The Farmlander - February 2022

FARMLANDER The

INTEREST

3 Farmlands staff profile

3 From the CEO

4 5 minutes with Sarah Watson

6 From the ground up

13 Farmlands whānau digs deep

14 This is home

19 Buying Power Promise

20 Pest prevention better than cure

22 Farm audits expand to meet the market

26 Keeping it local puts wool on shop shelves

29 Changes lift trust compliance costs

31 Guards only as good as their last check

57 Century Farms

— Expansion builds resilience

59 Property Brokers update

ON THE COVER

Hamish and Julia Mackenzie farm picturesque Braemar Station in the Mackenzie hill country with the help of their dogs Stan, Baz, Base and Alf.

PLAN365

Plan365 Nutrition

33 Alternatives needed when pasture is low

35 Ups and downs mark home flock’s season

37 Better feeding today sets up tomorrow

Plan365 Animal Management

39 Managing Barber’s Pole takes planned approach

41 Warm, wet weather ideal for parasites too

42 Electronic tags give insight into ewe flock

Plan365 Forage and Arable

47 New pasture needs planning to succeed

Plan365 Rural Infrastructure

51 Crawling insect pests present health risk

53 Time-saving tools help in juggling act

55 Pipe evolution means more water options

WHAT’S ON 4

FEBRUARY

Farmlands Cup

For the first time since the Farmlands Cup’s inception, the annual clash between the Crusaders and Highlanders will move to the North Otago town of Weston and its Valley Rugby Club.

Director vacancy

The Farmlands Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of North Island elected Director Peter Ellis. Peter has left his position for personal reasons.

Under the Constitution, the Board is required to use all reasonable and practicable steps to replace Peter as soon as possible. This process has begun. The preferred option is to appoint a temporary Shareholder Director for the North Island, selected by the Board.

An election will be required to fill the vacancy permanently. This will occur in the normal annual election cycle process due in late 2022, rather than as a separate by-election.

Sheree Hikaka Salesperson Whanganui Branch

Q: Congratulations on bringing in the most donations for Tag Your Charity – is there a secret?

A: Our branch was collecting donations for I Am Hope. I just explained to our customers and shareholders all the amazing things this charity does for mental health issues in our youth. I am very passionate about this charity and felt very privileged to be able to be part of the campaign and raise funds for it.

Q: So the cause gave you particular inspiration?

A: Mental health has such a devastating effect on individuals and family units. I have seen this first-hand when I lost a member of my family unit 16 years ago and the flow-on effects from that. So being given the opportunity to raise funds for this organisation to help other families brings me so much satisfaction.

Q: Tell us about some of your conversations with shareholders as part of the charity drive?

A: A few customers would say “Is the charity me? I'm a charity case” and then have a laugh. For some customers it gave them an opening to share their story with me, which in turn gave me some more insight to how people are affected with these challenges.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: I love being around people, staff and customers/shareholders, helping out in any way that I can. I really enjoy the diversity that working at Farmlands brings.

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups self-raising flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp mixed spice

• ¾ cup Chelsea Organic Coconut Sugar or Chelsea Dark Cane Sugar

• ¾ cup desiccated coconut

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• ¾ cup coconut cream

• 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)

• 1 can crushed pineapple, well drained

Cream Cheese Icing

• 250g cream cheese, chopped (room temperature)

• 1 cup Chelsea Icing Sugar

• lemon: 1 tbsp each of zest and juice

• ¾ cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted

Hummingbird

Cake

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180deg C. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda and mixed spice together then add the sugar and coconut. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and coconut cream together then add to the flour mixture along with the banana and pineapple.

3. Gently fold until combined. Spoon into cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake feels firm to touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack.

Icing

Beat all ingredients (except the coconut) with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Spread over cake and sprinkle with coconut. www.chelsea.co.nz

Ngā mihi o te tau hou (Happy New Year) and welcome to the first issue of The Farmlander for 2022. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed time with your friends and whānau. This is a busy time for many of our farmers and growers. If you were unable to enjoy a break over the holiday period, I hope you are able to priorise time off later in the year so you can recharge those batteries, ready for a busy 2022. In December we launched ‘Tag Your Charity’. It was really heartening to see how both the Farmlands team and you, our shareholders, supported this initiative. Together we have raised over $165,000 for I Am Hope and 83 local charities, enabling us to make over 500 support sessions available to our rural rangatahi (youth) and over $77,000 for the community charities chosen by our stores across the motu (nation). The campaign was supported by Z Energy, Summit Steel & Wire, Allflex/MSD Animal Health Intelligence and Cocky Apparel. The real force behind the success was the combination of our team, our shareholders and our customers. Thank you for your very generous support. Stand-outs within the campaign were our Pukekohe branch who, straight out of lockdown, received over 700 single donations; and Sheree Hikaka from our Whanganui team, who was No. 1 for donations. Our Ranfurly customers were outstanding with over $10,400 raised, $9,000 of which will be going directly to Ranfurly’s local charity, St John Maniototo. Farmlands’ national charity I Am Hope will receive over $87,000. With a big focus on improving mental health in the rural sector, we are thrilled that you have backed I Am Hope to ensure our rural young people are getting the help they need. Tag Your Charity will be an ongoing feature at Farmlands. Being able to support our local communities is important to us and we are looking at further ways we can enhance this.

This month The Farmlander looks at how planning contributes to on-farm success. Our team, in-store and on-farm, are ready to work with you to understand and refine your 2022 operational plans. We are currently knee deep in supply chain and inventory planning as 2022 looks to face continued pressure in this area. Our priority is to ensure we can provide inputs, products and services to support your 2022 farm strategies.

The next few months look like they will continue to challenge us all on many fronts.

Keep safe,

Ngā manaakitanga, (With best wishes)

Tanya Houghton Chief Executive Officer

Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited ceo@farmlands.co.nz

5 minutes with Sarah Watson

Farmlands Senior Grain Trader Sarah Watson on the outlook for the arable sector in 2022 and why she loves her job.

In your role, every day you must be looking ahead to ensure shareholders get consistent grain supplies – how challenging is that?

At times the market dynamics can make it a challenge. 2021 resulted in a high demand for domestic grain and we don’t see this year being any different.

A record dairy pay-out for New Zealand dairy farmers has driven strong demand for arable growers’ grain. Supply of offshore products, such as imported grain, has had challenges with global shipping delays, weather events delaying supply of grain, such as the East Coast Australian harvest in December, and general COVID restrictions.

Guaranteed supply has been a key driver in the high demand for domestic grain. This resulted in the end of 2021

being very challenging, with little domestic grain available and strong demand, resulting in minimal carryover of old-season grain into 2022.

Our small team works within these challenges to ensure a consistent supply of quality grain to our shareholders and end users.

Talk us through a grain trader’s typical working day.

There is no such thing as a typical day! Ensuring grain supply for our feed mills in Rolleston, Winton and our North Island blend sites is a key focus of my role.

I monitor grain markets domestically and globally regularly to create a trading strategy. I keep a close eye on our trading position as this is a key KPI. Our trading team works

closely with our field team for procurement of grain or sales. I keep in regular contact with our external large end users to give options to our arable shareholders, such as flour and oat milling, poultry and egg producers, pork producers and compound feed manufacturers.

Did you become a grain trader by design or accident?

In 2009 I graduated from University of Otago, keen to work in primary industries. The opportunity arose to work as a graduate grain trader with an Australian company, One World Grain (OWG), based in Melbourne. OWG is key to how my grain trading career kicked off. My role was a new position for the firm where I was given total scope to develop a buyer database

It’s a buzz putting together deals for both our arable grain suppliers and our end-user shareholders within the Farmlands network.”

of New Zealand grain buyers to sell Australian grain to in containers. In this role I developed the reputation for how I conduct business and as a result I still work closely with many of these large end users today. The role also involved exporting grain into SouthEast Asia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

What advice would you give to someone keen to take up the role?

My advice is to continue to keep upskilling yourself and chase any opportunities. In 2020, I completed the Kellogg Rural Leadership course as part of cohort 41. My research project was focused on upskilling arable field reps in grain trading. This is an area I’m passionate about – upskilling our field team to be confident, have great communication in putting together grain purchases and sales and have some fun while trading grain!

What do you see as one of 2022’s bright spots in the arable industry?

All commodity markets are strong and looking to stay that way for 2022. Our arable growers are in a good position with strong interest for their grain and small seed production. Farmlands is one of the largest domestic retail seed companies in New Zealand and our arable shareholders benefit from growing seed that is then retailed by their own co-operative throughout the country.

How did you come to be working at Farmlands?

I was in between roles and was heading to Europe to do my OE for 4 months. There was a grain trading position at Farmlands. I was interested in the opportunity to be responsible for a large domestic grain trading position in New Zealand and working for a farmer-owned co-operative that had feed mills and is clearly invested in New Zealand agriculture. I was in the Greek Islands when I received the phone call and was offered the role.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Every day is different. It’s a buzz putting together deals for both our arable grain suppliers and our end-user shareholders within the Farmlands network. It is rewarding to be able to contribute to shareholders’ businesses.

What is one of your goals in life?

Farm ownership is a long-term goal.

Tell us about your family?

