The Farmlander - November 2020

INTEREST

5. Farmlands staff profile

5. From the CEO

6. 5 minutes with Martin Workman

8. Special Feature – The full-flow effect

15. Farmlands signs up to emission reductions

17. Director Elections close 11th November

19. Nikki Davies-Colley steps down from Board

21. Putting in the mahi

23. Standing up to summer

24. Buying Power Promise

25. Planning for the future of your farm

27. Lead by example and keep working safe

56. Century Farms – The best of Tinopai

62. Real estate market update

ON THE COVER

South Otago shareholder John Latta has prioritised water flow on his hill country farm, fine-tuning a reticulated stock water system to service larger numbers of sheep and beef under farm leasee Brendan Daly and worker Ben Winter.

PLAN365

Plan365 Nutrition

31. Being rumen-ready for a lifetime on grass

33. More than just chicken feed

35. Condition is king

Plan365 Animal Management

37. Extra knowledge gained without the added workload

39. Gaining an accurate picture of lamb performance

41. Drenching lambs around weaning

43. Maintain vital trace element levels to support stock health

Plan365 Forage and Arable

47. For farmers – with farmers

49. A supercharged solution to dense Californian thistle

50. Successful weed control in forage brassicas

52. Protecting high-value lucerne stands

53. Preventing seed-set key to yellow bristle grass control

Plan365 Rural Infrastructure

57. Complete control of flying insects

59. Cost-effective permanent fencing solution

61. The perfect birthday present

63. Managing pressure

FARMLANDS STAFF PROFILE

Trish O’Dea Business Manager, Opotiki

Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?

A: Working alongside and leading my fantastic team here at Opotiki. It's great growing our knowledge and increasing our skills so we can continuously support our shareholders.

Q: What is your favourite NZ holiday destination?

A: Caravanning down at Maraenui on the East Coast! We stay at one of our shareholder’s properties. They belong to the NZMCA and have a POP campground for members. It’s so peaceful and quiet with great fishing.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

A: As you get older, you’ll realise that a $300 watch and a $30 watch both tell the time — true happiness is not found in materialistic things, it comes from the love and laughter found with each other. Also, stay humble — the holes dug for us in the ground are all the same size.

Q: Which part of the primary industry are you most passionate about?

A: The dairy industry has been my bread and butter for most of my working life. There’s no better place to raise a family than on a farm!

Q: What is the most important thing shareholders should be focussing on coming into summer?

A: Nutrition is often the first thing we look at to increase stock production and growth rates, but I encourage shareholders to consider the impact of parasites as well. Having an effective parasite management plan and drenching regime on-farm is crucial. It’s also very important to try and plan a break over summer with family and friends. Taking some much-needed time out will recharge the batteries and don’t forget to slip, slop, slap and wrap! Stay safe.

Trish’s

Tangelo Cake

Ingredients

• 1 whole tangelo (skin included)

• 125g melted butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 ½ cups self-raising flour

Icing

• 1 cup icing sugar

• 1 heaped Tbs butter

• Finely grated tangelo rind (to taste)

• Tangelo juice (to taste)

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees

2. Blitz the tangelo in a food processor until it's a pulpy mush

3. Add the butter, eggs and sugar and mix well

4. Add the flour and pulse until just combined

5. Bake in a greased cake tin for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Ice when cool

Icing

Mix all ingredients until well combined, slather onto the cake and you’re done!

FROM THE CEO

Hello and welcome to the November issue of The Farmlander magazine.

November is always a busy time for your co-operative. As The Farmlander reaches rural mailboxes around the country, we will be putting the finishing touches on our 2020 Annual Report. Included in this will be details of our Annual Result. We will communicate this result directly with all of our members via email, detailing our performance in a year of challenge and perseverance.

While our performance is reflective of the circumstances we faced in our trading year, our willingness to avoid complacency has already started to show success. Through our re-organised structure, we have spent our spring campaign growing shareholder success. A concerted effort to proactively deliver on requirements has been well received and we are confident we can achieve our mission – to harness the co-operative spirit to be first for New Zealand’s food and fibre inputs.

I encourage all shareholders to view the 2020 Annual Report for themselves, which will be available to view at www.farmlands.co.nz/AnnualReport

Later this month, we will also host our 57th Annual General Meeting for shareholders. This year, the meeting will take place at the Farmlands Support Office in Christchurch, at 12.00pm on Thursday 19th November. We have decided to host the event at our office, primarily to navigate any logistical challenges presented by COVID-19. All shareholders are welcome, although shareholders need a minimum of 500 shares to vote on co-operative matters. To RSVP, learn about streaming options, or to submit a proxy form for our AGM, please visit the Farmlands website.

Finally, I encourage all North Island shareholders to participate in this year’s Director Election. At the time of writing, three shareholders were vying for two seats on our Board of Directors. Our Shareholder Directors are your representatives and peers on our Board. I would like to extend my thanks to all of our members that took the time to update their contact details in the lead up to the Director Election. By sending voting packs electronically, our co-operative has saved a substantial amount of money on postage.

Take care and all the best for the month ahead.

Peter Reidie Chief Executive Officer Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited

5 minutes with Martin Workman

Acting Deputy Secretary for Sustainable Land Use Delivery – Ministry for the Environment

What does your role involve?

I lead a team at Ministry for the Environment (MfE) that provides advice to Ministers and is responsible for implementing the Government’s freshwater policies and MfE’s input into He Waka Eke Noa — the Government’s partnership with the primary sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

My team also delivers the Government’s Jobs for Nature COVID Recovery package. This involves investing around $1.3 billion in projects to create employment and deliver on the Government’s objectives for freshwater, climate change and biodiversity.

The role involves working with iwi, councils, primary sector groups and communities to implement regulations and invest in restoration projects, roll out farm plans and support catchment groups. I’ve worked in this area for over 25 years for a variety of organisations

We want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our land use and increase biodiversity.”

including Federated Farmers, councils, Ministry for Primary Industries and MfE.

What does sustainable land use mean to you?

For sustainable land use, I think of my uncle’s hill country farm in Otago. My grandfather put a QEII covenant on lots of bush on the farm to protect it, but he also cleared a lot of bush from the farm in the 1970s to put it into grass. A lot of the cleared land wasn’t very productive. Over the decades my family have replanted much of the cleared area in a variety of exotic species and natives and fenced their waterways. They are using regenerative agriculture practices to improve the health of their soils. Many farmers are doing great things to improve the environment.

Part of what sustainable land use means is also captured in the Government’s objectives for freshwater:

• Stop further degradation of New Zealand’s freshwater and start making immediate improvements so that water quality is materially improving within five years.

• Reverse past damage to bring New Zealand’s freshwater waterways and ecosystems to a healthy state within a generation.

We want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our land use and increase biodiversity.

How has the need for diverse land use changed, or what does this look like in the future?

On my uncle’s farm they looked at what their land is capable of, both

productively and environmentally and adjusted to what the land is suited to. They have retired areas from grazing that were unproductive, such as gullies, and put south facing slopes into trees. Many farmers are doing this, and I think we will see more mixed farming systems in the future.

With the new freshwater regulations now in force, what should farmers be focussing on?

Many farmers are already working to protect and restore waterways in and around their properties — the new regulations are part of getting all farmers to do their bit.

The regulations include:

• Excluding stock from certain types of waterways.

• Controlling high-risk feedlots and stockholding areas.

• Controlling high-risk intensive winter grazing practices.

• Restricting significant agricultural intensification.

• Managing excessive nitrogen discharges.

• Enabling development of mandatory and enforceable freshwater modules in farm plans.

• Moving to real-time measuring and reporting of data on water use.

• Preventing further loss of wetlands and streams.

• New standards for providing for fish passage when structures are put in waterways.

Many farmers are already working to protect and restore waterways in and around their properties – the new regulations are part of getting all farmers to do their bit.”

All farmers should make sure they understand what the new freshwater regulations require.

We will continually update information on our website and update frequently asked questions. If people have additional questions, they should contact their local regional council in the first instance as they are responsible for implementing the freshwater regulations. Industry bodies such as Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ and Horticulture NZ etc. are also available to provide advice.

The national regulations also include rules for intensive winter grazing of forage crops. We have advised councils and farmers that under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), those who already lawfully carry out intensive winter grazing do not have to apply for a resource consent until October 2021. We are also working on how a certified farm plan can make the consent process easier and we will be keeping farmers informed on progress on this.

Stock exclusion regulations have also been a focus for farmers. We are working on improving the accuracy of the maps for where stock exclusion is required so it better identifies land that has less than a 10-degree slope.

We will make sure these maps are improved as soon as possible so farmers have time to exclude stock by 1st July 2025 — this is when stock exclusion of cattle and deer in low slope areas is required by.

What support is available to farmers to assist in upholding the new regulations?

The freshwater regulations are part of a wider programme of work, including providing $700 million to support freshwater restoration projects, as well as funding to support catchment groups, develop and share new practices and roll out farm plans. Farmers should continue to seek advice from regional councils, their farm advisors, and from their industry support agency.

We will be working with these groups to ensure they have consistent and up to date information to provide to farmers. A Freshwater Implementation Group has also been established. Its membership includes representatives from MfE, Ministry for Primary Industries, regional councils, the primary sector, ENGOs and Te Kāhui Wai Māori, the Government’s freshwater Māori advisory group. The purpose of the group is to oversee delivery of

an implementation programme that meets the requirements set out in the new regulations, achieves national consistency, and delivers on the overall objectives of the freshwater package.

To view fact sheets on the new Essential Freshwater regulations, please see www.mfe.govt.nz/fresh-water/ freshwater-guidance/factsheetspolicies-andregulationsessential-freshwater

The full-flow effect

A gravity fed reticulated stock water system has brought modern farming practices to a traditional South Otago sheep and beef farm.

Farm owner John Latta says the system means stock stay away from waterways, productivity is increased, and it offers an environmentally sustainable solution. The scheme is hinged on using the natural resources of the farm in a better way.

John is a third generation South Otago farmer with ties to the area going back to when his family were sawmillers in the Catlins, milling native timber.

His grandfather moved into the farming industry and bought a property in the Owaka Valley in 1945, at the end of Second World War.

John’s Uncle Syd then farmed the property until John’s Dad Geoff, a stock agent, joined him and the brothers farmed in partnership.

