The Farmlander - June 2022

CELEBRATING AOTEAROA

• S pecial places

• S tar power

• B old dreams

www.farmlands.co.nz/dealdays

CELEBRATING AOTEAROA

PLAN365

Plan365 Nutrition

37 Common cures need wary eye on labels

38 Day 1 colostrum gives calves start they need 41 Food future favours pasture-based stock

Plan365 Animal Management

45 Persistent drenches give ewes longer protection

47 Rule change affects cow drench timing

Plan365 Forage and Arable

51 Homegrown silage just like money in the bank

53 Advances in fertiliser keep P on the paddock

Plan365 Rural Infrastructure

This photo by Geraldine Kelly of a group of friends exploring the area around Mueller Hut, with Aoraki / Mt Cook as a backdrop, won our ‘Celebrating Aotearoa’ photo competition. Other entries on p19.

57 New approach needed in battle against rabbits

Sam Ruke Salesperson Farmlands Kaitaia

Q: How did you come to be working for Farmlands?

A: A former rugby coach hit me up when I was working for another company in Kaitaia that I had worked at for 14 years. I haven't looked back – I have just gone 10 years with Farmlands.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: I really enjoy helping out our customers and working with our team in Kaitaia. Even though I have been here for a long time I am still learning something every day.

Q: What do you enjoy most about living in Kaitaia?

A: Kaitaia is home for me and close to whanau and friends. We moved from Auckland when I was 16. We now live in Ahipara, west of Kaitaia, the start of 90 Mile Beach on the West Coast and only 30 minutes to the east coast so that's pretty awesome.

Q: You are well known locally for your rugby career. Does that help you connect with customers?

A: Yes, I think when you do anything out in the community like sports it definitely builds relationships with the customer and they like to come in the branch to see you. Not as bad now that I am not playing because sometimes the rugby stories could take up a bit of time!

Q: What else do you like to do in your spare time?

A: I’m into my darts – not too many sports where you can get away with drinking at the same time. I really like to fish so last year I got another rod so I’m definitely going to get out and start using it more.

Q: Tell us about a time you made your mum proud.

A: I would like to think I’ve always made my mum proud. I think I made her proud when I was the first out of my four siblings to give her grandkids.

Interested in a job like Sam’s?

Head to careers.farmlands.co.nz for our latest vacancies.

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 tsp of fresh thyme, chopped

• 1 celery stalk, chopped

• 1kg of greenlip mussels (whole)

• 400g stock (vege or seafood)

• 1 large kumara cut into small chunks

• 300g of mixed seafood (eg, scallops, prawns, shrimps)

• 100g terakihi or hoki cut into medium-sized chunks

• salt to season

• 250g cream or creme fraiche

Method

1. Fry garlic, onion, thyme and celery in a pan.

2. At the same time steam your mussels until they open and then de-beard them.

3. Add the kumara and the stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer.

4. Once kumara is soft add the fish, mussels and seafood and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Season with salt, add in cream and continue to reduce until you have a thick and creamy chowder.

6. Serve and garnish with a pinch of pepper and parsley.

Tēna koutou katoa

This time of year is often seen as the end of the annual farming cycle. For anyone who owns or works on the land, they know that doesn’t translate to quiet. Along with many other things, it’s a time for catch-up and preparation before spring and the cycle kicks off again.

The theme for this month’s Farmlander is ‘Celebrating Aotearoa’. It’s 900 years since the story of agriculture started here in New Zealand and for the first time Kiwis will mark the unique growing cycles of these motu (islands) with Matariki on June 24, the start of the Māori lunar calendar.

Celebrating Aotearoa feels particularly apt as we move forward from COVID-19 with our borders opening – once again we are welcoming whanau, friends and the world back to our shores.

Earlier this year I communicated our goal to significantly improve the performance of Farmlands. We have received valuable feedback on this from you, our shareholders and customers. Part of our research includes exploring national and international trends to gain valuable insights into how others are tackling supply chain, merchandise procurement and management, digital experience, omni-channel purchasing and delivery. The lessons will help us continue to shape Farmlands for the future.

While Aotearoa New Zealand has challenges to face around the rising cost of living and doing business, we are an innovative, thriving, productive agriculture sector delivering quality, highvalue products locally and globally. As a small country far from the large population centres of Europe and North America, it’s easy to forget to celebrate our successes and remember that we collectively punch well above our weight. That’s something for us all to be proud of.

Ngā manaakitanga (with best wishes)

Tanya Houghton Chief Executive Officer

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

WE’RE TAKING A SHORT BREAK.

In the last month The Farmlander has hit a couple of bumps in the road. Firstly our print partner has gone out of business and more recently we’ve come to understand there’s now a paper shortage in the country.

This means there’s a bit to do at our end to get back on track. But because we love telling your stories and sharing ours, we’ll be working hard to be back in your letter box as soon as we can. Keep your eyes peeled for updates and remember you can always find out what we’re up to online.

THE MATARIKI CLUSTER

STAR POWER

The story of agriculture in Aotearoa goes back to the planting of the first kumara 900 years ago. This year, for the first time, New Zealanders will celebrate the unique growing cycle of these islands with a Matariki public holiday, on June 24.

Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster. Before sunrise during winter, the cluster is visible as a faint sparkle of tiny dots above the north-east horizon. It rises during Pipiri (June/July) and marks the beginning of the Māori new year.

The cluster’s appearance is said to predict the bounty of the season ahead; clear bright stars are a good omen and hazy stars foretell a cold, harsh winter. When the cluster disappears in April/

May, it is time to preserve crops for the winter season.

In line with Māori tradition, official Matariki celebrations will be themed on:

™ Remembrance: Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki.

™ Celebrating the present: Gathering together to give thanks for what we have.

™ Looking to the future: Looking forward to the promise of a new year.

Matariki is an abbreviation of Ngā Mata o te Ariki (Eyes of God) in reference to Tāwhirimātea, the god of the wind and weather. In the story of creation, when Tāne Mahuta (god of the forest) separated his parents Ranginui and Papatūānuku, his brother Tāwhirimātea got upset and tore out his eyes, crushed them into pieces and threw them into the sky. These fragments became the star cluster Matariki. Traditionally, Māori communities would gather at night during a time of the cluster’s prominence, making use of the period between harvests to celebrate and make offerings for a bountiful future.

Matariki is also said to mark the moment the spirits of those who have died over the past year become stars, so lost loved ones were

remembered and a hāngī prepared to feed the star cluster which had cared for them ahead of their ascent through Rangi tūhāhā (the heavens).

The star cluster is visible to the naked eye from most parts of our planet and has many different names. In English, it is called the Pleiades (its ancient Greek name) or the Seven Sisters. The Hawaiian name is Makali‘i, or ‘eyes of royalty’ and in Japan it is Subaru, meaning ‘gathered together’. Check out a Subaru car logo and you will see a depiction of the cluster.

Source: www.tepapa.govt.nz

BOLD DREAMS BUILT ON PAST

Two Farmlands shareholders are part of a growing group of Māori-led businesses making their mark in agriculture. Both place tradition and values at their heart, even as they look to the future and beyond Aotearoa for growth.

People were dubious a decade ago when Tūhoe beekeepers refused to accept low honey prices and resolved to strike out on their own. Despite the eye-rolling from exporters and fellow beekeepers, the landowners established Manawa Honey to market the sweet substance that is harvested from 9,000 hectares of whenua at the heart of Te Urewera.

The punt paid off publicly last year when the honey company won a prestigious international competition and scooped a ‘world’s best-tasting honey’ title.

Likewise, the owners of Miraka’s geothermally powered dairy factory were labelled crazy when they conjured an audacious plan to build the plant on Māori-owned land and ship their products around the globe. The factory in the tiny settlement of Mokai, near Taupō, turned a profit within 12 months.

The two businesses, both Farmlands shareholders, operate on vastly differing scales. Manawa Honey will process 30 tonnes of honey this year and currently operates from a humble converted house in the village of Ruatāhuna. Miraka, meanwhile, collects 300 million litres of milk a year from almost 100 farmers and the high-tech factory employs 140 people to create goods that are exported to 14 countries.

The entities have much in common, though. Both aim to help their people prosper while prioritising kaitiakitanga (guardianship and care) of their landholdings. And both place tikanga – Māori traditions and values – firmly at the heart of their business, even as they look to the future and beyond Aotearoa for better ideas or technology or new markets.

