Farmlands - December 2020

FARMLANDS BONUS CHRISTMAS

INTEREST

5. Farmlands staff profile

5. From the CEO

6. 5 minutes with Keri Johnston

8. Special Feature – The Golden Blend

14. Farmlands reports $7.0m profit

16. Buying Power Promise

17. Introducing the Farmlands Growth and Innovation team

19. Sustainability is trending

21. Looking at the livestock under the ground

22. Tom Cranswick Memorial Award 2020

24. Supplying success

27. Protect your lifestyle block from thieves this summer

29. Keeping kids safe on-farm

27. Forging a rural community

59. Century Farms – Preserving the dairy tradition

The honey from Te Kapu Apiaries provides a special taste of the Hawke's Bay. Owned and managed by the Pegram family, the jars of manuka, rewarewa and bush-blend honey offer natural antioxidant properties, boosting immunity. Keith, Jo, Sophie, Ruby and Ella Pegram all have a role to play within the business, as does each bee. Spend $1,000 on selected products and get a $50 BONUS CARD!*

PLAN365

Plan365 Nutrition

35. Summer resilience on small blocks

37. Selenium in the equine diet

39. Meal time — the best time of the day

Plan365 Animal Management

43. Growing heifers to their full potential

45. Effective drench combinations for optimal growth rates

47. Effective facial eczema prevention

Plan365 Forage and Arable

49. A micronutrient with mojo

51. The future's green for savvy beet farmers

53. Working smarter with beneficial insects

Plan365 Rural Infrastructure

57. Healthy waterways require quality workmanship

61. Demand for revolutionary safety in shearing sheds

FARMLANDS STAFF PROFILE

Andy Davis Technical Leader — Pipfruit

Q: How long have you been with Farmlands?

A: Just over 1 year. Before Farmlands I was working for the PickMee Fruit Company Ltd, selling export apples into Asia.

Q: At which point in your career did you decide to specialise in stone and pipfruit?

A: I grew up on an apple and pear orchard in Havelock North, Hawke’s Bay, so I'm not sure if I had much of a choice! It’s part of my DNA.

Q: What is your favourite summer holiday destination?

A: Waipaitiki Beach, north of Napier.

Q: What part of your career are you most proud of?

A: I’m most proud of the times when I have been able to contribute to a grower’s success.

Q: What are you most looking forward to in the new year?

A: Being able to watch my kids play sport again. My girls both play netball and not being able to attend their games this season due to COVID-19 restrictions was pretty rough.

Q: What is a golden piece of advice you’re passing on to shareholders this summer?

A: Focus on what you do best and do it better!

Andy's Fancy

Fish and Chips

Ingredients

• Fish fillets (as fresh as possible, either gurnard or snapper)

• 1 cup self-raising flour

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ cup water

• ½ cup milk

• Oil for deep frying

• Potatoes (as many as you like)

• Olive oil

• Chicken or regular salt

Method

Chips

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees C.

2. Slice the potatoes into 1cm thick chips.

3. Boil the chips in a large pot of water for few minutes to soften. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel.

4. Lay chips in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over salt.

5. Bake the chips for 20-25 minutes or until golden and crispy, turning several times during cooking.

Fish

1. Add oil to a deep saucepan (enough to cover the fish) and heat on high.

2. Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Combine milk and water and beat gradually into the dry ingredients to form a thickened, runny consistency (similar to a pikelet batter).

3. Lightly flour the fish fillets before coating in the batter.

4. Test your oil – a drop of batter should bubble straight away if it is the right temperature. If it is too hot, the oil will smoke – remove from the heat immediately to cool.

5. Fry the battered fillets in the oil for 2 minutes on each side.

6. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.

7. Serve with the chips, lemon wedges, salad and tomato or tartare sauce!

Welcome to the final issue of The Farmlander for 2020. Since our last issue we have announced our Annual Result and held our Annual General Meeting. Both are opportunities for shareholders to learn more about our performance and ambition for the future.

Our Net Profit Before Tax and Rebates of $7.0m is a credible result given the year. It is important to acknowledge this positive result is on the back of immense support from our people, shareholders, suppliers, other stakeholder partners and an $8.8m Government wage subsidy, which sustained our business through the first wave of COVID-19. In particular, I want to state our gratitude to our landlords, for providing rent relief to our business during a critical time for our co-operative.

Farmlands, like businesses the length and breadth of the country, felt the impact of the virus on our operational performance over the last three months of the financial year. Through April, we experienced a drop in revenue of more than 30% and circa 15% in May.

The fact we were able to trade at all during Alert Levels 3 and 4 came down to the hard work and dedication of the Farmlands team. With support from our external partners, our Technology team was able to provide a functioning e-commerce platform within 4 weeks. This new platform provides us with an opportunity to develop a better online shopping experience for our shareholders in the future – and you will be hearing more about this in the coming months. MyFarmlands, our online shareholder portal, is a beneficiary of our improved technology. While we require users to re-register for this service (which is a one-off process the next time you log in), you will find a more effective and efficient MyFarmlands on the other side – and there will be more to come.

For shareholders that have never used MyFarmlands, I encourage you to sign up. In addition to being able to redeem your Choices Rewards Points, you will be able to view statements and pay online, saving you time and effort each month. Visit the Farmlands website to learn more.

On behalf of all Farmlanders, I wish you and your families a happy and safe holiday period. The Farmlander will return with a new issue in February.

Kind regards and thanks for your support throughout 2020.

Peter Reidie Chief Executive Officer Farmlands Co-operative

Society Limited

5 minutes with Keri Johnston

IrrigationNZ Chair

What is IrrigationNZ?

IrrigationNZ is a not-for-profit, nationallevel organisation that represents 3,500 members across the irrigation sector, including irrigation schemes, individual farmer-irrigators, and the irrigation service sector. We support the critical role our members play in producing sustainable food and fibre for a healthy and thriving Aotearoa New Zealand.

Why is irrigation important?

Irrigation is an enabler of a wide variety of land uses. It provides resilience against drought and wider climate change impacts, ensuring that New Zealand growers and farmers can continue to meet demand at both a domestic level as well as at an export level.

Irrigating growers and farmers represent 800,000 hectares across New Zealand (equating to seven percent of farmland) and directly

contribute an estimated $5.4 billion to our GDP (or 20 percent of total agricultural contribution). This is a significant contribution to our economic wellbeing. We need to ensure irrigation remains an integral part of New Zealand’s wellbeing, and to support the wise use and management of water for sustainable food and fibre production.

What your background and why did you choose IrrigationNZ?

I have been the Chair of the IrrigationNZ Board for nearly 18 months. I am an environmental engineer by trade, as well as an irrigating farmer. This means that I am involved on a daily basis in the regulatory space, and how this translates on-farm — it is a unique skill set. I have always been passionate about water storage and developing sustainable water allocation frameworks, so the opportunity to become a member of the IrrigationNZ Board and set the direction of travel of the organisation was not one to be turned down.

How does IrrigationNZ make a difference?

We advocate on behalf of our members with decision-makers and people of influence at the national level as a priority, but we will also support our members in regional advocacy. This includes advocating for new irrigation and water infrastructure development. We also develop a recognised and unambiguous set of standards for irrigation, to ensure efficient and effective water use that minimises adverse environmental effects and works to ensure widespread adoption of the standards. IrrigationNZ also plays an important role in helping communities understand the benefits of irrigation.

How does IrrigationNZ fit in with the new Essential Freshwater policies?

IrrigationNZ has been actively involved with all of the primary sector organisations in working with the New Zealand Government on the development of the reforms.

It is also important to challenge our sector, stakeholders and community to think outside the box when it comes to irrigation.”

The final regulations do contain restrictions on further irrigation of dairy land, and standards for measuring and recording water use which have a direct effect on our members. Now that the regulations are gazetted, our role turns to supporting our members, and this includes working with regional regulators to ensure that the national regulations are implemented fairly and consistently at the regional level.

For farmers wanting to start irrigation on their properties, what questions should they be asking? This is a complex question to answer. The best advice I can give to anyone looking to start irrigation on their properties is to seek advice from a trusted and credible professional right from the start. The advice needs to come from someone who understands all the regulations that will be relevant for the property — it is no longer a case of just being able to do it.

The sustainable use of water for irrigation is very much embedded in good farming practice. On-farm, this means having the tools and technology to make informed irrigation decisions (when to irrigate) as well as the best irrigation system to meet crop/plant demand, and to suit the soil type(s).

Are there any new technology or research and development projects underway or ready to release?

Irrigation technology is always advancing and in New Zealand we have been at the forefront of many of those developments. The focus at the moment is on doing things better. For example, IrrigationNZ has just completed year one of a fertigation

We need to ensure irrigation remains an integral part of New Zealand’s wellbeing, and to support the wise use and management of water for sustainable food and fibre production.”

project with Pāmu and Ballance Agri-Nutrients. Fertigation is the application of small quantities of fertiliser through an irrigation system. Fertigation is used overseas but until recently had been uncommon in New Zealand.

Where do you see IrrigationNZ heading in the future?

IrrigationNZ has an important role to play in ensuring that irrigation continues

for a healthy and thriving Aotearoa New Zealand. As well as championing the irrigation sector there is a need for continual improvement and standards being set. It is also important to challenge our sector, stakeholders and community to think outside the box when it comes to irrigation and to be the thought leaders in this space.

To learn more see www.irrigationnz.co.nz

THE GOLDEN BLEND

A northern Hawke’s Bay family pride themselves on producing good old-fashioned ‘back to nature’ honey from rolling clover pastures and hidden pockets of remote native bush.

Championing native New Zealand honey while targeting a more accessible range of consumers are two of the strategies being used by Te

the surging

For over 70 years the Pegram family of Frasertown, Wairoa have been busy as bees growing their apiculture business.

Te Kapu Apiaries was started in 1950 by Keith Pegram’s father Peter. Peter and his wife Kathleen (Snow) worked together to establish the apiary, building hive numbers up to 1,200.

The early days saw Peter and Kathleen processing honey from a neighbouring barn before relocating an old school building, which became the first Te Kapu Apiaries Honey House.

Keith started working for his father in 1979 and by 1981 they were running 1,500 hives.

Keith and his wife Jo continued to expand Te Kapu Apiaries. In 2013 a new purpose-built honey house was constructed, and an upgraded extraction plant installed to service around 4,000 hives.

