrepreneurial vision extends well beyond grapes. In 1971 he was issued with New Zealand’s first marine farming licence for farming green-lipped mussels and in the mid-1980s he established a deer farm, specialising in stud animals and embryo transplants. This 2000ha property in Kaiuma Bay in the Marlborough

• To page 46

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46 |

VITICULTURE » Yealands Family Wines

Business Rural

Sun powers ‘sustainable’ viticulture business • From page 45 Sounds won a rural environment award in 2003.

In 2016 Peter was awarded a Kea World Class New Zealander award. These awards are individual achievement awards that recognise outstanding Kiwis.

He says his goal is to be the most sustainable winegrower in the world.

The company’s awards are numerous, but a couple of recent achievements include winning a platinum medal in January at the International Award of Excellence in Sustainable Winegrowing competition run by The Botanical Research Institute of Texas. This competition honours organisations in the wine industry that are taking a leading role in implementing sustainable practices.

Yealands has also won the Sustainable Electricity Industry Award for the best solar PV gridconnected, which was installed by PowerSmart Solar.

And he says it is the first wine company in the

world to be accredited CarboNZerocertTM from inception and also the first to achieve Green Mark status – an internationally recognised sustainability endorsement.

“Innovation and sustainability go hand in hand, and we try to champion both aspects in our business,” says Peter. “There are a whole heap of initiatives we have to achieve that, and solar energy is one of these.

“Caring for the environment comes in many forms. Cutting back on harmful greenhouse gases caused by carbon emissions, looking after resources we already have, constantly finding innovative ways to generate renewable energy.

Every day we come closer to our goal of becoming energy self-sufficient and carbon negative.”

He is now quietly mentoring a number of companies to achieve similar results.

And, he says, the company’s overall success and growth is no secret: “It’s simple – we make good wine consistently and we have a good people.”

PHOTOS Above: Sustainable farming is the focus for Peter Yealands, founder of Yealands Family Wines. Above left: Babydoll miniature sheep keep grass growth and weeds in check between the vines.

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Business Rural

HORTICULTURE » ViBERi

| 47

TV gives Koreans taste for blackcurrants Kelly Deeks Overseas promotion and learning about the nutritional benefits of the unique New Zealand blackcurrant has created a market for South Canterbury company ViBERi. Since 2011 husband-and-wife owners Tony and Afsaneh Howey have been producing 100 per cent, organic, artisan, super-foods created from their freshly picked New Zealand blackcurrants.

They say they now run New Zealand’s largest commercial, certified-organic blackcurrant orchard.

New Zealand blackcurrants are known for their extraordinarily high levels of vitamin C and one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, anthocyanins, says Tony.

These small yet powerful berries are also known to assist with circulation, cardiovascular health, eye health and vision, kidney health, exercise recovery, healthy bacteria in the gut, and immune function, with more recent research showing benefits of memory retention, and prevention of parkinson’s disease.

ViBERi initially developed a range of four products: • snap-frozen organic blackcurrants straight off the orchard to keep the goodness packed inside; • freeze-dried and soft-dried organic blackcurrants for cereals, smoothies, salads, and nut mixes; • Chocolate-covered, crispy, freeze-dried organic blackcurrants rolled in high-grade, 70 per cent cacao, organic Belgian chocolate; • A superfood in its own right packed with healthy chemicals such as flavonoids and theobromine.

In the past 12 months the company’s range of chocolate-covered blackcurrants has expanded with three new varieties.

ViBERi Noir is 58% cacao organic Belgian chocolate-covered, soft -ried organic blackcurrants, ViBERi Pearl is high-grade organic premium Belgian white chocolate covered with organic, crispy, freeze-dried blackcurrants, and ViBERi Ruby is high-grade, organic premium Belgian white chocolate covered with crispy, freeze-dried blackcurrants dusted in blackcurrant powder.

“We tested them all at 27 expos last year in New Zealand and also Japan, Australia and Korea, and we’ve had a really good result,” Tony says. “People loved them...variations to suit all tastes.”

The new product is starting to roll out onto the shelves of specialty stores and supermarkets.

ViBERi has also introduced its blackcurrant

PHOTOS – Top: Tony and Afsaneh Howey with the new retail offering for New Zealand consumers. Above (left and right): The recent blackcurrant harvest has been a good one, in terms of both volume and quality. powder to the retail market. It has always been produced for export, and the Korean trade has been going particularly well, says Tony.

New Zealand blackcurrants have been featuring on television documentaries in Korea, he says. A couple of companies picked up the idea and have been running special programmes about New Zealand blackcurrants on television home shopping, which has a big following in Korea.

Servicing South Canterbury for 49 years

“The offer of New Zealand organically grown blackcurrant powder is particularly appealing to health conscious South Koreans concerned about the purity of the food they consume,” he says.

The new retail offering for New Zealand consumers comes in three package sizes (50 grams, 200gm, and 450gm).

“Our 50gm and 200gm packages are in individual 10gm sachets, as 10gm is what is

recommended for sports recovery,” Tony says.

He says New Zealand blackcurrants have been shown to be effective during exercise and recovery, which has implications for active people and sports men and women.

He quotes a trial at Chichester University, England, which showed a 2.4 per cent increase in performance for cyclists through eating blackcurrants and also fat-burning benefits.

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48 |

VEGETABLE GROWING » Oakley’s Premium Fresh

Business Rural

Grower packs in more capacity Karen Phelps Oakley’s is expanding its Southbridge cool-storage capacity for potatoes and adding an extra packing line as demand for product increases, says Oakley’s director Robin Oakley.

Cool storage capacity will increase by around 30 per cent and the company’s packing capacity will have the ability to double after the work is completed in May, he says.

The company is concentrating on developing its branded products, each of which comes with a

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marketplace point of difference, he says. Golden Gourmet potatoes have proved particularly popular with sales showing strong growth.

Robin says the brand, released to the market around four years ago, has good flavour and texture and consistent grading by the company ensures reliable quality.

Another niche product is due for release in May. The Purple Heart potato variety has a strong purple colour and brings antioxidant and health-giving properties, he says Robin.

It has a distinctive flavour and origins hailing from the traditional Maori potato, and its floury texture makes it ideal for roasting, baking and mashing. The company plans to increase production to meet demand.

Candy beetroot has also become popular and is now sold nationwide. it’s a particularly sweet variety of chioggia beetroot that is aesthetically appealing with concentric rings of pink and white, says Robin. It has a similar taste to traditional varieties – the main difference is that the pink juice does not bleed out during cooking.

Oakley’s is an established business dedicated to growing, harvesting, packing and delivering fresh produce through New Zealand.

Robin Oakley, a fifth-generation vegetable grower, originally leased land from his father and hired equipment to start growing vegetables. He eventually started his own company.

He says growth has come “from the desire to always have the best quality and the most consistent supply of product”.

Oakley’s has established its reputation by having complete control of the production process, assuring traceability, food safety and complete quality assurance, he says.

The company has two production bases – one on the north bank of the Rakaia River, near

• To page 49

Christchurch 71 Falsgrave Street PO Box 7075, Christchurch T: 03 366 0399 0800 772 077

PHOTOS Grading and sorting potatoes at Oakleys’ Southbridge base. The company owns and leases 350 hectares of land and employs around 30 staff across production bases, Southbridge and Amberley.

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Business Rural

ON FARM » Craig & Megan McGregor

| 49

Southland sharemilkers Craig and Megan McGregor have introduced ‘three-in-two’ milking into their farm operation. The couple peak-milk 490 cows through this 42-a-side herringbone shed at Riverton.

Animal health behind milking regime Richard Loader Driven by animal welfare and ‘thinking smarter not harder’, Southland 50:50 sharemilkers Craig and Megan McGregor have introduced three-in-two milking on their Riverton farm.

Craig says practices need to change to make farming more profitable, sustainable, enjoyable and kinder on the animals.

He says traditional systems, such as twice-aday milking as the only option, are being challenged as more farmers include once-a-day and threein-two in their milking regimes, or make a total conversion.

“The biggest thing that we’re trying to achieve is animal health. You know, if we look after the animals, they will look after us. But it also makes

There are 52 fewer milkings, equating to 156km the cows aren’t walking, and direct savings on power, water and human resource.

farmers’ lives easier with more time to use in other areas of the farm.”

The three-in-two system sees the herd milked three times over a 48-hour period rather than the traditional four times.

Now in their third season on the 169-hectare (effective) farm, Craig and Megan peak-milk 490 cows through a 42-a-side herringbone shed. Each milking takes two people three hours.

Milking times are now 5am and 5pm, then 11am the next day. The cycle starts again with a 5am milking the following day, and so on.

The system is driven by seasonal production times using a combination of once-a-day, twice-aday and three-in-two.

During calving from August 10- 25, it’s once a day, which allows more time to spend with the cows and gives the cows more time to reach peak production.

“It also helps reduce the hours and fatigue on people,” says Craig. “Fatigue is probably the biggest thing for farmers at this time of year.”

The farm goes twice-a-day from August 25 right through to mid-January when the cows are at peak production.

From mid January to end of April, it’s threein-two, then once-a-day from May 1-30 when the cows are dried off and wintered.

Craig says the key benefits of three-in-two are more rest time in the paddocks for the cows, less

walking involved, reduced lameness, and greater retention of condition.

“There are 52 fewer milkings, equating to around 156 kilometres the cows aren’t walking. It also impacts on shed costs with direct savings on power, water and human resource. Milking three-intwo also allows everyone involved to have breakfast and dinner with their families once every two days.”

However, he stresses that you do have to feed your cows exactly the same as though they were being milked twice a day.

Into his second season of three-in-two, he hasn’t noticed any significant adverse effects.

While production dipped a little bit, he’s able to milk longer, and overall production has increased from last season.

He is also very pleased with the somatic cell count, which sits around 110.

“I think our system has made us more profitable. The production costs are less, the cows are healthier, and we are not slogging the hell out of them.”

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Branded products ‘the future’ From page 48 Southbridge, south of Christchurch, and the other at Amberley, north of Christchurch.

Southbridge grows and processes most of the potatoes, plus beetroot and pumpkins, while Amberley grows winter broccoli and the first early potatoes.

In total, Oakley’s owns and leases 350 hectares of land and employs around 30 staff. The company uses an intelligent harvesting forecast system for each crop to meet market supply and demand.

“Quality and efficiency are the key factors of success in the entire harvesting department,” says Robin. “We work within the stringent quality specifications, meeting customer requirements, applying critical control points in every process in terms of harvesting, grading, processing and storage before dispatch. Freshness is the key factor in our supply line.”

As a family-owned and operated business sustainability is an important, he says. Oakley’s is an approved New Zealand GAP supplier with a traceable, accountable system from crop to customer for the production of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

He says the programme identifies approved suppliers as being committed to producing in a safe and sustainable way, giving customers and consumers the assurance of a quality product grown and produced in a safe and sustainable way.

The company also seeks to use environmentally sound packaging where possible, for example, cardboard cartons for its potato products. These can be recycled and also help protect and preserve the product, and reduce wastage.

Robin says the company’s sustainability philosophy also includes people.

