AGRIBUSINESS Forest interest up on a back of growing carbon values and log prices. PAGE 22
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS Keeping the legend running. PAGE 42
RURALNEWS
NEWS Huge growth and money in horticulture.
PAGE 17
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS
AUGUST 9, 2016: ISSUE 612
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Pea ban hits farmers PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
WAIRARAPA PEA seed growers are facing losses up to $250,000 this season as the result of the discovery of pea weevil on at least 10 farms in the region. This major biosecurity breach is already forcing growers to plan meetings with bank managers and accountants to see how they will manage their way through the next two years. Wairarapa is a major pea seed growing area, supplying seeds to growers who produce fresh and processed peas in other regions. As a result of this discovery, and in an attempt to eradicate the pea weevil, MPI has banned pea growing in Wairarapa for two years -- including home gardens. MPI has posted signs on all roads
into the region, warning that Wairarapa is now under biosecurity control. This forbids carrying peas or material such as pea straw into or out of the region. Small packets of peas have been removed from shop shelves and a big publicity effort is emphasising to growers, contractors, industry groups and the public the seriousness of the situation.
PLAN GETS SKIN AND FUR FLYING Possum skin and fur buyer Lisa Pearce sorts out pelts during a recent buying trip to Oxford, North Canterbury. Many of Pearce’s fur and skin suppliers are displeased with the Government’s ambitious plan to eradicate possums from New Zealand, insisting it is a multi-million dollar industry and these ‘pests’ are a resource. – See more page 14.
2812TTSM01 XRS2 SRS2 ADVERT 70x265MM NZ JUN16 2.indd 1
About 50 of the region’s growers last week attended a meeting in Masterton organised by the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) to look at alternative crops. Some positive comments were heard but by the end of the two-hour meeting the reality of crisis had sunk in, says Andrew Booth, a seed pea grower from near Gladstone. “It is probably what we expected,”
he told Rural News. “There is no silver lining at this point and it probably told growers what they already knew – that there aren’t a lot of options for us. “Essentially, we are stuck with growing cereals, maize or grain and a cash shortfall [looms] for growers.” Booth says the reality of the situation is now starting to hit home for a TO PAGE 4
MORE WOOL WOES? FORMER WOOLS of NZ chief executive Ross Townshend predicts more woe for the country’s wool growers. In a scathing letter to Rural News, Townshend describes the Wool Equities (WEL) governance as a “tragedy” and predicts worse to come for wool growers. “WEL burned through $25 million of wool growers’ money in 13 years, roughly $2m per year,” he explains. “However, Wools of New Zealand (WONZ) is an even bigger disaster yet to unfold.” Townshend claims that when WONZ loses its wool market development commitment [WMDC] funding in mid-2018 it will “almost certainly” fail. “By then the directors of WONZ will have burned through $6.5m equity raised from shareholders and $13.5m of WMDC cash paid by shareholders. He says this means $20m will have been “burned” in just five years – $4m per year. “Does that make the WONZ directors twice as incompetent as the WEL directors?” he asks. Townshend, who signs the letter as a Wools of NZ shareholder and former chief executive, believes the Financial Markets Authority should be called in to investigate WONZ’s performance versus its prospectus and “call the directors to account”.
16/06/16 9:56 am
The ideal mixing partner for superior control of fungal diseases in wheat, barley and ryegrass. Every cereal grower knows how important it is to use the right combination of fungicides. COMET® is the proven premium strobilurin fungicide for wheat, barley and ryegrass. The right combination of COMET® and OPUS®, the market-leading triazole, provides superior broad-spectrum disease control in all situations.
COMET® goes further, works faster and lasts longer than other fungicides. The end result is just what you’re looking for: increased yield and improved grain quality.
Ask for Comet by name ®
at your local BASF distributor.
® COMET and OPUS are registered trademarks of BASF. COMET and OPUS are registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 Noʼs: P6017. P4365
BASF545654
The presence of Speckled leaf blotch populations resistant to Comet may lead to reduced efficacy.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
NEWS 3 ISSUE 612
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Buoyant horticulture sees boom continuing PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
NEWS ������������������������������������ 1-18 MARKETS ������������������������ 20-21 AGRIBUSINESS �������������� 22-23 HOUND, EDNA ����������������������� 24 CONTACTS ������������������������������ 24 OPINION ���������������������������� 24-27 MANAGEMENT �������������� 28-31 ANIMAL HEALTH ���������� 32-35 MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS ���������������������� 36-42 RURAL TRADER ������������������� 43 HEAD OFFICE Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Phone: 09-307 0399 Fax: 09-307 0122 POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 Published by: Rural News Group Printed by: PMP Print CONTACTS Editorial: editor@ruralnews.co.nz Advertising material: davef@ruralnews.co.nz Rural News online: www.ruralnews.co.nz Subscriptions: subsrndn@ruralnews.co.nz ABC audited circulation 81,004 as at 30.06.2015
THE HORTICULTURE industry will continue to boom, says HortNZ president Julian Raine. Asia is a key plank of that. The mood was very positive at last week’s HorticultureNZ conference in Nelson, he says. “The horticulture industries collectively are on a high. It hasn’t happened by chance. A lot of hard work has been done to ensure this.... having the overall vision to be a $20 billion industry by 2020 with each of the 22 product groups playing their role to make it happen. It has been a joint effort.” HorticultureNZ chief executive Mike Chapman says innovation in horticulture has been really successful. The performance of pipfruit, kiwifruit, cherries, onions, potatoes -- a whole range of products -- shows a real growth phase. “It has been driven by exports but it is underpinned by fantastic innovation in paddocks, gardens and orchards,” he says. “But also our researchers such as Plant and Food are developing fantastic varieties which give us an edge to market across the world premium products with high return for New Zealand.” The conference came at a very good time for the horticulture industry because growers, both fruit and vegetable, are buoyant. “We are in a growth phase which breeds confidence…. to go into things, to expand. We just did a survey showing our average age is getting up there, but even the older growers are looking at expanding their operations. “Some are moving out but a third of
older growers are looking at expanding. They are not thinking of exiting. They are thinking of growing.” You make your own luck but it is not luck, says Chapman. “It is our innovation, our knowhow, our marketing systems, and NZ horticulture has been getting itself ready for a long time to expand. “The kiwifruit industry, for example, got through Psa and is now expanding. Apples with their new varieties have opportunities opening in the market and are expanding. “Asia is becoming a central focus for exports. It is closer and it has money so we are able to market our products as premium through Asia because of where we are as a country – because of our growth and fantastic growing conditions.” All the sectors are growing at the same time. “Conferences such as this bring everyone from across the different product groups,” Chapman says. “You have vegetable growers and fruit growers and they share their knowledge. We build our strengths by learning what each sector is doing and what is successful in each, and transferring that to other sectors.... innovating through the supply chain out the other end.” One aspect of the industry that has changed, particularly overseas but also in NZ, is the way of delivering fruit and vegetables. “The change is happening because of the internet. “You can have different delivery models that don’t have to send product to the market, get it bought at the market, get it through wholesale or retail. “These different channels, mainly through the internet, offer a whole range
POSITIVE SIGNS?