Keith and Jo’s daughters, Sophie, Ruby and Ella, have all been involved in the honey business with Ella recently joining the full-time staff.

Keith says the family has a lot of passion for the honey they produce, “it's all part of our history.”

“We recognise you have to be able to adapt to keep up, but what we haven’t changed is the quality, the love and the family aspect of Te Kapu Apiaries, from hive to beekeeper, our family to yours.

“Because we have always focused on the Wairoa region with the same surrounds being worked for the past 70 years, we have a level of learned expertise and local knowledge.

“Being based from an isolated rural district offers a pristine natural environment and a lush natural habitat for the bees to forage in.”

What we haven’t changed is the quality, the love and the family aspect of Te Kapu Apiaries, from hive to beekeeper, our family to yours.”

The family say that while the business has trebled in size over the decades, attention to detail is still a priority with an emphasis on consistently producing a top-quality product each season.

“Every drop, whether it’s for the local market or bulk supply, is scrutinised to ensure it is up to the quality standard with all honey traced back to the hive site it was sourced from,” Keith asserts.

An immunity boost

While Keith has been a beekeeper for over 40 years, he has seen the most dramatic changes happen in the past 5 years.

He says the demand for mānuka honey has changed the industry by driving prices and hive numbers up, causing an oversupply of non-mānuka products.

“Research into mānuka honey’s medicinal properties has contributed to mānuka becoming the highest valued honey in the world.”

COVID-19 has further fuelled the demand for the healing properties of honey as consumers from across the globe search for an immunity boost.

“The fallout of the over-supply of everything that isn’t mānuka is that the price for non-mānuka or mixed blends is being forced down.

“For us the opportunity is to market pure honey from our slice of paradise to our consumers by focusing on new branding and an online market which makes our products more accessible.”

Historically 90 percent of the Pegram’s honey was sold in bulk. “We are now trying to change the focus by sharing Te Kapu Apiaries golden sweet nectar with the rest of the world through niche marketing,” Keith says.

Something a little different

The family is also celebrating the properties of the unsung hero in the business — rewarewa honey.

While mānuka honey is the cornerstone of the Te Kapu Apiaries honey products, their range includes rewarewa, clover, a bush blend and tawiri.

Keith and Jo believe rewarewa is the statement honey for Hawke’s Bay, saying the variety has never had the attention it deserves.

Rewarewa is produced from New Zealand’s native honeysuckle tree and is an authentic taste of Wairoa's sunny climate. The honey has a smooth malty-caramel flavour, distinct amber colour and is renowned for its natural antioxidant properties. However, despite the large supply of rewarewa in the Wairoa region, the distinctive red flowers may not bloom every year, making it more difficult to consistently market rewarewa honey.

“Mānuka is celebrated around the globe for its natural antioxidant and health benefit properties but rewarewa is up there too,” Keith says.

“Mānuka has such a strong reputation — it has become the go-to honey. We want to change people’s perception so rewarewa, for example, can be recognised for its own qualities and its affordability for every day New Zealanders.”

The Pegrams say while the MPI honey standards, which were finalised in December 2017 and used to authenticate mānuka honey, have created change for honey suppliers, the testing is also protecting mānuka’s reputation and export market.

“It has meant an adjustment for honey producers, but we needed an industry standard to protect our premium product.”

Te Kapu Apiaries also produces a bush blend range — blended honey from bees that have fed freely on native mānuka, kanuka and rewarewa. The bush blend is a unique representation of the diverse fauna found in northern Hawke’s Bay.

Putting in the work

Jo says summertime is all about the bees. “Bees love the summer, it’s their moment to shine. After being closed down for the winter they love the start of summer, the sunshine, the flowers and collecting the pollen.”

Mānuka is celebrated around the globe for its natural antioxidant and health benefit properties but rewarewa is up there too.”

Beekeepers working hand-in-hand with nature is just in our DNA.”

A beehive usually comes out of winter with a bee population of around 8,000. This population increases to 45,000-60,000 bees to produce the summer honey crop. The lives of honeybees are dedicated to supporting the colony. Every bee has a job and during the spring and summer, worker bees spend their time collecting nectar and pollen so they can make stores of honey for the winter. Honeybees make as much honey as they can during the warmer months so they can support the colony in the “offseason.” Honey is also used to feed the young to ensure they are strong and ready to work when spring hits. While summer is all about production, beekeepers are also busy throughout the winter helping the bees to stay strong so when the nectar comes, they are ready to start making honey. Keith describes hives as being like a family. “Each hive has to have high health, maintenance and good stock to produce. On average, a hive will produce about 50kg of surplus honey each year.”

The Pegrams say varroa, an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honeybees, is still a threat but the Te Kapu Apiaries isolation is beneficial.

“We are not immune and varroa is not going away. We treat our hives twice a year and it has had an impact on our winter losses. Our biggest concern is that the bees develop a resistance so it’s vital we manage it very carefully,” Keith states.

Protecting purity and quality

Despite the isolation, the Pegrams have strong partnerships with local farmers and landowners where their hives are located.

“We are dependent on our natural environment and a healthy and functioning biodiversity and eco-system so are always looking for more sustainable methods to nurture, harvest and produce our range of honeys for our customers,” Keith says.

“It’s important we protect these environments for the longterm health and the sustainability of the quality product that we produce.”

Te Kapu Apiaries has around 10 permanent staff, but this can nearly double during December when the summer honey harvest begins.

Since joining the business 2 years ago, youngest daughter Ella has focused on marketing and sustainability.

“I never thought I would become a beekeeper but after working at home I now know I would always want to have something to do with bees in Wairoa.

“They are amazing little creatures and you learn something new about them every day and every day is different and so is every hive.

“Te Kapu Apiaries history is also important; it connects me to my family and my home.”

Ella is the mind behind moving away from plastics in the Te Kapu Apiaries’ packaging, instead using glass that can then be recycled, repurposed and reused within the home. Ella has also been developing Te Kapu Apiaries’ new online shop and product range which was launched this spring.

“It is vital to keep our environment healthy. Beekeepers working hand-in-hand with nature is just in our DNA.

It’s about controlling what we can and ensuring we are creating a sustainable beekeeping legacy for the future.”

“We are always looking for more sustainable approaches throughout our processes and we know we can’t change everything overnight but being aware and educated is important and taking even small steps is a great start.”

The family is also trialling growing their own mānuka trees to keep their honey supply sustainable.

They have planted mānuka on 115ha of rough terrain on their 540ha farm and are working through which variety will suit their climate to produce the most UMF — Unique Mānuka Factor.

UMF is a grading system that appraises the natural markers found in mānuka honey and assures purity and quality.

This summer will be the first harvest from their mānuka plantings with other trees, mainly natives and willows, also planted on the block to support the bees.

The Pegrams describe beekeeping as a lifestyle. “You never know what’s around the corner and at the end of the day you are always answerable to nature. We can direct our bees to mānuka as much as we like, but a bee will always go to the plant that is producing the most nectar and is easiest to get to,” Keith says.

“For us it’s about controlling what we can and ensuring we are creating a sustainable beekeeping legacy for the future.”

To find out more about Te Kapu Apiaries see www.tekapuapiaries.co.nz

Photography supplied by Te Kapu Apiaries

Farmlands reports $7.0m profit

From Rob Hewett, Farmlands Chairman

For the 2019/20 year, we have recorded a Net Profit Before Tax and Rebates of $7.0 million. This result has been built on revenue of $1.1 billion – a number impacted considerably by both COVID-19 and challenging seasonal events. Our co-operative performed well in the first half of the year and despite being affected negatively by the global pandemic in the second half of the year, we were pleased with the planning and rapid decision making of management – and the support from many of our business partners – that resulted in us strengthening the business and positioning it to weather ongoing uncertainty, while remaining nimble for the year ahead.

The unpredictable nature of our trading year forced our focus squarely onto what we could control. Working capital debt was materially decreased, reducing total debt levels. This resulted from a concerted effort to improve working capital efficiency collaborating with our stakeholders, including reducing our cost base, with the Board of Directors challenging the management team as part of this to accelerate its strategy for driving value from our investment in the Braveheart Programme.

Debt reduction, working capital efficiency and strengthening our core business through Braveheart remain an ongoing focus.

Shareholder equity and members’ interests currently sit at $130.7m, adjusted to reflect new IFRS 16 financial reporting guidelines. Total assets are $592.1m (up $100.8m) and our equity ratio currently sits at 22.1%.

Despite the significant financial impact of COVID-19, the co-operative continued paying monthly rebates, providing discounts to shareholders and Choices Rewards Points, with total value delivered for the year of $91.1m.

COVID-19 has reminded urban consumers of the value their rural cousins provide as they sought refuge in high quality food and produce in uncertain times. The opportunity to reframe the narrative away from an urban rural divide – towards the new value opportunities for our primary sector as the “next normal” of global urban living and consuming evolves – will become more apparent in the months and years ahead. With the stories and brand impact of movements such as Te Taiao and regenerative agriculture resonating strongly with our shareholders’ customers, sector strategic thinking needs to seize this once-in-a-

generation opportunity to cement and grow New Zealand’s position globally as a trusted producer of high quality, safe, nutritious and ethically produced food supporting high-quality healthful urban living.

COVID-19’s ramifications will be felt by New Zealand businesses for years to come. Under the lockdown in April, Farmlands was classified as an essential service by the Ministry for Primary Industries. Despite responding swiftly to continue providing supplies and services to our shareholders in a way that complied with lockdown conditions, our business still suffered significant revenue downturns during Alert Level 4.

We acknowledge that uncertainty is part of running any business and that significant events can and will fundamentally continue to challenge our ability to discover and maintain enduring competitive advantage. The primary sector particularly has been dealing with increasing uncertainty over the last 3 years from many factors. Farmlands’ strategy and strategic planning process reflects this. High uncertainty has forced strategic time horizons down from the traditional 3 years to shorter spans with fewer, more targeted initiatives. The Board

recently approved a 12-month strategic plan focused on aggressively targeting what we can control, mainly through strengthening our core business, while building durability around the areas we cannot. This will force us to prioritise the most pressing variables, while aligning our business to prepare for the changing requirements of our shareholders as they adjust for their evolving environments.