They are also part of a rapidly ascending class of Māori landowner with bold, far-sighted dreams.

“I don’t think many people comprehend the magnitude of Māori balance sheets,” Miraka chief executive Karl Gradon says. “Or the number employed by the Māori economy and their growth aspirations. These are big businesses, run exceptionally well and they are growing faster than most traditional business models in New Zealand.”

We’ve got an eye to the past but we’re in the present. And we’re embracing new technologies to take us into the future.”

Brenda Tahi, Manawa Honey

Manawa Honey chief executive Brenda Tahi says the international honey award was a thrilling, gratifying, unexpected win and one that has opened up new sales opportunities. However, she expects the company she heads to be judged on other criteria.

Entering the American honey contest was a strategic marketing decision, part of a plan to cleverly, sustainably use land held by Tūhoe Tuawhenua Trust. The trust is clear about its goal to create opportunities for whānau and hapū while protecting and enriching the surrounding forest. So the honey company is designed to create better jobs and more of them, to fund better housing and education for Ruatāhuna’s 350 or so residents.

“A lot of what we do is crafted to help the development of our people,” Brenda says. “We don’t exist for the honey business. It exists for the people and the land, it’s a means to an end. Though we do love honey.”

Manawa Honey has seven employees and imminent expansion plans that will bring at least another 10 jobs to the village. One

local has learned to extract honey and a young woman has stepped into a digital marketing job straight from school. A locally born academic conducts research for the company and prospective beekeepers are shoulder-tapped to learn the ropes.

“It would be easier just to advertise for a beekeeper. Instead, we find people who we think have got the right attitude, then train them from scratch.

“They graduate in the work they do for us and they have a career path. We’ve been looking for decades, trying to find ways to bring people home again or stop them having to go to town to survive.”

Brenda, who is Ngati Porou, arrived in Ruatāhuna as a young mum before embarking on a management career in Wellington. She returned to the village to raise children and has stayed on. It was Brenda who supplied the small house that is Manawa Honey’s head office, though a new office block and honey production plant is under construction.

The trust’s land ranges over rugged country that is subject to a multitude of regulations relating to soil, land and forestry protection. Feasibility studies determined it too steep for modern farming methods and concluded it would be too difficult to do anything proactive or progressive with the land.

Brenda and her trust colleagues refused to believe these findings. “We don’t expect anyone else to understand. We’re mountain people and we know the old people used to live in those mountains and were productive. Not on the scale of farming in New Zealand now, where you’ve got to clear a whole lot of land, put up a lot of fences and have a lot of animals, or a monoculture.

MARKING MATARIKI

As Aotearoa prepares to celebrate its first Matariki public holiday on June 24, Manawa Honey has rebooted a traditional trading practice. It has also added a contemporary fundraising twist to the celebratory event that honours ancestors and signals future plans.

This year, the company will trade its honey for goods grown and gathered by neighbouring iwi, coastal tribes and whānau from outside the district.

“Part of the ritual and celebration is to have a feast and it should have food from under the ground, in the sea, the rivers and what grows above ground in gardens, on fruit trees or in the forest. But our climate is too cold to grow kumara and we have no sea here.

“As the old people traded their surplus preserved kereru and kākā – all delicacies in those days and lots in Ruatāhuna – we are trading our special food for the things we need for Matariki feast hampers.”

Proceeds from the hampers will help establish a fund for the restoration and enrichment of Tuawhenua Forest.

“So those who want to be part of this will be part of a network we are creating for celebrating Matariki now and into the future that connects to our land, our forests, the sea, our rivers, sustenance, fertility – actually life itself.”

Further west, Miraka’s leadership team will prepare a hangi to share a meal with staff and their families to celebrate the mid-winter event. They will hold waiata and haka practices, embark on community tree-planting days and host discussions about Matariki.

And in Wellington, when dignitaries gather for this year’s Tohunga Tūmau Puanga Matariki dinner, they will tuck into dishes that use Manawa honey and Miraka dairy products.

“We just got named the best-tasting honey in the world. This is what this forest can produce, that taste. The complexity of the ecosystems, the mauri – life force – some of these things come through as taste. You can’t produce that if you do monocultural stuff.”

In earlier centuries, Tūhoe people did not grow large-scale crops in the way of neighbouring iwi. “But they still did cultivate and produce and they were integrated into their forest.”

Wild honey gathering – te nanao mīere – was incorporated into this tradition following the introduction of honey bees into New Zealand in the 1830s. The honey was considered a taonga (treasure) until varroa mite exterminated the bee population in 2000.

It made sense to bring bees back to Te Urewera, Brenda says.

Within 10 years of the winged insects’ departure, clover crops were starting to disappear from farmland and residents noticed their heritage home orchards were no longer fruiting.

“The forest has been supported by wild honey bees for nearly 200 years and all of a sudden they were gone out of the ecosystem.”

Tūhoe Tuawhenua Trust decided to take up beekeeping, reasoning it would restore this imbalance, provide employment and encourage increasingly urbanised residents to venture back into the bush.

Brenda pinpoints the genesis of Manawa Honey to the day Ruatāhuna beekeepers were offered a shockingly low price for their honey, all of it harvested from Urewera bush and imbued with the distinctive flavour of māhoe tree nectar. Yet payment terms were worse than those for common clover honey.

“[Aside from manuka] the industry had no way of valuing honey with provenance, no attachment of value for its taste. I just couldn’t sell for that price.

“So we decided to go straight to marketing. Other exporters and brand owners laughed at us because we were so small. Most people have 50 tonne before they establish a brand but strategically, that was the thing to do.”

The trust is continually seeking diversification options for its whenua and is unafraid to look outside the square and overseas. Trust representatives have visited mountain villages in northern Thailand and southern China to find out how other mountain-dwelling people use their land. They saw tea and coffee, rice, herbs, peppers and much more grown in forests. Brenda says while the crop specifics may differ, the farming concepts and methods are potentially relevant to Tūhoe people. She describes indigenous tribes using cyclical crop rotation and permaculture-style planting, with small areas of forest burned off to create regeneration over decades.

The trust is also looking for answers closer to home, drawing on Western science as well as traditional Māori practices.

During COVID-19 lockdown, Manawa Honey delivered koha –a gift of honey – to every Ruatāhuna home. Each local marae receives a bucket of honey annually. Karakia are uttered before each meeting and each time their beekeepers travel out of the district to check hives.

Work is under way to align other practices such as honey harvesting or planning meetings with the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar), to maximise chances of success.

A series of Landcare Research studies, spanning almost 20 years, have examined everything from traditional mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) through to environmental DNA analysis and carbon dating on their land.

“We’ve got an eye to the past but we’re in the present. And we’re embracing new technologies to take us into the future. We don’t have all the answers but our old people didn’t just stay with old knowledge, they embraced new things.

“We know our forest has been modified by moa, fire, lightning, our people. So it’s not just about preserving forests, you’re working with a complex ecosystem. And our responsibility is not just for the land, it’s for the people. We’ll consider everything available to help us understand.”

On Karl Gradon’s first day in the top job at Miraka, he was welcomed with a goosebump-inducing haka performed by every factory worker and manager. During the performance, a tall Korean stood shoulder to shoulder with the Māori haka leader, surrounded by 18 other nationalities.

A guitar lives in the operations room of the multimillion-dollar company for just this kind of occasion and morning toolbox meetings begin with a karakia and usually incorporate some te reo practice. When one farm is nominated to receive help with its riparian planting programme later this year, Karl will don his Red Bands to plant trees alongside everyone else.

A month into his new role, the Pakeha chief executive is still a little incredulous at the practical, daily demonstrations of what the company calls Te Ara Miraka – the Miraka way.

“It is exceptionally different,” he says, comparing the company culture with that of his previous dairy industry workplaces in Aotearoa and Ireland. “And it is only for the better.

[The founders] had this great vision that you could sustainably farm dairy and produce a product for the global market with kaitiakitanga at its absolute heart.”

Karl Gradon, Miraka

“Tikanga is not something that’s easy to define but the Miraka way embeds it to the nth degree. We are uniquely and proudly Māori. It instils a lot of pride in the reo, the culture and the way we operate in our community. The tikanga principles are what bind us together.”

