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February 2024

INSIDE: Red meat exports volumes up but value falls P41 FEBRUARY 2024 EDITION

Rural crime on the rise P13

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February 2024

INSIDE: Red meat exports volumes up but value falls P41 FEBRUARY 2024 EDITION

Rural crime on the rise P13

PETER MEECHAM/THE PRESS

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February 2024

NZ Farmer News 3

Updated all day at

Challenging times for sheep farmers

About six months ago, John Thacker returned to driving trucks, while also managing his farm on Banks Peninsula. He felt he had little choice. By Eve Hyslop.

fter 51 years as a sheep farmer, John Thacker never thought he’d return to driving trucks. But with lamb prices at their lowest since 2017, he feels he has little choice. Last year, he sold his ewes for about $50,000 – in previous years he’d get $150,000. It’s been four years since his last holiday. His on-farm costs are all up – fencing’s up 8.6%, shearing 3.5% and animal health 7.2% – all bringing the proﬁt from his ewes down further. About six months ago, he returned to trucking while also managing his farm in Banks Peninsula. “I’d often do a 12-hour day [trucking] at

Jim Burrows and partner Kim Marshall farm a 840ha block in Waipara and, like many sheep farmers, are dealing with the lowest New Zealand lamb prices since 2017. STUFF

$35 an hour. That’d get me about $100,000 a year, which is double the amount I got for sending off my ewes last month,” Thacker said. It’s a collective headache felt by many sheep farmers across the country, faced by the dual hit of rising on-farm costs and reduced stock prices. On January 16, the average price at Canterbury Park saleyards was $110 per head for prime lambs and $65 for prime sheep – down from about $130 and $105 respectively this time last year. Meanwhile, Beef and Lamb NZ is forecasting on-farm inﬂation of 5% in the

year to May 2024, which comes after the previous year’s 16.3% inﬂation, which was the highest rate since 1981. For consumers, a leg of lamb at Pak’nSave, New World or Countdown costs anywhere between $17 and $22 per kilogram. Jim Burrows and partner Kim Marshall farm 840 hectares in Waipara in North Canterbury. A year ago, they sold their lambs for $150 per head on average. Now they’re getting about $120 a head, setting them back $150,000. Overall, they’ve recorded a $350,000 net income loss after paying interest and on-farm costs such as fertiliser, contracting and labour wages. They were well-placed though, thanks to some earlier proﬁtable years. In a good year with “good rain”, they could make about $500,000. They were cutting back on capital expenses that they’d usually need, like a new wool press or shed that they’d bought last year. “We’ve had some good seasons ... so we had a bit of fat in the system to weather this,” Burrows said. “But the good times don’t always last and I don’t see farm costs going down.” While sheep farmers were struggling at

the moment, it should only be short term, said Beef and Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor. “Two years ago, farmers had their best year in 40-odd years. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a dramatic fall in sheepmeat prices in particular,” McIvor explained. “That’s really off what’s happening in global markets.” ANZ agriculture economist Susan Kilsby said the price drop for lamb was part of the ﬁnancial cycle that banks were wellseasoned through. It was important that farmers communicated with their banks on longterm plans, as well as short term, she said. Last spring’s lambing percentage increase of 129.9%, up 4.8 percentage points from last year, should support future lamb prices, McIvor said. Despite the current struggle, Thacker remained resilient. Asked if he would go so far as to sell his farm, his answer was “absolutely not”. “I have a duty to the land and I have a duty to the stock that provide me with a living,” Thacker said. “And while it’s not paying off now, it’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. I love it.” ■

Call for clarity over Government’s plans for rural sector “It’s one thing to say they’ll do something, but they’ve actually got to follow through and deliver it.” Rachael Kelly writes.

ederated Farmers is calling on the Government to provide some clarity on its plans for the sector. But Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said he has heard the concerns of farmers up and down the country, and the Government was working ‘’as quickly as possible’’. While the ute tax was gone and the resource management reforms had been

repealed, Federated Farmers vice-president Colin Hurst said farmers wanted to know what changes they could expect to see to rules and regulations set in place by the previous government. “It’s one thing to say they’ll do something, but they’ve actually got to follow through and deliver it. That’s what will make a difference to farmers and our rural communities,’’ the Makikihi, South Canterbury farmer said. Announcements on how the Government would address the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management fall well short of meeting farmers’ expectations, and they also had questions about its proposed timelines for changes to farm plans and rules for winter grazing, wetlands and stock exclusion. “Farmers are unsure whether they

water storage, and making sensible should be spending money changes to policy, such as stock on farm plans now under the exclusion rules and immigration current regulations, or waiting settings. until the rules are reviewed.’’ “Work is already under way Agriculture Minister Todd to replace the National Policy McClay said relieving some Statement for Freshwater. of the pressure that farmers Ministers and government have been feeling is one of Federated Farmers agencies are meeting with the coalition Government’s vice-president Colin Hurst rural sector leaders and immediate priorities for the regional councils over the primary sector. coming months to progress these “We are working on a reforms.’’ comprehensive regulatory McClay said regional councils review programme across had let the Government many areas to reduce the know they were keen to work burden and pain points for collaboratively on next steps farmers,’’ he said. and the development of new This includes progressing work to overcome consenting Agriculture Minister freshwater regulations that were ﬁt for purpose. ■ barriers, long-term certainty for Todd McClay

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February 2024

4 From NZ Farmer the Editor

From the Editor

Contents

JOHN HAWKINS/STUFF

03 Farmers’ voices

What farmers really want from the Government

Valuable What does the rural sector contribute to New Zealand’s economy?

Rural crime Farmers and the police continue to ﬁght rural crime, which is is on the rise

20 Rural wellbeing

Two university programmes will focus on mental health in ag industry

23 Nominations open

The search is on for the Dairy Women’s Network Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year

24 Sustainable grape production

Changes to way we grow grapes

Agriculture is New Zealand’s backbone

28 On the farm

The Woodward family mix it up on their property

32 Top shearers

Females are smashing shearing records

Contact us NZ FARMER EDITOR Sonita Chandar 027 446 6221 sonita.chandar@stuff.co.nz DESIGN Kwok Yi Lee Sam Davenport COVER PHOTO Peter Meecham HEAD OF REGIONAL & RURAL MARKETS Kate Boreham 021 279 5361 kate.boreham@stuff.co.nz

Sonita Chandar EDITOR

rimary production has always been the backbone of the New Zealand economy. Our temperate climate, low population-to-land ratio, fertile soil and Kiwis’ natural affinity for all things outdoors have all contributed to farming playing a huge role in forming the economic and social fabric of the country. There is no disputing the fact that farming is the backbone of our economy. It is what the country was built on and it earns a ton of money for us. What the sector earns in export revenue props up this country to the tune of $57.4 billion in the year to June 30, 2023. This is expected to drop in the year to June 30, 2024 to $54.3 billion. And at the heart of the primary sector are our farmers. We have some of the best farmers in the world, we are worldleading in many aspects, including being at the forefront of science and technology. Research is ongoing in the sector with scientists and researchers always looking at new things and ways of doing things so the industry continues to be robust and sustainable. Our agricultural products, including meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, seafood, arable crops and forestry logs are some of the best in the world and sought after in overseas markets such as China,

who are our largest export market. Even in the face of heightened volatility in overseas markets, increasing domestic challenges, extreme weather events and geopolitical tensions, our farmers, growers, ﬁshers, foresters, and processors continue to produce high-quality products. Prior to Covid-19, tourism was a big business and, correct if me I am wrong, had either taken over or was close to overtaking agriculture as our biggest earner. But the pandemic hurt tourism badly, as the country closed to overseas visitors. In fact, many New Zealand businesses sent their staff home and closed up shop. But not our farmers. While farmers kept on working, as did other essential services, major events were cancelled, offices closed, people worked from home and the rest of the country stayed home to help stop the spread of Covid-19. Our farmers were essential workers. They were out there day in, day out working to put food on the nation’s tables and were the only industry earning revenue for the country – thank God for farmers right? They were heroes. But memories appeared to be short in the Labour Government of the day. Because not long after, the rules and regulations increased and came ﬂying at farmers at speed. They are costly to implement and are hitting farmers in the pocket.

On top of that, increased costs including fertiliser, fuel, and interest rates, means many won’t earn much if anything this season, despite tightening belts. However, there is optimism out there and industry leaders have all previously told NZ Farmer that farming is cyclical and things are looking rosier in the coming months. Despite all of this, our farmers are still out there toiling away at the land, looking after the stock to feed our nation and supply global markets, showing everyone just how valuable and important the primary sector is to the economy. Without them, we would much poorer, and not just in ﬁnancial terms. ■ Get in touch with us at nzfarmer@stuff.co.nz

“

We have some of the best farmers in the world, we are world-leading ...

February 2024

Updated all day at

NZ Farmer Readers’ Pics 5

Oops!

Thank you to Masato Nakagawa, who is currently 50:50 sharemilking 200 cows in Kowhitirangi near Hokitika. He emigrated from Japan 20 years ago to farm here. In all his years of farming, he had never experienced anything like this. During afternoon milking, one of his cows turned up in the yard wearing a tyre as a necklace and looking very grumpy. He realised his mistake of grazing the cows in the paddock with the silage pit and not putting a break fence around it. Oops indeed.

A simple message

A person ﬂying into Auckland last year spotted this sign from the air and posted it to social media. In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words. Thank you to Alia Bland, from Reality Check Radio, for sending it in.

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February 2024

6 NZ Farmer Has society has lost conﬁdence because of all the rules, regulations and various ways of thinking about how things should be? Doug Edmeades writes.

he Christmas-New Year break is traditionally a time to reflect – where have we been and where are we going? Do we need to reset our goals and what values do we need to assert to achieve them? Here is my thought list. I believe that we have lost confidence as a society, so let’s begin by sweeping away the negativity which has crept up on us, and indeed has engulfed us, over the last generation: you can’t do this; you can’t do that. Regulate this and regulate that. A number of factors have sapped our energies and, in the process, eroded and undermined our confidence. Science itself is being degraded with the intrusion of what is called post-modern philosophy, which asserts that truth is personal – if you believe something it is true then it is your truth, irrespective of where the evidence lies. The best current example of this pseudo-science nonsense is what is called regenerative agriculture (RA). New Zealand, thanks largely to Damien O’Connor, is currently ‘investing’ about $70 million per annum to investigate the truth or otherwise of RA. What a waste of R&D dollars, because we already know, based on first principles, that the claims made for RA cannot be substantiated. Rabid environmentalism as practiced by the green movement is undermining farmers confidence. For example, are they doing the right thing by our soils? I’m sick and tired of hearing the old narrative that we are ruining our soils. Go check out the website, Our World in Data. Pick any country, pick any crop, and you will see that

Opinion

Enlightenment values Environmental concerns around land and water quality are just some of the issues eroding confidence in farming circles, although much work has been undertaken by farmers to prevent these declining. ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF

over the last decades – some records go back 100 years – the production of the major crops worldwide – cereals, maize, etc have all increased. Hardly evidence of a decline in soil quality? Where is Māori renaissance headed? It may be good for a minority – and good for them if that is what they require to regain their mana. But is imposing their culture and values on the majority the way forward? Where does the national interest lie? At a personal level – and I do wonder how many feel the same way – I ﬁnd this imposition demeaning and belittling of our western culture and values. Is Māori wisdom really deeper and more profound than Western wisdom? Is there such a thing as Māori science and is it as potent and profound as western science which has its roots in the 16th and 17th Enlightenment? Surely this argument is confusing cultural knowledge with knowledge gained by the application of the science method, which is pan cultural.We are currently engulfed by te reo Māori. What is wrong with te reo English which has far more utility? Farmers, it appears to me, have lost

goals. This will take time but after confidence in agricultural 20 odd years of research and science in New Zealand. They experience it looks achievable. see AgResearch, the largest The Labour government, CRI and the one supposedly recently (2020) reviewed focussed on agriculture, the science sector in New as largely irrelevant to Zealand and prepared a their interests and needs. document entitled Te Ara This has been manifested Paerangi Future Pathways. for a number of years The document reflects the now at the Grasslands confusion, lack of clarity and conferences – where are fuzzy logic inherent in current the farmers? The problem science policy. Is this the best lies with the CRI Act and that can be done to restore the government funding policies, Soil scientist confidence in our science sector? which distracts agricultural Doug Edmeades I very much doubt it. sciences away from public So, is there a solution? I think we need, as good research. Confidence will only return Steven Pinker has argued in his excellent when agricultural science is returned to its book Enlightenment Now to return to the normative function. Enlightenment values which he defines Farmers have made and will continue in terms of reason, science, humanism to make progress in terms of improving and progress. Science and reason must water quality but their confidence is being be asserted over religious and political continually undermined by the persistent ideology, mythology and pseudo-science. barrage of negativity that pours out from And we need to put the well-being of people the extreme environmental lobby. We above the tribe, race, culture and religion. It should celebrate this progress and set the is only by adopting Enlightenment values goal to continue to farm profitably, and that we can set ourselves free to progress.■ simultaneously, achieve our environmental

AI’s impact on agriculture as a force for good The national chief technology officer of Microsoft ANZ, Sarah Carney, says new AI tools and the new hyperscale datacenter region in New Zealand will help meet our environmental sustainability goals.

very farmer knows nature rules. Yet farming has also always been about technology. From the earliest irrigation techniques to driverless tractors, farmers have quickly embraced new technologies to make the most of what nature provides. So, with the explosion of artiﬁcial intelligence, the question isn’t whether it will transform agriculture, but how. The United Nations is projecting a 60% increase in food productivity will be required to feed the world by 2050. New Zealand is aiming to reach net zero carbon emissions by the same deadline. The two goals seem incompatible, without serious investment in technology. Despite the best efforts of many in the sector, farming often gets a bad rap for its environmental impacts. The next few years offer our biggest opportunity yet to deliver more, but do it more sustainably, with the new AI tools arriving alongside the brandnew hyperscale datacenter region in New Zealand, bringing all that extra processing power onto home soil. AgriTech New Zealand has the ambitious goal of lifting agritech revenues from $1.6 billion today to $8 billion by 2030. However, 41% of primary sector businesses still aren’t seeing much value in using digital technology to run their business. Smart operators who investigate