HortNZ president Julian Raine.
of different ways to get into the market. “In Asia, for example, ordering and running programmes through the internet for delivering fruit and vegetables is a fantastic way to get ahead.” Raine says HortNZ lays the groundwork for the others to execute their strategic plans. It does work on biosecurity and the RMA, and with regional councils, district councils, unitary authorities and the government on environmental issues. “We work with other key horticulture industries in the people space -specifically wine growers, Pipfruit New Zealand and the kiwifruit industry – to ensure we have a good supply of people to do what we have to in harvesting and production, and also post harvest. The industry also has people working in regulatory reform and “ensuring growers comply with health and safety and a myriad other legislation and regulations we have to comply with”. @rural_news
NEW ZEALAND commodity prices rose for a third straight month in July, led by dairy products and meat. However, the strong NZ dollar limited the benefits for local producers. The ANZ commodity price index rose 2% last month, bringing its three-month gain to 6.9%. In NZ dollar terms, prices have gained just 2.5% in the past three months and are 5.7% lower than in the same period last year. The release of the commodity price index follows the results of the Aug 3 GlobalDairyTrade auction, where the price index jumped 6.6% to $US2436; the price of whole milk powder, the biggest-selling NZ product by volume, rallied 9.9% to $US2265 a tonne. Dairy rose 4.1% month-onmonth in the ANZ index – with casein up 7.8%, butter gaining 5.2% and milk powder up 4.1%. Meat rose 2% in the latest month, led by a 4.4% increase in lamb prices and a 2.1% gain by beef. Aluminium rose 2.2%. “World sheepmeat prices have primarily improved because of a significant dropoff in NZ supply,” says ANZ rural economist Con Williams. “This is due to a smaller lamb crop in 2015, some re-stocking and high early season turn-off.” He says beef prices were helped by lower seasonal supply in the US.
facebook.com/ruralnews
MINIMUM $750 Trade-in No Questions Trade in your dunger and we’ll give you a minimum of $750 towards a new Suzuki TF125 Mudbug. So wheel in to your Suzuki dealer now.
TF125K5
$3,995
SZM0247
LESS $750 MINIMUM TRADE-IN We pay you $750 minimum trade on a new Mudbug when you bring in your old two wheel farm bike – going or not. Offer valid until 30 September 2016 or while stocks last.
SUZUKI.CO.NZ
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
4 NEWS
Pea ban costly FROM PAGE 1
Andrew Booth
Wairarapa pea seed growers are facing losses up to $250,000 this season as the result of the discovery of pea weevil.
barley in and toughed it out for a few years on feed barley; but we haven’t even got that option,” he says. “The world has just gone through a fourth record grain harvest, so it is awash with grain and
Richard Kershaw
this crop since the early 1980s and says the timing of the pea weevil incursion sucks.
“If it had happened four or five years ago it would have been alright; we could have put feed
BIRDPROOF CLEARSPAN
KITSET SHEDS
BIRDPROOF RAFTERS
STRONG & PROVEN
COMPLETE KITSETS
FREE DELIVERY
0800 428 453
NZ LTD
www.alpinebuildings.co.nz
FAST INSTALL
“Great product - I’m very satisfied with my new shed!”
lot of growers. He points to the importance of biosecurity for NZ and hopes people will learn from this crisis that our border must be protected from incursions that could harm the primary sector. Mike Williams, also from Gladstone, grows about 30ha of peas on his 200ha arable property. He sees a need for industry standards to govern the importing of all feeds and seeds; blame should not simply be pinned to MPI. “This has occurred because of some people failing to mitigate the risk and trying to make bigger profits by importing cheaper seed and selling it at the same price as better quality seed. “As growers, maybe we have to stand up as a collective and [buy seed only from] people who can prove they are taking the less risky route and importing the safest seed.” A big pea seed grower in Wairarapa is Richard Kershaw, who has 100ha in peas. He’s been growing
this is reflected here in the dairy crash. “The price of feed grain is so low it’s not worth growing.” Kershaw says peas are part of his rotation, grown only once in threefive years; in between he
grows onion, ryegrass and sweet corn seed. But essentially he is set up for growing peas, and options are few and far between. “Maybe a contract for maize growing, but it would cost a fortune to truck it out of Wairarapa
and malting barley contracts are hard to get,” he says. “Seed companies are doing their best and there are options for next season and autumn sowing, but there are few options right now.”
MPI SWINGS INTO ACTION MPI NOW has at least 20 staff dealing with the pea weevil problem. Dr Veronica Herrera is in charge of the work, which began when pea seeds containing the weevil were found in March at a seed processing plant in Masterton. But not until July 27 was the ‘controlled area notice’ (CAN) posted. Herrera says in the months between a huge effort went into tracing the origin of the affected seed. “The important thing is the cycle of the weevil which becomes active in spring.... This insect only affects peas so this gives us opportunity to
attempt eradication,” she told Rural News. As part of this, MPI is trying to locate any pea straw in Wairarapa and is buying this as part of its response. But there are fears that some pea straw, despite it being low risk, has left the region. Some peas in pods may be in the straw and MPI wants these destroyed. Herrera says MPI is fumigating with methyl bromide any seed peas coming into NZ; imports come from the US, Canada and Europe. While the source of the problem has yet to be determined, it is widely believed imported seed has caused the outbreak.
MPI’s work with growers and industry to eradicate the pea weevil includes calling on NZ and overseas experts to tap a huge knowledge bank to deal with the problem in the most effective way. A ‘solutions’ package is being developed which will see MPI paying for the disposal of pea straw and monitoring farms where peas are grown. Pea growers may get compensation in some form to cover the difference in what they would have earned from growing peas and what they may earn, if anything, from alternative crops planted this year to replace the peas.
NEW ZEALAND’S APPLICATION EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS FOR OVER 40 YEARS Cropair 300L Linkage
$6,500 EX. GST
Cropair 600L Linkage
$9,950 EX. GST
Linkage 300 Spreader
$1,095 EX. GST
Linkage 500 Spreader
$1,195
EX. GST
Croplands Cropair Linkage Sprayers are available exclusively through Fruitfed Supplies and PGG Wrightson nationwide
GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT. DEMAND CROPLANDS. VISIT YOUR LOCAL CROPLANDS DEALER OR CONTACT CROPLANDS: North Island, Upper Greg Small 0276 879 010
North Island, Lower Vic Barlow 0274 752 322
South Island Rob Marshall 0272 486 822
Freecall 0800 106 898 Email sales@croplands.co.nz
www.croplands.co.nz
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
NEWS 5
Red meat sector working on special ties with China
DOCKING YARD DEALS!
SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
THE RED meat sector is working to build closer trade relationships with its Chinese counterparts and government officials. Meat Industry Association chairman John Loughlin says China continues to develop as a market and the industry has invested in deepening relationships there. Addressing the red meat sector conference in Auckland last month, Loughlin referred to partnerships between local processors and their Chinese counterparts. “There have been important commercial developments between New Zealand meat processors and Chinese partners, such as the proposed transaction between Silver Fern Farms and Shanghai Maling, and the partnership between Alliance Group and Grand Farm,” he says. “The red meat sector strategy said that getting greater profitability… required better integration from pasture to plate, and these kinds of agree-
Add a drench/force race kit to your existing tailing set up.
Meat Industry Association chair John Loughlin.
ments between processors and Chinese partners are a positive sign.” MIA has been working hard to build closer trade relationships in China. Its chief executive, Tim Ritchie, has made four visits in the past year, meeting Chinese officials and making presentations; heavily engaged in often very complex issues that need sorting out,
ranging from new China food safety law and implications for packaging and labelling, and protocols to allow resumption of trade in semi-processed casings. “Getting chilled beef and lamb access to China is an important goal for industry, and it is good to see potential progress on that front,” says Loughlin. Commenting on
Brexit, Loughlin noted the NZ red meat industry was originally founded to serve the British market. Britain’s entry into the European Common Market which became the EU caused profound changes for the industry, leading to it becoming exceptionally productive, innovative and with a global perspective. Britain is an impor-
tant market to NZ: it buys at least $600 million of product annually, most of it sheepmeat, says Loughlin. “Obviously, there will be uncertainty as Britain and the EU negotiate new arrangements. But we are confident the existing very good trade relationship we have with the EU will continue, and that we can develop a new relationship with Britain.”
*Order $1000 + GST of components and get freight free to your nearest main centre.
UNDERSTAND YOUR SOIL QUALITY COMPLIMENTARY
Test your soil with Hill Laboratories and get all the information you need to manage your fertiliser programme more effectively, manage environmental risk and monitor soil organic matter and nitrogen status.
We’ve developed a suite of specialised soil tests designed to identify any nutrient deficiencies, excesses or imbalances.
FOR MORE INFO FREEPHONE
0508 HILL LAB (44 555 22)
www.hill-laboratories.com
AU-7342788AA
SEAL6286RN9
SOIL TESTING
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
6 NEWS
Time for TPP ultimatum to US SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
AN INTERNATIONAL trade expert says it’s time to start thinking about other ways to “skin the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) cat”. Crawford Falconer, a former New Zealand ambassador to the WTO, says if the TPP trade deal gets bogged down in Washington, it will be time for radical alternatives, including telling Washington we will go ahead
without them. He made the comments at the Meat Industry Association red meat sector conference in Auckland recently. “Obviously we will have to wait and see what happens in Washington; give them a little time,” says Falconer. Hopefully wins the presidency will begin intense consultation with Congress. “If they don’t get it through in the ‘lame duck’ session [during the presidential campaign], give them
SUBSIDIES HURTING NZ FORMER WTO ambassador Crawford Falconer believes there are about $750 billion of agricultural subsidies in the global market. He says as a food exporter, New Zealand operates in one of the world’s most highly distorted markets – the “kingdom of subsidies”. “Seen as a country it would be the 20th-largest economy in the world –
just in the size of agricultural subsidies. It would be the size of Saudi Arabia.” Falconer says that’s why the Trans Pacific Partnership deal is so important. “It is one part of a strategy to improve market access to some of the most heavily protected in the world.” TPP offers the red meat sector very good outcomes, he says.
time to see if this thing is realistically going to move, or is it stuck for the foreseeable future? “Then it will be time for radical alternatives.” US presidential frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton oppose TPP. But President Barack Obama is hopeful Congress can pass the TPP in the lame-duck session. MIA chairman John Loughlin says it would be tragic to lose TPP in one or two countries. “We now have the process for getting parliamentary ratification of the TPP in the various signatory countries. “This is a process we cannot take for granted. It would be tragic if the wisdom and compromise that has brought us to this point were to be lost in expedient partisan politics in one or two countries.” Last week, visiting Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned US businessmen that the country will severely damage its reputation in Asia if Congress does not approve the TPP agreement. “For America’s friends and partners, ratifying the TPP is a litmus test of
Crawford Falconer (left) with Deputy Secretary for Trade David Walker at the recent red meat sector conference.
of thing – even for the US.” Falconer says we must have a flexible strategy to accommodate this kind of scenario. “It won’t be easy for NZ and let’s hope that won’t be necessary, but we need to seriously start thinking about what we need to do post-TPP.”
credibility and seriousness of purpose,” Lee told the business audience before meeting President Obama. Falconer admits it won’t be easy telling Washington that we will go alone. But they must be made aware at the start that they will be sacrificing gains by not ratifying TPP. “Let’s make it very clear there’s a cost in not proceeding with this kind
PIONEER 1000 5 SEATER
@rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
PIONEER 1000 3 SEATER
IT’S NOT JUST BIGGER. IT’S BETTER TEST RIDE ONE TODAY! 999CC POWER PLANT // 900KG TOWING CAPACITY // LONGITUDINALLY MOUNTED ENGINE // 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION // LOW RANGE SUB TRANS // DIFF-LOCK
www.hondamotorbikes.co.nz Available at participating Honda Dealerships. Accessories shown sold separately. Contact your Honda Dealership for more information.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
NEWS 7
China working to boost its own red meat sector SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
THE CHINESE government is working on boosting domestic red meat supply, says China Meat Association president Li Shuilong. China has been a net importer of beef and sheepmeat since 2012 and the government in Beijing is keen to boost local production. Speaking at the Meat Industry Association’s red meat sector conference in Auckland recently, Shuilong pointed out there was “a lack of core competence” in the domestic Chinese market. There are very few large scale producers, and cattle and sheep breeds are limited. “The breeds of beef cattle and mutton sheep are few; the core breeds are reliant on
imports, the breeding selection and improvement lag behind and are even degenerating in some regions,” he says. “The comparable profitability is low; the breeding amount is insufficient.” Decreases of 10.2% and 5.4%, respectively, occurred
among breeding cattle and sheep in the 11th Chinese five-year plan, versus the 10th five-year plan. Shuilong says production capacity improvement is weak, restricting long-term development in the beef and sheepmeat sector. There are still differences
IMPORT BOOM • China’s imports of beef rose from 61,000 tonnes in 2012 to 495,000t last year. • In 2011 China’s lamb imports were 83,000t, by last year they had risen to 220,000t. • Most beef imports came from seven countries: the top three were Australia (160,000t), Uruguay (135,000t) and NZ (73,000t). • China has just resumed beef imports from Brazil and Canada. • Most sheepmeat came from four countries: NZ is the largest sheepmeat supplier to China (137,000t), then Australia (81,000t).
