Farmlander September 2018

STRATEGIC BANKING PARTNER OUR NEWYour

WE'VE CHOSEN ASB TO HELP SUPPORT YOU

ASB is committed to helping Farmlands and our shareholders.

Having spent time learning about your co-operative inside and out, ASB is looking forward to introducing their range of tailored offers for shareholders. The offers cover everyday banking, rural solutions, through to business lending and plenty in-between.

Through this new partnership, you will be able to tap into ASB’s considerable economic expertise, make use of their

YOUR BANKING

innovative financial tools and get financial solutions tailored for you. Farmlands and ASB are excited about working together for the benefit of Farmlands shareholders nationwide.

YOUR BUSINESS

ASB can look at your current and future banking needs and help you find ways to make the most of their tailored offers.

No matter where you are or what you’re doing, the team at ASB are keen to discuss your unique banking requirements.

To learn more about our new strategic banking partnership – and how ASB can help you – visit

www.farmlands.co.nz/asb

ASB wants to understand your financial needs and tailor an offer that may help you save time, money and provide insights into your business.

YOUR COMMUNITY

ASB and Farmlands share similar values in supporting and helping our local communities.

YOUR DECISIONS

ASB has a range of financial tools and partners that can help provide valuable insights to assist with your decision-making and financial management.

INTEREST

2

5 From the CEO

6 Opening the Director election process at Farmlands

7 Partnership puts your needs first 8 5 minutes with Graeme Woodside

Special Feature – Out of the blue

PLAN365

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER

FARMLANDS STAFF PROFILE

Mathew Cheer

Q: What is your current role at Farmlands?

A: Area Manager for the Eastern region.

Q: Tell us a bit about your family.

A: My wife Jen (who works at a local bank) and I live on a lifestyle block in Pahiatua, while my parents are still living the dream in Norsewood on a 40 acre farm.

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

A: Golf but mostly renovating our house and knocking the lifestyle block into shape.

Q: What piece of technology could you not live without?

A: Samsung phone – it’s my wallet, atlas, office and camera all in one.

Q: What is the most interesting trip you have ever taken?

A: Two weeks travelling through Egypt from Cairo to Abu Simbel temples.

Lasagne

FROM THE CEO

Welcome to the September issue of The Farmlander. This month we celebrate two major partnerships, which show how we put our shareholders at the centre of everything we do.

The safety and wellbeing of our people, both staff and shareholders, will always come first. By working in partnership with organisations such as Farmstrong, we have helped to shine a light on mental health within our rural communities. Now, through our new partnership with Blue September, we want to highlight the need for regular check-ups to make sure physical wellbeing is addressed as well.

Every year, 3,000 New Zealand men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 600 will die. It is a sobering statistic – one that would be less if the traditional stoic Kiwi male had regular check-ups.

To support Blue September, we have made this a “blue issue”. You can read first-hand accounts from those that have lived with prostate cancer and we have an interview with the CEO of the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation. You will also see in this month’s Buying Power Promise that many of our suppliers have come on board as “Blue Dot Donors” to help us support Blue September.

Farmlands takes the health and wellbeing of our people seriously. If we can help raise awareness of a subject that is not often talked about, our partnership with Blue September will be a success.

• 450g ground beef

• ½ onion, diced

• ½ large capsicum, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tin tomato sauce

• ½ tin tomato paste

• 1 tin crushed tomatoes

• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano

Method Ingredients

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

• Pinch of garlic powder and/or garlic salt

• 1 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar

• 250g packet lasagne sheets

• 400g ricotta cheese

• 500g mozzarella cheese

1. Brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Cook the capsicum, onions and garlic then combine with the beef. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Transfer to medium sized pot, add tomato sauce, tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Add oregano, parsley and Italian seasoning then garlic powder and/or garlic salt to taste. Sprinkle with red or white wine vinegar. Bring the sauce to a low simmer. Cook for 15-45 minutes, stirring often.

3. Assemble lasagne in a ceramic oven dish. Start with a small spoonful of sauce at the bottom of the dish then arrange one layer of lasagne sheets over the sauce.

4. Ladle a third of the sauce over the lasagna sheets. Sprinkle a third of the grated mozzarella on top of sauce then add a third of the ricotta cheese in spoonfuls. Repeat for each layer.

5. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Health and wellbeing is the largest piece of the puzzle – but shareholders become Farmlands members because we can add value to their business as well. We have once again found a way to add value through our new strategic banking partnership with ASB.

Farmlands and ASB have been working together since the start of the year and ASB is now ready to offer banking services to our shareholders.

This is a positive move that showcases the true value of being part of our co-operative. ASB has taken the time to learn about Farmlands and learn about what our shareholders need. That means their tailor-made packages are made with you in mind, focusing on your unique requirements. You can read more about our strategic banking partnership later in this issue.

Have a happy, safe, Blue September!

Kind regards,

Peter Reidie Chief Executive Officer Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited

Opening the Director election process at Farmlands

Farmlands Directors play a key role in the life of a successful and increasingly complex organisation. In 2018, three places are up for election, two seats from the South Island and one North Island seat.

Marlborough-based Director Joe Ferraby and Tauranga-based Director David Jensen will not be seeking re-election to the Board. Clutha District farmer and Silver Ferns Farms Chairman Rob Hewett is seeking re-election.

Farmlands Chairman, Lachie Johnstone is urging shareholders to participate in the nomination process. “We’re proud of what we’ve been able to achieve at Farmlands, assuming a leading role in a sector that can be volatile and isn’t short of challenges. Our commercial performance is strong and we are working hard to situate ourselves at the centre of New Zealand’s life," he says. “The goal we have set ourselves is to go from ‘good’ to ‘great’ and we recognise that we still have a way to run before we can claim to be a great co-operative.

Being determined to get there, while acknowledging that we aren’t there yet, is what gets us up in the morning. Good governance is the backbone of our endeavour. So, the nomination process is more than just a bit important.”

Nominations close at 5.00pm on 13th September. Nomination papers are available from the Farmlands website (www.farmlands.co.nz) and directly from Company Secretary, Catherine Walker: catherine.walker@farmlands.co.nz

Do you know someone who could make a valuable contribution to the Farmlands Board of Directors?

2018 DIRECTOR ELECTIONS

In accordance with the Society’s rules, the Board has confirmed a Director election will take place in each of the North and South Islands.

If you know a shareholder that would make a great Farmlands Director, criteria and nomination forms can be downloaded from www.farmlands.co.nz or by contacting Company Secretary, Catherine Walker, catherine.walker@farmlands.co.nz or 0800 200 600

Nominations must be received by post at Farmlands, 535 Wairakei Road, Burnside, Christchurch 8053, or email to the Company Secretary no later than 5.00pm on Thursday 13th September 2018.

Partnership puts your needs first

From 1st September, Farmlands shareholders can talk to ASB about their range of tailormade banking packages.

Earlier this year, Farmlands and ASB began working together as a strategic partnership. This is different from the more traditional approach of simply banking the co-operative.

The reason for forming this partnership was to work together to develop other streams of value for each other, as we both deal with change in our markets, including better value for our shareholders across all their financial needs. Importantly, our partnership is based on similar, regional and community-based values – and now the benefits of this are being made available to our 68,000 shareholders.

Farmlands Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Cooney says the co-operative undertook a thorough process, confirming ASB as the best choice.

“ASB showed the best understanding of both our journey and the strategic challenges we face for delivering value to our members given industry change and disruption,” Kevin says.

“Farmlands appreciated ASB’s commitment of time and energy to understanding both our present and future needs and then ensuring alignment of their proposition with this. As well as the co-operative’s needs, this included a commitment to developing solutions with our members that meet all of their financial needs, including wealth, personal, business, property and risk management.”

ASB’s GM of Rural, Richard Hegan,

says it was crucial for ASB to take the time to fully understand Farmlands as a business and as a co-operative, because understanding the requirements of the business allows ASB to focus on delivering to the diverse requirements of shareholders.

“At ASB we’re passionate about helping New Zealanders progress by helping them achieve their financial goals and that is something we really focus on when considering any strategic partnership,” Richard says.

“It became clear from the start that working with Farmlands would be a perfect fit. Farmlands is a strong, progressive co-operative, with dedicated and aspirational shareholders. We’re confident through our common commitment to help the rural sector get ahead that we’ll create many opportunities together.”

This partnership is an opportunity for Farmlands shareholders to meet with their local ASB team to discuss their financial and banking requirements and allow ASB to tailor solutions specific to those shareholders’ personal, family and business needs.

Richard says the partnership’s goal is to accelerate the financial progress of rural New Zealand. There is a shared commitment by both organisations to deliver improved farming and business insights, which lead to better financial and farming outcomes for our farmers.

“We’re looking forward to working together and developing our partnership to deliver both savings and value through things like providing relevant insights, valuable

connections, bespoke business opportunities and discounted promotions,” Richard explains.

“It’s also about creating new opportunities that will ensure Farmlands stays ahead of the pack in terms of reputation and customer experience and that’s pretty exciting.”

Kevin says this partnership with a respected expert in banking committed to both Farmlands and the rural sector allows Farmlands to give shareholders more value from their co-operative. Farmlands staff are happy to introduce shareholders to the ASB team, who will invest time to understand all of a shareholders’ financial needs and develop solutions through their range of packages.

“This is a unique partnership that is designed specifically to make both partners and our shareholders stronger and is integral to reinvigorating what it means to be a rural services and supplies co-operative,” Kevin says.

“We have listened to our shareholders and identified ways we can continue to add value to them, beyond the point of sale. ASB is a great fit as we continue to re-invent the Farmlands Co-operative Spirit.”

5 minutes with Graeme Woodside

CEO, New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation.

What is the overall goal of the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation?

Our vision is “eliminating death and suffering from prostate cancer” and so to achieve this the Foundation focuses on four main areas:

• Awareness – we are actively promoting prostate cancer awareness and education throughout the year but especially in Blue September. Prostate cancer affects many men, particularly as they get older, so it is really important they are aware of the threat and the risks of getting this disease.