The Board of Directors has also approved an organisational structure change that aligns the business with delivering its strategic aims. Its main design aim is to enable the organisation to work more effectively as one, rather than as many separate business units. This allows Farmlands to better exploit the advantages of its new system through the Braveheart Programme, with the entire organisation aligned and focused on executing a compelling shareholder experience

delivered through regional teams. It’s a big change, but one that will enable Farmlands to be more agile, more adaptable, and to Grow Shareholder Success. These changes have already been implemented and while change is always challenging for people, the more collaborative approach in our future way of working has been welcomed by all.

Our revised strategy also articulates a new mission – Harness our cooperative spirit to be first for New Zealand food and fibre inputs. This is our primary aim and reflects the collective faith of more than 72,000 farmers, growers and contractors in our ability to deliver the products and services that support their future success. And to that end, the next 12 months is about implementing and delivering the strategies that will strengthen our co-operative model, processes, key relationships and capability,

particularly around data and digital. As COVID-19 remains a considerable source of uncertainty for the year ahead, and our result benefitted from Government wage subsidy support, the Board of Directors have decided it would not be appropriate to distribute an additional “final” or “Bonus” Rebate this year. While the Board knows this is disappointing for shareholders, I am sure we all appreciate the unique nature of the climate we have traded in for the second half of our financial year, the heightened uncertainty this presents to the company and the need accordingly to preserve cash as much as possible until the outlook improves.

I urge shareholders to view our 2020 Annual Report, which is available on the Farmlands website, to learn more about our performance.

To view the 2020 Annual Report, please see www.farmlands.co.nz/ AnnualReport

Introducing the Farmlands Growth and Innovation team

Technical leadership is an important component of what Farmlands can offer shareholders. We have plenty of technical expertise and industry leaders in our business. As part of supporting this knowledge, I would like to introduce you to Farmlands’ new Growth and Innovation team.

The Growth and Innovation team brings experts together to help Farmlands solve for the problems shareholders will face into the future. This team is tasked with staying abreast of sector strategies and developing expertise and learning material to upskill our organisation. By leading from the front on industry change, we will help our shareholders create sustainable farming businesses for the future and uphold kaitiakitanga – guardianship. Agronomy and Farm Systems champions arable and pasture for our business. Leading our offer and extension services in seed, fertiliser and chemical, this role is our in-house expert in farm planning, planting, growingand independent pest management. Our Head of Agronomy and Farm Systems is Sam Lucas. Enabling Technology leads our offer in on-farm technology. Our Head of Enabling Technology, John Arrell, helps develop how we use FarmIQ, SafeFarm, SafeVisit and has oversight for Internet of Things, innovative tools and farmer/ grower software. Leading our business on traceability and block chain, farm data integration with our GrowGuide and chemical recommendation apps, Enabling Technology puts us at the forefront of precision farming.

Nutrition and Animal Health leads

our offer and extension services in nutrition and animal health products and services. Dr Rob Derrick, Head of Nutrition and Animal Health, brings considerable expertise to this role and his technical prowess is invaluable to helping our shareholders make informed decisions and developing new products that improve the performance of their stock.

Sustainability and Land Use is a sizeable area of growth for us. While our internal development of sustainability is being driven by our Director — External Relations, Mark McHardy, the task of bringing these concepts to shareholders and external stakeholders sits with our Head of Sustainability and Land Use, Katie Vickers. Katie will lead our knowledge and solutions for new legislation and farmer compliance, sustainability and optimal land use.

Our Head of Horticulture is Mark Daniels, who will lead our new horticulture strategies and introduction of new innovation to our grower shareholders. Horticulture is an important facet of the portfolio we deliver. Mark will also have involvement with key corporate account relationships and oversight of market share analysis, while leading our horticulture sector experts in delivering innovative solutions and supplies to our grower shareholders.

Future of Land and Food drives new and alternative ways to today’s current traditional practices. Our Head of Future of Land and Food Gaz Ingram, is a formidable presence in our co-operative. This consumer-focused role will

challenge the norm and lead behaviour change regarding whole food, healthy food and Taiao product offers. Future of Land and Food champions the consumer, lifestyle, organics, regenerative agriculture, biologicals, soil health and food for health.

Another key part of the Growth and Innovation Team is our Fuel, Lubricant and Nutrition external customer sales team. This area of the business is lead by Jon Doyle who will ensure all of our customers get an independent and specialised focus. This team represents very exciting developments for Farmlands and will be on stage at Field Days, A&P Shows and seminars, introducing shareholders and staff to what best practice looks like today through to what is needed 5 years from now.

Article supplied by Andrew Horsbrugh, Director – Growth and Innovation.

Sustainability is trending

By Katie Vickers, Head of Land Use and Sustainability and Mark McHardy, Director – External Relations

Following the recent implementation of the Growth and Innovation team and introduction of Sustainability to the co-operative’s core strategies, Katie Vickers and Mark McHardy discuss what this means for shareholders and staff in the future.

Katie: The food and fibre sector is facing radical change. Regulatory change, environmental pressures and changing values of our consumers are at the forefront of discussions worldwide and the word sustainability is trending amongst all these areas. With rising consumer education, we are seeing increasing demand for nutritious, safe and healthy food grown in an ‘environmentally friendly’ way. New Zealand is in an elite position to take advantage of this situation due to its size, highly educated (by global standards) agricultural workforce, and innate ability to innovate rapidly. To respond to this demand, our strategy for value creation needs to be nutritionbased produce.

There are a raft of changes coming down the pipeline. This includes the introduction of the Fresh Water Policy, the development of the Indigenous Biodiversity Policy, and of course the major one, for farmers and growers to take action on climate change to protect, restore and sustain our environment by reducing on-farm agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. There are some serious targets to meet and our food and fibre sector is in a positive position to influence change.

The industry is uniquely placed to capture the major greenhouse gas –carbon dioxide (CO2) – from the air and turn it, with the help of farmers, into a wide range of foods, fibres and fuels.

It’s a lot to think about, and we know that as kaitiaki of the land, our farmers and growers take this responsibility seriously. The establishment of the Growth and Innovation team and the Head of Sustainability and Land Use role is designed to help identify the knowledge and solutions required to navigate this change. We know that our shareholders want to leave a positive legacy for future generations and Farmlands are ready to support this.

Mark: Being sustainable is core to our strategic future. Access to capital, relationships, talent and the other resources we depend on will rely increasingly on our sustainability performance. For Farmlands, this means integrating sustainability deeply into our internal organisation’s ways of working.

The internal focus for Farmlands is driving sustainable outcomes through three pillars — Kaitiakitanga (our planet), Manaakitanga (our people) and Ohanga Ora (our profit). This means establishing

organisational sustainability as “who we are and what we stand for” and holding ourselves to account.

Developing an environmental sustainability programme under Kaitiakitanga has been the first step, as Farmlands achieved carbonreduce certification from Toitū Envirocare earlier this year. This certification involved a comprehensive audit of Farmlands’ environmental outputs and presented solutions to decrease emissions by 30 percent by 2030. This will involve optimising our freight through fleet efficiency, fuel reduction through efficient driving and introduction of biofuels, waste reduction through improved handling processes, energy reduction through optimised building systems and sustainable ethical procurement practices.

For Farmlands, getting things right internally to ensure sustainability is interwoven into all cross-functional aspects of our business is the priority. From a strong base, we have the opportunity to provide leading climatesmart, sustainable and environmental products and services to our shareholders, suppliers and Partners.

We know farming never stops. But taking some time out to spend with loved ones and look back on all you’ve achieved in the past year is the first step to a happy and prosperous year.

This means your local Farmlands store will be closed on:

2020

Friday 25th December

Saturday 26th December

Sunday 27th December

Monday 28th December

2021

Friday 1st January

Saturday 2nd January

Sunday 3rd January

Monday 4th January

To make sure you’ve got access to all the products and expertise you need over the festive season, Farmlands will be trading as normal every other day.

Opening hours for your local store can be found by visiting www.farmlands.co.nz/StoreLocator

Looking at the livestock under the ground

Soil biology is a largely underrated player within the primary industry.

For Canterbury shareholder Paul Ensor, an introduction to the “little guys” under the ground came when the regenerative agriculture concept moved into his eye-line.

With a strong track record of producing quality livestock above the ground, Paul became interested in the livestock below — the microbiology of the soil — and how it could improve his carbon footprint.

“We started looking into it about 1.5 years ago. I did a lot of research, trying to understand what [regenerative agriculture] meant. Understanding its role on soil biology changed it for me... I went from being highly sceptical that regenerative agriculture had something to offer to being cautiously optimistic that it did.”

Farmlands’ Head of Future Land and Food, Gaz Ingram has been part of the regenerative agriculture conversation for several years.

“Soil health has quickly risen to the front of people’s thinking when it comes

Five practices of regenerative agriculture:

to not only producing a quality food offering from your chosen crop system, but also ensuring that your soil is in optimum condition for each year’s crop to come,” Gaz notes.

“Internationally, New Zealand is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of soil organic matter and banked carbon. But there are ways to improve our businesses and our environment.”

Regenerative agriculture is based around five key practices; not disturbing the soil, keeping the ground covered, planting diverse species, keeping living roots in the soil and adding animals.

“Many farmers and growers will already be familiar with, or are currently practicing, these rationale and practices. They all contribute to having a healthier soil,” Gaz says.

Running 6,000 sheep and 200 beef cattle over his high-country property, Paul had always grown mixed-sward species of grasses and legumes but his input costs kept rising and he was having ongoing animal health costs.

“Instead of using straight urea, we’ve got a few different [seed and fertiliser] recipes from a few different people that we are now trialling to understand their effects on soil biology and animal production,” Paul says.

Gaz highlights that the regenerative agriculture system isn’t ‘one size fits all’ and to not to get lost in the details or hung up on the definition.

“It’s a journey, rather than a destination, with multiple paths to choose from. It’s about guidelines not regulations, progress not perfection and having the right intentions relative to your surroundings,” Gaz affirms.

1. Do not disturb: Avoid working and ploughing the soil. Each time the soil is disturbed, it damages and even kills the complex and symbiotic relationship that has been built between plants, roots, mycorrhizal fungi and other soil biology. Many farmers now use no till / direct drill options as the new norm of crop establishment.

2. Keep the ground covered: Covered soil (living plants or trampled/dead plant material covering the soil surface) reduces soil erosion from wind and rain and helps keep soil temperatures down.

3. Diversify: Growing a diverse range of plants ensures different functions, such as nutrient scavenging, different root systems for natural tillage, moisture movement and encourages a wider range of visiting pollination and beneficial insects.