China is keen to boost its local red meat production.
in price between domestic and imported products, and these cannot be eliminated in the short term. He says there are general upwards trends in prices on the international beef and sheepmeat markets, however, the percentage increases are far below those of China. Free trade deals with Australia and New Zealand are leading to tariff reductions and exemptions. Shuilong
says this will stimulate imports of beef and sheepmeat, dampening the prices of Chinese domestic beef and sheepmeat. To tackle these issues the Chinese government is improving capacity for beef and lamb supply in the regions. It is also increasing the number of female livestock, and large scale breeding schemes are in development.
FUND OPENS FOR TONGAN WORKERS HORTNZ IS setting up a fund to help the families of five Tongan kiwifruit coolstore workers killed in a crash at Katikati with a logging truck last week. “As an industry we are responding to this by setting up a fund – people can donate money – to assist the workers’ families,” HortNZ chief executive Mike Chapman told Rural News. It is called the Kiwifruit Industry Community Support Fund Incorporated Society (a charitable incorporated society). “We are seeking donations to our community support fund and its bank number is 06 0379 0245466 00.” Chapman says HortNZ will be making that number public and it will be on the HortNZ, NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc and other industry websites.
HONDA TRX500FM1 NOW ONLY
$12,170 EXC GST.
Available while stocks last. Prices exclude GST. Available at participating Honda dealers only.
? visit hondamotorbikes.co.nz/breakup
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
8 NEWS
SFF saga nearing an end? DAVID ANDERSON davida@ruralnews.co.nz
SILVER FERN Farm’s farmer shareholders will vote again on the meat company’s proposed merger with the Chinese company Shanghai Maling at a special meeting to be held in Dunedin later this week (Friday 12 August). The re-vote comes in the wake of SFF shareholders backing the deal last October by at least 82%. However, the deal that will see Shanghai Maling pay $261 million for a 50% stake in SFF has been stalled due to a campaign run by a group of around 80 shareholders – headed by ex-pat British investment banker and Canterbury runholder John Shrimpton – protesting the move and successfully requisitioning the special meeting and another vote. The Shrimpton group has forced the special meeting in a bid to overturn the proposed deal with Shanghai Maling, which it believes is not in the best interests of SFF shareholders. The deal was original planned to go ahead on June 30 this year. However, delays in gaining Overseas Investment
Office (OIO) approval – now due on September 30 – and the rearguard action by the Shrimpton-led group has seen settlement of the joint venture deferred until January next year. Added to SFF’s problems has been the involvement of NZ First leader Winston Peters. He has loudly opposed the deal and has made many statements – often behind the protection of parliamentary privilege – condemning it and making accusations against the SFF board and management. Peters also lodged complaints with the Financial Markets Authority and the Companies Office about the proposed joint venture. Both cases were dismissed. Regardless of the outcome of the new poll, SFF has constantly said this vote will not be legally binding on the company and it intends to push on and form the new partnership with Shanghai Maling. SFF claims its partnership with Shanghai Maling is in the best interests of company and that it was supported by shareholders at the October 2015 special shareholder meeting. “They saw the necessity for the new
SFF chair Rob Hewett.
capital to provide a strong financial position, the opportunity to accelerate the company’s global plate-to-pasture value added strategy, and privileged access to the China market provided by the retail and wholesale networks owned by Shanghai Maling. “The board continues to firmly believe the partnership is in the best interests of the co-operative and our shareholders.” The nub of the Shrimpton argument against the deal centres
on its claims that the original vote at the special resolution – the one that overwhelmingly approved the Shanghai Maling deal – was not declared a ‘major transaction’ requiring a minimum of 75% of shareholders votes under SFF’s constitution. The group also claims differences in the financial position of SFF that were portrayed prior to the first vote, compared with the actuals in the 2015 year-end financial reports, would have affected the outcome. In June, Shrimpton ran a series
of meetings around the South Island trying to stir up support from SFF shareholders to vote down the merger at the special meeting. Meanwhile, SFF has just finished its own round of meetings in an effort to rally shareholders to support the merger re-vote. A SFF spokesman told Rural News its meetings have been well attended, but down on last year’s turnout. “There is some confusion over why people are being asked to vote again and a sense that the majority of people attending these meetings continue to support the partnership.” On Friday, all the arguments and counter arguments will fall silent as farmers vote again on the merger. If shareholders again back the deal it is hard to see where those opposed to it can go and, depending on the outcome of OIO ruling, the new joint-venture company will be up and running early next year. However, if SFF farmers vote to reject the proposed merger then it’s all off. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
seen Bobby Calves mistreated?
mpi.govt.nz/animal-welfare
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
NEWS 9 NZ FARMING PRODUCTIVITY AT RISK NEW ZEALAND farmers and growers’ chances of being world leaders in productivity are at risk, warns an industry leader. Mark Christie, president of the agricultural chemical body Agcarm, says NZ’s primary industry export revenue is estimated to reach at least $36.7 billion in the year ending June 2016, but is at risk of being marginalised by the politicising of science.
Speaking at the association’s recent annual conference, Christie says arguing for sensible science is one of the industry’s greatest challenges. He cited, as an example, the political hyperbole about glyphosates. “In three separate reports the World Health Organisation concluded that glyphosate is safe for our health, for the environment and even when found in food.
“However, IARC issued a hazard classification which does not assess risk,” Christie told conference goers. “As a result, some of our councils are being lobbied by the public and politicians to ban its use on city streets and parks. “Most of the information they are relying on is incorrect and misleading.” Christie says this reminds him
of a Winston Churchill quote: “ ‘A lie gets half way around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on’. Unfortunately, it is even more evident in our mobile savvy world. It’s now more like four times around the world before the truth can get out of bed.” This makes Agcarm’s role in lobbying for sensible science more important than ever, he says.
No politics in Chinese kiwifruit hold-up KIWIFRUIT MARKETERS are claiming politics has played no role in the recent hold-up of some New Zealand product entering China. Last week, Chinese authorities increased quarantine and inspection requirements after the fungus Neofabraea actinidiae was detected in four containers of Zespri fruit at the port of Tianjin. The “warning notification” from China’s general administration of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine follows media speculation in NZ that Beijing was planning reprisals against NZ primary industry exporters in response to a possible investigation by local officials of alleged Chinese steel dumping. However, these claims have been dismissed by key exporters Zespri, Fonterra, the meat industry – and the Government. The Chinese quarantine authority says the hold-up of the NZ kiwifruit shipment is due to the fungus, describing it as a “major disease” that occurred when kiwifruit was in storage. It could infect other fruit including apples and persimmons causing “serious economic loss”. However, Zespri says the fungus has no food-safety implications and is found in a range of plants in Ecuador, the US, the Netherlands, Australia and NZ. The company says NZ kiwifruit shipments are flowing into China. Zespri’s Simon Limmer says the matter was being treated as a technical issue. “We are working our way through it to understand what the implications are.” China is a rapidly growing market for Zespri, its biggest market volume, representing 18% of kiwifruit sales. Zespri is two-thirds through the kiwifruit export season and Limmer says there will be no interruption of exports to China.