Whereas most organisations he has worked for operate a 5-year business plan, Miraka’s stretches forward an entire century.

“It’s interesting. At Miraka, you can have a couple of speed bumps today but that won’t alter the course. You can take a longterm perspective of where we’re heading. And all the profits end up back in our community, which is not something you can say for multinationals or private family dairy companies.”

What’s more, the dairy processor boasts a carbon footprint that is 94 per cent lower than its global competitors thanks to the company’s reliance on renewable geothermal power rather than coal.

The entity was formed in 2010 when several Māori trusts joined to build an environmentally and economically sustainable dairy factory. Karl shakes his head at the visionary audacity of those early proponents of the concept.

“They had this great vision that you could sustainably farm dairy and produce a product for the global market with kaitiakitanga at its absolute heart.

“Some thought they were crazy. If you look back 15 years, when the idea really began, there were more climate change deniers, in some of our markets, than believers. Since then, you could say the global consumer has caught up.”

He says overseas buyers are seeking out sustainably grown and produced food with a known provenance. They are demanding carbon neutrality and paying a premium for it.

About 30 per cent of the farms that supply milk to Miraka have Māori owners. The rest willingly sign up to the same lofty standards in animal welfare, sustainable land management, people management, milk quality and well-being. All suppliers receive a financial incentive on top of the milk price, for meeting these standards.

Karl says the company attracts suppliers with similar values, including adaptability and forward-thinking. He says this is particularly noticeable in the face of increasingly stringent environmental or animal welfare regulations.

“So instead of reacting to legislative changes – and legislation is always improving and tightening, as it should – they’re adapting well beforehand. They’re already 4 or 5 years ahead in their thinking.”

TAONGA & TREASURES

There is much about New Zealand to celebrate. Here are four to get started – a sampler of our taonga and treasures.

NATURE’S BOUNTY

When Polynesians first arrived in Aotearoa, they brought with them food plants from their homeland. Because of their tropical origins, many of these plants failed in the new land’s temperate climate. One of the few that did survive and adapt to conditions here was the kumara, hence its importance in Māori culture.

The new settlers were in no danger of starving, though. Food resources were abundant in the waters and the forests. Nature provided. No wonder the unfurling koru became such a powerful symbol of new life, growth, strength and peace for Māori.

Today, wild food resources continue to sustain family and whanau from north to south. Sure, the moa has gone but that has been replaced by another large protein source, the pig. Introduced to New Zealand by James Cook, Captain Cooker pigs comprise most of the country’s wild pig population.

The ‘going and the doing’ associated with harvesting these resources, or mahinga kai, remains a big part of Kiwi culture, whether it’s heading out for a dive, fish or hunt, a forage for wild herbs or just an excuse to get out and explore.

THE SHEEP

The record is mixed for the various plants and animals that arrived with European settlement. Some went on to become pests and still need control. Others became the basis for profitable industries but have come at a big cost to the environment.

Then there is the sheep. In particular, its wool. Kiwis have worn this miracle fibre in hard-wearing clothing such as the Swanndri Bush Shirt, as much a partner to our rural sector as Skellerup Red Bands and Stubbies.

Merino is one of our fibre industry’s success stories, with the best fleeces taking record prices at international auctions. New Zealand designers use the yarn in garments that grace international catwalks. Now, uses are limited only by imagination. Turning it into house insulation is old news. Torpedo7 has a kayak on the market that uses wool fibre to replace 2kg of plastic. A Kiwi has developed a biodegradable merino sticking plaster for trampers and endurance athletes. Wool from New Zealand continues to be synonymous with quality and sustainability.

PASTURE-BASED AGRICULTURE

As the world’s population increases over the coming decades, so too will its appetite. Despite the growth in vegetable-based alternatives to meat and milk, the demand for animal protein is set to keep rising.

Experts including Farmlands’ Dr Rob Derrick (page 41) argue that if this increasing demand is met from any other country in the world, the likelihood is that it will create more greenhouse gases than if it had been produced here.

Why? Because of the natural advantages of pasture-based livestock farming. Research commissioned by DairyNZ and

produced by AgResearch confirms New Zealand dairy farmers have the world’s lowest carbon footprint, at half the average emissions of other international producers. Meanwhile the push continues to further reduce farm emissions. The primary sector has established a 5-year plan – He Waka Eke Noa – to work with Government and Māori to make the necessary changes.

A 5-year DairyNZ programme has also been introduced. Step Change is helping dairy farmers understand their greenhouse gas emissions footprint and how to reduce it, while improving profitability.

RONGOĀ

Rongoā is traditional Māori medicine. It includes herbal medicine made from plants, physical techniques such as massage and spiritual healing. Illnesses believed to have physical causes were treated with drinks, poultices or lotions made from plants. These included harakeke (flax), kawakawa, rātā, mānuka and kōwhai.

Flax leaves or roots were made into pulp, heated and put on skin infections such as boils. The hard part of the leaf was used to splint a broken bone. A bad cut was sewn up with flax fibre (muka).

Kawakawa leaves and bark were used for cuts and stomach pains. Ash from burnt mānuka was rubbed on the scalp to cure dandruff. A tea made from the leaves was drunk for a fever.

The Tohunga Suppression Act 1907 made rongoā practices illegal but did not mean the knowledge died out, it just went underground. Similar to the resurgence in te reo, a new generation of Māori are breathing life into these traditions. Old remedies are being repurposed for modern times, such as kawakawa or mānuka balm for treating skin conditions. Ngai Tahu has developed a perfume from taramea, or wild Spaniard.

As the world moves more and more to embrace natural over synthetic, these species and their special properties are finding a ready market. The result of centuries of interaction between our first settlers and the plants they found here, this knowledge is a tāonga of Aotearoa.

Rhys Jones, 'Rongoā – medicinal use of plants', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

This month we're showcasing everything unique and unmistakeable about the Land of the Long White Cloud. We asked shareholders, customers and Farmlands staff to send an image that sums up what New Zealand means to them.

From the beautiful countryside to the amazing activities and the wonderful people, this is ..

CELEBRATING AOTEAROA

Nursery project puts biosecurity at centre

Restoring 900 hectares in the Waipoua Valley in Northland from exotic forestry to a mosaic of sustainable land uses is a major project. It requires plenty of thought, planning and long-term thinking. Fortunately the Te Toa Whenua initiative by Te Roroa iwi is an ambitious ecological restoration project up to the challenge.

Transforming land returned as part of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process, Te Toa Whenua seeks to restore and protect the wāhi tapu (sacred place) through eradication of weeds and animal pests and active native forest restoration.

“The restoration and environmental health of our whenua and ngahere (native forest) is of utmost importance to Te Toa Whenua so that our future generations will continue this mahi (work) into fruition,” Freda Walker, manager of Te Roroa’s Te Toa Whenua Nursery, says.

The Te Toa Whenua Nursery has supplied over 20,000 native tree species for propagation and planting since it began 2 years ago. The nursery establishment and initial operation has been supported by the One Billion Trees programme. By funding end in 2023, the nursery will have capacity to produce 100,000 native seedlings a year.

Freda says the project is “hugely rewarding” but not without significant challenges. Top of mind is the sobering reality they are located at ‘ground zero’ of kauri disease, caused by a pathogen called Phytophthora agathidicida. The borders of the former forestry block run along the Waipoua River, adjacent to the iconic Waipoua Kauri Forest.

Tāne Mahuta, the world's largest known kauri tree and over 2,000 years old, is only 20km away.

“Mana whenua consider these ancient trees our tīpuna. To know that our ancestors are in serious danger is traumatising for us,” Freda says.

“Biosecurity is top of mind in all of the work that we do, not only in our nursery waahi (space) but all over the whenua.

“We have created and implemented biosecurity policies and protocols to help protect our ngahere by making sure we are doing everything we can to not be vectors of the spread of any pathogens. We work collaboratively alongside scientific community groups and are at the forefront for any new developments so that we can make the appropriate changes when and if needed.”

Due to the sheer scale of the project (900ha) they have had to innovate, such as reforesting using methods such as seed balls and helicopter native seed distribution. For weed management work, the Te Toa Whenua team have employed heavy-duty tools such as excavators to remove ginger and tobacco weed.