Our family farm, Bingley, is 5km from Methven, a 446ha arable and store lamb trading farm. We have been farming at Bingley since the 1920s. My favourite time of the year is harvest; nothing beats chasing combine harvesters around the paddock when you’re the bin driver, or if you’re the favourite person delivering dinner out to the team.

Do you have a favourite inspirational quote or person?

Roger Federer – I enjoy watching the tennis grand slams and would love to go to the French Open in Paris one day.

To get in touch with Farmlands’ grain trading team, email Sarah Watson (sarah.watson@farmlands.co.nz) or Carmel Burgess (carmel.burgess@farmlands.co.nz)

COMMON

GROUND

Two farms, two islands. For Braemar Station in the Mackenzie hill country and Tokaanu Station on the North Island Volcanic Plateau, the benefits of sound agronomy advice are just as significant.

Sustainable farming starts from the ground up at Braemar Station. The iconic Mackenzie hill-country farm features a spectacular landscape with views of Aoraki/Mt Cook, the Southern Alps and Lake Pukaki. But beauty comes at a price, with hot dry summers and cold biting winters of sub-zero temperatures. Managing and planning for these extremes is key to Hamish and Julia Mackenzie’s farming programme.

The guys at Farmlands … know the farm and how it ticks and I’m not afraid to try different grasses.”

Hamish Mackenzie

Pasture renewal and winter feed is a focus of their farming operation, with close to 100ha of new grass planted this season. Hamish is always on the lookout for the best stock feed combinations. It’s a work in progress, he says, to meet the changing environmental needs and extremes of the property.

Central to that work over the last 15 years has been Farmlands’ South Canterbury and North Otago Agronomist Dave Schrader. “We have a good relationship with the guys at Farmlands,” Hamish says. “They know the farm and how it ticks and I’m not afraid to try different grasses.”

Braemar Station, originally 27,000ha, was bought in 1969 by a partnership that included Hamish’s parents, Duncan and Carol Mackenzie. The Mackenzies took on sole ownership in 1975.

Farming was hard throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Deer were introduced to the property in 1981.

Hamish began shepherding straight from school, first in North Canterbury and then Australia, before returning to the family farm with wife Julia in 2000.

Tenure review, signed off in 2014, significantly changed the scale of farming, with 17,000ha of Braemar Station retired to the Crown under Department of Conservation authority. The arrangement allowed the family to freehold an additional 2,100ha, giving them a total farm size of 4,100ha.

The rolling property runs around 5,000 Perendale ewes, 370 Angus cows and 900 deer – velveting 140 stags, plus replacements.

Braemar Station sits on the edge of a nor’west rainbelt and gets about 875mm annual rainfall. It features deep brown fertile soils. Hamish has an 8 to 10-year rotating pasture renewal programme.

The winter feed programme is based on Kestrel kale, a high-quality feed for young sheep and cattle. The ground is then planted in a permanent pasture or a 1 to 2-year Italian ryegrass to allow for any weed burden management and fertiliser applications.

Hamish has used a lot of Aber, a high-sugar grass that has performed well. This year he is trialling Tyson perennial ryegrass, aiming for grass growth as early in the season as possible.

“Tyson is hardy and with an early spring growth and a strong yearround yield we are hoping it will perform from early spring and then through for silage cuts, with around 2,500 tonnes of grass silage grown in the summer and fed out in the winter,” he says.

Hamish is also trialling Barena Brome and has directdrilled 38ha of an elevated and drier area on the property. “Brome suits the drier climate and has a good root system and is apparently palatable even when it goes to seed. It is ideal for drier country so we will be interested to see how the deer go on that and also the 18ha of Prospect AR1, an all-year-round ryegrass.”

Hamish has also had success with Raphno, a hybrid kale/ radish cross with a high forage yield.

“We started with Raphno about 5 years ago and our lambs yield well off it over the summer. Raphno is a deep-rooted plant so does well in the summer dry and we can get multiple grazings off it. We plant around 30ha and between the Raphno and grasses try to have lambs leaving the farm at an average carcass weight of 18kg.”

Hamish says getting the pasture options right is crucial, with all grass mixes including red and white clover.

“We try and choose pastures and brassicas to suit what we do and you don’t know how something new will work until you try it.”

COMMON CAUSE

Braemar Station is part of Te Manahuna Aoraki conservation project. Launched in November 2018, this aims to enhance biodiversity across 310,000ha in the upper Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.

Te Manahuna Aoraki focuses on restoring the iconic natural landscapes of the area, including the braided river systems and alpine habitats, and its endangered species. These include kea, tuke/rock wren and scree weta in the alpine zone and ngutuparore/wrybill, robust grasshopper and the world’s rarest wading bird, kakī/black stilt.

Te Manahuna Aoraki includes private and public land.

Iwi, high-country runholders, government departments, philanthropists, councils and the community are working together towards a shared vision for this special environment.

Hamish says the strength of the project is in that collaboration. “It is an awesome example of community collaboration for environmental outcomes,” he says.

“Julia is on the board, and we have already seen significant protection progress. We are working with absolute professionals in their sector; they are very specialist and passionate and are making real traction. There is a huge breeding programme of native birds and plants, and we are definitely seeing results.”

BRAEMAR Station has opened up the natural beauty of its surroundings with four different self-contained accommodation options. Among the guests are riders at the end of their first day on the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, which runs through the station and on to Twizel and Omarama before heading down the Waitaki Valley to Oamaru.

Hamish says a tonne of food goes through the farm kitchen. The cyclists get an evening meal, breakfast and a packed lunch for the day’s journey to their next stop on the 6-day trail.

Braemar’s move into accommodation has proven popular. No wonder, with Lake Pukaki offering trout fishing and boating and the station’s tracks proving ideal for mountain biking and walking. The nearby Round Hill, Mt Dobson and Ōhau skifields also make Braemar Station an ideal winter stay.

For John Haywood, farming south of Lake Taupo on the North Island Volcanic Plateau, the imperatives differ but the benefits of sound agronomy advice are just as significant.

Winter crops and a regrassing programme have been key to his move from conventional farming to a more intensive style.

Technology, seeds, pastures and crops are improving all the time.”

John Haywood

“Technology, seeds, pastures and crops are improving all the time. It is a great way to boost productivity while also supporting the environment. We farm under a nitrogen cap with a nitrogen discharge limit so getting stock off earlier is also better for the environment.”

John has been leasing Tokaanu Station, 525ha of flat and terraced country, in Turangi for around 36 years. It is north-facing and predominantly pumice so prone to dry summers.

His son Josh runs John’s 200ha block in Taihape and seeing Josh’s results around winter crops and new pastures triggered John’s change.

John describes his agronomy programme as simple but successful. Lambs and cattle are now finished earlier and therefore are off the property earlier and are weighing in at heavier weights than in the past.

He runs 2,250 Romney ewes, 700 hoggets and 200 Angus cows. A third of the farm has a contour that allows it to be cropped.

He puts the success of the switch down to a combination of his willingness to try something new and sound agronomic advice from Farmlands and plant breeding and research company Barenbrug.

“Both companies are interested in the success of my business, continually building on a long-term relationship, always keen to come and have a look and offer great advice,” he says.

His association with Farmlands Agronomist Brian Richards goes back 10 years. Together they worked out when the pinch times were for feed demand and seasonal issues and addressed these.

An area of Shogun, a hybrid ryegrass, was established to intensify John's cattle-finishing programme. “It grows like crazy but it does need to be managed to get the most out of it.”

John says the winter brassica and Shogun work well together, achieving significant liveweight gains.

“The Shogun has gone so well we planted another 30ha this spring.”

Through excellent pasture management the Shogun has persisted for 5 years. The initial area is coming to an end and will be replaced with Forge, Barenbrug’s newest hybrid ryegrass, through a cropping programme.

Rohan, Tabu and Governor have also been used to improve the overall sheep and beef systems.

John finishes all the calves that are not kept as replacements.

“We have a pick and take the best off system and are selling rising 2-year steers at 300kg carcass weight. Before we changed our feeding programme these would have left the farm in around November at about 26 months; now they are heading off-farm 4 to 5 months earlier at 22 months.”

John winters his stock on swede and kale, which usually come out in September. The land is planted in a leafy turnip that is mob stocked with lambs from January.

This formula has been used for the last 3 years, resulting in lambs going straight off the crop and to the works in February and March at a 23-24kg carcass weight.

“So as well as 3-4kg weight increase, by mob stocking there are 60-70 lambs per hectare, leaving the rest of the farm to be shut up for mating.

“It’s a win-win – the stock are feeding well, they are off the property earlier and at better weights,” John says.

THE EXPERTS

Agronomy is the study of how to grow crops effectively, profitably and while caring for our natural resources and environment. For Sam Lucas, Farmlands’ Head of Agronomy and Farm Systems, it comes down to planning, matching feed supply with demand and having advisors you can trust.

Planning: Doing this early is critical. Good planning helps ensure the correct preparation and planting times to help set crops up well. Preparation may start 12-24 months out with consideration of soil pH, nutrient levels and problem weeds.

Feed: Matching the supply and demand of critical feed is only part of the equation. Economic and environmental factors such as climate, soils, aspect and rainfall all affect the agronomy decisions for forage type and preparation.

Advisors: Partnering with trusted advisors who are interested in the success of your business is critical.