READING THE PAPER ONLINE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
BREAKING NEWS ■ MARKETS & TRENDS MACHINERY REVIEWS MANAGEMENT STORIES COMPETITIONS AND MUCH MORE...
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Shaun Crofskey, Westpac Agribusiness Manager, Te Awamutu
At Westpac, our Agribusiness Managers know farming. So what they bring to you before anything else is knowledge and hard-earned experience. It’s why we’re putting on more Agribusiness Managers. So that when you want to talk to one you can - anytime, day or night. Because we’re backing farming and we’re backing farmers.
01930-WPACM-RN
NOW READ IT ONLINE
“We’ll talk about the farm. The family. The livestock. The one thing we rarely talk about is money.”
To find your local Agribusiness Manager, visit westpac.co.nz/agri
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
10 NEWS
Dairy farmers pare back costs Tim Mackle
SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
DAIRY FARMERS are reducing their farm costs in response to the sustained low milk price. While the milk price will continue to keep pressure on farmers this season, the industry’s cost cutting onfarm means break-even costs are lower. The break-even cash cost includes farm working expenses (excluding adjustments for unpaid management and depreciation), interest and rent, tax and drawings, and net livestock and other income. DairyNZ has revised its break-even milk income for farmers, from $5.25/ kgMS last season to $5.05/kgMS this season. In 2015-16 farmers needed $5.77 to break even. Fonterra last week maintained its milk price at $4.25/kgMS but lifted forecast earnings by 5c to 50-60c/share. A fully shared farmer will get $4.75-$4.85/ kgMS, still 30c short of the break-even price. DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says despite the $5.05/kgMS breakeven milk income required by the average farmer, under the current forecast
farmers will receive around $4.50/kgMS all-up in milk income, including retrospective payments from last season and dividends (including the lift in dividend last week). “Obviously there is still a shortfall there, and while there are farmers operating above that $5.05 level, there are many with break-even incomes below that too. But a $4.50 income and reduced farm working expenses means farmers won’t need to borrow quite as
much,” says Mackle. “But let’s be clear, this is still very tough for our farmers as it’s been a sustained period of low milk price.” Fonterra chairman John Wilson says the solid forecast earnings per share range reflects performance improvements across the business and will be welcomed by farmers. However, it is another financially challenging season. “The cooperative is aware of how tough the situation onfarm remains,”
says Wilson. “We are focused on delivering as much cash as possible to our farmers by bringing payments forward while maintaining a strong balance sheet. This forecast is our best estimate at this early stage of the season. We will continue to update our farmers as we move through the season.” Mackle says the reduced milk price has meant farmers have fine-tuned their management and analysed their costs of production. “This should bring the average farm working expenses back to an anticipated $3.55/kgMS this season, the lowest level since 2009-10.” Farm working expenses were sitting at $4.07/kgMS in 2014-15, so the reduction has been equivalent to around $100,000 per farm, on average. Mackle says reducing the break-even price is tremendous recognition for New Zealand dairy farmers and the resilience they have shown. “Being able to reduce the break-even milk price tells us dairy farmers have cut costs further than we thought. This cost control is resulting in more efficient dairy businesses, which is key to resilience.”
PRICES JUMP! DAIRY FARMERS finally got some good news on the Global Dairy Trade auction. Last week’s GDT price index rose 6.6% higher than the last auction, ending a series of flat results. Whole milk powder prices, which have the biggest bearing on Fonterra’s farmgate milk price, shot up by 9.9% to US$2265/tonne. Skim milk powder prices were up 2.1%, anhydrous milk fat rose 4.7 % and the butter index lifted 6.6%. The rennet casein index achieved the greatest lift in percentage terms -- 16.3 %. Lactose gained 3.7% and the cheddar price index was down 0.8%. The rise in dairy prices, especially whole milk powder, most likely reflects concerns about tightening supply. That price, while still well short of the US$3000/t required to put loss-incurring farmers back in the black, will nevertheless boost their confidence.
50,000 cows say they prefer a clear roof free-range Redpath shelter … if cow’s could talk
!
T C E R I D Y BU h Farmlands/CRT
or throug
ite Built on-s 0 from $52 * per cow!
N An effective and affordable off-pasture shelter system N Multiple flooring options, or build over existing pads N Designs for Feedpads, Standoffshelters or Winteringbarns N 50,000 cows enjoy their free range natural light shelter for increased condition score, improved feed utilization, better pasture quality and regrowth + protection from weather
! S N O S A E S E H T T BEA Free Ph 0508 733 728 www.redpath.co.nz Email: sales@redpath.co.nz * + GST. Conditions apply.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
NEWS 11
Council man going, but not gone SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
PETER BUCKLEY will soon step down from Waikato Regional Council, but don’t expect him to disappear. The 65-year-old Island Block farmer is not standing for re-election to his Waikato constituency role. He plans to work with stakeholders, including the local iwi, in protecting waterways in the region. Buckley spent two terms as chairman of the regional council from 2007 and moved into his councillor role from there. Prior to joining the council he was Federated Farmers Waikato president. “I felt it was time to call time on that sort of role after 25 years with the council and Federated Farmers, including two
ments: Mt Ruaphu and Lake Taupo to the south, the rugged west coast, the playground of the Coromandel to the east, North Waikato’s lakes and aquatic environments, and Hamilton in the middle. Much of it has major river systems, one third of the national dairy herd, grain growing, huge mineral resources and major energy production. “We’re the middle of the Auckland-WaikatoBay of Plenty economic ‘golden triangle’, meaning those regions and the nation need us to prosper. “Local government – 11 city and district councils and a regional council – has a key role in maintaining and developing these natural and developed assets.” In his time on council, Buckley has been involved in treaty settlements with iwi, protecting Lake
“I intend to remain active on behalf of the North Waikato, where I’ve lived and farmed for decades.” terms as council chair,” he told Rural News. “But I can assure Waikato voters I remain committed to my duties as a councillor for the remainder of the term. And I intend to remain active on behalf of the North Waikato, where I’ve lived and farmed for decades, and the wider region. I’m considering options for the future.” Buckley and his wife Judi own a 67ha effective (103ha total) farm at Meremere and have 50:50 sharemilkers Stuart and Lichelle Morgan. While working part time on his farm, Buckley is also on the Waikato River Authority, a trustee of the Waikato Rural Support Trust and is on the Waikato Medical Research fundraising committee. “The region is making gains to improve the great Waikato way of life and I want to stay part of that somehow.” The region is very diverse, Buckley com-
Taupo, other water quality and allocation initiatives, a new plan for the Hauraki Gulf, the Waikato expressway, and regional policies and plans. “I’m watching the development of a plan change for the Waikato and Waipa rivers, which will help protect these waterways and have implications for land use. “Dealing with these matters for nine years has been one of the most rewarding times of my life.” Buckley also cares for the environment on his own farm, which hugs the edge of the 7000ha Whangamarino peat swamp, recognised as a wetland of international importance. Working with a nearby quarry, he allocated 4.5ha of his farm as wetland, to strip nitrogen before the water reaches the Whangamarino peat swamp. His efforts to further protect this ecosystem while operating a successful dairying business in challenging farming conditions were recognised
in last year’s Waikato Ballance Farm Environmental Awards. Buckley has the distinction of having served on both sides of the water quality debate: farming and local body politics.