• Support – a diagnosis can be really challenging for men and

It’s also great to see a number of Farmlands suppliers are adding their support through making donations from sales of their respective products. “

their families but it does not mean a death sentence. When detected early it can be treated very effectively and men can return to a reasonably normal life, while both living with the disease and also having had effective treatment to cure it. We provide a helpline and online support, as well as over 30 support groups around the country for men going through diagnosis and treatment.

• Funding research – we are always looking for improvements in diagnosis and treatment procedures and provide funding to researchers. Each year we provide research grants that will result in direct benefits to Kiwi men.

• Advocacy – we represent the interests of prostate patients to government, health and medical agencies to gain better medications and treatments for prostate patients.

What is Blue September and how can people get involved?

Like many charities, we have a designated month to promote awareness and to fundraise to support our activities. Blue September is now in its 11th year and continues to gain momentum and effectiveness. This year we are asking people to have a “Blue Do” – any sort of fun event at work, with their friends or in their community to raise awareness and funds. It’s easy to get involved – go to www.blueseptember.org.nz to register your event, the Foundation will provide ideas and items to decorate

and share with your participants. Our sponsors get really involved in Blue September, holding events and activities through their businesses throughout the country. Last year there were more than 1,100 Blue Dos and events that raised nearly $1 million!

As more than 3,000 Kiwi men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year – and around 600 will die – how can New Zealand farmers reduce their risk of the disease?

Recent research has shown that rural and Maori men are less proactive in getting checked for prostate cancer and as a result, the outcomes for those diagnosed are worse than other Kiwi men. This is a serious situation and is a major reason why Farmlands, Agpac and other rural communities are getting involved in Blue September. While we don’t know what actually causes prostate cancer – there are some genetic and hereditary factors – we do know that early detection is critical to improving the chances of survival. That is the main message to our rural men – be proactive about getting checked. Typically, Kiwi men are a bit slack in looking after their health, so getting a prostate check is one way of reducing the risk of dying from this disease.

With the growing awareness of prostate cancer, do you think New Zealand is making headway locally and worldwide?

There have been some great advances in procedures for diagnosis and treatment in the last few years and

New Zealand patients are getting access to many of these. One really encouraging outcome of some recent research is that around 60 percent of Kiwi men are getting checked for prostate cancer – but the converse is that 40 percent are not! That is what needs to change. While we don’t have a comparison from the past, we certainly

get the impression that more men are aware of prostate cancer and are getting checked and this is pleasing but we have some way to go yet.

The New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation and Farmlands have recently teamed up to help raise further awareness of the cause. How do the two organisations plan to work together to benefit the wellbeing of New Zealand farmers?

We are really delighted that Farmlands has joined our team of Blue September sponsors. This is a really strategic opportunity for the Foundation to effectively reach further into the rural community through the Farmlands network. We have been working closely with the Farmlands team to plan their activities in their outlets. It’s also great to see a number of Farmlands suppliers are adding their support through making donations from sales of their respective products.

Farmlands customers will see displays and promotional materials in the outlets and all this will make a great contribution to growing awareness in our rural men. Ultimately though, it is up to the men themselves – and with maybe some cajoling by their partners and families – to make the decision to get checked. If they do then both Farmlands and the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation will have achieved what we set out to achieve through this year’s Blue September – to get those rural men to “man up and get checked”!

The facts:

• Prostate cancer is the number one cancer in Kiwi men. One in eight men will get it in their lifetime.

• Around 26,000 men are living with prostate cancer and many are supported by the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation.

• More men will get prostate cancer than women will get breast cancer.

Signs and symptoms to look out for:

• Urinary problems such as slow flow, stop/start, frequency, especially at night.

• Blood in urine or semen.

• Bone pain, especially in the spine.

• Be aware – prostate cancer in the early stages, when it is most treatable, usually has no symptoms.

For questions and concerns about any matters related to prostate cancer, visit www.prostate.org.nz or call 0800 4Prostate (0800 477 678).

OUT OF THE BLUE

Murray O’Connor considers himself fortunate. The hardworking Southland farmer is a prostate cancer survivor. His message is simple. “Jokers need to get their PSA levels checked because if it gets into your bones, it’s curtains.”

Murray had no symptoms when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer just over 3 years ago. But he says he can’t stress enough for all men over 50 years of age to regularly have their Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) checked. “It’s just a blood test,” he says.

The 73 year old lives in Kapuka, 20km east of Invercargill. He has spent 43 years on his farm, which although has no name, Murray reckons it might as well be called “O’Connor Corner” because the family owns land on all four corners of the main intersection.

One of his sons, Grant has bought into the dairy farm, while his other son, Mark has bought the agricultural business – but Murray is still a mainstay. “I was working fulltime while Mark was away,” he says. “My twin grandkids said, ‘grandad, you’re meant to be retired but you are working fulltime’. I quite enjoyed it.”

Family is a cornerstone for the O’Connors with Murray’s daughter, Jan, also living “just down the road”. In fact, Murray says he hasn’t really gone too far. He was bought up on a family farm in Waituna, about 5 kilometres from where he lives now. His wife of 53 years and “just about childhood sweetheart”, Judith, is also a local (from 5 kilometres in the other direction).

The couple spent their early years working hard and made a bit of ground, enabling them to buy the Kapuka property, which farms dairy, beef and service bulls and is the base for their business, O’Connor Contracting.

Grant and Mark have expanded the property, which now comprises 560 acres, with the boys also leasing other land. “We’ve always worked hard and I guess that paid off,” Murray says.

Murray explains that it was a visit to the doctor for a regular warrant of fitness that first revealed his elevated PSA. “I had no symptoms but I’d heard about prostate cancer, so we did a blood test and it was quite high. We monitored it for a while and it kept going up,” he says.

“Next thing I had three options – take it out, radiation or do nothing and forget about it. I wasn’t feeling that flash when I came out of the doctors and my first thought was ‘holy hell this is going to take me out’.

“I didn’t want to do nothing because I know if it gets into your bones you might as well say ‘goodnight’, so I chose to have my prostrate removed,” Murray says. The operation was expected to take one and a half hours and Murray says he can still remember being in the operating theatre and seeing the clock on the wall. They had stopped operating after about half an hour.

“I feared the worst,” he says. “They had opened me up and I was thinking it was too bad and they couldn’t do anything to help me. I thought here goes, I’m finished. But it turns out there was gauze over my prostate from an earlier hernia operation. The surgeon said if he had cut through it I would have bled to death. The hernia operation was more than 5 years ago. In hindsight, I am pleased they couldn’t remove the prostate as I’ve got friends who have had no end of trouble after having their prostate removed, so it was probably for the better.”

With the prospect of removing the prostate ruled out, Murray headed to Dunedin for 8 weeks of radiation, receiving treatment 5 days a week.

“The treatment appointments only took 3 minutes,” he says. “The hardest thing was getting my head around having a full bladder and empty bowel at the time of treatment. I got it around the wrong way at the beginning and they reckoned they would empty it for me. That scared me enough to get it right for next time.”

Murray considers himself one of the lucky ones – saying 70 people were receiving cancer treatment every day. Being in Dunedin for 8 weeks was not ideal for Murray, who admits it was probably his longest stint off-farm.

“I’d been away for holidays before but not for that long. We did go back to the farm for a couple of weekends but it was two and a half hours away and the side effect of the treatment was that I was always very tired.” The couple stayed at a Dunedin motel, with Murray helping with the gardening to fill his days.

“I was lucky because the cancer hadn’t spread and was confined to my prostate,” he says.

“My recommendation is all jokers over 50 should have their PSA checked once a year – if you get onto it, it could save your life. Early detection is the key, if it gets out, you’re a goner.”

Murray and Judith now attend a fortnightly prostate cancer support group session in Invercargill, saying it’s good to talk to other people who have been through a similar experience.

“The message is always that men have to be responsible for their own health,” Murray says. “We’re all a bit blokey and tend to not worry about it. But it’s a hell of a disease and if you don’t get onto it then it’s curtains.

“I’ve been through it, half an operation and radiation and – touch wood – I’ve come out the other side, with my PSA now as low as it can go. I’m lucky, I’ve had a good result. Even at 73 I don’t want to go out yet.”

Murray was 70 when he was diagnosed and was planning to start his retirement with his sons having taken over and the couple keen to spend a great amount of time on the road in their motorhome. With a clean bill of health, the couple are now set to clock up some mileage.

A positive attitude and family support have been the drivers for Murray since his prostate cancer diagnosis. Judith says Murray’s attitude was that it was just no good lying down and taking it. She remembers Murray having the PSA blood tests with the PSA rising slightly every time. The couple didn’t think anything was wrong after the internal examination but a referral to a specialist raised the alarm.

“When Murray was first diagnosed it was a real shock,” Judith says. “Nobody likes to be told they’ve got cancer, you hear that word and just go into a panic. We really had no experience of it and nobody close who had been through it. However, Judith says that once they started talking with family and friends and heard other stories – and stories that ended well – it became easier.

“I thought Murray handled it really well,” she says. “He took it as it came and didn’t ever read too much into it but just faced each hurdle, one at a time. We were both positive and just did what we had to do.

She says the medical team at the radiation centre in Dunedin loved Murray. “He was always joking and was like a breath of fresh air. The staff there are all very special, you have to be a special person to work on those wards.”

Supporting Blue September

Every year more than 3,000 New Zealand men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 600 men will die from it – that is about the same number as women who die from breast cancer. For most people, even if you haven’t been directly affected by prostate cancer, you’re bound to know someone who has. Early detection can significantly reduce the risk of death from prostate cancer. Mostly, men don’t know how dangerous this disease is, they don’t talk to their doctor about it, their doctor doesn’t talk to them about it, or they simply don’t have any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.

Blue September is the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation’s annual national awareness and fundraising campaign. Every little bit helps to provide support, campaign for greater awareness and advocate for better

“

My recommendation is all jokers over 50 should have their PSA checked once a year – if you get onto it, it could save your life. Early detection is the key, if it gets out, you’re a goner.

The couple agree that they are very family orientated and it was the strength of their family that helped them endure the tough times. “Family means everything,” Judith says. “We’ve always been a close family. With both sons on the farm and our daughter only 20 kilometres away, we were able to really just carry on as normal.”