4. Living roots: Keeping living roots in the ground year-round (or as long as possible) provides a steady source of food for organisms in the soil. In turn, the soil micro-organisms help prevent soil erosion, increase water infiltration rates, and provide the plants with key nutrients.

5. Add animals: Including animals into the system introduces different organisms and biology from animal back to the soil, in addition to the nutrients from manure. The correct farm animals to use will depend on your ecosystem.

2020

PROUD TO SUPPORT TOMORROW’S RURAL LEADERS

The winners of this year’s Tom Cranswick Memorial Award were announced at the Farmlands Annual General meeting in November, and once again the calibre of entrants was exceptionally high. Each recipient is currently taking part in a course of study directly related to the primary sector and has been awarded a grant of $2,000 to help them through study to see them contribute further to primary industries in the future.

Each recipient was asked: What would you change within the primary industry when you complete your study and what current developments are you most excited about?

Sophie Ridd

Sophie believes the agricultural industry needs driven young people who are willing to work hard to achieve their goals. She is studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Massey University and is interested in the links between agronomy and the meat sector. Growing up in an agricultural family in Feilding, Sophie has been involved in animal showing since she was five. She began showing cattle at a more serious level a couple of years ago and will represent the Western District in the national finals next year.

I would like to become involved in changing the public lens when looking at our farms. I would love to see farmers learn how to educate the general public on the positives of the primary industry. The industry is working so hard to care for the environment and I can’t wait to see a change in the perspective towards us. I’m passionate about the science that runs behind our industry. The environment and greenhouse gases are rising interest topics and I’m eagerly anticipating the development of genetics for lower methane emitting sheep and cattle to reduce our outputs and bring our farms even closer to being carbon neutral.

Jack Taggart

Jack is heading into his final year of a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) degree at Lincoln University after gaining a Diploma in Agriculture in 2018 and Diploma in Farm Management in 2019. Jack intends to work as a rural professional with the aim of building capital, knowledge and skills before returning to farming.

From Methven, Jack is Junior Vice-Chair of the Tasman Young Farmers and is also a member of Lincoln Young Farmers. In 2019 he won the Tasman South District Young Farmer of the Year contest and the 2020 Tasman Young Farmer regional fencing competition.

I would like to see a shift in the way the primary industry markets careers and opportunities as the job market is small and competitive. I would like to see an increase in transparency between the industry and prospecting employees about where the opportunities lie and how to find them. I am excited to see developments in share farming and equity partnerships within the sheep and beef sector to contribute to future succession. This approach provides opportunity for those wanting to take another step up the farm ownership ladder and for farmers who want to reduce responsibility, but not lose their assets or control.

Holly Beazer

Helping the agricultural industry to become more sustainable and enabling the production of more food for the world’s increasing population is a future goal for Holly. From Oamaru, Holly has completed her first year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree at Lincoln University. She wants to be part of a strong industry change in New Zealand through her future involvement in research, genetics, animal science or agronomy. Holly is part of the Lincoln University Future Leader Programme — a programme designed to develop leadership skills whilst encouraging involvement in the community.

The biggest change I would like to see is a smaller gap between rural and urban New Zealand. Currently agriculture is seen in a negative light in our country and I would love to see that perception changed, particularly in terms of environmental impact. One of the developments I am excited about is the change from loading our land with high stock numbers, fertilisers and chemicals to a ‘less is more’ approach. It is exciting to see the industry becoming aware of the effect intensive agriculture has on our land. The sector is wanting to preserve what we have so that we are able to continue producing high amounts of high-quality food, now and in the future.

Grace Moscrip

A passion for the primary sector, as well as an interest in science and technical development has led Grace Moscrip to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Lincoln University. Grace grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Hukerenui, Whangarei and was the Head Girl of Whangarei Girls’ High School in 2019. Outside of university life, Grace plays hockey and the bagpipes and will take on the vice presidency role of the Lincoln Young Farmers Club in 2021.

New Zealand will always be world leading food producers, supplying the globe with natural and nutritious products. Improving sustainability and adhering to regulations will help us to meet changing consumer requirements and add value to our products. One thing I would change about the primary industry would be emphasising the need for educating consumers on our point of difference. Although our footprint is relatively small, there is always room for improvement and the likes of methane inhibitors, genetic developments and new technology will help farmers run a more sustainable business while ensuring financial viability. An area of improvement within the industry is supporting and connecting with farmers on how to practically use these technologies to their full potential.

Emma Ractliffe

Emma is in her final year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Massey University. Her childhood was split between living in the heart of Sydney, Australia and on a family farm in Kimbolton, Feilding. Emma’s passion for the agricultural industry was developed from a young age with a goal of giving back to the farm, her family and the wider agricultural community. Her aim is to pursue a career within the Global Foods Value Chain and integrate her current and future knowledge into New Zealand’s globally recognised livestock and food industry. Emma will take on the role of Chair of the Massey Young Farmers Club for 2021.

I think the largest issue facing the primary industry currently is the poor stigma surrounding farmers and growers. Unfortunately, a lot of us feel targeted by increasing levels of regulation, which restricts the way we do what we love. I aim to be a voice for changing this stigma and am excited by recent developments in nitrification and methane inhibitors. I think this could be a large step forward for our farms in becoming even more sustainable and environmentally aware.

Supplying success

Despite COVID-19 disruption, the annual Farmlands Supplier Awards took place in Christchurch on 28 th October, recognising Farmlands’ Card Partners and suppliers for their contribution to both shareholders and the co-operative.

Innovation, sustainability and resilience was the theme of the night, with Donaghys Ltd taking out the big prize of Rural Supplies Supplier of the Year 2019, along with the Category Animal and Dairy Management award.

Barenbrug's work over the year earned them the Category Seed Supplier of the Year and Nufarm NZ Ltd added their name to the Category Pasture and Horticulture trophy for the second year in a row.

Mitre 10 swept through the Farmlands Card Partner awards, receiving both the Rural Equipment and Supplies Card Partner of the Year and the National Card Partner of the Year. Following the implementation of Braveheart, Microsoft was awarded the Strategic Partner of the Year and

Invercargill’s Lakers House of Travel won the Regional Card Partner of the Year for their fantastic support, despite COVID-19 implications. As Tony and Tracey Laker were unable to attend the awards, Farmlands CEO Peter Reidie travelled to Invercargill earlier in the week to present the award to them in person.

"Farmlands has been a huge part of our business so it is a privilege and an

honour to receive this [award]," Tony says.

Peter Reidie, rural broadcaster Sarah Perriam, Minister for Agriculture Damien O'Connor and Impact International Head of Client Services, Tim Raw had a panel discussion about business resilence in the face of adversity. Peter says that the awards showcased how suppliers, Partners and Farmlands worked together to deliver value to Farmlands’ shareholders.

“These awards are a testament to the remarkable ability of our suppliers and Partners to adapt within the difficult year we have had,” Peter says. Amongst the jubilation, special mention had to be made to Gallagher's Global General Manager - Animal Management, Stephen Hoffman. Stepping down after 31 years with the company, Stephen was presented with a pounamu (greenstone) to acknowledge his commitment to building Gallagher's partnership with Farmlands.

Farmlands Supplier Awards winners:

Category Award – Animal and Dairy Management 2019: 1st Donaghys Limited, 2nd GEA – FIL, 3rd Nutritech International Ltd

Category Award – General Farm Merchandise 2019: 1st Key Industries Ltd, 2nd Stoney Creek, 3rd Bell-Booth

Category Award – Infrastructure 2019: 1st Summit Steel & Wire, 2nd Gallagher Group Limited, 3rd Delfast

Category Award – Pasture and Horticulture 2019: 1st Nufarm NZ Ltd, 2nd Grochem, 3rd Donaghys Crop Packaging

Category Award – Nutrition 2019:

1st Dunstan Nutrition Ltd, 2nd Masterpet Corporation Ltd, 3rd Sharpes Stockfeed Ltd

Category Award – Seed Supplier of the Year 2019: 1st Barenbrug, 2nd Pioneer, 3rd Agricom

Rural Supplies Supplier of the Year 2019: 1st Donaghys Limited

Essential Services Card Partner of the Year:

1st Meridian, 2nd Elgas, 3rd Fidelity Life

Retail/Travel and Accommodation Card Partner of the Year:

1st Noel Leeming, 2nd Repco, 3rd Torpedo7

Rural Equipment and Supplies Card Partner of the Year:

1st Mitre 10, 2nd Bunnings, 3rd Can-Am

Regional Card Partner of the Year: 1st Lakers House of Travel, 2nd Agricentre South, 3rd Black Duck

National Card Partner of the Year:

1st Mitre 10, 2nd Noel Leeming, 3rd Meridian

Strategic Partner of the Year: 1st Microsoft, 2nd FMG, 3rd Property Brokers

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Protect your lifestyle block from thieves this summer

A chainsaw in the shed is to a lifestyle block owner what flour in the pantry is to a baker - you can't live without it. It seems that neither can opportunistic thieves looking for a piece of machinery that can be sold off easily.

It’s common knowledge that power tools, particularly chainsaws, are popular with thieves looking to make a quick buck.

During the summer holiday period — when many lifestyle block owners swap vistas of green grass for vistas of the blue sea — FMG’s claim statistics show several common items stolen from lifestyle blocks. The claims are made upof 64 percent contents-related and 20 percent of vehicle-related claims.

“Of the contents claims, more than 14 percent are for chainsaws alone. They’re obviously very popular with thieves,” FMG’s Manager Advice, Stephen Cantwell, says.

“We’ve also seen that trailers are stolen on lifestyle blocks. Thieves can use trailers to load up other items and increase the amount they can steal in one hit. Other commonly stolen lifestyle block items include fuel, generators, rifles and guns, saddle gear and other high-powered tools such as angle grinders and drills.”

Of the 20 percent of vehicle claims received, most are for cars, vans or utes. The remainder are for trailers and quad bikes or motorbikes. The worst month for theft is January, when the

average number of claims increases by almost 20 percent.

“There’s a real risk that you could return from a break away to having all of the equipment that helps run your lifestyle block, gone,” Stephen says.

There are steps that you can take to prevent thieves from targeting your lifestyle block.

“If you’re going away, have a trusted neighbour, friend or family member regularly check in on your property. Get them to clear your mailbox and entrances of mail, packages and junk mail. If rubbish collections are operating in your area, ask them to put your rubbish out on your collection day. This approach is a good deterrent if thieves are scouting the area,” Stephen says.