Left: Techion has partnered with fellow Kiwi tech innovator and AI specialist Aware to create devices that detect parasite eggs from poo samples, including this Techion Microscope. Right: Microsoft ANZ’s national chief technology officer, Sarah Carney.

the opportunities quickly will get the advantage – while also making their businesses more resilient and sustainable. Already, we’re seeing local AI innovators coming up with solutions that are making life easier, and greener, on the farm. AI is turning farmers’ #1 animal issue – parasite treatment – on its head. For decades, standard farming practice has been to drench all sheep in the ﬂock to rid them of parasites. Straight away, drench resistance also appeared, and treatments became less and less effective. Agritech specialist Techion’s new research reveals this has been costing New Zealand farmers $98 million a year. Techion has partnered with fellow Kiwi

tech innovator and AI specialist Aware to create devices that detect parasite eggs from poo samples, using Aware’s breakthrough crowd counting technology. AI allows farmers to immediately identify which animals have infestations that require treatment, as well as whether different types of drench are working. Not only does that dramatically boost production, animal health and cost savings, it paves the way for this kind of technology to be applied to all kinds of human health challenges as well. This Techion innovation is a great example of one of the key conversations we have with many farmers around

‘herd health management’. This is a methodology to optimise herd welfare with holistic data that enables farmers to make adjustments to consistently improve conditions, productivity, and profit. However, innovation isn’t just happening on the farm. In the manufacturing process, Fonterra has been using AI to detect improperly sealed bags of milk powder, reducing wastage before its products even leave the factory. It’s also migrating operations to Microsoft’s forthcoming Aotearoa datacenter region to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint, benefiting from Microsoft’s significant investment in renewable energies and sustainable cloud. The good news is that the proliferation of hyperscale cloud and AI in Australia and New Zealand will bring so much more scope for local, sustainable innovation in agriculture. Microsoft has also built Azure Data Manager for Agriculture to give agri-innovators the tools to experiment with novel ways to harness AI without exposing their IP to the entire web. This decade could see a revolution in farming to rival the invention of the seed drill, and New Zealand is perfectly placed to be in pole position. ■

February 2024

NZ Farmer 7 Opinion

Updated all day at

Farmers pay more

Federated Farmers is calling on banks to look into whether farm lending rates are increasing banks’ profitability. KELLY HODEL/WAIKATO TIMES

Farmers are paying higher interest rates than their urban counterparts, writes economist Gordon Stuart, of Chaperon Financial Services.

NZ-50609_316265

ederated Farmers has called on the Government to carry out an independent inquiry to ﬁnd out if higher interest rates for farmers are increasing banks’ proﬁtability or cross-subsidising a much more competitive market for home loans. It questions the gap between rural lending and mortgage lending. The answer to this is easy and should be known to Federated Farmers. Perhaps the organisation could start by educating farmers. It should also start asking the right question. Is the balance right between what banks charge on a loan relative to the risk they take on the lending? Richard McIntyre, of Federated Farmers, said: “Many farmers commented that their dissatisfaction was due to interest rates being too high – and much higher than those for residential borrowers.” He said the average mortgage interest rate in the survey was 8.26%, while the average overdraft interest rate was 10.52% in November. “The banks seem to be charging far higher interest rates for farm lending than for home loans, which is raising eyebrows in farming households across the country,” McIntyre said. “Farmers deserve to know why farm lending rates are so much higher than the rate on offer for things like urban home loans.’’ Under Reserve Bank rules, residential mortgages are 35% risk weighted for Bank Capital Adequacy rules, while farm loans are 100% risk weighted. As banks have to hold less capital for residential mortgages, their loan pricing is lower.

Residential mortgage loans are defined as a loan secured by a first ranking mortgage over a residential property used primarily for residential purposes either by the mortgagor or a tenant of the mortgagor. A loan is not classified as a residential mortgage loan if: ■ the mortgaged property would be marketed as a farm or a commercial property or the mortgaged property is predominately used for farming or commercial activities, or ■ the principal or interest payments are predominantly serviced from the income generated by the use of the property for farming or commercial activity, or the bank has recourse to, or is aware of, more than five properties owned and let by the borrower directly or through a company or any other ownership structure of the borrower, and the loan is predominantly serviced from the rental income those properties generate. Part of the reasoning farm houses aren’t 35% risk weighted is farms are generally larger multimillion-dollar properties, run as a business, and they are more expensive and less liquid (take longer to sell, with fewer buyers) than urban properties. Cross subsidisation? Whether there is cross subsidisation or if the Reserve Bank’s capital requirements are good for New Zealand are much more interesting to debate. If we look at ANZ’s 2023 results, net loans and advances totalled $149 billion. The mix of the book has changed significantly over the years as ANZ has diverted capital

Non-performing loans can move with the towards residential mortgage lending, such cycle but banks seldom lose money on a that 71% or $106b is now for personal loans loan, and any initial impaired asset expense primarily first mortgages. is often clawed back due to the high security The personal sector also provides 66% of banks have. Banks’ overall loss rate on loans deposits, 57% of revenue and 49% of profit has been minuscule over the recent decades and has a cost to income ratio (before while the return on equity has been high. impairments) of 42%. Business and agri lending totals $24.4b Conclusion or 16% of loans, is funded by 15% of deposits Fed Farmers is right to ask questions, but and provides 22% of revenue and 26% of they need to be the right questions. What profit with a cost to income ratio of 21%. sort of return on equity are banks extracting Institutional/large corporate and on rural, business and commercial lending commercial property lending are the compared with mortgages? balance, totalling $18.7b or 13% of loans, All banks appear to be taking 19% of deposits, 21% of revenue, 25% minimal risk (lending is highly of profit and a cost to income secured) but charge for risk. ratio of 23%. While we will likely see bank So what inferences can we impairment expenses move up draw from the above? this year, throughout the rural The total business sector sector too, losses across ANZ lending is only 29% of the and the other big three banks book, but provides 51% of the continue to be minimal and profits due to higher margins have been since the start of the on loans, and fee income century. from transactional fees, trade Economist Gordon Stuart Credit intermediation is vital finance, and interest rates for economic growth, and we and foreign exchange income. need to get the settings tights. Business and agri lending helps drive The Reserve Bank’s requirement for ANZ’s record net interest margins. increased capital has resulted in banks The very low cost to income ratio for preferring mortgages over business and business and agri reflects lower service, farm lending, due to higher risk weighted staffing and skill levels than at any time returns on capital. in the past. Note: This is also confirmed NZ Inc won’t get richer by selling houses by customer net promoter scores that are to each other, which is what our current negative in New Zealand for all four big model is built upon. That is the strategic banks (Source: National Australia). context we need to start thinking about, and Banks appropriately charge for taking credit intermediation settings are a part of risk, via the margin over their funding costs. it. ■ Are banks really taking risk, though?

February 2024

8 NZ Farmer Opinion

Building a stronger hort industry

The team at New Zealand horticulture will meet with growers across the country to share ideas and updates as well as give growers the opportunity to have their say, writes HortNZ chief executive Nadine Tunley.

ver the coming months, the HortNZ team will be meeting growers at a series of roadshow events across the country. Meeting growers is one of the more enjoyable parts of my job. HortNZ advocates for and represents the interests of New Zealand’s 4200-plus commercial fruit and vegetable growers and every single one is passionate and proud of what they do. Kiwis out and about enjoying a break over the summer would have seen many growers toiling under the hot sun or racing to complete a job before the rain arrived. Growers will tell you it’s a tough but enjoyable and rewarding job. Every grower I meet cares about the land. New Zealand is lucky to be blessed with optimum growing conditions and prime soil, which helps our growers produce healthy and sustainable food for our nation and for the world. We are looking forward to sharing HortNZ’s priorities for the next few years with growers, hearing their views and ideas and providing an update on our various programmes such as the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan, A Lighter Touch and Growing Change. Importantly, there will also be information on our upcoming levy referendum where growers will get the chance to have their say on the future of HortNZ. In March 2025, HortNZ’s Commodity Levy Order, which funds the work we do, will expire. We will be seeking grower support for the continued funding of the organisation. HortNZ supports growers to make more informed decisions, providing them with tools and services to enhance their productivity and proﬁtability.

We advocate on growers’ behalf to try and achieve sound and sensible policy settings including around climate change and freshwater so growers can provide a reliable and resilient supply of fresh vegetables and fruit and ensure New Zealand’s essential food security. I believe the horticulture sector is certainly stronger by working together. Collective investment by growers provides the size and scale needed to achieve things that no individual grower can achieve alone. HortNZ is proud of our achievements for growers over the past six years – notably the strong advocacy during the various covid-19 lockdowns that enabled growers to continue to harvest crops and supply domestic and export markets and quarantine-free travel for RSE workers, leading the cyclone recovery and securing policy gains for the sector. And the next six years will be an important period for New Zealand’s growers. If growers vote to continue funding HortNZ, we will be pushing the case with Government in key areas including water storage, ensuring the reliable supply of healthy locally grown fruit and vegetables, streamlining assurance processes, employment ﬂexibility, removing current legislative barriers to businesses and providing certainty for Paciﬁc workers and employers. The sector is also poised to take advantage of some encouraging tail-winds in its favour. In December, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries report revealed a strong future for New Zealand horticulture with forecast export revenue rising to $8.19 billion by 2025.

The report showed the horticulture industry overtaking forestry to be the third largest earner of export revenue in the food and ﬁbre sector by 2025. Increased export prices are forecast over the coming years, supported by strong global demand and constrained global supply. Recovering crop yields in 2024 are expected to offset lower volumes for some Horticulture crops, largely resulting from the tail end of weather-affected New Zealand chief Nadine 2023 harvests. As always, it is Tunley a mixed bag for growers. While avocado exports are under pressure, our cherry growers are looking to leverage a later Chinese New Year this season. This will offer them a longer window to make the most of this key market. In a positive development, the sector is also looking forward to New Zealand ratifying the free trade agreement with the EU, particularly good news for our onions and kiwifruit sectors. We want New Zealand to prosper by exporting our world-leading apples, kiwifruit, avocados, onions, cherries and many other products to millions of customers all over the world. We are conﬁdent we can double farmgate revenue by 2035 in line with the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan. But we can’t do it alone. We need the Government to recognise and understand the importance of horticulture and create and maintain the conditions for our industry to thrive, and in doing so, lift the overall health, wellbeing and economy of New Zealand. ■

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries report revealed a strong future for New Zealand horticulture with forecast export revenue rising to $8.19 billion by 2025. CANDY ROSE

Beef programme makes progress with new traits The seven-year Informing New Zealand Beef programme, has now reached the halfway mark. Dan Brier, general manager of farming excellence at Beef+ Lamb NZ, outlines the progress to date.

e’re on a mission to give breeders and farmers genetic tools to help produce great tasting beef and drive production efficiency with the Informing New Zealand Beef programme (INZB). In addition to developing a beef genetic evaluation system to support a sustainable beef farming industry in New Zealand, the INZB programme is creating easy-to-use tools to enable data to be efficiently collected, managed, analysed and used by farmers to make proﬁtable decisions for their operation. The start of the programme was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic so it’s been really good to see INZB hitting its stride and we’re making good progress developing tools to put into farmers’ hands. The key achievements so far include the development of new traits, extension materials so farmers have the opportunity to use this information on their own farms, as well as advances in technology and genetics software. We have developed new genetic indexes for the industry to use and now have a prototype version of nProve for beef. One of the most exciting and satisfying aspects of working in the programme has been the level of engagement with farmers. We have a real laser focus on our goal of boosting the New Zealand beef sector’s proﬁts by $460 million over the next 25

years. Key to that is engaging with breed societies and stud breeders. We have put a lot of time and energy into making that as successful as it can be and the response has been excellent. Progeny testing is well established at two farms and this is delivering important information that allows us to underpin our evaluations. In particular, these progeny tests will allow farmers to compare bulls across various breeds using the same scale. The programme is also bringing more commercial farmers into the programme. This year we have more than 20 Better Beef Buying workshops planned across the country, getting new information and content to commercial farmers. We have commercial farmers involved in a project providing data back to stud farmers. This increases the amount of data that stud breeders can use for their on-farm selection and increases the quality of bulls available for sale. Developing new traits The programme is on the way to creating new traits, in particular body condition score for cows and is prototyping new greenhouse gas (GHG) measurement Portable Accumulation Chambers (PAC) technology. A project using new technologies to monitor animal movements so INZB can develop new fertility traits is also underway.

Progeny tests being carried out in the Informing New Zealand Beef programme will allow farmers to compare bulls across various breeds and new traits are also being developed.

These traits are very important to farmers but are very hard to measure and assess currently. It takes a project like INZB to get that out of the ‘too hard’ basket and actually happening. What next? Over the next year or so, farmers will begin to see a range of tools and information including the publication of the indexes and prototypes and cross-breed analysis. We will have data coming from the new trait development work and expect to see the body condition work in use by the end of the programme. We are also looking forward to farmers being able to access bull

information from the same nProve tool they are currently using for sheep. There will be more commercial farmers submitting data for stud breeder decisionmaking and we also hope to expand the fertility work to more farmers, collecting data through using tags. Farmers will get an opportunity to see the ground-breaking programme in action at a ﬁeld day at Lochinver Station in the central North Island on March 5. ■ For more information and to register for the field day, please visit: beeflambnz.com/ events/blnz-informing-new-zealand-beefprogeny-test-field-day.