The business is a prominent supporter of the local community, sponsoring community events that enhance people’s health and well-being.

These include the annual Leeston fun run, St John Ambulance and the Westpac rescue helicopter.

Robin is also on the board of United Fresh New Zealand (which operates the 5 Plus a Day programme and runs the Fruit in Schools programme) and on the board for vegetables.co.nz.

Oakley’s product is sold direct to supermarkets, including Four Square, New World and Pak’n Save.

Although the company supplies commodity products, Robin sees the future in its line of branded products, which he is looking to expand.

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Here at Agrissentials, the game plan is increasing as more producers look seriously at moving towards Organx™ production and BioGro certification.

Farming is a natural system which over the last 30 years has changed dramatically as corporate science dominates the scene with synthetic soluble products which lead onto health problems and more synthetic solutions via vets and medical centres – the money is in the problems created by synthetics.

After 33 years down the natural track I see a move back to “traditional farming” with Mother Nature and all the “free-capital” she brings to the table, which will release the farms production into a certified system of safe, certified, nutritiously dense food, all eco-friendly and fully sustainable enhancing both farm and environment. Each farm will have its own independent auditor to help them through to full certification, within a 3 year period, with an estimated annual audit cost of around $1800.00 (eighteen hundred dollars).

Making the move away from “agro-chemical” production and back to “traditional farming” will encourage you and your family to feel strong about operating a “certified” farming system. It’s not complicated, it’s all about getting your soil right and Agrissentials can take you there.

Agrissentials have the key to regenerate new top soil through our multi-mineral, microbial rich fertilisers, bringing health and vitality back to soils. Over the past 33 years I have committed

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The challenge is to bring the soil back to life. To manage the soil by attaching the farmers personal meaning of soil to a higher purpose, for the farmer to become a steward of this ”soil-culture”, to lift the game, to make him the best farmer in the world!

Top soil is sacred, the more we care and look after it, the more wealth it will return to us.

For the past 60 odd years we have been bombarding our soils with synthetic nitrates, phosphates and a plethora of synthetic toxic chemicals. The chemical age has been detrimental to all life upon the planet and also in the sea, rivers, lakes and streams. The situation is reversible, but we need to work on it now!

In late 2015, the Australian Grain Board, a government department made a statement that they were leaving the “chemical age” in an endeavour to increase falling production and to increase the quality of the grain.

From my perspective, having worked on both sides of the fence I learnt early that chemicals don’t work and in reality create their own market.

One of the largest chemical companies have admitted that they have run out of chemicals to fight pest and disease. This shows just how strong Mother Nature is, with pest and disease becoming immune to toxic chemical sprays.

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ON FARM » Evan Williams

Business Rural

| 51

Dairy grazing suited to drying climate Kim Newth

PHOTOS Above: Members of the Carter family in 1943: from left, Evelyn (mother of Evan), Percy, Laura and Frank. Below: The ‘new house’ at Hazelton in 1947: Bottom: Hazelton in 1918.

Meticulous rainfall records show that Middle Valley, near Fairlie, is getting far less rain on average than it used to.

This has significant implications for farmer Evan Williams, of Hazelton Farm in Middle Valley, who has had to find smart ways of dealing with the ever drier conditions.

According to the farm’s rainfall records, an average of 35 inches (889 miilimetres) was recorded annually between 1960 and 1990. Then, from 1990 to 2013, annual rainfall averaged 30 inches (762mm). Over the past three years, the average has fallen to 20 inches (508mm).

“People are saying the drought is over, but if you take a spade and dig into the ground, there’s not much soil moisture there,” says Evan, who is nevertheless quietly confident about the future of a farm that has been in his family for than 100 years.

His grandfather, Francis (Frank) John Carter, along with his two brothers, bought the property in 1912. Frank’s two brothers lost their lives in the World War 1.

By 1950, Frank’s son, Percy, and daughter (Evan’s mother, Evelyn) had taken over the farm, along with another farm in Sherwood.

“Dad (Harry Williams) worked here until 1970 when he dropped dead, at the age of 46,” says Evan.”I was in Australia at the time and Mum asked me to come home to run the farm. That’s how I came to be here; my brother, David, later took over the other farm at Sherwood.”

In spite of increasingly dry years, the family property remains in good shape thanks to changes made in recent years.

The 526-hectare farm used to carry a mix of sheep and beef cattle, but Evan has increasingly turned his focus to dairy grazing, which goes on year-round – there were 600 dairy grazers on the farm in January.

“We rear young stock,” says Evan. “The calves come after they are weaned and they go home when they are rising two-year-olds.”

He finds the cycle of dairy grazing well suited to the dry climate. All the calves come from his son’s farm at Omakau, in Central Otago. Maize and fodder beet is grown, with the latter proving particularly beneficial since being introduced four seasons ago.

“We winter the stock on fodder beet and last year put the ewes on it too. It was absolutely brilliant. I couldn’t believe how good our stock health was; it’s amazing, too, how well fodder beet grows in dry conditions. The crops have been better than anticipated.”

Romney ewes remain an important component at Hazelton, which currently has 2000 ewes. Evan says it also helps his own farming practices to have Lincoln University’s 2016 South Island Farmer of the Year (Neil Campbell) living next door.

“I watch him pretty closely,” chuckles Evan who remains optimistic that sensible management will continue to sustain the family property.

Having retired from local government last year, after serving as a councillor for 12 years, Evan can look back on a fruitful contribution to the region’s governance during a time of rapid change.

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ON FARM » Murray & Marcia Kennedy

52 |

Business Rural

Farming dreams can come true, Neil Grant Slopedown is a large block of the Southland hill country to the east of Wyndham. Green rolling hills rise from the Mimihau and Waiarikiki rivers to the steep scarps on the southern and eastern faces.

A large section became Venlaw Station, farmed by four generations of the Story family. Brothers, Bruce and Tim, developed it from the 1960s, then subdivided it into Venlaw and Jedburgh stations in 1990, Venlaw is still farmed by Dave (Tim’s nephew) and Diane Story. In 2003, Tim engaged Murray Kennedy as Jedburgh’s manager.

Murray had worked as a shepherd and stock manager on several properties, including Mt Linton where he became impressed with the texel sheep breed, especially for its ruggedness.

In 2004, he and Tim introduced the texel/romney cross to the flock. His simple breeding philosophy was, and still is, “If it looks like a texel it goes to a romney, and if it looks like a romney, it goes to a texel. That way we maintain hybrid vigour.”

The development programme continues. Of the 3600 hectares, 1850 are effective, with the rest native bush, scrub or native tussock. They try to

Jedburgh Station manager Murray Kennedy with wife Marcia and their children.

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Business Rural

ON FARM » Murray & Marcia Kennedy

| 53

says manager On the next good day you’re having, take five minutes to appreciate it, write down why you love farming. And on a bad day, read it to yourself – advice I need to remind myself of from time to time. develop up to 20ha of scrub a year, and prevent the gorse from regenerating.

“There is remote and precious land on Jedburgh that we don’t want to overgraze,” says Murray Kennedy. “We winter a few cows and summer sheep up there. We look after this country, but without grazing it would revert to gorse and scrub rather quickly.”

Murray was initially quite happy with simply being the manager. He thought it was impossible for someone like him and his wife, Marcia, to own their own property. However, in 2011, with active encouragement from Tim Story, he enrolled in the Rabobank farm management programme in Brisbane and was one of three of 40 managers asked back to present his project. And his project, which focussed on efficiency and productivity gains, won.

“We became determined to look for a way to get ahead,” he says. “I realised there was waste in the system. A fellow in Australia, Angus Taylor, told me, ‘Every great business was once a wild-arse idea,’ and I thought, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen?’

“We started rearing the pet lambs from our triplet ewes. A big proportion of the 1000 triplet

ewes don’t mother one of them, so Marcia began rearing them, along with bringing up three kids and part-time teaching. Then we began share-farming with Tim at Jedburgh. Whenever we had the sheep conveyor here Marcia would end up working on it, so we bought one, then another. We use them on Jedburgh and contract/hire on other farms also.

“Tim has been a great support for us – it has been terrific to have learnt so much from him. And with support from Marcia’s parents, and mine too, we have bought a 75ha property nine kilometres down the road at Tuturau.

“Managing Jedburgh, conveyor contracting, share-farming, owning a small farm, teaching, and most importantly, being a mum and dad...we’re pretty busy people now. But we own a farm – a wild-arse idea or dream come true.”

The Kennedys love where they are, love their jobs and managing for Tim, but it isn’t their farm they are on, and it’s not their house they live in. If, for instance, things were to change at Jedburgh, things like income would change for them, too.

Having different income streams means they can alter their outside income, which takes the risk out of borrowing. And their goal remains farm ownership or equity building.

Murray and Tim are concerned that the sheep and beef industries are not doing enough to encourage bright young people into them. Unless their parents are financially able to assist, schoolleavers are not being shown that there are pathways to success in farming, and eventual ownership.

But, as Murray points out, a major difference between sheep and beef farming and dairy farming is in debt levels.

“There have been some bloody good guys lost in dairying; any slight swing or erosion of equity in cows or land can be catastrophic in dairying. It’s a bit sad.

“I’ve been lucky. I’ve got a great wife, great parents and in-laws and a fantastic boss. I’m where I want to be. I have an exceptionally good staff.

If other sheep and beef folk would do for others what Tim has done for us, it would make sheep and beef far more appealing.

“Having good media stories, the right messages going into schools, telling bright young people what is available, ownership – it can be done. Dreams do come true and farming is still a great lifestyle.

“The agriculture industry itself needs to start the ball rolling. Let’s start being more positive. Yes we have big days, bad or dry weather etc etc, but on the next good day you’re having, take five minutes to appreciate it, write down why you love farming.

Make sure you tell some young townie (preferably bright looking).

And on a bad day, read it to yourself – advice I need to remind myself of from time to time.

“Perhaps it is time for sheep and beef industry leaders to try one of those wild-arse ideas.”

PHOTOS Above: Jedburgh Station owner Tim Story (left) and manager Murray Kennedy.

Lower left: A view across part of Jedburgh Station.

Bottom left: An interior view of the woolshed at Jedburgh/

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54 |

ON FARM » Karl & Ro McDiarmid

Business Rural

Big southern sky over a sprayed out ryecorn paddock at Gorge Creek Flats in the Maniototo.

Wind takes toll in the Maniototo Russell Fredric Maniototo Plain in Central Otago is renowned for its sweeping, picturesque landscapes. For farmers such as Karl McDiarmid, its beauty had an Achilles heel during December and January – relentless wind.

The wind was not exclusive to Maniototo, but the weather took its toll on non-irrigated pastures at Karl’s Gorge Creek Flats early in the new year.

“Grass growth, even under irrigation is pretty slow,” says Karl McDiarmid. He runs the family partnership’s sheep and beef farm near Oturehua in conjunction with his wife, Ro, and parents, Jim and Sue McDiarmid; the family has owned the property for more than 60 years.

After a stint overseas, Karl and Ro McDiarmid returned to the farm about 12 years ago. The 1330-hectare is complemented by 169ha bought three years ago and 204ha leased near Becks, a 20-minute drive away.