In 1973 the brothers bought the neighbour’s 750-hectare farm and began farming separately.

From high school John did a stint at Lincoln before returning home in 1981 and spending 37 years on the family farm.

The now 60-year old said that after nearly four decades on the farm he ‘felt like a rat on a treadmill’. With none of his four sons available to farm at that time he decided to lease the property out.

“For me leasing the farm out is a good set up. My sons all have other things going on in their lives and I commend them for that. By leasing the farm out, I can pursue other opportunities but also retain the farm as an option for the boys in the future.

“The lease arrangement happened quite quickly, and I had already planned to develop the water system. Even though I now lease the farm it is still our property and I could see the many benefits and return a reticulated scheme could offer.”

Designing for farm fit

Installation of the scheme began in the summer of 2018, the same year John leased the farm to Brendan Daly, who employs Ben Winter to manage the property. The system design was developed in partnership between irrigation expert Ken Stewart, experienced Te Anau contractor Paul McDonald and John.

The gravity fed system provides surety of supply and quality of water and has been designed to accommodate any potential future changes in livestock farming practices.”

The group used an altimeter for heights and elevations, a topography study and maps which, when combined with John’s knowledge of the farm and Paul’s contracting experience, enabled the design of a scheme that would fit the farm and the requirements.

“We were catching water at 430m above sea level and dropping down to around 120m above sea level so there was a lot of technical and expert advice needed,” John says.

The gravity fed system provides surety of supply and quality of water and has been designed to accommodate any potential future changes in livestock farming practices.

John says they are blessed with a good water source that is high up on a hill.

“Our point of difference is we have a natural spring at height delivering enough flow to drive the gravity-fed system with no pumps or ongoing running costs.

“I had always believed our water source had the potential to feed into a scheme. We have a lot of natural water and ironically, I’ve spent a lot of time over the years draining the property of springs and bogs.

“We are in a high rainfall area, receiving around 1,200 - 1,500mm per annum, and that is evenly spread throughout the year.

“In my time on the farm we have had a few dry patches but never experienced a drought.

“Prior to the installation we had been existing on natural water with creeks, streams and the Owaka River headwaters.

“We are fortunate the property offers variation from rolling to hill country. You can get a tractor over about 40 percent of the farm with winter feed brassica crops grown, and the rest is tussock and steeper country.”

A duplex of water distribution

John ended up installing two systems. The major one supplies 95 percent of the farm, feeding into 110 troughs with a smaller scheme feeding 10 troughs in an isolated corner of the farm.

The major scheme captures water from an underground spring, intercepted about a metre below ground level and then diverted to a settling trough and then into two 30,000 litre tanks.

A labyrinth of approximately 25km of high flow pipes — all underground — distribute the water to troughs in paddocks all around the farm.

The spring bubbles up with supply 24/7 — 365 days a year.

“It’s like having a big bucket of water sitting high on a hill with a small pipe out the bottom feeding the stock water scheme and the vast majority of the water cycling through and returning to the natural watercourse,” John explains.

The smaller scheme accesses a spring in a different location that covers the remaining corner of the farm. It runs by the same method using a third 30,000 litre storage tank.

“That gives us cover to have troughs in every corner of the farm.”

The amount of water varies depending on prior rainfall. It can drop down to producing 40,000 litres over 24 hours to five times that amount.

Upping the numbers

The 120 troughs mean that farming practice and grazing is no longer restricted by waterways.

“We now have an ability to have more targeted grazing with the use of subdivision, break-feeding and hot wires based around the troughs which give us a guaranteed water supply, expanding our grazing options.

“The scheme has given us the ability to farm more strategically. The stock are happy, it’s great for fattening lambs, great to see them hanging around the troughs on a warm summer’s day.

“When I was on the farm, I had 6,000 sheep and 500 cattle, running around 7,000 stock units, but reticulated water means we could now increase our stocking numbers or stock mix.

“Under the new arrangement it is great to see a young manager farming with fresh eyes and because of the surety of the water supply, he is able to comfortably carry more stock and have more grazing options.

John says the scheme has involved a bit of fine tuning. The bulk of the pipework is 63mm thick, futureproofing the infrastructure, should the property become solely beef or even elephants.

There are 1,000 litre break-pressure tanks are installed at every 50m of elevation descent, 13 in total, to manage the water pressure to the troughs.

Prioritising water health

“We try to do things the right way and so it was important we were doing the most we could for the environment. Installing the water system keeps stock away from the waterways and instead gives them access to clean pristine water that is reticulated all around the farm,” John says.

“We weren’t forced to do this - it was a choice. There has been a lot of talk around waterway health and the quality of our natural water sources, with stricter water plans and tighter controls happening now and inevitably in the future.

“I considered the health of our waterways, before we put the system in, to be pretty good, and this scheme should enhance that further. Our streams have rocky bottoms and are fast moving. They had lots of aquatic and fish life which from a layman’s perspective indicates the waterways were in good health.

“The practicalities of fencing off all our waterways are prohibitive. We’ve got bush gullies and natural bush surrounding creeks and streams, some very steep country. It would be impractical to fence those off, particularly to sheep, so this was our way of doing what we could,”

John emphasises.

Installing the water system keeps stock away from the waterways and instead gives them access to clean pristine water that is reticulated all around the farm.”

“Installing the scheme meant predominantly stock are going to go to the troughs to drink and are staying away from the waterways, so we feel we are contributing to the environment.”

A worthwhile investment

John is still involved with the farm and has carried out a lot of capital development in partnership with Brendan and Ben.

“Key to us is to retain the farm as a family asset and to know it’s being well taken care of by the lessee, which it is.

“I maintain my agricultural interest, but I don’t have the daily grind of being on the farm,” John notes.

John also owns a couple of smaller blocks that he farms (30ha near Dunedin and 6ha near Owaka, plus rental houses) so is kept busy with property development and management.

John says installing the system was a significant investment, but one that he believes has been very worthwhile.

“Productivity is up, and we have added value by investing in infrastructure on the property. Plus, we have future proofed our water sustainability.

“I am confident the scheme will well and truly pay for itself in the long-term.

“Some operators would focus on the increased efficiency and short payback time but for us, you can’t put a price on the fact that we felt we were doing the right thing.”

Productivity is up, and we have added value by investing in infrastructure on the property. Plus, we have future proofed our water sustainability.”

Economics of hill country schemes

An AgFirst report prepared for MPI, MBIE (Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment), Te Puni Kōkiri, and Beef + Lamb NZ published in 2017, investigated the benefits of installing stock water reticulation systems on hill country farms throughout New Zealand. Benefits included:

• An increase in stock units per hectare

• Increased animal productivity

• Better grazing management

• Greater pasture production

• Better environmental outcomes

• Greater ability to implement farm environment plans

• Increased drought resistance

Financial analysis showed:

• An average rate of return of 45 percent over 20 years

• An average payback period of 3 years

The report was based on results from 11 case study farms around the country.

GENERAL MEETING

You’re invited to the fifty-seventh Annual General Meeting of shareholders of Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited. Shareholders are invited to join the Directors and Executive of the Society for refreshments at the conclusion of the meeting.

WHEN: WHERE:

Thursday 19th November, 12.00pm

Farmlands Co-operative Support Office 535 Wairakei Road, Christchurch

Parking available onsite and will be signposted.

Please RSVP by 5th November 2020 at www.farmlands.co.nz/agm

Farmlands signs up to emission reductions

Farmlands Co-operative has committed to reducing emissions by a minimum of 30% by 2030, after receiving carbonreduce certification from Toitū Envirocare.

At a presentation last month at Farmlands’ Wairakei Road support office, Toitū Envirocare (formerly Enviro-Mark Solutions) confirmed our rural supplies and services co-operative had achieved the necessary criteria. This involved measuring Farmlands’ carbon footprint and putting in place targets and initiatives to help reduce it.

Farmlands reached out to Toitū Enivrocare, a subsidiary of Farmlands Partner, Manaaki Whenua, to assist in measuring the co-operative’s environmental impact in early 2020.

Toitū’s certification will act as the cornerstone of an internal organisation sustainability programme, while Farmlands’ Growth and Innovation team will support shareholders in achieving sustainable goals within their own businesses.

Farmlands’ Director of External Relations, Mark McHardy says that the certification is very important for the organisation in reducing its environmental impact.

“The certification forms the foundation of our internal drive to improve our carbon footprint. It starts with our staff and if we can tick off the easy wins first, we will set ourselves up to continuously improve,” Mark says.

Toitū Technical Advisor/Product Specialist, Andrew Mackenzie is confident that Farmlands will be able to achieve the sustainability goals put in place under the carbonreduce certification.

“Farmlands has put in the right sort of goals for their footprint - ambitious but achievable. The certification requires a yearly audit, so we are consistently following the data and keeping on top of how the emissions are tracking,” Andrew says.

Farmlands CEO Peter Reidie says that while the dream is for shareholders to produce outputs with an environmentally friendly, sustainable backing, it needs to start within the co-operative.

To find out more on Toitū Envirocare’s carbonreduce certification, please see www.toitu.co.nz/what-we-offer/ carbon-management

Director Elections close 11th November

Three Farmlands shareholders are vying for two positions in the 2020 Director Election.

Both seats are for the North Island, meaning only North Island shareholders are eligible to vote in this year’s Director Election. In the South Island, Farmlands Chairman Rob Hewett, who retired by rotation, was re-elected to the Board of Directors unopposed.

North Island shareholders have until 11th November to vote for their preferred candidate. Current Farmlands Director Warren Parker is seeking re-election and is joined by fellow shareholder candidates Peter Ellis and Fenton Wilson.

Both Warren Parker and Nikki DaviesColley retired by rotation from the Board of Directors. While Warren is

seeking re-election, Nikki has decided to stand down from the Board.

This year’s Director Election is different to previous years, as the two available seats have two different tenures. This process was created to complete the re-organisation of the Farmlands Board of Directors, which was unanimously agreed by Farmlands shareholders at the 2018 AGM.

At the meeting, changes were voted for that adjusted the Board from 10 Directors to nine, with the makeup consisting of three Shareholder Directors from each island, joined by three Independent Directors. To complete the re-structure, the candidate that receives the most votes at this year’s Director Election will join the Board for the 3-year term, while the candidate with the second most votes will join for a 2-year term.