February 2024

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February 2024

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A valuable contribution Agricultural exports account for 89.1% of trade adding billions of dollars to New Zealand’s economy. By Sonita Chandar.

ew Zealand’s primary industries export revenue grew 75% since 2012/2013. In the year to June 30 2023, it contributed a record $57.4 billion according to the recently released Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI). The report outlines the export performance of New Zealand’s food and fibre sector over the last five years and through to 2025. Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay, said “Our food and fibre sector continues to underpin New Zealand’s economy. This SOPI forecasts export revenue will reach $54.3 billion in the year to June 30, 2024, and build to record levels to $57.7 billion in the year to June 30, 2025.” Although the drop in this year’s forecast comes on the heels of record export revenue of $57.4 billion in the year to June 30, 2023, McClay said it is a strong result and a testament to the ongoing hard work of farmers, growers, fishers, foresters and processors. The food and fibre sector in the New Zealand economy accounts for 81.9% of trade in the year to June 30, 2023. The export growth exceeded that of non-primary industries for seven of the past 10 years. Combined, the sector provided employment for 358,000 people in the year to March 31, 2021. This represents 13.1% of the total workforce. Primary production employment is distributed across the country, but processing and commercialisation activities are

Top: Dairy continues to be the highest agricultural earner, however, export revenue is forecast to fall 7% to $24.1 billion in the year to June 30, 2024. Bottom: Lamb and mutton prices are dampened due to subdued demand and higher global supplies. TESS SMITH, ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF

Weak confidence and end-use demand in China is putting downward pressure on forestry prices. ANTHONY PHELPS/STUFF

February 2024

NZ Farmer News 11

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concentrated in Auckland and other major population centres. Dairy Dairy continues to be the highest agricultural earner, however, export revenue is forecast to decrease 7% to $24.1 billion in the year to June 30, 2024. This decrease follows record high export revenue of $26 billion in 2022/23. The decrease is due to expected lower global dairy prices in 2023/24 due to weak global demand, especially from China, New Zealand’s largest export market. Export volumes are likely to decline as well, because milk production for the 2023/24 season is forecast to decrease 1.5% caused by a decline in cow numbers, unfavourable weather conditions, and high input costs.

Lower global dairy prices are likely to result in an all-company average farmgate milk price of $7.60 for the current season. This lower milk price combined with higher farm expenses, especially greater debt servicing expenses, will lead to a substantial decline in proﬁtability for this season. Dairy export revenues and volumes declined by 9% and 21% respectively in the September quarter of 2023/24. This is compared with the same quarter in 2022/23 where volumes got a boost from an increase in inventory from 2021/22 being shipped during 2022/23. Since the sale prices for these dairy products were set when global dairy prices were much higher. Sheep and beef A lower demand due to economic

challenges in export markets is outlined in the report which forecasts meat and wool export revenue to decline 5% to $11.6 billion in the year to June 30, 2024 due to subdued discretionary spending resulting from the continued high cost of living and higher global sheep meat export volumes putting downward pressure on prices. This decline follows an export price-driven fall of 2% in 2022/23 from a record high of $12.3 billion in 2021/22. Greater economic challenges in China could continue to affect consumer and business confidence as well as demand over the next two years, also contributing to this decline. Beef export prices are expected to fall by 4% to $8.90 per kilogram in the year to June 30, 2024 due to weaker demand from Asia. Higher demand for manufactured beef products in North America is expected to limit the overall fall in beef prices as consumers substitute higher-priced meats for cheaper alternatives such as ground beef. Overall, constrained global beef supply is forecast to continue to support beef prices in 2023/24. Production decreases in Argentina, the EU and North America are forecast to slightly offset increases in Australia, Brazil, China, and India. Further slowing of cattle slaughter in the US and the commencement of herd rebuilding in Brazil and the US are forecast to provide price support in the medium term. Sheep meat export prices are forecast to fall 7% to $10.70 per kilogram for lamb and 8% to $6.10 per kg for mutton in the year to June 30, 2024. Lamb export prices are forecast to track 4% below the five-year average due to higher global supplies and weaker demand in China and Europe. Global sheep meat exports have significantly increased due to successful flock rebuilding and productivity improvements. In addition, dry conditions in Australia, which comprises almost 40% of global sheep meat exports have led to increased flock culling. The abundance of lower-priced Australian sheep meat is reducing prices received by both Australian and New Zealand exporters, especially in China and the UK. Over the next year, a combination of higher global exports, higher importer inventories, and weak economic sentiment are forecast to reduce sheep meat demand from China. Lamb export prices to the EU, UK, and US are also forecast to remain subdued over 2023/24 due to the high cost of living affecting demand for higher-

priced proteins. Prices are forecast to begin to improve in 2024/25 as demand starts to recover, although higher global export supplies from Australia are forecast to limit price growth. Forestry The report says log export revenue in the year to June 30, 2023 fell 7% to $3.4 billion on the back of a 2% fall in volumes and a 4% fall in prices. Weak confidence and enduse demand in China is putting downward pressure on prices. At the same time, inflation has driven up input prices. It says the difference between input and output prices for forestry and logging is the largest it has been since 2008. Domestic inflation is cooling, but there is uncertainty around future output prices given low confidence in China. Horticulture The report says horticulture will overtake forestry to be the third largest earner of export revenue in the food and fibre sector by 2025. “This is fantastic news for our growers and our rural communities who have shown amazing resilience through some challenging times with 2023 weather events. The report is an upbeat look ahead and a huge vote of confidence in the sector,” Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Nadine Tunley, said. “We are confident we can double farmgate revenue by 2035 in line with the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan. But we need the Government to recognise and understand the importance of horticulture and create and maintain the conditions for our industry to thrive, and in doing so, lift the overall health, wellbeing and economy of New Zealand,” she said. Horticulture export revenue is forecast to decrease 1% to $7.0 billion in the year to June 30, 2024. While the fall is primarily driven by lower volumes of wine and vegetables, export prices are forecast to be supported by strong global demand and constrained global supply. Recovering yields in 2024 are expected to offset lower volumes for some crops largely resulting from the tail end of weather-affected 2023 harvests. Increased yields should see a lift in kiwifruit revenue, and while wine exports are affected by lower demand driven by rebalancing of wholesale inventories, strong consumer demand should support prices. The 2023 apple crop was reduced by poor growing conditions and by flooding in Cyclone Gabrielle, but production should improve in 2024.■

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February 2024

Better genetics means more profits Twin Farm is one of New Zealand’s leading sheep breeders providing farmers with genetics that turn grass into money more efficiently.

It is a family owned and operated farming business comprising sheep, beef, deer and cropping, running 1650 hectares in northern Southland. Andrew Welsh is the second generation selling Twin Farm rams and he says “we sell privately with standardised NZ breeding values, giving our clients the time to enable them to make the best selection of rams for their farm.” “You can only feed your animals to their genetic potential, we can offer our clients some of the very best genetics in the industry to maximise the profit for their business.” Andrew’s father Russell started a high-performing Romney stud in the late 1970s and with a desire to improve the sheep industry co-founded the TEFRom breed in 1995. The TEFRom takes the best of the Texel and East Fresian combined with the sturdy high-performing Romney base. This brings higher fertility, better milking especially in late lactation and more muscling. The TEFRoms are top-crossed to ensure a stabilised composite, this means that they are a consistent line of sheep and the growth rates achieved are not caused by hybrid vigour. “Running the TEFRom and Romney studs side by side for several years we saw that

the TEFRoms were consistently weaning more lambs at 3- 3.5kgs heavier than the Romneys,” Andrew says. In 1999 Andrew purchased a Suffolk stud to provide a terminal option to clients. After seeking feedback from clients the decision was made to cross the Suffolk with a Texel to produce the Suftex. “We have been top-crossing these ever since, which produces a stabilised breed which provides fantastic growth rates and a good marker,” Andrew adds. In 2008 Twin Farm moved from Gummies Bush to Mandeville (northern Southland). Subsequently it purchased a neighboring hill block. This change in climate and size of the farm has allowed Twin Farm to diversify and it now also runs some beef, deer and growing barley, in addition to 4000 commercial ewes and 1700 fully recorded stud ewes and hoggets. What sets Twin Farm apart is its successful hogget lambing. With a ewe flock that already has a high fertility base it can focus on survival and extremely high growth rates, which clients are able to see the benefit from. It also has always bred for a big clear patch and is now currently focusing on shedding tails. Ram hoggets are available for sale from mid-March Give Andrew a call 021 384 272. Or check out the website www.tefrom.co.nz

The Welsh family - Katherine, Toby (11), Duncan (6), Andrew, Liam (8), Pam and Russell.

Pictured right: TEFRom sheep have the best from Texel and East Fresian combined with a sturdy, high-performing Romney base.

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TEFRoms give you the ability to lamb as hoggets. They are early maturing, able to scan consistently over 130%, their extra milking gives the ability to kill over 25% of hogget lambs off mum, then they recover quickly to lamb well as two tooths scanning 185-190%. All this combined with the ability to lamb 100% to the ram makes this a very profitable option, when your farm is looking for that next production gain.

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February 2024

NZ Farmer News 13

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Online databases may be a clue to cracking rural crime

More needs to be done about rural crime, according to the latest Federated Farmers rural crime survey, writes Bethwyn Littler.

Police do not define their staff as rural or non-rural.

ndustry leaders suggest that a more co-ordinated effort may be the answer to tackle crimes that are often unseen and not reported. Rural crime can look like one tin of fuel syphoned out of a tractor, or sheep being Richard slaughtered in paddocks for McIntyre of meat or, as we saw earlier Federated this year, an entire crop of Farmers. blueberries stripped from an orchard in Hawke’s Bay. Blueberries New Zealand chairperson Kelvin Bezuidenhout was shocked by the scale of the Hawke’s Bay theft. He is also Rural crime ranges from theft of farm vehicles the general manager of Blueberry Country and fuel, to animals being slaughtered in the in Waikato and said they had seen small paddock for meat. thefts over the years but nothing like the commercial volume stolen this summer. “We have had people at night stealing a problem with stripping all the berries at one couple of kilograms,” Bezuidenhout says. time is they don’t ripen off the plants.” “But the Hawke’s Bay theft would have He wonders like many, where all those needed at least a dozen people because berries are being stored and sold. it must have been a tonne of fruit. The The Federated Farmers Rural Crime

KELLY HODEL/WAIKATO TIMES

Survey last year pointed to an increase in crime in the two years previous but said nearly half of those farmers in the survey hit by crime had not reported it to police. Crimes include livestock killing or theft, illegal street racing, and illegal hunting. Federated Farmers rural policing spokesperson Richard McIntyre says he’d exasperated that farmers have not reported crimes because they think police are too stretched or won’t be interested. “Just 15% of farmers who experienced crime in the last two years said police had investigated and prosecuted the offender. It’s only when we have more police dedicated to rural areas that we’ll boost that ﬁgure.” Federated Farmers has a good relationship with the police, he says, and they are working on several projects, such as a rural crime app called Rural Lookout being trialled in North Canterbury.

National manager of rural policing Inspector David Martin says they are reviewing the results of the survey and have been in touch with Federated Farmers to discuss the findings. The New Zealand Police do not define their staff as rural or non-rural because, as well as staff in smaller stations, it is common for officers in towns and cities to be deployed to rural locations as needed. Martin says police know that rural areas are a target for criminals, but it is hard to get an accurate picture of how rural crime is tracking. “Farms can be easy targets and that’s just what an opportunistic thief will be looking for,” he says. The Rural Lookout app is a trial being conducted in North Canterbury only. Farmers can record suspicious activities and send pictures to help police with inquiries. The app also uses geolocation so farmers don’t have to send their exact position. Martin says there is no final date confirmed for the trial at this stage. “When the trial does end, we’re going to study the feedback and results and see if this could be a tool that is both useful for our rural communities and with police.” McIntyre hopes the app will become fully funded throughout New Zealand. Bezuidenhout says there has been talk in the industry about setting up a database of incidents to recognise patterns of when and where crimes occur. This would help inform the police, as well as create more security in the sector. ■

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February 2024

14 NZ FarmerRoundup Regional

Mother and daughter trialling Flowers are not the only thing blooming at the Upper Moutere farm. By Catherine Hubbard.

Above: Emily McCall’s office in Upper Moutere, Tasman. “I was not expecting those red ones to be scented,” shewrote on social media. “Definitely makes doing paperwork and admin much more enjoyable. The office smells amazing!” Main: Jo McCall working on the farm in Upper Moutere, Tasman.

t the McCall family farm, it’s not just the peonies that have been putting down roots and blooming, but also Jo and Owen’s daughter Emily. The 29-year-old business marketing and development manager and her mother featured recently in a episode of Shepherdess, a six-part free to air series celebrating three women living in a different corner of rural Aotearoa every episode. Since then, Emily’s been recognised frequently at the local farmers market, and received plenty of positive feedback about the show. The McCalls have been growing peonies for as long as Emily can remember, originally down south in West Otago. At the family farm in Waikoikoi, wool and lamb prices were dropping in the early 2010s, and the family was keen to diversify. But after passing through a series of weather events that rendered the ﬂowers unviable – shredded by hail or squashed by snow, they decided the peonies weren’t worth the effort. When the Upper Moutere property Jo grew up on became available for sale, Emily’s parents bought the land and moved the peonies up to Nelson around a decade ago. Emily then moved down to Dunedin in 2013 to study psychology at the University of Otago, but struggled with her mental health. “Mum was like ‘come up to Nelson, come up to the prep for harvest, and have a change of scenery doing something different, and whatever you decide to do after that, that’s ﬁne’.” Emily came up, enjoyed the work, and decided to stay on.