The biosecurity threats to Te Roroa’s ngahere are multi-faceted, including mammalian pests like pigs and

possums and noxious weed species, in addition to plant pathogens such as myrtle rust and the threat of kauri dieback. Te Toa Whenua’s 32km bait station network includes over 700 stations. Knowing how pests travel, it stretches into Waipoua Forest.

This ambitious project is not contained just to restoring the 900ha and supporting surrounding whenua; Te Roroa are working with and alongside specialists and technical experts across the country. This includes collaborating with researchers from Lincoln University to run workshops for local tamariki (children) on native plant identification and their uses for rongoā (traditional medicines).

“By helping to educate the next generations about the ngahere we can ensure that they will be looked after for years to come,” Frieda says.

The project took out an award at the Ministry for Primary Industries 2021 New Zealand Biosecurity Awards.

Biosecurity is top of mind in all of the work that we do.”

Freda Walker, Te Toa Whenua Nursery.

“We are very humbled to have received the award and are honoured to have been given the opportunity to share our story and the highlights of our mahi within the environmental space," Freda says.

“Te Toa Whenua is committed to uplifting the aspirations of Te Roroa and strengthening their connections with the whenua. As a people, the success and health of te taiao (nature) is the success and health of Te Roroa. As our people and our community grow, so does the scope and aims of Te Toa Whenua.”

Keeping it in the Farmlands family

For Brent Fell, looking back on 20 years’ service with Farmlands, what makes him most proud is seeing people he has managed go on to senior roles in the co-op – in some cases to become his manager.

“You always get a bit of a kick out of that,” he says, “knowing that you have had some input into seeing them into that role. When I see that happening it does me proud, actually.”

Son Sam chips in – “Yeah but they still call you boss, don’t they, Dad.” Brent and Sam Fell epitomise the family links that are such a key part of the Farmlands fabric. As Sam puts it, “I’ve grown up with Farmlands.” Childhood memories include watching Rugby World Cup games on the TV in the branch smoko room.

At the end of this month, Brent will set his alarm and don his Aertex one more time to head to the Feilding branch of Farmlands, his current station. He has managed seven Farmlands branches over the years, brought in sometimes to help nurse a straggler back to health.

He knows he’ll miss the routine – “I’m a bit of a creature of habit, I’m at the store by 7am each day” – but is looking forward to more time for golf and fishing and to enjoy exploring his beloved stomping ground of Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu / Whanganui. He will miss friends and colleagues as well but he knows where he can find them – at the Feilding sale yards. The yards have been a real hub over the years for Brent, a place where he has caught up with branch customers and also with former colleagues from

Farmlands branches throughout Hawke’s Bay and the Wairarapa.

One of those colleagues is Sam, who became Business Manager at Farmlands Hastings last year. It was a proud moment for Brent. For Sam it means a chance to follow Brent’s example in how to manage a team.

“During the holidays I used to work under Dad in the store and I was able to witness how he leads a team, which is from the front. I want to follow that example,” Sam says.

“I wouldn’t get anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself – that’s how I’ve seen Dad lead a team over the years.”

Brent acknowledges his approach.

“You get the rewards and the benefits by leading from the front, by being at their level and leading them. It all flows from that.”

The way Sam tells the story, it wasn’t inevitable he would follow his father into Farmlands – “It happened accidentally in a way.” From high school he went to university in Wellington and was back at home considering his options when a shortterm job came up at the store.

Back behind the counter, Sam began to see what his father saw in Farmlands. “it’s just such huge potential,” he says, “so I decided I may as well hop on the bus.”

I wouldn’t get anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself – that’s how I’ve seen Dad lead a team.”

Sam Fell

Since then Sam has benefited from several Farmlands professional development programmes. It’s one of the things he likes most about working for the co-op.

“There’s always room to grow. Nobody loves a glass ceiling. There are heaps of opportunities in the company and in the industry as well. Farmlands has given me a good career path in that way.”

No surprise though that Sam’s No.1 mentor remains Brent. “He probably gets annoyed with me,” Sam says, “because I’m constantly on the phone to him trying to pick his brains.”

The good news for Sam is that if he wants to do that in the future, he may have to break out his fly rod and join Brent for a spot of fishing.

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Leader of the pack

Harry Hurley takes his mum’s hand with his little one. His mum, Sophie, shrugs, smiles down at him and lets herself get pulled out to the garden.

Sophie’s business, Honest Wolf, fits in with her husband Sam’s role running their third-generation farm, Papanui Estate, and works around 2-year-old Harry –which means that trampoline breaks slot into the daily flow. This is life, deep in the hills of the Turakina Valley, where neighbours are few and far.

“Harry is just amongst everything that we do here. I can fit things around him and with another baby on the way, that’s going to be even more important,” says Sophie, 31. “We have lots of ideas for growing the business but we’re keeping it at a realistically manageable size for now.

“Sam is a big part of Honest Wolf, too. I mean, he’s always going to be farming

but I think using the wool in this way just adds another dimension and more meaning into what he’s doing.”

Looking to get more value from the highquality ewe clip wool from their 3,300 hectare property and wanting to make something “sustainable and durable” to replace single-use plastic bags, Sophie and Sam came up with the Honest Wolf range of bags and luggage.

The ‘Casual Shopper’ in particular sports a classic look not dictated by fast fashion, with added durability so it can go the extra country mile. That durability is something Sophie personally knows is essential when living in the back of beyond – being over an hour from the nearest supermarket, she’s no stranger to the big weekly shop.

“It’s something that you do rurally, isn’t it? It’s such a mission remembering everything and then getting it all home.

Our shopping bag is huge for a reason.” When the Honest Wolf website went live in June 2020, Sophie says the response was amazing. “We didn’t really know how many to get made so I think we got a hundred in each design. We actually sold out really quickly and for the first few weeks we were up till midnight every night packing orders.

“I think because people were relating to the wool story – we aren’t the only ones struggling with the wool prices – people were jumping on board and supporting us. It was so great.”

Seasonal tasks put blip in injury figures

Every year many farmers and farm workers are injured while carrying out winter jobs. Working closely with livestock during calving and lifting heavy loads for jobs like feeding out lead to some of the highest number of monthly claims to ACC for workplace injuries in the sector.

“Distinct seasonal trends in injuries can be identified for both the dairy sector and the grain, sheep and beef sectors in line with key activities in the farming calendar,” Angela Mansell, Director Engagement and Implementation for WorkSafe New Zealand, says.

“For instance, for the dairy sector, injuries requiring more than a week off work are most likely to occur during winter, with the highest number in August, in line with calving season.

“The number of injuries caused by being hit or bitten by an animal is highest during August and September and accounts for the largest number of claims for any months.

“Farmers need to think how they will manage these risks as they start to prepare calving sheds. It’s also a good time to do some preparation with those who will be working in them.

“Even people who are very experienced around calving will benefit, while preparation and training are critical for those who are new to it.”

A good starting point is to talk with workers about how calving has gone in previous years. “In particular, what injury incidents or near misses have there been? What do they see as the biggest risk factors and what can be done to mitigate them?” Angela says.

“It could be the physical layout of the shed, awareness about best handling techniques, personal protective equipment, slippery flooring or temperament of specific animals.”

Injury patterns are also influenced by factors that may not result from the seasonal activity itself but the preconditions these create.

“Fatigue, for instance, increases the risk of accidents," Angela says. “Vehiclerelated injury numbers start to rise sharply during August.

“June to August sees the most accidents caused by hitting moving objects and the highest number of falls on the same level. Winter conditions are a factor but tired people don’t think as clearly or respond as swiftly.”

The second highest number of ACC claims from agricultural workers comes during August and these are for muscular stress while lifting, carrying or putting down objects. Many lumbar strain incidents happen in the sheep, beef and grain sector at this time, with lifting heavy bales for feeding out likely to be a factor.

“Again, now is a good time to brush up on best-practice advice around lifting and manual handling techniques. There are resources on the WorkSafe website to help guide all these conversations with your people.”

Overall, injuries requiring more than a week off work are significantly higher for employees than self-employed individuals in the agricultural sector.

“Winter is challenging enough in terms of having people down with colds and flu and now we also have COVID-19 in the equation.

USEFUL RESOURCES

• Managing Health and Safety: a guide for farmers.

