Plan 365 March 2020

NUTRITION FORAGE AND ARABLE HORTICULTURE

ANIMAL MANAGEMENT

DAIRY MANAGEMENT

Plan 365 is a technical guide aimed at helping shareholders learn about best practice and the latest advancements in rural technology.

RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Nutrition for optimum coat shine

One of the most important goals for owners of show and performance horses is to achieve a shiny healthy coat that stands out against their competitors. As well as grooming, in order for any horse to achieve a shimmering coat it must be on a sound nutritional programme.

Coat health that can be seen from the outside, through shine and dapples, is often an accurate indication of the health of the horse on the inside. This is because coat quality is frequently the first sign of decline in a horse that is receiving inadequate nutrition and missing certain nutrient requirements. Along with adequate energy and protein, there are specific trace minerals and vitamins that play important roles in coat integrity and condition.

Nutrients such as copper, zinc and manganese are essential for promoting and maintaining a healthy skin and coat from the inside out.

Copper is responsible for the normal production and maintenance of skin and hair pigmentation, and zinc and manganese assist with wound healing and epidermal (skin) cell maintenance through cell division, protein synthesis and antioxidant activity.

McMillan Feeds not only contain appropriate levels of these nutrients to meet requirements, if fed at the correct level, but they also provide them in specific, highly bioavailable forms. These nutrients are provided by a product called Availa®4 from Zinpro Performance Minerals®, which is a scientifically formulated

blend of organic zinc, manganese, copper and cobalt. Availa®4 is built on a unique, patented molecule that consists of one metal ion bound to one amino acid ion – called a metal amino acid complex – which means more of the minerals are absorbed by the animal to deliver their full benefit for coat shine and overall health.

Feeding any McMillan feed therefore provides your horse with a complete balanced diet, as well as Availa®4 from Zinpro Performance Minerals® which supplies premium nutrients to achieve that standout show ring shine. As well as these key nutrients, the addition of fat to the horse’s diet can significantly boost skin and

coat health. Fat can be included in the diet through feeding a high-fat feed or adding suitable digestible fat sources, such as vegetable oil or stabilised rice bran. McMillan feeds contain cold-pressed canola oil for a high-quality fat source that contains a suitable balance of omega three and six fatty acids. McMillan Grain Free is a fabulous option for a high-fibre feed that contains both significant fat levels (through cold-pressed canola oil) and highly bioavailable Zinpro Performance Minerals®. For further information, contact a Nutrition Specialist.

Chicken Chatter

As a Nutritionist, a great part of my job is helping farmers get the best out of their animals. I get a lot of questions from people new to keeping chickens, so I thought it was worth sharing some answers.

Do I have to offer my chickens oyster shell grit if they are on a layer feed?

There is adequate calcium in most highquality layer feeds to satisfy a laying bird’s calcium requirement and maintain good eggshell quality. However, if birds have access to lower calcium feeds (e.g. foraging or household scraps), providing access to oyster shell grit can be a good idea. Oyster shell grit can also aid gizzard function as it helps to grind up food. This is a bonus but not a necessity, as chickens tend to pick up gritty bits from the environment while free ranging. Oyster shell grit should be supplied ad-lib in a separate container and not sprinkled on top of feed.

My chickens are losing their feathers – what is going on?

There are a few things that could be happening so get your detective hat on.

• Your chickens could be going through a moult, where they lose then regrow their feathers. It usually happens as day length shortens heading into winter. Chickens going through a moult tend to go off the lay and it can be worthwhile to move heavily moulting chickens onto a lower calcium feed such as NRM Pullet Grower Pellets, until they have regrown their feathers and are just about ready to start laying again.

• Chickens could be getting bullied by other chickens. Whilst jostling for pecking order is normally harmless, occasionally it can turn into bullying and hens get targeted.

This behaviour can increase due to boredom and/or not enough coop space. One trick is to occupy chickens with other things to peck at such as a pumpkin with holes drilled in it or some of their layer feed sprinkled outside. To protect target chickens, cover their bare skin with anti-pecking spray.