“You could install automatic timer or sensor lighting around your property including at both the front and rear of your house. Mount them high enough to prevent criminals from being able to remove the bulb or cover the sensor.”

Other tips include engraving valuable lifestyle equipment — this makes it less desirable to thieves and easier to identify. It's also a good idea to record details and serial numbers of high value assets on SNAP, a free online asset register created by the NZ Police at www.snap.org.nz.

“Lastly, use a wheel lock or clamp on your trailer when not using it, particularly if you’re going away.”

For more advice head to www.fmg.co.nz/advice/rural-theft

Article supplied by FMG.

Keeping kids safe on-farm

“There aren’t many professions where entire families are more closely connected to the workplace than farming,” Al McCone, Agricultural Lead for WorkSafe New Zealand says.

“Children may be out on-farm with their parents from an early age. It’s an amazing environment to grow up in but it’s critical to be constantly aware that children, even the most sensible ones, don’t have the same ability as adults to judge and manage risks.”

With kids enjoying more summer outdoor time, Al says good planning and continued vigilance is essential. All farm machinery and equipment has potential to harm, whether it’s mechanical or something propped up that could fall on a child. Even with machine guarding, there may be holes small hands can get through.

Vehicles are another critical risk — especially when reversing — and children should not operate any full-size farm vehicle.

Water hazards have resulted in a number of tragedies. Rivers, creeks, troughs, dips, tanks, dams and ponds are hazards, as is scalding water in the dairy shed.

Animals pose numerous risks. Children lack the size, speed and dexterity to deal with large livestock. There’s also a risk of diseases such as leptospirosis, ringworm and campylobacter.

“Many of today’s farmers were raised with the “do not be stupid” approach to safety on-farm. They were told the rules and ‘trusted’ to abide by them,” Al says.

“You’ll often hear people say they grew up with that rule and ‘survived’. In reality, they were fortunate. Many children have been injured or died in workplace accidents on farms and tragically, that continues to happen.

“It’s essential to instil sensible safety rules in kids. Walk around the farm with them and identify hazards together — and make sure any staff with children living on-farm do the same.

“But that in itself isn’t enough. You should never expect any child to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe. Adult supervision is vital at all times and for young children it must be close and active.

“It can be hard keeping an eye on children in a busy workplace. If your kids need to go to work with you, have a system that isolates them from where work is happening or where risks may be present. Some farmers, for instance, have built secure play areas in milking sheds.”

Remember:

• Children should wash their hands after being out on the farm and after touching animals.

• Walk around any farm vehicle before reversing.

• Children shouldn’t ride on tractors, quad bikes or the back of utes.

• Never leave keys in unattended vehicles or leave vehicles unattended with the motor running.

• Any child riding a smaller model farm bike needs to wear an approved helmet, closed-in shoes and be supervised by an adult.

• Have a map of all water hazards and wherever possible, provide fencing/child restraint covers or fill in disused ones. Check the dairy pit is clear before flushing.

• Store agrichemicals in a locked area.

• Have safety guards on all machinery.

• Ensure older children always tell you where they are going.

Forging a rural community

Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties and grandmothers play a fundamental role in protecting and nurturing rural life, having worked the land for hundreds of years alongside their male counterparts.

Despite an undeniable love of the land, for many rural women the distance between neighbours can mean that a sense of community can feel very far away. In an effort to close the isolation gap, the Shepherdess magazine has been brought to life by Kristy McGregor, an editor and project manager committed to developing connections between like-minded women.

Growing up on the edge of Sydney, Kristy embraced agriculture by taking up work on a 2.2 million acre cattle station in far western Queensland. Moving to New Zealand in 2014 with her partner Michael Keeling came with the challenge of making new friends and contacts around his family farm in the Horowhenua.

“While New Zealand is much less geographically isolated than Australia, social isolation is still very much a thing,” Kristy notes.

“New Zealand farming is set up so that you’re often working on your own, whereas in Australia you could be living with over 25 other workers, the size of a small town, so you had that community around you.”

When Kristy returned to project management work after the birth of her first child, talks with Claire Dunne, editor of Australian rural women’s magazine Graziher, led to the idea of Shepherdess.

“There is no such thing as the perfect time, so I decided to run with it while there was the chance. We started the Shepherdess Instagram page in February 2019 and began approaching industry organisations such as Farmlands, FMG and Beef + LambNZ for support of the magazine,” Kristy says.

“All we had was a concept but we hoped that people could see our vision and that the traditional agricultural sector could recognise the potential of sharing rural women’s stories.

“Shepherdess is not just about agriculture, it’s about our communities as a whole. We want people to pick up the magazine and feel that

they can connect to something in there, either through someone they know or an experience.”

For Kristy, the overall goal was to create a vibrant rural community.

“Shepherdess is part of a broader initiative, it’s all about connecting women across the country.”

To get your copy of Shepherdess magazine, pop into your local Farmlands branch today.

LOCAL GROW YOUR

AND BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS

Put a piece of New Zealand under the Christmas tree

Shopping locally is more important than ever following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, New Zealand is host to some of the most elite products in their respective industries and makes picking the perfect Christmas present easy. Farmlands caught up with a few local Card Partners to find out what is on offer and what makes them integral to their community.

Started in Hawera over 65 years ago, Dimocks is a family owned and operated business that has been servicing the South Taranaki community with all its appliance and furniture needs.

From Hawera, Royce and Carol Dimock expanded to Stratford and Whanganui but have since sold both those branches, now just retaining the Hawera store to allow them to spend more time with their family and friends in Taranaki.

Dimocks is proud to be part of the 100% Appliances, Beds R Us and La-Z-Boy Gallery store networks.

Reefton Distillery Co. — West Coast

Reefton Distilling Co. is a modern distillery from an age-old town, which takes its inspiration from Reefton’s rich history of adventure, innovation, and gold.

Established in 2017 by Reefton local Patsy Bass and her husband Shane Thrower, to create employment (18 staff and counting) and to provide visitors with a reason to stop and stay, Reefton Distilling Co. is at the forefront of spirit production in New Zealand.

Patsy’s vision was to build a truly unique West Coast experience to tell the story behind the crafting of their legendary Little Biddy Gin range, Reefton Distilling Co. Fruit Liqueurs, Wild Rain Vodka and much awaited Moonlight Creek Whisky.

Patsy describes the primary sector as a massive employer, and one that is very important to the West Coast economy. Patsy also sees online shopping as a great benefit for those living rurally.

“Since COVID, our online platform has become a much more significant part of our business and a lot of our online shoppers are from the rural community, people just like Farmlands shareholders.”

Greenmachine — Tuatapere

When Justin Lewis started Greenmachine it was a small backyard plant growing hobby.

Now it’s a fast-growing business selling specialist native plants direct to the public — and it is happy to accept Farmlands Card.

As an online retailer Justin sells his native plants nationwide, but it’s his local community of Tuatapere that’s seeing the most benefit. “We’re an employer and a big user of local transport to get our product where it needs to go. We work alongside farmers to provide flexible planting options for their farms and the increased reach Farmlands has given us helps to bridge that urban-rural gap," Justin says.

The Greenmachine is a 100 percent e-commerce sales model.

“Being a pioneer in internet selling had its own challenges, especially as the product was perishable and reasonably difficult to ship. In overcoming these challenges Greenmachine became very specialised and focused on internet selling and meeting the strong demand for good quality, tough Southern grown natives supplied at an affordable price.

“Farmers are a big part of Greenmachine’s market, and we’ve made some huge gains in that space with Farmlands helping us reach, connect and serve those customers better.”

Think Water Marlborough — Blenheim

Former All Black and Crusader Greg Somerville knows all about being under the pump.

For the past two and a half years Greg has turned his expertise to propping up a new team at Think Water Marlborough, based in Blenheim.

The Think Water Marlborough team has considerable knowledge and expertise in all aspects of the water management industry and is dedicated to designing solutions to their clients’ irrigation, pumping, filtration and water treatment queries.

Think Water has a strong buying power and partners with a range of forward-thinking and innovative suppliers. Water resourcefulness, clarity, quality and utilisation is the major focus.

“Whether it’s drinking water, supplying it to stock or putting in the ground, it’s a resource that got to be utilised in an efficient way,” Greg says.

Greg says New Zealand already has a point of difference in what it can deliver in the primary sector and his aim is to continue to grow the Think Water brand awareness and local capability by offering good knowledge and support to their customers.

Lewis’ for Fashion — Pukekohe

Lewis’ for Fashion is Pukekohe based and proud to boast one of the largest menswear ranges in New Zealand. The one stop shop is bulging with top brands including Tarocash and Wild Rhino.

Peter Tabrum has been servicing local and national customers for over 35 years with his Farmlands customers loving the convenience of being able to charge their makeover experience to their Farmlands Card.

“There are very few traditional independent menswear stores left in the country, but the demand is still very much there. We have become a unique destination with clients driving for hours so we can fit them out,” Peter says.

“We offer a friendly professional service and a range of brands which provides our clients with a point of difference and variety in fit and styles.”

Peter and his staff pride themselves on providing a go-to one stop shop that can transform the look of a client — literally from head to toe.

Articles in the Plan365 section allow Farmlands suppliers to share best practice and the latest advances in rural technology, to help shareholders with their farming needs all year round.

Summer resilience on small blocks

Pastures change from being in a vegetative (growing) state in spring, to increasing in maturity and entering a reproductive phase in summer. This brings a decrease in plant nutrients (energy and protein) and decreased digestibility of pasture.

Cattle and sheep get hit with a double whammy as plants mature. Digestibility drops, which decreases both the energy available to the animal and dry matter intake potential. Pastures that once supported growth and milk production, can now only support maintenance and minimal production levels. Further compounding things is a reduction in pasture growth rates and the amount of dry matter available due to higher environmental temperatures and lower soil moisture. Dealing with the challenges of summer are becoming equally as important as preparing for the winter in many regions but there are many things the motivated lifestyler can do to prepare.

Permanent fencing is great for pasture management and grouping mobs of animals according to their needs. Shade from trees, shelter belts or structures which allow good air flow can help stock cope with heat stress. Ruminants need long fibre to ruminate, so a good hay shed can allow storage of hay purchased off the paddock or from contractors.