This gave him early insight into the probability of water quality standards being introduced. “Now I am confident we would meet any standards imposed,” he says.
Former Feds Waikato president and WRC chair Peter Buckley, is standing down at this year’s local body elections.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
12 NEWS
Wrighties raises earnings forecast PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
PGG WRIGHTSON (PGW) now expects its earnings before tax to exceed $68 million; it will post its annual results
today (August 9). This is the top end of the guidance range given in mid-June of $65$68m. It is also expected that PGW’s net profit will be up on the $32.7m for the
same period in the year to June 30, 2015 about 20% higher. Chief executive Mark Dewdney says, “this will be an excellent outcome the business can be proud of and we look forward to
PGG Wrightson chief executive Mark Dewdney says this year’s result will be an excellent outcome for the company.
discussing the detail when our results have been finalised in the coming days”. Dewdney told Rural News in June that plenty of “positivity” in sectors of New Zealand agriculture has offset the effects of the dairy downturn and difficulties in South American for the company. “Some sectors of agriculture in NZ have been tough, most notably dairy, but sheep and beef has been good and horticulture is going
Load up with A
Real Deal
TRAIN ROBBERS!
The
LOAD ER’s ON
us!
MF5600 SERIES | 85 – 120 HP THE ULTIMATE LOADER TRACTOR
Now’s the time to load up on value with a Massey Ferguson 5600 Series tractor... because, the Loader’s on us! And features like this: Fully integrated loader system from factory Unrivalled visibility due to the steep nose bonnet design and Visio roof option Unique Power Control Lever for full transmission control on the shuttle Brake to neutral and shuttle sensitivity adjustment for customised operation Fuel efficient and powerful AGCO POWER engines
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MF DEALER FOR A REAL DEAL MASSEYFERGUSON.CO.NZ | FREECALL 0800 825 872 * Offer ends 30 September 2016, while stocks last. Loader refers to MF949 Standard loader and does not include hay grab accessory shown. Consult your local Massey Ferguson dealer for full terms and conditions.
MASSEY FERGUSON , MF , the triple-triangle logo is a worldwide brand of AGCO. © 2016 ®
®
®
well,” Dewdney says. “Agriculture in NZ is not just all dairy. “Our business has performed well, the strategy is clear, our people are highly engaged and clear on what they have to do and relationships with clients are good.”
*
IT SEEMS like a desperate cash-grab by Kiwirail; that’s how Federated Farmers vice president Anders Crofoot describes the rail company’s proposal to charge farmers for stock and services access across train tracks. The new charges are proposed under the guise of the recent health and safety reforms, he says, although Feds understands the plans to increase charges pre-date the reforms. “Many farmers are stunned by the proposals they have received for new access charges. On top of recent hikes in rentals ranging from 200% to more than 400% this is extraordinary. Individual farmers [have copped]... massive increases in rent; [now] many farmers are seeing new charges coming in on top of that.” Crofoot says the big issue is Kiwirail’s approach to the negotiation – take it or leave it. “This isn’t going down particularly well and farmers feel they are being held to ransom.” Each situation is different for most farmers: some run waterpipes under train tracks, others have stock access to paddocks via an underpass – a benefit for Kiwirail because it reduces the risk of wandering stock. “Yes, the farmers are making use of someone else’s land but in many instances it’s not like they have a lot of choice. Many in the farming community are under economic pressure. Early on we were trying to take a conciliatory line but we were not getting anywhere so we’ve upped the anti.” Crofoot says charges to farmers in the past were based on easements over land. Now Kiwirail appears to be trying to tidy the situation, but Federated Farmers can see no justification for the costs the company is planning to charge. “The whole things seems a desperate cash-grab which doesn’t seem justified. They are probably struggling for cashflow like a lot of other businesses so here is nice soft target.” Crofoot says Feds is now supporting farmers, representing them as safe, vigilant custodians of stock crossings across train tracks. “We’re attempting to provide advice on commercial resolutions, however Kiwirail’s approach means we’re not optimistic. We’re pursuing ways and means to reduce the impact of this new and additional expense.”
LATEST STORIES EVERY DAY Get up-to-date news at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
NEWS 13
Fert company riding out dairy dip NIGEL MALTHUS
FARMER-OWNED FERTILISER co-op Ravensdown is riding out the dairy downturn better than feared. Chairman John Henderson says it seems dairy farmers are reacting to their reduced cashflow by looking after their pasture rather than buying in supplementary feed. Speaking on the company’s annual results for 2015-16, Henderson said Ravensdown had expected the year to be difficult. “We thought the dairy sector was going to be a real challenge for us this year and it hasn’t materialised as we thought it would,” he told Rural News. “We are wondering whether dairy farming is moving away from supplementary feed and just concentrating on growing grass,” he says. “Let’s
Ravensdown chair John Henderson is pleased with the annual result.
hope that’s correct.” Ravensdown announced a profit before tax and rebate of $62 million for the year ended May 31, 2016, up from $46m in 2015; it will pay a total rebate of $41/tonne to shareholders. Henderson says it’s a very satisfying result – the culmination of a three-year strategy of
incremental improvements by focusing on fun-
damentals. Shareholders already paid an interim rebate of $21/t in June will now get another $20/t; at least $44m will then have been returned to farmers. “Being able to pump $44m back into the rural economy when times are tough, being able to provide an interim rebate to our shareholders during the year -- that was satisfying,” Henderson says. “And we’ve been able to take our prices down regularly through the season and pass that on to our shareholders; that’s equally satisfying.” He believes Ravens-
down has outperformed the sector with a better rebate, and in passing on value in the form of technical advice and product quality, and leading in price cuts throughout the year. Price cuts on urea and superphosphate were worth at least $60m on an annualised basis for farmers. The co-op spent $33m on infrastructure and $4m on R&D. Operating cashflow was $106m. Equity was further improved via retained earnings -- equity ratios is 84% -- and the co-op was net debt-free in 2015-16, versus 2012 when
the equity ratio was 41% and the company owed $355m. The rebate is down from the $50/t paid in the previous year, but Henderson says that was achieved by tapping into reserves. “This year we’ve got $44m out of profit, but also we have 10-odd million back after tax that we’ve got for capital reserve, so it’s satisfying that we’re building the capital of the company and still paying a good rebate.” A highlight of the year was building a blending tower at the Hornby
plant, that can make a precisely metered custom blend on the fly, and loading it straight into a spreading contractor’s truck. That machine is proving to be “a real gem,” Henderson says. “We’re thrilled at how well it works and we’re finding all the time that it can do other things that are going to add value to our business.” Contracts are let for a second tower in a big redevelopment now underway at the co-op’s New Plymouth plant. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, right, and Ravensdown CEO Greg Campbell in the sulphur bulk store at Ravensdown’s Hornby plant on the day of the official opening of the company’s precision blending tower.