• You could have a lice or red mite issue. Lice are easy to spot on your chickens, but red mite are harder to find as they live in the coop and appear during the night to suck blood from chickens. Take a torch out to the coop in the evening and if you spot any, head to your local Farmlands store for a suitable treatment option.

Do I have to use a pullet feed for my chicks as they get older?

No, you don’t have to move chicks over to a pullet grower feed – but it is the best thing to do if you want to grow great chickens to enter your laying flock. When chicks get to 6–8 weeks old, best practice is to transition them from NRM Chick Starter Crumble over to NRM Pullet Grower Pellets to ensure they keep growing well without becoming overly fat. Pullet feed generally does not contain a coccidiostat (which is found in most chick starter feeds) so if pullets do start laying eggs early, as long as they have been on the Pullet Grower for a minimum of 14 days, their eggs are safe for human consumption. Aim to transfer pullets to layer feed just before they start laying.

For more information contact your NRM Nutrition Specialist or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Stacey Cosnett, NRM Nutritionist.

Biosecurity matters

Ironically the tiniest of organisms – bacteria, fungi and viruses –can inflict some of the greatest physical and economic harm to our livestock sectors.

Close to 100,000 cattle were culled in the first year alone of the Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme. In September 2019, Type 1 bursal disease virus (IBDV Type 1) was confirmed on two Otago hen farms which meant that meatbird producers could no longer send product to Australia although none of their own birds were affected. New diseases to New Zealand such as African swine fever, coronavirus and bird flu could appear and spread on the back of a lack of knowledge and awareness.

With these examples in mind, good biosecurity should not be isolated to airport arrivals. The areas of best practice below can help to keep your own stock free from pests and diseases, in addition to helping safeguard the wider economy.

1. Animal contact

Animal contact is the main risk to stock so try to minimise the movement of stock in and out of your farm. A closed herd policy may not be possible but understanding the animal health status of the farm where stock will be purchased from is recommended. Quarantining new stock for at least 2 weeks can allow a proper health assessment

to be made. Restrict movement on and off your block especially if disease has been identified, or is even suspected, on your farm or in your region. Animal Status Declarations (ASDs) should be completed when animals are moved between properties, to help track down animals if disease appears. This action applies to: cattle, deer, sheep, pigs, ostriches, emus, horses, alpacas and llamas.

2. Pest deterrence

Deter pests, rodents and birdlife by keeping the area around pens free of debris, spilled feed and standing water. Manage pests to control rodent and insect populations – especially in the dairy, rearing sheds, poultry pens and feed storage areas. Overall, free-range production systems do expose birds and pigs to a greater risk of infection carried by wild birds.

3. Cleanliness

Diseases can spread through people, vehicles and equipment so minimise traffic and clean and disinfect vehicles or equipment carefully before sharing with other properties or allowing contact to your stock. A survey of lifestyle farms by MPI reported only 45 percent of respondents performed some degree of cleaning and disinfecting as part of their

biosecurity measures.1 Use bowls and troughs to prevent faecal contamination and clean and disinfect regularly.

NRM recommends the use of Virkon S — a broad-spectrum disinfectant that kills all viruses, bacteria and fungi known to affect animals. This is the preferred product employed overseas against African swine fever, coronavirus, IBVD and bird flu. This disinfectant:

• Cleans and disinfects in one operation

• Is a fast-acting pathogen that kills in 30 seconds – 2 minutes

• Is safe for humans and to spray in the presence of animals

• Is independently proven against hundreds of strains of viruses, bacteria, fungi and yeasts

• MPI-approved against M. bovis

• MAF-approved for exotic diseases

Anyone with farm animals or poultry should see themselves as part of the human food chain and recognise their role in food safety and sustainability.

1) Vink, D., Newitt, J., Van Andel, M., Rodwell, C. (2017) Hands off my lifestyle? Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to biosecurity and animal health surveillance in New Zealand’s smallholder sector. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Animal Health Surveillance, Rotorua, New Zealand. Article supplied by Dr Rob Derrick, NRM Lead Nutritionist.