This year’s Director Election is primarily being conducted online. To support this, shareholders have been contacted by the Farmlands team to update contact details and email addresses.

North Island shareholders that are eligible to vote (those with 500 or more $1 shares) will have received a voting pack by email or post. If you are an eligible shareholder and have not received your voting pack, please contact the Returning Officer on 0800 666 047 or iro@electionz.com. Please check your Junk Email folder, just in case voting information is treated as spam.

HEALTHY HOMES MADE POSSIBLE

Nikki Davies-Colley steps down from Board

Farmlands Co-operative’s longest-tenured Director, Nikki Davies-Colley, is standing down from the Board of Directors after this month’s AGM.

Nikki and her husband Peter became Farmlands shareholders in 2004, when our co-operative began providing supplies and services in the Northland area. Having been involved in the farming and forestry industries for more than 30 years, Nikki joined the Farmlands Board in December 2011 and was one of the North Island Directors that stayed on following the merger with CRT in 2013.

The biggest achievements during her time on the Board have been the increased focus on Health and Safety and supporting the change in Board structure to increase the range of experience around the table.

“The organisation has come a long way in Health and Safety. The guidance and experience from the Leadership Team has been very important to this and while it’s not an individual achievement, I’m proud to have contributed,” she says.

“In my last term, the process of changing the Board structure has been something I have felt strongly about.

This will ensure our Board has the right set of skills that carry our co-operative into the future.

“I’m pleased to have had a hand in getting that process through in the last term – it was the reason I stood again, to make sure it happened.”

Nikki is heartened by the strides that have been made in expanding the rural governance talent pool.

Programmes such as To the Core (held in conjunction with Silver Fern Farms) and the Farmlands Board Observer programme have identified talented individuals that will shape the primary sector for years to come.

“I’m very supportive of the Board Observer programme and it’s something I’ve initiated in other companies. It’s worked very well,” she says.

“Anyone interested in rural governance needs to be a self-starter: practice the skills, participate in local communities and start in small governance roles. Target your opportunities and don’t turn opportunities down.”

Nikki has reduced her governance responsibilities somewhat this year, having also retired as Chair of Northland lines company, Northpower. She is certainly not ready to step away completely and is looking at an additional role, to complement her three existing positions.

“Governance is what I enjoy and life is set up as such so that it’s my full time role,” she says.

“It’s been a privilege to help guide the organisation through this tremendous amount of change starting with the merger and all that entailed. The change programme is another highlight, with its significant IT component. It also had a sizeable people aspect, which is very important.

“What has been amazing and humbling has been the support and genuine caring about their organisation – the shareholders’ organisation – and what it’s doing. The people working within this organisation, their commitment and what everyone did to support our shareholders through the COVID lockdown and the additional effort afterward is pretty impressive. If we needed anything that pointed to Together Stronger, the COVID effort and looking out for our shareholders demonstrated that beautifully and I’ll take that with me to other organisations.”

Putting in the mahi

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced New Zealand’s borders to close, imports of foreign labour trickled off, leaving many farmers in the lurch coming into the busy spring and summer seasons. In response to the crisis, new training pathways have presented themselves to people living in New Zealand and wanting to work in the primary sector.

Primary ITO Executive General Manager – Customer Engagement, Andrea Leslie acknowledges that while fewer migrant workers create a challenge for those in the agriculture sector, it is also an opportunity for people who are living in New Zealand to retrain.

Primary ITO’s key role is training new and current staff for employers within 25 primary sectors. The organisation currently has around 21,000 learners, and 5,000 employers visiting workplaces to support the learning progression of trainees.

Andrea, who has 30-years’ experience in the vocational education sector, says that the reduction in foreign labour availability has placed pressure on specific geographical areas and those who had previously been relying on people on seasonal or work visas.

However, even before COVID-19 hit, many employers were asking for skilled people and were prepared to train them.

“COVID-19 has made recruitment issues more evident, but they were already a significant factor for farms,” Andrea says.

“We work with the employee and employer in a three-way

partnership to support progression through goal setting, our mentor network and robust programmes which have been developed in partnership with the industry.

“We arrange off-job training where it’s appropriate, working in partnership with Polytechnics and private training establishments. We also support and develop learning pathways which enable our learners to earn while they learn, progressing within their job roles. That’s from starting out with foundational courses, to taking more senior roles, and eventually running the farm, orchard, or packhouse.”

Primary ITO works closely with government agencies to ensure they are collaborating with Government-led initiatives, which in turn creates opportunities for employees and trainees.

“We need to start at the beginning, bringing people into the industry, giving them a ‘taste’ and showcasing the possibilities of a promising career.

“To be eligible for ITO training, people must be in employment, so the taster courses supported by MPI go a long way to supporting people into paid work,” Andrea says.

Another focus area for attracting people to the industry is through schools. Currently more than 1,000 students undertake Trades Academy programmes and other students are involved with Gateway programmes in agriculture, horticulture and seafood. Foundational courses and campaigns are also used to encourage people to take up apprentices.

To find out more on training within the primary industry, visit www.primaryito.ac.nz

Free training and apprenticeships a great opportunity for the primary industries

The New Zealand Government’s free Trades Training means there are no training fees for the employee or employer, so businesses that take on an apprentice can also access payments from the Ministry of Social Development to help pay the wages. This is worth $16,000 over 20 months, with $1,000 per month for the first year and $500 per month for the second 8-month period for employers whose employees are undertaking an apprenticeship programme.

Andrea describes the Government’s free Trades Training as a massive incentive to get the sector moving and the availability of additional financial support makes it appealing for employers and potential employees.

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Standing up to summer

Farming for dry summers is just part of daily life for Michael Groome of Hawke’s Bay’s Sherenden Station.

Sherenden Station is traditionally a finishing farm for sheep and cattle, based 25km west of Hastings. Michael and his wife Mary have been farming in partnership with Mary’s father for the past decade and Michael also farms two smaller blocks comprising of around 230ha, both south of Hastings. They have watched their rainfall decrease every year.

“When I started at Sherenden our annual rainfall was around 850mm. That has steadily dropped to below 800mm now. For this calendar year we had received less than half of the expected rainfall, with 360mm recorded between January and September,” Michael says.

They carry 2,700 ewes which go to a terminal ram and also fattens winter trade lambs. He finishes between 600-800 cattle per year.

This year’s drought saw only 70mm fall at Sherenden between the beginning of the year and autumn.

“We farm for a dry summer and try to grow all our feed ourselves. Maize is key and we aim to hold around 1,000 tonnes of dry matter and grow 20ha of lucerne, averaging around 500 bales.”

Michael said Hawke’s Bay is traditionally dry in summer and grass is usually scarce, but the 2020 drought has seen some properties absolutely decimated.

“The biggest problem is it has been dry for so long and farmers are running out of options. There will be longer-term impacts for all farmers, especially those who were forced to sell their capital stock.

“There is a lot of pressure around decision making. Do we carry on feeding stock and wait for space availability at the meat works or sell at a lesser price but save on the cost of feed?

“Farming has changed, it’s not just a shed full of round bales to feed out in the winter anymore. I was fortunate I was able to keep all my capital stock and we got there in the end. However, moving forward is an unknown. Our spring was average with westerly winds sucking out any moisture we did get.

“We aim to have summer crops planted the beginning of September, but we were over a month late because of the dry this year. When we planted our oats the lack of rainfall stunted their growth and when they finally began growing and were ready to graze, the nitrate levels were too high, therefore the stock for the oats had to remain on maize silage for several more weeks,” Michael reports.

Shereden Station has brought in palm kernel and nuts to give young stock an extra boost.

“I always have a lot of supplementary feed on hand, however growing these crops only happens if we get the rain. You have to be flexible; you can’t stay stuck in your ways. It’s about changing farming policies to meet the demands of what nature brings.”

Planning for the future of your farm

Farming is constantly changing, yet the question around the future of the family farm remains, for many, an agonising and delayed decision.

Succession planning can be emotionally challenging and stressful. A poorly executed succession plan may cause unintended financial implications and can be detrimental to family relationships.

Families should know what to expect when you retire, scale down your involvement, or if you are forced off the farm due to injury, illness or any other circumstances.

It is important to begin thinking and talking with family members about appropriate farm succession long before it is put into action. This allows time to develop a clear understanding of the expectations and considerations of all family members.

The reality is that farm succession is likely to create tension among the children taking over the property.

The child who inherits the farm may be the only one who seemingly benefits from the family inheritance. However, they may also inherit a

burden should the farm be in debt or if they are obliged to borrow in order to pay out other family members.

Different options on sharing the farm should be considered as part of the succession planning process.

Key questions that need to be answered include:

• What are the needs and aspirations of each family member? Do they see a future for themselves working on the family farm?

• Does the natural successor have the necessary skills and experience? If not, what steps need to be taken to develop those skills?

• If there is more than one successor, should the plan treat them equally or fairly? It may be that passing an interest in the family farm to a child not working on the farm may not be fair to a child who has spent many years working on the farm.

• Should the successor buy out the other family members and, if so, is that possible?

• How will the farm transfer be funded? Can the business support a high level of debt if needed?

• What is the correct structure to hold the farming assets? Should the farming assets be transferred to new or different structures before the plan is put into place?

• Do key actions need to be documented now to avoid confusion down the track in the event that the plan needs to be put into place sooner than anticipated?

Let’s be honest, putting a succession plan into place can be costly and takes time and effort to balance competing interests. However, a well thought out and detailed plan is the best way to minimise the difficulties and stress associated with succession when it invariably comes.

Professional services in the form of farm facilitators, accountants and rural lawyers, such as Wynn Williams, are available to help you through this process. Set up the future of your farm early and rest easy knowing that your valuable asset is in the best hands.

Article supplied by Wynn Williams

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Lead by example and keep working safe

November is an incredibly busy time on farms. There’s milking, calves need to be marked, shearing is getting underway, lambs are being tailed and then there’s cropping and spreading of fertiliser.

Border restrictions due to COVID-19 mean there is a shortage of overseas workers who usually come to New Zealand to work as contractors during spring and summer.

Many farmers and farm workers may now be taking on jobs, particularly involving heavy machinery, normally carried out by contractors.