A year or so later, her parents broached the subject of their retirement and succession, saying they were planning on selling the business because they didn’t have any next generation interest. “I kind of heard that part and I was like, ‘Wait, hang on. You do have next generation interest! Hello!’” Since then, there have been discussions about learning how to manage the farm, handover, and the development of a longterm business plan. The family realised if they wanted to grow the business, they needed to be able to keep employees on year round because of the difficulty in finding seasonal staff. One of the ways to do that was to find a complementary crop to spread the workload throughout the year. Saffron, they discovered, tied in well with the peony calender. “We liked the idea of saffron because peonies are a little bit lux, and saffron kind of fits into that luxury niche quite well.” Emily said they were not yet 100% with the spice, but getting closer to “properly committing”. So far, they have some 30,000 plants in, which are looking promising, though that’s a drop in the ocean compared to what would be needed for a commercial quantity of around one million corms. Their biggest saffron foes at the moment

February 2024

NZ Farmer 15 Regional Roundup

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luxury spice are pūkeko, which pull the plants out of the ground, and rabbits, which munch on the foliage. Lifting the plants up proved effective but expensive. Fortunately, the McCalls have found an organic seaweed spray that doesn’t suit the rabbits’ palates. Making the jump from psychology to plant physiology has been a steep learning curve for Emily, though she says her uni studies proved helpful in doing the marketing and social media for the business, Jo Smith Peonies. Selling mostly to ﬂorists, the McCalls grow 14 varieties, four of which are scented, ranging from rose-like fragrances, citrusey perfumes, to spicy herbaceous notes. Their colours are typically coral, pale pinks, reds and whites. Emily enjoys spending a lot of time working alongside her mother, though its been a work in progress. “I think we’re at a better place now than we were when we started, in terms of trying to navigate the parentchild relationship to boss-employee/ co-business owners,” she said. There were challenges in navigating that shift in dynamic – but at the end of the day, they were “better for it”. “We’ve always got along pretty well, and I think that helps,” Emily said. ■

Sheep industry optimistic despite rough patch Wyndham sheep farmer Ben Dooley says he’s given up on wool. KAVINDA HERATH/STUFF

Above: Emily McCall switched careers from psychology to plant physiology, which she has found to be a steep learning curve, but has settled into working on her parents farm growing flowers and saffron.

Farmers are facing a tough market with reduced prices for both sheepmeat and wool but the industry is known to be cyclical and will bounce back. By Louisa Steyl.

ool prices are so low that the country’s middle-class, while Australia one farmer’s given up on has been flooding the market. checking prices, but he’s The country had been growing its flock hoping the current over the past four years, McIvor said. “Now rock-bottom lamb prices they’re beset with challenging climate are just a “blip”. conditions, so they’re offloading at any Industry leaders believe things will turn price.” around soon – but it’ll take growth in Sheep and beef products had always China’s economy and Australia’s drought been cyclical, McIvor added. needs to break. New Zealand farming practices meant its Provisional data from the New Zealand meat was sought after overseas and demand Meat Board shows the value of sheepfor Kiwi products was expected to meat exports in September was double by 2050, McIvor said. “Our down 17% on the year before, food safety systems are the and while wool prices best in the world. The fundawere starting to lift, they mentals are really good.” dropped between 1% and Gisborne farmer and 7% between October and Federated Farmers’ meat November, with top and wool chairperson quality crossbreed fleece Toby Williams said: “It’s fetching $3.80 per kiloa real challenge to be gram at PGG Wrightson’s a sheep farmer at the mid-November South moment.” Island auction. Farmers were This is against a backdrop prioritising spending and of rising costs: on-farm costs, even things like fertiliser the cost and uncertainty of were being put off, he said. increasing regulations, the “You’d like to say your Federated Farmers’ general cost of living and, for family came first, but really, meat and wool chairperson some; the cost of repairing the bank does.” Toby Williams believes both weather-related damage. Williams believed both wool and sheepmeat need to be Southland farmer Ben wool and sheepmeat needed sold differently. Dooley said the price of to be sold differently. crossbreed wool was so low New Zealand’s flock had “it doesn’t even matter”. shrunk from around 70 million in the 80s to In December last year, he was losing $5 25 million today as sheep fell out of favour per sheep after shearing. when the campaign for synthetic fibres At the time, he was paying about $7.30 to “outmarketed” wool, he explained. have a single sheep shorn, the wool packed But as a natural fibre that the world needand transported to sellers; but earning $3 ed, with qualities like being fireproof, “wool per kilogram – in other words, he was still has an incredible story to tell’’, Williams said. making a loss. He also wanted meat companies to “We’ve given up on wool,” he said. explore new markets – perhaps India, the But Dooley was more confident about Middle East and North Africa – “so we’re not lamb prices: “Hopefully, that’s just a blip on so reliant on China”. the radar.” Williams urged Kiwis to keep buying meat Beef + Lamb NZ chief executive Sam and encouraged farmers to “hang in there”. McIvor was confident lamb prices would He expected the economy would start to recover, but made no bones about the fact look different under the new Government. that sheep farmers were doing it tough. Bremworth chief executive Greg Smith “Farmers are under the squeeze of said a government directive calling for wool reducing prices. Many [farmers] will be in fibres to be used in government buildings the red this year.” would be a gamechanger. However, the price drop had come The directive forms part of the National after five good years, he said, with China’s Party’s coalition agreement with NZ First, growing middle class switching from white and Smith said it could potentially double to red meats. the price of local wool, provided it did not The current price drop was driven by two open the door to cheap UK imports instead. factors, McIvor said. “What we need right now is greater clarity China’s economy was slow to recover around the parameters of this policy and after Covid-19, with youth unemployment recognition of the inherent tax benefits to growing to a record-high 21.3%, shrinking the economy when we support local.” ■

February 2024

16 NZ Farmer Sport Comment

Is it that time of year already?

Fiji’s Moana Pasifika is one of two newer sides in Super Rugby. Here: Lincoln McClutchie, pictured centre, loses the ball as he is about to score a try for Moana Pasifika. SCOTT BARBOUR

Sports commentator Miles Davis won’t be tuning in to watch the Australian Super Rugby sides but is keen to see how Fijian sides such as Moana Pasiﬁka fare.

he sun is shining as we watch yet another Kane Williamson century when suddenly a loud crash interrupts proceedings. Super Rugby is back. Barging its way, uninvited, into what used to be cricket’s season. Don’t get me wrong, I love rugby, but am still old school and long for the days when the sporting seasons were separated. The professional era, however, ensures that sporting codes’ seasons will forever intersect so I’m going to suck it up and look forward to Super Rugby Paciﬁc 2024. For a start, I am going to save time by discounting the Australian sides. Rugby on the other side of the ditch is in disarray. The disastrous appointment of Eddie Jones as coach, which led to their early exit from the World Cup. The changes at the top which saw chairperson Hamish McLennan and chief executive Andy Marinos replaced by two

former Wallabies in Daniel Herbert and Phil Waugh. And the fact that, for the most part, their Super Rugby sides are far inferior to those in New Zealand. Last season, four of the top five places in the ladder were filled by New Zealand sides and I fully expect to see the same this season. Of interest to me will be the performances of the two newer sides – the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika. I feel they have added something to the competition but they will need to start picking up more results to be sustainable long term. The Drua showed a real improvement last year, finishing seventh with six wins, and I expect them to keep moving in an upward trajectory. The national side’s efforts at the World Cup would indicate that Fijian rugby is on an all-time high. Moana Pasifika, on the other hand, picked up just the one win last year and, despite playing some thrilling rugby, too often failed to keep it up for 80 minutes. The addition of Tom Coventry and

Stephen Jones to Tana Umaga’s coaching team might give them the necessary lift. From the New Zealand perspective, the big question will be ‘can anyone stop the Crusaders making it eight titles on the trot?’ Scott Robertson has been replaced by Rob Penney. He’s had Super Rugby coaching experience before as an assistant at the Crusaders and head coach at the Waratahs. He also coached Canterbury to four consecutive national titles so is no mug. As a Wellington lad, I would love to see the Crusaders struggle but I have no doubt they will make my season miserable again. The Chiefs topped the round robin table in 2023 but were beaten in the ﬁnal by the Crusaders for the second time in three years. While not the dominant force they were in 2012-13 under Dave Rennie, they no doubt will be in the mix again. The Blues ﬂattered to deceive once again – at times looking like champions only to be destroyed by the Crusaders when it really mattered. Bound to do the same this year.

The Highlanders were the worstperforming New Zealand side last season, finishing ninth, but will have been boosted by the appointment of former coach Jamie Joseph as head of rugby. His influence will be crucial in turning their fortunes around. As for the Hurricanes? As a fan, this year is always going to be our year. Despite just one title in 27 years, 2024 is definitely our year. Apart from the playing side of things, I will be interested to see how the public buys into the competition. Attendances and viewership have been declining and questions will be asked. Is there too much rugby? Is Super Rugby still meeting the fans’ needs? If there is another drop in interest this year we could see big changes in the format for future competitions. ■ You can argue or debate with Miles on social media – at MilesDavisLive on both Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

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February 2024

NZFeature Farmer 17 Advertising

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Locally designed stock handlers get the thumbs-up from busy farmers

uilt with superior strength and durability, the Combi Clamp Sheep Handler and Heavy-Duty Cattle Crushes promote less stress on farmers and their stock. Wayne and Lynley Coffey, designers and owners of Combi Clamp Limited, have kept the health and well being of both farmer and animal in the forefront of their design. Wayne and Lynley have been farming for more than 20 years and understood when creating this sheep handler and their range of Cattle Crushes that frequent and sensitive handling of animals is vital for animal welfare. The Combi Clamp sheep handler is manually operated using the operator's body weight, applied to a pressure plate to

catch sheep. The manual operation significantly reduces the physical demands of working with sheep and increases the precision of a wide variety of animal health treatments such as vaccinating, drenching, dagging, weighing, and capsuling. The side panel on the Combi Clamp is 'backless', made of flexible rubber which molds around the animal, preventing bruising damage. The rubber also works to minimise the noise made by the handler, ensuring that the flow of livestock into the clamp is increased, while stress levels in the yard are decreased. Combi Clamp’s range of Heavy-Duty Cattle Crushes have the same principles of simplicity, safety, and efficiency. All Cattle Crushes are loaded with features

that enhance both safety and effective operations. They have both vet and vetless models with parallel squeeze option, all featuring their one-of-a-kind Auto Head Yoke, which can also be purchased on its own. You can’t beat the confidence that the automatic catch and reset of this head bail gives you, especially when working alone. A significant amount of effort has been put into reducing rattling noise, making the crush pleasant to use and keeping cattle calm and relaxed. Alisdair MacKenzie, of Hawkes Bay, a very satisfied customer, had this to say: “I have used a variety of sheep handlers/ weigh crates on the properties I worked on as a shepherd. Now, as an owner-operator, I can happily attest to this being the

most simple and intuitive to use of the lot. “This machine is a game changer. There is almost no learning curve. Even after only one use, the Combi Clamp has saved me hours compared to my old weighing set up, and with less labour on the job. “Catching the sheep is easier than in any of the pneumatically operated clamps I have used. Any mis-catches are easily remedied without having to risk letting a sheep go. Every component appears well engineered and is simple to operate. I am thoroughly impressed and am looking forward to the rest of my summer yard work.” ■ For further information, call 0800 227 228 or go to combiclamp.co.nz. Combi Clamp designers and owners Lynley and Wayne Coffey have put the well being of both the farmer and animal at the forefront of their design.

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February 2024

SPONSORED CONTENT

With mycotoxins, it’s not a matter of ‘if’ one is present on farm, but ‘which ones’.

Mycotoxins – the truth, the misconceptions and how we can better manage these on farm With mycotoxins, it’s not a matter of ‘if’ one is present on farm, but ‘which ones’.

raditionally, farmers think of mycotoxins as pasturebased baddies causing ryegrass staggers and facial eczema. However, large scale surveys have found that mycotoxins are present in around 90% of feedstuffs in New Zealand, with animal health consequences ranging from mild to severe. A mycotoxin is a poisonous chemical that is produced by mould. There are around 500 known mycotoxins, and more than 50 are associated with negative animal health and welfare symptoms. “Some mycotoxins are more toxic than others,” Alltech Innovation Sales Manager Nigel Meads says. “And as mould specie s coexist, and most can produce more than one mycotoxin, there may be several mycotoxins present in any given feed supply. It is not a matter of ‘if’ there are mycotoxins present in feed, but which ones, and how much.” Mould not only grows in pastures and forages, but on material in storage such as grains, byproducts, and silage. “There are specific mycotoxins found in ensiled material, such as Aspergillus mycotoxins that thrive under very low pH conditions,” Nigel says. “They can cause reduced growth and feed efficiency,

and liver damage in animals. “Even well-made silage can contain these mycotoxins. It is a natural part of biology; it is not due to negligence, or a reflection of the skills of the silage maker.” Mycotoxins have wide-ranging animal health effects. All mycotoxins are immunosuppressive, making the animal more susceptible to disease, but they can also affect the animal’s production and reproductive processes. Most mycotoxins exert their toxic effects by organ damage, causing poor feed conversion, reduced milk production and fertility problems. Diagnosing mycotoxicosis can be tricky. Farmers might witness an obviously agitated or staggering cow, but other harder-to-recognise symptoms might include swelling of the mammary glands and joints, unexplained abortions and liver damage. Mycotoxicosis symptoms can also be non-specific, such as lost performance, high somatic cell count and higher disease incidence. Furthermore, production stress can amplify mycotoxin impacts, making high producing dairy cows and rapidly growing beef cattle more susceptible to mycotoxins. The economic impacts of mycotoxins can be huge: poor performance, lost efficiency and higher disease incidence. With increasing production demands and reliance on stored feeds, mycotoxin control is critical. While there are some agronomic practices that can decrease the risk of mycotoxicosis occurring - including

planting space, rotating crops and soil preparation – there are still a lot of factors out of our control. “Farmers who are using risky feed materials – both from overseas, and those made on farm here in New Zealand should use Mycosorb to help mitigate the risk of mycotoxicosis in their herd,” Nigel says. Mycosorb is a natural product, made from the inner cell wall of a specific strain of yeast which has been identified for its ability to adsorb mycotoxins. The active component in the cell wall, effectively a specific functional carbohydrate, has a high affinity and capacity for binding mycotoxins. Mycosorb, which must be administered via a feed source, adsorbs any mycotoxins present, which then pass through the animal’s body. As a natural product, Mycosorb is safe to use alongside any other medication. It is also efficacious, so only a small amount of the product is required. Mycosorb can also be used as a diagnostic tool. As many different mycotoxins can be present simultaneously, analysis can be difficult and expensive, and sampling of bulk feeds can be difficult. “If farmers have cows with symptoms that are in line with the symptoms mycotoxicosis produce, they can administer an animal with a large dose for 7-10 days and monitor the symptoms. This can be a faster and more costeffective way of identifying if mycotoxins are involved,” Nigel says. Mycosorb is particularly helpful used in the late summer, and during mating

season. “If farmers are buying feed inputs, or using ensiled materials made on farm, they should consider using Mycosorb,” Nigel says. Thankfully, Alltech Mycosorb naturally and efficiently helps farmers mitigate the risk of mycotoxicosis in their herd.