Jesse Mulligan’s rat trapping 101

Words like conservation and ecosystem used to make Jesse Mulligan’s eyes glaze over. Now he is on a mission to rid New Zealand of rats and has some handy hints on how to get involved.

Why am I reading about rats?

Because you have rats in your backyard. Every night when you close the backdoor and retreat inside, big swollen rats wander over your lawn and eat whatever seeds, insects and birds they come across. They climb fences and trees, dive into ponds and burrow into woodpiles, devouring any protein they can find. They have been doing it for a couple of hundred years now and, because of this, New Zealand has one of the worst extinction rates of any country on the planet.

We don’t have any rats at my place. Yes, you have rats. Ask John Innes, who is one of our national experts on the topic. If a rat is doing its job, says John, you will never know it is there. In fact, we didn’t quite realise the damage they were doing to our birdlife until motion sensor night vision cameras were invented in the 1990s and we suddenly saw with our own eyes what

was happening each night when the sun went down.

If things are so bad why haven’t I heard about it?

That is what I asked when I found out about this. Thing is, anybody who knows anything is desperately worried about the impact of rats on our ecosystem and is telling everybody they know. But it’s not leading the news at 6pm every night, because it is chronic and continuous. Chronic, continuous problems don’t work well in the media.

Sorry, you just used the word “ecosystem”. I think I might have dropped off to sleep for a few seconds.

I know. I was just like you. All these words – ecosystem, conservation, environmentalism – they’re all massive yawn-jobs. Here is the simplest way I can put it – because we have been separated from the world for so many millions of years, New Zealand has some of the most interesting, weird and important living species on the planet. But the rats are eating all of them and soon our country will be a barren wasteland.

So

what can I do?

Great question! Buy a rat trap and put it in your backyard. If you put some good bait in it, you will catch a rat. And every rat killed is one less mouth to feed with our beautiful and taxonomically significant native animals and plants.

What sort of trap would you suggest?

The Victor is useful though some of the bigger rats don’t realise they are dead until sometime after they leave. Victor Snap Trap: this is a large version of what you picture when you think of a mouse trap. I have had good success with these though often the bigger Norway rats will escape the trap after impact and end up dying a few metres away. For humaneness and killing effectiveness I would give this an 8/10. DOC 200: this is a precisely engineered killing machine. You put the bait on the other side of a sort of kitchen scale device, so when the rat steps over it the weight triggers a springing mechanism which slams down over the rat with the weight of ten shipping containers. It is 10/10 for humaneness and effectiveness, plus it’s comparatively cheap and you can see it working.

Like the Victor, you will want to have it housed in some sort of box so that it poses no danger for children or pets.

Goodnature traps: for all their advantages, there is some clean up involved with Victor and DOC200 traps when you’re inevitably required to remove the dead rat from its steel-encased deathbed, often having to pull it by the tail from its wiry boxed enclosure. The elegantly New Zealanddesigned Goodnature traps have no such gore, mostly because the rat is killed with a lightning-fast bolt to the head. It then drops to the ground and is usually scavenged by some other animal before you even see it (I recommend buying the optional kill counter which lets you know how many times the thing has gone off, or you will have no idea). The bonus with this trap is it resets itself, making it very popular with professionals trapping in remote locations.

It’s all starting to sound a bit hard, mate.

Put it this way, if you like to see what you have killed, if you are budget conscious and don’t mind some mild clean-up work, go for the DOC 200. If you are not concerned about price, don’t want to be checking it all the time and have an eye for design beauty, go for world-leading New Zealand start-up Goodnature. What sort of bait should I use?

Goodnature provides their own bait, some sort of chocolatey mix. But, if you are using a mechanical trap, peanut butter on its own or mixed with oats seem to be a good bet. One species of rat likes carbohydrates, the other likes protein so the combination might work well. By the way, if you are using peanut butter go for the cheap supermarket stuff with the extra salt and sugar.

Wait, what was that about “species of rat”?