To The Core Leadership and Governance Development Programme

Farmlands Co-operative, Silver Fern Farms Co-operative and LIC are pleased to welcome applications for our award-winning rural governance and leadership programme – To The Core.

This unique programme has been designed for Farmlands, Silver Fern Farms and LIC shareholders and gives participants an opportunity to learn more about governance in our co-operatives, as well as develop the skills needed to operate at board level.

Ideally you will be on the land and already have involvement with community groups and clubs.

Where: Farmlands Co-operative Support Office, 535 Wairakei Road, Burnside, Christchurch 8053 and Peppers Clearwater

When: Tuesday 7th − Thursday 9th June 2022

Programme fee: $795 incl GST — Includes accommodation and all meals during the course.

The programme features an outstanding line up of top speakers, as well as opportunities to discuss issues impacting boards.

• A perspective on agribusiness co-operative boards: strategy and structure

• How to navigate boards through risk and market disruption

Shareholders of the three co-operatives are invited to apply for positions – numbers are limited.

If you have any questions about To The Core, please contact Clark Taylor (Shareholder Relations Manager, Silver Fern Farms) on clark.taylor@silverfernfarms.com or 029 914 5060.

Applications close 18th March 2022

Farmlands whānau digs deep

What a cracker result – Farmlanders raised over $165,000 in the co-operative’s ‘Tag Your Charity’ Christmas fundraiser. Of that, over $92,000 came from in-store donations by shareholders and customers.

National charity I Am Hope, which funds mental health counselling sessions for rural youth, is $87,000 better off due to the efforts of the Farmlands whānau, while the crew and customers at Farmlands Ranfurly showed their love for the local St Johns by raising $9,000 for the cause.

Through the Tag Your Charity Christmas fundraiser, staff at each Farmlands store around the country chose a local charity for community support. The 83 charities on the list covered

everything from volunteer fire brigades to men’s sheds to Surfing for Farmers.

Customers were encouraged to donate either to the local charity or to a national one. The national choice this time was I Am Hope, which funds mental health counselling sessions for rural youth.

To kick things off, Farmlands donated $37,500 to the I Am Hope fund, enough to deliver 150 counselling sessions.

Farmlands’ Partners Allflex/MSD Animal Health Intelligence, Summit Steel & Wire and Z Energy also supported the campaign.

For more information and the latest fundraising figures, go to www.farmlands.co.nz/tagyourcharity

THIS IS HOME

Desma Feakins has made a life living and working on the whenua. As a wahine of Ngāti Mutunga descent, she now stands on Tūhoe land and cares for it like her own. Based in the Ruatoki Valley, 20 minutes’ drive south of Whakatāne, Desma has run a dairy farm owned by the Tataiwhetu Trust alongside her partner, Whareauahi Teepa, for more than a decade. From 2014 to 2019, Desma and Whareauahi’s beautiful whānau of 11 were photographed by Tatsiana Chypsanava as part of a research project, and from this they formed a close friendship. Here, those images and the story of this family and their life on the land are brought together.

Desma steals a moment of quiet stillness. Holding her Milo, she puts her feet on one of the empty dining chairs. Her tāne, Whareauahi – who is of Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Hine and Ngāpuhi descent – has just walked in off the farm and they take a moment to pause and chat. It’s been a week of calving, training farming students and ferrying her tamariki around.

“I was born and bred in New Plymouth and my grandfather was a farmer but my father was a commercial fisherman,” Desma says. “Whare and I met in Hamilton 22 years ago and we came here because the rent was getting so high. It definitely was a bit of a culture shock for me when we first got here.

Life is slow in the valley. So I decided to approach the sharemilker who was running the farm at the time and he taught me all he could over a year and I helped him out for free in exchange. Eventually, he offered to employ me as his farmhand. I’ll always be grateful to that old fulla. He took a chance on me and gave me the start to get to where I am today.”

The couple live with their five youngest kids in a large whare wistfully dubbed “The Palace”. It’s easy to hear the deep love this wahine has for the life she has carved out here. “Even though this is the land of Whare’s ancestors, I call this my land,” she says. “I see myself as Tūhoe too now and I live in reciprocity

with this whenua. I know it and it knows me, and my kids know it and it knows them too.”

Owned by the Tataiwhetu Trust, the 195ha farm has a milking herd of 450 and is managed equally by the couple. Whare takes care of the stock and pasture and Desma looks after the administration, staff and health and safety. Owned by 471 beneficiaries of the Ngāti Rongo hapū, the Tataiwhetu Trust now only employs whānau.

“Working for the trust is different to any old employer,” Desma says. “We have a stake in them and they have a stake in us because we are whānau. They’ve always supported us, right from the start. They understood we were always

going to have a lot of kids and allowed us to make decisions like moving to milking once a day so we could be there for our kids after school.”

Part of Desma’s work is supporting the next generation to gain an understanding of what it means to make a life on the land. “Two days a week, I have 12 students from Ruatoki High School come to the farm and learn with Whare and myself. Their tutor comes along and reinforces their theory, while the kids get their practical training being hands-on here with us.”

The Tataiwhetu Trust is guided by the principle “Ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata. When the land is in good health, so too are the people” and 6 years ago they decided to transition the dairy farm from conventional to organic practices. Desma took the lead on this mahi and they won the prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy in 2021.

“It was a real challenge to move into organics,” Desma says, “but it was necessary. We didn’t want to be using sprays. We didn’t want to be forcing antibiotics down the cows’ throats. We want to be living in better relationship with this land. I was up for the challenge, but I didn’t really know

what I was getting myself into until it was too late!”

Desma and Whareauahi are the definition of teamwork. They live and work alongside one another, sharing the duties of whānau, whare and farm. When asked for the secret to their relationship, which spans more than two decades, Whareauahi chimes in from the background: “I’m really handsome!” Desma laughs, but for this mother and dairy farmer it also goes much deeper than that. “Whare and I met in Hamilton,” she says, “and I already had two boys. I had come from a rocky relationship, so being with Whare, who is such a quiet, gentle man… I thought he’d make a good father. Whare always said he wanted lots of kids and I had no problem with that, as long as I could do what I wanted to do. He sorts all our dinners and has always stayed at home with the little ones while I went back to work as soon as I could.”

Every year, the couple dry off the cows and take time out to disappear together and reset. Typically, they head overseas – China, India, Vietnam. They don’t mind where, as long as they get to leave everything behind for a few weeks

and just be with one another. “It’s such a good challenge, living and working together,” Desma says, “but we’ve done it for so long it doesn’t often feel that challenging. After this long, we both know each other pretty well!”

Whānau come and go from the family’s homestead. It’s always warm and there’s always kai to be had. The two older boys, Rikki, 29, and Kody, 27, bring their five young kids around, and the two older teens, Wiremu, 17, and Mihiata, 15, are in and out from boarding school. There are often whāngai tamariki around and Nanny and Koro – Whareauahi’s parents –live just down the driveway. “I’m very lucky to have such wonderful in-laws,” Desma says. “Nan’s always baking, they feed us and look after the kids. Dad used to work for us up until he had a stroke and a heart attack, but he still hoses down the yard to keep his hand in. It’s good for him to feel that sense of mahi, purpose.”

For the six younger tamariki, the farm is their birthplace and it’s all they have ever known. The kids are fluent in te reo and right into their kapa haka, which has been important to Desma because she never had the opportunity to

|

Kai, food.

Kapa haka, performance group. Koro, grandfather. Mahi, work.

Māoritanga, Māori culture. Tamariki, children.

Tāne, male partner. Te reo, the Māori language. Wahine, woman.

Whānau, family.

Whāngai, a child who is not a biological offspring but who is cared for as though they were.

Whare, house.

Whenua, land.

connect to her Māoritanga in that way. The youngest, Mia, 5, recently started school at Te Wharekura o Ruatoki alongside siblings Puretu, 6, Rangiaho, 9, Tapu, 10, and Wenarata, 13, and the kids have also grown up learning the inner workings and rhythms of the farm. “I’ve always worked on the farm right up until the day I dropped,” explains Desma. “I’d give birth, hand the baby over to Whare and be back to it, sometimes the next day, and he’d just have to call me when bub needed a titty. The kids all get up early every morning with me to bring the cows up to the shed and they’ve all helped with milking as they’ve gotten older. They didn’t have a choice, really! They’re independent, helpful and they support each other. I’m really proud of the way we’ve allowed our kids to grow up.”

This story appeared in the Spring 2021 edition of Shepherdess. Summer edition out now at your local Farmlands store.

Pest prevention better than cure

Be it a blowfly at a family barbecue or a codling moth in a consignment of apples, it only takes one to spoil the party.

Peter Visser knows that well enough. After an early career with the Department of Conservation and then 18 years in the horticulture industry, including orchard management, Peter brings decades of experience to his role at pest control company Key Industries. The damage is easy to see when pests such as rabbits or aphids take hold in pasture or brassica crops. Or when opening the pantry door produces a skitter-skitter of tiny feet into the shadows. The numbers don’t have to be big though – a single codling moth in an apple consignment to a country with zero tolerance for the pest comes at huge financial cost yet the source orchard may

have only a small population.

Peter is Territory Manager South Island, Key Account and Technical Manager for Key Industries, which provides conservation, agricultural, horticultural, DIY and professional pest control products.