Alltech Innovation Sales manager Nigel Meads

Give Alltech a call on 0800 ALLTECH to receive nutritional support and help with animal health and performance.

February 2024

NZ Farmer 19 Forestry

Updated all day at

When to harvest your forest

etermining when to harvest your forest or woodlot can feel like gazing into a crystal ball and people can often receive conflicting advice. Traditionally, there were three things to consider before harvesting. These were the biological growth of the forest, the state of the log markets, and your own cashflow requirements. Now a forest owner must also consider the effect harvesting will have on their forest’s ETS status. Generally, as forests mature the yield in log volume will increase as well as improved log qualities and log grade mix. The key is determining at what point this increase in log volume and quality slows down to the extent you are better off harvesting the trees and establishing a new crop with improved genetics. Every forest is different in terms of site, stocking, genetics, distance to relative markets etc. Another important consideration is the improvement in internal log characteristics, such as stiffness with tree age and the ability of the local market to pay a premium for these higher quality logs. PF Olsen has found that stocking (stems per hectare) combined with site productivity is the main determinant of optimum harvest age. Another factor to consider is the risk of wind damage which increases with tree age. While you can insure for wind and fire risk, you cannot insure for market risk. Many insurance companies now place a cap on wind liability. There is no guarantee what the state of the market will be when you must salvage your wind

Forest owners have traditionally needed to consider the biological growth of the forest, the state of the log market and cashflow requirements when deciding to harvest. Now they need to include the effect harvesting will have on the forest’s ETS status as well.

damaged stand. Harvest costs will also likely increase in this scenario. Every forest owner whose trees are approaching 22 years of age should seriously consider undertaking a preharvest inventory (PHI) to assist with deciding when to harvest their forest. This is where the forest is mapped accurately, and a random selection of trees assessed for volume and form characteristics. This information is then analysed in a stem-cutting simulation to determine the optimum cutting strategy for your forest. The cutting strategy is the optimum mix of

grades and lengths to cut from your forest to maximise your ﬁnancial returns. Once a woodlot is mapped accurately, it is often found that the net stocked area had been overstated. A pre-harvest assessment of the standing crop allows you to predict both current and future volumes by log grade. You can combine these yields with estimated costs to determine estimated future net incomes from harvesting. These future net incomes can then be discounted back to current ‘net present values’ (NPV’s), to assist with deciding

when to harvest. The inventory results also assist with ensuring your harvest manager and crew are maximising the value recovery from your forest. While this will provide you with a plan, you should have the flexibility to adapt to any significant changes in log markets, cash flow requirement, or contractor availability etc. Your forest manager should be able to keep you fully appraised of these changes and the effect on your estimated harvest returns. ■

Forestry can help you grow your farming business in the face of economic, environmental and policy challenges

PF Olsen can assist you to better understand how adding forestry to your farming mix can improve farm resilience and profitability. If you’ve ever wondered how forestry can complement your farming model, PF Olsen can help you understand what areas of your farm are most suitable and what the potential returns could be. Farming + Forestry = Farming for the future Farmlands shareholders can access a discount for our services.

FREE CONSULTATION CALL 03 961 6560 for a free discussion with a Forestry Specialist to find out if forestry is a good fit for your farm. Visit our website nz.pfolsen.com

February 2024

20 Research NZ Farmerand Science

Mental health projects for rural students receive funding “ Researchers at Lincoln and Massey universities hope to boost the mental health of young people in the rural sector with two new initiatives, as Eve Hyslop reports.

esearch has shown that young farmers are more at risk of mental health struggles than any other age group in the rural sector. Researchers at Lincoln and Massey universities aim to change that with two mental health improvement projects which have received funding. Both projects build on mental health improvement programme WellMates, which has run within the education curriculum at Lincoln and Massey since 2021. That programme delivered messages and strategies to rural students on how to better manage their mental health, especially in isolated rural environments. The projects aim to ﬁnd how to better deliver these messages and what improvements can be made to available support services. The Vic Davis Memorial Trust has funded the universities’ ﬁrst project on building and supporting mental health

for young people in rural communities. It aims to ﬁnd what mental health messages and initiatives are delivered to rural university students and how they are received by different genders and cultures. Alongside Lincoln University’s Dr Jorie Knook, Dr Nicky Stanley-Clarke, of Massey University, is leading the project. She says most wellbeing messages in the rural sector target older male farmers. “When you talk to students they will say, ‘Yes, that’s Granddad, or that’s Dad, or that’s my uncle’. But we have really found those attitudes are quite pervasive amongst younger students who study agriculture.” Their research will consist of a content analysis of wellbeing education at Massey and Lincoln, and qualitative interviews with students and key community stakeholders. The second project is funded by the Massey Lincoln Agriculture Industry Fund (MLAIF), and is called Co-ordinating Wellbeing: Mapping Landscapes of Support for rural young people. Stanley-Clarke and Knook will be joined by lecturers Chris Andrew, of Massey, and Dan Smith, of Lincoln, to research what support services are available to young rural people. Along with several partners including NZ Young Farmers and Farmstrong, the project team will look into what support services are already provided, whether they need

improvement and if they can create an online wellbeing tool as a farmerfriendly service. Stanley-Clarke says they have connected with an Australian rural health initiative, ifarmwell, which has already created an online wellbeing tool. The tool provides Australian rural people with a practical resource kit of online modules to cope with difficult circumstances, thoughts and feelings. Both projects will be carried out this year, and upon completion, the research teams aim to advise their industry partners on what can be done to better deliver wellbeing messages to rural youth and what other support services they can provide. Stanley-Clarke says the projects are fundamental to improving the wellbeing of young rural people. “That’s what I really love about this research, it’s not research for research’s sake. It’s research with that practical application that is meaningful. “It’s that goal we’ve always had of being able to improve the mental health outcomes and reduce the social costs of mental health and suicide in rural communities. That’s always been our ultimate goal.” The project team has also had a research article on wellbeing education accepted for publication in the Health Education Journal. StanleyClarke hopes it will provide essential wellbeing information to other rural communities. ■

“ ... it’s not research for research’s sake. It’s research with that practical application that is meaningful. Dr Nicky Stanley-Clarke

A review of coroners’ records carried out by Dr Annette Beautrais found 20 to 29-year-olds within the agricultural sector were the age group at most risk, making up 20% of rural suicide statistics. EVE HYSLOP/THE PRESS

February 2024

NZ Farmer 21 Research and Science

Updated all day at

One year after the widespread devastation caused by the catastrophic flooding of Cyclone Gabrielle, a new report has found that primary sector experts are deeply concerned about the influence of extreme weather over the next decade of farming in New Zealand.

Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread damage across parts of the North Island. Events such as these will be of great concern over the next decade of farming, experts say. DAVID UNWIN/STUFF

limate change, extreme weather events and water quality are considered the three biggest challenges likely to affect agriculture in Aotearoa over the next 10 years, according to primary industry experts in a new study funded by Our Land and Water. As part of the research, more than 280 leaders in agribusiness and Māori enterprises, policymakers and academics were asked to rank more than 70 international and domestic ‘drivers’ to understand how much they were expected to affect land use in Aotearoa in the upcoming decade. Examples of drivers investigated include nanotechnology, Māori values, and trade policy. Nearly all experts cited climate change and extreme weather events as the two most critical drivers. Following closely were water quality and agricultural policy as major domestic concerns, then greenhouse gas emissions and trade agreements as pressing international issues. The research reveals “what’s on the minds of those working in primary production, very well,” says Dr Tim Driver, research lead at Lincoln University. Prior to seeing the list of drivers, the experts were asked to freely identify and rank their three most ‘front of mind’ (unprompted) issues for the near-future. The ﬁndings for this part of the research showed climate change as unequivocally the biggest concern held by many, with more than double the ranking score of the second-ranked issue. The second and third most inﬂuential ‘front of mind’ domestic issues were government policy and water quality respectively, with consumer preferences and trade/market access as the equivalently ranked international issues. “This research captures the zeitgeist of the New Zealand primary sector,” Driver

Flooding was widespread across parts of the North Island during Cyclone Gabrielle, destroying infrastructure and knocking out services. JOHN COWPLAND / ALPHAPIX

Extreme weather a critical concern

says. “We’ve had significant world and domestic events captured, particularly the unprompted part.” The findings suggests that the widespread devastation caused by the catastrophic flooding of Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023 had brought climate change – and extreme weather as a known consequence – into sharp relief for those working in agriculture and other primary industries. To date, Gabrielle is the country’s costliest non-earthquake natural disaster, with an estimated $2 billion of damage to the food and fibre sector. “The extreme weather events that the New Zealand primary sector has experienced, particularly cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay and surrounding areas, is fresh in people’s minds. This study reflects both the more recent experiences of the primary sector and an emerging awareness of the importance of planning for, and adapting to, climate change and its related extreme weather events.” Driver says that it is also notable that water quality is ranked highly as a pressing issue when looking across the findings,

similar to previous years’ iterations of the study. “Producers have got this dual pressure of maintaining production versus reducing the environmental impacts, particularly in more intensive sectors such as dairy. “On the one hand, you have an ongoing need for water resources to continue production, and on the other hand there’s increasing concern about things such as agricultural runoff entering local water sources and its impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and so on.” Although the experts participating in the study ranked innovative technologies as low impact compared to ‘more pressing’ issues, the researchers suggest that AI could be an emerging gamechanger in helping producers adapt to climate change and extreme weather events. AI has recently been shown to help farmers in the UK choose the right seeds to grow in speciﬁc weather conditions, and support Cantabrians in irrigating their farmland more effectively during droughts. “The potential is just astronomically huge, as AI can be used in sectors that

aren’t commonly associated with techs, such as agriculture,” Driver says. “It can potentially provide farmers and land managers with information that they wouldn’t normally have access to. The knowledge and expertise of New Zealand producers is immense, but AI could be a useful tool to complement that. “Right now, the cost and lack of connectivity in rural areas does create a barrier, such as not being able to get 5G way out in the paddocks, but over time it will likely get cheaper as providers roll out better connectivity in more remote areas. By the end of the decade, we will see it being used much more widely in the primary sector.” While adapting to climate change is clearly the highest priority, the researchers say the complexity of all the drivers acting together means it would be remiss to not include other issues in decisionmaking. Examples of these include animal welfare, environmental policies, consumer demands for more ethical production, and the potential effects of war on international trading. ■

February 2024

22 NZ Farmer Events

What’s on

● February 23, DairyNZ

Energising the Milky Way, Okaiawa, Taranaki Together with Taranaki Catchment Communities (TCC), DairyNZ Taranaki is delivering a toolbox series focused on improving efficiency across our farm businesses. In this ﬁrst toolbox session, we’ll concentrate on the role and cost of energy on farm. Info at dairyevents.co.nz

● February 23, DairyNZ

NRC Freshwater Plan: Feedback Drop-in Sessions, Maungaturoto and Whangārei Northland Regional Council is consulting on a new draft Regional Plan that will affect your farm business and it is important that your voice is heard. If you are unable to make it to one of the dropin sessions, you can give your feedback online at Draft Freshwater Plan Change feedback form (formsite.com). Info at dairyevents.co.nz

● February 25, Farmstrong

Te Puke Cricket, Te Puke Domain. Dairy v Hort If you are in the Te Puke region, come along for an afternoon of cricket and fun. Start time: 1pm. All gear and uniforms supplied. Info at farmstrong.co.nz

● February 26 and 27, Rabobank

Rabobank Financial Skills workshop, New Plymouth and Hawera A workshop designed to help farmers and growers take ownership of their ﬁnances. Understanding your key numbers within the current season helps you to plan actions that can

● February 21-April 12, OSPRI

be taken if the budget or cashﬂow is deviating from plans. Open to all farmers no matter who you bank with. Registration is essential. Info at rabobankaunz.eventsair.com

NAIT support sessions, Otago, various dates and locations OSPRI is running regional drop-in sessions throughout Otago. These sessions cover a variety of topics related to NAIT and TBfree, including:

● February 21, Dairy Women’s Network

Today’s Calf, Tomorrow’s Cow, North Waikato Our Today’s Calf, Tomorrow’s Cow workshop is back, with fresh perspectives, updated research and a live farmers’ panel. Feel prepared and ready for the calf-rearing season as SealesWinslow and AgriVantage take you through best practice to maximise calves’ potential from day one. Info at dwn.co.nz/events