New Zealand has two distinct types of rat (well actually three, but there aren’t many kiore left): the Norway rat and the darker, smaller ship rat. I personally seem to catch mostly Norways at home (a dozen or so over the last year in my suburban backyard) but it seems to vary around the country. The Norways are much bigger and more likely to slip the lightweight Victor traps due to their sheer mass. The ship rats are great climbers, but the Norways can swim. So between them, they are not good news for any native creature trying to escape.

Wow, are we still talking about rats? I feel like I’ve been reading this article for months now.

I’m sorry. I have ended up unreasonably fascinated with rats

and how to kill them. In my defence, I reckon that if you buy a trap, set it properly and start to kill a few, you will begin to feel the same way.

Isn’t it a bit sick, putting this much energy into killing something?

I hear you. It’s not the rat’s fault it’s a rat. But it has come to the wrong country. Our birds, insects and plants spent millions of years evolving to survive local threats but they stand no chance against a predatory mammal they haven’t had five minutes to prepare for. When it comes to survival, it is the rats or everything else. Time for you to decide which side you are on.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by RNZ.

Serious pest control prevents spread

Rodents spoil food, spread disease and cause damage by fouling and gnawing. Although rodents become more visible and annoying in autumn when their numbers are high and they are looking for new homes to escape the colder weather, sensible rodent control involves year-round preventative action to keep populations in check.

Rats and mice prefer fresh, highquality foods and will reject spoiled or low-palatability foods when given a choice, so bait selection is important. The Pestoff Rodent Block bait uses a cereal base with brodifacoum as the active ingredient. The chocolate lure is also proven to be very effective.

This year sees the Pestoff Block take a giant leap forward; its improvements are now available for consumers and will provide many benefits, including:

• A new and improved manufacturing system has enabled the same high-quality product to be produced in a more consistent size and shape.

• The new block design has ’gnaw grooves’ which make it easier for rodents to get their teeth into. Rodents are known to like to eat away on the edges of things.

Controlling rodent numbers with a proactive pest control programme helps to reduce the number of predators on our farms, around bush lines and other native areas. Pestoff Rodent Blocks and Pellets applied in bait stations are a potent solution. The highly palatable and freshly made

bait provides a single lethal dose. The use of a Pestoff Bait Station ensures that the Pestoff Rodent Block remains fresh, clean and dry. The bait cannot be removed by the rodent, so non-target species and children cannot gain access to the bait. The benefits of using a bait station and block bait together ensures an effective kill is achieved with little effort.

Tips for successful eradication

• Do not handle bait with bare hands as rodents are suspicious of human scent and may avoid bait that has been touched.

• Ensure rodents do not have access to alternative food such as stock feed, garbage or human food scraps.

• Maintain fresh bait by checking and replacing every two to three days initially and later, every week or two.

• Be particularly vigilant during autumn, when the first cool and wet weather arrives, as this usually drives rodents indoors seeking shelter and food.

• To protect non-target animals from secondary poisoning, collect any dead rodent bodies and burn or bury them. Spoiled or unwanted bait should be disposed of in a similar manner.

• Where infestation is heavy and localised, use up to five bait stations per 100 square metres (10 x 10). In light infestation areas, place one bait station per 100 square metres.

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“ Controlling rodent numbers with a proactive pest control programme helps to reduce the number of predators on our farms, around bush lines and other native areas.”

A range of Rodent Bait pack sizes are available to suit your requirements. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Bell-Booth.

Combat autumn’s animal health challenges

With warm weather and late summer rains, the autumn provides great opportunities for growth in your newly weaned beef weaners. These favourable conditions can also cause animal health challenges that can suppress this growth and even cause deaths among your valuable young stock. With good management these losses can be prevented.

Good pasture growth conditions in autumn equal ideal conditions for the survival of gastrointestinal parasites on pasture. This can create a considerable build-up of infective larvae challenging your beef weaners and depressing growth. These losses are often under-rated and by the time you see

the clinical signs, such as scouring, a parasite burden may have already caused considerable reductions in growth rates.