As well as the strength of their family to help them through, Judith says Murray is very resilient. “He’s a hard worker but underneath he’s just a big softie,” she says. “I couldn’t believe his attitude, he was just so positive in the way he dealt with it and didn’t let the negative side come through at all. We consider ourselves very fortunate.”

diagnosis and treatment outcomes. Farmlands is a principal sponsor of Blue September and encourages shareholders to spread the word and support the appeal. The New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation receives no government funding, relying instead on New Zealanders to help spread the message for men to get regular checks, fund research that will improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes and provide support for those who need it the most – the men living with prostate cancer and their families. For questions and concerns about any matters related to prostate cancer, visit www.prostate. org.nz or call 0800 4Prostate (0800 477 678).

Ladies’ Night 2018

WALKER KAREN

Farmlands invites you to enjoy an inspirational evening with Kiwi fashion and business icon, Karen Walker.

2018 Ladies’ Night dates and locations

Tuesday 11th September ............................ Alexandra District Club, Alexandra

Wednesday 12th September .............. Glenroy Auditorium (Town Hall), Dunedin

Tuesday 18th September ...... Palmerston North Conference & Function Centre

Wednesday 19th September ...........................Quality Hotel Emerald, Gisborne

Thursday 20th September ............................ Napier Convention Centre, Napier

Tuesday 25th September ................................ Oamaru Opera House, Oamaru

Wednesday 26th September ......... Invercargill Working Men’s Club, Invercargill

Thursday 27th September ...............................................Heartland Hotel, Gore

Tuesday 2nd October ..................... Marlborough Convention Centre, Blenheim

Wednesday 3rd October ............................................ Shantytown, Greymouth

Thursday 4th October ...............................Lincoln Events Centre, Christchurch

Tuesday 9th October ................................................... Toll Stadium, Whangarei

Wednesday 10th October ................... Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton

Thursday 11th October .................... ASB Baypark Stadium Lounge, Tauranga nverc otel, G Hea SOLD OUT Hous

Tickets include a complimentary drink and a delicious meal on arrival.

Book your tickets today at your local Farmlands store or by calling 0800 200 600 or register online at www.farmlands.co.nz/ladiesnight

*Terms and Conditions apply, visit www.farmlands.co.nz to learn more.

Getting checked could save your life

Five years ago, Iain O’Rourke, 53, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and for Blue September he is urging others to get to a doctor.

“Men tend to think they’re bulletproof,” he says. “If you’re ‘fit and healthy’, it’s easy to assume everything is okay. But cancer doesn't work like that. You don’t know when cancer could affect your life.”

This year’s Blue September campaign is challenging Kiwi men to face their fears and Iain, a Farmlands Business Development Manager, says men are often reluctant to talk about their prostate, or to get it checked.

“Talking about your prostate health is not exactly regular conversation. But men need to make it just that – normal.”

Each year around 3,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in New Zealand – and 600 of them will die – yet only two in five Kiwi males are proactively getting themselves checked for the disease. A local study indicates rural men are even less likely to be screened.

Researchers at Waikato Hospital’s Bryant Education Centre found males in rural areas showed significantly lower rates of prostate screening than their urban counterparts. Iain believes there is a simple reason for that.

“When it comes to men’s health issues, our ‘harden up’ or ‘I’m okay’ attitude has created an atmosphere of silence among men. But unless we're willing to allow more males to

lose their lives, the silence, shame and stigma needs to stop – right now.”

He says too many men are dying when a simple, regular test could save lives. In late 2013, Iain visited his doctor for the common cold.

“It all started with a routine visit to my GP, prompted by sneezing, congestion and a sore throat,” he says. “I thought I ought to have my cholesterol and bloods checked at the same time, as well as my PSA – ‘Prostate-Specific Antigen’, the blood test for prostate cancer.”

Iain was contacted by his doctor a few days later advising he had an elevated PSA for his age. He was quickly referred to a urology specialist for an ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. Under a local anaesthetic, medical staff took 13 biopsies of Iain’s prostate tissue for examination.

“A week later, I was back in the specialist's office. I was informed that I had a Gleason Score of six – a strong indicator of prostate cancer.”

He got news no one ever wants to hear – “you have a very aggressive cancer and we are going to have to treat it very aggressively”, he says.

Unsurprisingly the news was a shock to Iain and wife Nic but he wanted to know all his options and more about the illness. “My reaction was ‘we’re here – you’ve told us the bad news – now what are we going to do about it?’”

Within 2 months, Iain underwent robotic surgery to remove his prostate. “I was lucky,” he says. Iain’s advice for men today is clear – don’t die of embarrassment.

“Get yourself checked regularly – at least once a year– and know your PSA number. Just like cholesterol or blood pressure, all men above the age of 40 should know what their PSA number is. It doesn’t replace a proper digital examination but it’s an indicator if there is an unusually high reading. “Undiagnosed prostate cancer can affect you and your family far more than a simple men’s health check,” he says.

In Iain’s case, there were no obvious signs or symptoms – and in many instances, there are none. Early detection could save lives. “I’m living proof,” he says. “Once prostate cancer has spread, the chances of successfully treating it are significantly reduced. Talk to your doctor – it's your life, not theirs.”

In 2018, it’s about time Kiwi men take more responsibility for their prostate health, starting from the time they turn 40, especially if there is family history of the disease, he says. His family backs his plea, having witnessed the husband and father-of-two fight prostate cancer.

“Call it what it is – call a spade a spade. Cancer is cancer,” he says. “I didn't want to hide behind terms like ‘the big C’.”

Iain’s family – wife Nic, son Ryan and daughter Brit – have been incredibly supportive. “Everyone dealt with the news differently and I cannot thank them enough.”

Today, Iain counts himself fortunate to be alive. “Every day is a bonus,” he says. Not long after being given the “all-clear”, Iain and Nic travelled across Europe fulfilling their life-long dream.

“We plan to purchase a campervan and see more of New Zealand,”

When it comes to men’s health issues, our ‘harden up’ or ‘I’m okay’ attitude has created an atmosphere of silence among men. But unless we're willing to allow more males to lose their lives, the silence, shame and stigma needs to stop – right now. “

he says. “It’s these memories that will last so much longer than any embarrassment. To coin a phrase from a close friend – ‘life is not a trial run’.”

Blue September is the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation’s major awareness drive and it takes place throughout the month.

Iain says he is sharing his story in the hope of breaking the stigma around the disease and to encourage other men to get checked.

“You think you’re on your own but you’re not,” he says. “I tell my story, so that the process of diagnosis becomes a topic of discussion. I tell my story so that prostate health can be talked about. I tell my story to save lives.”

For questions and concerns about any matters related to prostate cancer, visit www.prostate.org.nz or call 0800 4Prostate (0800 477 678).

Blue bales prod rural men to think about prostate health

Farmlands and New Zealand’s leading crop packaging supplier, Agpac are getting behind the Blue September national awareness campaign to remind men to get regular check-ups to avoid prostate cancer.

For the past 3 years, Agpac has supplied distinctive bright blue bale wrap and netwrap to support the efforts of the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation.

The blue wraps serve two purposes – firstly, they are a visual reminder of prostate cancer and the need to check for it and secondly, Agpac donates a portion of the sales of the wrap to the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation.

The initiative to spread awareness about prostate cancer is a very personal one to Agpac owner and managing director, Philip Rossi. Several years ago, Philip was diagnosed with prostate cancer

and had a radical prostatectomy.

He is now back to living a normal life and says he is hugely grateful that he was getting regular check-ups and got good advice from groups like the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation.

“I was fortunate because the doctors got it before it spread. My father had prostate cancer, so there was an awareness of it in our family but a lot of men do not talk about it. I am gobsmacked that many men still are not getting regular prostate checks,” Philip says.

“I was diagnosed when I was just 52. It was a shock to me but I had an early diagnosis, very good treatment and a bit of luck. Thankfully I am now cancer-free.

“Another surprise I had is just how much misinformation is out there. Some people told me not to do anything about it, which is the worst advice ever. Fortunately, there are groups like the New Zealand Prostate Cancer

Foundation that can provide accurate information as well as support to men who are dealing with the disease.”

Philip says he is very proud that Agpac was the first company in the world to introduce pink and blue bale wraps to raise awareness of breast and prostate cancer. It is now an international phenomenon that has raised millions of dollars for groups combatting cancer.

New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation CEO, Graeme Woodside is thankful for the support that Agpac and Farmlands are providing to Blue September because it is particularly important to get the word out to the rural community.

“Men in rural regions are less aware of prostate cancer than urban men. Consequently, they don’t get checked as often, they don’t get diagnosed as early and their outcomes are worse,” Graeme says.

“We are very grateful for the support Agpac has provided us over the years. Last year they contributed $10,000 to our work. The New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation receives no government funding, so donations like this are vital.

“Also having those blue bales around the countryside gets conversations going and reminds rural men to man up and get a check for prostate cancer.”

Graeme says during Blue September people are encouraged to hold "Blue Dos" – community events, social functions and workplace gatherings to raise awareness and funds for the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation. Article supplied by Agpac.

For all your on farm biosecurity needs. Proven winter disinfection. In real farm conditions.

Visit your local Farmlands store for more information.

Check out our newest additions! With over 1,500 products to choose from, Choices Rewards can help you celebrate Fathers’ Day in style this month.

Articles in the Plan 365 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.

New products increase options for lamb rearers

Demand for weaned lambs could be high this season as grazers look for alternatives to beef finishing and drystock contracts because of concerns around Mycoplasma bovis. Interest in rearing more lambs by hand is therefore likely to be strong in both the commercial and lifestyle sectors. Many traditional commercial sheep farmers rear or sell one lamb from a set of triplets in addition to rearing orphans.

Young lamb supplies are increasing from sheep milking operations that are especially keen to find outlets for male lambs. Opportunities are therefore developing nationwide for commercial specialist lamb rearers through to lifestyle farmers looking to build a friendly handreared flock or fill the freezer.

Encouraging intake of grain-based hard feed can help stimulate rumen function in milk-fed lambs, which reduces stress at weaning off milk and reduces the cost of bought-in milk replacer.