We’ve dodged some bullets over the years, he agrees. MPI’s biosecurity team is on constant alert for threats to our primary industries as well as our environment. Many pests have been intercepted either by pheromone traps or through public tip-offs. These include fruit flies, Painted Apple Moth, Gum Leaf Skeletoniser, Marmorated Stinkbug and various ant species. The list of what has made its way to our shores is long. Rabbits, stoats, cats, deer, possums and ferrets were introduced intentionally by humans.

Insects and birds have arrived on strong prevailing winds from Australia. Then there are the trade stowaways such as rats, mice, Argentine ants, German and Common wasps, etc. Each introduced pest costs New Zealand millions of dollars a year either in control costs or its effect on primary production or the environment.

Whether it’s keeping household insects at bay or protecting valuable crops, Peter’s advice is the same – prevention is better than cure. By the time a pest population is announcing itself, its effect on your lifestyle or livelihood will likely already be significant.

A preventative control programme ensures insect and animal numbers never escalate out of control. Some methods require the strategic use of insecticides or baits while others use

Each introduced pest costs New Zealand millions of

dollars a year.”

non-chemical approaches such as lures for wasps, fly bags or kill traps for animal pests.

Monitoring population numbers gives valuable information that can be worked into the management plan. Visual surveillance, pheromone traps, chew cards or ink pads will guide you on just how big the problem is and where best to place the traps or treatment.

Peter hears the frustration in people’s voices sometimes when they accept defeat and call in the professionals. He gets the odd chuckle too – like the time a lifestyle block owner phoned for advice. He had gone to the trouble and expense of rabbit-proof fencing his entire boundary but was still

getting rabbits – they were even on the increase, he told Peter.

Digging deeper, Peter asked what had been done to rabbit-proof the property’s entranceways? Yes, he explained, they will need to be rabbitproofed as well.

Looking to the future of pest control, Peter sees increasing use of technology. Data gathering is changing rapidly. Automated systems using motion sensors are already in the field and using genome technology across a range of pests is well on the way to reality. In the never-ending war against household and industry pests, it seems the best attack is resolute defence.

PETER’S TOP TIPS

Prevention

A programmed, regular approach to pest control will keep populations low.

Surveillance

Regularly check your house or property for pest damage or changes in population levels.

Expertise

Use a professional pest controller or agronomist if you are unsure about control requirements or strategies.

Farm audits expand to meet the market

Consumers are demanding responsibility and transparency when it comes to their food. This includes not only environmental but social, governance and animal welfare aspects of production. For producers striving to meet those customer demands, they need robust evidence to prove the validity of claims about their products.

AsureQuality provides a broad range of food assurance services across our primary production sectors. Owned by the Government, AsureQuality brings over 145 years of experience to support producers and ensure safety and quality at every point in the food supply chain. To help producers satisfy the growing expectations of consumers, AsureQuality is developing a portfolio of assurance services that allow

food producers to demonstrate their commitment to responsible production. This growing suite of environmental and sustainability-focused programmes includes Toitū Envirocare Farm Carbon Certification, the New Zealand Farm Assurance Plus Programme (NZFAP Plus) for red meat and wool farmers, an environmental management system add-on for the horticulture industry and a BNZ sustainability-linked loan programme for the agri sector.

AsureQuality’s Environmental Assurance Lead, Simon Love, says the team understand that farmers and producers work hard “so we’re focused on developing an alignment between the compliance and voluntary programmes verified by AsureQuality, which should mean less work for farmers, a better understanding of their farm, plus

simplified compliance and reporting”. Simon points to the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme Plus, launched in October 2021, as an example of a voluntary programme that builds on existing work. “This is a robust programme that helps farmers prove their commitment to environmental and social responsibility on sheep, beef and deer farms.”

NZFAP Plus is a programme that is additional to the traceability, food safety and animal welfare components covered in the foundation NZFAP Programme, which thousands of red meat and wool farms across New Zealand already participate in. “The Standard is made up of three sections: people, farm and natural resources, and biosecurity,” Simon says.

This is a robust programme that helps farmers prove their commitment to environmental and social responsibility on sheep, beef and deer farms.”

AsureQuality’s Environmental Assurance Lead Simon Love

“This is not just a tick-box exercise.

NZFAP Plus requires detailed and accurate farm maps, health and safety plans, training records, soil and water testing, environmental risk assessment and mitigation, a plan to protect native species, a biosecurity plan and more.”

Integrated farm planning is an integral part of the Standard, which aims to protect and enhance all resources, create better and more sustainable farming businesses and incorporate socially responsible and ethical practices.

Farms are not expected to meet 100 percent of the Standard requirements immediately – members of the programme, once accepted, have up to 3 years to become certified via an audit. Signing up and completing the online self-assessment to become an NZFAP Plus member shows a farm’s commitment to becoming certified and sets a clear deadline for meeting the requirements.

The NZFAP Plus Programme is owned and managed by New Zealand Farm Assurance Incorporated (NZFAI), which in turn is made up of 16 meat companies, 23 wool companies and

industry organisations such as Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Deer Industry New Zealand, covering over 95 percent of New Zealand’s beef, sheep, venison and wool production.

AsureQuality auditors verify that farms meet the requirements of the Standard. AsureQuality provided expertise during the creation of the programme to help develop a robust and auditable Standard, provided auditor guidance as well as testing the audit process on-farm.

Carbon and freshwater requirements are coming, with biodiversity elements close behind. AsureQuality’s goal is to ensure robust assurance while minimising administration, redundancy and stress to the farmer. The key to this is ensuring that programmes have mutual recognition and data sharing where appropriate. New technologies to allow remote auditing and real-time monitoring will further streamline the process.

Beyond the farm gate there is room to focus on the sustainability of other parts of the supply chain, including processing, packaging and transport. Ideally, programmes for each of these stages could be linked up to give customers confidence in responsible practice from farm to plate.

The big trends of sustainable finance and regenerative agriculture will continue to grow. Exactly what the assurance landscape will look like within these areas is not yet known but both trends have scope to improve environmental performance and financial security on-farm.

Farmers keen to join NZFAP Plus should advise their meat or wool company representative and then complete the application form on the NZFAP website (www.nzfap.com).

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Keeping it local puts wool on shop shelves

Reviving the wool industry and staying true to community roots has placed Agwool jerseys and socks on the shelves of Farmlands stores in North Otago.

When Farmlands shareholders Greg and Nic Ruddenklau met Agwool founder Ken Algie 5 years ago, they were looking for an answer. Farming Headwaters sheep across two properties in Five Forks, near Oamaru, Greg and Nic knew their premium wool was seriously undervalued. How could they change that?

The answer they took home was “regional wool” – the notion that wool from a region be made into products in that region and then sold in that region.

Now, wool from their flock is turned into jerseys, socks and beanies that are then sold in their local Farmlands store. Farmlands is working to make them available online soon. Greg and Nic’s farm is one of nine from Southland to North Canterbury investing in the programme and supplying lamb and hogget wool of 30-32.5 microns to Agwool. Other investors are as far north as Masterton.

Within the Agwool system, farmers fund the manufacture of their own wool by the kilo. Agwool New Zealand

was formed under parent company Agmatch. It aims to improve outcomes for wool with an emphasis on quality, farmer returns, good retail value and excellence in the end product.

For Greg and Nic, seeing the whole process from shearing shed to store shelf has been a real source of pride.

“The lambs’ wool is sorted on the shearing table and only the very best of it goes into the jerseys,” Greg says. “We got to see the end product before it went out and we are really impressed.”

Even better that the team at Farmlands

Oamaru got behind them. “We’ve been shareholders for a long time and we are really happy with the store display. We’ve had great feedback and people seem to really like the jersey,” Greg says. For he and Nic, the real triumph is in proving that the money is still there for their wool “and that has been shown”, Greg says.

The community aspect of the project has been a driver for Farmlands Oamaru’s Business Manager Steffan Souness.

“Initially I saw Greg and Nic promoting these jerseys through Agwool and started wondering how Farmlands could get on board,” Steffan says.

“The thing that excited me was the opportunity to support our local wool growers and shareholders as the product is so close to home. It’s a really light jersey with a beautiful soft lamb’s wool feel and unique breathable and windproof material on the inside.”

The jerseys and socks have been well supported by customers and the community aspect of them is a real drawcard.

“Our shareholders are growing this wool. The jerseys are selling well and adding value back into the wool industry. Also we are using our platform for good, locally,” Farmlands Otago Provincial Manager Paul McKernan says.

“We need to get the wool price back to where it should be.”

For Ken and the Agwool team, the programme gives transparency of the whole supply chain from shearing shed to retail store.

“Within Agwool we are fortunate to have a very complete knowledge of the full supply chain, from growing, designing and processing to understanding the market and selling the end product,” Ken says.

“We need 1,000kg of wool to make regional wool work and can break it into 4-5 different products. This means that we can manufacture Otago wool and sell the products in Otago and do the same in Canterbury, Southland or Hawke’s Bay.

| Jerseys, socks and beanies made with the Ruddenklaus’ wool.

The lambs’ wool is sorted on the shearing table and only the very best of it goes into the jerseys.”

Greg Ruddenklau

Having local wool in each area will be very satisfying,” Ken says.

“If the wool industry is going to recover, it needs to be of a premium quality. This wool is made into a top-quality yarn and the jerseys are the best of their kind in the marketplace at a very fair price.