There are two main parasite species we are concerned about in young cattle in New Zealand.

Cooperia sp. is particular to young stock, with significant burdens on pasture building up in the autumn thus depressing appetite and growth. Cooperia sp. is resistant to the ML or mectin family of drenches which are widespread. Levamisole is the only active that has retained good efficacy against this species.1

Then there is Ostertagia sp. which are the most harmful worms in cattle of all ages. The ML drenches are best for the control of Ostertagia – particularly the potent active abamectin.

Converge® is an ideal choice for beef weaners as it contains both levamisole and abamectin. For extra protection from resistance we have Alliance®, a triple combination that contains oxfendazole on top of levamisole and abamectin. Both of these drenches can also be used in your sheep, keeping things simple and reducing wastage. Although pour-on drenches are seen as being more convenient, studies have shown that their efficacy can be variable, with many factors limiting the absorption of the drench. 2,3 Oral drenches are the most cost-effective way to drench your stock, combatting resistance and ensuring excellent growth rates in your beef weaners. A good preventative drenching programme, using effective combination oral drenches every

4 weeks through the autumn, prevents the build-up of infective larvae on your pasture, reducing the parasite challenge and any associated losses in beef cattle. Talk to your animal health advisor about putting a good preventative programme for parasite control in place at the start of the autumn.

Protection against clostridial disease is also an important consideration for your beef weaners this autumn. Clostridial diseases in cattle include malignant oedema, tetanus, pulpy kidney, black disease and blood poisoning. These diseases are caused by bacteria found everywhere in the environment and often the first you will see of these diseases is the sudden death of the biggest calves.

Prevention by vaccination is your only option and Multine® 5-in-1, developed and manufactured in New Zealand is an excellent choice. Full protection with Multine requires an initial sensitiser and then a booster 4–6 weeks later.

For further information, talk to your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by MSD Coopers. ACVM No: A10119, A10249, A000934 ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. NZ/ CVG/0118/0001a.

1. Waghorn, T S et al. Prevalence of anthelmintic resistance on 62 beef cattle farms in the North Island of New Zealand NZVJ, 54 (6), 278-282 2006.

2. Leathwick, D M & Miller, C M. Efficacy of oral, injectable and pour-on formulations of moxidectin against gastrointestinal nematodes in cattle in New Zealand. Veterinary Parasitology 191 (2013) 293-300.

3. Forsyth, BA et al. Seasonal variation in anthelmintic response by cattle to dermally applied Levamisole. AVJ60, (5), 1983.

Why drenching earlier beats waiting for dry off

Dry off is not far away, so set your cows up for this now by making them efficient eating machines.

Cows are fantastic converters of grass to energy and protein. While milking, they are uber athletes with over 400L of blood pumping through the udder to make one litre of milk. Any factor that hinders this process will decrease her efficiency. Parasites are one of these hindrances. Protein and energy are diverted from milk production to the immune system. Those extra kilos of milk solids may be lost as the energy is used to prevent infective larvae establishing or for the removal of the adult parasites.

The greatest larval challenge generally occurs in autumn, simply because conditions are more favourable for their survival and development. Warm temperatures with some moisture or moisture following a drought are perfect. Last year saw extremely wormy pastures in late autumn and even over winter, due to favourable environmental conditions. Although adult cattle are not affected by parasites to the degree that young stock are, their sub-clinical losses affecting milk yield, weight gain and appetite, do have significant economic impacts. In order to optimise production and performance we need to maximise cow intake and feed utilisation. Ideally, cows should be treated when they are facing the parasite challenge, instead of waiting until dry off. Treating cows mid–late lactation or pre-dry off is possible with Cydectin Pour On, due to its nil milk and meat withholdings. Unlike most other drenches, its

long-lasting activity protects cows for up to 35 days from the infective larvae of Ostertagia ostertagi (the most important gastrointestinal worm in cattle) and up to 42 days against lungworm.