Across the two properties, 350ha is irrigated by a combination of k-line and pivot irrigation.

The two Becks properties have a manager and are used for bull fattening and grazing about 600 annual draft ewes from the home block.

A present focus is to reduce sheep and increase beef numbers.

The farms usually carry 5500 ewes, 1600 hoggets, all pure romney.

While hogget mating is relatively uncommon in the area, it is part of Gorge Creek Flats’ operation.

“We are aiming for 100 per cent lambing at this stage,” says Karl. “We are not quite getting there, but we are trying to mate all our hoggets and kill anything dry.”

Lambing is 145 per cent overall; he does not believe there is much room for improvement, but is looking for gains in other areas.

“I see a lot of room for improvement as far as our percentage of lambs finished off mum.”

Destocking from 6000 ewes to 5000 and running more bulls is part of the strategy to improving lamb finishing as well as reducing the hands-on workload.

A weaning weight of 28 kilograms this season is

• To page 55

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ON FARM » David & Kerrie Sutton

Business Rural

| 55

Irrigation opens new options Karen Phelps An irrigation system is being installed on Waitangi Station, in South Canterbury, with the long term in mind. The station, which is owned in a family partnership, has been in the Sutton family since 1887.

David Sutton says it has been a long and complex process (more than 10 years) to get consent to take water from the Waitaki River.

Three centre-pivots, capable of irrigating around 40 hectares, will be on the property by the end of March.

Irrigation will allow some lambs and cattle to be fattened, says David Sutton.

Waitangi Station comprises 21,000 hectares on the border of Lake Aviemore and runs 14,000 merino sheep – including dohne merino, a hardy South African breed that is easy care with high re-productivity, and growth rate – and 320 head of hereford cattle.

It has been predominantly a store farm, so the ability to fatten a small number of stock is a change, says David, who with wife Kerrie, manages the property. The station is predominantly hill country, but he estimates another 17ha could be irrigated, Wilding conifers are one of the biggest threats, They have taken hold on neighbouring land upwind and Waitangi is experiencing problems from seed travelling by wind, landing on the station, and taking root. This is reducing the value of managed pasture and water availability, as well as altering the character of the landscape. The family has so far managed to control the problem by cutting down trees, but it remains a strong concern. Rabbits and wallabies also need constant control.

With overseas demand for fine merino wool steady, the family seeks to source top genetics from New Zealand and studiously cull animals.

“We are looking for an animal that will produce and is capable of thriving in high country,” says David. “Good conformation and type are important for both sheep and cattle, and also wool weights for our sheep.”

Lambing percentages are normally 100-105 per cent, but dry weather has reduced feed quality in the last two years, and lambing has not been so impressive. Around 5000ha of the station is oversown and top-dressed. Wool goes to the New Zealand Merino Company to service contracts that include Icebreaker and Successori Reda.

The cattle side of the operation is currently humming on the back of high demand, with calf prices reaching healthy levels last season.

Wool from Waitangi Station’s merinos heads to the New Zealand Merino Company to service contracts that include Icebreaker.

David looks after the day-to-day running of the farm, while Kerrie handles the bookwork and fills in as needed. The station employs a stock manager and a casual musterer.

Because of nature of the country, a helicopter is an important piece of equipment. This enables them to look over the entire unit regularly and is also used for jobs such as mustering and pest control.

The couple’s sons – Tom, 23, a mechanic, and Fred, 22, a builder, have both expressed interest in returning to the property and ensuring it stays in the family.

“It has a privilege to be running a station that has been in the family for so long,” says David.

“Our aim is simple – to make it better than when we arrived.”

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A helicopter is a vital piece of gear on Waitangi Station and is used for mustering and pest control

Competitive streak comes to fore • From page 54 slightly down on previous seasons, but Karl hopes to eventually achieve a weaning weight in the mid30kg range.

“There is a big difference, but if you don’t set your sights high you don’t achieve do you?”

This season, about 450 rising two-year-old friesian bulls and 510 100-kilogram, friesian calves are being fattened, with 23 cows and calves and 38 steers added to the mix.

The McDiarmids are looking to introduce texel and perendale genetics to the romney flock, sourced from Meadowslea Romney Stud at Fairlie.

“We’re after just a bit more finishing ability,”

says Karl. “In Central Otago we need to be finishing more lambs off the mother, so we need to get the ewes to carry a bit more condition.”

While the McDiarmids aim to fatten and finish all their sheep, Central Otago summers sometimes dictate otherwise.

Karl McDiarmid confesses a competitive streak provides some his motivation to get out the door each day.

“I enjoy the challenge of trying to make money when everything’s stacked up against you. I’m pretty competitive and like proving people wrong.

We are told there are a few things you can’t do around this area. I like digging my toes in and trying to prove people wrong, that it can be done.”

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56 |

ON FARM » Daniel & Charlotte Montgomery/Francois & Shelley Tillard

Business Rural

Lakeside farm open to extremes Sue Russell Daniel (Monty) and Charlotte Montgomery are enjoying their fourth season on a 130-hectare dairy farm nudged right up against Lake Ellesmere, a shallow lagoon directly to the south-west of Banks Peninsula, in Central Canterbury.

The couple have had several evolutions in their farming life. They have milked herds ranging from 650 cows in an equity partnership at Clinton, in Southland to 280 cows in a 50:50 sharemilking capacity on a farm owned by Keith Shadbolt, near Lincoln. They are now 50:50 sharemilking on a property owned by Kelvin and Gem Coe. They have a herd of 400 predominantly friesian cows and Monty says the aim is to use Ambreed genetics to breed cows to a weight of 550 kilograms and producing 475 kilograms of milksolids per cow a year on a grass-based system.

“This year we’re on target to achieve 420kg milksolids which is a big improvement on our first season of 385kg per cow,” he says.

There have two central factors in this growth – regrassing to create better performance from the land, and breeding the crossbred out.

Willem Yska started working fulltime for the couple two years ago, always with the view of acquiring experience to move to farm management.

Monty and Willem share pasture-management responsibilities. With Willem almost certain to move on, they have a previous employee is set to return.

The farm sits in part on swamp country hard up

Charlotte and Daniel Montgomery with their two children and their cows. against the lake, and is prone to both wet and dry extremes, says Monty.

“The middle of this farm is only 800 metres from the lake, bringing the challenges that come with wet spring conditions. Spring is always hard work.” I To compensate for these testy ground conditions, they grew turnips which are break-fed after milkings in late summer/early autumn. This

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Twice-a-day milking is done by two people, and takes two and a half hours on average.

The cost of the intensive pasture-improvement regime has been well worth the investment, he says. And from this season onward, that investment will be reflected in milk production and the bottom line.

He is satisfied that he has brought the farm up to potential during his three-plus years there: “We’re fully self contained in terms of feed. With the use of the sheep farm next door, all the wintering is done within two kilometres of the farm.”

The couple see their next step as leasing a block and running their beef stock, with Monty continuing on the dairy farm.

“So far it has been an awesome feeding season in the district,” he says.

“That has been really positive and, while environmental compliance issues are providing a fair few challenges, I’m not thinking they are going to be too bad.”

‘To get run over by luck, you Karen Phelps

Ross G Millar Limited Chartered Accountant

removes the need for silage over this period.

Monty also uses a rape crop as part of his re-grassing. It can be used as a late autumn or winter feed to allow the cows to continue milking into June, if weather conditions allow, it is used for cows to finish wintering and slowly transition on to grass for calving.

“We have gone to 16-hour milkings at the end of January because we have had such an intense re-grassing programme in place,” says Monty.

“But this season we are on twice-a-day milkings to the end of March. The summer turnips and young grasses have allowed for this” A 30-a-side herringbone is the milkproduction hub. It’s a basic plant without computer technologies. Monty says he would far rather invest money in improving the quality of the land than in further milking-shed infrastructure.

A farm exchange in New Zealand coupled with an outbreak of BSE and foot and mouth disease back home in France, spurred Francois Tillard to make a permanent move to New Zealand to continue his farming career.

“Although the farm I was managing in France didn’t suffer, it was in a region that had and was part of the control area for BSE and foot and mouth.

I was there for six months, then decided to come back to New Zealand as I could see the situation wouldn’t get any better for a long time.”

He worked on a 1500-cow unit near Clydevale in South Otago, progressing from junior to operations manager over four years. In 2004 he and wife Shelley (they met when she was working as a farm assistant on another farm) went lower-order sharemilking 500 cows in Southland.

After two years they moved to a larger (850

Irrigation Installation Dairy Shed Installation Dairy Shed Maintenance

cows), lower-order sharemilking position. They were there from 2006-2011. During this time they made their first foray into farm ownership, buying a 310-hectare property (Arnmore) in North Otago and milking up to 1100 cows in a self-contained system.

In 2013 they sold an Arnmore run-off and went into an equity partnership on the unit with Craigmore Farming. They sold the Arnmore farm to Craigmore in 2014 and they are now in partnership with the organisation on two other dairy units (Clydesdale Dairy and Glencairn Dairy) near Windsor.

“It was a different challenge,” says Francois.

“Someone once told me that to get run over by luck, you have to stand in the way. That’s what we’ve done.”

The farms are joined and offer 346ha total/325ha effective. They milk a total of 1150 crossbred cows through two sheds – a 60-bail rotary and a new 40-a-side herringbone with a concrete feedpad. It’s an intensive system with one tonne of supplement fed per cow each year. The farm produces around

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ON FARM » Hayden Ussher & Gillian Dalley

| 57

Couple completely positive about biological approach Richard Loader North Canterbury dairy farmer Hayden Ussher says fear comes from change, and perhaps none more so than switching to alternative forms of fertiliser.

“Farmers know change is coming in respect to the use of nitrogen and urea fertilisers. They know there are lots of alternatives and options now available, but it’s the fear of the unknown and the impact non-traditional options will have over what they already know.”

Feeling the winds of change fast approaching in on nitrogen and its impact on the environment, Hayden and his partner, Gillian Dalley, knew about 15 years ago that they wanted to reduce their ecological footprint on their 130-hectare Fernside farm.

“The timing was perfect,” says Hayden. “A company wanting to trial biological products approached us to do a comparative trial alongside the urea/ammonia/nitrate blend we were using.”

Trialling a small part of the farm, initial results showed growth was 15–20 per cent higher than the rest of the farm where traditional, chemical fertilisers were used, and the nutritional quality of dry-matter energy had also improved.

With no visible change to the soil structure in the initial tests, further trials over the next two months started to show improvements.

“There was much more biological activity and soil aeration going on, a presence of worms and bugs, clover nodules and reduced pugging,” says Hayden.

Recognising the benefits, the couple carried on with the trials over the next couple of years and started to see health benefits to the stock as well.

“The next spring we trialled half the farm and then the whole farm. In the first whole year, we saw a jump in milk production in the area where biological products had been applied. So I would say that it has definitely benefited production.”

Not only did they find that there were benefits to pasture growth and quality, but the cows chose to graze it preferentially during the trial period.

Hayden says one of the biggest benefits of going biological has been a significant improvement in the health of his cows without any other intervention.

Before to switching to biological products, his herd suffered from mastitis, high empty rates and lameness.