“Wool has been seriously undervalued for many years now and as the values were poor, wool fell into the situation of farmers attempting to reduce expenses by not adhering to a high level of wool handling and classing in the shed.

“The result of this from a manufacturing perspective has been poor quality end products. This programme is designed to change that. With farmers currently looking at returns of up to $40 per kilo of wool through the Agwool programme, all of those involved in the processing and manufacturing of the wool are treated well and paid fair money for good quality work.”

With more quality wool products in the works, including carpets, underlay and insulation, Ken is committed to supporting the industry through the Agwool programme.

“The jerseys and socks are an excellent example of just how good strong wool can be and that better returns are possible,” Ken says.

“By stocking these products, Farmlands are supporting sheep farmers in the best possible way by offering a product for sale that is effectively direct from the farmers themselves and will make a positive difference to farmers’ outcomes.”

Farmlands is working on expanding the Agwool range throughout stores in Otago in early 2022.

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Changes lift trust compliance costs

Over the years the protection that trusts give has slowly been eroded. This, coupled with changes brought in by the Trusts Act 2019, which came into effect on 30th January 2021, raises the question of whether a trust structure remains the best course of action to safeguard your farm and whether such changes could spell the end to how farmers have traditionally sought to protect their greatest asset.

The Act altered three key areas in how trusts operate. First, it imposes mandatory and default duties on trustees. Second, it introduces a presumption that trustees disclose to beneficiaries particular information relating to a trust’s existence. Finally, trustees must adhere to requirements around retaining certain information relating to a trust.

Duties

The Act identifies five mandatory and 10 default trustee duties. Mandatory duties apply to trustees regardless of what is recorded under the trust’s deed. In contrast, default duties apply to trustees unless altered within the trust deed or any variation. These default duties may cause issues for trustees

by limiting their ability to exercise particular powers. An example of this is where a trustee is also a beneficiary and the deed does not adequately modify the ability for powers to be exercised in that trustee’s favour. In turn, this may limit that trustee’s ability to benefit from the trust.

Disclosure

Trustees now also have obligations to disclose certain trust information. This information is split into two categories, basic and additional. There is a presumption that basic information is provided to all beneficiaries and additional trust information is to be provided upon request. Trustees can however withhold any information if appropriate after the consideration of certain factors. Such factors include whether the information would strain familial relationships and whether disclosing the information would have any adverse effect on the beneficiary. These obligations may put trustees in some tough situations when considering whether to disclose information.

Retention

Under the Act, trustees are now required to keep certain documents. These include the trust deed, variations

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of the trust deed, records of trustee decisions and any changes of trustee documents. All trustees must retain a copy of the trust deed and any variations, while other documents must be held by at least one trustee and available to their fellow trustees.

In light of these changes, it is important that trustees review their trust deed, the information they hold and the trust structure itself to ensure compliance with the Act. If they do not, trustees may be exposing themselves to challenges from beneficiaries. Trustees must also consider the ongoing cost of complying with these changes and ask themselves whether the administrative and monetary burden of operating a trust has become too high to justify retaining it. After consideration it may be best to safeguard farms through an alternative form of ownership.

If you are unsure of the implications of your current trust structure or are contemplating how best to secure your farm assets for the future, Wynn Williams can advise.

Article supplied by Phoebe Davies, Partner, Wynn Williams

Simply call us on 09 300 2600 (North Island) or 03 379 7622 (South Island) or visit www wynnwilliams co.nz/farmlands for more details.

Guards only as good as their last check

February is a busy time for making hay and silage. It is also when ACC receives the highest number of reports of farm workplace accidents due to people being trapped in moving machinery or equipment.

“Such accidents may be fatal or cause devastating and life-changing injuries,” Angela Mansell, Acting Director Engagement and Implementation for WorkSafe New Zealand, says.

“All farm machinery has the potential to harm. Machinery should be fitted with guards and only be used by people who have had the necessary experience and training to use it safely.

“Even for experienced people, it’s important to take a few minutes to think through what the risks might be for the specific job you are doing with that particular machine and how you will manage those.”

Power take-off (PTO) shafts on tractors or other farm machinery such as slashers are a significant risk. People have been killed and seriously injured after getting caught in PTO shafts and couplings.

“There does not need to be any part sticking out from the PTO assembly to cause entanglement,” Angela says. “Clothing only needs to wrap around the shaft once. The friction of the fabric touching itself makes it stick and then as the PTO turns, the force wrapping the fabric around the shaft increases.”

Older tractors and tools may not have the original fixed guards for the power output coupling (POC) or power input coupling (PIC) or the originals may not be in safe condition. Employers must still make sure all parts of the PTO are adequately guarded. If that is not the case, Angela says, you will need to buy guards or have them made.

Before using a PTO or instructing someone else to use one you should always consider if the turning equipment is sufficiently guarded. The guarding for a PTO includes:

• A POC guard, also known as the tractor master guard. This should be permanently attached to the tractor. If it is movable, it must be held securely in place when the tractor is in use.

• An implement PIC guard. This should be permanently attached to the implement. If it is movable, it must be held securely in place when in use. There should be no nip-points where body parts or clothing can be caught.

• A PTO shaft guard that extends into the POC and PIC areas for the maximum practical distance. The guard can be rotating or not. A non-rotating guard needs a way to be restrained. A rotating guard must turn freely and be able to be stopped by hand without risk of injury or entanglement.

All guards specified by the manufacturer must be in place and well maintained and should be fitted and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If a guard needs to be removed for maintenance or cleaning, isolate and lock out machinery so it cannot be started without the guard. Check all guards regularly – daily when in use – for wear and damage and replace damaged guards.

For further information see WorkSafe’s Safe Use of Tractors guidelines: worksafe.govt.nz

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.

Alternatives needed when pasture is low

The equine gastrointestinal tract and its unique structure is specifically designed for forage to be the foundation of all horses’ diets. Horses are classified as nonruminant hindgut fermenters and the population of microbes that reside in their hindgut is reliant on a constant intake of fibre.

Inadequate forage intake can lead to digestive conditions such as gastric ulcers, as well as hindgut acidosis as a result of microbial imbalances. To avoid this it is recommended that all horses consume at least 1.5 percent of their body weight in forage each day. Given free access to adequate forage, average consumption rates are between 1.8 percent and 2.2 percent of body weight, with some horses with significantly high energy requirements consuming up to 5 percent of their body weight daily.

Given its structure, the ideal environment for an equine to promote a healthy digestive tract is in a paddock with constant access to pasture.

However climate and seasonal changes mean this is not always possible.

While the higher rainfall and warmer temperatures in the North Island can mean less risk of pasture shortage over summer, the South Island is often susceptible to drying off and pasture becoming scarce, especially during times of heavy stocking rates.

When this occurs, supplementary forage is essential for equine weight management as well as digestive tract health. There are a variety of options available.

Common hay types suitable for horses in New Zealand include lucerne or blends of rye, meadow or clover.

The value of hay can vary widely according to the composition of the grasses, time and climatic conditions during hay making. While lucerne is generally highest in energy, protein and calcium, a high clover content will also significantly increase the nutrient content of the hay.

In recent years ensiled grasses such as baleage and haylage have gained popularity and these contain a higher moisture content and nutritional value. Despite their benefits, management is essential to ensure freshness and when opened, bales must be used within a

few days. Toxicity through feeding poor quality baleage or haylage can pose a significant risk to equine health. Care must be taken to avoid feeding out mouldy or spoiled ensiled forages. Additional fibre can be included in the equine diet through various by-products. Beet pulp and soy hulls are ideal. The high levels of digestible fibre and energy in both these feed ingredients enable them to be classified as super fibres, with significant benefits to digestive health. McMillan Grain Free is a great beet pulp and soy hull feed formulated with a pre-mix.

The alternative forage selected in times of low pasture will depend on the individual farm’s situation, stocking rates, budgets and availability. Planning is essential to ensure adequate forage is available to all horses over the period of drought.

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

Article supplied by Farmlands Equine Nutritionist Luisa Wood

Ups and downs mark home flock’s season

Fortunately there were more ups than downs to our little flock’s lambing last spring. We lambed more triplets earlier than ever, reared two lambs for every ewe that went to the tup and weaned earlier than usual.

We sold surplus ewe lambs and wethers while there was still plenty of grass around at good prices, but for the first time I lost a ewe after a difficult lambing and one lamb managed to somehow hang itself by its back leg on a single-tape electric fence – the inept acrobat has since recovered thanks to veterinary intervention but it was touch and go.

What has been pleasing is that local lifestylers bought lambs to increase their flocks, which bucks the national trend for falling sheep numbers. We were more generous with the NRM Triplet Nuts post-lambing than usual because the grass was slow to get away. We creep-fed the lambs Lamb Performance Pellets after weaning when they joined the orphans, which really seemed to support growth in the difficult transition to an all-grass diet. A good mating is the foundation of next season’s success. Last January we put the tup in the little paddock adjoining the ewes in the hope that even the sight of his masculine form would encourage early cycling. We then let him loose on 6th February to try to bring lambing forward into late June. The first lambs did not appear until 9th July and lambing went on for nearly 6 weeks until 19th August, which is quite tiring on our Head Shepherd.