• Safe Cattle Handling Guide.

• Preventing Manual Handling Injuries on Farms – guidelines.

• Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls on Farms.

Available at worksafe.govt.nz

“Some advance health and safety planning now will help manage the risk to productivity of being short-staffed during some of the most challenging months of the year," Angela says.

Article supplied by WorkSafe

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Common cures need wary eye on labels

It’s a good life, being an animal in New Zealand’s outdoor farming system, grazing your way through pasture, frolicking and gambolling as you forage with your herd or flock.

Elsewhere in the world, young calves are farmed indoors in intensive housing as isolated individuals in small pens, or outdoors in groups in larger feedlot pens. Studies have shown that calves raised from birth in singular isolation suffer more developmental harm and exhibit significant social and behavioural problems.

Our livestock’s free-range lifestyle comes with risks as well, including of greater exposure to parasites and disease micro-organisms. Managing these risks to livestock’s health and wellbeing is an inherent cost of outdoor farming.

The ubiquitous parasite coccidia causes the disease coccidiosis, which results in ill health, poor growth rates and even death. It is seen in many species of young animals including lambs, calves, chickens and rabbits.

To protect such species, a coccidiostat is often added to feed or milk. These come in two main classes:

• Deccox (decoquinate), used in calf or lamb feeds; and Cycostat (robenidine), for rabbit feeds.

• Ionophore coccidiostats Bovatec (lasalocid) or Rumensin (monensin), for calf or chick feeds.

Some ‘non-target’ animals such as dogs, horses, donkeys, alpaca and llama are more sensitive to the ionophore coccidiostats than others.

If any of these non-target animals happen to consume a feed containing an ionophore, they may become unwell or even die.

Each coccidiostat is identified by its unique ACVM registration number. MPI requires this to be clearly stated on any feed product label that contains a coccidiostat, along with clear detailed instructions for product use.

From July 2022, MPI requires new feed products containing an ionophore coccidiostat to have a warning label to minimise feeding to non-target animals.

NOTFOR CONSUMPTION

Just as it is vital to human food safety that we check the label of anything we eat, so it is for animal food safety. Forewarned is forearmed – knowing what’s in a feed by reading the label gives you the opportunity to ameliorate any harm to non-target animals.

Although there is a price to be paid to minimise the risks of parasitic diseases in youngstock, this can be mitigated by good management such as including a medicated additive or coccidiostat. Without this, the ability of young animals to reach their productive potential and benefit from a life grazing in an outdoor system that is celebrated around the world is limited.

Day 1 colostrum gives calves start they need

Karen Fraser and Stacey Cosnett are on a mission to help farmers grow the best calves possible by delivering accurate and easy-to-understand advice. Check out ‘The Calf Experts’ on Facebook and follow their articles in The Farmlander.

One thing that can get overlooked as the pressures of the season ramp up is our Day 1 handling of newborn calves and colostrum management.

Our cows and calves face challenges as they tend to be calving outside in variable spring weather, with calves often born in wet, cold, muddy environments that compromise them from the get-go. This means we must be extra careful with how we treat Day 1 calves to ensure we set them up for success.

From 5 weeks pre-calving until the time of birth, cows produce antibodies called immunoglobulins (IgG). The first milking is considered Day 1 colostrum. It contains high levels of antibodies, energy, protein, hormones, vitamins and minerals.

Antibodies have the important job of transferring immunity to the newborn calf, which is born with virtually no natural immunity. The colostrum from the first milking after calving will have the highest antibody levels and is often referred to as ‘gold’ – this is the real good stuff we need to get into our calves on their first day of life.

The correct terminology for the 2nd to 8th milkings is ‘transition milk’. This has low levels of antibodies but not

enough for calves on their first day of life. Transition milk can be used from Day 2 and continued for 4 days to help add some protection to the gut lining for the calves.

We bang on about the 5 Qs of colostrum management. It has been proven that if these are not done well, it can affect calf health and growth. For every hour after birth that colostrum feeding is delayed, antibody transfer decreases by about 5 percent. A calf that does not drink until 6 hours from birth has already lost the opportunity for 30 percent of the possible antibodies entering its bloodstream. The longer calves are without antibodies, the more opportunity there is for pathogens to invade the gut. When certain pathogens like E. coli win the race to the gut before colostrum in those all-important first few hours of life, they can be absorbed into the blood, causing scours and reducing the effectiveness of antibody absorption. The levels of antibodies in the calf’s blood have a direct influence on disease resistance and ultimately performance as a mature beast and hence farm profit. Getting first milking colostrum into Day 1 calves should be top priority.

Rearer gives shout-out to the Calf Experts

Yvette Chard tells how Stacey and Karen helped improve her farm’s calf-rearing programme.

“We turned our calf-rearing programme around by reflecting on seasons gone by. We couldn't have done it without the help of the Calf Experts and our local vet. We spent a lot of time reviewing our results and agreeing to changes for the next season. Year on year we have embedded massive improvements, initially getting some big wins to now fine-tuning.

We nicknamed any colostrum under 22 brix* ‘silver’ and it was set aside for our Day 2 calves. Gold went to our Day 1 feed on arrival at the shed.

We really celebrated this as it meant our death rate dropped to under 0.5 percent.

Being busy through spring and early summer we hadn't noticed until we set goals and measured them that a group of our weaner calves didn't make our targets on the 1st of May. Any weaner not doing well is drafted off every month and put in a mob on grass and pellets.

If we can achieve our target to the 1st of May we find the next 12 months take care of themselves. Each change we made initially was a huge focus but now those changes have become business as usual. We are humming along and enjoying the fruits.”

5 Qs OF COLOSTRUM

Quality. It is essential to ensure there are sufficient antibodies in the colostrum so calves can absorb adequate antibodies. IgG (Immunoglobulin) levels in the colostrum can be measured via refractometers or colostrometers. Remember that colostrum from the first milking will have the highest antibody level so it's critical this is isolated on-farm and directed into Day 1 calves.

Quantity. A good rule of thumb is 10% of birth weight of high-quality first milking colostrum – so 4 litres for a 40kg calf. A higher volume will be needed if colostrum is of a poorer quality – up to 15% and this can be fed over a 12-hour period.

Quickly. The goal is for the newborn calf to receive colostrum in the first 1-2 hours of birth but within the first 6 hours at least. After 12 hours the ability to absorb antibodies into the bloodstream decreases significantly. Colostrum is still beneficial after 12 hours as it lines the intestinal walls to provide protection against the build-up of pathogens.

sQueaky clean. Avoid bacterial contamination. Cover and keep all Day 1 buckets clean. Ideally use stainless steel containers. Freshly milked Day 1 colostrum should be fed to calves as soon as it has been collected. Colostrum is the perfect breeding ground for bad bugs so refrigerate it if you don't use it straight away.

Quietly. A stressed calf will not be as good at absorbing antibodies across the gut wall. Handle calves quietly and gently.

Food future favours pasture-based stock

Pasture-based livestock farming is not for the faint-hearted. While the COVID-19 pandemic rages and many other sectors batten down the hatches until conditions improve, the pasture-based animal protein sector in Aotearoa is soldiering on to help meet the world’s nutritional needs and to boost foreign earnings.

Over the next 30 years the world’s population is predicted to increase from about 7.8 billion to 10 billion and per capita food consumption is estimated to rise about 10 percent. Despite the growing interest in vegetable-based alternatives to meat and milk, the demand for animal protein is set to keep rising.

The United Nations recognises dairy milk as a major source of dietary energy, high-quality protein and fat. It can make significant contributions to meeting the required nutrient intakes of calcium, magnesium, selenium, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).

Increasingly, discerning consumers are valuing meat from pasture-based systems and are prepared to pay a premium both for their own health and for the welfare of the animals and environment compared with beef from more intensive systems.

If the increasing demand for animal protein is met from any other countries in the world, the likelihood is that it will create more greenhouse gases than if it had been produced here and the impact on our climate will be even greater. The international commitment that set most countries on the path to reducing

| The United Nations recognises dairy milk as a major source of dietary energy, high-quality protein and fat.

carbon emissions – the Paris Agreement – requires nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions without jeopardising food production. Hunger is considered a major threat to long-term global stability. Large grain-importing countries, especially in Northern Africa, are being forced to import less grain not because it is not available but because the price is too high. Europe is looking to bring some setaside land back into production to help meet demand and lower prices but it will take some time to have an effect.