For years, NRM has resisted the temptation of adding the highly effective coccidiostat monensin sodium (e.g. as Rumensin®) to mainstream calf and lamb starter feeds because it can be so dangerous to dogs and horses if consumed by accident. Recently a more cost-effective form of an alternative coccidostat for lambs, which is much safer to non-target species – decoquinate (Deccox®) –has become available. The inclusion of Deccox in NRM’s new Lamb Start Mix and Lamb Performance Pellets aids in the protection of coccidiosis for large scale, repeat lamb rearers

without increasing the risk to companion animals for those first time and occasional lamb rearers with potentially a lower risk of coccidiosis.

NRM’s new Lamb Start Mix and Lamb Performance Pellets have been designed with performance and animal health in mind. Grain based with high quality protein, both contain a blend of essential oils, trace minerals and vitamins.

Available in both 20kg and 10kg bags, Lamb Start Mix is a textured feed containing lucerne to help stimulate intake in young lambs.

Lamb Performance Pellets are a flexible option, which can be fed from day one right through to feedingout in paddocks. Both can also be fed as a creep feed for lambs on ewes that need some extra nutrition. As a creep feed, they can be offered in a trough protected by

a fence or gate, which lambs can get through but ewes cannot.

Lamb Performance Pellets can also be fed through some free-access ewe feeders that have a bar over the feed tray, which can be lowered to preclude ewes but allows access to lambs.

Lambs can be weaned off milk when they are about 10-15kg (depending on breed) and when they are consuming at least 200 grams of lamb hard feed per day. The intake of the hard feed is critical as it is a reflection of how well their rumen is developed.

Be prepared to hold back lambs that are not meeting the weaning criteria. Ideally continue feeding a lamb hard feed to the weaned lambs for at least the next month and longer if pasture quality and/or quantity is lacking.

For further information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist. Article supplied by Dr. Rob Derrick, Nutritionist.

UNEXPECTED BREAK.

IT HAPPENS MORE OFTEN THAN YOU’D THINK.

At FMG, we’ve been looking after rural people for over 100 years now. So we’ve become really good at recommending the kind of cover that looks after the most important piece of equipment on the farm – you. It’s the sort of advice that really makes a difference in the country. If you’d like to know more about it, go to fmg.co.nz. Or better still, call us directly on 0800 366 466.

We’re here for the good of the country.

The effects of stress on reproductive performance

The banning of inductions has focused attention on a shortened mating period to prevent a prolonged calving season.

A reduced mating period has inevitably increased empty rates – mating cows with a 53 percent conception rate for only 10 weeks as opposed to 13 weeks will tend to double empty rates with all things being equal. Cows are being tail painted through September to detect cycling cows –identifying and reducing stress may be one thing to consider to increase future fertility and profitability.

In both humans and animals some stress is probably good for performance – it helps humans get out of bed in the morning and drives us to achieve goals throughout the day. Sometimes life throws us more challenges than we can cope with and we get overly stressed – we try

to compensate by working harder but often productivity and output declines and we succumb to health problems to which we would normally be resistant.

I see the same thing in dairy cows, which are incredibly productive and robust but sometimes struggle to cope with additional, unexpected challenges – and fertility is one of the casualties. Metabolic diseases like milk fever, disorders such as retained fetal membranes, infected or damaged uterus and diseases such as BVD may all work against them and lower conception rates.

Seemingly small stresses like changes to the dairy shed, the pressure of backing gates, deterioration of raceways or increase in walking distance each day may be enough to make vulnerable animals such as first calvers, older cows and later calving cows less fertile.

Good nutrition is essential to help animals cope when stresses rise.

Cows below the ideal BCS at calving take longer before they start cycling and the better fed the cow is after calving the sooner she will start cycling.

Supplementing energy intake from around 6 weeks after calving may improve fertility in cows that would otherwise be underfed. Cows that are gaining weight over mating are more likely to get pregnant than cows that are losing weight. Cows should be regularly body scored to ensure targets are being met.

Wet and cloudy weather reduces the energy from pasture, so a poor late spring and early summer are

likely to impact on submission rates. Replacing the energy lost in pasture may be possible if supplementary feed rates can be increased or higher energy feeds like rumen protected fats can be introduced to minimise weight loss through mating.

Some tips to reduce nutritional stress over mating:

• Avoiding excess condition loss and changes in feed intake.

• Monitor fat to protein rations in the milk as an indication of how cows are coping – a falling ratio may indicate weight loss.

• Falling milk urea levels through mating could indicate sub-optimal protein levels in the diet related to changes in pasture quality.

• Avoid additional challenges like salmonella by cleaning out feed troughs regularly.

• Trace mineral deficiencies can cause anoestrous, increased risk of uterine infection and early embryonic death, so regular monitoring pre-mating can identify problems early.

• Bovatec® can aid in the control of ketosis with subsequent improvement in immune function, which can aid in reducing the incidence of clinical mastitis in lactating dairy cows so may indirectly effect fertility.

• Consider supplementary phosphorus if cows have had a hard winter.

For further information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist. Article supplied by Dr. Rob Derrick, Nutritionist.

Lighting in free range small scale layers

Have you ever wondered why birds in the wild only lay eggs in the spring and early summer and then cease laying as winter approaches?

This is all due to day-length or hours of daylight, as well as changes in light intensity. Birds that hatch in the spring require a shortening day-length approaching winter and an increasing day-length after midwinter to trigger maturity and begin to lay eggs. In technical terms, this is known as photorefractoriness. The modern commercial layer has almost had this phenomenon bred out of it and given sufficient time and food, a flock of commercial layer hens will eventually reach sexual maturity and start to lay some eggs, even without light stimulation. However, production will be poor as will peak of lay. Conversely, layers having access to natural daylight (typically in free range situations) usually do very well from late spring to mid-summer and one often notices a significant drop in egg production as autumn and winter approach. This is due to birds within the population exhibiting photorefractory behaviour and going out of lay. Fortunately, with the use of artificial light, we can “trick” these birds into believing summer is permanent and thereby reduce the drop-off in egg production. The choice of lighting is not that critical, so incandescent, fluorescent or even modern LED lighting can be used, although it is preferable to select warm white options when using fluorescents or LEDs. In open housing typical of free range

layers, the artificial light needs to complement the natural day length and this is true of both rearing and during lay with open housing. For hens in lay, knowing the maximum day length for your region is really important. Find out when sunrise will occur and sunset on the longest day and how this changes over time. Then set the timer for the lights to come on half an hour before sunrise and stay on until the sun is up. The lights must then be turned on prior to sunset and remain on half an hour after sunset on the longest day in your region. The lights need to be bright enough, without shadows in corners, so the hens still perceive that it is daylight. A single 75 watt bulb will cover 20 square metres of floor space depending on how high the ceiling is. Some trial and error may be required to arrive at the ideal amount of light the

birds need for optimum production. If birds are flighty and nervous then reduce the light intensity with lower wattage bulbs. The Hy-Line website (www.hyline.com) has a customised lighting programme for any location and this will work for any breed of layer.

Tossing birds a handful of whole grains, birdseed or some chopped greens in the late afternoon can help calm birds and help keep litter friable.

Tip – the earlier lights come on in the morning, the more eggs will be laid before noon. This is more difficult to achieve as one goes further south in New Zealand, since the longest day reduces this flexibility.

For further information, contact your local Nutrition Specialist.

Article supplied by Natalie Chrystal, Nutritionist.

Chicory key for changing climatic conditions

Waikato farmer Brent Moss has watched the seasons changing over the years and experienced an increase in variable climatic events, so he knows the importance of having a reliable summer feed.

Around 6 years ago Brent sought advice for his dairy farm located on 160ha just out of Matamata and local Farmlands Technical Field Officer, Pete Smart was happy to help. Given the challenges Brent faced in his region, Pete recommended chicory as an effective tool, particularly through the dry months when ryegrass isn’t performing at its best.

Since introducing Choice chicory into his system, Brent has found that his cows love it and do extremely well. “It’s a low maintenance crop that is easy to grow,” he says. The use of Choice ensures both acceptable animal condition and summer production, as well as allowing for his pasture renewal programme. Brent aims to put in 25ha per year and has consistently noted that Choice holds its production going into the drier months, where you typically see ryegrass production beginning to drop. This ensures his 520 cows hold onto their condition better while producing extra milksolids.

Sowing Choice allows Brent a break crop, which can help get on top of weeds including grass weeds that are not easily managed in a ryegrass mix. It also allows for a break in the pest cycle, helping prevent the increasing build-up of black beetle and clover root weevil inevitable in ryegrass based pastures. Brent finds the use of chicory provides

flexibility. “Traditionally the moisture has turned up in early March, where the chicory is then sprayed out and a permanent AR37 (typically ONE50) is drilled. However, with the seasons varying from year to year, Choice can be left in the ground allowing that flexibility I need these days.”

Due to Choice’s genetic make-up and its taproot, it has the ability to penetrate down through the soil profile. This not only allows for the plant to have better utilisation of soil moisture through the profile but it can also unlock nutrients and minerals located further down, that many other plants, including ryegrass, can’t access. This feature ensures Choice keeps performing through those drier months and allows it to spring back after grazings.

Choice is a New Zealand bred chicory (AgResearch Grasslands), with uniform, full strap leaves. It has been evaluated

under grazing, where it was selected for its improved cool season production, grazing recovery and high drymatter production, along with very good leaf disease tolerance. As a summer crop, Choice is a good source of high quality feed, with a Metabolisable Energy (ME) range of 11.5 to 13.0 MJ MEkg DM and crude protein between 22 percent to 27 percent, at a time when unirrigated ryegrass can be less in terms of both ME and crude protein.

Choice chicory has been a reliable performer for Brent over the last 6 years and an essential tool as he adapts to changing climatic conditions for his farming system. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Agricom.

Get your farm in clover

Clover is a great forage crop for finishing lambs.

Summer can be hard on soil and pastures but clover can be a little more resilient to the heat. Its palatability and high-energy value make it an attractive option for finishing paddocks or for running ewes before lambing. “Creating a strong area of clover is easier than you might think,” Ballance Agri-Nutrients Forage Specialist, Murray Lane says. “With the right tools, even undeveloped land can be quickly converted into good finishing country.”