■ Meeting your NAIT obligations. ■ TB testing queries. ■ Signing up to MyOSPRI. Spaces are limited so registration is essential. Info at ospri.co.nz/upcoming-events

● February 20-March 27, B+LNZ

● February 27, DairyNZ

Lower North Island High Input, Opiki Jared and Rebekah Whittﬁeld are in the swing of their second season after purchasing this farm. Come along to hear about how their farm system is achieving outstanding results and how they utilise business tools and KPIs to reach it. Info at dairyevents.co.nz

● February 28, SMASH

SMASH Field Day - Systems Fit for the West Coast Paul and Abby Clement are in their third season of farm ownership, milking 200 jersey cows on 95 hectares just north of Hokitika. We’ll take a look at their system and how they progressed into farm ownership, and how a change in milking frequency after peak milking has worked for them. Info at smallerherds.co.nz

Business Continuity in Emergencies: Farmer Focused Workshops, various dates and locations Join us for this interactive and informative workshop to develop a continuity plan for your farm and help safeguard your business for the future. These workshops have been designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate uncertainties and safeguard your farm. Hear from industry experts and local farmers about what to do when it all goes wrong. Info at beeﬂambnz.com/events

● February 21-March 27, Otago Regional Council

Otago Regional Council Farmers’ Annual Workshops for Intensive Winter Grazing Consenting, various dates and locations Otago Regional Council’s annual series of farmer workshops for intensive winter grazing (IWG) consenting gets underway, with 14 workshops scheduled across 12 locations over six weeks. The focus of

these hands-on workshops is for the ORC team to help people with advice on the IWG consent process, grazing plans and management practices. The new regulations around IWG started on November 1, 2022, and applications for winter 2024 and beyond should be in by mid-April to ensure consents are in place by May 1 of this year. Farmers must register to attend any of the workshops, so the event can be staffed accordingly, with up to 20 places available at each workshop. Info at public.enquiries@orc.govt.nz or catchments@orc.govt.nz or call 0800 474 082

● March Dairy Women’s Network and DairyNZ

People Expos, various dates and locations Helping you create great workplaces. Join us at the People Expo symposium for the opportunity to hear from thought leaders on what’s needed to help tackle the big issues in employing and keeping people on dairy farms. Gain insights from experts, take the opportunity to connect with other farmers facing the same challenges, and come away armed with practical tips to put in action for your farm team. Info at dwn.co.nz/events

● March DairyNZ and CRV

Why should we talk Repro in summer? Various dates and locations Because next season’s repro starts now. With the current inﬂux of scanning results coming through, it’s a good time to celebrate achievements and to focus on areas for improvement. Info at dairyevents.co.nz ■

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February 2024

NZ Farmer News 23

Updated all day at

Search for Dairy Woman of the Year This celebration of women who make outstanding contributions to the dairy industry is in its 13th year. By Sonita Chandar.

he Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award recognises an outstanding woman who has contributed to the dairy sector with passion, drive, innovation and leadership. The prestigious award was established in 2012 by the Dairy Women’s Network as a key strand in its support of women in their leadership journey by providing inspiration, learning and education and to celebrate the success of members. Not only does the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year recipient achieve the coveted title, but this year they will also receive a scholarship to the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) chief executive Jules Benton says the calibre of ﬁnalists for the awards is always high. She encourages dairy women to put themselves forward for the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award. You can either be nominated or apply yourself. “Our members across New Zealand are women who believe in helping their communities, connecting their rural networks, and in supporting individuals. ‘‘They often juggle running a farm,

From left: Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme graduate Vanessa Thomson and 2023 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year Donna Cram.

families, are heavily involved as well as often inspiring events in their communities,” Benton says. “This award – with the Kellogg Rural Leadership opportunity, which includes the programme fee, travel, accommodation, mentoring and access to DWN and Fonterra platforms to share their research – goes a small way to recognising the efforts of our amazing dairy women.” Those who have been through the Kellogg’s programme call it life-changing. Recent graduate Vanessa Thomson shares her insights. Thomson is a working mum with a young family, who sharemilks with her husband on two farms in the Waikato. She is also a former lawyer and is currently the contract manager for DairyNZ. “I was looking for a new challenge that could develop my networks both

professionally and personally across the sector,” Thomson said. “The programme has equipped me with a deeper understanding of myself and gave me an amazing range of practical leadership tools. I’m a working mum from rural New Zealand and it’s not an exaggeration to say that it opened my world up again after a period of being in the trenches with a young family, juggling work and farm life.” Thomson reﬂected that through Kellogg, she had made enduring connections with members of her cohort who hailed from different sectors, and she felt excited to think her cohort would be part of leading and guiding the sector into a bright future. Her advice to anyone thinking of nominating themselves or being nominated for Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year was “to do it, you won’t regret it”.

Fourth-generation dairy farmer Donna Cram received the 2023 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year Award. She and her husband own a 107 effective hectare farm at Awatuna, south Taranaki. Cram used some of the scholarship to attend the Rural Leaders Value Chain Innovation Programme. “The programme was incredible, and I’m still buzzing – even months later. ‘‘I was one of 13 participants who took part in an extensive regional tour, travelling with Professor Hamish Gow and Phil Morrison, exploring four value chains: apple, kiwifruit, dairy and red meat.” One of the best elements was connecting with her fellow participants, amazing people from diverse backgrounds, she added. “We learnt as much from each other, especially through the deep, insightful and very honest bus and evening meal conversations, as from the rural leaders who welcomed them into their businesses. “We witnessed some great management practices and heard about opportunities and challenges facing each industry and how some have survived through adverse events, such as disease, and how they have become more resilient from the experience. “I took so much from the programme; the connections, the insights, the fact all our value chains have challenges but also committed, passionate people who work tirelessly to look for opportunities for our primary produce. It also gave me great inspiration in my own life; what others are doing locally and direct to market has given me conﬁdence to have a go at new projects.” The winner will be announced at a gala dinner at the DWN2024 Enhance, Elevate & Evolve conference in Taranaki on May 2. Applications close on February 29. ■

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February 2024

24 Sustainability NZ Farmer and Innovation

Soil the key focus in growing grapes A call for a worldwide shift in grape-growing practices is being embraced by New Zealand growers. By Bethwyn Littler.

ew Zealand is part of the worldwide shift towards innovative and sustainable wine and grape-growing practices. New research has shown that traditional wine and grape-growing methods of bare inter-rows and synthetic chemicals are detrimental to the soil and there is a growing shift to more innovative and sustainable practices. Bactivate chief executive Mark Gabsch, who is an advocate for sustainable agriculture and viticulture, says bare soil between plants increases moisture loss and leads to reliance on herbicides and pesticides. “We need to retrain the way we think, and how we produce, so that we’re creating healthy ecosystems rather than these dead zones.” An international viticulture organisation is calling for a more innovative and sustainable shift in grape-growing practices. Regenerative Viticulture Foundation (RVF) is a network of leaders in regenerative agriculture and winegrowers.

RVF is encouraging growers to minimise soil disturbance and grow cover crops to help prevent erosion, retain moisture, and suppress weed growth. Gabsch says unfortunately, common methodology used in growing grapes, and crops in general is not good for soil health. “By keeping inter-rows nice and neat and keeping the grass short, they are not doing themselves any favours. We need to feed the biology, feed the soil and feed the plant.” “We don’t think about what’s under our feet,” he says. “Six inches of soil covers the earth and it feeds us all. If we can help our little guys in the soil, they will help us in return.” Te Mata Estate viticulturist Brenton O’Riley says Te Mata has been shifting to more regenerative practices in the vineyard for at least ﬁve years. “We try to increase organic levels by planting interrows with cover crops and only engaging in light cultivation,” he says. “We leave organic matter on the ground where it creates a thatch to collect moisture for the soil.” Te Mata Estate is striving to reduce herbicide and pesticide use, build up soil carbon levels and increase biodiversity in the vineyard. The estate was established in the 1980s so a shift in practice is a signiﬁcant transition. In Te Kauwhata, Daywen Vineyard owner Wendy Phillips thinks of these “new innovations as old innovations”. Phillips grows table grapes. She says

Bactivate chief executive Mark Gabsch and his dog Snufkin.

Daywen had always planted between rows and has never used weed sprays. New Zealand Winegrowers general manager of Te Mata Estate sustainability Edwin viticulturist Massey believes that Brenton O’Riley inter-row planting says cover crops in New Zealand is collect moisture becoming more for the soil. common. “Soil is a TE MATA IMAGES key focus area,” says Massey. “Our goal is to protect and enhance soil health.” Gabsch is optimistic that creating better soil health will help reverse climate change. “The only way we draw down carbon is through plants, so if you have just got grass in your inter-rows, you are not drawing down a lot of carbon. If you suddenly start putting in four or ﬁve different species of cover crop you're drawing down a lot more carbon.” Other vine and tree crops using interrow clearing and producers can adopt the same changes as viticulture. When it rains, well-covered healthy soil absorbs water and stores it for later on. “For every 1% increase in organic matter, you can hold an additional 222,000 litres of water,” he says. Gabsch says his goal is to help as many people as possible improve their soil health and be sustainable in the long term. ■

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February 2024

NZ Farmer 25 Sustainability and Innovation

Updated all day at

Farming for the environment

A Northland couple are doing all they can to leave the land in a better condition than when they took it over. By Steve Macmillan.

enny Smart and Hal Harding are fulﬁlling their aspirations to do right by the environment. They have always taken a strong interest in looking after the land and resting areas of their 480-hectare (320ha effective) Aoroa Farm. Many years ago, they were one of the inaugural members of the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group (IKHMG) and became a Flagship farm, planting around four hectares of natives with the assistance of the group. Then three years ago, 20ha of mature pine was sold off the farm and 15ha replanted in a 50/50 manuka and eucalyptus split. Now they are leading the charge – and leading by example – in the area to encourage other farmers to work with the Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR) programme. In fact, since collaborating with KMR in 2023, they have planted more than 47,000 native ﬂax, shrubs and trees on about 20ha of the farm to protect and restore their wetlands – and the pair have more to go. Currently, they have around 130ha of Aoroa Farm that has been planted and is maturing or regenerating. Smart and Harding are clearly helping chart the way for others by becoming KMR “navigators”.

‘Navigator projects’ were introduced by the KMR team last year as flagship projects that aim to demonstrate and champion best practice in reducing sediment loss from the land, increase Penny Smart and Hal Harding in an area of native plantings on their biodiversity and share Te Kōpuru dairy farm. learnings with others; in their community, with iwi/hapū and within their largest an impressive 15ha – And with so many trees in the ground, farming sector. a beautiful area to view. Smart and Harding’s focus is on looking A priority wetland Their KMR navigator “We feel it is a real privilege after the trees. on Aoroa Farm. project will significantly to be part of the KMR Navigator With the navigator project, they plan extend protection project. The KMR crew are great to regularly invite all the community – and restoration of the wetlands over to work with – Justine and her team are local and non-local – to visit and assist the property, also supporting rare and doing really well. Biodiversity and sediment in the ongoing planting, releasing and hard-to-spot matuku hūrepo (bittern) as reduction is so necessary in the Kaipara. management of the wetlands on the farm. well as a native orchid. “We will have additional planting in years They also hope to initiate biodiversity Smart and Harding’s dairy farm is a mix to come, including planting more canopy monitoring and research opportunities in of rolling Te Kōpuru sand hills and Kaipara trees (Tī kōuka or cabbage tree, kōwhai, years to come. flats, in the Northern Wairoa sub-catchment taraire, karaka, kahikatea, houpara, karo and “Along with sediment retention, we hope of the Kaipara Moana catchment and in the totara among other natives), now we have a to progress towards a healthy and thriving Kaipara plant eco-district. nice amount of nurse trees in the ground.” biodiversity within the wetlands and all The couple have worked hard over the The farm is a once-a-day split calving parts of the farm,” the pair say. decades to exclude stock and undertake dairy unit milking 650 cows with a strong “Ultimately, we intend to have a fully planting on the steeper areas and in focus on the natural system, prioritising soil environmentally sustainable property, the natural wetland areas. In total, they health and adopting biological practices as leaving a legacy we and future generations have roughly 30ha of wetlands, with the much as possible. can be proud of.” ■

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February 2024

26 News NZ Farmer

Northland Field Days – bigger and better in 2024 The Northland Field Days are back with the latest in farming innovations and will feature plenty for visitors to see and do. By Steve Macmillan.