Our grain growers can produce some world-leading crops but can’t put cereal grains in the mouths of these people as cheaply as broad-acre producers such as Australia. They can however grow higher-yielding feed wheat and feed barley crops to support local animal protein production, adding value to our nation’s contribution.

Affluent consumers are asking more questions about the carbon footprint of the foods they buy. Dairy cows fed

more bought-in supplementary feed are amongst the most efficient in New Zealand so hopefully the tightness in by-product commodity markets will ease. Adopting new technologies will be critical if we are to maintain our position as other countries urgently look to reduce the carbon footprint of their livestock. Scientists around the world are exploring ways to reduce methane emissions from ruminants without compromising production. The front-running active ingredients being submitted for registration for use in other countries only work for a short period after consumption so developing solutions for cows fed only pasture or supplements only twice daily is harder.

New Zealand farmers have long been customer-focused so it is likely they will be keen to adopt new products provided they can be registered and acknowledged for the benefits they deliver.

Article supplied by Dr Rob Derrick Head of Product Development

Milligans Feeds has your CMR needs covered

As we head into another spring calf-rearing season, Milligans Feeds expects it be a case of same challenges different year, with a couple of exceptions.

Milligans Feeds has your CMR needs covered

For the dairy market, the lift in the pay-out means whole milk in the vat could possibly exceed milk replacer costs, making it a viable option to rear replacement heifers or even some bull calves on CMR.

As we head into another spring calf-rearing season, Milligans Feeds expects it be a case of same challenges different year, with a couple of exceptions.

COVID-19’s Omicron wave is receding but the pandemic’s path remains uncertain. It’s been a tough year since the Delta and Omicron variants hit, adding to issues in the already hard-hit supply chain of goods and services worldwide and domestically. Not even the more isolated rural sector escaped the effects. Agriculture has posted some very positive results, though, especially in dairy farming, with a record milk pay-out announced.

COVID-19’s Omicron wave is receding but the pandemic’s path remains uncertain. It’s been a tough year since the Delta and Omicron variants hit, adding to issues in the already hard-hit supply chain of goods and services worldwide and domestically. Not even the more isolated rural sector escaped the effects. Agriculture has posted some very positive results, though, especially in dairy farming, with a record milk pay-out announced.

A high milk price does flow through to the price of animal milk replacers, making them considerably more expensive. Despite such issues, animals need to be reared for both dairy and beef to service the local market and for export as international markets slowly return to full capacity.

A high milk price does flow through to the price of animal milk replacers, making them considerably more expensive. Despite such issues, animals need to be reared for both dairy and beef to service the local market and for export as international markets slowly return to full capacity.

For the dairy market, the lift in the pay-out means whole milk in the vat could possibly exceed milk replacer costs, making it a viable option to rear replacement heifers or even some bull calves on CMR.

This approach gained traction a few years back but waned as dairy farmers saw benefit in rearing their own bull calves for the beef market. You should do the sums, though, to see if using a CMR over whole milk can maximise profits with the forecast higher MS returns.

This approach gained traction a few years back but waned as dairy farmers saw benefit in rearing their own bull calves for the beef market. You should do the sums, though, to see if using a CMR over whole milk can maximise profits with the forecast higher MS returns.

Milligans Feeds recommends farmers and rearers talk to their local farm supplier or contact Milligans Feeds directly for the best options, advice or information on a plan for maximum performance and returns. You can also try out the ‘Whole Milk vs CMR’ calculator on the Milligans Feeds website before making your decision.

Milligans Feeds recommends farmers and rearers talk to their local farm supplier or contact Milligans Feeds directly for the best options, advice or information on a plan for maximum performance and returns. You can also try out the ‘Whole Milk vs CMR’ calculator on the Milligans Feeds website before making your decision.

As the world population increases, the demand for high-quality beef and dairy products from New Zealand should keep our strong calf-rearing industry buoyant. The beef rearers may be hit with higher calf milk replacer costs but as long as 4-dayold calf prices are reasonable and the price for finished beef is strong, there is still money to be made.

As the world population increases, the demand for high-quality beef and dairy products from New Zealand should keep our strong calf-rearing industry buoyant. The beef rearers may be hit with higher calf milk replacer costs but as long as 4-dayold calf prices are reasonable and the price for finished beef is strong, there is still money to be made.

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Milligans Feeds is a one-stop shop for all your milk replacer needs across all animal types. We have you covered from NZproduced casein-based powder to imported whey powder that fit all feeding systems, budgets and performance requirements. Look for the Milligans Feeds range of calf milk replacers at your local Farmlands store or check online at www.milligansfeeds.co.nz

Milligans Feeds is a one-stop shop for all your milk replacer needs across all animal types. We have you covered from NZproduced casein-based powder to imported whey powder that fit all feeding systems, budgets and performance requirements. Look for the Milligans Feeds range of calf milk replacers at your local Farmlands store or check online at www.milligansfeeds.co.nz

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Persistent drenches give ewes longer protection

Starting your lambing with healthy ewes is a good position to be in. Healthy ewes in good condition will have more vigorous lambs and will produce more colostrum and milk. This results in faster-growing lambs that are off the farm sooner.

Now is the time to ensure your ewes are as healthy as they can be. All ewes should receive at least a 5-in-1 vaccine 3-4 weeks before lambing to protect against clostridial disease. Previously unvaccinated ewes require two vaccinations prior to lambing to build their immunity. This protects them from death caused by these clostridial bacteria during lambing.

The ewes pass their boosted immunity to lambs via colostrum, giving them short-term immunity to tetanus, pulpy kidney and three other deadly clostridial diseases.

It may be too late to improve body condition score in ewes at this point but light, twin-bearing ewes and those on less than 1400kg/DM/ha may benefit from a parasite treatment. If ewes are stressed with low condition, low feed covers or disease (such as worms), this can impact their lactation performance as well as increasing the number of

eggs onto pasture. This makes the lambing areas more contaminated for lambs once they start grazing.

Short-acting clean-out drenches have little impact on ewe performance at lambing. They will remove the parasites in the ewe at the time but once back out grazing they will continue to ingest more larvae, which impacts their health, resulting in decreased efficiency and productivity. Drenches with persistent activity, such as Eweguard®, protect the ewes for longer against the infective parasite larvae. This protection enables their valuable energy reserves to be used for colostrum manufacture or milk production, rather than trying to fight off a constant parasite challenge.

Eweguard continues to kill incoming Teladorsagia circumcincta larvae for 35 days and Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae for 7 days. These are the two main parasites that affect ewes over lambing. The other benefit of Eweguard is that it is an injectable drench and vaccine combined. It protects against the five key clostridial diseases and also aids in the control of cheesy gland, a disease that can result in significant trimming or carcass condemnation in old ewes.

With Eweguard, multiple jobs can be done with just one easy-to-give injection. It also comes with or without selenium. Trials with Eweguard showed treated ewes had fewer dags and were heavier at weaning, as were their lambs1. As with all drenches and especially those given to adults, thought should be given to minimising parasite resistance. Hence, targeting the animals that really need a drench rather than blanket treatment is a more sustainable and profitable approach. Additionally, consider an Exit treatment for treated ewes, given at tailing, as this can prevent any resistant worm survivors spreading their eggs. Monitoring drench efficacy is a key management tool and this should be done in lambs every season with a cheap and easy drench check and less often with a full reduction test.

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

Article supplied by Zoetis

Eweguard® is a registered trademark of Zoetis. ACVM No. A7302, A9122.

1 Data on file

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Rule change affects cow drench timing

Single active pour-on products containing abamectin have commonly been used on lactating dairy cows to improve milk production and reproductive performance. Often this has been at the conclusion of calving, before peak milk production and before mating starts.

It was hoped that this would get similar responses to drenching immediately pre-calving when the cows were under the most stress. Due to abamectin products having meat withholds that applied to bobby calves, they could not be used before cows had calved.

While no timing has been given, the New Zealand regulatory authority has indicated there will be a change from a nil milk withhold of abamectin products to 35 days milk withhold.

This is in response to abamectin being found in export product being traced back to farms that had recently used abamectin. The dairy company involved has already required their farmers to not use abamectin products in lactating dairy cows.