“Now we have empty rates that are in the lower 25% of the district. We don’t treat mastitis, we don’t dry cow and we don’t treat lameness. We still get a small percentage of mastitis and lameness in the

have to stand in the way’ 1700-1800 kilograms of milksolids per hectare.

Francois says they have concentrated on developing the farms to their potential, redeveloping the irrigation system, re-fencing (including off waterways) re-grassing, and installing variable-rate irrigation.

Sustainability is a Craigmore cornerstone, and the farms operate under a number of principles – including growing healthy, safe products; protecting and enhancing animal welfare; biodiversity; minimising risk from the use of chemicals and atmospheric pollution.

These extend to farm’s six staff and the Tillards seek to enhance the safety, skills and job satisfaction of staff, to promote open and honest communication with all parties, and to contribute to a well-balanced community.

Craigmore Farming, a specialist manager of farms, was formed in 2008 by two New Zealand farmers, Forbes Elworthy and Mark Cox. The business now includes a mix of dairy, grazing and horticultural farms spread over 15,000ha.

It’s a stable, corporate structure,” says Francois.

“The last couple of years have been tough with the payout, and we didn’t have the pressure on us we would have had on our own.”

Francois and Shelley remain hands-on farmers and are bringing up two children, Chloe, 13 and Alizae, six.

PHOTOS: Hayden Ussher and Gillian Dalley report only positives from trialling biological fertilisers but say there is a period of transition and it is not a two-year remedy. Their farm and cows are flourishing. spring but nine times of 10 they cure themselves.”

While he could not say that the use of biological fertilisers has been the only reason for improvements in animal health, he is confident it has played a big part.

Hayden says the biological fertilisers use a natural bacteria, yeast and fungi that is fermented into a product. A small amount of nitrogen fertiliser is mixed in with it.

“We add five units of nitrogen every application, which, added to the biological fertiliser, is growing us what you would get by putting on 60–70 kilograms of urea.”

Initially Hayden and Gillian were looking for a reduction in the amount of nitrogen they were applying.

But they have discovered benefits to soil quality, pasture growth and, most importantly, animal health and the overall cost of production.

“Fifteen years on, all we have seen are positive improvements from using biological products,” says Hayden. “We haven’t seen any negatives.”

While the couple’s way of farming may not suit every farmer, it has worked for them. However, Hayden says there was a period of transition. It is not a two-year remedy.

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58 |

RURAL SERVICES» New Zealand Trucking Association

Business Rural

Truck safety 101 launched Kelly Deeks The New Zealand Trucking Association is working to shed light on truck drivers’ blind spots with a new safety programme being rolled out at schools, industry events and community groups across New Zealand.

The history of this truck road-safety programme goes back about three years to a time when the trucking industry and the cycling community were

experiencing problems sharing the roads.

The NZ Trucking Association engaged with New Zealand Transport Agency and cycling advocacy groups Cycling Action Network New Zealand and Spokes to help develop a workshop to create more understanding between truck drivers and cyclists.

Groups of cyclists met with groups of truck drivers, shared their experiences, then the truck drivers went for a ride on a bike while cyclists went for a ride in a truck.

“That created a lot of understanding from both

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parties,” says NZTA chief executive officer Dave Boyce.

“What came out of that workshop was that we realised very quickly that just about every other road user has a lack of understanding about trucks, and how to be safe around them on the road.”

A new programme was developed for the education of all road users, which highlights simple tips to help people share the road safely.

When the programme was launched at Clearview School last June, the NZTA two large

trucks for the pupils to spend time in the driver’s seat, while the driver explained the blind zones and answered questions.

A marquee was set up with over-sized banners illustrating road issues and safety tips on how to react and behave around trucks in different road situations. There was also a play area where participants can drive toy trucks around a New Zealand roadway.

Finally everyone is given a road safety booklet

•

Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES » Marshalls Excavating

| 59

‘Soft’ rock the ideal farm race surface Kelly Deeks Marshalls Excavating is sourcing, crushing and carting what Nigel Marshall describes as “some of the best rock in Southland”.

It has a soft texture and smooth surface, which helps avoid the issue of becoming lame when in dairy farm lanes.

The Southland-based earthworks/excavating specialist company has been working a local farmer’s rock pit and providing high-quality for construction and maintenance of dairy farm races for about three and a half years.

Managing director Nigel Marshall says the reduction in the number of lame cows on the farms where he has provided rock to is too big to ignore.

He has been in business for 12 years, after swapping a career in truck driving for digger operation He began working for Yorks Excavating, then three years later bought the business and its one truck and digger.

He carried out general farmwork and maintenance around the Southland from the company’s base in Wyndham, pushing through the quiet times with promotion and visits to potential clients. After 18 months, he upgraded his truck and digger, and the business has continued to grow ever since.

When the Southland contracting industry picked up with the increase in dairy conversions, Marshalls Excavating got stuck into this work – up to four a year in the first few years.

Conversion work around Southland has since given way to development work, as farmers increase the size of their farms and break in land to new pasture.

Marshalls Excavating has also been involved in the emerging trend in Southland for herd homes, preparing many sites.

The company now runs two 12-tonne diggers

which are used for drainage and maintenance work, supplying alkathene for water systems, lane scraping, and fencing.

A walking-floor trailer and a four-axle tip trailer shift wood chip, rock, and gravel. A four-axle transporter is used to shift gear (up to 32 tonnes) around the South Island.

Nigel likes to have machinery on hand when he needs it, and had this in mind when he bought a John Deere 750 bulldozer about a year ago.

“Having our own bulldozer makes us a lot more flexible. It has already completed about 800 hours for the year.”

The firm specialises in drainage and overflow work, providing drainage systems to remove surface and sub-surface water from paddocks and improve their productivity.

After more than 13 years of rural contracting experience, Nigel Marshall reckons he has an eye for what’s going on and what’s needed when he walks into a paddock.

His experienced eye can assess the needs of each paddock...whether it needs to be recontoured, needs improved surface drainage or needs subsurface drainage.

He has redeveloped his drainlaying procedures.

Whereas he used to use hay to surround overflow pipes in the ground, he now uses gravel after discovering it worked a lot better and was a lot more durable.

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‘Light-bulb moment’ flashes on in truck cab • which contains the images and safety tips from the banners, and is encouraged to share this with their family and friends.

“At Clearview School, we put 770 kids through the programme in one day,” Dave Boyce says. “We later met with 6500 people from Age Concern in Christchurch, and put quite a few hundred people through the cabs of these trucks.”

When the programme was presented at the Christchurch Trucking Show at Wigram Airforce Museum in October, 21,000 people went through in one day.

“We had a lot of family friendly activities like a big bouncy castle in the shape of a 14-metre-long truck, a sandpit with oversized trucks for the kids to play with, radio-controlled trucks two metres long, and a big paint-by-numbers mural of a Fonterra milk tanker out in the country.”

Plans include delivering it to every school that takes part in New Zealand Transport Agency cycle-

skills training courses, and at the South Island Field Days at Kirwee, in Central Canterbury.

The NZ Trucking Association is also working with the NZ Transport Agency to develop a trucksafety programme for the school curriculum.

Dave Boyce says the NZ Trucking Association wants the public to know it cares about what is happening on the roads, and understands truck road safety is not intrinsic.

“As soon as you get someone in the cab of a truck it’s like a light-bulb moment,” he says.

“We’ve now got kids in the back-seat of the car telling their parents what they should be doing. This programme is not a short-term fix. We’re helping to educate the next generation.”

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60 |

RURAL SERVICES » R and R Precision Fertiliser Spreading

Business Rural

Latest tech offers a head start Karen Phelps R and R Precision Fertiliser Spreading focuses purely on fertiliser and lime spreading. Company owner Ben Smith says the decision to sell off the haulage side of the business and concentrate on spreading was made several years ago and was cemented when he took over the day-to-day running of the business last year and changed the name from R and R Haulage.

The company now has nine spreading trucks.

There are four Scania and Mercedes Benz 4x4 spreaders with Automatt self-unloading trailers capable of carting up to 22 tonnes per unit at one time. And five Isuzu mini-spreaders fitted with bredal bins for precision nitrogen application are certified to spread using 18, 24 or even 32-metre tramlines for crops.

Heavy investment has also been made in equipping the fleet with the latest technology, says Ben. “In the past few years we’ve really excelled in

offering new technology to our clients. We probably have one of the most advanced spreading fleets in New Zealand.”

All spreaders use GPS technology and are fitted with Topcon X20 units, which are capable of variable-rate spreading, he says.

“This is something farmers are increasingly requesting as they become aware of the technology.

It can save them time and money, and result in better soil yields while giving better control of environmental issues.

“A customer-chosen agronomist provides nutrient maps to highlight these areas with the data loaded into the Topcon X20 unit. GPS sampling

identifies areas in paddocks where nutrient deficiency is affecting the yield. There may be areas where levels are high, so less, or even no, fertiliser need be applied.

“The adjustment in rates happens automatically when passing over different areas. This technology eliminates double-ups, and every part of the paddock receives only the nutrients required.”

But, according to Ben,, technology is about more than ease of doing the job and saving clients money – it is also a way to meet strict environmental regulations. He points out that farmers can now be held accountable and must retain proof they are complying with regulations,

which is why R and R Precision Fertiliser’s GPS tracking systems document the daily movement of the company fleet, and the exact location and timing of when fertiliser is applied. Technology partner Precision Farming stores this data, which is available to customers on demand.

But technology must also go hand in hand with experienced operators, says Ben who employs 10 drivers and a dispatcher.

R and R Precision Fertiliser is a member of the New Zealand Groundspread Fertiliser Association and is Spreadmark-certified, a fertiliser spreading accreditation scheme that registers fertiliser-spreading companies with certified

Proud to support R&R Spreading

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Mt Hutt Lime is a new division of Harmer Earthmoving We supply a wide range of Aglime and dairy track from three quarries in the Methven/Mt Somers area. We're focused on delivering a quality product and test our product regularly to ensure we are delivering the right grade.

Proud to support R&R Spreading

267 Carneys Road, Ashburton 7771 Please visit our website at www.harmer.co.nz/mt-hutt-lime

RURAL SERVICES » Southern Vegetation Control

Business Rural

| 61

on spreading

spreading machinery, trained operators and auditedquality management systems. The certification is run in conjunction with Fertmark, the fertiliser quality assurance scheme.

Ben says the importance of evenness of spread has been highlighted in a Fertiliser Associationfunded study undertaken by Lincoln Technology, AgResearch and Agriculture New Zealand, which shows that patchy fertiliser distribution can significantly affect paddock productivity.

Methven-based R and R Precision Fertiliser

Spreading was started in 1999 by Ben’s father, who is still an owner. The company does work on dairy units, arable and cropping farms, and sheep and beef stations. It operates north to Springfield and Darfield, and to Temuka in the south. Services can be ordered on the company’s website.

“While we see gaps in the market and opportunities to extend our service area, our local customer base will always remain our main focus,” says Ben. “As technology continues to advance, we plan to keep up with this.”

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Weed control essential to maximise fodder beet yields Karen Phelps Southern Vegetation Control covers the Otago and Southland areas. Company director Bretton Taylor says the firm provides the same services across both regions.

