The Farmlander - May 2021

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Internalising intensive winter grazing Plan365 Animal Management 41 The right winter diet is crucial

Tagging made easy

Plan365 Forage and Arable 49 Get the most from the N-cap Plan365 Rural Infrastructure

Ridding your land of rodents 53 Reduce workload with smarter fencing

Smarter way to work

As a fifth-generation farmer, Dan Studholme sees himself as a caretaker of the land as he juggles improving production while also enhancing his Waimate properties.

22 & 29

MAY

New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards

The Century Farm Awards programme recognises New Zealand farming families who have owned and worked their land for 100 years or more.

A formal dinner in Lawrence each May honours the awardees and their significant achievement of 100 or more years in farming.

Hamish Hogg

Technical Field Officer, Farmlands Feilding

Q: When did you join Farmlands and what were you doing previously?

A: I joined as a TFO in September 2018. Before that I was managing our home farm, which is 220ha and has 300 dairy cows. We also do a bit of mixed cropping with asparagus, potatoes and brassicas for domestic consumption.

Q: How did you feel about winning the Emerging TFO/TA of the Year Award this year?

A: It was a big surprise and I was totally unprepared! I just feel like it’s an awesome achievement and has motivated me to keep chipping away and learning from my mistakes and achievements. I just want to keep learning and always try to remember how important it is to give the kind of service that I would expect as a farmer.

Q: Any tips for people inside or outside of the business who are interested in becoming a TFO?

A: Just show interest and an eagerness to learn. It doesn’t come overnight. Try to learn as much as you can and ask questions – I’m still learning daily. Ask your local TFO if you can jump in their ute and go out on a farm visit with them to see what’s involved and listen to the conversations that we have with shareholders.

Lightning

Chicken

Method

Ingredients

• 1kg chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless, skin-on or skinless)

• Neutral oil, e.g. grapeseed

• 25g butter

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1/3 cup white wine

• 1½ cups cream

• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

• Couple of handfuls of baby spinach

1. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking. Pat dry with paper towels. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a fairly high heat. When hot, add the chicken (skin-side down if it has skin). You may need to do this in two batches – don't crowd the pan.

3. Leave the chicken until it has turned a deep golden brown colour on one side. Turn over and brown the other side.

4. When both sides of the chicken are brown and crispy, set aside on a plate or roasting tray.

5. Tip any excess oil from the pan and replace over a medium heat. Add the butter and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, increase the heat to high and let it bubble rapidly for about 30-60 seconds to evaporate the alcohol – it should reduce by about half.

6. Stir in the cream, thyme and spinach. Add the chicken and any resting juices. Reduce the heat to medium-high and leave to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced down to a nice consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with steamed greens and roast potatoes, or rice.

Welcome to the May edition of The Farmlander. I am now one month into my term as Acting CEO and my first weeks in the role have been spent helping our Farmlanders get clarity on what we stand for and our objectives in the coming months.

I have outlined three priorities:

• Be precise about the job shareholders require of us;

• Be clear on how we complete that job definitively better than anyone else;

• Focus just on the activities that help us do this consistently and stop doing anything that doesn’t.

We stand for Growing Shareholder Success. Ensuring enduring thriving land that can sustain food production for generations is critical to that success. Being “first for New Zealand’s food and fibre inputs” is about positioning to lead in the smart inputs necessary for achieving this.

The challenge we have set for ourselves is how we best combine the awesome resources and processes of this great company to deliver on this. Our collective of more than 70,000 New Zealand farmers and growers offers enormous opportunity.

After years of change, our significant investment into a powerful new platform and change in the industry, we understand fully the need to refocus our value proposition. Shareholders will soon see an important first step. As part of our strategic commitment to accelerating digital, our new and improved Farmlands online store will come online for shareholders to use in the near future. This follows significant development and testing. This will start as a soft launch initially – which is a scaled down version as we learn from initial activity on the site. This is a standard approach for establishing an e-commerce channel. Shareholders will have the choice of items delivered to them, or to collect from the nearest Farmlands store.

This will supersede our existing online store, which we have decommissioned to protect shareholder data. Our COVID Click and Collect online store was a temporary solution, albeit an important one. We have taken our time to get the new online store right, as we have seen a change in how our shareholders choose to shop with us. While our physical stores remain a critical touch point, we are pleased to be giving you the opportunity to shop with us “anytime, anywhere” as we grow and develop this important channel.

Once our Farmlands online store is operational, you will be able to pay using your Farmlands Card. All you need to do is sign up for MyFarmlands - our online portal that provides shareholders with the ability to access online statements, Choices Rewards Points and more. Visit www.farmlands.co.nz to learn more.

Thank you for your continued support. All the best for the month ahead.

Kevin Cooney Chief Executive Ofiicer (Acting) Farmlands Co-operative

5 minutes with Aimee Charteris

Founder – Smart Shepherd

What is Smart Shepherd technology?

Smart Shepherd is an award-winning technology that measures the maternal performance of free-range livestock. It accurately identifies the lambs raised by each ewe and measures the strength of the ewe-lamb bond. Smart Shepherd is a game-changer for improving mothering ability, productivity, eating quality and welfare.

How did your interest in sheep/lamb monitoring technology emerge? How did you come up with this idea?

I was raised on a Gisborne sheep and beef farm and went on to train as a Livestock Geneticist. Most of my working career has been spent in and around red meat supply chains, working out where and how we can improve the supply chain.

The team and I have worked in the sheep industry for the last 18-years. We have always had a desire to use proximity technology to characterise behavioural traits that may improve welfare within production systems. While the primary aim is to improve maternal success in the genetic space, we saw the opportunity to use this technology in commercial operations to select fit-for-purpose maternal replacements in any production animal species that are run on large scale.

What do you think the biggest drawcard for reproductive behavioural monitoring technology such as this is?

Knowledge. Good mothers are the heart of any family. Gathering further knowledge around the variation that exists in maternal success can be used to harness further increases in production. This is particularly important when we appear to have reached the ceiling in some systems — such as sheep. Most commercial

Most commercial farmers wean 150 percent, but we believe the gap between scanning and weaning could be considerably reduced.”

farmers wean 150 percent, but we believe the gap between scanning and weaning could be considerably reduced. There is currently no other way to obtain this information on a large scale, in a cost-effective manner. There are other means such as DNA but for a commercial farmer, this is generally cost prohibitive. For those who have invested in radio frequency identification (RFID or EID), it creates a mechanism to extract significant value out of this investment.

What are some of the most exciting things you have seen in the last few years in the ag tech space and why did these get your attention?

Monitoring technology in the dairy industry. This technology comes in the form of a collar which monitors the health and wellbeing of individual cows, specific aspects of reproduction and overall herd or group management. Collecting real-time information, then making fast and efficient decisions, demonstrates a producer’s commitment to the wellbeing of all. Around the globe customers now prioritise welfare and environmental values in the products that they purchase and they will do this even more in the future; making this game-changing technology.

What is coming up for Smart Shepherd this year?

We can’t wait to get back out on the farms and see our clients who used the system in the genetics space last year. We want to grow this market with the right customers and we will also be looking for suitable commercial farmers to continue to beta test our maternal select system in both sheep and deer. Automating reading capability in the yards will be one of our main focusses with some tweaks in the hardware, firmware and software.

How are Kiwi sheep farmers at trying out new technology, have you seen a shift in attitudes in the last 5 years?

We need to improve out of sight. We find that the innovators and early adopters are always eagerly awaiting something new to integrate into their business. However, there is a large proportion of the industry who wait to adopt when technology becomes common-place or where regulation enforces the use of it. We need our farmers to become more curious so we can get better as an industry. We cannot continue to go about our business in the same ways and using the same methods as we have in the past. One of our favourite mantras is that if we aim to do things differently,

We cannot continue to go about our business in the same ways and using the same methods as we have in the past.”

we are likely to get an altogether different result. The chance that it will be considered ‘different’ in 10 years’ time is slim – it will likely be commonplace. We need to get in front of the game. I believe the success of farming businesses will depend on this type of technology in the future.

What advice would you give Kiwis wanting to bring a farm technology solution to market?

The first step is to work out who has the pain point and will they pay for your ag-tech solution. Once you have a product, trial it with a group of relevant people you trust. When moving towards getting to market, make sure you get the right people around you. Define your vision, values and purpose and go for it! Be prepared to be agile, patient, have an open mind and ask for honest

feedback. I can’t stress enough the need to surround yourself with the right people and be prepared for the long-haul.

What is the biggest barrier for New Zealand farm tech innovators/ inventors and how can this be overcome?

Taking the first step. This is how you finally overcome the battle to begin. Be courageous and just start…. back yourself to find your way.

THE BIG PICTURE

An intergenerational farming approach focusing on sustainability underpins Dan Studholme’s business strategy — across his dairy, sheep and beef operation in Waimate, South Canterbury.

As a fifth-generation farmer, Dan sees himself as a caretaker of the land as he juggles improving production while also enhancing the properties.

The Studholme legacy began with Michael Studholme, a pioneering European settler who arrived in the area in 1854.

In its heyday the Studholme’s Te Waimate landholding comprised around 100,000 acres. Across the generations the land has been broken up and sold, although Dan still has cousins farming next door and his family’s namesake town of Studholme is just down the road.