The production effects of Cydectin Pour On have been studied in New Zealand at different times of the year.1 Even when the parasite egg output of cows was very low, a production response was found. Whether treating at late lactation or at dry off, treated cows produced on average, an additional 4kg milk solids compared to their untreated herd mates.

On the flip side, we need to be careful how we use drenches so that they continue to be useful in the future. Ideally, we should be targeting those cows that are really in need of a treatment and will likely give us the

best return, while leaving a proportion of cows undrenched, in order to slow drench resistance. There is no perfect test available to help us decide which cows to choose to drench, but common sense would suggest targeting cows such as those that are young, high producing, that have been sick or compromised in some way and/or are in low body condition.

Using the right drench, timed correctly and working for the right length of time can improve the health of your animals and your bottom line.

For further information, talk to your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Cydectin is a registered trademark of Zoetis. ACVM No. A6203.

1. Murphy, A. The effect of treatment with moxidectin, a long acting endectocide, on milk production in lactating dairy cows, Buiatrics World Congress, 1998.

Maintaining healthy soil biology

In the last of a series of articles covering the three dimensions of soil – physical, chemical and biological – our Forage Specialist outlines soil’s biological dimension.

The live biological fraction of soil is a small but very important part of the total soil; it is what makes the difference between soil and dirt.

Healthy soil contains a huge amount of life; just a teaspoon reputedly holds three to five billion organisms. From smallest to largest, these include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods and earthworms. It is said that all the soil organisms in just 1 ha of land weigh as much as two to three cows.

Alive and healthy, these organisms bring tremendous value but if soil is not looked after a large proportion die, reducing ecosystem services and production potential. Like us, most of them require oxygen from the 25 percent of soil that is air. Compacted or poorly drained soils are not conducive to good air movement and soil health.

For most of the last 100 years, soils have been seen as something to be dominated to conform to our demands using a multitude of efficient mechanical tools, which do not help to keep soil organisms alive. Imagine the environmental disruption caused to soil ecosystems by the passing of a power harrow.

What do soil organisms do?

Pull a plant out of healthy soil and the soil on its roots will be alive with organisms living, feeding, releasing plant-available nutrients, being consumed and ultimately dying in the rhizosphere (root zone).

Worms take in soil and organic matter (including dead leaf material and animal dung from the surface), strip out what they want and eject the rest as fine soil particles, full of bacteria and soluble nutrients (worm castings or dung). The channels they create in the soil allow water infiltration and root growth. Soil organisms live on soil organic matter, other organisms (dead or alive), dead leaf and root material, live root material and the 20-30 percent of protein and carbohydrates plants create by photosynthesis and exude

into the soil through their roots to feed organisms that bring them value.

Soil fungi access nutrients by using very long hyphae (filaments) to expand the range of roots. These fungal hyphae and spores exude glue-like glomalin which helps to create soil peds that form the structure of a healthy, freedraining and aerated soil. Cultivation destroys peds and disrupts the fungi’s glomalin production thus slowing down ped formation. It also upsets the pest/ predator balance, potentially resulting in explosions of New Zealand grass grub, for example.

How can you keep soil organisms healthy?

There are four key ways to support healthy, productive soil:

1. Leave it undisturbed (uncultivated).

2. Keep it covered with growing vegetation. This protects the soil and live roots support soil organisms.

3. Grow a variety of species, as different species support different organisms.

4. Maintain good fertility to enable plants to grow more and produce more waste leaf/root material and to feed more exudates to soil organisms.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store. Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients Forage Specialist Murray Lane.

Expanding your electric fencing power options

When you live an hour’s drive from your property, keeping your stock where they should be is something you do not want to worry about.

Farmer Stefan Robinson’s unit has been running electric fences on his 40-hectare lease block at Mount Bruce, one hour from his home farm in Featherston. Stefan says the unit is keeping his stock where they are supposed to be and has a powerful ally to thank for that.

Gallagher’s new MBS400 Energizer works using any power source, mains, battery or solar, giving Stefan options he did not have in the past.