He started the business in 2001 after working in the spraying industry in the North Island. He saw an opening for a spray-contracting service, so made the shift to the South Island. He has no regrets.

“We had good equipment, and word of mouth has played a big part in developing the business.

Southland is a good, safe, friendly environment. We have good loyal customers; it’s a great place to run a business.”

He gets out on the job himself, and says his rural background (he was brought up on a farm) gives him a good understanding of the needs of farmers.

The firm has invested in technology, and operates a fleet of trucks with GPS and 16-metre boom-spray capability. The GPS technology gives customers proof of placement.

“The traceability aspect is becoming increasingly important,” says Bretton. “We can

produce GPS maps that show farmers exactly what we have applied, and where.”.

Southern Vegetation Control is a member of the Rural Contractors’ Federation of New Zealand, which, he says, keeps him up to date with the latest in the industry. The company is a registered chemical applicator – an area that has seen a big shift towards regulation.

“It is peace of mind for our customers. They know we have the right equipment and experience to do the job, and do it safely. Farmers are now keen to get a professional in to do this job on their farm for these reasons.”

The bulk of the company’s work is boom spraying for weed and pest control and application of liquid nitrogen and ProGibb.

It is essential for dairy farmers, especially those growing the notoriously tricky fodder beet, that weed control is done properly to maximise yields, says Bretton.

“Looking after pasture and winter crops is essential. If weed control is not done properly and in a timely manner, it not only can reduce crops but in the worst case scenario could wipe the crop out.

We can offer the right advice as to what farmers need to do within their budget.”

Proudly supplying Southland Vegetation Control Services with quality weed control.

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62 |

RURAL SERVICES » Awamangu Contracting/Milburn Lime

Business Rural

Experience vital in making good silage Kelly Deeks Silage specialist David Smollett points to experience when it comes to producing high-quality silage.

And he says his firm, Awamangu Contracting, has developed and refined its expertise over three decades.

He was around 20 when he began doing the silage on his parents’ and uncles’ farms. When the family bought a self-propelled forage harvester and a whole-crop front to replacing a tow-behind silage chopper to direct-cut barley on their own farms, requests from other local farmers soon came flooding in.

About five years ago, his Balclutha-based business went through significant growth when David bought another local contracting company and took on additional machinery and clients.

“All of our barley was late summer, so with the purchase of this other business, our work picked up through spring with the dairy farmers’ work.”

He now runs his own grazing and cropping farm, which he says has been beneficial to the contracting business as it gives him a hands-on understanding of what his clients need. It also helps him employ staff full-time and year round.

A personal touch is important in his game, he says. And as he runs the chopper himself, he is involved in just about every job the company does.

“I treat everyone’s silage as if it were my own,” he says. “Keeping an eye on things myself is a big advantage because I’ve been doing this for so many decades, I have experience with the weather conditions and I know what the grass is doing.”

He says timing is critical – you can’t make good silage if it’s harvested at the wrong time.

“The experience of doing this on my own farms is invaluable. We feed a lot of silage with our dairy grazing, and we know good silage from bad.”

David says this year has been his busiest yet.

“We are always taking on new clients, and some of our clients are getting bigger themselves,” he says. “They are growing, and we are growing with them.”

He has recently bought a new John Deere 960 round baler, which has the ability to produce 52 bales an hour.

He gets most of his gear, which is John Deere or Claas, from Otago Farm Machinery and Claas Harvest Centre Otago. He enjoys a good relationship and receives good service from both.

Another recent purchase has been a firewood processor. Firewood is now a sideline which helps the firm keep staff busy over winter. Retaining skilled staff is vital as it is difficult to get seasonal

Machinery part of a

drivers with heavy traffic licences, David says.

With a couple of trucks and a digger in the fleet as well, Awamangu Contracting is also set up to do cultivation and excavation work in the shoulders of the season.

6x4 Truck for Hire with Silage Bin 12 & 14 Tonne Diggers for Hire Augers available Transporter for Hire Laser Level Field Tile Cleaning

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Proud to support Milburn Lime

Phone 03 4 15 83 6 0

Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES » Harmer Earthmoving

| 63

Pipeline work sees earthmoving firm look further afield Richard Loader

‘massive upgrade’ Kelly Deeks Milburn Lime has developed a New Zealand-wide reputation for its high-quality agricultural lime which, according Roger Mahan, gives top results for both plant and animal health.

In July 1993, his Hilton Lime Co opened a plant in the Milburn quarry in the Milton in South Otago; he secured limestone from the former Dominion lime and phosphate quarry. In 1995 the company’s name was changed to Milburn Lime.

The new firm began with six employees, and now employs up to 14 people during the peak summer season.

Roger says the company has experienced a massive upgrading of machinery. The 20-tonne excavator has been replaced by a 110-tonne model, and motor scrapers with 25-tonne capacity have been replaced with three dump trucks, each of which can carry 100 tonnes.

Milburn Lime can now produce more than 2000 tonnes of lime a day, and its annual tonnage is now well over 100,000 tonnes.

The processing plant produces agricultural lime for South Otago, West Otago, Central Otago and Southland farmers.

“Processing the lime involves shifting the overburden on top, then drilling and blasting the 32-metre-high lime-wall face,” Roger says.

Each blast contains several tonnes of

explosives, and each blast design yields 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes of well broken limestone. The lime is then carted from the quarry to the crushing and processing plant.

A 15,000-tonne storage shed holds processed dry, very white lime which is available all year round. As well as agricultural lime, Milburn produces knaprock for dairy lanes.

Roger Mahan says Milburn lime is combined with calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulphur, zinc, copper, boron, and phosphate to make the final product..

“The phosphate present in Milburn lime is a plus, especially for clovers, which are so important for nitrogen in the soil,” he says.

“Some limes contain iron, which tends to lock up the other minerals. Limes that are not pure white are generally contaminated with seabed clays, which hold moisture and generally clog, and require kiln-drying. Because Milburn lime is very dry when taken from the quarry, it does not require drying.”

The Milburn quarry is thought to hold fossils that are 30 million years old. A shed which Milburn Lime has built at a look-out past the lime works holds a large whale-jaw fossil and other fossils.

There are also historic photos of the limeworks, showing the various eras of operation and equipment.

The look-out, which is maintained by the Waihola Looking Forward Group, is well worth a visit, says Roger

Laying high-density polythene pipe (HDPE) pipe within a strict height tolerance is all in a day’s work for Harmer Earthmoving’s specialists working on the 130-kilometre pipeline project for the Amuri irrigation scheme.

Due for completion this September, the project will replace the open water races in the Amuri Basin with a tentacle-like network of underground pipes carrying water from the Waiau and Hurunui rivers to support farm irrigation.

Methven-based Harmer Earthmoving, along with two other earthmoving contractors, has been engaged by the lead contractor, Monadelphous, to do the the excavation and pipe-laying work.

Harmer Earthmoving specialises in dairy-track development and maintenance, land conversions, forestry work, landfill, effluent ponds and systems, subdivisions and irrigation systems.

It employs a staff of 40 and has a fleet of diggers, logging trucks, general loaders and bulldozers, graders and other specialist machinery.

Managing director Jon Harmer says that in the last five years the company has made a push into the installation of irrigation pipelines.

“In the last four years we have installed well over 200km of pipe,” he says.

“We started off laying 1.6-metre pipe with Valetta Irrigation, then worked with Monadelphous on the Barrhill Chertsey irrigation (BCI) scheme in Mid Canterbury.”

Harmer Earthmoving’s decision to take on more specialised jobs, such as the installation of piping under rivers, led to an approach from Monadelphous to venture outside Mid Canterbury

region by tendering for further infrastructure works.

This experience led to the firm being awarded the Amuri contract.

Ranging from 1600-millimetre diameter pipe down to 75mm, the Amuri project involves a glassreinforced plastic (GRP) for the large bore and high-pressure applications with HDPE making up the majority of the smaller branch pipes to property offtakes.

Harmer Earthmoving has the responsibility for laying all 50km of the HDPE product.

“Everything we do up there is dug to grade, so we get issued with GPS files electronically. This is uploaded into the digger and grader computers,” says Jon Harmer.

“The digger operator still puts the digger bucket down to the required depth in the ground, but he’s watching the screen in front of him all the time.”

To avoid airlocks in the pipe, a strict tolerance is adhered to when it is being laid. Anything higher or lower than design has to be adjusted.

While any operator can drive the diggers, a lot of skill is required when using the specialist technology and getting the trench depth exactly right, says Jon. There have not been any issues so far, he says.

On average, the firm ia laying about 300 metres a day of HDPE pipe. On a good day, however. this can be as much as 500 metres. It just depends on whether or not all the ducks are in a row on any given day, he says.

He says he and and his staff have been very impressed with the way the farmers have treated them.

“They have been very good to deal with, giving us access to their land. At the end of the day, we are really working for them.”

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64 |

RURAL SERVICES » Skevingtons Contracting

Business Rural

Firm moves into forestry roading Kelly Deeks Otago contracting company Skevingtons has added forestry-roading capability to its already diverse services through buying Waikouaiti-based Geoff Skurr Contracting.

Skevingtons director Blair Skevington says his 12-year-old company is a proverbial jack-of-alltrades.

He says the purchase has increased the Skevingtons business by about 20 per cent, with six new staff, the addition of different plant and equipment, and several new clients and contracts.

He set up Skevingtons in 2004 after six years of working for Oceana Gold’s Macraes gold mine, mainly as a crane operator. His new business offers mining companies an alternative for civil construction and clean-up contracts.

“I started up with a mobile crane and the philosophy that I would do any job,” he says. “I went in clearing sites, and after a month I had to take on more staff.”

Blair Skevington identified a need for equipment to help speed up mine-site jobs and reduce downtime.

In 2014 the company took possession of New Zealand’s largest hydro-excavator, commissioned in response to the work generated by the postearthquake Canterbury rebuild and the ultra-fast broadband project.

The excavator was designed for New Zealand road conditions, and a custom truck-and-trailer unit was built to disperse the excavator’s weight over the axles to meet New Zealand road requirements.

It took nine months to build the machine in Quebec and three months to ship it from Canada to New Zealand.

In 2014 Skevingtons made it on to the Deloitte

•

East Otago Auto Electrical & Mechanical 24 Tiverton Street, Palmerston, Otago Phone (03) 465 1708 Mobile 0274 384 275 Email eoae@xtra.co.nz

“Proud to be a key force behind Skevingtons” Repairing and Servicing farm machinery and Earthmoving equipment from old to new

Our Services Include

• Tractor Servicing and repairs • Air Conditioning service and ability to make A/C hoses • Track group replacements • Transmission rebuild and repair

Ag & Earth is proud to support Skevingtons Hamish Hesselin 027 6736 000 PO Box 375, Oamaru 9444 agearth@outlook.co.nz

www.facebook.com/agandearth

Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES » Gardyne’s Grain

| 65

Oat growers get some encouraging news Kelly Deeks An Oat Industry Group field day at Gardyne’s Grain in Southland in February provided some encouraging information for South Island oat growers on the future of the industry.