Help from on high

Helicropping – applying clover seed and fertiliser from the air to a sprayed out area – is proving a powerful option for boosting hill-country production.

Aerial crop establishment implies

cropping without tilling, which means you are not changing the soil structure, the soil’s water infiltration rate or its “glueability”. “This is all good for keeping the soil on the hills,”

Murray says. “There is still a need to match stock class, crop type, crop harvest season and terrain but, with appropriate planning, great crops can be established and harvested with minimal environmental impact. Clover is one of these.”

Spray and wait

Another option for undeveloped land is to apply a very low rate of herbicide – 200-250ml of glyphosate per hectare – just before grasses start to bolt. This acts as a plant growth regulator, stopping grass seed-head development and allowing clovers to flourish.

“Suppression is key,” Murray says. “You don’t want to kill anything – just prevent brown top and Yorkshire fog seedhead emergence. An early November spray can be used to park areas of the farm that would normally go rank in the spring flush and have them ready for grazing 6 to 8 weeks later. The leafy grass will still be there, you’re just preventing a proportion of it from seeding, while releasing the legumes. It’s a great option for areas you’re planning to crop the following year as it minimises grass weed seed drop.”

Things to watch

• When establishing clover-only crops, ideally you need a spell without clover at some point in the cycle to manage pests. A cloveronly sward is very attractive to brown beetle/grass grub, which could cause problems on light soil in subsequent pasture.

• If mixing the clover with other summer herbs like plantain or chicory, get advice to get the clover seed rate right. Clovers are slower to establish, so you may need higher sowing rates in relation to other species to get good plant numbers in the sward.

• Clover is more susceptible to nutrient deficiencies than other species, so soil test to check and adjust pH and phosphate levels. Don’t forget to check molybdenum, which is needed for nitrogen fixation and is often overlooked. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

Farmlands Out

New early maturity rape adopted nationwide

Rape is a multipurpose crop that can be an effective tool for a wide range of farming systems throughout the country.

Running sheep and beef systems at opposite ends of the country, farmers Evan Gibson and Scott Linknator have both historically used rape for fattening stock in drier months, where feed may otherwise be limiting. Recently, both Evan and Scott have chosen a new generation, early maturity rape, which gives them the ability to graze earlier with more opportunity to graze regrowth.

Evan Gibson, manager of Long Gully Station, Tarras, runs a fine wool system and has been impressed with Agricom’s newest rape, Mainstar. Evan has found that Mainstar has rapid establishment and accumulation of yield, with high performance in paddocks containing a wide range of soil types.

Evan’s Farmlands Technical Field Officer, Abigail Pont recommended Mainstar be drilled in late October, followed by weed control 4 weeks post-establishment. Following two grazings with the lambs over January to March, Evan found good per-head and per hectare liveweight gains occurred without suffering the initial growth check, which is commonly seen when first introducing lambs to rape. Mainstar’s high leaf-to-stem ratio meant Evan found minimal stem development in the paddock. This allowed him to carry good quality feed and impressive growth into the winter months.

Scott Linknator is the owner of Greenlink Farms, located between

Marton and Feilding. On the advice of his Farmlands Technical Field Officer, James Abbiss, Scott also decided to give Mainstar a try as a lamb fattening tool. Mainstar was drilled into 35ha of his 286ha property and not only did Scott experience high levels of edible yield, he says it was also highly palatable, with high quality. Due to a wet spring in the Manawatu, Scott drilled his Mainstar in late December and used it as a multi-graze option –to fill his DM requirements for lamb trades in late February then got two additional grazings in March and early June when grass growth slowed down. Mainstar is a new generation, modern, early maturing rape (70-75 days), which has excellent potential for re-growth, along with good frost tolerance allowing extended grazing from early summer to late winter. Mainstar has an extremely good tolerance to aphids,

which can be a major barrier to getting the best potential out of a rape crop, particularly within a dryland situation. Although this doesn’t completely remove the requirement for spraying, early grazing time and aphid tolerance provides the potential to reduce summer insects in many cases.

Scott and Evan have both been impressed with their experience so far with the new Mainstar rape in their respective regions. It has shown the ability to have impressive regrowth, with a high leaf to stem ratio. In both their systems, Mainstar’s fit has been ideal and allowed improved quality, palatability and winter grazing. For further information contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Agricom.

Profitability of fungicide programmes confirmed

Have you checked your paddocks for disease recently?

This winter has been mild and wet, ideal conditions for disease development. Out paddock walking, Bayer staff have found high levels of speckled leaf blotch in wheat and scald in barley, indicating that this spring 2018 is going to be challenging in terms of disease control. Maintaining healthy crops to maximise your yield is always vital but this year it is especially important with the high prices available for wheat and barley. One way to maintain plant health is by applying a robust fungicide programme. Each season Bayer carries out a large number of fungicide trials throughout New Zealand to monitor the performance of their fungicide range. Bayer’s target is the “Big 6” arable diseases of wheat, barley and ryegrass seed crops – speckled leaf blotch, leaf rust and stripe rust in wheat, scald and Ramularia leaf spot in barley and stem rust in ryegrass seed crops. Yield-hungry diseases that will ravage your profits if you let them.

In both wheat and barley, fungicides were highly profitable in 2017, when Bayer once again conclusively demonstrated the large profits you can receive from controlling the key wheat diseases. This is illustrated in the chart below. Last year Bayer observed aggressive infections of stripe rust, leaf rust and speckled leaf blotch and, very fortunately, in each trial a single disease dominated, allowing the profit from controlling that disease to be established. And for all diseases the profit achieved was impressive. Controlling speckled leaf blotch gave a profit of $615/ha, leaf rust $1,315/ha and stripe rust $1,390/ha. In all cases the fungicide programme used was a DMI fungicide at GS32 (T1) and then an application of Aviator Xpro at both GS39 and GS65 (T2 and T3). To calculate the profit achieved, a wheat price of $400/t and average on-farm fungicide prices were used. It was a very similar story for barley but in this case the trials illustrated the profitability of applying increasing robust programmes, rather than the

response of a particular disease. There was a definite trend that as the standard GS32 (T1) and GS39 (T2) fungicide programme was strengthened by firstly adding a GS30 (T0) and then a GS30 and GS60 (T4) fungicide, the yield and profitability increased. This culminated with a profit of $683/ha for a four spray fungicide programme utilising Delaro and Aviator Xpro. What is the best way of achieving these returns?

Firstly, let’s address the most important factor, fungicide timing. For both wheat and barley, once you apply your first fungicide maintain a spray interval of 25-28 days for the rest of your fungicide programme. For wheat, the most important application is GS39, flag leaf emergence and this is when Aviator Xpro should be applied. This year, as crops are at significant threat from speckled leaf blotch, Bayer recommends also applying Aviator Xpro at GS32. This programme can then be finished with Prosaro plus a strobilurin fungicide at GS65. For barley, Bayer recommends applying Delaro at both GS30 and GS32 followed by Aviator Xpro at flag leaf emergence. This ensures the lower leaves, responsible for much of a barley crop’s yield, are fully protected and that the impact of Ramularia leaf spot after ear emergence is minimised. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Bayer.

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The right ryegrass essential for profitability

Perennial ryegrass is the backbone of New Zealand agriculture. Having the right grass in our pastoral based systems is key to a profitable farming enterprise. Justin Vande Sandt, owner of a 240ha dairy support block has found the answer with the help of his local Mossburn Farmlands Technical Field Officer, Eric King.

Justin’s dairy support unit runs alongside the Oreti River, just out of the township of Mossburn. He is currently running a combination of 600 R1 and R2 heifers along with an additional 80 bulls. With liveweight gains required all months of the year to grow replacement stock, a trusted ryegrass cultivar is essential. Three years ago, Justin decided to give ONE50 AR37 a crack and hasn’t looked back since. “ONE50 AR37 grows well on our farm, especially on the fringes of the season, which is a must,” Justin says. With many perennial ryegrass cultivars and endophytes now on the market, it is important to make educated choices as to what is right for your farm. ONE50 perennial ryegrass is a

late heading (+20 days) solid performer that has often exceeded farmers’ expectations since its release. It is no surprise that it is a popular choice for sheep, beef and dairy systems. With the ever-increasing pest pressure throughout the country, endophyte protection is required to get the persistence and longevity out of modern ryegrass varieties. ONE50 is available in AR37, AR1 and LE endophyte. Having AR37 was one of the factors that effected Justin’s choice. AR37 has the best insect protection commercially available from a ryegrass endophyte. AR37 provides protection against porina, black beetle (adult), pasture mealy bug, root aphid and Argentine stem weevil (larvae). Justin has been impressed with the amount of legume maintained within the sward in the time he has used ONE50 AR37. “It is very clover friendly and we use Relish red clover for extra production and quality,” he says. This added legume content in the sward makes it an excellent candidate for silage, which can be transported back to the platform with

no compromise in feed quality. Over the past 8 years, ONE50 has earned its reputation as the go-to grass in New Zealand. As a new variety, it quickly gained a solid place in the market following on the back of the success of early adopters. The National Forage Variety Trials (NFVT), set up by the Plant Breeding and Research Associations (NZPBRA) tests many commercial and precommercial cultivars side-by-side in a variety of locations. Based off NZPBRA statistics, during 2012/2013 ONE50 was New Zealand’s largest selling ryegrass*. Each January, new industry statistics are made available and despite losing that title between 2013 to 2016, ONE50 reclaimed its position as New Zealand’s largest selling perennial ryegrass in 2017 and this has continued for the 2018 season “We chose to give ONE50 AR37 a go due to its impressive reputation,”

Justin says. ONE50 perennial ryegrass provides the combination of excellent plant genetics, with the option to include novel endophyte technology. These combined, allow the ability to lift the production and persistence on-farm. “Since changing to ONE50 AR37 3 years ago I now have 45ha planted, with great results to date.” For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

*The NZPBRA’s statistics are generated from a rolling 3 years of sales where sales volumes are submitted by seed companies for their cultivars to contest becoming the “standard” in the following year’s national trials. Article supplied by Agricom.