Dan, his wife Bridget and children, Claudia and George live in a homestead on Te Mako. They also own Limestone Hills, about 7 kilometres away and lease another property, Vale Terrace 12 kilometres away.

Dan has been back on the family farm for around 17 years, although as a kid he hadn’t necessarily planned on returning to the farm.

After high school he completed a commerce degree at Otago University and then spent a short time travelling.

At that time Dan described farming as ‘an unattractive proposition’.

"Our family ownership structure was very complicated. There were several different ownership entities and intertwining historical loans.

“My Dad Paul had been farming successfully in partnership with my grandfather and his sudden death led to the farming business coming under severe stress in the 1980s.

Homecoming

“I came home in 2004 and could see the potential in the farms but I also arrived as land prices started to skyrocket, which was a further complication.”

Despite that, Dan went into partnership with his Dad and began an intense decade of fencing, fertilising and re-grassing.

“When I first came home none of the environmental measures we carry out now were even on the radar. It was all about making the most of your land and grazing.

“We started fencing waterways in mid to late 2000s and the driver then was easier management. It was easier to re-fence or realign a fence, to stop stock getting stuck on the wrong side of the creek. It was about fencing off the worst land, so we could utilise the better land.

“We began fencing off half and one-hectare areas, which we would leave to revert and sometimes plant in natives.

“It became pretty clear that as well as a good farm management practice, there were additional environmental aspects around protecting the poorer ground.

“Environmental sustainability is important to me, particularly because of the family legacy I'm involved in. The biggest constraint is budget. We have done a lot and made a lot of progress but it is a long journey.”

Environment Canterbury, which Dan describes as one of the leading regional councils in the country in regard to their regional plan, has enabled them to be a lot further ahead than many along the environment journey.

“We have had farm environmental plans for a number of years, as part of our irrigation consents and these are regularly audited. It’s just one less hurdle we have to contend with and means farming and land protection is less daunting for us than it is in some other areas.” Dan supports the principles of the Government’s waterway proposals and says there needs to be change but that common sense needs to prevail and change needs to be sensible.

Crown protection

The small waterway fencing Dan was carrying out was the catalyst to apply to the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust (QEII), to protect native land blocks.

The QEII Trust is a statutory organisation, independent from the Government, that partners with private landowners to protect natural and cultural heritage sites on their land with covenants.

The agreement protects the land forever, with around 180,000ha of private land now under QEII covenant.

Partnerships have created a growing network of over 4,700 protected areas, ranging from small backyard patches to huge swathes of high country.

Dan has three blocks protected by QEII, two 12ha blocks and one 17ha block, with the QEII Trust contributing half the $100,000 cost of fencing across the three blocks.

“The carrot is receiving the funding that contributes to the cost of fencing. In my case these blocks were ineffective and the nature of the country meant full barrier fences in steep and rocky terrain was very expensive.

“With support from QEII we have put aside over 40ha to allow native plants and wildlife to regenerate and the bonus for me is we can now further subdivide the areas around the QEII blocks, so we have improved grazing on the land that bounds the blocks.”

With no stock grazing in the QEII blocks, Dan says there is a lot of undergrowth and seedling trees coming through, like totara and a lot more bird life.

Move towards dairy

Dan has also introduced a major change in stock composition over the years.

When he came back to the farm, the stock make-up was a very traditional 80 percent sheep and 20 percent beef.

Dairy support now makes up about 60 percent of land usage, with predominantly heifers grazed — sheep and beef cattle make up the remaining usage.

“Over the last 15 years we have expanded into dairy support. Benefits include cash flow all year around, less price fluctuations, greater confidence in forecasted income and it frees up capital, so we don’t have as much money tied up in livestock.

“It also adds a level of accountability. There are greater expectations to deliver when you are responsible for another person’s stock.”

The home farm, Te Mako, comprises 185ha with 58ha of flat irrigated land, 40ha of easy to rolling and the remainder steep hill country.

Limestone Hills, where Dan’s parents live, is 470ha with around 200ha of easy rolling land and the remainder hill country.

The lease block, Vale Terrace, is a 280ha easy rolling property where the focus is on cattle — with about half the land irrigated.

“We took on Vale Terrace about 4 years ago to give us more scale.

“We try to build a flexible system by having a go at predicting what’s going to happen and making adjustments, so we are in a position to take the opportunities when they do arrive. Vale Terrace has given us additional scope to achieve that.”

A healthy mix

A Romney ewe flock of 1,700 comprising two tooths, m/a ewes and 450 hoggets is run across the two owned blocks.

The lambing percentage is around 150 percent and the average weaning weight is 28kg with a goal of bringing that up to 30kg or higher.

Lamb sales vary each year. “It depends on the seasonal markets, weather and what other stock I am carrying through.

“The last couple of years it has been profitable to sell the store lambs in December but this season I have kept the lambs for longer and fattened them on a specialist lamb feed which has worked well.”

Studholme uses Romney rams sourced from George Williams’ Grassendale Stud in Wairarapa, a robust breed used to harsh conditions with proven growth rates.

The hoggets are put to Southdown rams for quick maturing lambs which prime up quickly.

The properties carry 130 Angus Hereford cross cows and along with a few buy-ins, finish 150-200 prime animals a year.

Dan has focussed on finishing cattle rather than increasing breeding numbers, again to offer more flexibility into the system.

“There is always potential to get better performance and we have been chipping away using different methods and being prepared to change the way we do things to get the best result.

Knowing the land

With an average annual rainfall across the properties of 700mm, having irrigation is a real bonus.

During winter there are only ewe hoggets on Te Mako's 58ha of irrigated land but that land will be used to finish lambs and graze dairy heifers over the summer.

"The irrigated land is almost treated like a dairy platform with a low stocking rate in the winter which is cranked up in summer.

The soil type of the irrigated ground does not lend itself to wintering a lot of stock as it is quite poorly drained and I don't want to destroy good summer producing pastures over winter."

Te Mako is on a community water scheme and pumps water from the neighbouring farm’s bore for troughs. Limestone Hills is spring fed using a combination of water storage tanks and gravity/solar reticulation.

“Previously we relied on stock water through creeks and dams. As we have subdivided paddocks we have tapped into springs and reticulated that water to troughs.

“So again, the driver wasn’t necessarily environmental but biodiversity is the winner.

“It really depends on what spins your wheels and what your motivations for change are.

“Most farmers have a hefty financial noose and they want to farm so they can loosen that noose and meet their commitments, while also moving forward in a sustainable way.

“It’s about understanding the farm as an entire system. So, when you make a change you can understand the effect that has on the rest of the system, it’s about a more strategic approach to management so I’m always looking at the bigger picture.

"I've always enjoyed trying to improve the land and make it produce more while also making it a better long-term proposition. Less environmental impact now is only going to make it a more sustainable business in the future.

“We are always planning and looking at sustainability. For us a long-term plan is about thinking 100 years ahead, not 10 or 20 years. An example of this would be pine trees. A lot of our farm would be very suited to growing pine and in the current regulatory climate it would make sound financial sense. However, we feel that this would not be the best use long-term and we favour native plants and grazing for long-term financial and environmental sustainability.”

Central Districts Field Days

The mornings were crisp, the weather was ideal and attendance was strong across all 3 days of Central Districts Field Days 2021 (CDFD).

After the COVID-19 lockdown cancelled last year’s event at short notice, farmers and farm industry suppliers were eager to get out and support the event.

Close to 3,000 Farmlands shareholders, as well as many non-members, came through the Farmlands site across the 3 days and all were warmly welcomed.

Manawatū and Horowhenua Technical Field Officer and Sales Lead for the event Jason Payne remarked the first day was busier than anticipated, with the team seeing a lot of traffic through the tent from farming and lifestyle based shareholders, along with young families, which he says was great to see.

“The verbal feedback we’ve had across the 3 days has been great.

Shareholders thought we had a really interactive site filled with energy and thought-provoking conversations, plus the lunch offer was a nice little cherry

on top,” Jason says.

“Having the extended hospitality area was great, making it a space that people wanted to come to, giving them a chance to relax and rest their feet. It also gave the staff a chance to sit down and have a conversation with shareholders, to see if there was anything that we could do for them.”

An interactive space was established where shareholders were asked to do a 2 minute survey about what their core business is, what their biggest challenges were through the autumn, what brought them to the tent and what their main concerns are on farm.

Higher than usual levels of summer rain in the central district pre-Christmas was good for grass but not so good for some summer crops. There were a few washed out early maize crops and it delayed the sowing of others. Despite this, Jason says that most of the farmers in his area are feeling positive about the year ahead.

“Our shareholders were generally

coming to us for advice and a good deal heading into autumn (at the time of the event) with lots of activities on the farming agenda, including maize harvest and re-grassing — so it’s a busy time of year.

“Thing are looking positive in the dairy space with pay-outs looking good and plenty of feed about, so the dairy guys are looking at some capital investments and infrastructure developments,”

Jason adds.

“We fielded quite a few questions around feed, seed and chemical applications which aligns strongly with our Autumn Campaign."

Partners on site with the Farmlands team at CDFD in Feilding included Delfast, Meridian Energy, Agricom, Noel Leeming, Property Brokers, Donaghys, Summit and Zoetis.