Left: The 2024 Northland Field Days will be held in Dargaville from February 29 to March 2 . This year’s event will be bigger and better than ever before. Below: Head to the Brandt sponsored tractor pull area on Power Farming Road to experience the fun and thrill of rural racing.

ore than 20,000 visitors are expected to pass through the gates of the Northland Field Days in March and there is an exciting lineup of new things to see and do. Event co-ordinator Luciana Schwarz says with a record 300-plus exhibitors from around New Zealand and overseas showcasing the latest in farming innovations and dozens of food stalls, this event will be the biggest yet. She says 17,000 visitors attended in 2023, just a couple of weeks after the carnage of Cyclone Gabrielle, which understandably forced many people and exhibitors to pull out of the iconic event. The Northland Field Days has been running for 38 years and organisers say this will also be the most family friendly in history with some fun events for everybody to enjoy. Families can experience a ‘maze in the maize’, and thanks to a mini water theme park, people can cool down with a water slide for the children and a 50-metre slide for those 14 years and up, along with a dunk tank and the fun of water balls (like orbs) in a pool. For the petrol-heads and enthusiasts, lawnmower racing allows people of all walks of life to get involved, compete and have a lot fun in the process. After an absence of many years, the Northland Field Days team is pleased to host the return of a Northland Rescue Helicopter – which will be on display in the main car park when not attending emergency callouts around the region. The proceeds of the Saturday afternoon sale of sunﬂowers grown

at the Field Days site will go towards supporting the life-saving charity which has cared for well over 28,000 Northlanders and visitors to the region since 1988. Northland Federated Farmers are once again hosting a stall from the service at sites E16 and F16, near the main Field Days Office. While people are encouraged to bring their own sunscreen and water, the Northland Field Days organising committee has teamed up with Tap Water Wells, which is providing contactless, foot-pedal operated water bottle reﬁlling stations to ensure visitors stay well hydrated. For the ﬁrst time, ‘Northland Field Days Radio’ will be broadcasting across the loudspeakers throughout the day to let punters know everything they need to. As there will be no ATMs on site, Schwarz says people should bring cash if they want some on hand. “We have many new activities available this year to cater to urban and rural visitors, including civil contractors offering people a chance to operate diggers,” she says. “With our three food courts, dietary requirements will be

well catered to, and we have fun activities like a ‘Mini Mack Truck and Trailer’ at site G10, which will give people rides around the Field Days for a gold coin donation and that money will go to a charity.” Two large Lifestyle Pavilions and many outdoor lifestyle sites will feature the highest quality products and services from home, garden and leisure to food, wine and gadgets. There is something for everyone both rural and urban. Over at the fencing hub, Fencing Contractors Association NZ will be onsite hosting fencing demonstrations, best practice and competitions for the Young Farmers Association. Tractor pull, the big, loud competition with big machines that never fails to attract people, is back to thrill the crowds. Head to the Tractor Pull Area on Power Farming Road and experience the fun and thrill of rural racing as it tests the competitors’ brute strength, skill and technique. “There is so much more going on and

so much effort going into putting the event on, I want to thank everyone who has helped out and we can’t wait for people to make the most of Northland’s largest agri-event.” Despite more ticket booths being added this year, to avoid being stuck in queues, online bookings ahead of the event are encouraged, along with the use of buying entry tickets via QR codes located in the car park. Opening hours are 9am to 4pm on February 29 and March 1, gates close at 3pm. On March 2, the gates are open from 9am to 2.30pm. ■ For more information, visit northlandfielddays.co.nz and facebook.com/northlandfieldddays

Northland Rescue Helicopter’s Jan Hewitt will again be showing off Buster the Blonde d’ Aquitaine with Northland Federated Farmers President Colin Hannah.

February 2024

NZ Farmer 27 Equipment

SPONSORED CONTENT

How to prepare winter feed and maintain pasture in autumn

While a strong forage crop today, may mean a good supply of feed tomorrow, a lack of preparation may mean you’re setting yourself up for an unpleasant fall.

Ballance Regional Sales Manager Josh Verhoek and Farmlands Agronomist Elton Mayo.

armlands has teamed up with Ballance to bring farmers the best advice on pasture preparation for winter feed, while maintaining pasture in

autumn. However, it’s not always easy. Weather and timing can throw up multiple challenges over the season if you aren’t prepared ahead of time. Farmlands agronomy expert Elton Mayo says one dilemma farmers face in autumn, is when they’re looking to get new pastures in, but their chicory is still going strong. “Chicory is often the only green and functioning forage at this time of year.” However, by extending chicory into autumn, winter feed preparation can suffer. “This means ryegrass establishment is delayed significantly, with a huge impact on the amount of forage available in late autumn and winter.” Elton says sowing into an existing stand of chicory is advantageous, as the chicory stays in the grazing rotation while the ryegrass and clover establishes. “What I find for best management

here, is to mow the chicory in advance of a grazing event, which sets the postgrazing residual and alleviates any pulling issues,” he says. “Once cows have consumed the cut-feed out of the windrows, we remove them from the paddock.” Elton says drought-affected pastures need to be assessed as early as possible. “In these scenarios, the correct application of starter fertiliser becomes even more critical,” says Ballance representative Josh Verhoek. “In a dry scenario, a lot of the starter fertiliser will sit there and you rely on the moisture to arrive before anything really happens. With a bit of luck – or certainly

with good planning – you hope that you would have some soil moisture down the profile when you’re sowing the seeds, and therefore when the fertiliser is put down as well.” Josh Verhoek says nitrogen really comes into its own once the crop has reached 3-4 weeks post-sowing. “Nitrogen is critical to get leaf expansion and to help grow the sugars in the plant and grow the root base, to get a more vigorous plant overall.” “The plant’s yield is directly related to the application of nitrogen at this time, as the plants are vigorously growing. We don’t want to run short of soil-supplied nitrogen, hence why we get such good

responses to side-dressing.” Josh says nitrogen does not negatively impact clover, as is widely believed. “Clover responds to applied nitrogen the same as a ryegrass or chicory plant will; it needs nitrogen to grow,” he says. “But what it effectively does, is become lazy and cease fixing its own nitrogen. However, it will resume where it left off once the applied nitrogen has been consumed.” Elton says there is a lot of truth to the old adage ‘sowing in the dust is a must’. “In most situations, it’s better to sow before the end of March, even if the soil is bone dry, than wait for rain. A paddock sown before the rain will strike immediately. This will give a 2–3-week advantage, which is enormous when it comes to winter feed production.” He says a false strike – when the seed germinates but there’s not enough moisture below the seedling for it to survive – is no more likely when sowing into very dry soils, as the seed will not strike until the next rain anyway. Once the pasture is established, weed control is important. “The easiest weeds to control are small weeds,” Elton says. “Once the weed spectrum has been assessed, a decision can be made on what chemistry is going to be applied. We have some outstanding options available from our proprietary suppliers.”

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February 2024

34 On NZ Farmer the Farm Moving from a herringbone to a rotary system increased production and efficiency for Jack Symes and his team on this Canterbury dairy farm. PETER MEECHAM/THE PRESS

Milking at 7, managing at 25

Jack Symes had been considering a career in flying and hopes to one day follow up that interest. PETER MEECHAM/THE PRESS

Jack Symes’ passion for dairying springs from his love for animals and the outdoors as a child, when he took any opportunity to get on the farm. By Eve Hyslop.

hen Jack Symes first entered the milking shed, he was tall enough at 7 years old to reach the cups and give his dad a hand. Now, at 25, he is an equity partner and manager of a 160-hectare, 620-cow family dairy farm in Southbridge, on the Canterbury Plains, and the holder of the Dairy Manager of the Year for 2023. “I was 7 years old when I did my first milking with my old man. So I suppose it was my passion but I was also bred into it … from a young age when I was at school, I knew what I wanted to do. “So I had that sort of drive of what I wanted to achieve.” Over the years, a lot has changed for Symes. From a milking assistant as a youngster, paid a dollar per cluster of cups put on, to a management role, he says he has plenty more responsibilities now. “At 7 years old, I only really needed to worry about putting five cups on for a milk, whereas now I have the full responsibility of running the dairy farm so there’s obviously a lot more riding on my shoulders.” Currently in his third season managing the family farm, he has a good grasp of what needs to be done daily. Since they replaced their old herringbone shed with a rotary in 2022, Symes says their operation has been much more efficient. Instead of spending eight hours of the day milking, they’d spend about five, leaving time for jobs that otherwise wouldn’t get done. “You’ve got to make sure you have good plans in place to make it an enjoyable workplace. You don’t want to be stressed out and then that passes on to the staff.

Jack Symes, far right, at the Dairy Industry Awards last year after being named Dairy Manager of the Year.

“I just make sure everyone knows everything, communication is key. We make plans at the start of each month so there’s no surprises for anyone.” He attributes many of these skills to the Dairy Industry Awards (DIA) competition leading up to his award, and, following that, his involvement in the Canterbury North Otago DIA committee. He had many “light-bulb” moments at committee conferences where he learnt farming practices from other managers to implement in his own management. “You learn skills that you don’t learn from farming every day.” Such skills included communication, networking, presenting, organisation, setting goals and creating a plan to realistically achieve those goals. He says the ﬁnancial skills he learnt are the most valuable to him for when he considers future opportunities like farm ownership. He hasn’t always been passionate about farming as a long-term career. He was at a crossroads when deciding a career path at the end of his schooling. “In my last year of school, I was contemplating either joining the air force or going to Lincoln [University]. So I’ve got a real passion for planes and ﬂying and if

I wasn’t gonna go farming, I wanted to be a pilot.” Aside from a “need for speed”, his interest in becoming a pilot came from the opportunity to travel and work all in one. That interest hasn’t gone away; he hopes that once he’s in a good position financially, he can sit his private pilot licence. He’s glad he chose the dairy farming path, however, as it lives up to his interest in animals and the practicality of the outdoors as a child. “Any opportunity, I’d be out there, during my schooling career. Relief milkings or helping out on farms.” Symes says he never saw himself as an agri-businessman as he preferred the hands-on practicality of being outdoors. But he’s found the theory side of things important when budgeting and writing reports, which he credits to his study for a Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture at Lincoln. Lincoln was a perfect fit, he says, because it allowed him to learn the theoretical skills as a foundation and build upon those practically on farm tours, field trips and in different farming jobs in the summer breaks. “I’m always open to learning new ideas. So whenever I have the opportunity,

He’s sure to run a tidy operation on his dairy farm, one of the things for which he was recognised in winning the award.

PETER MEECHAM/THE PRESS

I'll take it. If it’s going to better me and what I’m doing for my job, then it starts to add up, and then you start building a dictionary, I suppose. Get the knowledge going.” He says he’s been consistent in looking into different feeding options to get the highest-quality production out of the farm’s herd while still running a sustainable operation. Above all else, his love for the dairy industry comes from working with animals and the versatility of the job. “The good thing with the dairy industry is there’s not one way of doing it. So you can ﬁnd where your passion is.” He hopes more young people will soon share the same viewpoint to help grow the industry. Symes has had a few Lincoln students come through the family farm in the summer and spring and says that once they get on-farm, they can put their learnings into practice and grow their interest from there, much like he did. He says the growth of the dairy industry, opportunities beyond the sector, networking connections and the outdoors lifestyle of the dairy farm are a few of the reasons to convince young people to consider it as a career. ■

February 2024

OnNZ theFarmer Farm 35

Updated all day at

Farmers tap into curious tourists’ desire to experience the real thing Move over Agrodome, some Waikato cockies are cashing in on a new trend for genuine on-farm experiences. Bethwyn Littler writes.

aikato farmers are opening their gates for extra cash as they bounce back from tough times. Last year’s lift in milk prices helped farmers break even but they are not out of the woods yet and some are taking advantage of rural tourism, which has become much more than a bus trip to Rotorua’s Agrodome. Waikato offers horse treks and alpaca encounters as well as farmstays, school trips and even technical workshops on shearing, breeding and making hay. Rural Tours director Tony Boot said they are always on the hunt for farms around Waikato to host visitors from New Zealand, Japan, Canada and beyond. Rural Tours works with travel agents around the world who include farmstay experiences in their New Zealand itineraries. “We regularly get groups of between 30 and 100-plus,” said Boot. “New Zealand is one of the few destinations in the world that cater for farmstay experiences. We are always looking for new hosts that can enjoy in the fun of hosting overseas guests.” Hamilton and Waikato Tourism chief executive Nicola Greenwell said international visitors were looking for experiences where they could connect with natural landscapes, wildlife and local food. “We have been working with AgriTourism and several farmers keen

Students experiencing Waikato farm life with Rural Tours.

on establishing BnBs and experiences on their properties,” said Greenwell. “We understand there are several opportunities currently being explored across the region.” Stone Hill Horse Trek owner Nicole Singh provides farm visits 25 minutes from Te Awamutu. “The horses are next to the milking shed. We invite people to look where the milk is coming from. We have visitors whose minds are blown. They are shocked that the cows are walking to the shed by themselves.” Singh has seen an increase in international bookings but she is having quite a few Aucklanders as well. “People just want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the cities,” she said. Cornerstone Alpacas in Gordonton hosts farm tours and weddings where couples can get married surrounded by bustling, ﬂuffy alpacas. General manager Sam Maritz said they had 350 overseas visitors in December 2023. Cornerstone’s reputation was given a celebrity boost this January when broadcaster Jack Tame hired two alpacas for his wedding on Waiheke Island. Maritz spent the weekend transporting S’more and Fudge on the ferry. The male and female animals boarded at a Waiheke alpaca farm when they weren’t posing with Tame and his wife at Mudbrick vineyard. “I asked Jack how he found out about us,” said Maritz. “He said he googled alpacas and weddings.” ■

Rural tourism is an opportunity for farms to make extra revenue.