“You or your employees may be doing tractor work that a contractor normally might do,” says Al McCone, Agriculture Lead for WorkSafe New Zealand. “You’ll be doing these jobs at a time of variable weather, growth and ground surface conditions. Sloping surfaces are especially tricky at this time.

“We need to watch out for one another. The people with the most power to influence this are those on the ground each day doing the work.

“Talking with your staff around health and safety, assessing what the risks are and how they should be managed are your most powerful health and safety tools. That kind of planning is critical, particularly if you, or others, are taking on jobs you wouldn’t normally do.”

Making sure people are well trained and proficient in using vehicles and equipment is essential, as is good maintenance of vehicles and attachments and choosing the right vehicle for the job.

“Never try to tackle terrain or lift or tow something with a vehicle that isn’t intended for that kind of work,” Al says. “Stick to the limits set by the manufacturer. Seatbelts should always be worn in a farm vehicle and consider installing a crush protection device on your quad bike or side-by-side.

“Mistakes happen and if a tractor or other vehicle tips over or rolls, a seatbelt might be the difference between a sore neck and a broken one. When farmers set these farm rules and lead by example, they sow the seeds for a stronger safety culture on their farms.”

Analysis of fatal accidents has shown that, while rollover protection has contributed to a decrease in fatal injuries, most tractor fatalities in recent years could have been prevented by the operator wearing a seatbelt.

Fatigue is a significant issue in farm work and taking on extra tasks may exacerbate that. Serious accidents often happen on farms at the start or end of the day and older farmers or farmworkers feature highly in fatal accident statistics.

“There is no escaping that farming is challenging and involves long and irregular hours,” Al says. “But it is essential to take regular breaks, to eat well and keep hydrated. Farmers need to make sure all workers are taking sufficient breaks and recognise if they are getting fatigued. You need to be ‘kind’ to yourself too. Nothing is worth risking the terrible toll a serious or fatal accident has on families, businesses and communities.”

Article supplied by WorkSafe.

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Being rumen-ready for a lifetime on grass

Calves will go through two weaning processes. One from a milk diet then to a hard feed diet. If both processes are managed well, we limit issues from grass intake, digestibility, growth checks, health issues and future milk production performance.

Calves start practising rumination (cud chewing) from a young age – around 2 weeks – and by the time they are 4-6 weeks they are well on the way to ruminating for long periods. The whole idea was to start building capacity in the rumen as soon as possible.

Obviously weaning in a timely manner is only one part of the total picture, we want to minimize any check to development.

Weaning checks generally happen more with calves that were the overdrinkers and not the meal eaters. These calves would need to return to meal feeding for at least another 4 weeks after the milk diet ceases.

This is a stressful time for a calf and it can suppress the immune system. Calves can fall sick with diseases that they would have been able to fight off if still on milk and meal. Weaning decisions on consumption of highquality grain-based feeds is the best indicator that the calves are nearly ready for a grass diet. This is when calves are consuming 1.5kg daily for Friesians and 1kg for Jersey types for at least 3 consecutive days and not just filling up on hay. Hay will not supply

enough energy as grain does. This may require dropping the volume of milk fed or to fortify milk, so less volume is fed overall to see an increase in meal consumption.

Keeping a minimum of 18 percent protein, high quality grain pellet in the calf diet for another 4 weeks will help deliver extra minerals, vitamins and a coccidiostat to prevent coccidiosis. This will support the calf during the stress of weaning while further supporting the developing rumen and avoiding weakening the immune system.

The next most important ingredient to successful rumen development and for continued weight gain performance, is clean reachable water. This improves calf dry-matter intake and avoids any pathogens that are present in the old or topped up water. Paddock water troughs should be cleaned and checked daily that they have running water, no contamination, are not leaking and are easily reached. If cow minerals are running through the troughs, then we need to be careful that calves are not put at risk from excess minerals. Regular weighing for daily weight gain after weaning identifies calves that are dropping behind, so they can be fed preferentially to catch up.

Drench programmes, vaccines, minerals and facial eczema prevention should not be forgotten either. Calves that have grown well in the first 3 months must continue to be fed and managed

well to maintain that advantage and to capitalize on that growth.

Our job is to transition these animals well and in a timely manner. Then they will grow to be cost-effective forage eaters that are efficient and productive.

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

More than just chicken feed

During the 1990’s the writing was on the wall that routine antibiotic use in commercial animal production would be restricted or banned. Concern was growing that antibiotic resistance would be accelerated by over-use in livestock, limiting their effectiveness in human health. The pressure was on to find an alternative though, as disease can easily spread amongst large numbers of animals in close proximity to one another.

Attention turned to naturally occurring compounds that might lessen the growth of pathogens or limit their effects on the animal. The clock was turned back as researchers screened essential oils – some of the key active components in herbal remedies - that had been largely forgotten when antibiotics emerged. A range of essential oils were investigated and refined specifically to help commercial poultry and pig farmers cope with the potential challenges of intensive farming. Essential oils have been found to favour beneficial bacteria in the later sections of the gastrointestinal tract, such as the Lactobacillus species which has been associated with improved performance and less opportunity for harmful microbes to proliferate. They help the good bugs overpower the bad bugs.

Essential oils were found to work well in combination with organic acids. These natural acidifiers lower the pH in the crop and gizzard of chickens and reduce the potential for harmful bacteria like e-coli, salmonella and clostridia to grow. Salmonella in particular constitutes a serious

public health concern through the consumption of contaminated eggs and meat. Some strains of salmonella can damage the villi in the intestine and reduce nutrient absorption but also cause severe infections resulting in loss of productivity and even death. In layers, better gut health improves performance, length of peak lay and improves feed conversion but also increases the safety of the eggs.

Remedies developed for commercial poultry might seem over the top for backyard and free-range layers living in small flocks with less social and physical pressure. Ironically the freedom to roam presents other challenges and exposes birds to potentially more harmful microbes than intensive units with an all-in all-out policy and very tight environmental control programmes. Vermin and especially wild birds have more opportunity to contaminate the environment of free-range birds. Foraging can increase diet variability and the weather can expose birds

to stresses that housed flocks are sheltered from. Breeders are making annual incremental improvements to the laying ability of birds, so the chances are that day-old chicks or pullets purchased from commercial hatcheries have great genetic potential. Heritage breeds may lay shorter clutches and take longer breaks but can often keep producing for many years and need support as they age.

NRM Peck ‘n’ Lay is more than just good quality energy, protein, minerals and vitamins. Manufactured in Feedsafe accredited mills, it is fortified with a blend of protected, microencapsulated essential oils and organic acids, so free-ranging birds that enjoy a stable family life in small flocks can benefit from research aimed to help their intensively farmed predecessors.

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

Condition is king

While you might be thinking of getting in shape as we head into summer, cows need to avoid weight loss at this time of the year, because we want them to finish up the season in good condition and put milk into the vat.

When a cow is not consuming enough energy to reach her requirements she is classed as being in negative energy balance. First her body will use up carbohydrates stored in her muscles (which happens pretty quickly) and then her body will start using stored body fat. Milk production will drop and if an animal is in negative energy balance for long enough, she will lose significant condition and may even develop fatty liver. Not all negative energy balance is dramatic and obvious either –sometimes it can be more subtle, becoming especially hard to pick-up on if you’re seeing your cows every day.

So, what is causing a negative energy balance? Sometimes it’s because there is not enough energy offered through the cows’ diet. So while they may be getting enough dry matter intake, the total amount of energy may not be high enough in terms of megajoules of metabolisable energy (ME). Sometimes though, there is simply not enough dry matter on offer and other times negative energy balance can be caused by a decrease in dry matter intake caused by an animal health issue such as lameness or acidosis.

Post-calving is the most common time we see cows losing significant amounts of weight, as changing from a dry to a lactating cow sees a huge increase in energy demand and it takes time for dry matter intake to pick-up after calving. Weight loss can be seen any time in the herd, however. As we head into summer, pastures will start to

go reproductive and stalky, meaning less energy per bite for your cows, which may be further hampered by heat stress or facial eczema, so this is a perfect time for negative energy balance to pop-up.

A few things you can think about to avoid negative energy balance in your herd:

• Keep a close eye on pasture quality and quantity. If you pick up an energy deficit early, you can be more proactive with bridging the gap.

• Look at previous seasons milk curves for your farm. Drops in milk production will tell you where your key problem areas in the past have been.

• Keep your eye on your milk constituents. Falling protein, fat ratios and falling milk urea may indicate increased pasture maturity.

• If you do have a deficit in pasture quality or quantity, plug the gap with supplementary feed. Plugging an energy gap will have the benefit of keeping milk going into the vat and will help to keep weight on your herd. There is no one-size-fits-all option, so it’s worth chatting to an expert to work through the best option for you.

• Opt for a rumen modifier such as Bovatec, Rumensin or Rumenox. They improve feed efficiency and free-up energy for the cow.

Chat to your local Nutrition Specialist if you want to chat through your feed options heading into summer.

Article supplied by Stacey Cosnett NRM Nutritionist

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Extra knowledge gained without the added workload

“Using EID tags assists management of your sheep flock without creating more work”, North Canterbury sheep and beef farmer Tom Costello says. Tom and his son Tim Costello, who farm The Grange near Hawarden, have their entire sheep flock EID tagged. While Tom admits he doesn’t do a lot with the data, having the flock EID tagged has some handy uses.

The Costellos started EID tagging their young sheep as part of the Farm IQ pilot programme. “That continued for about five years, so most of our sheep were EID tagged while we were in that programme,” Tom says. While the tags were free during the pilot scheme, the Costellos continued with them once it finished, despite the added cost. Tom says the tags allow

him to monitor the performance of his ewe flock. “We retain a file of the sheep that have twins and singles. It does give us the ability to auto-draft those sheep off. We record any ewe hoggets that are dry, so it is easy to identify them if they are dry again.”

When putting the hoggets through the Racewell scales, Tom can programme it to draft off ewes that aren’t in-lamb without marking them with a raddle. About 80 percent of ewe hoggets have a lamb and he puts the ewes that aren’t in lamb on a different feed. While in the Farm IQ pilot, the Costellos did a couple of small trials. One was to determine whether there was any difference in weight gain before weaning, between lambs that were tailed and those that weren’t. When tailing a pen of lambs, the last 20 were left untailed and their tag number recorded.