"All the customers were in such great spirits and happy to be out and about, we had some great deals on offer and it was fantastic to be able to interact with them after not being able to last year,"

Farmlands Retail Lead for the event

Sally Gibson says.

Zoetis Key Account Manager Tim Horsbrough says he and his team embraced the chance to chat to their customers face to face. "It went really well for us sales-wise and in every other way. Not being able to do this last year was a bummer, so those who came in were more engaged than ever before I feel."

WOOD BURNERS LOVE TO BURN

RURAL HOUSEHOLDS ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO USE WOOD FIRES

Every year around 150 FMG clients experience a damaging house fire. These fires are often traumatic events—a home is so much more than just walls and a roof. The leading causes of house fires in rural areas differ from those in urban areas. For instance, households in rural areas are twice as likely to use wood fires for heating— and more likely to experience a fireplace or chimney fire.

We spoke with dairy farmers, Jocelyn and Chris Luxford about the good advice they received from FMG to double their house contents cover. Sadly in the near future a wood fire would cause their home to burn down.

“When we saw Robyn for our annual review she said that she didn’t think our contents cover was enough and advised us to double it—gosh she was on the ball. We’re very grateful for what we’ve been covered for,” says Jocelyn.

The Luxfords’ advice to others is highly valuable. “Check your insurance policy and make sure you’ve got enough contents cover. Take videos of your contents and make sure to store these in the ‘cloud’—you’d be really surprised at what the value to replace your contents is. Lastly, I’d recommend to others to get a fireproof lockbox to keep things that matter to you safe,” says Jocelyn.

If you’d like to talk through your home cover give us a call on 0800 366 466. You can also visit FMG Connect, our online service, to check and update your household contents cover and ensure you have enough in place. Head to fmg.co.nz/ connect to login or register.

If you’re after more advice on protecting your home head to fmg.co.nz/house-fires

We’re here for the good of the country.

South Island Agricultural Field Days

With more than 2,000 shareholders visiting the Farmlands tent in late March, the team of experts, field and retail staff and supplier representatives were kept busy offering advice and recommendations on the latest innovative products.

For Canterbury dairy farmers and Farmlands shareholders Rob and Janet Mangin, getting out and about to events around the country is an integral part of their farm management.

Taking time off their 206ha dairy farm in Ashburton to visit events such as the South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) in Kirwee has been part of Rob’s calendar for many years.

“We try to get to all of the big events around Canterbury, as well as attending the A&P shows and smaller events or seminars put on within the industry,”

Rob says.

“The Field Days are really good because they’re always topical and have everything there in one place.”

With the environment, health and safety and compliance being front of mind for many farmers, the easy access to expert advice and inventive products is a big drawcard for attendees.

“When we’ve got projects going on at the farm, Field Days offers an opportunity to seek out specific technical advice. That advice and support is the main reason I’ll walk into a tent like Farmlands'.”

“It’s all about making life easier and safer and you’ve got to really make an effort to see everything to make sure you’re not missing anything that can help you on-farm,” Rob says.

The Field Days deals are just a nice add-on for the Mangins, although Janet keeps a careful eye on the purse when Rob is out and about.

“I’m always up for a bargain!” Rob says. “At these events you always see products that you’ve never heard about or seen before and they can be the missing piece to make a project so much easier.”

The multitude of options available at SIAFD means that the whole 3 days are

needed to get around and see all that the industry has to offer.

“It’s more than a one-day job and we do often save our purchasing until these events to make sure we are getting the best deal.”

The open, inviting nature of the Farmlands tent and having the team of field staff and industry experts from Farmlands Growth and Innovation team available in their bright orange “Know-ItAll” t-shirts was also a winner for Rob.

“Having someone come up, say hello and make a genuine enquiry into how your farm is going is what makes you feel valued as a shareholder. A great thing about these events is how social they are, so having that contact with people is very important,” Rob says.

Keep calm and reduce lameness

Veterinarian Neil Chesterton recently spoke to a large group of dairy farmers in Dunsandel and Hinds in Canterbury about ways to reduce lameness in dairy cows and how to improve cow flow.

More than 80 Synlait dairy farmers attended each session to gain insight into the factors that contribute to lameness in cows and how to prevent it.

Neil Chesterton has been a vet in dairy practice in Taranaki for almost 40 years and is well known for finding practical answers to reduce lameness in dairy cows. His studies identified that the two main areas of risk for foot damage in pasture-based systems are the walking surface of the track and the management of the herd — both on the track and in the milking yard. Neil has travelled internationally to investigate lameness problems and to train farmers and vets in low-stress herd handling, while improving cow-flow into and out of the milking shed.

The seminars came about following a brainstorming session with the Farmlands Growth and Innovation team and Synlait last year, Farmlands Head of Nutrition & Animal Health Dr Robert Derrick explains.

Different types of ailments

“Studies have been done in New Zealand suggesting that an average of 26 percent of the cows in large herds have some form of lameness over the course of a full year, so it’s widespread,” Dr Neil says.

Just four lameness conditions account for about 90 percent of the lameness in pasture-based farms in New Zealand. These are: white line injury, sole injury, axial wall damage and foot rot. Lameness in dairy cattle in New Zealand is mainly associated with injury and infection.

• White line injury: This is a lameness condition affecting predominantly the lateral claw of hind feet in adult cattle and the medial claw of the front feet in heifers. Stress and handling under pressure in the collecting yard and the tracks increases the risk of white line separation. This initial separation allows entry of foreign material and an abscess to form under the wall. After about 2 weeks the abscess works its way up towards the coronet and bursts out. The main sign of pressure handling is to see cows with their heads up over the backs of other cows.

• Sole injury: Another common foot issue causing lameness is sole injury. This could be a sole bruise but more commonly lameness is caused by a sole puncture wound. This puncture can develop into an abscess that Dr Neil says “works its way underneath the sole and bursts out between the claws.” Kiwi cows are used to walking distances to and from the milking shed and if allowed to walk at their own pace, are very good at avoiding stones that might damage their soles. Stressed cows with their heads up can’t see where they are treading and can’t pull up their hooves quickly to relieve pressure if they do tread on something sharp.

• Axial wall damage: Cracks between the toes or axial wall damage, are also quite common. These start with an injury caused by a stone jammed up between the claws at the top of the hoof. For example the cow may have had (treated) foot rot 3 months earlier but the injury can grow further down the hoof, causing cracks in the axial hoof wall.

• Foot rot: This is initially caused by an injury breaking the skin between the claws, followed by a bacterial infection, most commonly Fusobacterium necrophorum. Once the injured skin is infected, the foot swells and is very painful. If treated early with antibiotics the pain and swelling rapidly heals.

Neil’s presentation titled “Understanding Lameness – the importance of improving cowflow to reduce the damage to the foot”, revealed that incorrect herd management was surprisingly common and contributed to poor animal health and lost productivity.

“Most claw-horn disruption lameness has been associated with improper handling, damaging walking surfaces, as well as flighty animal behaviour. Careful, low-stress handling and proper flooring may help prevent this from occurring,” Dr Neil says.

Good cow flow is key

“Within a herd there will always be dominant cows and passive cows and (just like a group of teenagers) it is this dominance of certain cows that affects all herd behaviours,” Dr Neil says.

“In this way, herds are a bunch of individuals that observe social rules and they need routine. They are creatures of habit and it is up to the farmer to create good routines for them.

“50 percent of the dominant cows are in the front third of the herd. The rest are spread throughout the herd and these cows control the herd walking speed.

“Dominant cows draw cows behind them as they move forward and cause cows in front of them to hurry along often by giving them a bunt.

“There is a walking order and a milking order — and they are different. Cows need time and space to readjust from a walking order to a milking order after they arrive at the milking shed.

“If cow flow is poor, then adjustments to facilities and procedures can be made to make milking an ‘exercise in contentment’.

“Not only will people perform better, the cows will respond by flowing more smoothly. A content herd will have better milk let down, produce more, have a lower cell count and less foot damage.

“The cow is a creature of habit — changes will confuse her, so therefore we need to maintain the same routines every day.

“But the cow is also adaptable, every day is a training experience for the cow – either good or bad.”

A cow allowed to express normal behaviour as an individual and in the herd will behave in certain predictable ways and the herd will flow well and be content. Poor cow flow is often the result of a lack of understanding of

cow behaviour in the way people manage cows and in the poor design of facilities.

The combination of understanding the herd, having consistent routines and giving the cows space, should result in good cow flow.

Farmers in attendance gave some examples of routines that they find effective in improving cow flow, such as having a sprinkler on the milking platform on hot days to encourage cows to move as desired.

Dr Neil concluded his presentation by saying while lameness may seem inevitable within a dairy herd, it can be managed and reduced though careful and calm herd management. The less stress on a cow, the less impact on her hooves and the way that animals are managed on the farm has a huge impact on herd health.

Tips for keeping your herd relaxed:

• Voluntary flow from the paddock, or keep 10 metres behind the last cow.

• Have enough space in the collecting yard for your herd (1.3sqm for Jersey cows, 1.5sqm for Fresians).

• Delay the first movement of the backing gate for at least 20 minutes after the first row or rotation of cows has entered the bales.

• Have consistent routines (e.g. filling the bales in the shed, cupping, teat spraying and exiting the bales, how you move the backing gate etc).

• Cows prefer familiar people and surroundings.

• Ensure you and your workers are calm and quiet – no rushing.