We always give our sheep access to LittleLix salt blocks and the ewes were in good condition. Flushing or putting ewes on a rising plane of nutrition is less effective at body condition score 3.5 or above so we didn’t feed NRM Pre-Tup Nuts. If we had, it is unlikely we would have got many more triplets but I would like to think lambing would have been over faster. This year we are trying to stop the ewes getting too fat so there is some scope to flush them through mating. NRM Pre-Tup Nuts are like sheep nuts on steroids, with double-strength trace mineral and vitamin levels to try to eliminate deficiencies in key essential minerals holding back fertility, additional protein in case summer grass protein levels are in decline and extra energy

from the addition of rumen-protected fat, which is inert in the rumen but good for body condition gains.

Before the flock is joined by the tup there may be an opportunity to at least separate out and flush lighter ewes but once together they are all getting the same. Like its owner, our tup carries a bit too much weight so at times has to be kept on slim pickings but this year he might get some Pre-Tup Nuts in case his maintenance diet is affecting his fertility and contributing to the length of lambing.

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

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Better feeding today sets up tomorrow

Keeping growing youngstock on target can be hard over summer due to the low quality and quantity of grass on offer. It can influence reaching growth targets and animal health and wellbeing. As we head into autumn it becomes important to check growth targets of each animal as an individual.

The weight gains really start to decline in late summer through bulky, stalky, low-energy grass or a lack of grass, forcing animals into maintenance mode or even worse. This comes at a big cost to the dairy industry, not only in milk in the vat in the first few lactations but also in reproduction and longevity in the herd for our heifers.

A New Zealand study shows that every 1 percent a dairy heifer is behind on growth targets (at 22 months) costs 2kg of milk solids in the vat*. On this season’s pay-out, that equates to $80 or more in lost production. I have often seen a higher percentage of heifers in

the bottom weight groups by the end of their first summer, especially when underperformers are not singled out and fed higher energy and protein supplements through the summer and early autumn.

Reaching targets for the beef finishers is just as important for profitability and sustainability. By reaching or exceeding targets, we tend to farm smarter, have better feed conversion, better quality animals, less damage to pasture and improved animal health and welfare, which leads to more profit whether you are a beef finisher or growing a future dairy replacement heifer.

In my experience of rearing thousands of replacement heifers over the years, it is never a bad idea to nutritionally feed better today. You get out what you put in and feeding better today makes life easier tomorrow.

Growing great youngstock is one of the enjoyments of farming. I personally find

maximising the best genetic gains a bit of a buzz and take a lot of enjoyment from feeding with results but also substantially improving on industry averages.

Using brought-in supplements like blends, compound feeds and crops when pasture is limited increases the chances of the youngstock performance. Lost gain in beef cattle may mean they have to be carried longer and may miss optimum markets. Heifers need to meet their weight and growth targets to trigger the brain to start the puberty cycle and maintain that pregnancy.

Do not rely on compensatory growth further on as it will affect the profitability and overall lifetime performance.

A perspective that allows you to consistently make decisions based on the right set of criteria will allow you to stay ahead of targets and be more sustainable for your youngstock’s future. Having a summer feed pinch strategy to ensure targets are hit may give your replacements the advantages of an extra oestrous cycle before breeding time, greater first lactation potential and future reproductive efficiency.

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

Article supplied by Karen Fraser, Technical Specialist Nutrition

*Effect of heifer liveweight on calving pattern and milk production. McNaughton and T. Lopdell 2013, Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.

It’s a matter of heart: Smiths City proud to support Farmlands Cup 2022

Farmlands Cup 2022 is just around the corner and the team at Smiths City are gearing up for another fantastic event.

In one of Super Rugby’s most treasured rivalries, the Crusaders and Highlanders will battle it out for South Island supremacy and all-round bragging rights in the pre-season clash.

For the very first time since its inception, this year’s Cup will be hosted in Weston near Oamaru in North Otago. Kiwi music legends Sir DAVE DOBBYN and band have been recently confirmed as playing at the Cup.

“We’re really excited for Farmlands Cup 2022 – it touches the essence of who we are as a business,” Tony Allison, Smiths City’s Managing Director, said.

“Smiths City got its start in Canterbury more than 100 years ago. Since then, the business has grown and expanded across both Canterbury and Otago with 11 stores operating across the two regions.

“It’s the heartland where our story began and it’s where a big part of our community continues to be based today.

“Whoever you barrack for at Farmlands Cup – Otago or Canterbury – it’s sure to be great event,” Allison said.

Smiths City currently sponsors all five New Zealand Super Rugby teams and will continue its support in 2022. Naturally, Smiths City is eager to get behind the 2022 Farmlands Cup.

“As a 100% Kiwi owned business, it makes good sense to back all of New Zealand’s Super Rugby teams.

“With Farmlands Cup being so well aligned with our business, community and our love of rugby, we’re all too happy to support the event in any way we can.

“Like last year, we’ll be donating an item for the charity auction with proceeds going to the Valley Rugby Football Club in Weston.

“We’ll also run sideline giveaways during the match, plus we’ll release news of an exciting Farmlands Cup competition. Keep an eye out for details.”

Managing Barber’s Pole takes planned approach

Parasitic worms come in many guises but they all have one thing in common – they cause damage to your sheep. Some are worse than others and in late summer/autumn the most devastating is Barber’s Pole worm.

This bloodsucker can drain the blood from lambs, leaving them lethargic or panting (unable to carry oxygen efficiently) and can also kill them rapidly. Barber’s Pole worms produce thousands of eggs, up to 10,000 a day, so eggs and infective larvae on pasture can build up quickly, causing issues for lambs and also 2-tooths and older ewes in poorer condition.

The risk of Barber’s Pole infections can be reduced through cross-grazing of older stock or different stock classes such as cattle, allowing lambs to not graze down to low residuals and feeding them summer crops. If those options have been exhausted and you know large numbers of eggs are being produced (through faecal egg counting), using Cydectin® Oral is an effective tool to control these parasites. Cydectin Oral keeps killing the incoming Barber’s Pole larvae for up to 35 days and Teladorsagia circumcincta larvae, the other key parasite at this time of year, for 21 days. The drench is effective at killing the adult worms and can reduce egg output for several weeks, reducing contamination for the lambs and other stock classes and allowing lambs to fatten properly. Depending on the contamination and challenge lambs face, one to three drenches of Cydectin Oral given at

4-6 week intervals may be required to keep lambs protected. Faecal samples should be taken from lambs and 2-tooths to monitor egg output, both before treatment commences and during. This will help inform you of the larval challenge they have faced, the effectiveness of the drench and give you an indication of when larval numbers decline. This can help guide when Cydectin is no longer required. Following the last Cydectin drench, animals should receive an Exit treatment. This drench is short-acting, contains a different active family to moxidectin (the active ingredient in Cydectin) and is effective. The purpose of an Exit treatment is to reduce the chance of

survivors resistant to the longer-acting product being able to breed and is one of the tools to help minimise the development of drench resistance. Ideally, short-acting combination drenches should be the routine choice for lambs but for particularly wormy times of the year and when Barber’s Pole is a threat, pulling out all the stops with Cydectin Oral is justified.

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

Article supplied by Zoetis Cydectin is a registered trademark of Zoetis. ACVM No. A6204

Warm, wet weather ideal for parasites too

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

Good pasture growth conditions in autumn are also ideal conditions for the survival of gastrointestinal parasites on pasture, creating a considerable build-up of infective larvae that challenges your beef weaners and depresses growth. These losses are often under-rated and by the time you see the clinical signs, such as scouring, a parasite burden may have already considerably reduced growth rates. The two main parasite species in young cattle in New Zealand are Ostertagia sp. and Cooperia sp. Ostertagia sp. harms cattle of all ages. The ML or “mectin” family of drenches is best for its control, particularly the potent active abamectin. Cooperia sp. is a particular problem in young stock, with significant burdens building up in autumn pasture, depressing stock appetite and growth. Resistance to ML drenches is widespread, with levamisole the only active that has retained good efficacy against Cooperia species.1

Converge ® is an ideal choice for beef weaners as it contains both levamisole and abamectin. For extra protection

from resistance, Alliance ® is a triple combination containing oxfendazole on top of levamisole and abamectin. Using multiple actives from different drench families at the same time has been shown to delay resistance in parasites. Both drenches can also be used in sheep.

Although pour-on drenches are seen as being more convenient, studies have shown their efficacy can be variable, with many factors limiting their absorption.2

Oral administration has been shown to result in a higher concentration of the active reaching the target parasites in the gastrointestinal tract. For this reason, using an oral drench for as long as possible is recommended.

Oral drenches are the most costeffective way to drench your stock, combating resistance and ensuring excellent growth rates in your beef weaners. All Coopers drenches are low dose and mineralised, making the process as easy as possible.

A preventative drenching programme using effective combination oral drenches every 4 weeks through the autumn prevents the build-up of infective larvae on your pasture, reducing parasite challenge and the associated losses in beef cattle. Along with refugia, maintaining good quality pasture, cross-grazing and drench checks, it is part of an effective parasite management plan.

Your beef weaners also need protection against clostridial disease this autumn.

Clostridial spores are found almost everywhere. Some exist as spores in soil for decades; others survive for an animal’s lifetime in the muscles, gut or liver of otherwise healthy stock.