RAVENSDOWN 2015-16 RESULT SUMMARY ■■
■■ ■■ ■■ ■■
■■
■■
Rebate of $41/t; $21/t already paid in cash. The remainder of $20/t will also be paid in cash unless the customer is not a fully paid-up shareholder, in which case up to half will be distributed in shares and the rest in cash. No net debt. Equity ratio at 84% pre-rebate and 75% post-rebate. $106m operating cashflow. Operating profit of $62m. A revaluation impairment of $3m associated with discontinuing activities. $10m post tax and after rebate in retained earnings to spend on current and future capabilities. $33m spent on infrastructure including new loaders, conveyors, roofing, laboratories and precision blending machinery. Infrastructure upgrade funded without need for extra capital.
S A L E ON N O W !
Terms and Conditions: Offers valid August 2016 only or while stocks last. Discount offers apply to standard retail pricing only. Prices include GST and are subject to change. Products may not be available in all stores but may be ordered on request. Prices do not include delivery, delivery costs are additional. Images are for illustrative purposes only. *Excludes Angus and Brahman styles.
Freephone Freephone0800 080010 1022 2276 76 www.pggwrightson.co.nz www.pggwrightson.co.nz
Helping grow the country
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
14 NEWS
Possum busters not happy with plan Even as the Government announced an ambitious plan to eradicate possums from New Zealand, Lisa Pearce was at work in a multimillion dollar industry that treats the pests as a resource. NIGEL MALTHUS
BLENHEIM-BASED PEARCE and her husband Robin cover the top of South Island as part of a network of buyers collecting possum skins and fur from hunters and trappers throughout the country. In the week the eradication plan was announced, Lisa Pearce was meeting suppliers in Christchurch, Timaru and Oxford, North Canterbury, as they brought in hundreds of fresh pelts and several large sacks of alreadyplucked fur. She grades the pelts on the fly, sorting the best by size and quality to be tanned whole, and the rest to be plucked for their fur. Only 10% on average are good enough for tanning. The Pearces are agents for Basically Bush, Opotiki, which runs 13 procurement agents throughout the country and a specialised possum
skin tannery at Woodville. Rob Pearce says the demand for possum fur is “incredible”. Good suppliers can be hard to find, but Pearce has one young pair on his books who three years were only bringing in 1kg of possum fur weekly but are now up to 15-20 kg/ week. It’s not a job for everyone, he says. You have to be a loner, comfortable in the bush. Pearce himself does some trapping, but
the widespread war on possums is making it harder. “When I first started, say 13 years ago, I put a line out up here (Marlborough) and got 1200 for a three hour walk. I do the same line now and I’ll get eight or seven. We’ve knocked them right back.” On the day Rural News met Lisa Pearce at Oxford, none of her suppliers wanted to be identified, but to a man they were scathing of the
eradication plan. Not only would it be impossible, they said, it would cut into an industry which provided full-time employment for some and a handy sideline for many. “The Department of Conservation spends how many million dollars a year trying to eradicate them? But I think the possum industry alone puts $180 million back into New Zealand each year,” says Rob Pearce. “You could argue
Possum pelts ready for grading.
WE’RE COVERED
• If you can get to them you can save them • Cost effective and practical • Easy to fit • Improves weight gain
Possum skin and fur buyer Lisa Pearce sorts pelts during a buying trip to Oxford in North Canterbury.
Woolover covers dramatically improve the survival of new born animals
ULTRA CALF COVER: • Waterproof The one variable you can control to improve profit • Breathable ® • Durable ANIMAL COVERS • Cleanable
Woolover
Ph 03-354 4123 • Cell 027-434 1606 • Email woolover@xtra.co.nz • web www.woolover.co.nz
AVAILABLE THROUGH ALL LEADING STOCK AND STATION AGENTS AND VET SUPPLIES
Lime applied the smarter, easier way
by Italians about 1976 and in its heyday processed 250,000 skins a year, but the worldwide antifur movement knocked demand through the 1990s, says Boot. Since then however, the development of possum-merino blend clothing has caused a resurgence, with sales, mostly to tourists, estimated at $130m a year. “From the late 1990s to the present day the demand for possum fibre has increased from a meagre few tonnes a year
to the 50-60 tonnes our company will harvest. There are others, so there could be 70-80 tonnes a year in total,” she says. Asked about the eradication plan, Boot chooses her words carefully, calling the idea commendable. But for the foreseeable future, the industry is secure. “We believe harvesting possums for commercial gain could assist in attaining the goal the Government wants to attain,” she says.
Ca & Mg the smarter, easier way
PELLETISED LIME - Fine-lime made easy Save up to 2/3's on your next lime application. Use Optimise for easy spreading, accurate placement and rapid response. With application rates as low as 250kg/ha.
there is a resource out there. It just needs to be managed.” Basically Bush, set up in 1998 by Sue and Steve Boot, is the biggest single player in the possum-buying industry, accounting for 85% of the trade. Sue Boot says they produced 53 tonnes of fibre last year, and the tannery dressed about 30,000 top-grade skins. They have taken at least one million possums a year since about 2003. The tannery was set up
COST COMPARISON
AgLime *Applied cost
$97/ha
5¢ / DAY / COW! Calcium based mineral pellets Say 'Goodbye' to dusting forever when you feed Vitalise, pelletised Calcium and Magnesium supplements to your herd.
NO MORE DUSTING
$350/ha
* Freight based on bulk (> 28T) from King Country to Otago and estimated aerial application costs * Rate applied to achieve equivalent response: Optimise @250kg/ha vs Aglime @2.5T/ha
LIME SOLUTIONS - fine lime solutions
0508 678 464 | WWW.OPTIMISE.NET.NZ
LIME SOLUTIONS - fine lime solutions
0508 678 464 | WWW.OPTIMISE.NET.NZ WWW.OPTIMISE WWW.
No More Frost Damaged Valves
Now also available in Male Female configuration
Frost Friendly HAND TESTED
TWICE
The only New Zealand made Ball Valve that’s designed for New Zealand weather conditions including frost! *
✔ High Pressure ✔ Full Flow ✔ Potable water approved
✔ Guaranteed Not To Break In Frost ✔ Available In Sizes 15-50mm BSP ✔ Easy open/close under pressure *For more frost friendly info visit www.hansenproducts.co.nz/products/valve/HBV-size.htm
Proudly Kiwi Owned and Operated Since 1958
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
16 NEWS
ECan to get tough on water cheats ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY is threatening to name and shame transgressors as it continues its crackdown on unconsented and unmetered irrigation. The Canterbury
regional council says it is nearing the end of a fiveyear process to ensure that all water take consent holders have water meters installed. It says ECan has moved towards an “audited self-manage-
ment approach”, where it works collaboratively with farmers to ensure water meter compliance is achieved. “Our focus now is on cracking down on low flow breaches during
infringement notices on our website in response to the public’s desire for more transparency in water measurement breaches.” Bayfield says ECan’s water meter programme
times of water restriction then dealing with breaches exceeding consented volumes,” chief executive Bill Bayfield says. “We will begin publishing abatement and
ECan chief executive Bill Bayfield.