• Use a gentle tone when speaking to the cows or to each other.

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Opening the gates to phytomedicine

Phytofarm, a medicinal plant farm and passion project designed and developed by herbalist and naturopath Valmai Becker, was one of many farms around New Zealand to host an Open Farms event on 21st March.

Open Farms was started in 2020, to bridge the knowledge gap between urban visitors and rural farmers and growers. 37 farms around New Zealand hosted approximately 2,500 visitors from both urban and rural backgrounds and luckily, the weather held out for most!

Farmlands Amberley Salesperson Chris Jackson visited Phytofarm in Little River, Canterbury to learn more about land diversity and creating your own balms, teas and herbal medicine.

“Phyto” means plant and for Farmlands shareholder Valmai Becker, plants are a way of life. After graduating with a Diploma in Naturopathy in 1980 and holding a position as Co-Owner and

Director of the Canterbury College of Natural Medicine, Valmai purchased 12ha of land in 2002. The diversity of the property drew her in, with wetland and forest complementing the bare land. Valmai has since allowed the forest to regenerate back into native bush that invites native birds, particularly morepork back to nest.

“While I enjoyed the Canterbury College of Natural Medicine, I missed having a garden. The position within the college involved a lot of administration and I wanted to get back to the land,” Valmai says.

“At the time of buying the land, I was also running a natural retreat in Nelson and one attendee asked if I wanted a ginkgo tree. Ginkgos are an amazing tree with a long history of medicinal research into supporting brain health and preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia. That tree was one of the first to be planted and started my education garden.

“At first I was just growing enough for myself but eventually ended up producing enough to teach a class how to grow, process and harvest herbs and other plants before blending them into teas and other products,” Valmai says.

“Investigating how to process and dry each plant became the main focus, until the garden was growing enough that I could start producing a product range to sell. I also started up an apprenticeship program for people wanting to learn about what plants could give back to you in more depth.

“Most of the apprentices are off lifestyle blocks and are wanting to farm more than just sheep and cattle — they are wanting to diversify how their land is being used.”

Flourishing flora and fauna

Diversification is a theme within Phytofarm, with Valmai growing between 65-100 different species of plant, including the herb garden and trees.

Running a permaculture plant guild in her orchard has also proven to help the trees recover from fungal infections.

“More orchards have bare earth under the trees but I’ve planted comfrey, irises, calendula and nasturtiums that bring in beneficial insects and minimise the risk of disease.”

Phytofarm is also run organically with most plants best suited to the Canterbury climate.

“New Zealand has a very temperate climate so you can grow most things here but often I will travel down to Otago to pick up anything that grows particularly well, such as St. John’s Wort,” Valmai says.

The Phytofarm apprentice workshops are run seasonally and each workshop surrounds the plants that are available for the upcoming season. The autumn workshops traditionally focus on making hydrosols, medicinal vinegars, honeys and syrups — while winter will

look into nurturing with foot baths and body butters. Spring explores nutrition while summer gets topical with creams, balms and ointments.

Sharing the knowledge

The apprenticeship program was the drawcard for Valmai’s business partner, Andrea Bay. Originally finding her passion for herbal medicine in Germany, Andrea began voluntarily helping out in the garden at Phytofarm after completing her apprenticeship.

Eventually she bought into the business, moving herself and her husband onto the farm. Andrea was onhand to run the Open Farms day and was pleasantly surprised at how the event turned out.

“It was beautiful weather and we ended up having 42 parties join us on the day,” Andrea says.

“We had advertised that the tour would start at 10am but our first group turned

up at 9.15am! We had a good mix of visitors, some older and some younger but it was a totally different crowd to the people who usually come for the workshops — it was lovely and is what the Open Farms day is really all about.”

Following the tour of the gardens, Andrea demonstrated tea-blending and made a kawakawa salve.

“There were quite a few questions and we encouraged people to interact with the plants, to touch and smell them.

“The Open Farms event team were great to deal with, we were sent signs that we could put out on the road to direct people in and had plenty of support leading up to the event. We would definitely run the event again, depending on the timing as it was wonderful to meet people totally new to the topic of herbal medicine,” Andrea says.

The grass can be greener

West Coast dairy farmers Jeremy and Anna Hart spent over a decade share-milking large herds of up to 2,000 cows in the Waimate area before making the move to a smaller dairy farm about 25 kilometres from Hokitika.

They spoke at South Island Field Days about what prompted them to make the move to the West Coast and how it worked out for them.

They shared their experience as part of a wider panel discussion, led by Sarah Perriam, host of Sarah’s Country podcast — that also included Development West Coast CEO Heath Milne and Property Brokers representatives Gareth Cox and Conrad Wilkshire — and provided a good insight into what it’s like to buy and start farming in a new part of New Zealand.

“We did our 10 years and then we started looking at a bigger deer farm, but the bank thought it was a good idea that we keep dairy.

“We looked over at the West Coast, which had fairly cheap land that was self-contained and had plenty of rainfall. It’s also a great lifestyle, so we are really glad we made the move.

“We’ve got a great community around us, with really good people and it reminds me of how New Zealand was 20 years ago,” Jeremy says.

Recent expansion will see Jeremy and Anna ramp up production, while maintaining a manageable operation.

“We milk 300 cows and we just bought another 50ha next door, so we are going to 400 cows” Jeremy says.

“We get the cows in for three milkings in two days, right from calving.

“The thing I like about the coast is that it's

Anna says the move has been a positive one, explaining how she and Jeremy started share-milking large herds (up to 2,000 cows) around 2006 and did so for about 13 years.

“Milking large herds got us to where we are but it was pretty tough going with 8 to 13 staff in the peak and we never really had any family time, so we decided to make that lifestyle change,” Anna says.

“We felt like we were ready to take that next step, but we couldn’t see a way in Canterbury because the land prices were too high.

“We thought we would have a family holiday down the West Coast and we also had a look around some farms and found one in the Kowhitirangi Valley that we ended up buying through Gareth Cox at Property Brokers.

“The biggest thing that we did was to buy the stock that was already there on the farm, so they knew the farm,” Anna says.

There was already good genetics in that herd and we have improved that over the years.

“We looked at schooling and there was a really good high school in Hokitika and our son went to the local rural school so that was a great way to meet people.

“I really threw myself into the community when we first arrived and got involved in things and now I’m a local councillor on the Westland District Council.”

Who’s moving?

It’s an interesting mix of people who are buying farms on the West Coast, Property Brokers Rural Real Estate Agent Canterbury-West Coast Gareth Cox says.

“We’ve seen quite a recovery in interest in rural property the last year and a half and a lot of younger people looking for their first or second farm.

“That’s backed up by the sales that we’ve seen this season, last year we had 3 dairy farms sold on the West Coast, this year we’ve seen 6 to 7 in the season to late March which is a pretty huge turnaround really.

“It’s no secret that rural land prices have taken a hit over the last 2 to 3 years, but they are recovering.

“For farmers, the West Coast of the South Island probably offers some of the best value for money in the country.

This part of New Zealand can be very profitable for farmers and that is what the banks want to see — that you can be profitable from day one.”

Property Brokers Rural General Manager Conrad Wilkshire agrees, adding that it has always been people based outside of the district who are buying the farms and that it’s always been that way on the West Coast.

“Every year we run campaigns to bring people from elsewhere around New Zealand and we run seminars up and down the country on it, in partnership with Development West Coast,” Conrad says.

Development West Coast CEO Heath Milne says it helps that Westland District Council has a good understanding of farming and strikes the right balance between considering environmental impact and economic need in the resource consent process.

“From an environment point of view on the West Coast — we do get a bit of rain at times and we get enough so you don’t really have issues with water getting on the paddock or stuff getting off it either,” Heath says.

“It’s not as isolated as people think; you can be in Christchurch in 2 and a half hours and it is great base to run a successful business.”

The move to start farming in a whole new district can be daunting, but if you do your homework and need a better lifestyle balance, it can be a very rewarding move to make.

Solid hop harvest

Clayton Hops has gone from strength to strength in the last few years, becoming the largest hop growing operation in New Zealand and this year’s harvest is likely to be its biggest yet.

Clayton Hops is owned and operated by the three Clayton brothers: Andrew, Glen and Brian, who run four farms about an hour’s drive from Nelson.

What started as Andrew setting up a hop farm 4 years ago has grown into multiple farms, with all the brothers realising the global demand for quality New Zealand grown hops and the long-term potential.

Since then, three former dairy farms and one sheep and beef farm have been (or are in the process of being) converted and are producing world class hops for the craft beer market — all of which have been set up with the more

targeted and efficient drip line, instead of overhead irrigation.

Sales and Marketing Manager Brian Clayton says this year’s harvest is likely to be strong.

He puts this down to a mixture of favourable weather, more experience and maturity of the hop gardens as a whole.

“The yields this year are up considerably on last year,” Brian says.

“The plants are getting older in the field and as they mature, they become more productive.

“Our people on the ground are also getting better at growing hops. It’s a tricky exercise and luck can play a part.

Our hearts go out to the farms that were devastated by the freak hailstorm in December last year.”

Brian and his brothers are in the midst of a major expansion which will effectively

double the size of their hop gardens and thereby double their production output to about 1,000 tonnes per year.