Vitamin B12 important for sheep

Because many New Zealand soils are deficient or low in cobalt, vitamin B12 deficiency can occur. It has recently been indicated that the cobalt requirement of sheep was met by only 54 percent of pastures in New Zealand1

Ruminants require more vitamin B12 than other animals, with young, growing sheep (such as lambs after tailing) being the most susceptible to deficiency, as they have higher energy requirements for growth. Common symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency in sheep and cattle include loss of appetite, decreased growth rates, watery eye discharge, anaemia, increased susceptibility to parasites and scaly ears. A common presentation of deficiency is 3-6 month old lambs showing signs of ill-thrift when grazing good green pasture. Sometimes the only sign may be reduced weight gain with the development of a tail-end of unthrifty lambs. In many regions of New Zealand, soil cobalt levels may be marginal. The result is that clinical symptoms may not be as obvious but vitamin B12 deficiency can still have a significant economic impact.

The cost of supplementing vitamin

B12 is small compared to the benefits gained. To make supplementation more convenient, vitamin B12 has been added to the trusted Multine 5-in-1 brand – Multine B12.

As vaccination with Multine routinely starts from either tailing/docking or at weaning, using Multine B12 can be timed with this. Or, if the Multine booster shot coincides with the selection of finishing or replacement stock, this is also a suitable time to use Multine B12. Multine B12 can be used in sheep, cattle and goats from tailing/docking. In sheep, each 2ml dose contains 2mg of vitamin B12. At the same time, Multine B12 provides protection against common causes of clostridial deaths including pulpy kidney (entertoxaemia), tetanus, black disease, malignant oedema and blackleg.

The period of raised vitamin B12 levels depends on the animal’s liver storage levels and the ongoing dietary intake of cobalt. Injected soluble vitamin B12 can persist for up to 1-3 months in young sheep2 Vitamin B12 has a high safety margin3 and can be used at the same time as using other cobalt supplements, such as drenches. You can simply swap out

one or more of your existing Multine 5-in-1 vaccinations with the new Multine B12 to supplement vitamin B12. Correct vaccination programmes start with two injections into young animals – a priming dose followed by a booster dose 4-6 weeks later. This can start as early as from tailing/docking. Annual boosters are necessary to maintain immunity and are timed 2-4 weeks prior to lambing/ calving. Multine B12 used at pre-lamb will increase vitamin B12 stored in the foetal liver and ensure higher levels are available in the dam’s colostrum.

Between Multine (available as plain, B12 or selenised), Nilvax and Lamb Vaccine, MSD Animal Health provides farmers with the only range of clostridial vaccines researched, developed and manufactured here in New Zealand, for New Zealand farmers. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

1. Knowles and Grace, 2014.

2. Mulvaney, C., Hodgson, B., and Cuttance, W., data on file.

3. Grace, N. D., 1999.

ACVM Numbers: A0934, A0935, A11311. ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Article supplied by MSD Coopers.

$5.00 from every tee donated to Blue September $29.95

Heat detection made simple

Accurately determining when a cow is on heat ensures a more successful mating period. You need a clear process, good observation and effective use of a reliable heat detection tool. Water-based tail paint is your simplest, safest and most cost-effective option.

With an effective tail painting plan in place, you can identify almost 90 percent of cows on heat. Applied properly, tail paint will reliably provide a visual indication of when a cow has stood to be mounted and consequently rubbed, to show that it is on heat. It also helps to pick up cows that are on heat for a short time and might otherwise be missed. How to apply tail paint:

1. Remove loose hair and dirt along the backbone above the tail.

2. Paint a strip 50-60mm wide and 150mm long along the ridge of the backbone immediately above the tail. It is best to apply the paint from the tail pushing up the cow’s back –this lifts the hair and makes it easier to detect when a cow is rubbed.

The “detection to pregnancy” cycle is about 12 weeks. GEA’s FIL Detail

tail paint comes in five fluorescent colours, which enables a systematic painting plan to identify each stage.

For example:

• Paint all cows with red tail paint approximately 3 weeks after calving. Check the paint strip at each milking. In most cases, much of the paint will be rubbed off when a cow is on heat.

• Paint those cows on heat with green tail paint*.

• After insemination, paint the cows with blue tail paint. If the paint rubs off, the cow is not pregnant.

• Once pregnancy is confirmed, paint the cows with yellow tail paint.

Detail is a water-based tail paint and it is gaining popularity as a more environmentally friendly option than the standard oil-based paints – minimising health and safety risks on-farm. Being water-based, it is gentler on skin, so it is better for cow comfort, particularly when they are severely rubbed. Plus, there is less risk to the

applicator’s skin. Detail is also faster drying (dries in 10 minutes) and easily cleaned up with a bit of water if spilt. Furthermore, it is no less effective than oil-based tail paint, with similar adhesive and visibility qualities. Detail is visible for up to 21 days^

The 1L Detail applicator comes with a built-in brush for easy application, while the 10L pail is a more costeffective option and partners well with Tail-Mate™, a uniquely curved tail paint roller that provides good coverage along the tail bone in one easy roll. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

* In the case of non-cycling cows, seek advice from your animal health professional.

^ Subject to conditions and correct application. Article supplied by GEA|FIL.

Want to win back your fuel spend?

Want to win back your fuel spend?

This September, fill up at any Z service station and pay with your Farmlands Card for your chance to win back your entire month’s fuel spend with Z. The more times you fill up, the higher your chances to win!

This September, fill up at any Z service station and pay with your Farmlands for your chance to win back your entire month’s fuel spend with Z. The more times you fill up, the higher your chances to win!

We’ll draw 10 lucky winners, so get filling now!

We’ll draw 10 lucky winners, so get filling now!

This September, with any purchase of 4 X Vredestein radial tractor tyres, get

Yes, that’s correct: A free set of Maxxis 4x4 tyres with every purchase of 4 x Vredestein radial tractor tyres.

We’re offering this amazing deal because Vredestein and Maxxis offer the best of tractor and 4x4 tyres and we want every farmer to experience how the right choice of tyres can make your job easier.

Offer exclusive to Farmlands shareholders. To take advantage of this offer, go to www.agtyres.co.nz to find a participating dealer.

Mulching proves successful for plant health

With maturity a month earlier than most other growers and consistently the earliest in the eastern Bay of Plenty, Opotiki avocado orchardist, Grant Fraser, credits much of his success to mulching.

“Mulching is one of the things I’ve done consistently since I’ve started because it protects the surface feeding roots, suppresses weeds and locks in the moisture,” Grant says. “I mulch every year and especially during replanting,” he explains. “Of my 800 Hass avocado trees, I’ve recently replaced some with 500 Phytophthora-resistant cloned trees, which benefit greatly from the mulch.”

Phytophthora cinnamomi, more commonly known as avocado root rot is a soil fungus that attacks the soft, white feeder roots of the avocado tree and is widespread in many avocado producing areas around the world. Mulching creates humous in the soil as it breaks down and, when it’s mixed with trace elements and minerals such as those found in seaweed, can effectively boost plant health and growth without the need for any extra additives or chemicals. Grant has been using New Zealand M nuka Group’s K LUSH M nuka mulch since he built his 4 hectare orchard over 20 years ago.

SOILSTRUCTURE

“I’ve tried using most other mulches,” Grant says. “But I like the aged K LUSH mulch because it’s easy to spread, it breaks down fairly slowly and the trees respond favourably.” Grant says the most important reason for mulching is to keep the area just outside the root-line covered. “All my young trees have 3-4 inches of M nuka mulch on them – it means I don’t have to weed and it supports spring plantings over a dry summer.” For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by NZ Seaweeds.

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Optimising disease prevention with copper

Copper is optimising the control of a wide range of fungal and bacterial diseases on fruit, vegetable and brassica crops.

Copper is a bactericide, which inhibits fungal spore germination and mycelial growth. It has been widely used throughout the world for disease management in both conventional and organic crop production for many years.

It was one of the first elements ever used as a plant fungicide and French growers began applying copper sulphate and slaked lime (still known as Bordeaux mixture) from the late 1880s to control downy mildew in their grapes.

Copper fungicides act residually to protect the plant from disease, so they must be applied to the plant surface before disease infection. Foliar copper spray solutions are a suspension of copper particles, which persist on the plant after the spray droplets dry.

Active copper ions are gradually released from the resultant copper deposits each time the plant surface becomes moist from leaf transpiration, dew or rain – and it is these ions that form a protective barrier that prevents disease taking hold, killing fungal and bacterial pathogens before they can penetrate the plant tissue.

One of the critical factors influencing copper fungicide efficacy is the particle size of the copper used. Larger particles have relatively less surface area than smaller ones and this reduces the number of copper ions available to protect the plant surface from infection. Retention on plants is also critical

for good disease control, because copper ions are not all released at once but slowly over a period of time. Several factors affect copper retention, including rainfall, physical rubbing of plant parts against each other and fruit growth and expansion. But particle size is important here too – larger particles can be blown off the plant surface and smaller particles have better rainfastness.

Nufarm technical expert, Alan Cliffe says these were key considerations for the formulation chemists who created ChampION++ water dispersible granules.

“This was a global development project, with the specific goal of setting a new standard of performance for present-day copper treatments,” Alan says. “The priority was to develop a formulation that provided excellent coverage and disease control, with low use rates of active ingredient, so there would be less environmental load than older, high dose copper formulations.”

As a result, copper hydroxide particles contained in ChampION++ are smaller and more precisely shaped than most other coppers currently available, with an average size of 1.8 microns. This gives better coverage and enhanced disease control. Because of their proportionately greater surface area, there is also a higher release of Cu2+ ions, which means lower rates of copper are required. ChampION++ contains 300g/kg copper as copper hydroxide and is registered for use on pipfruit, avocado, citrus kiwifruit and grapes, as well as feijoas, stonefruit, asparagus, onions, tomatoes, pine trees and many other crops. The WDG formulation is low-dust, stable, free flowing, easily pourable and quick to disperse in water. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Nufarm.