Check the body condition score of stock regularly to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Targeted supplementary feeding can help improve health outcomes and what an animal can produce. Could lambs be weaned to

reduce pressure on ewes? There is little benefit in dry stock either getting overfat or losing too much weight. Fat ewes are less likely to respond to flushing come mating time. If the dry spell lasts through mating, NRM Pre-Tup Nuts can help ewes to gain condition during this critical time and can help growing lambs reach weight targets. High protein calf pellets such as NRM GrowUp 16 percent or even 20 percent are a good complement to mature grazing or hay for growing calves and yearlings. Consider destocking early –perhaps selling ewe lambs for breeding or processing early lambs.

Prioritise the best pastures for growing or lactating stock.

Grazing low covers increases animal exposure to intestinal parasites so consider if a worm burden could be holding stock back, especially when a drought is broken.

The risk of clostridial diseases can also increase when a drought breaks, so check your vaccination programme. Be prepared to continue feeding supplements for some time once the drought is broken. Half of the standing grass is lost after rain because it is dead and decays quickly so you can suddenly have less feed available than you thought. Knowing that your stock are well fed and healthy is one of the most rewarding aspects of lifestyle block ownership.

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy” can be a reality as options abound for the motivated lifestyler to prepare early and meet whatever the season brings.

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

Selenium in the equine diet

While providing a balanced diet that meets nutritional requirements should be the main aim for horse owners, there are certain nutrients that have been discussed more by the equine community in recent years. Most significantly for New Zealand horses, selenium.

Selenium has a number of roles in the body, most importantly that of a powerful antioxidant that helps to counteract oxidative stress and prevent cell damage. Before being identified as an essential nutrient, selenium was known for its toxicity – high levels causing alkali disease and seleniosis. For this reason, horse owners are wary of providing excessive amounts. So, what is the optimum amount to provide daily? National Research Council states minimum selenium

requirements of 1mg per day for an average 500kg horse in work (Anonymous 2007), however Kentucky Equine Research have established an optimum requirement of between 2 and 3mg per day.

New Zealand soils have long since been identified as deficient in selenium and because of this, horse owners have been advised to supplement accordingly. Perhaps due to the wellknown soil deficiency, selenium is one of the most scrutinised nutrients in blood tests for New Zealand horses. Blood selenium levels are a routine test, or when the horse is displaying a variety of symptoms, many of which aren’t linked to selenium deficiencies or toxicity.

A New Zealand study from 2016 showed that a group of

un-supplemented horses grazing pasture in the Manawatu had blood selenium levels below the healthy range. Dr Erica Gee measured selenium monthly for one year and found that all horses in the group had average blood selenium levels of 5 – 10 times lower than normal, however all horses in the study appeared healthy throughout.

While the horses in Dr Gee’s study showed low selenium levels when on pasture alone, there have been incidences of higher readings in leisure and sport horses receiving feeds and supplements which contain selenium. Observations have found that many of the horses returning high test results weren’t receiving more than 3mg of selenium per day through dietary additions. Further research is required around selenium levels in New Zealand forages, selenium blood levels of leisure and performance horses and the current blood reference ranges used to establish the reasoning behind these observations.

NRM and McMillan equine formulations are constantly evolving to compliment New Zealand environments and ensure horses are being provided with correct nutrition. Horse owners are advised to consider all forages, feeds and supplements provided to their horse and consult with a qualified nutritionist to ensure a balanced diet is provided daily.

Article supplied by Luisa Wood, Equine Nutritionist

*Anonymous. (2007). ‘Nutrient Requirements of Horses.’ Washington DC: National Academy Press. *Gee, E.K., Rogers, C.W. and Bolwell, C.F. 2016. ‘Selenium status of unsupplemented adult horses at pasture in the Manawatu region, New Zealand: Preliminary results’. Proceedings of the Australasian Equine Science Symposium, Volume 6.

Meal time – the best time of the day

Located on the outskirts of Christchurch, Perry and Jackie McConnachie lease their farm from The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust. It’s their fourth season on-farm and with only 160 cows on the property, there’s a big focus on optimum production.

The herd are all brought in. The McConnachies don’t breed replacements, instead using beef bulls and focusing on getting cows in calf early for more days in milk before selling the calves to the beef calf rearing market.

Perry started feeding NRM Dairy Meal 3 seasons ago after meeting with NRM Nutrition Specialist Megan Hardy. In their first season of feeding, Perry and Jackie were producing 480kgMS per cow, with a target of getting to 550. With some changes on farm and targeted nutrition and advice from Megan, they’ve managed to supersede the 550MS goal and are on target to do 600MS this season.

Environmental impact is important for Perry and Jackie as they’re on a farm close to the city. Access to water is limited, making them focus

on pasture quality. They don’t use straight urea and are working on cutting out synthetic fertilisers, employing controlled effluent spreading and only targeting paddocks that require it.

Condition of the cows, their health and having happy animals is a top priority. With a low stocking rate of 2.5 cows per/ha, the focus is on feeding their cows well, having spent the past 4 years re-grassing the whole farm.

The farm has an in-shed feeding system, giving the comfort of being able to feed their cows no matter the weather. The aim is to keep in-shed meals to 2kgs of NRM Dairy Meal per cow, per day with the option to increase that if pasture is short.

NRM Dairy Meal delivers all the vitamins, trace elements, magnesium, calcium and salt required, with NRM able to customise the meal during the season when extra is required.

Jackie and Perry find the knowledge and support their Nutrition Specialist gives them is incredibly valuable. They’ve learnt a lot from Megan over the past 3 years from her on-farm visits

and they’re always able to contact her to discuss any issues they have.

Before NRM, Perry and Jackie had tried other feed companies but were frustrated to find that not all the cows would eat the meal. When they changed to NRM the product was fresh and the cows loved it.

“They now march to the shed each day to get milked and really love their meal,” Perry says.

The McConnachies trust the quality of the feed and that reflects in the cow’s production.

“Megan is always working ahead, planning what’s needed and suggesting changes to tweak our low-cost system to get the best out of our cows.

“We trust the technical advice from Megan and see huge value in what she can add on-farm, so it’s not only a quality product but quality advice to go with it,” Jackie says.

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

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Growing heifers to their full potential

Heifers are the future of a farm’s production and in theory have the best genetics from the farm population. They need to be looked after so that they can enter the herd as first calvers and stay in the herd for as long as possible.

Growing heifers to their full potential begins from the day they are born. Calves have a partially functional immune system and it takes about 2 years before it is fully working, particularly for combatting various species of internal parasites. Once a heifer is about 16 months old its immune system should be able to stop Cooperia from establishing, however, Trichostrongylus and Ostertagia parasites are able to continue infecting cattle until they are about 2 years of age. This variation in immunity flows through to selecting products for drenching young cattle. Cooperia have an innate ability to survive some drench families. Levamisole is the active ingredient that had the best ability to control Cooperia in a 2006 survey in New Zealand.1 For this reason, a product containing levamisole is usually recommended in cattle under 15 months of age. Oral drenches are typically cheaper than pour-on or injectable products and are recommended for smaller cattle. Donaghys Concur Cattle is a dual active white/clear oral drench and is suitable for cattle of all ages. Many farmers stop oral drenching and move to a pour-on product, such as Saturn Pour-on, once calves are too big to easily oral drench. Saturn Pour-on contains abamectin

and should not be used in calves under 100kgs.

Venator HiMin is a new product in market this year and is an oral drench which contains the same active ingredients as Saturn Pour-on. Again, this drench should not be used in calves under 100kgs.

Once yearlings are over 16 months old, and the immune response to Cooperia has kicked in, it is possible to move to a drench which does not contain levamisole as this active ingredient should no longer be needed. At this point, there are a range of single active pour-on drench products that may be beneficial in your farm system, depending on what you are trying to achieve.

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 much harder to assess drench performance in cattle than it is in sheep — but it is still possible. It is highly recommended that a drench check is carried out annually. This is important on heifer grazing blocks, as there have usually been no adult animals to help clean up parasite populations. This is usually done in mid–late summer, as this is the time that farms are likely to see 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.

1. Vetscript, Oct 2006, Drench Resistance in adult cattle – fact or fiction.

Effective drench combinations for optimal growth rates

A key driver of farm productivity is the weight of lambs at weaning. If lamb growth rates are good and more lambs are at higher weights at weaning this reduces the number of lambs that a farmer has to keep on into the summer. Gastrointestinal parasites can have a negative effect on these growth rates.

The key points of an effective parasite management program are to manage pastures to reduce challenge, use effective drenches and utilise refugia and combination drenches to reduce the selection for drench resistance for the future.

Around lambing parasite eggs are produced onto often low pasture covers by ewes when their immune system is under stress. In spring the parasite larvae from these eggs are taken up and can depress growth rates up until weaning. If the spring pasture growth is slow or pasture covers are low this negative effect can be increased.

In situations such as this, a drench pre-weaning should be considered to maximise growth rates. Where drenching is required all farmers should be using an effective, combination drench. Farmers can find out what drenches are working on their farm by completing a Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test or FECRT. If a farmer is unsure of their drench resistance status they should use a triple combination option such as Alliance®. Combination drenches also have the benefit of reducing the selection pressure for drench resistance. The chance of a worm being resistant to all active ingredients in a combination is low and the proportion of resistant parasites surviving on-farm compared to sensitive parasites on pasture is less. Cattle and sheep do not share the same parasites and pasture grazed with cattle will have reduced numbers of infective larvae for sheep on it and vice versa. By rotating the grazing of sheep with cattle

in the spring, the growth rates of both classes of stock can be improved. Refugia is another tool that farmers can use to reduce the selection for drench resistance. Refugia allows parasites from un-drenched animals to populate pasture, diluting any resistant parasites that may have survived drenching. This could be leaving a proportion of the mob un-drenched, putting drenched animals onto pasture that has had un-drenched grazing on it previously or following drenched animals with a mob of un-drenched animals.

As it takes most parasites 21 days to start producing eggs once ingested, using a short acting drench at 28 day intervals ensures that some sensitive parasites, not exposed to drench, reproduce before another drench is used. These larvae are also a form of refugia and dilute any resistant parasites that have survived the previous drench.

Reducing the numbers of young stock on farm is one way that farmers can reduce the impact of parasites on production, their reliance on drenching and the potential for developing drench resistance in the future. Ensuring optimal growth rates in spring and getting more lambs to the works early is one way that farmers can achieve this.

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

Effective facial eczema prevention

Facial eczema is caused by a toxin, sporidesmin, which cows eat when grazing pastures high in fungal spores. Trials conducted at AgResearch by Dr Neale Towers calculated the effect of low doses of sporidesmin on milk yield.