“We’ve developed about 240ha of garden over the last 4 years or so and we’ve still got about 250 to 300ha to develop,” Brian says.

“We’re hitting it hard because we like the product, the industry and it suits our skillsets very well.”

It was all hands on deck back in March, with hops being harvested at a rate of about 5 to 8ha per day!

Although they are not even half a decade in, the brothers now produce a wide range of globally sought-after hop varieties including Nelson Sauvin™, Motueka™ and Riwaka™ (which is a little trickier to grow and prized among brewers) — to name a few.

New types of hops are bred and developed by New Zealand Hops,

a co-operative of Master Growers, which has an innovative breeding program with exciting new varieties in continual development.

“We are very fortunate that we can produce ‘spray free’ hops as the risk of our hops being affected by pests and disease is low. We see this as a competitive advantage over hops from other countries,” Brian says.

The latest and greatest

As well as an intensive crop expansion, Clayton Hops is investing in the latest technology. “We have installed two new Dauenhauer hop picking and cleaning facilities on our farms together with flat-bed drying kilns that are heated by blowing air over hot water radiators — this ensures that our hops are free from exhaust fumes. Currently it’s around $7 million to install each facility, so it’s a pretty chunky investment,” Brian says.

The Clayton brothers have big ambitions and are confident they can play a part in boosting New Zealand hop grower’s contribution, from supplying just one percent of the world’s hops currently, to contributing closer to three or four percent over the next decade or so.

“Some brewers come to select the hops they want, as it’s the hops that give their craft beers a point of difference. If it wasn’t for COVID-19 there would be a lot of American clients coming over, but it’s been nice entertaining the Kiwi crowd.”

As well as being Farmlands shareholders, the team is part of New Zealand Hops. “Those guys really welcomed us into the industry when we were starting out and some of the local growers have been really good to us,” Brian says.

Richmond-based Farmlands Technical Advisor Alena Griffith says it’s been great watching their operation grow and to be

able to assist the Clayton brothers across the seasons.

“I have really enjoyed working with the Claytons over the last 3 to 4 years and seeing the dairy block being transformed into a full-scale hop operation has been quite amazing,” Alena says.

The brothers grew up on a dry stock farm on the West Coast that was later converted into dairy.

“Dad helps Andrew out at hop harvest and Glen’s father in law, Hugh, comes up from Southland to help out as well. Our parents, John and Margaret, love the fact that we are still involved in agriculture,” Brian says.

While COVID-19 has slowed export somewhat, the brothers are confident that market demand will pick up in the second half of 2021.

Investing in quad bike safety

More than 70 New Zealanders have died in workplace quad bike accidents since 2006.

“These deaths are absolute tragedies and hit rural communities extremely hard,” WorkSafe New Zealand Agriculture Lead Al McCone says.

Steep slopes, ditches, speed, towing or carrying too-heavy loads and hitting hidden objects are among the range of factors involved in quad bike accidents. However, fatalities have also occurred at low speed on relatively flat ground.

“Taking a few minutes to plan ahead, identify the risks and knowing how to manage those risks can literally be the difference between life and death, or a life-changing injury,” Al says.

“This is about having a conversation with a worker and suggesting they take the ute up the steep hill, rather than the quad bike, or reminding them that there are hidden pipes or potholes in a paddock.

“However, people make mistakes. It may be that rush of blood to the head when a cow takes off and you go after it on the quad. Your eyes are on the animal and not on the wheels getting close to a ditch. Or it may be that your mind is on something else, as you turn into a gateway and you aren’t prepared for the lurch when you hit a rut or stone.

“If you are lucky it will be a near miss –but a lot of people aren’t lucky. This is why it’s a good idea to ensure all quad bikes on your farm are fitted with crush protection devices (CPDs). It reduces the risk of death or serious injury in the event of a rollover.”

WorkSafe and ACC recommend that CPDs be installed on all quad bikes

used for work and they’re supporting small-to-medium-sized farm businesses to get CPDs.

ACC will provide a cashback subsidy of $180 per CPD purchased, for a maximum of two per-business. The subsidy is available for LifeGuard, Quadbar and Flexi bar CPDs.

“One of the hardest parts of our job is talking to people who have had a fatal workplace accident on their farm,” Al says.

“There are a lot of ‘if onlys’ and CPDs come up a lot in those conversations.

Installing CPDs is a critical step to make your farm a safer workplace –

one that every farmer with quad bikes should be taking.

“Putting something between a person and harm when a mistake happens is one of the best steps you can take.

Seatbelts, when in enclosed rollframes and crush protection on quad bikes, are two simple steps that will save much grief.”

To check if you would be eligible for the subsidy, please visit: https://www.acc.co.nz/for-business/ workplace-health-safety/cashback-offer-on-quad-bike-crushprotection-devices

Red Bands are turning pink

Skellerup’s classic Red Band gumboot is a genuine Kiwi icon and a staple on farms all over the country. Now, for the first time ever, the distinctive Red Band is turning pink to support Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand. The strictlylimited, special edition Skellerup Pink Band is launching in May 2021!

Nine New Zealanders are diagnosed with breast cancer every day, a third of which live outside the main centres. Working in partnership with Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand, Skellerup has created Pink Band gumboots to raise money and show our support for those affected by the disease, particularly people in rural communities.

For rural communities, a cancer diagnosis often brings with it added complexities. The realities of farm life mean it’s not always possible to take weeks (or months) off to receive treatment, resulting in many women choosing mastectomies over breast-conserving surgery. Limited resources in the rural health sector can also mean they have less access to breast reconstruction treatments.

Apart from a small update to make the footbed more comfortable and the addition of the Safety Gumboot to the range, this is the first time Red Band gumboots have been altered since their introduction in 1958.

Designed and hand-crafted in exactly the same way as the traditional Red Band, these limited edition gumboots feature pink detailing and a pink ribbon printed on the calf. Sizes range from 3-9 for women/youth.

Pink Bands are available in selected stores.

Nine New Zealanders are diagnosed with breast cancer every day”

Find out more at redband.co.nz/pinkband

With the Pink Band gumboot campaign, Skellerup aims to enhance awareness of these challenges, while also assisting Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand’s fundraising efforts. Five dollars from every pair of boots will go directly to the Foundation.

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.

Dairy beef - an efficient option

Trudy Bensted is on a mission to help reduce bobby calf numbers in New Zealand with smart genetic choices, good relationships between calf rearers and dairy farmers and not just doing what has always been done.

Trudy believes there is a real opportunity for the dairy and beef sectors to work more collaboratively, for better outcomes for farmers and an improved image to our end consumers. Trudy explored this in her Kellogg project and since completing the rural leadership programme in 2019, she has been putting her ideas into action. Trudy and her partner Phillip have been rearing calves in north Canterbury.

Specifically Speckled Parks, Belgian Blues, Herefords and Stabilizers, for a corporate group and Friesian bulls for the 100-kilo market. Trudy sees the calves she rears as a starting point for creating a top-quality beef animal. She aims to give them the best start in life, setting them up for success on the farms they are finished on.

The NZ beef industry is already producing the most efficient beef in the world in terms of greenhouse gases per 100g meat produced but using more calves from the dairy sector could improve it even further. Research backs up this up, with a recently-released

study finding that greenhouse gas emissions were 29 percent lower per kg carcass-weight for dairy beef animals, compared to suckler-beef animals*. This shows the real potential for the integration of dairy and beef production. The calves going into the beef industry need to be top quality and desirable to finish with good economic potential. Trudy is extremely passionate when it comes to genetics, making her job as Samen NZ Dairy Beef Coordinator a perfect fit.

Trudy believes there is a lack of support for good calf-rearers who put their heart and soul into what they are doing and carry a lot of risk. It can be a tough gig at times rearing calves purchased in at 5 days old, particularly with the volatile calf prices we have seen recently. These calf rearers are such an invaluable part of our agriculture industry and we need them to continue to be viable for the good of the industry. How will we do this? Trudy believes we need to focus on connecting dairy farmers with calf rearers, working on solutions that are a win-win for both parties. There is always room for improvement with the right feedback. Dairy farmers need to think about their surplus calves and work towards producing market-value calves that

rearers and finishers want. In the same breath, we need to make sure there is margin in the process for our allimportant calf rearers who are giving these calves their start in life.

Farmlands is committed to helping support calf rearers with advice and products and has a team of calf experts. Contact your local Farmlands Technical Field Officer for support.

Article supplied by Stacey Cosnett, Farmlands Nutritionist

*Benjamin van Selm, Imke J.M de Boer, Stewart F. Ledgard, Corina E. van Middelaar. (2021) Reducing greenhouse gas emissions of New Zealand beef through better integration of dairy and beef production. Agricultural Systems. 186 (in press)

What's in a bite?

In the autumn, seeing young stock graze on a new break of green grass as the dew drops sparkle in the early morning sun is a welcome sight, especially after the summer dry. Or is it? In fact, danger often lurks hidden in plain sight, which is something important for livestock owners to know.