Cornerstone Alpacas host farm tours and weddings where couples can get married surrounded by alpaca, says general manager Sam Maritz. MARK TAYLOR/STUFF

February 2024

36 NZ NZ Farmer Real Farmer estate

Farm sales volumes dip across all regions

ata released by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) shows there were 142 fewer farm sales (-37.1%) for the three months to December 2023 than for the three months ending December 2022. Overall, there were 241 farm sales in the three months ending December 2023, compared to 195 farm sales for the three months ending November 2023 (+23.6%), and 383 farm sales for the three months to December 2022. One thousand and 59 farms were sold in the year to December 2023, 499 less than in the year to December 2022, with 41.2% fewer dairy farms, 7.3% less dairy support, 32.3% less grazing farms, 35.1% less finishing farms and 26.3% less arable farms sold over the same period. The median price per hectare for all farms sold in the three months to December 2023 was $33,960 compared to $33,440 recorded for the three months ended December 2022 (+1.6%). The median price per hectare increased 2.2% compared to November 2023. Shane O’Brien, rural spokesman at REINZ, says while the year result was anticipated by the industry, we are seeing a substantial reduction in the volume of sales throughout 2023. “This reduction, especially when compared to previous years, has affected all regions and sectors for varying reasons.” “There is no doubt the head winds from farm product prices combined with on-farm interest rates (circa 8.0%) and rising on-farm inflation has challenged buyers when looking at property options,” comments O’Brien. “For the first time in several years, a considerable number of properties remained unsold at the end of the spring selling season in 2023. “Buyers are being cautious and considered with buying decisions, but buyers indicated they will pay for the ‘right’ property. The depth of the buyer pool has been reduced due to the lack of the right listings for active buyers. “The dairy sector had 57 dairy sales across New Zealand in December 2021, which reduced to 42 sales in December 2022 but only 14 sales of dairy farms across all of New Zealand in December 2023. “As you can see, there has been a significant drop. Similar sale trends have occurred in other sectors, including grazing properties that have missed out on any active buyers who see an opportunity for conversion say to forestry,” says O’Brien. The REINZ All Farm Price Index decreased 2.1% in the three months to December 2023 compared to the three months to November 2023. Compared to the three months ending December 2022, the REINZ All Farm Price Index fell 13.5%. The REINZ All Farm Price Index adjusts

There were 241 farm sales for the three months ending December 2023, which was down from 383 sales in the same period for 2022 – a drop of 37.1%.

for differences in farm size, location and farming type, unlike the median price per hectare, which does not adjust for these factors. One region recorded an increase in the number of farm sales for the three months to December 2023 compared to the three months ending December 2022, that being Auckland (+3 sales). Manawatū-Whanganui (-28 sales) and Southland (-23 sales) recorded the biggest decreases in sales. Compared to the three months ended November 2023, nine regions recorded an increase in sales, the most notable being Waikato (+14 sales) and Canterbury and Otago (+11 sales). In December 2023, ﬁnishing farms accounted for a 33% share of all sales. Grazing farms accounted for 20% of all sales, dairy farms accounted for 15% and dairy support farms accounted for 12%. These four property types accounted for 80% of all sales during the three months to December 2023.

farms has decreased 6.9% over the past 12 months. The median dairy farm size for the three months to December 2023 was 128 hectares. On a price per kilogram of milk solids basis, the median sales price was $43.30 per kilo of milk solids for the three months ending December 2023, compared to $40.84 per kilo of milk solids for the three months to November 2023 (+6%), and $39.78 per kilo of milk solids for the three months ending December 2022 (+8.9%). The REINZ Dairy Farm Price Index increased 3.5% in the three months to December 2023 compared to the three months to November 2023. Compared to December 2022, the REINZ Dairy Farm Price Index decreased 11.7%. The REINZ Dairy Farm Price Index adjusts for differences in farm size and location compared to the median price per hectare, which does not adjust for these factors.

Dairy Farms For the three months to December 2023, the median sales price per hectare for dairy farms was $41,020 (37 properties), compared to $36,650 (27 properties) for the three months ending November 2023, and $44,055 (80 properties) for the three months to December 2022. The median price per hectare for dairy

Finishing Farms For the three months to December 2023, the median sale price per hectare for ﬁnishing farms was $35,625 (80 properties), compared to $38,345 (74 properties) for the three months ending November 2023, and $39,270 (105 properties) for the three months to December 2022. The median price per hectare for

ﬁnishing farms has decreased 9.3% over the past 12 months. The median ﬁnishing farm size for the three months ending December 2023 was 37 hectares. Grazing Farms For the three months to December 2023, the median sales price per hectare for grazing farms was $13,465 (48 properties), compared to $11,965 (38 properties) for the three months ending November 2023 and $13,740 (106 properties) for the three months ending December 2022. The median price per hectare for grazing farms has decreased 2% over the past 12 months. The median grazing farm size for the three months ending December 2023 was 127 hectares. Horticulture Farms For the three months to December 2023, the median sales price per hectare for horticulture farms was $228,970 (15 properties), compared to $231,150 (14 properties) for the three months ending November 2023 and $378,295 (26 properties) for the three months to December 2022. The median price per hectare for horticulture farms decreased 39.5% over 12 months. The median horticulture farm size for the three months ending December 2023 was 10 hectares. ■

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February 2024

Primary sector looking forward to prosperous 2024

Late last year, a 28ha horticulture block in the Esk Valley in Hawke’s Bay that was formerly a highly productive apple orchard (held in two titles) was offered to the market under liquidation. Through local expertise and the lateral thinking of Colliers Hawke’s Bay, the property was presented to the market with the option to buy the titles individually or as one.

Following a challenging 2023 for the primary sector, the new year brings renewed optimism.

s is often noted, adversity brings opportunity and James Nilsson, National Director of Rural & Agribusiness at Colliers, believes strategic thinking will be required this year to achieve property results that vendors and purchasers will be happy with. Continued adaptation between vendors

and purchasers, combined with improved forecasts for dairy, beef, and forestry commodity prices means there are plenty of things to look forward to in the coming months with interest rates now stable. Nilsson says the Colliers team of Rural Sales Advisors are working closely with leading rural lenders to explore options for buyers and sellers that will suit the current market conditions. For example, late last year, a 28ha horticulture block in the Esk Valley in Hawke’s Bay that was formerly a highly productive apple orchard (held in two titles) was offered to the market under liquidation and with no remedial work completed following the devastating impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle just over a year ago.

“At the end of 2023, there was no market evidence to dictate how these properties were going to sell and what their values would be. So, the sales process required a strategic approach,” Nilsson says. “Through the local expertise and lateral thinking of Hadley Brown, Director of Rural at Colliers Hawke’s Bay, the property was presented to the market with the option to buy the titles individually or as one.” The campaign elicited hundreds of enquiries from across the country, culminating in the tender box being filled to the brim as the individual titles were sold to adjoining neighbours who were also impacted by the cyclone. The liquidators were pleased to yield a strong

result and to achieve the best possible outcome for the local community based on the intended use. This sale coincides with crop volumes in the pipfruit sector estimated to be ahead of pre-Gabrielle levels and the recent favourable summer weather points towards strong production numbers. Nilsson says the lifestyle sector enjoyed a strong finish to 2023 with data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand showing there are positive signs of a recovery. “This may be a flow on from the residential market that began its revival in December as policy changes signalled from the new coalition Government have improved investor sentiment.” Colliers has expertise across all corners of the rural sector, from viticulture to lifestyle, pastoral to horticulture, and everything in between. “Our Valuation & Advisory Services team, who have unparalleled market intelligence across all primary sectors, recently completed valuations for financial reporting purposes for a portfolio of large-scale South Island dairy farms. The Rural Valuation team was awarded the three-year contract in December following a competitive tender process where the track record of delivery and dairy expertise of the team shone through.” Nilsson says anyone thinking about selling their rural property in 2024 should contact Colliers and their team of dedicated Rural Sales Advisors. “As we continue to navigate an inflationary environment and unique economic conditions, trusted advice from experienced professionals will provide you with the best opportunity to maximise the value of your property.” For more information visit www.colliersrural.co.nz

Maximise your property’s value with expert advice from our Colliers Rural & Agribusiness team. We’re here to help. Let’s talk. Visit www.colliersrural.co.nz Licensed REAA 2008

Rural & Agribusiness

February 2024

Accelerating Success.

NEW LISTING

Farm Below the Glaciers - Clearwater Farm For Sale

298 Cook Flat Road, Fox Glacier For Sale by Deadline Private Treaty closing on or before: 4pm, Thursday 7 March 2024 (unless sold prior)

274.0290 ha (4 freehold titles)

Well set up to cater for tourists

Ideally suited for intensive grazing and/or wintering

5 bedroom, 2 bathroom homestead

Idyllically located on the outskirts of the Fox Glacier township and Lake Matheson on the West Coast of the South Island, this farm is an ideal stand-alone unit or an excellent add-on to an existing dairy farm. Comprising a total of 274.0290 hectares across four individual titles along with a 1/4 share in a grazing lease for the nearby Cook River. Clearwater Farm is currently running as a beef unit and is divided into 47 paddocks with water troughs throughout. In the past, the home has been run as a B&B, plus there are several motor home camping spots by the river that are currently active.

Mike Eyles 021 875 533

Ruth Hodges 027 309 0334

colliers.co.nz/p-NZL67027116

Exemplar Realty Limited Licensed REAA 2008

Cust 190 Bennetts Road A versatile bare land holding

177.485 ha

Conveniently situated just 13 kilometres from Oxford township, this 177.485-hectare (more or less) bare land opportunity offers a range of purchasing and farming possibilities. Currently utilized for cropping, the property boasts a 6-hectare pond for water storage with 350 shares through Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd and is partly irrigated through a Pivot Irrigator. Also suitable for stock, the property features cattle and sheep yards and an excellent three-stand woolshed.

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) 12pm, Wed 6 Mar 2024 3 Deans Avenue, Chch Phone for viewing times Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz Peter Foley 021 754 737 peter.foley@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED REAA 2008

bayleys.co.nz/5522836

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WAIKAIA 440 Stirling Road

DEADLINE PRIVATE TREATY

Prime Farming Location with Diversification and Scale Hyde Holme is a well recognised 439 hectare operation with a diverse range of farming options in the popular Waikaia district. Currently the property runs cattle, sheep, deer and includes 80 hectares leased for grain. Substantial six stand raised board woolshed and three homes, offer the opportunity to involve the wider family or a manager. Easy access is available via an excellent lane with good road frontage, and good balance of soils with mostly flat to easy rolling contour. pggwre.co.nz/INV38699

Plus GST (if any) Closes 12.00pm, Wednesday 20th March 2024 PGG Wrightson Real Estate, Gore

Situated alongside the Dome Burn River this property offers 4km of some of the best fishing in the area. Inspections welcome by arrangement with the sole agents.

Derek Ayson M 027 667 9601 E derek.ayson@pggwrightson.co.nz Andrew Patterson M 027 434 7636 | B 03 211 3144 E apatterson@pggwrightson.co.nz

February 2024

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February 2024

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February 2024

NZ Farmer 41 Markets

Updated all day at

Meat exports were worth $10.2 billion last year, but that was down 11% on 2022, the Meat Industry Association says. TOM LEE/WAIKATO TIMES

Fall in meat export returns a sign of the times

ough global economic conditions have hit New Zealand’s red meat sector, with the value of exports falling last year – even though the volume

increased. Meat exports were worth $10.2 billion in 2023, but that was a decline of 11% on the previous year, according to the Meat Industry Association’s latest figures. While the volumes of both sheep meat and beef exports rose, values in each category fell from the record figures seen in 2022. Sheep meat export volumes were up 3% annually to 384,239 tonnes, but the value was down 14% to $3.7b. The volume of beef exports was up 7% to 511,680 tonnes, but the value was down 9% to $4.4b. Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said the drop in value was largely due to tough economic conditions and inflationary pressures in many key markets. Consumers around the world still wanted to buy red meat but they were not paying as much for it, she said. “Red meat exports are a good barometer of the state of the global economy.” But increased supply from other exporters, including Australia and Brazil, also had an impact, she said. Australian sheep meat exports were up 25% last year, but its exports to China were

up 50%, with China’s tariff on Australian sheep meat dropping to zero at the start of 2023. Karapeeva said the top five markets were unchanged from 2022, but the value of New Zealand exports was mostly down, which reflected the overall trend. China remained the largest market for sheep meat and beef, but exports overall fell 16% to $3.6b. Sheep meat volumes were up 10%, but value was down 10% to $1.4b, while beef volumes were down 6%, and value fell 26% to $1.56b. There were also significant falls in meat exports to Japan, down 31% to $388 million, and the United Kingdom, down 22% to $361m. Exports to the Netherlands dropped 4% to $347m. But the red meat sector had a diverse export market strategy and that had helped mitigate the impact of the weakening demand and pricing in any one single market, Karapeeva said. “With red meat sales declining in China, companies have other options and are making sound commercial decisions.” Exports to the United States went up 8% overall to $2.5b, largely due to increased demand for beef. Drought conditions that led to high US domestic production during 2022 eased in some regions, and New Zealand and Australia benefited from the increased demand with both having good quota access. New Zealand’s beef exports to the US

China remains New Zealand’s largest market, but exports fell 16% to $3.6 billion last year.

Tough economic conditions globally are impacting on meat exports, says the Meat Industry Association’s Sirma Karapeeva.

“

Red meat exports are a good barometer of the state of the global economy. Sirma Karapeeva

grew by 46% to 181,040 tonnes and the value went up 28% to $1.6b. The US was New Zealand’s third largest market for sheep meat by volume, and second largest by value at $544m, but volume and value were down by 5% and 8% respectively. While Britain was the second largest market for sheep meat, export volumes dropped 7% and value fell 29% to $291m. The association attributed the decline to the effect of high inflation on consumer spending, and some impact from increased Australian supply after the Australia-UK free trade agreement came into force mid-year. But it said the UK was a small but improving market for beef, with the New Zealand-UK free trade agreement providing significantly improved quota access for beef from the middle of 2023. That was reflected in volume exports to the UK growing by 83% to 2421 tonnes, and value growing by 93% to $27m, it said. Beef exports to Canada also increased, with volume up 77% to 18,110 million tonnes, and value up 52% to $155m. But beef exports to other major North Asian markets declined, largely due to inflation and cost-of-living pressures, the association said. Korea and Japan were down 40% and 34% to $137m and $230m respectively, while Taiwan was down 6% to $176m. In December, overall exports for red meat were worth $923m, up 1% on the same period the previous year. ■

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February 2024

Keep an eye on your water tank levels whatever you’re doing or wherever you are in the world.

Satellite Water Monitoring

Our Satellite Water Monitoring system uses low-power and secure satellite connection. As a satellite orbits the earth and passes over your device, it will collect up to four “reads” a day. Secure and reliable satellite connection is ideal for properties where cellular or Wi-Fi communications are weak or unavailable. Call 0800 731 500 or email cs@am.gallagher.com for more info