The weather turned on a beautiful day for the event and about 50 arable farmers from around Southland and Otago attended.

Harraways was there to explain some new product development, an area in which there is a lot going on, says Graeme Gardyne. This includes the announcement of an extruded product soon to go into the snack market.

“Harraways is still expecting growth in the market with tonnages and that was encouraging,” he says.

Farmlands was also on hand to talk about the grain market and strengthening feed-grain prices.

This market is affected this season by a larger Australian harvest and lower Australian prices.

“The South Island feed-grain market is more dependent on the dairy payout than the international market,” Graeme says.

“As long as growers aren’t unrealistic, they should temper their expectations because the dairy industry is still in recovery. Prices are firming, but there is a limit to where that will go.”

He says the big Australian harvest is going to flow into the North Island, and the Kaikoura earthquake has also had an impact on freight rates for South Island grain going to the North Island, with the rail link out and a longer trucking route.

For growers to get the best prices, South Island

grain should be going to feed stock in the South Island, he says.

Alistair Adam, from Venture Southland, spoke about the oat-milk project and took expressions of interest from investors into an oat-milk plant.

“That will be three of four years away, and they are looking for the right type of investor – someone interested in the local economy,” Graeme says.

Foundation of Arable Research (FAR) director of business and relationships Ivan Lawrie asked growers about areas of research they would like to be followed up.

“Some growers said they were experiencing trouble with controlling willow weed in their crops,” says Graeme. “FAR is also looking at helping to evaluate the most suitable oat cultivars for the Southland region. FAR recently completed a growth regulator trial with autumn oats that shows the advantage of a double application of MODDUS, and that is showing visible differences. One of the problems with autumn oats is they grow too tall.”

Plant Research managing director Adrian Russell brought the group up to speed on his latest trials and breeding for improved varieties. His work has proved to be in line with what the international market is doing.

Scottish oat farmer and agronomist Gordon Rennie wasn’t able to attend, but sent a letter advising that Scottish millers were more interested in a quality oat than a high-yielding oat.

“That’s what Adrian has been breeding for here, and his oat cultivar was equal to theirs in Scotland,” Graeme says.

“It shows we are going in the same direction and we can share a bit of information.”

Contractor makes the fast lane • Fast 50, and was named the fastest-growing services business in the lower South Island. Blair Skevington attributes this growth, which saw it make number 36 on the Deloitte Fast 50, mainly to its work in the mining industry, along with earthmoving and hydro excavation.

Skevingtons’ services now includes hydro

excavation, dam construction, civil construction, underground mining support, labour hire, alluvial gold mining, machinery hire, root raking, forestry roading, land preparation, farm maintenance, and conversions.

While farm conversion activity in the area has slowed, Blair Skevington says the company has still been busy building large-scale dams for on-farm storage and irrigation for farmers.

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66 |

RURAL SERVICES » Raincliff Agriculture

Business Rural

Young contractor ploughs ahead Kelly Deeks Young entrepreneur Brychan Morgan is having a ball as his South Canterbury-based contracting business continues to develop.

He is relishing the challenges and opportunities the business presents, and is enjoying meeting some great people along the way.

Raincliiff Agriculture works out of Raincliff Station, a deer farm owned by Brychan’s parents, between Pleasant Point and Fairlie.

Brychan splits his time between the family farm and contracting, and is now increasing his contracting staff so that he can get some time off the tractor.

He started Raincliff Agriculture four years ago after realising that university was not for him, that he’d rather be out on the tractor.

He put pen to paper to see if he could make the numbers work, got his dad, Dave, on board, and went for it.

The firm specialises in chopper wagons, fodder beet drilling and baling, and has grown dramatically. . After a particularly good growing season in 2016-17, the company has hired three John Deere tractors to add to its own fleet of three Fendts so that it can keep up with demand.

Raincliff Agriculture’s services include beet

drilling, beet cleaning, cultivation and on-farm grain carting, mowing, raking, tedding, round baling, wrapping, chopper wagons, and a complete silage service.

The company took on the local fodder-beet run last season, then expanded into the cultivation services that go along with fodder beet.

“The use of fodder beet is definitely growing,” says Brychan. “It’s a key factor for most farmers around this area with its potential for higher yield.”

“We’re now doing fodder-beet cleaning as well, with a machine we imported from the United Kingdom. It removes stones and 70 to 80 per cent of dirt from the beet, which results in healthier cows and more production.

“It’s a great addition to our services as it keeps the boys busy during winter when the harvesting gear is all put away.

“And it’s a great way to keep the cashflow moving around.”

Raincliff Agricuture now has six full-time staff and a couple of casuals, and Brychan is on the look-out for more.

The fast growth the company has experienced this season will see him looking into where h e wants the business to go – how much bigger he

•

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Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES » Phoenix Aviation

| 67

Ag-air firm flies high – 49 years on Kelly Deeks New Zealand’s longest serving aerial application and agricultural-aviation company, Phoenix Aviation, has been servicing rural Southland and Otago since 1968.

The company’s longevity is a tribute to the continuing support of its clients, according to operations manager and former pilot Barry Morton.

“Some of our customers have been with us since the beginning. We take pride in the consistently high standard of service we achieve.”

The company was formed when the late Peter Browne had the opportunity to buy two Cessna Agwagons at a very reasonable price from a wound-up Rural Aviation.

He arranged for a syndicate of farmers and transport operators to buy these aircraft and form a new company for a commercial aviation operation at Gore. In December 1968, Phoenix Aviation rose from the ashes of Rural Aviation.

Through the 1970s the company flourished as southern farming was booming. A number of new pilots were trained over this decade, including Barry Morton and the current chief pilot, Brian Casey, Both been with Phoenix Aviation for 40 or more years.

The company expanded in the 1990s, buying out Des Pirie Ltd at Balclutha, Gary Langman’s Agair Aviation Ltd at Gore, and Malcolm Hill’s Turbo Air Services in Central Otago.

Phoenix Aviation now runs what it believes is the epitome of New Zealand agricultural aircraft, the Fletcher FU24 950 and 954 models. These aircraft are flown from Gore, Alexandra, Mossburn and Balclutha.

The Fletchers have a wing area of 27 square metres and are capable of lifting a weight of 2888 kilograms (6366 pounds). The payload for all four aircraft ranges from 850kg of urea to 1270kg of lime or superphosphate, depending on fuel load and other aircraft-related weight factors.

Phoenix Aviation can alter the equipment on the aircraft to sow any product at any rate, from grams to tonnes per hectare. The aircraft are also

equipped with Trimble Ag-Flight DGPS for precise placement of sown or sprayed product.

“Development in the aerial application industry never stops,” says Barry Morton. “More efficient improvements are taking place all the time.

“With the advent of the global positioning system (GPS), it was only natural such a pin-point accurate device would be incorporated into our aircraft.

“The on-line map display of completed swaths makes aerial application more accurate than anyone had ever previously hoped for.”

In March 1995, Phoenix Aviation Maintenance was formed to maintain the company’s aircraft.

The workshop is staffed by specialised engineers working under chief engineer Peter Kempthorne.

As well as looking after the Phoenix aircraft, it does work for other private and commercial operators, and various aero clubs.

PHOTOS

Brychan mulls over what he does next • wants to get, how many staff he wants to take through winter, and how much he wants to push the business.

“There is plenty of work around, particularly since I’m chasing specialised products with the

wagons and the fodder beet, and then there are all the other things that come alongside those services,” he says.

“We don’t want to compete against the bigger boys, we just want to do the things we do well, and look after all the contracting needs of our customers.”

For all your Machining & Welding Requirements 25 Avon Street Gore | Proprieter ALLAN RIEPMA Ph 03 208 6380

Proud to support Phoenix Aviation

68 |

RURAL SERVICES » Amuri Irrigation Scheme

Business Rural

Irrigation scheme promises Richard Loader

By September this year, 27,000 hectares of North Canterbury farmland in the Amuri Plains will be threaded with a tentacle like network of pipelines.

Totalling 130 kilometres, the pipelines will carry water from the Waiau and Hurunui rivers to support farm irrigation in the Amuri Basin.

Three main pipelines will start at Mouse Point and head towards Rotherham and Culverden; a fourth pipeline will start at Balmoral.

Each pipeline will split off in branches providing water under pressure to the 120 shareholders of the Amuri Irrigation Company (AIC).

The current network of open races will be all but replaced by the pipeline which will improve resource-use efficiency and provide environmental and cost advantages the project shareholders, according to AIC general manager Andrew Barton.

Water races leak, lose water through evaporation, and require pumps, he says. Pipes retain water and reduce the overall energy consumption by close to five megawatts.

The project will also allow dryland farmers to join the scheme.

“A pipe-fed system will enable more land to be irrigated with the same amount of water while reducing the energy bill, allowing those savings to be invested in more infrastructure or retiring debt,” says Andrew.

Last year AIC awarded Australian engineering group Monadelphous the contract for the pipeline scheme.

Known within Western Australia’s mining and mineral sector, the company acquired the Water Infrastructure Group in February 2015, enabling geographical diversification that includes New Zealand.

“Our New Zealand head office is in Christchurch and we’ve established a satellite office in Culverden to facilitate the Amuri project,” the firm’s New

One hundred and thirty kilometres of pipelines will be installed to provide water to the Amuri Irrigation Company’s 120 shareholders.

Zealand manager for irrigation infrastructure, Chris Emer.

“Our policy is to employ New Zealanders and we’ve just employed 45 workers for the project.

Amuri will not be our only irrigation project in New Zealand.”

Monadelphous has also been involved in a large irrigation project in the Ashburton/Methven area, which is in the final stages of construction.

The scope of this 12-month project is primarily the supply and installation of the pipeline. However,

it will also include the electrical control systems, the commissioning and training of the scheme management staff, and the design and construction of the pump stations.

“We finish at the property off-take, essentially where the farm hooks onto the network,” says Chris.

The scheme will provide farmers with a level of service and water pressure they haven’t got presently, and in most cases, will mean they won’t have to have their own pump, he says.

“Rather than every farm having a pump, pumping and delivering pressurised water to multiple farmers will achieve greater pumping efficiencies and, in turn, reduce capital and ongoing running costs for the scheme.“ Monadelphous started laying pipe last September to meet a September 1, 2017 completion date in time for the irrigation season.

Seven pipe-laying crews will be laying pipe five days a week, with weekends available to cover any slippage.

TOGETHER WE DELIVER. Monadelphous Water Infrastructure specialises in the design, construct, commissioning and maintenance of irrigation schemes throughout New Zealand.

Our customer and safety focused approach is fundamental to our successful project delivery. www.monadelphous.co.nz CHRISTCHURCH | AUCKLAND | PERTH | BRISBANE | SYDNEY | ADELAIDE

RURAL SERVICES » Amuri Irrigation Scheme

Business Rural

| 69

flow-on advantages

Australian engineering group Monadelphous has been awarded the contract to deliver the Amuri Irrigation Scheme.

The pipe ranging from 1600-millimetre diameter pipe down to 75mm. A glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) has been specified for the large bore and high-pressure applications, and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for most of the smaller branch pipes.