Consider if just one of those dew drops contains 100 individual infective third stage (L3) parasite larvae, then in just one mouthful an animal could consume several thousand larvae. It is no wonder that gastro-intestinal parasitism is one of the most common infections in livestock. Where did these nasties come from? It was courtesy of the young stock themselves, grazing over the summer and discharging parasite eggs in their dung out onto the pasture, providing newly hatched larvae shelter to survive the sun’s desiccating heat. However, once significant rainfall comes, everything in the parasite world out in the paddock rapidly changes up a few gears. Simultaneously multitudes of eggs hatch to join other larvae and progress through their development stages, aided by the warm, moist autumn weather. Within just a few weeks, a wave of L3 larvae can quickly mature and move up from the pasture base into dew drops — ready to be swallowed by their host. Which is why after a summer-dry period, young stock can very rapidly lose weight, develop diarrhoea and in some instances, die. In fact, 95 percent of a property’s entire gastro-intestinal worm population live freely out in the environment, as either eggs or larvae and not in an animal. Some worm species can survive over 12 months out in the paddock, perpetuating worm infections from one season to the next.

Therefore, simply selling off stock infected with drench-resistant worms will not readily alleviate the problem on a property and why using a good worm management strategy is important. Parasite management strategies

• Minimise exposure of young stock to larvae by avoiding grazing paddocks hard near the pasture base, especially in the autumn, as this is where the infective L3 larvae live.

• Reduce susceptible animals’ contact with L3 larvae by using strategic stock management practices, e.g., after a mob of lambs either graze adult sheep or other species like cattle to ‘vacuum’ L3 larvae off paddocks.

• Before drenching it is best to test to find out what level of worm burden stock have and then use an appropriate drench product. Scorpius Elite Spot-On is ideal for use in sheep.

• Be sure to keep your stock in good body condition, well fed and with adequate mineral status as this better equips animals to withstand a parasite challenge. Some good options are: NRM Sheep Nuts, Summer Dry Nuts, or for weaner calves, Sweet16.

• Continuously monitor parasite numbers in livestock, stock health and production attributes — especially body weight gains in young stock.

• Utilise a customised parasite management program for your property.

• Practicing refugia is recommended, which is leaving some animals in a mob undrenched.

• Minimise stress: provide shade, shelter in adverse weather and always focus on disease prevention.

Autumn is a period of very high risk for young stock because not only are they still growing, they lack full immunity to these worms whose numbers are at their annual zenith on paddocks. Consequently, it is essential to have a good drench program in place and keep animals well fed with sufficient dietary nutrients so that they can better withstand any parasite challenge.

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

Article supplied by Tiffany Menzies Technical Product Manager

Internalising intensive winter grazing

While some changes might be made to the intensive winter grazing reforms, it seems likely that the hectare limit of 50ha or 10 percent of a farm will restrict the amount of crop grazed in situ in years to come – especially on specialist dry stock wintering farms.

High quality crops, especially fodder beet, have contributed to increased weight gain when compared to pasture grazing. To get to the optimum Body Condition Score at calving (BCS 5.0 for mature cows, 5.5 for first and second calvers); thinner cows need a longer drying-off time and therefore less days in milk. If less intensive winter grazing is available, farmers will have to rely on longer dry periods on pasture, to give cows time to regain condition, or feed them more in late lactation.

Feeding cows for high levels of production can support higher body condition and reduce the need for long

Drying off time

| Includes 10 days when cows are being dried off and not gaining weight and 30 days when cows do not gain weight before calving. Taken from DairyNZ Facts and Figures, 2nd edition, 2017.

dry periods. A survey of 15 farms over 5 years by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) found that giving cows access to more feed improved body condition and also feed conversion, because more feed was directed to milk production — rather than cow maintenance (MPI, 2018). The farms were also considered to have achieved resilience through having the capability to adapt to factors such as the climate and price volatility.

A much bigger survey in the 2017-18 season found that the best performing

Fonterra farm survey 2017/2018 - Carbon footprint of milk

Carbon footprint of meat (kg of

| Variation in carbon footprint of fat and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) and other key farm, production and input parameters for the average and lower and upper quartiles of data for FPCM/cow from the Fonterra farm survey for the year 2017/18

Source: Ledgard et al 2020

dairy farmers in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per kg of milk solids (those that emit the least) use more brought-in feeds and produce more milk per cow. There are many reasons that contribute to efficiency on-farm but on average, (even here in the most efficient milk-producing country in the world) higher efficiency is associated with complementing high-quality grazed pasture with some bought-in feed. Lower protein brought-in feeds are especially useful, because they help to offset the high protein content in quality pasture, which can increase nitrous oxide losses from soil.

Sustainable systems need to be environmentally sustainable but also financially sustainable. Brought-in feed could be one way of achieving both goals.

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

Article supplied by Dr. Rob Derrick, Head of Nutrition and Animal Health

Ledgard, S. F., S. J. Falconer, R. Abercrombie, G. Philip and J. P. Hill (2020) Temporal, spatial and management variability in the carbon footprint of New Zealand milk. Dairy Sci. 103 (in press)

Optimising Dairy farming MPI 2018 https://mpi.govt.nz/growing-and-harvesting/dairy/ farm-systems-change/dairy-farm-case-studies/

Be one of the first 100 farmers to purchase 70 or more Allflex printed visual tags or visual and EID tag sets and receive a

FREE Allflex Identiplier applicator.

When you want a tag that doesn’t fade or warp and stays readable long after the life of your animal, stick with Allflex Livestock intelligence. Designed by farmers for farmers, the Allflex Identiplier applicator can handle tough conditions and cannot be beaten for durability. The best tags, the best service team, the best turnaround.

For April and May only, visit your local Farmlands store or contact your Farmlands TFO to place your Allflex tag order.

The right winter diet is crucial

Most farmers tend to dry cows off and send them off to grazing without much thought as to what impact this might be having on them physiologically.

The physiological impact can be disastrous (think dead cows from acidosis), while other impacts, like future production and reproductivelosses, can go unnoticed.

Let us look at transitioning cows from pasture onto brassicas, specifically kale, as an example. Cows can get acidosis from rapidly transitioning onto kale, just like they can on fodder beet. Often the poor performers, after 2-3 weeks of having transitioned from pasture onto crop, have subclinical acidosis.

Another example of rapid transitioning is “red water”. This is when the cow’s urine is red, indicating haemoglobin release in reaction to high levels of S-methyl cysteine sulphoxide (SMCO) in brassicas.

Other more obvious clinical signs of rapid transitioning can include weakness, diarrhoea, jaundice, decreased appetite and poor body condition. This rapid transitioning can impact rumen health, that may take months to recover from, impacting production and reproduction for the following season.

What does good transitioning look like?

Animals can take at least 2 weeks to adjust and then consume their maximum voluntary intake when transitioning from a full-pasture diet to one that contains 50 percent brassica.

Initially, only allow access to the brassicas for a short period of time and build up the final allowance over a period of 10 days.

While building up the full allowance, we should use complementary feeds that are high in fibre such as baleage, hay or straw, pasture and pasture silage. Be sure to observe animals closely for signs of toxicity, such as nitrate poisoning or bloat.

What additional minerals need to be considered on kale?

Brassicas contain low levels of copper and so the copper status of the cows should be checked prior to drying-off and copper supplementation given through the winter if needed. Selenium can help to prevent red water so levels should be checked and supplemented if required. Brassicas also contain low levels of iodine and may contain high levels of goitrogens, which can block the uptake of iodine, resulting in iodine deficiency. This may see an increase

in still-births, or reduce the viability of new-born calves. Low iodine may have an impact on future reproduction too, but this is not as well understood. It is best to avoid feeding brassicas to springing cows. Brassicas can contain high levels of calcium and only marginal levels of phosphorus. They also contain low levels of magnesium but high levels of potassium and this imbalance in minerals can lead to milk fever.

We have used brassicas as an example here, but all winter diets should be reviewed for their nutritional value and any deficiencies must be supplemented appropriately. Donaghys have a wide range of minerals, probiotics and drenches to support your herd during this crucial, yet often overlooked time.

Speak to your local Farmlands or Donaghys TFO for ways to minimise the negative impact that a winter diet can have on your herd.

Article supplied by Donaghys

Tagging made easy

Kiwitahi farmer Reece Croasdale runs 300 crossbred cows on 100ha and when he thinks back to tagging sessions in earlier seasons, he wonders how he did it.

“Quite often you’re battling with the cow. They know what’s coming or don’t like their ears being touched because that’s their most sensitive part. You’re trying to get the tag in the right spot, trying to be patient and wait until they’re still. Then you had to be very quick! If you didn’t get it right, you end up dropping the tagger, or the tag would rip out of the ear.”

Reece tagged 150 calves, with 80 heifers and 50 new cows coming into the herd this season.

“Using Z Tags and the No Tear Tagger I know that won’t happen again. Quite often the cow doesn’t even know she’s being tagged by the time you’ve got her done. I couldn’t believe it and wondered why on earth we hadn’t used them before?”

“We’ve gone big on both sides — for our cows and heifers this year and they seem to be all good. Whether they are slightly bigger or whether it’s just how the writing is put on there, the Z Tags are easier to read than others we’ve used and nothing has come out.”

Z Tags two-piece tags are made of robust, pliable material, which moves with the animal and ensures that the tag will not snag and pull out, or break off. The free-rotating design allows the tag to hang correctly, to ensure better readability from the front and back of the animal’s ear and with the cleverlydesigned No Tear Tagger — rips and compression wounds are eliminated.

“With Z Tags and the No Tear Tagger it has been so much easier for us and for the animals. Really easy, really quick and no dropped tags. Straight away I thought ’this is pretty good’.