“I hadn’t used a solar unit before. The previous ones we’ve used have just been plug-in mains units. It’s simple – you just switch between solar, electrical and battery sources.

“It’s really easy to set up and you can just leave it to do its thing. We’re getting good power out of the unit and the stock are staying where they should be,” Stefan says.

The smaller electrical unit he had been using was not getting enough power onto the hills at the back of the lease property, so he bought the MBS400 Energizer.

“ We’re getting good power out of the unit and the stock are staying where they should be.”

“I just pick it up and put it anywhere on the property. You don’t need to worry about having mains power at the back of your property.”

Stefan is using the unit to power about half of the property and it proved its worth during a recent power failure, which took out power to most of the fences.

“Because the MBS400 Energizer is a solar unit, I could just change it over to solar which meant there was still power over most of my land.”

The unit is designed to cover up to 16 hectares or 30 kilometres of fencing and it is reliable, no matter what power source you choose to use.

Other features include:

• LED bar graphs on the unit to indicate fence performance and battery life

• It is portable, water-resistant and has built-in lightning protection

• A smart battery management algorithm also protects the battery from being over-discharged and permanently damaged.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Gallagher.

Electric fencing installation made easier

It is well known that cows are a great example of the “grass is always greener on the other side” policy; loosening or removing battens if they ever get the chance. At this time of year, maintaining and installing electric fences is often an important but time-consuming task on the endless to-do list.

Manually attaching insulators to fence posts with a hammer requires hours of hard work, often putting strain on your body and causing damage to the wire, staple and insulator.

Delfast’s new insulator adaptors are making electric fencing installation faster and easier, enabling Kiwi farmers and fencing contractors to get more done in a day. Whanganui fencing contractor, John Blake, was quick to see the benefits of the new range of insulator adaptors to reduce time at each fence post.

“We often have a lot of insulators to apply in a job, so having the Delfast stapler and insulator adaptor to apply these will speed up the job hugely. We are looking forward to using these,” John says.

Delfast has developed a range of insulator adaptors engineered to suit their new Cordless Post Stapler. Farmers and fencing contractors can now accurately fire staples through insulators into fence posts with the Delfast Post Stapler, avoiding damage to the wire or insulator and prolonging the life of each staple. It takes less than 5 seconds to staple each insulator, giving users the speed, accuracy and power to minimise downtime and ultimately get more done in the day.

“We work closely with local fencing contractors and their expertise helps us to innovate with new solutions and improve our existing products,” Delfast National Sales Director, James Currie says.

“Developing a new solution for installing electric fence insulators was a logical next step when we launched our post staplers in December last year.”

Delfast engineered the five insulator adaptors to suit 11 types of insulators on the market, from leading brands Gallagher ®, Strainrite®, Speedrite®, Pel® and Beattie®. Each insulator adaptor is colour coded to match the insulator

brand and is easily attached to the Cordless Post Stapler without any tool adjustments. Made from highly durable mild steel with high-ductile and impact strength, the insulator adaptors have a high resistance to breakage.

Delfast saw the need for a powerful and efficient insulator installation system that is simple to use.

“All it requires is a simple, tool-free adjustment to attach the insulator adaptors to the post stapler.

Engineering the system to be hassle free when you’re on the farm was really important for us. There’s no need for screws or any tools, simply remove the nose piece on the stapler and replace with the required insulator adaptor,” James explains.

The Delfast 4.00mm Post Stapler and Insulator Adaptor range are used for livestock fencing, horticulture, heavy mesh installation and predator control fencing.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Delfast

Farm culvert maintenance

Keeping culvert pipes well maintained is important for the longevity of these assets that ensure efficient access around the property. Regular maintenance as and where problems arise is the key to avoid things escalating and becoming a major or expensive fix.

Preventative maintenance is the best form of upkeep. Carrying a spade or shovel on the farm bike or in the ute allows maintenance work to be done quickly and easily. Culvert pipe inlets can be cleaned out and run-off erosion on the side of farm tracks can be rounded off, to lessen further scouring and reduce silting of the adjacent drain.