It was also useful to have a few EID tags in lambs being finished. The weigh indicator gives an instant weight gain when it picks up a tag that has been

through at an earlier date. “Where it is useful is the things that you can do without creating more work. We don’t want to get into a lot of extra work trying to record stuff, so we only do stuff that is easy,” Tom says. Tom noticed the fold-around Allflex RapID tag seemed quite robust, with a low loss rate.

Tom notes that with his son Tim coming into the farm business, the next generation might be keen to fully utilise the EID tag data. Related software would also continue to improve and become more user-friendly. “We don’t rush into buying software as it is always evolving. In another few years, the software and equipment we use with our tags will become even better and more easy to use,” Tom says.

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

Article supplied by Allflex

Gaining an accurate picture of lamb performance

One of the simplest and most efficient ways to ensure lambs are hitting target weights is regular weighing and monitoring throughout the season. Weighing your livestock helps to ensure your animals are consistently gaining weight so you continue to profit.

Traditionally farmers have relied on their years of experience to know when animals are gaining weight and are ready to be sold or slaughtered. Weighing backs up that experience with facts. It’s all about input verses output – the input cost of feed, staff wages, time, health treatments, pasture and equipment maintenance per day, versus the weight your animals are putting on. In order to profit, your input costs need to be lower than your output gains.

RFID sheep tags along with weighing and EID technology will identify your best and worst performers, giving you

the opportunity to take advantage of the animals doing well and improve those poor performers before trading. If you’re trading lambs, regular weighing and using the information available will lift your average price, so you’ll spend less time finishing. Further to that, you can track where the top performers have come from using RFID sheep tags. If you use specialist forage crops for finishing your lambs, you can measure your return on that investment and use the information to make decisions about your cropping programme for the future.

Z Tags Tagfaster sheep RFID tags along with Tru-Test have the hardware and software solutions that make life easy for you when it comes to weighing and EID, adding value to your bottom line and ensuring you meet your compliance obligations too. Tracking growth using a Tru-Test weighing platform, weigh scales and EID stick

reader used in conjunction with a free software package like Datamars

Livestock Cloud, or a subscription software package like Minda or FarmIQ helps farmers improve productivity and animal management within their farming operation.

Regular weighing allows you to manage animals individually, identify top performers or those that may need extra attention to bring them up to weight and make the decision to sell animals at the optimum time, to achieve the best price.

Using a Z Tag and Tru-Test solution also gives total herd traceability and Datamars Livestock’s cloud software helps record, track weight growth and manage herd genetics.

Datamars Livestock is a cloud-based online software system that provides a tool to manage the data you collect, free when you purchase a Tru-Test 5000 series indicator. Datamars Livestock turns weigh session data into an easy-to-understand, graphical snapshot of where your animals are at and helps identify trends. Datamars Livestock is the simple way to monitor animal weight gains and track performance to target weights. You can therefore gather accurate information using your Tru-Test EID reader and weigh scales, analyse it using Datamars Livestock Cloud software and then make timely decisions on-farm.

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

Article supplied by Datamars Livestock

Drenching lambs around weaning

On a conventional sheep and beef farm more time, energy and effort are likely to be invested in drenching lambs than in any other class of stock. It is very common for lambs to be drenched around weaning, and then given another four or five drenches before their first winter. On farms where Nematodirus causes problems early on, lambs may even get drenched a month before weaning.

Another factor to consider is the presence and impact of tapeworm in lambs. Several New Zealand studies have shown that the effects of tapeworm on lamb growth rates are marginal or insignificant. Tapeworm may cause an increase in dag score, with an associated increase in the amount of time spent crutching.

Lambs are born with a very small rumen but by the time a lamb is 5 weeks old the rumen is developing and it is starting to get a significant amount of nutrition from grass. This also means that the lambs are potentially exposed to parasite larvae on pasture.

Where covers are inadequate, ewes and lambs will be competing for feed and mum is always going to be better able to harvest the available feed. Infective worm larvae are concentrated in the bottom 2cm of the pasture sward; if this is where lambs are grazing, they are more likely to pick up worm burdens that will limit their production as the weeks go by.

Lambs from 6 months of age will generally have an immune system

which is functioning well enough to control tapeworm, so tapeworm control is not normally needed after this point. The immune system will continue to develop over the following months to provide protection against other internal parasites, but this can take another 18 months.

If a pre-weaning drench is going to be used, care needs to be taken in the selection of the product. Abamectin is not routinely recommended in lambs under 16kg bodyweight as it has a narrower safety margin in these animals than other products. Donaghys Duell tape is a white/ clear combination drench with praziquantel added for effective tapeworm control and can be used in these younger groups of animals. For lambs over 16kg, Donaghys TrivAL Tape is a triple active white/clear/mectin drench, again with added praziquantel for effective tapeworm control. If there

is any history of drench resistance on the property it may be beneficial to use a triple acting product. Advice from an expert with knowledge of what is happening on your farm is highly recommended.

Now is also a good time to start thinking about the possibility of getting some information about the drench status of your property. It is highly recommended that a faecal egg count reduction test is carried out every 2–3 years on most farms. This is usually done in late summer, as this is the time that farms are likely to have enough lambs to run the test, as well as a good representation of the parasite species that may be causing issues.

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

Article supplied by Donaghys.

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STAYING SAFE IN THE SUN

It’s no secret that New Zealand’s incidence of melanoma cancer is, along with Australia, the world’s highest. Melanoma accounts for nearly 80% of all skin cancer deaths in NZ and the rate appears to be increasing. Over and above that, it’s estimated over 80,000 Kiwis get nonmelanoma skin cancer each year.

We all know the ‘slip, slop, slap and wrap’ basics of protection but to remind ourselves:

• Slip on appropriate clothing, preferably with long sleeves. Fabrics with a tighter weave and darker colours will give better protection. Fabrics specially designed for sun protection will have a UPF rating (Ultraviolet Protection Factor).

• Slap on a hat. Wear a hat with a wide brim or a legionnaire style cap with flaps that provides shade to your ears and neck. More of us are sunburnt on the face and neck than any other part of the body. And ditch the cap—baseball caps do not protect the neck and ears.

• Slop on the sunscreen liberally. Apply to all exposed skin 15 to 30 minutes before exposure and remember to apply to your ears. Approximately two tablespoons

of sunscreen (about a shot glass full) is needed to cover an adults’ arms, legs, neck and face. Use a broad-spectrum (i.e. effective against both UVA and UVB rays) water-resistant sunscreen that meets AS/NZS 2604:2012, at least SPF30, preferably higher. Re-apply sunscreen every two to three hours. Products that combine sunscreen with insect repellent are very convenient but look for those that have effective natural ingredients. Sunscreens containing DEET repellent are banned in Canada and frowned on in the US. Remember lips are particularly sensitive so protect your lips with lip balm.

• Wrap on close fitting sunglasses. UV radiation can lead to eye complaints ranging from mild irritation to macular degeneration, cataracts and cancer. Choose eyewear that meets the Australia/New Zealand standards (AS/ NZS 1337.1 or AS/NZS 1336). Eyewear of any quality should give at least 99.9% UV protection. Tinted lenses do not necessarily block more UV light. Check the product information for the degree of resistance to UV light. Polarised lenses are especially effective in cutting down reflected rays.

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Remember that being sunsmart doesn’t stop on overcast days. Cloud cover will cool down temperatures but it only reduces UV radiation by 20–40 percent. Clouds block out most UVB rays, which cause sunburn, but won’t block out UVA rays, which can penetrate deep into the skin. SG-LB

If you employ staff working outdoors you have obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. These include ensuring your workers:

• Wear appropriate clothing, hats or helmets with a wide brim, sunglasses that fit closely to the face and meet UV protection standards.

• Use sunscreen, which must be waterresistant, broad-spectrum, at least SPF30, and meets standard AS/NZS 2604:2012.

• Work in shade as much as possible or under a shade structure if natural shade isn’t available.

• Monitor UV levels.

• Report instances of sunburn and heat exhaustion or fatigue.

Maintain vital trace element levels to support stock health

Selenium is a trace element that is vital for normal metabolism and is necessary for growth and fertility. It is estimated that over 30% of pastures in New Zealand will not provide an adequate selenium intake for grazing livestock3 .

Severe selenium deficiency can lead to ewe infertility and white muscle disease, where lambs are weak or unable to stand. More commonly seen effects, even in cases of marginal deficiency, are ill-thrift, lowered wool production, scouring and poor lamb growth rates. Young growing sheep are the most susceptible to selenium deficiency. The recommended dose rate of selenium for sheep is 0.1-0.2mg/ kg liveweight4. Where selenium supplementation is indicated, 2mg is the optimal dose for 10-20 kg lambs, while 5mg is appropriate for sheep 25kg and heavier5

As with all selenised products, it is recommended not to use it at the same time as any other selenised fertiliser, prill or product without seeking advice from your animal health advisor and you should not exceed the stated dose volume or frequency.

Along with selenium, cobalt is a critical trace element that is required by ruminants to synthesise vitamin B12 in the rumen. Vitamin B12 is an important component of several different enzymes that are necessary in ruminants for energy production and growth, however a NZ study indicated the cobalt requirement of sheep is met by only 54% of pastures6

Young sheep are the most susceptible to cobalt deficiency and signs can include depression of appetite leading to poor growth rates, watery discharge from eyes, poor wool production and white ‘washy’ looking wool, anaemia and increased perinatal mortality. Sometimes the only sign may be reduced weight gain with the development of a tail end of unthrifty lambs.

To help maintain healthy levels of trace elements and minerals, New Zealand’s leading 5-in-1 vaccine1 just got even better! With the addition of MULTINE® B12 Selenised to the trusted and proven MULTINE 5-in-1 range of products, there is now a suitable option for all sheep farmers and classes of stock. MULTINE B12 Selenised (2mg of selenium) and MULTINE 5-in-1 Selenised (5mg of selenium) contain sodium selenate and have the convenience of a great 5-in-1 vaccine

with selenium in a single injection, with or without a 2mg dose of vitamin B12, should it be required

Depending on your requirements for selenium and B12, vaccination can start at tailing with either MULTINE B12 Selenised, MULTINE B12 or MULTINE. A recent Wairarapa tailing trial2 demonstrated that in lambs born to ewes vaccinated at pre-lamb, and with good colostral transfer of antibodies, there was no detrimental effect to the lamb’s immune response when vaccination with MULTINE started at tailing. Alternatively, vaccination can start at weaning, with a booster 4-6 weeks later so the animals are set up for the future.