“As soon as you squeeze the handle, it tags super-quick and releases easily, due to the unique snap-back pin. There’s no applicator involved,

you can’t over-compress like other applicators and there is no way for the tag to get stuck in the tagger.

“Using other brands, you are trying to hold the ear, while at the same time trying to squeeze the applicator and they will move and not go through the ear. With the No Tear Tagger it works the first time, every time, you don’t need to have another go.”

“For anyone thinking of picking up a new tag applicator, I’d tell them that I‘ve used all the applicators out there and the No Tear Tagger is by far the best one. It is quick, easy to use and works the first time.”

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

Article supplied by Datamars

Farmlands at Site F103 - 109

NRM at Site PC24 - 25

DAIRY HOT WATER CYLINDERS

Rheem dairy water heaters are made to

BLACK DUCK SEAT COVERS

Get the most from the N-cap

The new nitrogen (N) fertiliser rules make getting the best response from N fertiliser even more important.

From July, a maximum of 190kg of N per hectare per year (kg N/ha/year) can be applied to grazed pasture, and the average across grazed pasture. While the forage crops cannot exceed 190kg of N/ha/year.

So what can you do to make the most of every kilogram of N applied?

Reduce N lost as gas

One way of improving the response from N fertiliser is to reduce amount lost as ammonia (volatilisation). Up to 42 percent of total N applied as urea is lost as ammonia in pastoral situations, with typical losses between 10 and 20 percent1.

Volatilisation occurs when urea fertiliser granules are exposed to urease, an enzyme produced by soil bacteria. As granules start breaking down on the soil surface, urease converts the urea into ammonium. The urea granules also raise the pH of the surrounding soil, which promotes the conversion of ammonium into ammonia gas. The longer the granules are on the soil surface, the more N is lost via volatilisation.

Moist soil or dew following application is problematic, as the moisture quickly breaks down the urea granule but does not wash the N into the soil, where volatilisation is greatly reduced.

Nitrogen losses from volatilisation can be approximately halved, if urea is washed into the soil soon after application, at least 10mm of rain or irrigation within 8 hours of application is required to achieve this. When N is dispersed through the soil, only 5 to 10 percent is likely to be lost as ammonia gas if this is done correclty2

A urea fertiliser with a urease inhibitor, such as SustaiN, is an easier and more

Products option for applying S and N at different times of year

reliable way of reducing volatilisation losses. SustaiN’s AGROTAIN® coating cuts N volatilisation losses by around 50 percent, compared to standard urea3. The coating temporarily blocks the urease enzyme and slows the formation of ammonium and therefore the amount of N lost as ammonia gas. SustaiN can be applied when needed and at any time of the year. It also increases N efficiency, with research showing an average increase in pasture yield of 5 percent, when using SustaiN instead of urea, over a wide range of conditions.4

Ensure S isn’t limiting response Ensuring spring pasture has adequate sulphur (S), prevents an S deficiency which limits pasture’s response to N fertiliser.

Sulphur is often lacking in New Zealand soils but is easily overlooked, despite being relatively cheap and straightforward to apply with other nutrients.

Sulphate S is the only form plants can use. It leaches over winter and bacterial conversion of other forms of S into sulphate S also slows down. By late winter and early spring sulphate S is often lacking.

Elemental S can be applied in autumn (or sulphate S applied in late winter / early

spring, together with N), to ensure spring pastures have adequate sulphate S.

Elemental S applied in autumn, remains in the soil over winter and does not leach. As soil temperatures rise, bacteria become more active and convert elemental S into sulphate S— meeting spring pasture requirements and providing a slow release of sulphate S over the growing season.

Products containing SustaiN are a cost-effective and environmentally responsible way of protecting your investment in N fertiliser, in a regulatory environment where you have to make every kg of N count.

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

Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients

1. Theobald PW, Ball PR 1984. Nitrogen lost by ammonia volatilisation and the effectiveness of urea and ammonium sulphate fertilisers, Proc. NZ Grassland Assoc. 45: 236-8

2. Saggar S, Singh J, Giltrap DL, Zaman M, Luo J, Rollo M, Kim D-G, Rys G, Van der Weerden TJ 2013. Quantification of reductions in ammonia emissions from fertiliser urea and animal urine in grazed pastures with urease inhibitors for agricultural inventory: New Zealand as a case study, Sci. Total Env. 465: 136-46

3. Zaman M, Saggar S, Stafford AD 2013. Mitigation of ammonia losses from urea applied to a pastoral system: The effect of nBTPT and timing and amount of irrigation. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association 75: 209-214

4. Stafford A, Catto W, Morton JD 2008. Ballance Agri-Nutrients approach to sustainable fertiliser use. Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre, Massey University, Occasional Report No. 21: 197-205

Ridding your land of rodents

In the April edition of The Farmlander, we brought you Part One of a look at the various ways to bait and trap rodents. In Part Two, we dive deeper and look at single and multi-feed baits.

The opportunity for every landowner or manager to become part of predatorfree NZ 2050 is both realistic and manageable. The emotional and physical reality of losing many of our native birds and other fauna is real. Within our lifetime and certainly our children’s we will hear the dreadful classification of extinct or endangered, being attached to an increasing number of our native species. It is estimated that 25 million of our native birds are lost every year to predators.

To care and be involved is the wish of every conservation-minded New Zealander. The number of individuals and community-based groups participating in predator control is increasing but large areas of New Zealand remain where predators are still uncontrolled.

tampered with by non-target animals or people. Baits should be placed in lockable bait stations and secured onto a spike, or accessed through a grid. If this is done, then the dangers of non-target species and people being affected by both baits and traps is reduced considerably, as rodents will cache any non-secured bait that is freely available.

There are two types of baits, first generation and second generation. The differences between these anticoagulants is poorly understood, because they both have the same desired result – dead rats. These products are often termed rodenticides, as the predominant target pest species are rats and mice. Collectively, they are classed under the Vertebrate Toxic Agent Group (VTAs) because they will kill all warm-blooded animals, if enough is ingested. In New Zealand there are chemical registrations for targeting rats, mice, rabbits, possums and ferrets.

products are more commonly available, as they are simple to use but can be more capable of inflicting secondary poisoning. Once a target animal has ingested a lethal dose, it will die. Before death however, it may continue to feed for four or five days after the lethal dose has been ingested.

Traps have been used for generations, however some traps are not fit for purpose. While they are very cheap to purchase, the chances of them killing a rodent quickly and efficiently are slim. Large rats can become both bait-shy and trap-shy, if a sublethal dose is eaten or they escape from traps they set off. Large Norway rats can exceed half a kilogram in weight and for this reason, traps need to be robust and have enough killing-power to achieve a very high degree of success.

What to use for control and how to use the tools available can be confusing, as there are many options and many different types of predators. The most cost efficient and readilyavailable of these tools are traps and baits. Learning how to use them and understanding how they work will ensure the best outcome and the safety of users, children, livestock and pets. Traps for rodents will generally be placed on the ground, so securing these in a tunnel will ensure they are not

In the simplest terms, first generation anticoagulant toxicants are multi-feed baits and second generation are singlefeed products. The first-generation active ingredients registered in New Zealand are Pindone; Diphacinone and Coumatetralyl. These are registered under many different brands but are most widely available through Pindone Possum and Rat, Pindone Rabbit and Ditrac. There are several different second-generation active ingredients registered such as Brodifacoum; Bromadiolone; Difethialone and Flocoumafen. Second generation

Traps can be assessed by their level of humaneness and capability. NAWAC (National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee) submits traps to a rigorous testing criterion and will either give them a pass or fail. A couple of traps that have passed are the Trapper T Rex and Victor Professional Rat Trap with shroud, which are both available through Farmlands. This testing helps to inform consumers if traps can kill humanely and that caught rodents will not escape and become trap shy.

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

Article supplied by Key Industries

Reduce workload with smarter fencing

Lincoln-based Central Fencing signed on as Approved Installers with Summit Steel & Wire towards the end of 2020 and have since forged a strong partnership, providing a combination of effective product and installation solutions.

As a part of Summit’s Approved Installer network, select contractors are assisted with a number of resources, such as the use of the Solonet fencing pay out machine (pictured) to increase productivity and maximise resource usage — to provide the highest quality and most cost-effective outcomes for their customers.

Nigel Broadbridge from Central Fencing has experienced a steady increase in work for his fencing contracting company, due to both Government and private land development projects that require large-scale fencing. With this increase in work a major priority is being able to meet timeframes given to clients, while ensuring his small, tight-knit team are not feeling overwhelmed by the growing workload.

Summit visited Nigel and his team on a project they were completing for the Christchurch City Council Park Ranger division. On this occasion, the project for Central Fencing was to build a wildlife exclusion fence on a very steep incline to remove pigs, goats and deer in the area — to enable native flora and fauna to prosper.

To install the fencing required, Nigel and his team utilised the Solonet, one of Summit’s newest, ground-breaking fencing innovations.

One of the benefits of using the Solonet on this job was that the fencing rolls were never manually-handled, resulting in

very happy staff who were not fatigued from carrying these heavy materials, especially on the steep undulating ground in Christchurch’s Port Hills — resulting in high quality work from start to finish.