Over a three-week period, production across the herd had dropped by as much as 25 percent. For a cow producing 1.5kgMS, a 25 percent reduction in milk is $2.25 per cow per day lost (assuming a payout of $6.00/ kgMS).

These cows did not exhibit any detectable liver damage when blood tested for GGT (an enzyme that indicates damage to the liver) which shows how significant the sub-clinical effects of facial eczema can be on production parameters. For every clinical case you see (e.g. redness of the udder, skin peeling, elevated GGT), there will be approximately 10-15 sub-clinical cows showing no signs or symptoms. There is also a lag between the ingestion of spores and the appearance of clinical signs, so monitoring and prevention strategies need to begin well before clinical signs appear. Prevention is significantly less expensive than the losses from facial eczema. To reduce the number of spores ingested, dilution with other crops or feeds and spraying pasture with fungicide can all help reduce the number of spores consumed. However, in most cases feeding zinc that is registered for facial eczema prevention is also required to bind

to the sporidesmin toxin to stop its chemical reactions from causing damage to the bile ducts. To be effective, it is important to get the zinc dose rate right. Blood testing your cows for serum zinc is the best way to determine whether enough zinc has been consumed to prevent the harmful effects of facial eczema. For cows, serum zinc needs to be between 20 and 35 μmol/L. It is best to sample from a range of liveweights to ensure small cows aren’t being over-dosed and large cows aren’t being under-dosed.

Nutritech have recently reformulated their facial eczema range to provide high quality zinc and mineral supplementation options to suit different on-farm application methods. AquaMin® Zinc is designed for administration via water, FloZinc® via drenching systems and Nutrimin® Zinc via feed. AquaMin®Zinc, FloZinc® and NutriMin® Zinc all provide an ACVM registered zinc for facial eczema prevention, plus organic copper and

trace elements. NutriMin® Silage Balancer Zinc also includes calcium, sodium and magnesium to provide a more complete mineral balancer during the facial eczema season. The use of organic copper in these Nutritech facial eczema products helps ensure cattle do not become depleted in copper while high rates of zinc are being fed. When should zinc supplementation stop? Facial eczema can continue long into April and May — just because the autumn flush has come doesn’t mean that the facial eczema risk is low. As long as the pasture spore counts are >30,000 spores/g, the risk to your livestock is too high to stop zinc supplementation. It is best to continue to get your pastures tested to know when it is safe to stop.

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

Article supplied by Nutritech

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A micronutrient with mojo

Identifying and addressing a molybdenum deficiency can significantly improve production.

Plants and animals may only need a small amount of the micronutrient molybdenum (Mo) but a deficiency can majorly impact plant growth and in turn, grazing stock.

“A Mo deficiency can limit pasture production even if macronutrients such as phosphorus and sulphur are adequately supplied,” Ballance

Agri-Nutrients Nutrient Dynamics Specialist Jim Risk says.

“Rhizobia bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen (N) in legumes need more Mo than non-leguminous plants do, so legumes suffer first if Mo is deficient, with symptoms similar to an N deficiency.”

Signs of deficiency in legumes include small, pale green to yellow leaves, reduced growth, and slim stems, with colourless nodules and poor nodulation. Brassicas can have pale green, narrow, upward curving leaves, although this is rare.

Molybdenum deficiencies were first identified in New Zealand in the early 1950s but deficiency in stock has not been seen here. Molybdenum was overapplied in the 1950s and 60s, mainly due to the frequency of application, resulting in excess Mo affecting copper absorption in stock.

“Molybdenum supplies can deplete over time and some soils are naturally low in it due to their parent material.”

North Island sedimentary soils, South Island sedimentary soils (particularly those derived from greywacke rock) and deep peat soils have naturally low Mo levels. In addition, soils with a pH lower than 5.8 are more likely to be deficient.

“To determine if Mo levels are adequate, use clover-only herbage analysis, not soil tests,” Jim says.

“The sampling strategy and type of analysis depends on whether you’re addressing pasture or lucerne production or animal health.

“Applying Mo to deficient pasture at the right rate and frequency is an incredibly cost-effective way of significantly improving production. It improves N fixation efficiency and N cycling, driving clover and pasture growth.”

In a 1997 trial, sodium molybdate applied to responsive sites resulted in statistically significant increases in pasture and clover production at all sites within 2 years1

In soils vulnerable to Mo deficiencies, maintenance applications of NutriMax molybdenum (1%), at 2 kg/ha (20 g Mo/ha), can prevent deficiencies from occurring.

“Mo is deficient if it’s below 0.1 ppm in clover-only herbage analysis, with N below 4.5 percent. Again, apply NutriMax molybdenum (1%) at 2 kg/ha

(20 g Mo/ha) to overcome deficiencies. It’s ideal to test the same paddocks the following summer, provided moisture’s sufficient, to check if the application has raised levels adequately.”

A rule of thumb is application every 4 to 5 years to maintain adequate Mo levels, although application frequency is ideally guided by herbage testing. If new pasture is being established, or existing pasture oversown, clover seed can be coated with Mo before being sown.

“Copper deficiency issues in stock are easily avoided by good management via herbage testing, and by applying Mo at the right rate when needed,” Jim says.

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.

1 Morton JD, Morrison JD, 1997. Molybdenum requirements of pasture. In: Proceedings of the Fertiliser Research Conference

Pick of the bunch

When it comes to protecting your grape crop from diseases, insects or weeds, Nufarm is the popular pick. All products have a long track record of success in New Zealand and are proven to have no effect on wine fermentation or sensory characteristics.

Available from your local Farmlands store.

The future’s green for savvy beet farmers

Beet has been a bit of a fodder rock star in recent years. While technically difficult to grow, a well grown fodder beet crop provides excellent feed value in terms of dry matter yield and metabolisable energy across a range of climatic zones.

Recent dry spells and droughts have seen feed shortages in some regions and while early access to fodder beet crops would have helped significantly, chemical withholding periods had to be taken into consideration.

With current dry weather conditions already causing concern in some regions this season, it is timely that crop protection company ADAMA New Zealand has released Custodia® for the 2020/2021 season.

Custodia is an innovative beet foliar fungicide, which not only supports greener, healthier and more vigorous leaves, but also provides greater grazing flexibility in situations when there is pressure on feed supply. New Custodia has a withholding period of just 28 days, compared to the industry standard of 42 days. As ADAMA New Zealand Commercial Manager Bryce Simpson says.

“2 weeks when feed is short can be like a lifetime.”

Custodia is effective against foliar diseases in both fodder and sugar beet including powdery mildew, rust, and the major fungal pathogen Cercospora leaf spot, which can cause significant yield losses if unchecked.

ADAMA New Zealand Marketing Manager Elisabeth Johnston says while the focus was previously more on beet bulb weight, poor leaf health has an appreciable knock-on effect. “When the leaves are diseased, there’s reduced photosynthesis. That has an impact on crop growth, yield, leaf palatability, and feed quality.”

Strong beet leaf production adds to the dry matter of a crop and provides grazing stock with protein, phosphorous and calcium. Elisabeth says the protein from healthy leaves helps provide nutritional balance in beet crops, reducing the risk of metabolic issues. “It will not be enough on its own but it definitely does help.”

Bryce says Custodia did a “fantastic” job in the company’s trials. “You could see the textbook, checkerboard effect between the treated and untreated plots. The foliage on the treated plots was clean of disease and a healthy green with a significantly greater number and volume of leaves.”

ADAMA New Zealand has an extensive beet protection toolbox with Custodia being one of two products launched recently. The other is Goltix® Gold. This beet herbicide has a unique formulation, which reduces the hazard profile without compromising the proven efficacy of its industry-standard parent Goltix Flo. In fact, it is even more effective on certain hard-to-kill weeds such as fathen and wireweed.

With beet yellow virus becoming a significant issue, particularly in Canterbury, insecticide Pyrinex® 500EC, is also part of the specialist beet portfolio. Pyrinex 500EC can be used to control aphids, which transmit the virus in beet.

Other products in the ADAMA beet programme include; Goltix WG Herbicide, Goltix Uno Herbicide, Ethosat® Herbicide, and Rifle®

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

Article Supplied by ADAMA

Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997.

See www.foodsafety.govt.nz for registration conditions.

Approved pursuant to the HSNO Act 1996.

See www.epa.govt.nz for approval controls.

Custodia, Ethosat, Goltix, Pyrinex and Rifle are registered trademarks of an ADAMA Group Company.

• Grinds grains, beans, corn, maize, rice, wheat, lupines, barley

• Easy access crusher cover

• Exit under crushing drum

• Weight: 450Kg

• Max Feeding Diameter: 200mm

• Tractor Power Required: 25 - 45hp

• Flywheel Diameter: 600mm

• Flywheel Turning Speed: 1,120 / 1,490rpm

• Feeding System: Reduction Box (4mm/s)

• Blades: 2

• Feeding Outlet Rotation Angle: 360°

• Working Efficiency: 6 - 7m3/h

• Weight: 240Kg

• Engine: 196cc, 6.5hp, Kohler

• Maximum Log Length: 660mm

• Cycle Time: 13.5seconds

• Wheels: 16in DOT, Tyre (4.80-8)

• Pump Type: 14gpm, 2-Stage

• Hydraulic Capacity: 11.3L

• Wedge: 200mm Hardened Steel

• Valve: Auto-Return

• Width: 1200mm

COCM0540

• Capacity: 180L.

• Motor power: 800w.

• Drum opening 390mm.

• Drum diameter: 600mm.

• Drum thickness: 1.2/1.7mm.

• Overall dimensions (LWH): 1210x820x1400mm.

• IP rating: IP44.

• Weight: 57kg.

Working smarter with beneficial insects

The old adage of “work smarter, not harder” applies to growing crops ten times over. Or better yet, getting nature to work for you will ultimately help pull together outstanding yield from your forage brassica crops.

Farmlands’ Head of Agronomy and Farm Systems, Sam Lucas says that growers are getting smarter about what they are putting on their crops to take out unwanted insects.

“Previously, we would just chuck on insecticide thinking it was the right thing to do. But we are becoming more conscious of the beneficial insects and application is now a lot more strategic.”