Clostridial diseases in cattle include malignant oedema, tetanus, pulpy kidney, black disease and blood poisoning. Often the first you will see of these diseases is the sudden death of often the biggest calves, with risk factors including unvaccinated or not properly vaccinated animals, wounds and injury, liver damage and fast-growing animals on good quality feed or crops.

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

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

Article supplied by MSD Animal Health

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

2. D.M. Leathwick et al (2013). Efficacy of oral, injectable and pour-on formulations of moxidectin against gastrointestinal nematodes in cattle in New Zealand. Veterinary Parasitology 191, 293-300. ACVM No: A10119. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone: 0800 800 543. https://merck-ah-promomats. veevavault.com/ui/www.msd-animal-health.co.nz” www.msd-animal-health.co.nz NZ-CVR-2112000002. © 2021 Intervet International B.V. All Rights Reserved.

Electronic tags give insight into ewe flock

After 3 years of using electronic identification (EID) tags on his ewe hogget replacements, Wairarapa farmer Richard Tosswill is getting much greater insight into his ewe flock. He’s capturing pregnancy data at ewe scanning, body condition scores through the year and liveweights to build a more detailed profile of his flock and its progeny.

The main reason Richard tags his annual crop of ewe hogget replacements is to improve ewe selection based on their lamb production. He’s also mindful of the signals from meat companies that farmers provide full traceability and production history back to farm of origin. Richard admits he’s struggled with how to process and make more use of his captured datasets but that is high on his agenda now he has built up the history over the past 3 years.

He and wife Beck farm 646ha (622ha effective) east of Masterton. They winter 2,800 ewes and 900 ewe hoggets (all mated), plus a beef cow herd of 110 cows and replacements. Depending on weather conditions and pasture growth, they usually incorporate some winter finishing of trade lambs and run up to 150 rising 1 or 2-year cattle.

Lamb weaning weights in 2019 ranged from 30-32kg in the mixed age mobs and averaged about 30kg for the two-tooths and around 32kg for the ewe hogget lambs. All ewe hoggets are mated. EID tagging of the replacement ewe hoggets means Richard can select more accurately and improve the overall fertility of his mixed age flock. It also means he can assess the performance of progeny bred from rams from new sources. “We don’t have a really fecund ewe flock. It’s Texel-Coopworth cross,”

Richard says. “So tagging them means we can now easily identify our lower producers – singles and lates – and that history is there for us to run them through our three-way auto drafting unit to split them off for culling later if we choose to.”

Richard is also keen to sort out what he terms “repeat offenders” – ewes that are overfat most of the year and typically rear a single lamb. With individual tagging, these ewes don’t just “disappear” into the flock at set stocking time.

He is also experimenting with mating some of his ewe flock to straight Romney sires. EID tagging means the performance of their resulting progeny can be tracked easily for comparison against other sire groups.

On reflection, he says the past 3 years of EID tagging has not created higher

returns or a more productive flock but he can see scope for this from here on.

“We were already tagging our replacement ewe hoggets anyway so there’s no more effort or time to put in an EID tag. The key for us is to find easy ways to manage the data to build the history on each animal in our flock so it can be used for selection decisions in the future,” Richard says.

“It suits my personality to be in control of the numbers. So it’s great to be able to compare performance of single and twinborn lambs or progeny from different ram sources without a lot of extra work and manual recording,” he says.

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

Farmers who trust Time Capsules year after year have their own reasons:

Timing is everything

Rapid protection in the face of a challenge

Peace of mind

The Time Capsule provides consistent daily protection against FE

Easy to administer

One capsule provides 4 weeks protection in cattle and 6 weeks protection in sheep

Nothing left behind

The Time Capsule leaves zero residue in the animal (dissolves completely), plus packaging is recyclable

No visible signs of FE in your stock?

Your greater concern should be the liver damage that will be occurring and resulting sub-clinical effects on your animals.

Sub-clinical FE in sheep

Reduced growth rates

Lower lambing percentage

Reduced lifetime production

Reduced longevity + earlier culling

Sub-clinical FE in cattle

Reduced growth rates

Reduction in milk production

Reduced lifetime performance

Reduced longevity & mating performance

Choose The Time Capsule - used, proven and trusted by NZ farmers for over 25 years.

golden capsule to be found in each size range. See https://www.nzagritrade.co.nz/The-Time-Capsule for full Terms and Conditions. For every golden capsule found, we’ll also donate $1,000 to Rural Support Trust*!

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New pasture needs planning to succeed

Pasture renewal can significantly benefit farm businesses by boosting productivity and profitability.

The decision to renew pasture can be triggered by poor performance likely caused by pests, overgrazing, droughts, floods, pugging or poor soil fertility. These factors can lead to greater weed ingress and the invasion of low-productivity grasses.

Whatever the reason, if pasture longevity is one of the goals it is important to successfully establish new pasture using the most appropriate varieties and endophytes for your region, ideally without disturbing the soil structure and soil pest/predator balance. To achieve this, the process needs to be done correctly so the full benefits can be realised. Murray Lane, Ballance Agri-Nutrients Science Extension Forage Specialist, warns against taking shortcuts. “The need to follow a carefully thought-out programmed approach to ensure a successful outcome is paramount. The result should be a well-

established, high-yielding pasture that stands the test of time.”

Paddock selection needs to happen well in advance so that any drainage or soil fertility problems can be addressed before the new pasture goes in. Putting new plants in is not a fix if the process results in damage to soil structure and the pest to predator ratios. Aggressive cultivation damages both. Ideally new pasture and cropping will be done with minimal disturbance to the soil and soil microbes.

Drilling with a starter fertiliser is also highly recommended. “When you are drilling seed, make sure you also drill Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) at rates of 100-150kg/ha,” Murray says. “Maintenance P was going to be applied at some time. Drilling a starter fertiliser at sowing means the plants are able to access two key nutrients when they most need them.

“If you are using a no-tillage method, it is even more beneficial to apply a starter fertiliser as there has been no soil

mineralisation, releasing nutrients into the soil solution, as occurs with cultivation.”

Drilling with a starter fertiliser is useful even in cultivated land, as often low-fertility subsoil has been brought to the surface. Using DAP as a starter fertiliser puts the nutrients that seedlings require, notably phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), within easy reach, promoting strong root and leaf growth. This gives plants a good head start, allowing them to out-compete weeds. When drilling with a starter fertiliser, it will need to go into a separate drill box to the seed so it can be accurately metered. If the DAP is being put into the same seed furrow, use no more than 100-150kg DAP/ha with a 13-15cm drill spacing. Alternatively, the DAP can be broadcast and incorporated into the soil just before sowing, although this is less effective.

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

Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON FOR DUST SUPPRESSION

Dust control is a big issue for many farmers and orchardists as the summer dry sets in. That is why Biolchim New Zealand has developed Antidust, a safe and cost-effective solution to dust problems.

By helping to compact surfaces, Antidust protects roads, headlands and farm tracks from deterioration.

That means less frequent repairs of potholes, washboarding and rutting; fewer crashes caused by poor visibility; and fewer health problems related to airborne particles.

Controlling dust during harvest keeps your workers, your neighbours and the wider community happy. Dust particles entering streams and waterways can lift sediment levels, which can be dangerous to aquatic life.

Antidust uses the same suppressant technologies that have helped mining, forestry and regional municipalities control dust for over 25 years.

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

EASY TO APPLY

1. Wet the area evenly with 40-50L of solution (15-20L of product) every 100m2 of surface.

2. 2-3 applications 2-3 weeks apart can control dust the whole summer.

Crawling insect pests present health risk

They can be very small but they can cause big problems. Pests inside your living space are not just limited to rodents. Even very small pests that are difficult to see can escalate to plague proportions, causing both health risks and extreme levels of discomfort.

Crawling insects are insects or pests that don’t fly, or if they do fly their initial impact is in the larval stage before they gain wings in adulthood. The most common crawling household pests are ants, cockroaches, silverfish, carpet beetles, mites, springtails, fleas, ticks, cluster flies, bed bugs, white-tailed spiders and myriad other spider species. Some of these pests can be health risks by spreading bacteria while others can cause severe damage to structures as well as carpets and furnishings. Locating their habitat and movements can help identify them as well as ascertain their numbers. It is then possible to work out the best control strategy.

The most confusing aspect of crawling insect control is not the large number of species but rather the large number of insecticides that claim to control them. Not only are there many different active ingredients but there are also many different formulations, as well as traps, baits and lures of various descriptions. Despite the large number of different active ingredients, all insecticides fall into one of two categories. They are either repellent or non-repellent. Unfortunately, many insecticides don’t state this on the label and this can lead to the wrong product being used for the wrong pest. Most insecticides claim efficacy on a wide range of pests but if they are repellent then the only insects killed will be the ones coming in direct contact with the chemical as it is delivered. Most of the pests that are not in target range at application (this can be most of the population) will avoid the sprayed area because of its high level of repellence. In general, only a small percentage of any population is visible at any one time.

To ensure a pest population eventually encounters a sprayed surface, it is important to apply only a non-repellent insecticide. This should last for many months on the sprayed surface and still work even on porous surfaces.

Many formulations such as Emulsifiable Concentrates (ECs) are absorbed into porous surfaces and have limited residual activity. Insecticides that have the best activity on all applied surfaces are waterbased suspension concentrates (SCs). These are also less likely to damage paint and wallpaper when applied.