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

Article supplied by MSD animal Health

References:

1. Baron Audit Data, June 2020

2. Moffat, J; Bruere, S. Vaccination against clostridial disease in maternally derived antibody positive lambs; a randomised, non-inferiority field trial in twin lambs. MSD data on file, awaiting publication

3. Beef and lamb NZ Trace Element Nutrition of Sheep March 2020

4. Suttle, N.F and Underwood, E.J. (1999) The mineral nutrition of livestock. 3rd ed, 451-453

5. West D, Bruere, N and Ridler A (2009). “The Sheep, Health, Disease and Production”. Massey University Press p138, 200

6. Grace, ND; Knowles, SO & Nortjé, R (2014) Vitamin B12 status and the effects of vitamin B12 supplementation during the first year of life of spring calves from pasture-fed dairy herds, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 62:5, 274-278

ACVM No’s: A934, A935, A11311, A11766. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone 0800 800 543 www.msd-animal-health.co.nz NZ_MUL2008000004 ©2020 Intervet International B.V. All Rights Reserved. Competitor vaccine: ACVM No: A3585.

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For farmers – with farmers

A changing policy landscape and another big year for farmers already under pressure.

Three major new environmental policies – the Zero Carbon Act, the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity and the Essential Freshwater package – have marked a significant shift in environmental regulation for our primary industries.

“To help our primary industries navigate this changing landscape, we made our voice heard in the policy arena, representing our farmers and our business,” Ballance Agri-Nutrients Environmental Manager Dominic Adams says.

“As a co-operative, our staff keep updated so they can provide timely information and advice to our farmers.”

In the last year, Ballance made submissions on all three policies, which are expected to have both immediate and ongoing impacts on the primary sector.

“With our focus on sustainable farming, we support each policies’ intent, however the devil’s in the detail,” Dominic says.

“When the new freshwater regulations came into force on 3rd September 2020, we were pleased some of the key issues we’d submitted on had been addressed.”

In its submission, Ballance had raised concerns over the lack of science

underpinning the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) national bottom lines, as well as requirements for an average riparian setback of 5 metres.

Subsequently, the national bottom lines for DIN and DRP were put on hold for 12 months to allow for further scientific assessment. In addition, the average riparian setback requirement was reduced to a 3 metre minimum, with no need to move any existing fences not meeting this requirement. Dominic says this acknowledges the huge efforts already made by farmers to exclude stock from waterways.

Ballance was also concerned about the supply of qualified rural professionals for preparing and certifying farm environment plans within the specified timeframes. The requirements and timeframes for farm environment plans will now be developed over the coming year.

Ballance also submitted concerns about the shortage of specialist knowledge required to assess significant natural areas (SNAs) and prepare management plans, as required by the proposed new biodiversity policy.

Dominic says the proposed approach to managing SNAs could also penalise landowners with a history of good conservation practice while rewarding those with little biodiversity.

“We suggested setting a land use and restoration baseline of 1990, to reward farmers who have already been protecting areas on their land. Regional councils could also share the costs by providing rates relief to farmers enhancing biodiversity.”

Ballance’s submissions on the three policies were based on:

• science-based targets

• practical to implement mitigations and other actions required

• recognition of existing work and investment

• reasonable timelines for implementation

• spreading costs so farmers do not bear the entire burden

• integration of policies

• ensuring adequate capacity and capability to implement change

The Zero Carbon Act provisions are expected to start in 2021 and the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity is expected to be implemented in April 2021.

For more information, contact your Ballance Nutrient Specialist, your Farmlands Technical field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store

Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients

BLACK DUCK SEAT COVERS

A supercharged solution to dense Californian thistle

Well established, dense Californian thistle is one of the most challenging pasture weeds to control. Once established, this weed displays only 10 percent of its biomass as aboveground thistle stems, while the remainder is an extensive sprawling root system with multiple dormant buds ready to form the next flush of emerging stems. Eradication of Californian thistle relies on designing and implementing a control programme that kills the entire root system, preventing recovery and re-establishment.

Traditional herbicide programmes for Californian thistle control rely primarily on phenoxy chemistry, particularly MCPB and/or MCPA, or 2,4-D, prescribing multiple applications per season across at least two seasons. If followed through, this programme can be successful. While these herbicides are generally less expensive per hectare, repeat application costs and the long path back to fully productive pastures often make this a battle of attrition. In dense populations, this is a tough weed to control using softer, clover-friendly chemistry.

Protection of pasture clover content is often seen as a driver for control method and herbicide selection in established pastures and is the obvious benefit of mowing, grazing or the use of phenoxy-based products, particularly MCPB. That’s fine if you are getting worthwhile productivity from clovers. In scenarios where the Californian thistle population is dense, clover performance will typically be severely compromised. This presents an opportunity to supercharge the programme using a herbicide with much higher efficacy on Californian thistle, bringing pasture back into a productive state much quicker.

For more than a decade now Tordon™ PastureBoss™ has proven to be the most effective herbicide on Californian thistle. New Zealand trials and field experience consistently show Tordon PastureBoss to achieve up to 30 percent greater control than other registered options. This has a huge impact when incorporated into a control programme for dense Californian thistles. A key contributor to this is the primary active ingredient, aminopyralid, which translocates

further into the root system, reaching more root buds and killing them. Thistle stems emerging from surviving root buds are significantly less vigorous, further tiring the root structure. Using Tordon PastureBoss early in a control programme presents a much more aggressive and reliable approach for dense Californian thistle.

Californian thistle control programmes can be initiated with an application of Tordon PastureBoss when a good portion of thistle stems reach early bud stage, typically late November to early January. Ground boom spraying is most effective on dense thistles and is the preferred option over carpet or wick type applicators early in the programme. A follow-up treatment using a phenoxy herbicide should be applied to control the next flush of stems in late February or March. This is timed to allow a further emergence of stems which are killed free-of-charge by the onset of winter. With the release from Californian thistle competition, pasture recovery including re-establishment of clover will begin from the next spring. Be sure to spot spray any final emerging stems using Tordon PastureBoss to ensure complete control. Pick your worst Californian thistle paddock and implement the supercharged programme this season.

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

Article supplied by Corteva Agriscience.

Successful weed control in forage brassicas

Weed control is important in forage brassicas both to minimise crop competition and to reduce the soil weed seed burden in advance of subsequent crops or pasture.

Forage brassicas are particularly susceptible to weed competition during establishment1. This is especially the case when sowing into scenarios with moderate to high weed seed loadings in the soil, such as previously cropped ground or run-out pastures with even just a low weed content. Cultivation can also bring long dormant weed seeds to the soil surface enabling germination within the crop.

Three important weed control aspects worthy of focus in your forage brassica cropping plan include cultural control, spray out and seedbed preparation and the use of pre and post-emergent chemicals.

Cultural

weed control

Agronomic practices that contribute to the rapid development of a dense brassica leaf canopy have an important role to play in providing cost-effective weed control. Aside from enhancing weed control, the pay-off is increased yield and quality forage for your livestock.

Areas to address include soil testing and correcting soil pH and fertility, preparing a quality seedbed, planting at appropriate soil temperatures and moisture, placing fertiliser down the spout at sowing (e.g. DAP), ensuring good seed to soil contact and monitoring early for pests to maintain plant population. These practices contribute to rapid germination, establishment and canopy cover ensuring the crop gets a head start on weeds and then shades them out.

Sprayout and seedbed preparation

The principles involved here apply for both cultivated and direct drilling situations. An effective sprayout kills all existing vegetation including rhizomes and roots. This reduces seedbed trash and assists with preparation of good soil tilth for sowing and rapid germination2. The basis of this application, or applications, is typically glyphosate. A tank partner appropriate for any hard-to-kill broadleaf weeds present, with a residue profile appropriate for subsequent crops, may be warranted. Perennial weeds regrowing from root remnants e.g. dock, californian thistle or yarrow, can be difficult and more expensive to control selectively within the brassica crop, particularly under pre-emergence herbicide programmes and so are best dealt with at sprayout.

Pre and post-emergence weed control

Most brassica crops will still benefit from chemical weed control while the crop emerges and establishes. Effective control of weeds during brassica establishment relies on selecting a suitable approach for your scenario (pre or post-emergence programme) and then selecting herbicides that best fit the weed spectrum and crop rotation.

A pre-emergence herbicide programme may be suitable where you have a reliable understanding of the weed spectrum that will impact the crop, and can achieve the seedbed surface, incorporation or moisture activation requirements of the

specific chemical being considered. This offers the benefit of controlling weeds before they impact the crop, but it is a longer timeframe until the brassica reaches full canopy. It is important to get the pre-emergence approach right, particularly ensuring your weed spectrum is covered, while seedbed preparation and any incorporation is of a high standard. Post-emergence weed control is all about spraying if and when weeds emerge and selecting a herbicide that best matches the weed spectrum impacting the crop. One of the benefits here is this often coincides with the need to control early season brassica pests which can impact plant population e.g. Nysius, cutworm or springtail. Suitable chemistry is available to control a wide spectrum of annual and perennial broadleaf and grass weeds in brassicas. RadiateTM is ideal for controlling weeds such as fathen and nightshade. Korvetto™ provides control of the same key weeds but adds others such as fumitory, shepherds purse and Californian thistle while providing shorter plant backs and greater flexibility in crop rotations. The newly released Milestone™

controls the broadest spectrum of weeds including those that are hard to kill, such as spurrey, redroot, water pepper and seedling or regrowth perennials such as docks and Californian thistle. Application timing is key as best results are achieved when weeds are treated at the two to four leaf stage. Delaying application often leads to poor control of some harder to kill weeds, by which time they are already competing with the crop and will not be suppressed by canopy. Control emerged weeds early and get your brassica canopy doing the rest. Poor plant populations or crop establishment e.g. due to unforeseen pest damage or adverse weather events, often leads to a poor canopy and exposes the crop to weed pressure throughout the growing season. These scenarios require careful assessment so talk to your Farmlands Technical Field Officer as soon as possible for advice.