“GRP is imported from Turkey into Lyttleton Port

by Hynds, the New Zealand agent for this type of product,” says Chris.

“It is extremely strong, very light and its integrity allows its wall thickness to be a lot thinner than comparative pipe products, allowing significant hydraulic advantages.

“The installed cost of a comparable HDPE product or steel pipeline can be as much as two to three times that of a GRP pipe in larger sizes.”

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as a single continuous pipeline.

Given the recent seismic activity in the Amuri Basin, this is seen as a further advantage for AIC shareholders.

The effects of the $60 million project will be significant,says Chris Emer/ The 120 farmer/shareholders of AIC will collectively receive water to their gate at a peak flow rate of 16 cumecs.

“Water will no longer be lost to ground seepage and evaporation, on-farm pumping costs will be avoided or significantly reduced, and, in many cases, farmers will have the reuse of land previously given up to open water races.

“From a scheme management perspective, it will be far easier to operate, with greater control and precise awareness of water usage and faults,” says Chris.

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Project Tuatara three years on Lifestyle Tractors and Machinery managing director Geoff Hill and his partner Qingmei Pang are now three years into “Project Tuatara,” which has seen them introduce a new side-by-side into the New Zealand market, a market which is already well represented by established and less known brands.

But their Tuatara is different. For a start it has been designed by Qingmei and Geoff from the ground up, to their specifications.

It’s made of steel, it’s built on a chassis, and Geoff and Qingmei have made it as strong as is possible while still considering agility and go anywhere capability.

Geoff says that New Zealand conditions are probably amongst the most testing on machinery that it’s possible to get. “These vehicles are used by farmers every day, and they get covered in cow shit and mud, which is exactly what you need to avoid if you are looking for longevity of the electrical and mechanical parts,” he says.

“Furthermore, New Zealand presents all of the most anti-machinery environments, from the dust of Canterbury, the wetness of the West Coast, the cold of the deep south, the pumice soils of the central North Island, to the sand of the far north.

We know that even the well known ATV brands do not cope well with these conditions, but we have done everything we possibly can to make the Tuatara as bullet proof as possible.”

Geoff says the Tuatara has one huge

advantage over the competition, and that is that he and Qingmei can readily make design changes to the Tuatara if they think it necessary, and they do. “The American brands cannot, and this is a constant complaint of customers coming to us who want shot of their current sideby-sides,” Geoff says. “The other huge advantage we have is our servicing costs.

A lot of farmers are paying huge servicing costs, even on quad bikes. But we don’t have a problem with customers servicing their Tuatara at their favourite garage for example, and our spare parts are cheap, because we import them directly and there is no obscene mark-up.”

He says the result is Tuatara servicing costs are a fraction of the competition.

“This is something that must be considered by customers when they give thought to the initial purchase price and the on-going running costs of their existing machine,” Geoff says.

Geoff and Qingmei are absolutely committed to “Project Tuatara” and are currently working hard to establish a dealer network throughout New Zealand there are machines on the ground in all locations. They find it frustrating at the moment that many potential customers are very interested in the Tuatara but are simply too far away to test drive. Geoff said he is very interested to talking to anyone with the necessary experience in the industry who is interested in taking on a Tuatara dealership.

70 |

RURAL SERVICES » South Island Seed Dressing & Storage

Business Rural

Technology, diversity fuel growth Karen Phelps When South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company started 25 years ago, the business had just two seed-cleaning machines. Demand for the company’s services has seen the capacity rise to eight seed-cleaning lines, three seed-treatment application machines, and 45 staff.

Company director Brent Clarke says a big part of the success has been keeping abreast of the latest technology and diversifying into services that meet market demand.

For example, as the scale of dairying in the Canterbury region took off in huge leaps, arable growers sought to make better returns off their land as it increased in value.

This led them to produce higher-value seed crops such as carrot, beet, chard and radish, says Brent.

Which, in turn, led South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company to diversify into offering a smallvegetable-seed service that involved investing in specialised technology, including colour-sorting and belt-grading machines.

Brent says smaller seed is more challenging to clean and much more sensitive equipment is needed to get the job done successfully.

The company’s Sea Chrome optical colour sorter is equipped with high-resolution fullcolour RGB trichromatic cameras. Combined with specialised software, allow a near human eye vision to precisely sort almost any small shade differences, says Brent.

The Sea Chrome shape-sizing function integrated into the system allows it to sort out elements according to geometric characteristics.

The system, which South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company operates also includes inGaAs

South Island Seed Dressing and Storage Company has eight seed-lines and three seed-treatment application machines available. cameras which bounce light off the seed, the different refraction rates indicating the density of the seed as opposed to the density of the weed seed.

“With the investment in this technology we are now able to get a lot more viable seed and better returns for our customers,” says Brent. The company continues to make ongoing investment in technology and equipment.

Based in Ashburton, South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company’s services aim to help enhance

profitability for New Zealand arable farmers through innovation and reliability, he says The company’s services starts with crop receipt and testing, where samples are drawn and moisture and quality assessed. If drying is required, the company has a bin/batch dryer or containerised drying available.

Customers are invited to come and view the seed-cleaning process to ensure it is up to their expectations. This helps give clients an insight into

how they can improve things at their end of the process when they are harvesting the seed, says Brent.

“This can be very helpful for clients. Using a ryegrass crop as an example, farmers might realise when viewing the seed-cleaning process at our facility that they might not have enough blast on their combine to blast out light seed and chaff

• To page 72

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Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES » South Island Seed Dressing & Storage

| 71

South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company offers more than 20,000sq m of storage space including an expansive modern pallet racking system.

‘Entire staff’ rated a big factor in firm’s progress Karen Phelps South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company was started by Rob Clarke and a business partner in 1991. Rob had extensive experience in the grain and seed industry as a seed processing manager.

Brent Clarke, a working director of the company, is Rob’s son. His wife, Sandra, and his sister, Kay, are also involved A third generation of the family is now working in the business – Brent and Sandra’s son, Sam Clarke, has joined them in the firm as a processing planner.

Brent Clarke credits the company’s entire staff as a big factor in its success.

Two of them have been with the company from pretty much when it started, and Brent says the firm boasts what he considers some of the most

experienced seed cleaning operators in the country.

A lot of emphasis is put on training, says Brent Clarke – through experienced staff members passing their knowledge on to younger staff and by doing AgITO courses. Most staff have completed the Certificate in Seed Processing.

All of this which adds up to a great deal of knowledge and experience, which staff seek to apply for the benefit of the company’s clients, says Brent Clarke.

In 2012 South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company expanded its business into Tasmania, Australia.

Tasmanian Seed Dressing & Storage Company’s close proximity to major highways allows for easy access to all distribution networks.

The company shares a lot of the same clientele as its parent company in New Zealand, which also has a presence in Tasmania.

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72 |

RURAL SERVICES » SI Seed Dressing & Storage/Harves Contracting

Business Rural

Kaka Point-based contractor Harves Contracting specialises in stockwater schemes, farm development and maintenance, demolition, site development, trenching and driveways.

Mike Harvey says his new Caterpillar hydraulic excavator, is versatile, 14-tonne machine capable of operating well in wet weather or on sometimes slippery clay soils.

Clients at heart of Mike’s thinking Russell Fredric A “magic” winter in the south last year followed by improvements in dairy pay-outs has kept Kaka Point rural contractor Mike Harvey since early last spring.

With two dairy-farm stockwater schemes recently completed, the owner of Harves Contracting is typically busy over summer doing dairy-farm lane maintenance and general contracting work with his new Caterpillar 314E hydraulic excavator.

The 14-tonne machine, equipped with a blade, replaces an older digger of the same size, while a 12-tonne 312C digger is kept on hand as a backup.

“In the last five years I’ve had two machines.

Mike Harvey says. “If farmers have something urgent, rather than pulling one out (of a job) we’ve got one there as a standby.”

The new 14-tonne digger is a versatile machine, and is capable of operating well in wet weather or on sometimes slippery clay soils.

The South Otago business evolved from supporting a silage contractor 15 years ago with Mike Harvey initially leasing, then buying, a digger.

He believes his experience of having worked on a family farm in North Otago has given him an understanding of farmers’ needs – which has

helped create confidence amongst his clients.

“We’ve got a regular client base and we’ve stuck with those clients,” he says. “ If you get too big, one of your clients will suffer if you can’t handle the workload. I enjoy working with the farmers; you’ve got to understand how they think in respect of what they want done and the standards they require.”

Harves Contracting is a versatile operator with the ability to complete a variety of farm development and maintenance work, including drainage, cow lanes and farm tracks.

Mike Harvey’s expertise with stockwater schemes for dairy and sheep farms means he gets a good amount of this work..

“We’ve got two sheep-farm schemes booked in to do this coming season.”

Other work includes demolition, commercial and residential site development, trenching and driveways.

The company also operates a high-waterpressure tile cleaner, which can save farmers time and money by avoiding the need to uncover blocked drains.

“If a drain is silted up, sometimes it frees it up rather than the expense of replacing the section of drain.”

The firm also works with other contractors, including silage contractors, providing an extra truck when needed, while its transporter is available for hire to move machinery.

Having good support from Balclutha service companies such as Duffy Engineering and Hewitts Tractor Service has been important in minimising downtime and keeping Harves Contracting’s machinery operating to optimum capacity, says Mike.

This 2016-17 southern farming season is considerably different from the previous season, he

says. Contracting work is a month ahead because of the milder winter and spring, favourable rainfall and incredible grass growth.

“It’s good for the farmers,” says Mike Harvey.

“And happy farmers, happy contractors.”

Outside of the business Mike keeps his hand in at farming. He and his wife, Lynette, own a sixhectare property at Kaka Point.

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Export partner to NZ customs • From page 70 “This can help them save money on transportation costs if they are not transporting so much waste. It can also help them reduce seed losses during the cleaning process and save them on costs at this end as well.”

Depending on the crop and requirement, seed can then be treated with a variety of film coatings, predominantly used on peas, cereals, brassicas and ryegrasses. South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company’s more than 20,000 square metres of storage space includes an expansive, modern pallet-racking system.

For example, each space is coded and seedline numbers are entered via a scanner. A range of storage options – bins, silos, containers, bulk storage and bulk bags – is available. The company has the ability to load all types of containers, including loose packed, palletised bulk bags, and bulk for both domestic and export markets.

South Island Seed Dressing & Storage Company is an export partner with New Zealand Customs in ensuring protocols, including track and trace, are met to speed up the exportation process for clients.

The company employs Assure Quality-licensed seed samplers for certified seed, and export-seedinspection officers for pre-export testing.

It also has a Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheriesapproved transitional facility for imported products, which allows it to bring containers from port to its facility, unload them, and have the seed tested for purity.

The company also has its own fleet to transport seed for customers. Seed Safe highcube containers can be placed in the customer’s paddock to take seed directly from the combine.

The containers can then be picked up and taken to the company’s headquarters where any required drying can take place with the seed still in the same container.

Its ability to respond quickly to clients’ requirements has seen the company remain at the top of its game for 25 years, says Brent.

“We work 24 hours a day for most of the year and if we make a commitment to doing something, we make sure we honour it.