HAND PICKED FROM THE GRISPORT SAFETY RANGE

Low flow, no flow

Trapped air within a stock water pipeline creates many issues and may well be the cause of poor performance – low flow, no flow (airlock) and erratic system operation, including additional energy costs and damage to pipeline components. Air pockets reduce the effective pipe bore, increasing the headloss, leading to reduced flow into the trough or tank.

So where does this air come from?

There are four main causes – trapped air when initially filling the pipe, leaking joints, air introduced through pumps and dissolved air coming out of the water. These factors can be lessened through competent pipeline plumbing and system design.

The dissolved air issue is usually an outcome of low water velocity in the pipeline and can be minimised during the system design process,

where flow velocity is calculated and managed. Higher water velocities can also push air-pockets along the pipeline to system outlets.

Air sucked into the system through inadequate joints occurs when these joints are above the hydraulic grade line, creating negative pressure within the line. This is both a design and installation issue.

Any air that does accumulate will tend to be in the “high points” of a reticulation system. A simple way to overcome this, if practical, is to position troughs at these points, so the entrapped air can be discharged through the trough valve.

Vacuums in pipelines can also create operating and system longevity issues. Caused by draining the system, pump stop/start, or fast valve open/ close producing column-separation, this negative pressure can suck the pipe flat to the point of failure and have a detrimental effect on pumps, valves, fittings and system controls.

There are two basic types of air valves to manage these issues:

• Air release valves – automatically releases small pockets of accumulated air while the pipeline operates under pressure. Located at the highpoints in the system, these valves can dramatically improve system performance.

• Combination air/vacuum valves –designed to automatically exhaust large quantities of air during pipeline filling and admit large amounts of air when the internal pressure drops below atmospheric. These valves manage air introduced into the system during pump start-up, a common bore-pump issue. They also manage the issues caused by vacuums within a pipeline. Locate these valves where air is likely to be trapped or vacuums will form. It is also important to:

• Couple the valve to the pipe by way of pipe saddle or tee.

• Size air valve to design requirements.

• Keep riser pipe vertical, as short as practical and size pipe and isolation valve to suit inlet diameter of air valve.

• Have a site with ease of access, discharge clearances and protection from freezing, contamination, flooding and vandalism.

• Have an active maintenance programme.

• Managing air within your reticulation system will help consistently deliver the designed optimum water for maximum production, minimise operating issues and increase system longevity.

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

Article supplied by Iplex Pipelines.

Building a better fence

With a 340-hectare beef block to run single-handedly, Kaiwaka farmer Marty Roest needs to manage his time carefully.

The farm currently has 55km of batten and electric fences, so the hours he spends on fence building and maintenance can add up significantly. With the endless todo list on his farm, anything he can do to save time is worthwhile.

To ensure longevity of his batten fences, there are a few key things

Marty considers. Firstly, the condition of the batten when the fence is built is critical. Having dry battens ensures the staples continue to hold the wire tight. If a batten is stapled when wet, the staple will loosen over time as the batten dries. It is best practice to fillet stack battens in a dry area (such as a barn) for at least 2 months.

Livestock can ruin batten placement on an incorrectly stapled fence. To ensure battens remain secure, the way battens are stapled is important. Alternating the staples to the left/ right sides and at 45-degree angles on the batten, will ensure the battens don’t move on the fence.

Choosing the right staple for the job will mean a long-lasting fence and no rework. With most of New Zealand not too far from the coast, the harsh climate eventually rusts staples. A long-lasting corrosion protection on the staple is crucial for a fence to last the test of time. Marty ensures that the staples he uses meet the same corrosion resistance as the fence wire. Hammering staples present several problems. Every time the hammer hits the staple, the galvanising can be chipped off, exposing the staple to rust and reducing its life.

Swinging a hammer consumes a lot of time. It also causes wear and tear on the whole body. Marty found a solution to all these problems with STOCKade. He uses the STOCKade ST315i batten stapler in place of a hammer, saving many hours of hard work and reducing the wear and tear on his body. The ST315i has a guide that shoots the staple in at a perfect 45-degree angle every time. STOCKade staples have a zinc aluminium coating, the same as standard fence wire. This provides up to six times the life of regular galvanised staples. The staples are made in New Zealand, for New Zealand conditions.

After seeing the STOCKade ST315i Cordless Fencing Stapler in action at Fieldays, Marty says the decision to buy one was easy. “One of the biggest benefits of the ST315i is that it is very fast and easy to use,” he says. “A farm this size is a one-man operation, so anything I can do that saves me time is very worthwhile.” For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by STOCKade.

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Spring dairy calf drenching

The future production of your farm is very much reliant on the quality of your replacement heifers. A major target for ensuring their future production in the milking herd is their weight at their first mating at 15 months of age.

Once we’ve reared a healthy calf, well-adjusted to a grass diet, we next need to optimise growth rates on pasture through to the first mating. A good parasite control programme is an important part of this. Cooperia is of concern particularly in young stock, with significant burdens on pasture building up supressing appetite and growth. Cooperia resistant to the ML or “mectin” family of drenches are wide spread and levamisole has retained good efficacy against ML resistant Cooperia1

The other species we are concerned about in cattle is Ostertagia, which are the most harmful worms in cattle of all ages. The ML drenches are best for the control of Ostertagia – particularly the potent active abamectin. Although pour-on drenches are seen as being more convenient, studies have shown that their efficacy can be variable, with many factors limiting the absorption of pour-on drenches2. Oral drenches are the most cost-effective way to drench

your stock, combatting resistance and ensuring excellent growth rates in your replacement heifers.

In weaned calves, Scanda® is an ideal choice of oral drench for young calves heavier than 50 kilograms liveweight. Scanda is a double combination containing both oxfendazole and levamisole. Calves still feeding on milk rarely need drenching but if they are to be drenched it should be given with a drench gun and not mixed in with the milk.

Once calves are heavier than 100kg, we can consider other combinations of actives that give better control of the two most important parasites of calves Cooperia sp. and Ostertagia sp. Converge® is an ideal choice for calves greater than 100kg liveweight, as it contains both levamisole and abamectin. For extra protection from resistance, consider Alliance®, a triple combination that contains oxfendazole combined with levamisole and abamectin.

So an ideal programme would be to start with Scanda in your smaller calves then move on to either Converge or Alliance, drenching every 28 days through the summer and autumn. Talk to an animal health specialist about planning this programme on your own farm or with your grazier.

Protection against clostridial disease is also an important consideration for your replacement heifers. Clostridial diseases in cattle include malignant oedema, tetanus, pulpy kidney, black disease and blood poisoning. These diseases are caused by bacteria found everywhere in the environment and often the first you will see of these diseases is the sudden death of often the biggest calves.

Prevention by vaccination is your only option and Multine® 5-in-1, developed and manufactured in New Zealand is an excellent choice. Full protection with Multine requires an initial sensitiser and then a booster 4-6 weeks later and this programme can be started at any time after weaning in combination with your drench programme. If vitamin B12 supplementation is required in your stock, Multine B12® is an extremely easy and convenient option to supplement B12 in the same single injection as your 5-n-1 vaccination. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

1. National Drench Resistance Survey 2004-2005. Waghorn, T. S. et al. NZVJ 54 (6), 278-282, 2006.

2. Leathwick, D. M. and Miller, C. M. Vet. Parasitology 191 (2013) 293-300.

ACVM Numbers: A10119, A10249, A000934, A7130, A11311. ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd.

Article supplied by MSD Coopers.

ND TYRE HALF PRICE

Keeping everyone safe and well during lambing

From back strain through lifting ewes, to leptospirosis and e-coli and sharing the lambing experience with children – the spring season brings many health and safety risks.

“Like any season, it comes down to identifying the individual risks on your farm and the jobs you’ll be doing and planning how to manage them effectively,” WorkSafe New Zealand Sector Lead, Agriculture, Al McCone says.

“Talking with others on your farm – any workers, family and contractors and reflecting on any near misses in previous lambing seasons will help with that.

“No-one knows your farm better than you and those who regularly work there. Managing critical risks, such as vehicle and machinery usage, is essential for every farm but through good communication you have the best chance of covering all eventualities.”

Common risks for lambing to consider include muscular strain when lifting ewes and zoonotic diseases, such as leptospirosis and e-coli.

Suitable, clean, PPE should be worn to minimise risks of contracting zoonoses, particularly when working in wet conditions or helping with lambing. This includes overalls, waterproof footwear and rubber gloves for dealing with urine-soaked wool. Hygiene measures should include access to running water, soap and disinfectant and disposable towels. Always wash your hands and face after handling livestock and before eating, drinking, smoking or taking

a break. If you have facial hair, wash that well. Any breaks in skin, like cuts or grazes, should be covered with waterproof coverings, which need to be changed regularly – and change and wash clothes regularly in between handling stock.

ACC data shows that injuries through muscular stress caused by lifting and animal bites are at their highest in August and September, coinciding with lambing.

“Some farmers have had tail lifts or even wheelchair lifts installed on their utes or had ramps built for trailers,” Al says. “Then they can tie a ewe’s legs and roll it on to the lift or ramp. However, if you don’t have that then try to call someone else to help with lifting.” Naturally, lambing is an exciting time for children and the chances

are any children on-farm or visiting will take every opportunity to be out helping look for newborns.

“That’s something to take into account in your planning,” Al says. “Quad bikes are a useful way to get around stock but you shouldn’t carry children, or any passengers, on quads. If you’re taking the kids out with you, pick a suitable vehicle for the job so they can be safely strapped in, in appropriate child seats if required.

“Children, especially young ones, will also need regular reminders about hygiene and not putting their hands near their mouths when they have been handling lambs – so think about what protective clothing they need to wear around lambs and supervise them throughout and oversee their clean up immediately after being around stock.”

Article supplied by WorkSafe.

Salary increases across ag sector

The latest Federated Farmers Rabobank Remuneration Survey results show salaries have increased across many roles within the farming sector.

The report, developed after a survey conducted from late 2017 through until early this year, dissects responses from 940 employers on 13 separate farm positions across the sheep and beef, dairy and arable sectors.

The dairy sector enjoyed some noticeable salary jumps over the past year, in particular the Assistant Herd Manager (6.6 percent), Herd Manager (5.5 percent) and Farm Manager (5.5 percent) positions.