As growers are becoming aware of the “good guys” or insects that go after those damaging the brassica crop, it now pays to look out for signs of the beneficials, be that eggs or the adult insect itself. Forage brassicas can be taken down by a multitude of harmful insects such as aphids, white butterfly and diamondback moth so the beneficial insects you want to look out

for are those such as parasitic wasps, hoverflys, lacewings and ladybirds, who are quite partial to aphids in particular. If it appears that the beneficial insect population is outnumbering the “bad”, you may be able to stand back and let nature run its course. If not, IPM (integrated pest management) insecticides such as Minecto™ Star from Syngenta are a good option for controlling the harmful insect population.

Insecticides of the past were known as “nuclear bombs” or organophosphates that would kill every insect, be it good or bad for the crop. Chemistry is improving and Minecto™ Star is a testament to that, knocking down aphids, nysius, diamondback moth, white butterfly, european leaf miner or soybean looper but leaving the bugs that prey on those looking to damage the crop.

Minecto™ Star contains two IPM compatible insecticides — cyantraniliprole and pymetrozine.

“Insects are able to evolve quickly to survive chemicals but if you’ve got two active ingredients within an application then it’s harder for them to do that,” Sam explains.

With excellent environmental and user safety, compatibility with commonly used herbicides, a low use rate at 150g/ ha and built-in resistance management on aphids, the best time to apply Minecto™ Star is when both caterpillars and aphids are present in the mid to later part of the summer season, before the build-up of high pest numbers.

“During the drier months there is a lot more stress on your crop. It’s when the plants are vulnerable that insects can cause the most damage — they can completely crash your crop so controlling them at the right time of the year is vital,” Sam says.

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

Article supplied by Syngenta

CHOOSING THE RIGHT APEX TROUGH VALVE

Healthy waterways require quality workmanship

The fencing industry will see an influx of work with Resource Management (Stock Exclusion) Regulations 2020 having come into effect on 3 rd September. However, maintaining quality workmanship while keeping up with the work will be its biggest challenge, Marlborough-based contractor and Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCNZ) board member Mike Renner says.

With tens of thousands of kilometres of waterways due to be fenced by 2025, the majority of which is on sheep, beef and deer farms, the cost of implementing these regulations is expected to top NZ$1 billion.

This year’s Budget included funding to support the changes, including riparian planting and fencing, meaning an influx of work for the fencing industry.

“It’s a lot of work that needs to be done in such a short period of time,”

Mr Renner says.

More workers will need to be brought in to carry out the work and this needs to be controlled.

It’s important that the high quality of workmanship in the industry is maintained with the upsurge in work and contractors will need support to do this.

One way to achieve this is involving Certified Fencers to oversee projects and make sure the quality of work is there, Mr Renner says.

“If you have some sort of clause in

the agreement that a Certified Fencer has to carry out the work or sign the job off, then that helps maintain a quality control.”

Good decision making at the start of the exercise — when awarding the work — has long term consequences with regards to longevity and lowering maintenance.

Mr Renner hoped the government would work with both FCNZ as the industry body and farmers to find solutions to issues.

“They’ve got to have their eyes a bit more open to implementation and practicalities to assist and not hinder farmers. It’s got to go both ways.”

For example, farmers would be left with a “heck of a lot” of maintenance once the fencing was in place, from things such as flood damage. “And you can't expect them to meet that cost.”

He added fencing off rivers in the high country would not work and a system needs to be put in place, like a water quality rating.

“If the river is clean, like most high-country water catchments, that will pass a clean bill of health and shouldn't be touched but reviewed every 5 years, for example.

“There are other options like fencing off some water catchments that lead into the main rivers and planting these areas to do their bit.”

The fencing industry is in good stead to meet the challenge ahead of it and there are plenty of positives, Mr Renner

says. Implementing the stock exclusion regulations will require good planning and the right support in place.

To find out more about Certified Fencers and the Fencing Contractors Association of NZ, visit www.fencingcontractors.co.nz or call 0508 432 269.

Article Supplied by FCNZ

Choosing The Right Trough Valve

There’s a reason farmers are turning to Hansen as their preferred trough valve. With up to 30% faster fills and a host of lower maintenance features, they’re fast becoming the choice of a new generation of users.

Follow these steps to choose a suitable valve from the table below.

Hint: Grab a pen and circle the items relevant to your trough

Step 1 - Know your entrytrough’s style

Step 2 - Check your trough’s inlet thread size.

• Suits confined spaces

• Hansen Ezi-Clamp arm makes level adjustment a breeze

• Ability to attach a diffuser hose

Step 3 - Choose the arm length that suits your trough.

• Compact design

• Reliable in

and

pressure applications

• Durable long life valve seat

Step 4 - Choose the largest ball float that will fit into your trough.

• High performance cost effective trough valve

• Patented slipper fit piston helps eliminate stuck valves

Step 5 - Then with stock numbers in mind, choose a Hansen valve that suits.

• Delivers high volumes of water quickly with unrestricted full flow

• Stock proof bendable arm

• Self cleaning for clean/dirty water

Dairy - Fewer than 500 Sheep - Fewer than 6,000 Beef - Fewer than 600

Dairy - More than 400

Sheep - More than 6,000 Beef - More than 600

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.

Preserving the dairy tradition

It’s been 120 years since the land at Woodlands gave birth to a five generation strong Southland farming dynasty.

Anders Peterson Schmidt was born in 1858 in Wasterterp, Germany.

Anders left Europe to explore the world in 1878 as the carpenter on a Norwegian whaling ship.

He eventually settled in Woodlands as a builder, cabinetmaker and undertaker, employing two gangs of workers. In 1892, at 34 years old, he married Agnes Drake (25 years old) from Oteramika. It is Agnes who has her name on the title –40.84ha at Woodlands, bought in 1896.

Milert Peters was born in 1894 and married Charlotte (Lottie) Mary McKenzie in 1923. They continued to farm and had three children –Katherina, Margarey and Milert.

Milert Anders married Nancy Gabrille (Gay) Smith in 1951 and they had four children – Adrian, Peter, Jim and Robert (Bob). Milert had taken over running the farm when he was 12 years old and never got to secondary school as his father was unwell. They mainly farmed cattle and sheep; initially it had been a dairy farm. By then the farm had increased in size to 178ha.

In 1953, Milert and Gay brought a swampy piece of land, approximately 450 acres, at Kapuka (“The Moss”). Milert drove to Christchurch from Invercargill in an amazing eight hours in the Jenson on gravel roads to sign the

land up with the owner before he left for overseas.

Over the years the family developed the land, picking up mountains of sticks. There was no road or power when it was purchased. Eventually Peter farmed the Kapuka farm and continued to develop it.

Bob worked on the Woodlands farm after a short stint of overseas travel. Bob and Delwyne (nee Broomfield) were married in 1984. They continued to farm sheep for 13 years and the land increased to 191ha — the income derived from lambs sold to slaughter and wool. In 2001 the farm was converted to dairy farming. A 50-bail rotary dairy shed was built and a lot of the pastures re-grassed and lanes and troughs put in. The cow shed was the fifth to be built on the farm, as generations before had dairy farmed also. This was all planned meticulously by Bob, who had never milked a cow in his life, but knew how stock flowed after his years of sheep farming. Bob and Delwyne have four children – Daniel (married Karla in 2017), Hayden (married Trudy in 2016), Reuben and Tessa. Daniel and Tessa both work for DairyNZ.

Reuben (and his partner Melanie) are now contract milkers with 500 cows at Woodlands, and Hayden and Trudy contract milk on the second farm at Wakapatu milking 520 cows. This farm was purchased in 2007 and converted to dairy, installing a 54-bail rotary shed, as well as all the necessary infrastructure.

It seems the fifth generation is keen to have a go at succession.

Demand for revolutionary safety in shearing sheds.

With safety at the forefront of all farm activity, there is no better time than now to assess the safety of your shearing shed.

Due to the busy nature of shearing sheds, the opportunity for an accident to happen is high. You can minimise the risk of accidents by reviewing the current safeguards your shearing machinery offers.

• Does my shearing plant offer safety cut-out in case of lock-up?

• Is my shearing plant isolated from electric shock?

• Does my woolpress have safety guards?

• Is my woolpress safe to operate? Injuries that are preventable cost farmers, contractors and the wool and shearing industries time and money. Due to advances in technology, shearing machinery now incorporates more advanced safety features. The cost of upgrading to a higher quality machine is a small price to pay for superior safety in a busy, high-stress work environment.

Heiniger’s New Zealand National Sales Manager, Kevin Thirkell, articulates what the risks look like in a real-world context.

“Shearers, contractors and farmers increasingly demand tools that provide them with function that doesn’t compromise on safety. For example, in the past when there has been a lock-up, the hand piece can spin around at approximately 3,500rpm — making it an incredibly dangerous and

life-threatening weapon — leading to the possibility of serious injury.

“A safe and light shearing machine, with the advantage of a downtube isolated from all electrified components, reduces any risk of electric shock,” Kevin advises.

The Heiniger Evo Shearing Plant has fast become a market-leader, as it was the first shearing plant in the world to be manufactured with an electronic safety switch, stopping the machine in case of dangerous handpiece “lockups”. It is also extremely light, at only 7.8kg (machine only).

The key features to look for when upgrading your woolpress are:

• Safety: A fully fitted and approved mechanical safety screen and safety device for operator safety.

• Toughness and durability: For intensive use season after season and ensuring expensive servicing is reduced.

• Speed: To ensure high yield and efficiency when pressing bales.

• Ergonomics: Such as a low filling height to avoid stress and strain on an operator’s back.

• Robotics: High-tech machines offer a fully automatic bale ejection system to help your shearing operation.

The TPW Xpress Woolpress is widely used by farmers, shearing contractors and many woolstores where the above requirements are demanded. This machine has long been renowned

for its speed and toughness. It has been proven as the fastest press on the market, with a cycle time of 12-16 seconds in high yielding wools when pressing bales up to 200kg.

Heiniger offers innovative, safer solutions for your shearing shed. With the Evo Shearing Plant and TPW Xpress Woolpress on the market, there are now few excuses for farmers not to be able to better protect themselves and employees working on their property.

For further information, contact the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Heiniger.

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• World leading Rotax engine

• Best in class towing and carrying capacity

• Unique best in class extended tray Side by Side

• Removable tray sides- converts to huge flat bed

• Longest servicing intervals (200 hours)

• Exclusive speed limiting safety keys

• In-Cab cargo capabilities

• Engine braking with electronic hill descent control

• 6 ply tyres