Monitor your crop

Timing is critical for successful weed and pest control in brassicas. Walk your crops regularly and thoroughly to identify issues early for timely

treatment. When assessing your brassica crop for weeds or applying herbicides, consider the need or opportunity to control pests which may be present or are building up in the crop. Consider IPM options such as SpartaTM for springtail, leaf miner, white butterfly caterpillar and diamondback moth or Transform™ for aphids. LorsbanTM is suitable for a broad range of pests including Nysius and cutworm.

Always read the product label before using agricultural chemicals to ensure suitability for your situation and understand directions for use.

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

References

1. De Ruiter, J et al. 2009. Management practices for forage brassicas. Forage Brassica Development Group. pp38-40,

2. Ritchie, B et al. 2000. Successful No-tillage in Crop and Pasture Establishment - A field manual for NZ farmers and contractors. CINTRE, Feilding, NZ. Pp37-39, 78.

Article supplied by Corteva Agriscience ®™ Trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer and their affiliated companies or respective owners.

Protecting high-value lucerne stands

Lucerne’s renaissance as a specialist forage has helped many farmers improve animal performance and farm productivity in recent years and this trend shows no sign of abating.

Lucerne now fills a valuable feed niche on many farms, both irrigated and dryland, with flow-on benefits for the whole farm system.

It provides high energy and protein at a time when other pastures can struggle, because its deep tap root enables highly efficient water use.

One of the keys to getting the best out of this legume is keeping weeds at bay right from the outset.

Cynthia Christie, Technical Specialist for Nufarm, says good husbandry is critical to maintaining productive lucerne stands, because the plant won’t tolerate weed competition.

All stands need to be renewed at some stage, because the plants are self-thinning. The difference between having to spray out and replace the stand sooner rather than later, however, usually comes down to the level of weed control from establishment onwards, Cynthia says.

“Keeping weeds out from the start can add years to the life of a stand, not to mention maintaining high forage quality.”

Weeds can affect the feed value of lucerne hay and silage and can also harbour insect pests, such as aphids, which can cause severe crop damage.

A range of foliar selective herbicides is available to help farmers control weeds in lucerne, including Debut®, Kyte™ 700WG and Valdo® 800WG.

Debut is the newest addition to this range and is approved for use in both new and established lucerne.

Labelled weeds include annual buttercups, cresses, fathen, hedge mustard, plantains, red root, shepherd’s purse, annual thistles, ragwort, docks and wireweed.

Debut is best applied when weeds are small and actively growing, Cynthia notes.

Timing is important for crop safety. Newly sown lucerne sprayed post emergence must have at least one or preferably two trifoliate leaves before application.

Where ground cover is less than 50 percent, she advises growers to wait until there’s more vegetation, to reduce the possibilities of Debut being absorbed into the roots of the crop. Kyte 700WG provides knockdown and residual control of typical problem

broadleaf weeds in lucerne, such as chickweed, shepherds purse and storksbill. It also controls some grass weeds, including poa annua. Cynthia says Kyte 700WG is recommended for use post sowing in either spring or autumn, with applications timed after the newly emerged lucerne has two trifoliate leaves or more. It can also be used in established lucerne.

Valdo 800WG is registered for control of a range of broadleaf weeds in established lucerne crops and should be applied before flowering.

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

Article supplied by Nufarm

®Debut is a registered trademark of Nufarm Australia Limited

®Valdo is a registered trademark of Nufarm Limited

™Kyte is a trademark of Nufarm Australia Limited

Preventing seed-set key to yellow bristle grass control

Yellow bristle grass (Setaria pumila) is a tufted, sprawling annual grass weed. It has become increasingly prevalent in many North Island pastures, particularly dairy pastures. Left unchecked, yellow bristle grass can become a serious production limiting weed.

One of the reasons for this is that yellow bristle grass (YBG) is a highlyaggressive, annual-seeding weed which spreads rapidly through pasture, reducing feed quality in late summer and autumn. Cows don’t willingly eat YBG, leading to low pasture utilisation. Grazing avoidance then leads to a massive seed-set, rapid re-infestation and an opening for other weeds.

Researchers have counted up to 20,000 seeds per square metre in severe YBG infestations, ranging down to 5-10,000 seeds/m2 under light infestations.

At this time of the year, recommended best practice for controlling known infestations is to stop YBG plants setting seed. This is a critical step in preventing the weed from spreading further.

Techniques include early mechanical topping (before viable seeds are set), heavy grazing or chemical control with a herbicide.

Dockstar ® herbicide is registered for this use. When applied to YBG after it has emerged from the ground but before seed heads are visible, Dockstar has proven very effective.

Paul Addison, Technical Specialist for Nufarm, says Dockstar has a nil stock withholding period, which is a real bonus for farmers trying to co-ordinate timely YBG spraying with their summer grazing rotation.

As a result, once the recommended pre and post spray timings are observed,

pastures sprayed with Dockstar can still be grazed on a rotation as short as 21 days. Previously, the earliest return time for paddocks sprayed for YBG seed control has been 35 days – 7 days required between grazing and spraying, plus a 28-day stock withholding period.

Dockstar also requires at least 7 days between grazing and spraying, plus a gap of at least 14 days after spraying to the next grazing. This maximizes YBG control and minimizes pasture suppression. Recommended rates for Dockstar are 1.5-2.0 litres/ha, with no adjuvants or other products added to the herbicide. While YBG seed heads are easy to spot, identifying the weed as a young plant can be more difficult and since Dockstar will not control seeding weeds, it’s important farmers can distinguish YBG from other grasses before it flowers.

“Look for a flattened, hairless leaf sheath; long hairs at the base of roughedged leaves and reddish-purple colouring at the base of the sheath” Paul advises.

After spraying, Dockstar is likely to cause temporary yellowing and growth suppression of some pasture species, including ryegrass and clover.

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

Article supplied by Nufarm ®Dockstar is a registered trademark of Nufarm Limited

The New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards aim to capture and preserve the history of our country’s farming families. Each month we will share stories from Farmlands shareholders who have worked their land for 100 years or more.

The best of Tinopai

Six generations of ownership under the Hannon family have seen Tinopai farm flourish

The original Tinopai farm consisted of 150 acres of flat land, two miles from Cambridge on Hannon Road and was a Crown grant to Patrick Hannon in the year 1867. The next two generations of owners were born on the property, which is now in the sixth generation of Hannon ownership.

In 1912, 885 acres of semi-hilly country at Te Miro was purchased and is now used in conjunction with the Tinopai farm, which grazes Aberdeen Angus cattle, Romney sheep and today on the homestead farm, Large White freerange pigs. The original homestead was

destroyed by a tornado and then rebuilt. Richard (Dick) Hannon took over the property in the 1900s upon his father’s death, and established the Tinopai racing stables, where he bred and trained 16 successful winners and owned horses until his death in 1943.

Richard (Richie) Hannon then took over the property, farming cattle and sheep. Richie had a shared interest in horses, playing polo and hosting hunts on the properties. Richie married Norma Garland and they had four children – Richard, Janet, John and Patricia. Richie had a passion for repairing and collecting machinery, which continued until his death in 2004. Stock were moved between the two farms, droving by horseback over the 13-mile journey, which would take a full day’s ride. The last drove was completed in 1986, still by horseback, with a tractor leading the cattle on. Richard and Carol Hannon married

in 1963. They moved onto the Te Miro farm, which had no power at that time, and raised four children – Richard (Rick), Nadine, Mathew and Marcel. They bought a property at Hautapu in 1976 next to Tinopai and farmed there until Richie’s death. Richie helped his granddaughter, Nadine move a second villa onto the property in 2002 to help out as he was getting older.

The Te Miro farm was inherited by Marcel and his wife, Sandra with half still being retained by Richard and Carol. Rick is also still living there as a helping hand.

Richard and Carol are now running the Tinopai property, farming cattle, sheep and pigs. Richard has carried on his father’s passion for collecting old, repairable machinery, as well as his interest in animals. The seventh generation, Fox George Richard Martin, was born in 2018.

Complete control of flying insects

Spring is here and before too long pesky flies will be assaulting our living space and annoying us, as well as potentially posing a health risk. Flies love heat and moisture, so as our days warm up the number of flies will increase accordingly.

Flies leave faecal spots on walls and ceilings and can be a vector of disease when landing on food and food preparation areas. They carry bacteria and protozoa that cause many serious diseases.

New Zealand has a number of fly species that are both indoor and outdoor pests for humans as well as for stock and pets.

The lesser house fly breeds in damp compost areas but will intrude indoors in large numbers. The male is the nuisance fly that darts about the room in a zigzag pattern. The lesser house fly lands on plants or obscure places at night to rest and often rests upside down. Door and window jambs (cracks) are a favourite night-time resting place. European blowfly (bluebottle), Green blowfly (greenbottle), Brown blowfly and Australian Sheep blowfly are attracted indoors through cooking smells especially meat and cabbage. While they are a health risk to humans, they are also a risk to stock and to milk production in dairy cows.

The common house fly is probably the most well-known fly in urban dwellings but it can escalate to huge numbers over the summer period in both rural and urban areas. House flies love landing on protruding surfaces. Ceiling batons, light

fittings, air conditioning units and light chords are popular areas.

As with crawling insects there are many insecticides with different formulations for flying insects. No Pests Bug Spray will give good control over a long period of time and is a product that has a small particle size as well as a high level of repellence. Not only will flies hesitate to enter in to buildings due to its repellence but flies landing on a sprayed surface will die. Repellence does not mean that insecticides should be smelly for the applicator, if they are this usually means they have an odorous emulsifier, not necessarily more potency to flies. No Pests Bug Spray will also work against all spiders around the house and can last for up to a year both indoors and out.

Treat the whole ceiling and as many walls as practicable. Window surrounds and frames are especially important. Both inside and outside areas should be treated, and care should be taken to cover all sensitive areas like food or preparation areas, seating, beds, toilet seats etc. A very small nozzle size is desirable to not cause runs or puddles. An effective strategy to help reduce fly numbers indoors or around stock, poultry or pets is to place No Pests Fly Bags close to areas where flies are breeding or congregating outdoors. One bag can hold over 50,000 flies and trials last year showed that the bag caught all the above-mentioned fly species. No Pests Fly Bags should be hung away from living areas and several can be placed if numbers are high or a large area needs to be covered. A small

internal water-soluble bag is activated when water is added. When this happens bacteria are released from the organic matter contents. Within a few days, flies will start being attracted to the smell. The bag will remain attractive to flies for most of the summer.