Entry level farm assistant position (2.8 percent) also had an increase.

Federated Farmers Employment spokesperson, Chris Lewis says the outlook for the next 12 months is also favourable.

“We would also expect to see farm salaries continue to move north over the remainder of the year because the majority of the key agricultural sectors have performed strongly over the last 12 months,” he says.

“After a couple of years of very little growth in reported salaries, it’s good to see some meaningful movement in the face of a tight labour market, especially when you consider the current rate of inflation is sitting at just 1.5 percent.”

Across industries, the report showed:

• Salaries may be up for dairy farm workers but employees are working longer hours – raising from 45 hours per week from the previous report to 49 hours now. Chris believes this “could well be a result of dairy farmers and their current employees having to work to cover vacant positions”.

• More than 63 percent of dairy sector employers report it being “not at all easy” or “not very easy” to find employees.

• For the arable sector, the report found strong growth for most positions but a drop in mean salary of arable Farm Managers. Chris says the arable sector has had an average salary increase for non-management positions of close to 6 percent, however a low number of survey respondents needs to be taken into account.

• Employees in the sheep and beef sector saw stable salaries overall, although there was a significant jump in mean salary for the sheep and beef Farm Manager position, which rose by 5.2 percent since the previous survey.

In addition to salaries, the report also focuses on weekly hours worked by employees, employee age, length of employment and ease of recruitment.

Chris says the report also shows the increasing importance of maintaining payroll records in the primary sector.

“We would emphasise to all farmers the importance of using payroll companies – you can pay your wages, staff leave and holiday pay faster and it is all recorded properly in case of an audit,” he says.

“If you employ staff fulltime or casual, make sure you also have your employment agreements in place – that way if you’re audited, you will be doing it properly and you’ll fly through it.

“Farmers can do the job really well, by using technology and saving time.”

when you sell with Farmlands Real Estate* $1,500 Bunnings Vouchers Go into the draw to WIN 1 of 10

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.

Robertson family’s farming legacy

Since 1859, the Robertson family have farmed in Courtenay, Canterbury.

Scottish born James Robertson and James Dysart from Ireland came out from Britain independently and bought land in Courtenay. By 1859 James Robertson held 21 acres at Courtenay, where he built a sod accommodation house for miners travelling to the West Coast. He married Margaret Osborne in 1855 and they had seven children, with four dying of tuberculosis between 18 and 27 years. James added a further 21 acres, granted to him by Queen Victoria in 1865 and another 21 acres in 1867. He grew wheat and oats and grazed sheep, horses and cows. He started a cartage business, carting wool for Lake Coleridge and Torlesse Stations. In 1865, James built a new two storey house, Langcroft. James Dysart arrived in Lyttelton in 1864 and later went to Courtenay and worked for James Robertson’s cartage business. James was anxious

to save 100 pounds to return home but when he nearly had that amount, decided to try gold mining on the West Coast. He stayed there some time without success and returned with 3d in his pocket. Undaunted, he started contract ploughing and making sod fences around Kimberley, Kirwee and Courtenay. In 1868, James was granted 20 acres in Courtenay by Queen Victoria and gradually added to this as the opportunity arose. In 1869 he married Mary McCartney and they had a daughter, Annie and three sons. In 1902 the two families merged when James Robertson’s son, Andrew married Annie Dysart. They had three children, Molly, James Selwyn and Courtenay, who died aged 4 of whooping cough. They leased 145 acres from Annie’s brothers, which her father had bought in 1880. In 1927, this land was sold to Annie. Andrew was a good farmer, averaging 50 bushels to the acre for oats and 30-40 bushels of wheat. He ran sheep, horses and cows. By aged 45 he was crippled with back pain so his son, Selwyn ran the farms for him. He acquired all but 20 acres of James’

original land and bought a further 80 acres from his cousin during the 1930s. Selwyn married Vida Roper in 1940 and they had four children, Elaine, James Murray, Keith and Desmond. Selwyn farmed successfully until 1967 when his son, James Murray and wife, Maureen (present owners) bought the farms. They have three children, Rosalie, James and Craig. In 1979 and 1994, they bought two adjacent 300 acre blocks at Sheffield and in 2005, a 300 acre block adjacent to the Dysart block. The farm now carries 1,000 ewes, 150 cattle and grows a variety of seeds. In 2006, the farms were leased to their son, Craig and his wife, Sally. Their grandchildren, Tylor, Robert, Harry, Jack and Emma are all interested in farming, so the future looks good.

(71740)

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Farmlands extends property management offer

Farmlands Real Estate has appointed a Head of Property Management, to lead the expansion of the co-operative’s property management business.

Carol Benny, who joined the Farmlands team in July, has industry contacts and networks built up from more than 20 years of involvement in the property management industry. Carol has been involved in the Property Management Sector Group for most of that time, first as Auckland regional representative and the past 4 years as Chairperson of the Sector Group.

Carol has also contributed to the industry by sitting on various focus groups and was a consultant to Skills during the development of their level four training module for property management.

“After some careful research, I joined Farmlands due to the overall values of the company – they closely matched my own,” Carol says. “It’s about putting people first, ensuring the client has the best experience and ensuring that the best possible service is available.”

Carol specialises in business planning, rent roll assessments, recruitment strategies, mentoring and implementation of training seminars for property managers, audits/ financial snapshots of businesses and assessment of business strengths and weaknesses. Carol prides herself in being an approachable and resourceful first point of contact for property management across New Zealand.

“I have a strong team focus, with a vision to lead each property

management area to achieve optimum results as one team. That will lead to better overall performance results for Farmlands as a whole.”

Carol is motivated by the resources available to Farmlands Real Estate, as it builds upon its established but centralised property management business. She says ensuring Farmlands Property Management staff have access to the tools that will help drive the business forward is a priority.

It’s a sentiment shared by General Manager – Farmlands Real Estate, Jason Wills. He says Farmlands Real Estate has clear ambition to move forward, based on a clear desire from shareholders.

“Our shareholders have told us there is a need for Real Estate service from their co-operative,” he says.

“It allows us to provide a complete service for the entire life of a rural property – from purchase to sale and everything in between.

“Our shareholders also have rental properties in the provincial towns and cities of New Zealand. We want to be able to provide them – regardless of their location – with the service and technical expertise they have come to expect from their wider co-operative.”

Carol’s knowledge and networks built over two decades in the industry will be a crucial part of taking Farmlands’ Property Management business from good to great.

“It’s an exciting challenge, to take Farmlands Property Management to a national offering for Farmlands shareholders and the wider community.”

This Huntly dairy farm is being operated by a husband and wife team, milking 230 cows on an all grass system. Subdivided into 60 paddocks serviced by good laneways, with a 22 aside herringbone cow shed, 300 cow concrete feed pad, 6-bay calf shed, two half round haybarns plus a concrete floor workshop. There is a lovely four bedroom bungalow that has recently been renovated and a one bedroom sleep-out with a new en suite. This farm is a very tidy dairy unit and located in an affordable dairy farming district. $3,400,000 plus GST.

Flat contour with fertile Waitohi silt loams, irrigated with 28 shares in the very cost effective Morven Glenavy Ikawai scheme. There are 13 paddocks and an allocation of 4,545 litres per day from the Hook-Waituna scheme, with a well to supplement the stock water. Modern, spacious, four bedroom house with open-plan kitchen/ dining/living area and a separate lounge. The master bedroom has an en suite and walk-in wardrobe. Wide array of out-buildings, sheep yards, cattle yards, woolshed, 3-bay lockable shed, 3-bay openfront shed, plus 2-bay shed with concrete floor. Price by negotiation.

Chelly Aitchison

Lifestyle / Rural – Morrinsville 022 697 8779 chelly.aitchison@farmlands.co.nz

www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz

Neill Dick

Lifestyle / Rural – Waimate 021 359 793 neill.dick@farmlands.co.nz

Tim Meehan

Lifestyle / Rural – Waimate 027 222 9983 tim.meehan@farmlands.co.nz

After more than 20 years of happy family memories, our vendors are giving new owners the opportunity to enjoy this premier location and lifestyle. A character four bedroomed home with farmhouse kitchen and two separate living areas. There are sheds to suit all manner of activities with one room set up as a self-contained studio. A 80m2, three bedroom cottage will provide additional income. Self-contained water supply. A neatly set out grazing block on some of the best soils in Hawke’s Bay. Tenders close (unless sold prior) 4pm Friday 20 September 2018.

Paul Evans

Lifestyle / Rural – Hastings 027 533 3314 paul.evans@farmlands.co.nz

Mark Johnson

Lifestyle / Rural – Hastings 027 487 5105 mark.johnson@farmlands.co.nz

Situated in picturesque Te Moana, the modern family home has been built to a high spec and beautifully finished throughout. Open-plan kitchen/dining/living with indoor/outdoor flow, five bedrooms or four plus an office, master with en suite and walk-in wardrobe and large internal access double garage. Easy-care grounds and an outdoor BBQ area. 4-bay Colorsteel shed with three bays enclosed and two roller doors. 6,785m2 subject to survey and title. Also available for purchase is an adjoining 12.5 hectares of bareland. Price by negotiation.

www.farmlandsrealestate.co.nz

125 hectares (subject to survey) grazing and cropping property located at 397 Old Taupo Road, Putaruru. The property is mainly easy to gentle rolling contour with a small area of steeper sidling country. The 45 paddocks are serviced by a good hard surface lane network. Water is supplied from a natural spring, pumped to Manacon tanks and then gravity fed to troughs. There is one building structure comprising of two bays providing adequate implement storage. There is no dwelling on the property although there are many ideal sites for development. Tender closing 2pm, Tuesday 16 October (unless sold by private treaty).

Morgan Lifestyle / Rural – Waikato 027 492 5878 ian.morgan@farmlands.co.nz

Glen Murray Lifestyle / Rural – Waikato 027 488 6138 glen.murray@farmlands.co.nz

This September, join Farmlands in the fight against prostate cancer. Donate at your local Farmlands store, purchase ‘Blue Dot Donor’ items*

Join us for a – look out for an event at your local store on FRIDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER

*Buy a ‘Blue Dot Donor’ item in-store at Farmlands to help support Blue September.