No Pests Crawling spray for indoor applications and No Pests X It Ant for outdoor use have both been designed specifically for New Zealand conditions and have a high level of efficacy as well as being suspension concentrates with no repellence.

Another feature of No Pests Crawling spray is that 90 percent of the active ingredient particles are smaller than 10 microns in diameter. This very small particle size allows for optimum spray contact and assists in rapid uptake of the insecticide into the insect.

To maintain the level of non-repellence it is important that sprayers do not have residues of any repellent chemicals. Either have a dedicated sprayer solely for nonrepellent application or clean your sprayer by filling with a solution of enzyme-based washing powder to soak overnight. Thoroughly rinse before use.

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

Article supplied by Key Industries

speak with your local Farmlands representative or visit crop-solutions.basf.co.nz

All over the country more and more growers and agronomists are turning to the trusted performers and the ever-growing range of crop protection and production solutions from BASF

Time-saving tools help in juggling act

A full day’s work is standard for Hamish Gill, who is juggling various operations in Western-Central Southland.

The livestock farmer runs a 275ha lamb finishing operation in Otautau-Eastern Bush, finishing around 10-14,000 lambs a year. Another 150ha is shut up for silage, from which he expects to cut 3,000 tonnes of grass during the season. Silage, together with a

good crop of swedes, will supply supplementary feed to local dairy farmers during the winter months. Prioritising tasks and reliable timesaving tools help keep the operations ticking along. These are essential, given that Hamish spends 5 days a week running a rural fence contracting business that he has operated for the last 30 years.

Running his own units, supplying farmers with supplementary feed and contract fencing requires good balance – not only time but physical demands too. He and his two crew have just finished 8 days of installing electric fencing around creeks and trees. They have completed up to 10km of two-wire electric fence in good time. It has allowed them to quickly move to the next waterways project, installing varying lengths of 10-wire netting fence with a ground wire and top electric wire.

“We used a Strainrite adapter on the Stockade ST400i cordless power stapler tool for attaching insulators to the posts – it speeds up an electric fencing job dramatically and clients are always pleased with the speed that the job gets done.”

Hamish came across Stockade tools through an industry training day 5 years

ago and gave the staplers a go. He says he is “addicted to them now” and armed with the time-saving tools he hasn’t looked back.

“We bought two ST400i cordless staplers pretty much immediately. We have three now and I wouldn’t be without them. We use them on a daily basis and go through quite a few racks of staples a year. Stapling up netting fence for sheep or deer, it basically speeds up the work and makes our work so much easier and more pleasant.”

For ease of use, simplicity and just being able to get more done in a day, Hamish says you don’t have to be a fencing contractor to reap the benefits of the Stockade ST400i.

“I recommend them for any farmer who just wants to keep their farm maintained. I’ve got clients who have gone out and bought one for their own farm just to do fence maintenance and repairs. You won’t go back to a hammer and they are pretty quick to pay for themselves.”

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

Article supplied by Stockade

Pipe evolution means more water options

Farms and towns differ in many ways but one thing they are likely to share is old pipes in unknown condition. You often won’t know the condition or the type of pipe until you come to dig it up.

As farmers have moved away from open sources for stock water such as streams and dams to reticulated systems that improve production, the choice of pipe has reflected the technology of the time.

Galvanised pipe was one of the first options. Coming in 6.5m lengths with a threaded coupler, these metal pipes were relatively expensive, cumbersome to work with and were subject to corrosion. They are still used on farms today for very high-pressure systems. Next came PVC pressure pipe, in the early 1960s. This was also rigid and came in 6m lengths. It had various pressure ratings, with a solvent-cement or rubber ring-socket jointing system. This transformed pressurised pipe systems. It was cost effective, lightweight, easy to work with and came with a large range of off-the-shelf fittings. PVC pressure pipe is still used today around farms but more typically for pump headworks and around farm buildings.

Coiled polyethylene pipe then came along and revolutionised rural water reticulation. Imagine a 200m coil with no potential leaks at each 6m joint. Two pipe options were available: low-density polyethene pipe (LDPE) and highdensity pipe (HDPE). They came with mechanical fittings that pushed a barb into the pipe bore, then compressed the pipe wall with an external nut. HDPE was very stiff and difficult to work with because of the “memory” within the coil when it was uncoiled but it offered high-pressure options. Its demise came in the 1980s when new polymers became available that offered a high pressure rating but were more flexible and easier to work with.

LDPE is still used widely for stock water lines. It is known under the brand name Alkathene, which has become the generic term for LD pipe. Its thick

wall and flexibility make it a robust choice for low-pressure systems but it comes with several drawbacks. The wall section is constant across the diameter range, meaning the larger diameter pipes have a lesser pressure rating. It’s a soft material so needs a comparatively thick wall section to withstand the internal water pressure. This leads to two issues: its small bore makes it hydraulically inefficient; and its heavy weight makes it expensive, both in terms of price per metre and price for the volume of water delivered.

Then came Medium Density Polyethylene Pipe (MDPE), an ISO specification pipe with iconic brand names such as Greenline and Redline. This offered improved flexibility and higher-pressure options. Being easier to work with, MDPE pipe immediately replaced HDPE. Its improved flow rate and technically advanced external fitting system also displaced LDPE pipe for some.

The latest iteration of coiled PE pipe is High Performance Polyethylene Pipe (HPPE) using PE100 material, which amplifies the benefits of MDPE. Being stronger, more scratch resistant and with improved hydraulic efficiency, this became the base material for Greenline and Redline and the predominant rural pipeline material in New Zealand for engineered stock water reticulation systems.

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

Article supplied by Iplex

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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.

Expansion builds resilience

Growing their original land holding has underpinned the Leasks’ farming success.

William Hourston Leask from Pomona Orkney arrived in Ophir with the gold rush in 1863.

In the mid-1860s, he took up a parcel of land on Blacks Flat, which became sections 17 and 25 after the first survey, 54 acres in all. He built a house for his fiancée, Ellen Corrigall whom he married at Ophir in 1867. They went on to have six children. The house they lived in on the Blacks Flat flooded in 1868, so they moved to the adjoining property of William Mee, which he also purchased. Ellen’s brother, James Corrigall joined them in 1870. He eventually owned 200 acres on Blacks Flat and 1,200 acres on the Omakau side of the river. The property was sold in 1916 after William’s death. His son, Samuel Leask and his wife, Margaret bought the original 200 acres from William’s estate.

Samuel was an agricultural contractor, owning a traction engine, threshing mill and chaff cutter. He was also an engineer and an accomplished land surveyor. Samuel and Margaret brought up four sons on the flat, which by now was known as “Pomona Farm”

In 1945, Samuel was gored by a cow and died two days later. His youngest son, Ken was called upon to run the farm. Ken soon realised that the 200 acres was far too small to make any sort of living, so he set about buying out

three of his neighbours until his farm became a holding of about 3,000 acres. Ken married Betty Huddleston in 1947 and they had five children. His oldest son, Samuel joined his father on the farm in 1966 and his second son, Trevor in 1968.

Together they developed the hill country behind Ophir with dryland lucerne, which replaced huge areas of wild thyme.

Trevor died in a motorbike accident in 1980 and Sam purchased his share of the farm from his widow, Judy. They introduced irrigation to the original flat lands in 1985, which has helped them through many Central Otago droughts. Sam and his wife, Irene took over the farm in 1995. They have three daughters and six grandchildren. They currently farm Polwarth sheep for meat and mid-micron wool.

Rural market update

As we start the new year, we remain optimistic about returning to business as usual.

COVlD-19 has shaped events over the past 2 years. For rural New Zealand, the impact on events has seen local communities anguish over running events and inevitably making the tough call to cancel. Often, the considerable effort that goes into planning is unpaid, and committee time is voluntary. We recognise this work and acknowledge those marching forward into 2022 determined to bring some usual back to the unusual.

Farmlands, like Property Brokers, is an avid supporter of rural events. Our annual calendars are planned around shows and field days, with many internal gatherings secondary to ensure as many of our people can participate as possible.

We have missed getting alongside rural communities supporting events and talking about farming and politics, not forgetting the rural property market. It is encouraging to see a programme of planned event management linking with rural communities this year.

As a strategic partner, we will collaborate with Farmlands on the following events and hope to reconnect with many of you to chew the fat on local sales, whether rural or lifestyle. A lot is happening in the market with land-use change and compliance, creating some never-before-seen anomalies in all classes of land all over the country.

As a Farmlands shareholder, we place a real priority on providing you with obligation-free local market updates at any time during the year. If you need to talk to a property expert now, rather than wait to see us at the next event, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us on 0800 367 5263 or visit pb.co.nz

Irrespective of what 2022 may bring, we remain committed to rural and provincial New Zealand and are focused as much on the long term as we are on the year ahead.

Conrad Wilkshire, GM Rural for Property Brokers Ltd conrad@pb.co.nz

Upcoming rural events 2022

Date Event Location 3-5 March Northland Field Days Dargaville 11-12 March Wanaka Show Wanaka 17-19 March Central Districts Field Days Feilding 1-2 April AgFest Greymouth

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Available at your local Farmlands store or online at shop.farmlands.co.nz