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

Article supplied by Key Industries

TW-1 & TW-3 Weigh Scales

• Simple to operate touch screen weigh scales

• Collect data to optimise animal performance

Market leading touch screen technology. Large 7” scratch proof glass screen, with unrivalled clarity that is easily read in direct sunlight. Put the TW Series to the test today, available at your local Farmlands store.

Cost-effective permanent fencing solution

Limestone Downs is a sprawling 3,214 hectare farm, 15km south of Port Waikato.

Maintaining fencing infrastructure on such a large property is a significant undertaking, so sheep and beef manager Cam Lourie was looking for an efficient, long-term solution.

“I knew I wanted to move away from our current polyrod fencing, so after evaluating the options I decided to try out the Insulated Line Posts from Gallagher.”

The Insulated Line Post system includes a fully insulated polyethylene and fibreglass post for low cost, low maintenance, permanent electric fencing for sheep, cattle, deer and horses. It comes with pre-formed wire attachments with snap-on clips.

Since making that decision and installing the first blocks of posts over 2.5km of steep terrain, Cam has been impressed with the posts’ ease of use and straightforward installation.

“Traditional posts take a lot of effort to put in. The Insulated Line Post system is simple to install and the nylon snap-on clips mean we don’t need any staples. It’s also a time-saver.

You can put up a whole line of posts in one day by yourself, without any large machinery.”

Now Cam has his Insulated Line Posts installed, he has found that power is running through them really well and they have been effective at keeping stock where they should be.

As well as durability and ease of installation, cost is another key consideration when evaluating fencing options. For 1km of fencing with one gateway, Gallagher’s Insulated Line Post system could save you up to 45 percent on material cost, compared to conventional seven-wire wood post fencing with one hot wire of the same length.

The flexibility of the Insulated Line Posts also means they are well-suited

to freshwater environments, which is helping landowners protect waterways and wildlife.

Gallagher has been working to support a lake restoration project at Lake Ruatuna in Ohaupo in the Waikato.

They have constructed an Insulated Line Post fence to aid drainage and improve water quality.

With the lake’s neighbours grazing stock in adjacent paddocks, the system could be a great option for farmers wanting to prevent stock from damaging restorative planting and could also help them comply with regulatory requirements for drain and wetland fencing.

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

Article supplied by Gallagher

The perfect birthday present

For many when it comes to their birthday they dream of jewellery or maybe a dinner out. But not Maureen Doyle from Wanganui. She had the best present possible, a new Delfast tool to help out on the farm.

Community is so important to the Delfast family and not a day goes by that we don’t get a glimpse into the life of our end-users. Understanding how, when and why they use our products means we can develop them to meet their needs and pretty tough conditions, without fear of failure.

This was even more important for Maureen. After a running battle with cancer many years ago she was left with a little less strength in her right arm, not ideal when nailing battens. It’s one of those occasions we get to see the impact of our products in the day to day operation of smaller farms.

Maureen was over the moon with her birthday present because it’s easy to use. When you are out on the farm you want your tools to work with you to get the job done as easily and as quickly as possible.

At only 3.94kgs, the 3.15 Cordless Batten Stapler is robust but light enough for farm owners like Maureen to be able to move around the property with little effort. With a charge time of 2 hours and 5,200 shots per charge, there’s a lot of ground that can be covered with this portable and convenient setup.

Ideal for quick fence repairs and hill country fencing, there isn’t any compromise for the user.

Maureen was more than happy to share her thoughts when she had taken it for a test run; ‘That staple gun is just awesome, easy to use for a lady my age.

“I can now take care of loose and broken battens myself without having to engage a fencer.

“It’s easier on my arm with the lymphedema as well, being as how it’s on my right arm and I am right-handed. Hammering in staples is hard work in those circumstances, the staple gun makes the job a breeze. Best birthday present ever.”

At Delfast, the design and reliability of our products are key to an end-user’s experience and we understand that not all jobs are big. So when you get

such great feedback from someone like Maureen, we know we have nailed it! No matter the size of the job, Delfast has the right tool for the job, no matter your age or experience. So when you’re writing your birthday wish list, maybe drop your loved ones the link to the Delfast website and hopefully we’ll make your birthday wishes come true.

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

Article supplied by Delfast

Real estate market update

Spring always brings a lot of anticipation for what the new season will hold for us all in the primary sector. Added to the mix this year is the general election. However, from a rural property perspective, most central policy announcements impacting the forward outlook for farmers and growers have been well telegraphed already. We are three years into a change in rural market fundamentals, and some would argue it’s actually been longer than that. Certainly, farmer confidence surveys of late have not been at all favourable as the sector faces a raft of regulatory reforms, this spring being no exception.

The absence of foreign buyers in the market for pastoral properties, the regulatory constraints limiting rural lending, and the ever-changing environmental regulations that set production thresholds, are now all being factored into the market, and have been season-on-season. The big difference this season is an emerging trend that rural land investment yields are increasing, while bank deposits, and wider investment options, are trending down.

The opportunity to acquire quality rural assets at a reliable cash return is looking positive across the board. The strength of our rural sector, and the impact on provincial New Zealand, was highlighted recently with Fonterra’s final Farmgate Milk Price for the 2019-20 season of $7.14/kg MS, and a dividend of 5 cents per share. The highest pay-out performance since the 2013-14 season. Or put another way, this placed $11 billion-plus dollars directly into our local, provincial economy when it was most needed, and the forward outlook for the current season is holding too.

Horticulture for its part is set to spearhead New Zealand’s post-COVID recovery. Employing 60,000 people in an industry worth $6.39 billion in 2019, the horticulture industries, including apples and pears, kiwifruit, avocados, and vegetables, are forecasted to grow to $10 billion by 2030. We continue to see record prices attributed to land going into horticulture.

Sheep and beef producers continue to trade profitably on prices more aligned to the 5-year average than last year’s very strong schedules. As we navigate dire wool prices and the uncertainty with chilled trade, it is clear that this season is far from typical. However, the top of mind conversation nationally just now is the very low annual rainfall. So, while it’s been a kind winter climatically, many farmers now appear to be hedging their bets for the new season, cutting back trading stock to build some feed buffer back into the system.

Early spring property sales indicate that the combination of tough climatic outcomes and moderating returns are negatively impacting sheep and beef farmer confidence to take advantage of cheaper finance terms to “buy the neighbour”. This is especially true for North Island breeding country hit hard by the drought last season.

Property Brokers’ commitment to the rural sector went up another notch in September as Southern Wide Otago opted to merge its business with Property Brokers. John Faulks, Managing Director Otago / Rural Sales of Southern Wide Otago, says, “It is with great excitement that we are joining the New Zealand family-owned business of Property Brokers. We are in the envious position that the two cultures are very similar, and we will be able to add more value to our staff and clients with their superior systems, structures, and nationwide network. These factors, combined with Property Brokers’ regional focus on being part of the local community, will allow us to grow our people and client base and thrive in the Otago Region.”

We are delighted to have the support of John Faulks and his Otago realtor team to meet both current and future property needs of Farmlands Otago shareholders; this is a very exciting development for our Farmlands Strategic partnership.

Conrad Wilkshire, GM Rural for Property Brokers Ltd

Managing pressure

Apex valves are proud to manufacture Xtraflo valves as part of our extensive range at our Auckland manufacturing facility. The design has been optimised over years of development making them the preferred choice for high flow stock watering. There are some key features that are worth discussing on these valves.

The operating principle

The Xtraflo valve is diaphragm operated, meaning that it uses inlet water pressure to open and close the valve.

The image to the right shows a valve in the closed position. The float has pulled the blue lever up, closing the pilot valve (small stainless spindle in the centre). This allows water pressure to pass behind the diaphragm, building up pressure to close the valve.

A key difference between the patented Xtraflo valve and the competition is that our pilot is self-cleaning and most importantly, it only operates when the valve changes state (ie. opens or closes). Other valves have a pilot that runs continuously while the valve is open. This leads to blocked mechanisms as the pilot has to be a very small opening and can also cause competitor valves to open again if the line pressure increases.

Advantages

Standard trough valves close slowly. As the water level rises to the shut off point, the flow becomes just a dribble and finally closes. A lot of farms use pumped supplies and this means that the pump is working harder and longer to fill the last little bit of capacity in the trough. The Xtraflo valve is

either open or closed which means that troughs are filled much faster, saving time and if you are pumping, a significant amount of electricity. If you are dairying, the high flow rate for those thirsty cows and the fact that the valve is truly armless means it is much less prone to stock damage.

The operating pressure

The Xtraflo valve has been specifically designed to provide trouble free operation over a wide range of pressures (30 – 100 kPa).

Effect on water quality

The materials used should not taint or leach into the water. At Apex our valves are only manufactured from food grade materials.

UV resistance

Solar radiation in New Zealand is one of the most intense in the world and will destroy unprotected plastics. The Xtraflo valve parts contain UV stabilisers to prevent this issue and have a proven track record with decades of use in harsh sunlight.

Design

At Apex we use an advanced 3D modelling package to ensure that we design accurately and consistently. During development we use various methods for prototyping including 3D printing and stereolithography. We also listen to input from customers and for instance have:

• Changed the way the top entry kit is attached to the valve to make it easier to use.

• Made the cord length adjustable from the top of the float so that you do not have to put your hands under water to adjust the water level on those cold days on farm.

• Rationalised the 25mm and 20mm into one valve so that your purchase is more flexible on installation.

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

TAKE TIME BEFORE YOU SIGN

PLANNING YOUR NEXT DAIRY PARTNERSHIP.

As you progress, it pays to have good people on your side to help with due diligence. DairyNZ, Federated Farmers and the team at FMG are here to help so that your sharemilking and contract milking relationships can be the successful business partnership that you intend it to be. Check out DairyNZ’s ‘Progressing Farmer Checklist’ and have a chat with your FMG Adviser to help you understand your insurance options and provide you with risk advice to help you establish a successful partnership.

You can download the DairyNZ checklist here at dairynz.co.nz/progressing-farmers

We’re here for the good of the country.