“After all, it’s our family name at stake so we’ll work days, nights and weekends to make sure we get the job done.”

Business Rural

RURAL SERVICES » FarmBuild

| 73

Rural firm approaches its 80th year Kelly Deeks Third-generation rural building company FarmBuild Ltd is now getting involved with agricultural building projects for the children and grandchildren of farmer-clients.

FarmBuild was formed in North Canterbury in 1939 by George Gregg, a farm-owner and builder who pioneered some of Canterbury’s rural housing, homesteads and woolsheds, many of them still standing.

He worked on high-country projects such as Muzzle Station, on the Clarence River, and through the back of Kaikoura, using packhorses and other methods to build in difficult terrain and isolated rural landscapes.

His son, Bruce Gregg, started his apprenticeship with his father at 15, building a house on Yaldhurst Rd in Christchurch.

Bruce’s speciality became woolsheds as he took over the business; his work has taken him to the Chatham Islands and rural New South Wales, in Australia.

Bruce’s son, Colin Gregg, also began his apprenticeship with his father as a teenager. He learned a lot from Bruce, including how to arrive at a homestead, cut and mill trees in the morning, and have them in timber framing by the afternoon.

Colin has built on his family’s history, and now owns and runs two businesses from Christchurch

• To page 75

Our inter-generational repeat business over nearly eight decades is a testament to the quality of our work.

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SECTION » Feature

RURAL SERVICES » FarmBuild

Business Rural

| 75

FarmBuild has completed a large and diverse number of projects, including this architectural homestead in Waikari (above) and a large extension to a shed to create a substantial honey storage and processing facility (below).

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‘We understand country life’ • From page 73 – rural building specialist firm FarmBuild, and architectural housing company Gregg Builders.

Patrick McCarthy started as an apprentice working with Bruce and Colin in 2000, and in 2011, became a partner with Colin in FarmBuild. He is now managing director of FarmBuild South, which covers Central Otago and Southland.

FarmBuild works across New Zealand, the Chatham Islands, and Australia.

“Our designs are proven and our workmanship has stood the test of time,” says Colin Gregg. “Our

inter-generational repeat business over nearly eight decades is a testament to the quality of our work.”

He says the company’s owners are very much hands on: “While some building companies will use city foremen and contractors accustomed only to residential and commercial projects, everybody at FarmBuild is a rural-building specialist. We understand country life.”

FarmBuild designs take all facets of rural living and working into account, he says .The company’s designs have been developed through 77 years of input from farmers, their families, managers, stockmen and advisers.

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76 |

RURAL SERVICES » Methven Seed Cleaning

Business Rural

Four-fold growth spurt Karen Phelps Over the past six years Methven Seed Cleaning’s growth has quadrupled – the result of increasing demand for the company’s services, says one of its directors, Craig Carter.

The family-owned business was bought in 2010

by Craig, wife Wendy, Craig’s sister, Lois, and her husband, Selwyn, and Louise and Selwyn’s son, Aaron, and his wife, Tracy.

Craig, who previously worked as a seed manager for the company before the family yook it over, says customers have responded to the family’s drive to improve the business by investing in new machinery and expanding capacity.

A new Cimbria fine-screen cleaning machine has been added to the company plant with the aim of ensuring efficiency and purity in the cleaning of all kinds of crops.

A Voyager gravity table is attached to the

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Methven Seed Cleaning does a hand-screen test on most crops that come through its doors to give customers an idea of how much final product will result.

Cimbria to sort heavy and light product by gravity and air. Used predominantly for grass seed and peas, this new plant has given the company greater capacity to clean and sort seeds quickly and safely, says Craig.

The new plant is supplemented by proven machinery such as the company’s four clippers.

Craig says product is processed slowly and methodically, which some customers, especially those with high value seed products, prefer. This has led to many repeat clients who want to use these machines, he says.

Methven Seed Cleaning also has a five-tonneper-hour-capacity, seed-treating machine, which is used mainly for treating peas and cereals destined for the export market. The company is also a registered Bayer applicator.

Export is an important market for Methven Seed Cleaning. It is a New Zealand Customs-registered export site and all seed is cleaned to International Seed Testing Association regulations.

A new export shed was built two years ago to increase capacity and improve efficiency. Seed can

be delivered from the company facilities to port ready for export.

Keeping customers informed is important, says Craig..

The company does a hand-screen test on most crops that come through its doors to give customers an idea of how much final product will result. If this changes during processing, Craig says he lets the client know so they can he/she can come in and see the processing first hand. This has resulted in a great deal of trust and loyalty, he says.

The company is also a supporter of the local community and donates to many local groups, charities and schools.

Each year Methven Seed Cleaning processes around 3000 tonnes of peas, 1000-1500 tonnes of grass seed, 500-600 tonnes of clover seed, 500600 tonnes of brassica seed, 50 tonnes of brown top and 150-200 tonnes of seed such as carrot, beet, fodder beet and chrysanthemum.

Product arrives at the doors from as far away down as Invercargill, and occasionally the North Island.

Customers include local farmers and companies such as Carrfields, Townsend Seeds International, PGG Wrightson, Seed Force, Midlands Seed, Smith Seeds, and Agriseeds.

Methven Seed Cleaning employs five full-time staff, plus seasonal workers. Craig and Wendy run the business on a day-to-day basis, with Wendy the office administrator. Their daughter, Olivia, helps with the administration and testing side of the operation.

Craig says the business continues to grow and, as it does, the family keeps investing in plant to increase capacity.

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RURAL SERVICES » McStay Contracting

Business Rural

| 77

Beet gives rise to new GPS tractor Kelly Deeks The purchase of a new Fendt 718 tractor, equipped with GPS and auto steering, last August was a decision well made, says Southland-based McStay Contracting’s Gary McStay.

The increasing amount of fodder beet being used in Southland drove the firm to upgrade. The GPS and auto steering on the new tractor brings more precision to cultivation. Rows of fodder beet can be sown straight, which maximises growing room in the paddock.

“With the auto steering feature as well, this tractor really takes the pressure off my staff,” Gary says. “The boys know they will get to the end of the row and it will be dead straight.”

He says the tractor will be integrated into other parts of the business, such as ploughing and mowing, during the season.

His son, Braeden, who works for the company, has had experience of driving GPS tractors in Australia, and is teaching Gary and the rest of his five staff how to operate the new machine.

McStay Contracting has been operating since 1999, when Gary and Wendy McStay, sheep and beef farmers of 35 years, sold their farm at Dacre and moved into silage contracting. Many dairy farm conversions were occurring in the area at the time, and Gary saw the need for a silage truck to meet the rising demand for supplementary feed.

About five years later, they bought a new house on a 40-hectare property, where they now winter cows, cut grass, run a few lambs over winter, and lease some area to local vegetable growers.

As a trade-off for Wendy getting a new house, Gary bought himself a new baler as well.

“There was a market for more balage to be done in the area, with a lot of the sheep farmers then getting out and dairy farmers coming in,” he says.

“Dairy farmers need more supplements. Where a sheep farmer would make 50 or 60 bales a year, the dairy farmers get 500 to 600 bales and a lot more cultivation work as well.”

Conversion activity in the area has tapered off, but the sheep to dairy ratio is now opposite to what it was 20 years ago.

This tractor really takes the pressure off my staff.

The boys know they will get to the end of row and it will be dead straight.

“There were only handfuls of dairy farms, now there are only handfuls of sheep farms,” Gary says.

The cows are still there and normally, so is the demand for feed.

However, the low milk payout of the past couple of years has affected confidence locally, and Gary says even the area’s real estate agents are struggling to sell anything.

“The confidence will come back with the rise of the milk prices but until then, the dairy guys aren’t going to be spending a lot of money, so we’ve got to be careful what we spend too.”

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Business Rural

78 |

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Business Rural

| 79

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Your rural planting experts

Rangiora Landscape & Garden Supplies Ltd Post Peelings, Sawdust

• Native revegetation • Shelter lines - native & exotic • Dairy shed planting • Streamside planting • Amenity planting

Ideal bedding for calf pens big or small

Design − supply − install

ADVERTISING IS GREAT FOR BUSINESS! Get new clients with regular print media Phone: 03 983 5500 Fax: 03 983 5552

waterfordpress.co.nz

Ph 03 313 7337

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Call us today to discuss your planting plans 0800 400 454 – sales@riversidehort.co.nz

www.cbhs.school.nz/boarding

SERVICING & SALES 

HORTICULTURE

adamshouse2@orcon.net.nz

Delivery Canterbury wide

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Business Rural F

80 |

PO Box 37346, Christchurch 8 Art Dept: 03 983 5558 |

SOUTHLAND - TRADE COMPANY: SERVICES & EQUIPMENT DIRECTORY Loveridge Homekill ATTN: Charlene RE: Trade Southland Feature PRICE

$247.00 + GST

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AGRICULTURE

BUTCHERY

Designed in NZ for NZ

The sensible answer to human organic waste management.

Invest in a composting toilet and grey water system

Environmentally friendly. Economical. Easy.

Freephone 0800 BIOLOO (0800 246 566)

www.bioloo.co.nz

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS

Suppliers of: • Plant Bio-Stimulants -CM3, Pasture Plus & more - ideal for cropping & pasture • Animal Health Products - Calf Supreme & Lambex

PROFESSIONAL HOME KILL SERVICES AVALIABLE FOR ALL TYPES OF ANIMALS ENERGY

DAIRY

Selling Your Woodlot?

Craigpine Timber is looking to buy your Woodlot, and by cutting out the middleman, can offer you a better return.

0800 188897 | www.4nes.co.nz

Craigpine Timber Ltd has been milling in Southland for 90 years and is the second-biggest mill in the South Island.

We are a progressive and modern sawmill with our own experienced and fully qualified harvest crews to maximize value recovery to the forest owner and the mill.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING Y

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Call Simon Callaghan for a free appraisal

027 432 8399

MOTORCYCLES

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PEST CONTROL

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274 Great North Rd, Winton 9720 03 236 7231

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Specialist in Teatsprayer Servicing and Sales • Supply & Install cups on detection sensors (Fonterra compliance requirement) • Supply & Install manual Teatsprayer systems • New and 2nd hand available

FREE MAKITA POWER TOOLS WITH EVERY TROJAN

Teat Sprayer Services has all your teat sprayer servicing and parts requirements across Southland

Offer not available with any other promotion and must end 31 March or while stocks last. Makita EA3200S Chainsaw and DLX2180X Drill and Impact Driver set are covered by their own manufacturer’s warranty

TYRES

Cnr River & Mersey St, GORE • Phone 03 208 8110 • Fax 03 208 8119 Email dean@generaltyres.co.nz • www.generaltyres.co.nz

SOUTHLAND TYRE CENTRE (1998) LTD al The Tyre Gener Corner of Mersey Street & Victoria Avenue P: 03 218 6904 • F: 03 218 9064 M: 027 437 5287 • E: stc1@xtra.co.nz

Contact Chris Dunn 027 639 8670

ADVERTISING IS GREAT FOR BUSINESS! Get new clients with regular print media Phone: 03 983 5500 Fax: 03 983 5552

waterfordpress.co.nz