Another advantage of the Solonet is it can hold two 500m rolls of netting at one time. Utilising these longer rolls of Summit’s Pro Fence or X Fence netting allows contractors to save time and money, by requiring less joins for each roll used — while also being able to strain whole fence lines in seconds, rather than minutes, using the side mounted hydraulic tensioner.

In the right environment, these efficiencies can increase productivity by 40 percent, when compared to traditional fencing methods — while reducing the labour intensity required for each project.

Machinery such as the Solonet is one of the many ways that Summit continues to assist its Approved Installer Network.

“We are proud to be supporting contractors around New Zealand with resources that continue to help improve both the quality and efficiency of fencing work completed nationwide,” Nigel says. Keep an eye out in the coming months for Solonet pay out machines and your local Summit Approved Installers in your Farmlands store. These highlytrained field experts, accompanied with Summit’s quality wire products and world class installation kits, must be considered for your next fencing project.

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

Article supplied by Summit Steel & Wire

Smarter way to work

Keeping cattle in the right place has innumerable benefits, including securing vital livestock assets. Good fencing is key to that containment and the peace of mind that goes with it is invaluable.

“As a non-income generating activity, fencing is not what most farmers want to be doing with their day,” Colenso Station sheep and beef farmer Tom Platts says.

“With Stockade’s ST315i cordless batten stapler, it is much easier to maintain great fences and focus on revenue-driven work.

“Like many farmers, we don’t get contractors in. Fencing is done by our existing farm labour. The ST315i is a worthwhile investment. Our fences are up to a pretty good standard and with fewer labour costs, we are able to spend more on materials and just get a lot more done.”

2 years ago, Tom was frustrated over the time involved in hand-hammering batten fences across the hill country farm, when his neighbour introduced him to Stockade’s cordless batten stapler. With 780ha of medium-to-high hill country and little vehicle access to fence lines, he thought this tool would be handy.

“I would say this tool is five times faster than stapling by hand and by the time you have paid the labour for someone hand-stapling, the ST315i would only take about 20 hours to pay itself off. It also makes fencing far less of a chore. I wouldn’t batten a fence line by hand now. It’s earned its keep.”

Converting the station’s four-wire electric into nine-wire conventional fencing is a focus for this autumn and Tom and his farm labourer Hunter, have a good system going. One works with the cordless batten stapler and a steel hook to pull the wire, while the other handles the bungy and set square. Working turnabout, the team get through a full day of work before morning tea.

Stockade North Island Territory Manager Mike Billinghurst says there are three non-negotiables for a strong long-life batten fence.

“The single biggest thing you can do to keep the structure of your fence longterm is to start with dry timber. From the time of purchase, battens should be fillet-stacked under trees or in the corner of a shed, so they dry out before being put on the fence.

“Next is the correct staple. Pine battens have a Chromated Copper Arsenate

treatment, which is quite hard on steel. Stockade staples use a heavy coat of zinc and aluminum, providing superior corrosion resistance over standard hot-dipped galvanized staples — and a stronger, longer hold in the batten.

“Finally, it’s all about technique. Staples should be placed into the batten leg-toleg, with both legs having contact to the wire. Alternate the angle of the staple left-to-right as it goes down the batten, and alternate side-to-side from the centre of the batten.

“Put those things together with Stockade’s cordless tools and you have a well-built fence.”

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

Article supplied by Stockade

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.

Pure dedication

Nestled beside the Kaupokonui River in Manaia, south Taranaki lies 52 hectares of land that has been farmed by four generations of one family for 108 years.

Around 1880, Michael Landers travelled by boat from his birthplace of Annascaul, County Kerry in Ireland to New Zealand. He married Mary O’Sullivan in 1889 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Wellington. After their marriage, they travelled to Williamstown in Victoria, Australia where they worked and raised their first three children – Bridget, Mary and John Joseph. They returned to New Zealand around 1894 and settled in Manaia and had another three children – Laurence, Francis and Eileen.

In 1911, Michael Landers purchased two blocks side-by-side between the Kaupokonui River, Lower Glenn Road

and Main South Road in Manaia.

The farm transferred to their eldest son, John Joseph in 1946. John Joseph farmed this land with his wife, Fanny and raised their seven children – Mary, Eileen, Kathleen, Josephine, Michael, John (Jack) and James (Jimmy). The farm was transferred to their son, John Patrick (Jack) Landers in 1965. Jack farmed this land in partnership with his wife, Margaret Leonie and raised their eight children – Owen, Dennis,

Trish, Theresa, Tony, Roger, Colleen and Trevor. Jack milked 180 Jersey cows and walked every day to get the cows in.

From the late 1980s their son, Anthony Gerard (Tony) came home and farmed with his father. Tony eventually went 50/50 sharemilking and after Jack’s death in 2008, then leased the farm. After Margaret’s death in 2016, they continued to lease until today. Succession of all or part of the farm is currently being looked at.

Still the King of Power

M12,000i Mains Fence Energizer

Combining the brute force of 120 Joules with intelligent fence monitoring technology, the new M12,000i maintains high fence voltage while also informing you of fence faults before they become a crisis The M12,000i is compatible with all i Series accessories. Get a better view of your fence performance with the free Ag Devices app on your phone.

See your trusted fencing advisor at your local Farmlands store. The M12,000i Mains Fence Energizer is available in stores now.

Rural market update

New Zealand Dairy farm sales — on the up again

We continue to see strength returning to New Zealand’s rural market, particularly with dairy farm sales in 2021 and this is mirrored in Property Brokers’ sales performance too. Our successful late summer sales program has almost cleaned out our inventory of available 2020 dairy listings, given most have either sold or are under contract.

Fortunately, our 2021 autumn sales program is bringing new farms to the market and we are now actively seeking new dairy listings for the spring too. Given we are in the business of selling farms, this probably does not come as a great surprise. What might surprise you is that sales are up by both value and volume.

This market confidence is more than a dairy pay-out story because while that has been going up for the last 3 to 4 years, farm values have, until this season, continued to drop.

2021 continues to see a raft of broader market signals in support of our dairy sector, including a more measured central government approach to environmental planning, favourable credit re-ratings of rural dairy debt, as well as a general recognition of the work in support of sustainable New Zealand dairy production, reflected in excellent international rankings.

lmportantly, buyers who have been actively searching for value are now able to buy dairy farms at a return well ahead of the cost of finance. So the new additional dairy farm is invariably adding value from day one and is not dependent on further capital expenditure and a lot of hard yards to achieve ‘potential’.

ln recent seasons, many of our buyers have been reluctant to close what has often been very modest ‘gaps’ in valuations per hectare on the buy/sell. Typically, a market confidence issue. We are now seeing the confidence to operate again as the returns stack up. Those who had the courage (and support) to step up over the last 12-months stand to benefit from their decisions both in terms of cash flow returns and valuation.

On the topic of valuations, I thought we should include a couple of tables on New Zealand dairy farm sales through to February 2021. The first illustrates the rolling 12-months dairy sales to February 2021 is now $729m which is significantly up on the same last year ($500m). The number of dairy farm sales successfully taken to the open market is significantly up too, from 110 to 170 sales annually.

The second table shows national monthly dairy farm sales for the last 12 months, the national median dairy farm price for February 2021 was $35,200/ha up from $32,600 on the rolling 12 month average (table 1). A word of caution, relying on the national median for your own farm can vary a lot month to month — particularly on light sales volumes. So, it is an index — it is not perfect hence why we tend to look at both the month and how the rolling 12-month period is going. lt’s our expectation that values have bottomed for dairy sales nationally and the 12 month rolling median price per hectare will steadily appreciate over next season, on current trend.

The best advice l can offer is to talk to our local rural Property Brokers specialist. As a Farmlands shareholder, we will be placing a real priority on providing you with no obligation local market updates through the autumn and winter months. This can include advice on all aspects of the provincial property market. Please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us.

Call us on 0800 367 5263 or visit pb.co.nz

Lastly, a big welcome to our new Southern Wide Southland team, who like Farmlands, have joined forces with Property Brokers to provide the best possible nationwide service in support of rural and lifestyle real estate. This proven team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the Southland market and we are excited to have them on board.

Conrad Wilkshire, GM Rural for Property Brokers Ltd

Table 1: National Dairy Sales — Rolling 12–months to February 2021

Table 2: National Dairy Sales — Monthly dairy sales to February 2021

One thing that isn’t a pain in the arse to move.

We’ll have you powered up before the cows come home.

We power more than 11,000 farms and businesses just like yours, so we know you can’t afford to wait this Moving Day. Because we’ve got your back, you’ll get a $400 moving credit for your dairy shed, or a sweet deal even if you don’t have one*. Call our Agribusiness Team on 0800 496 444 or visit meridian.co.nz/movefarm

*Terms and conditions apply. Visit meridian.co.nz/movefarm

We work with Farmlands to simplify your power bill. Pay through them and earn Choices Rewards Points.

WINTER’S GETTING READY. ARE

YOU?

BREAKFEEDING WORKING EFFICIENTLY?

WITH A GLOBAL SHORTAGE OF FENCING, HAVE YOU GOT YOURS?

HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR FARM ENVIRONMENT PLAN?

The end of autumn means the start of a new season of challenges. We’re here to help with all the advice, partners and products you need for a successful winter. Head in-store or talk to your TFO today. We’re ready and waiting.