This will not affect the use of abamectin products at dry-off. Providing that the dry period is more than 35 days, abamectin can still be used as a costeffective drench for control of internal parasites and lice in dairy cows. Luckily, dairy farmers have other options for treating cows during lactation or immediately before calving. These products contain eprinomectin or moxidectin and are already well received by farmers in the market due to the flexibility of them having a nil meat withhold. This means that they

can be used immediately before calving when cows are under the most stress and internal parasites are having their most significant effect.

Trials in New Zealand with a drench containing eprinomectin showed that cows produced more milk over the entire lactation when drenched at calving. This was due to the cows reaching a higher peak milk yield, with this increased milk production persisting right through to dry-off. In this trial across three New Zealand farms, cows drenched with eprinomectin produced an extra 7.5kg of milk solids.

As well as this, the first calving heifers in the study got in calf on average 12.9 days sooner. For farmers who are not happy with their herd’s reproductive performance, this response may be even more significant than the boost in milk production.

So a farmer who has previously used abamectin pour-on at the end of calving will need to make some changes.

The good news is that they may now get more of a benefit and have more flexibility by using a product with nil milk and nil meat withhold pre-calving and that contains one of the potent actives eprinomectin or moxidectin.

Farmlands with Donaghys have the full range of lactating dairy cow drenches containing eprinomectin and moxidectin to cover every farm’s individual needs.

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

Article

supplied by Donaghys

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At Eukanuba™ we believe that every dog is born to be active and working dogs are canine athletes. As athletes, dogs need a diet that is going to help fuel their performance and support recovery so they can continue to perform one day to the next. We know a performance dog does not develop overnight and that’s why at Eukanuba™ we have tailored diets for a developing puppy and an active adult dog.

Puppyhood is a unique and critical period in every dog’s life. Genetics, training and a nurturing bond with their owner are all critical factors that influence performance in a dog. However, good nutrition is also paramount in laying the foundations of a healthy, active life.

Puppies have a higher requirement for dietary protein during growth and development to support the foundation of muscle tissue. Eukanuba™ uses tailored levels of animal protein as a first ingredient to support your puppy’s development. The diets provide a high level of fat to source energy for growth and include an antioxidant blend consisting of vitamin E for a growing immune system.

When raising a puppy, the ease of trainability is crucial for aspiring working dogs. These formative months require focus and stamina so the puppy can pay extra attention to their handler and the task given. DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is a critical nutrient required for the development of cognitive function which assists with this learning. The Eukanuba™ puppy diets specifically contain high levels of DHA to assist in creating “smarter more trainable puppies”.

Once your puppy has reached their full growth potential, they will need to then gradually transition over to an appropriate adult diet. In the case of herding and working dogs, the Eukanuba™ Sport diet is tailored for dogs that have higher energy requirements due to working long hours.

High levels of activity can also put stress on a dog’s digestive system. Working dogs need highly digestible diets that support digestive health and promote optimal stool quality. The Eukanuba™ Sport diet is enriched with pre-biotics and fiber, as well as a sport antioxidant blend to help boost the immune system of hard-working dogs. And of course, a key function of any dog is maintaining oral health. All Eukanuba™ adult diets include a unique 3D Dental Defence with a specific S-shape kibble and dental nutrients to support clean gums and teeth.

High protein diets support healthy muscles and the production of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to key muscle groups helping stimulate repair and growth. The Eukanuba™ Sport diet contains a minimum of 30% animal-based protein, includes a higher level of fat (20%) and has a tailored carbohydrate blend to support this muscle function.

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Homegrown silage just like money in the bank

| Eileen

The flexibility and security of having feed on hand whenever they need it is a big plus for the Leonards of Ngatea.

Sharemilking 450 cows for the family farm on 135ha at Ngatea, on the Hauraki Plains, Pat Leonard says having a stack of maize on the property gives him and wife Kristen the security of knowing their feed supply is locked in.

“The maize we harvest in March is for next season but it doesn’t worry us if we have to dip into next season’s maize to ensure the cows are well fed; we just plant a little more next season,” Pat says.

“We do have a buffer; it’s a bit like an overdraft.”

Pat says his mum, Eileen Leonard, is still very much involved in the farm, with the maize crop being her domain.

The family has been growing Pioneer maize on this farm for the last 16 years. This season they planted around 7ha on a run-off for their contract milkers for their Mangatarata farm, as well as 12ha grown on a peat run-off at Kaihere, for the Ngatea farm: Pioneer hybrid P0900, the new Aquamax hybrid.

We do have a buffer; it’s a bit like an overdraft.”

Pat Leonard

P0900 is a hard-to-fault, stable, all-round hybrid that produces an excellent silage and grain yield, with exceptional drought tolerance. P0900 excels in the upper North Island.

Maize silage is fed to the Leonards’ herd during the summer to bridge any feed deficits that may occur.

“The Hauraki Plains are now more often dry in the summer than not, now,”

Pat says. “We feed maize throughout summer and into autumn to fatten the cows pre-calving. All silage is fed in the paddock; we don’t have a feed pad.”

Pat says disruptions to the international supply chain have shown that being able to grow their own feed will pay dividends.

“Maize silage is a reasonable fit for our system, without spending a lot on gear,” he says. “We use Nicholson Contractors

to plant and harvest the maize. They are switched on and do a great job.”

Pat says they get on well with their Farmlands Assistant Shareholder Services Manager, Sam Aislabie.

“Due to COVID-19, business has been mostly conducted via phone but that suits us well,” he says. “Sam knows what he’s doing, as do we. I can ring him to pick his brains as needed but he’s not knocking on the door every 5 minutes. It’s perfect.”

Eileen agrees, saying both Sam and Pioneer Area Manager Warren Coulson are available to answer questions and to clarify what crop monitoring and checks have been done at any time.

“They are both proactive at ensuring we plant the most suitable hybrid, that the crop is monitored for weeds and pests and that the crop continues to grow well throughout the season,” she says.

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

Article supplied by Pioneer

Advances in fertiliser keep P on the paddock

Heavy rainfall after phosphorus (P) fertiliser application can increase environmental losses and reduce economic returns and production.

“Heavy rain within 3 weeks after P fertiliser application is a risky business for P loss. A run-off event created by rainfall in the 21 days after P fertiliser application can increase phosphate losses,” Ballance Agri-Nutrients Science Extension Officer Ian Power says.

A loss of P, one of the higher value fertiliser nutrients, poses a risk to the health of waterways and can impact pasture production.

Phosphorus fertilisers, such as superphosphate and diammonium phosphate (DAP), have high watersoluble P contents, with pasture and crops benefiting from the availability of that water-soluble P. However, P runoff to water can also increase aquatic weeds and algae growth.

“Too much soluble P in your streams, rivers and lakes can cause algal blooms and increase aquatic weed growth.

A small amount of P can have a huge impact depending on how much P and other nutrients are already in the water. Keeping Olsen P to optimal levels and avoiding applying P fertiliser when there’s a risk of high rainfall, or considering a less soluble P fertiliser, minimises the chance of P being lost,” Ian says.

“Applying a fertiliser with a low watersoluble P content can significantly reduce P losses in some situations,” Ian says. “One low water-soluble P fertiliser for farmers to choose when considering P applications is SurePhos from Ballance.”

According to independent research by AgResearch, compared with superphosphate products, SurePhos can reduce P loss from the fertiliser by up to 75 percent.1

SurePhos contains a minimum of 70 percent citric-soluble P (water-insoluble P) and 23 percent (or less) water-soluble P. By comparison, superphosphate has more than 80 percent water-soluble P and DAP 90 percent.

Water-insoluble P in fertiliser is released slowly over time while water-soluble P in fertiliser is released immediately. Meaning that P fertilisers with high water-insoluble P potentially lose less to the environment. SurePhos is a cost-effective option, reducing cartage and spreading costs. It is compatible with many products and has a relatively high P content for reverted phosphate fertilisers. Custom blending with many other fertilisers, including nitrogen (N) fertilisers, can reduce the number of applications and increase flexibility of applications.