Regular removal of debris (e.g. gravel or branches that has been carried into the culvert pipe during high flows) maintains the pipe’s full bore size, improves flow, lessens accelerated debris build up and reduces the chance of flooding and scouring during high-rainfall events.

It is good practice to reinforce the streambed at the culvert outlet to prevent scouring and undermining of the pipe. Reasonable sized rocks (up to 300mm) laid on a geotextile membrane are ideal for this.

A strong weed-spraying programme, to eliminate weed and thistle buildup in the channel, is essential. This improves flow and reduces the buildup of debris which could be carried into the culvert at high flows and cause a blockage.

The maintenance of wing-walls (headwalls), whether they are concrete, wooden or sand-filled bags, should be undertaken at the first sign of damage. This mitigates accelerated erosion and is far cheaper than renewing the wingwall should it collapse entirely.

Spillways or fluming that channels water away once passed through the culvert should be routinely checked and any damage repaired immediately, to lessen possible erosion or under-scouring issues.

Regular flooding, or excessive repair and maintenance work required on a particular culvert may indicate it is undersized. The smaller the culvert diameter, the more prone it will be to blockage by small amounts of debris. Likewise, smoothbore culverts will be less prone to blockage than corrugated-bore culverts of the same diameter.

If culvert replacement or an addition is deemed necessary, things to consider when sizing the new culvert pipe/s are:

• catchment area upstream of the culvert

• local rainfall designation

• sizing tables

• type of culvert (plastic, concrete or metal)

• comparison with similar culverts on the property that perform well in normal rainfall

• your local authority is an excellent source of information and some culverts will require resource consent.

In summary, the outcome of routine culvert maintenance is to keep the culvert in a good and safe operating condition by repairing specific defects as they occur. Only do temporary repairs if you are unable to do the job properly immediately.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store. Article supplied by Iplex Pipelines.

| From the maintenance of wing-walls to weed-spraying programmes – there are a number of preventative maintenance measures that can be undertaken on your culverts.

Finding the best water solutions for your animals

The importance of knowing animal water intake and finding the best water solutions are an important process on any farm.

On average, calves can drink up to 25 litres of water a day, horses up to 35–55 litres a day and sheep up to 4 litres a day. It is not rocket science to know that animals need water just as much as the farmer tending to them. This can especially be said in the dryer months.

Choosing the right water equipment for your farm is crucial in maintaining a healthy, happy environment for your animals and livestock. Depending on your farm’s climate or environment, you will need adaptable and innovative water solutions that work best for your business. At the end of the day, when animals and livestock have access to products that encourage them to drink, this will in turn, create positive results for your farm.

Stallion recognises that no farm is the same as the next and understands the importance of water solutions all year round, not just in the dryer months. It is one of the few reasons they offer such a wide range of water equipment.

“ When animals have access to products that encourage them to drink, this will in turn, create positive results for your farm.”

Understanding the drinking behavior of animals is essential in creating products that will be easy and accessible for them to use. Cows can drink up to 20 litres of water per minute and as dairy farmers know, healthy water intake can have a huge impact on quality milk production because about 87 percent of milk is in fact, water.

Stallion’s innovative designs allow animals of all shapes and sizes the ability to comfortably use their products and can withstand the grunt of animals too. All products are easy to install and maintain as they are made of a tough, durable polyethylene plastic.

The farm favourite, the Stallion PD8 or 8 litre Poly Drinker is ideal for pens as it grants animals easy access to plenty of water and in various locations, if need be. They are also easy to clean which helps keeps the water fresh and avoids the spread of diseases.

If you are thinking ahead in preparation for calving season, remember to keep the calves hydrated with appropriate water equipment and be sure to make their water intake an important part of their daily routine. For long-term thinking, healthy water intake can support rumen development, avoid dehydration and improve overall behaviour.

Although most known for their calfrearing mobile feeders, Stallion offers a complete range of water solutions that are easy to explore online. All products are made to the highest quality and built to last for generations to come.

For further information, talk to your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article

supplied by Stallion.