The PastureSure range combines SurePhos with SustaiN, a N fertiliser that reduces N lost as ammonia gas by around 50 percent compared with standard urea.2 SurePhos was developed by Ballance Agri-Nutrients with support from the Primary Growth Partnership and was runner-up for the Innovation Launch Award in the Mystery Creek Fieldays Online Innovation Awards 2020. These awards showcase cutting-edge ideas or products that benefit the primary industry.

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

Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients

1. McDowell, R.W., Smith, C., & Balvert, S. (2011). The environmental impact and agronomic effectiveness of four phosphorus fertilisers: Report for Ballance Agri-Nutrients. October 2011

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

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New approach needed in battle against rabbits

Farmers have been dealing with rabbits as best they can since the pests were released here. Numbers are again on the rise. Rabbits remain the pest that has the most failures regarding its management.

Many landowners and managers have spent hundreds of hours and many thousands of dollars trying to keep the rabbit numbers on their properties to manageable levels. On large properties, the dollars spent on rabbit control reaches into six figures.

So why does this cycle keep repeating itself over the decades? As land managers, why do we find ourselves in the same war against rabbits as our grandparents were? We have better tools and more science and research than ever before in our history. Information regarding rabbit management is readily available from several sources.

Local authorities have devoted thousands of hours on staff auditing rabbit numbers and serving notices of non-compliance when populations are above the allowable threshold.

Answers can become scientific and complex but a simple analogy is to think about rabbit control the way you think about your garden. If it’s

neglected then it becomes overgrown and dominated by weeds. If a little time is spent each month trimming the trees and shrubs, mowing the lawns and pulling some weeds, then it keeps looking well maintained.

Rabbit control is no different. If a large effort is made one year to lower the rabbit numbers to Level 1 on the McLeans Modified Scale (one method used to determine rabbit numbers) this is not mission completed. A maintenance programme to keep rabbit numbers to low levels must be implemented.

Doe rabbits can carry, on average, seven kittens and these can in turn begin breeding in the same season 5 months later. Doe rabbits can have four or five litters in a year so a small population can quickly become a big problem.

Rabbit-proof fencing is also needed.

If you are the only responsible land manager/owner in your area and your neighbours are not managing rabbit numbers on their properties, then you are not just managing your own population. By having rabbit-proof fencing you can stop rabbit movements onto your property from your neighbours’. If this is not an option then cooperation from as many neighbouring properties as possible will make a rabbit management programme effective.

It is common to hear about the failures and reasons why property managers have high rabbit numbers. Some of this comes down to cost and some of it is about historical management techniques failing, which leads to feelings of despair and frustration. As a consequence, a reluctant acceptance of an escalating population becomes a default position. It is important for all landowners/ managers to accept responsibility for managing rabbits on their properties and this includes public land managers. Many land managers are still uncertain of the tools available to them. A perception is that all options for rabbit management require some sort of licence or certification. This is not true.

Other than a lack of a maintenance programme, the reasons for the failure of historical management techniques are varied and need to be explored. Rabbits are an unwelcome part of the environment but a management programme that makes use of all the tools in the toolbox can have a huge impact on even the largest population.

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

Article supplied by Key Industries

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.

Uncle’s faith rewarded

An orphan’s efforts to build a new life continue to bear fruit today.

In 1890, aged 24, Robert Lilburn bought his first parcel of land in the upper Whangaehu Valley of the Whanganui district.

His brother William followed him to New Zealand from Scotland and took up a neighbouring parcel of land in the Turakina Valley district. The two brothers had lost their father before they were 5 years old and had been brought up by their uncle, John Drysdale in Elco, Scotland.

William transferred his land holdings to Robert who then built a magnificent colonial homestead of solid rimu on the property, naming it Drysdale after his uncle. William moved to Hunterville where he bought a farm calling it Elco. By 1920, the property encompassed 9,000 acres of the two valleys. The days were long and hard as the steep hill country was cleared of bush, regrassed, stocked and fences were built.

In 1922, the property was divided into two between Robert’s two eldest sons. John (Jack) remained at Drysdale and Ritchie took the Whangaehu Valley half, calling it Inzevar after a much-loved place of his father in Scotland.

Robert retired to Whanganui, leaving Jack with his new bride, Edith (née Howie) to live in the lovely homestead and manage the 5,300-acre property. Robert took his youngest son Douglas with him to Whanganui. Douglas went on to be

New Zealand’s most famous classical composer of music. He wrote the now world-acclaimed “Drysdale Symphony” which will be forever associated with this piece of land and its steep hills, wonderful waterfalls and classic New Zealand bush.

Jack held tenure until 1954 when Edith died suddenly. He remarried and moved to Braemore. Sons John and Jim then ran the property until they both married and Jim moved onto the Lochgowan property. John faithfully farmed Drysdale, increasing the holding to 12,000 acres

until 1986 when his son Bernard took over. Bernard’s tenure was short and younger brother Hugh assumed control in 1997. Hugh continues to develop the property today.

Four generations of Lilburn have now farmed the property. Uncle John Drysdale would be very proud of what his descendants have done with the faith he placed in his nephews many years ago. The property named after him is a signature station in the Hunterville district and much loved by all those associated with it.

Rural market update

Central government consultation on permanent forestry has immediately affected the hill country market.

As we round into the winter months, there are some valuable reflections from the current season and what might inform the following season for pastoral hill country.

The first observation is the most obvious, being that the land use change demand that drove the 30% lift in hill country valuations this season was never sustainable. We communicated in both this magazine and elsewhere early in the season that this level of excess premium could not last, given the rules that drove that demand remain very vulnerable to political policy settings. This has been borne out of late with recent central government consultation indicating a complete U-turn, including options to limit all future exotic planting of land intended for permanent forests. Most of the current carbon land inquiry for permanent forests has been stoned dead as a result. Many will see this as a good thing, but such a significant policy change has consequences.

“To say pines have no place at all, in our view, leaves a lot of hill country exposed to what appears to be more severe and frequent climate events.”

This is a classic of going from one extreme to the other. Plantation forestry, on the other hand, continues to march on as it always has, so any pastoral properties within 120km of the port with good access and good contour are in high demand by the production forestry sector, and this looks set to continue. On the other hand, for more remote stations on very hard slopes, the options for a carbon play to sustain their business or sell the farm in favour of a better class of country are now very dependent on neighbouring farmer/district demand; this works well when this exists.

NZ Inc’s hopes are tied to a profitable and resilient pastoral sector worth $11 billion in exports this season; hence a well-rounded out view and robust consultation on the Emissions Trading Scheme must include economic rewards for sequestering carbon. Part of the current review will take a hard look at the type of tree. Currently, even poplars could be excluded. The final answer is likely to be somewhere in the middle, favouring a more regulated process that could see planting permanent exotic forests continue, aligned to class of land and species. To say pines have no place at all, in our view, leaves a lot of hill country exposed to what appears to be more severe and frequent climate events. Pine forests can be part of the solution, given over a million hectares of pastoral land are now classed as seriously eroding. Native planting will struggle to hedge this risk as a stand-alone strategy. We need a more comprehensive plan. The current carbon window over the next decade provides economic drivers to do something about it.

Next season we expect to see hill country valuations holding, but equally, we don’t see this season’s premiums carrying year-on-year, given a significant land use option remains out of the market and on-farm inflation continues to put pressure on the excess returns from prior years.

It would be easy for us not to comment on land use change, given how politically charged this topic is, but we feel we have a duty to the market and Farmlands shareholders to report how we see it. We have sold over 50,000 hectares of real estate this season and over 10,000 hectares has gone to alternative land use. To stay silent on this change would be doing our industry a disservice. A more robust regulatory framework could mitigate the hype and carbon speculation whilst protecting exiting landowners’ property rights and land use options. The paradox is nobody stands to benefit more from a sustainable, less exposed pastoral sector than our farmers.

For rural and lifestyle property advice from a national team of committed salespeople, supported by our expert marketing team, right across New Zealand, call 0800 367 5263 or visit pb.co.nz.

Conrad Wilkshire

GM Rural for Property Brokers Ltd

conrad@pb.co.nz

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WATER PUMP WB20

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BRUSH CUTTER UMK450T

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GENERATOR EU22

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GENERATOR EG5500CXS

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CHANGES FOR THE BETTER.

We’re making better choices for our planet and our communities so that our gear is built for a future we all want to be a part of. Starting with recycled fabrics, organic fibres and global standard audits across our supply chain.

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