0% P.A.
1/3
OVER 24 MONTHS*
UPFRONT
1/3
IN 12 MONTHS
1/3
IN 24 MONTHS
ONE FARM. ONE FUEL. HARDEST WORKING, SMOOTHEST RIDING FEATURES: AWD Mode Turf Mode
CERTIFIED ROLL OVER PROTECTION STRUCTURE
UNLOCKING REAR DIFF
SEAT BELT INTERLOCK
ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING
ENGINE BRAKING SYSTEM & 4 WHEEL DESCENT CONTROL (4WDC)
ON DEMAND TRUE ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE (AWD)
DUMP BOX CAPACITY - 454KG
24HP
has been hugely successful, with less than 1% of water take consent holders lacking an action plan for installing a water meter. “We’ve currently got non-compliant farmers on notice that they’ve got 10 days to comply with the water meter installation rules.” Bayfield believes that by next season the whole region will be compliant in water meter installation. “Many farmers have gone above and beyond the national requirements for water measurement and have spent the $25,000 needed to install measuring devices that allow for daily data return. “From now on Environment Canterbury will intervene immediately to fix problems such as low flow breaches and will
look at following through with stricter enforcement if necessary, including prosecution where required.” Bayfield says water use in Canterbury is a huge issue and people are showing how deeply they care about fairly apportioned use of water. “We get this. We could have been stricter on noncompliance in the past, but we’re well on the way to having a fully compliant region by October this year. Those farmers lagging behind know what they’ve got to do.” ECan has recently received many local government official information management act requests regarding water measurement compliance. Bayfield says all OIA requests about these are now up on its website.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T COMPLY UNDER THE Resource Management Act enforcement action can include: ■■ Formal written warning – notice of an offence (often minor) ■■ Abatement notice – formal notice to take action or cease an activity that may have an adverse environmental effect or breaches the Resource Management Act ■■ Infringement notice – formal notice of an offence which includes payment of a fine. ■■ Prosecution – for offences so serious that they warrant proceedings through the courts.
KG 907
HEAVY DUTY “HD” FEATURES
907KG TOWING CAPACITY
INDEPENDENT REAR SUSPENSION 25.4CM OF TRAVEL
4 WHEEL DISC BRAKES
Subject to credit approval, fees, terms and conditions apply. Based on a 24 month Hire Purchase Contract. To approved Registered GST No Holders for business purposes only on applications for Polaris Ranger Diesel 1000 HD EPS models. Offer expires 31/8/16. Polaris Finance is a program operated by De Lage Landen Ltd Company No: 135515. Overseas model shown with optional accessories. Offer available at participating dealers only.
0800 440 290 | www.polaris.co.nz |
/PolarisNZ
Check out our websites www.ruralnews.co.nz www.dairynews.co.nz
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
NEWS 17
Huge growth and money in Hort PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
HORTICULTURE IS on the rise: there’s growth and there’s money in it, says Young Grower of the Year Andrew Hutchinson (28), from Pukekohe. He says the $5 billion horticulture industry is a positive one to be involved in and that message needs to get out to more young people. Hutchinson, a technical support advisor at AS Wilcox & Sons, secured the national title after pitting his skills, knowledge and experience against four other regional winners. He won the title Young Vegetable Grower earlier this year. He reckons by entering the competitions you learn where you stand in the bigger scheme of things. “A big lesson was working with other industries and seeing the roles out there and the positions there are and how you can fit into the bigger picture of horticulture as a whole,” he told Rural News. “There is definitely a shortage of young people in the industry. HortNZ funded a company to analyse the industry and the growth. They will need something like 26,000 more workers in the next 10 years just to keep the industry viable. “Many older people now running orchards and businesses will eventually want to retire. The pipeline isn’t there now for a succession plan. “There are many facets to the industry: you can work in [emerging] technology -- camera technology; we need statisticians, people who know supply chain management, people who know cool storage, we need all sorts of people. It is not just a simple horticulture industry, it is general and wide.” Hutchinson believes young people will be attracted if they understand the opportunities. Once you settle in
BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD FOR SECTOR THE YOUNG Grower of the Year competition is run by HortNZ and is now in its tenth year. HortNZ chief executive Mike Chapman says Hutchinson has a bright future ahead and exemplifies the capability of young people in the industry. Originally from Tauranga, Hutchison studied at Massey University and joined AS Wilcox & Sons several years ago, taking time out for OE. On his return to NZ he took up a new role as a technical support advisor focused on potatoes. As well as taking home the national title, Hutchison gained top marks in three of the five challenges including best practical, best business and innovation. “I feel privileged to have won. The other growers are at the top of their game and it was a tough challenge. I am proud to be able to keep this award here in Pukekohe,” he says. In something of a winning streak, last year’s winner, Hamish Gates, also worked for AS Wilcox & Sons in Pukekohe. Second place this year was awarded to Chris Clement from Bay of Plenty. Jack Gilchrist from Roxburgh came third. Tomas Dalziel from Nelson received top marks for his leadership skills on the leadership panel and Jordan James from Hawke’s Bay received top marks for his speech. Hutchinson is now preparing for the Young Horticulturalist of the Year contest in November.
a position it becomes less of a job and more of a career, he says. And people stay in the industry because they love what they are doing. “It is one of those jobs you can really get into and there is much you can learn and do in the industry; you’d never get bored and you’d never answer all the questions. “You work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities; there are few other industries like horticulture.” Hutchison believes for young people job security is now a big driver in their choice of career. A growth industry is more secure than one with lots of competition for jobs, so that is a bonus too, he says. Entering the competitions has made
Talk to your local PGG Wrightson team about your winter animal health needs. Freephone 0800 10 22 76
him realise the level of opportunity. One of the prizes for the young grower winner is a Massey University study grant, so Hutchinson, who already holds a B.Appl.Sc (Hort), is looking at opportunities for next year. He forsees a lot of work coming up in GIS information – geography and management of resources There is a big push in technology which will overlap with growing. He sees a potential niche to be filled by people who know how to work the technology and those who know how to grow the plants. “There is a pretty big hole there and that’s somewhere I’d like to look,” he says.
VETMED Triplemax Oral White/ML/Clear triple combination low dose oral drench for the management of internal parasites in cattle and sheep.
www.pggwrightson.co.nz
Lifeguard® 5 in 1 Protects ewes against the five major clostridial diseases. Lambs receive protective antibodies through the ewes colostrum for the first 6-8 weeks of life.
Horticulture is on the rise and has a big future says Young Grower of the Year Andrew Hutchinson.
Lister Nexus Pro Shearing Machine ASK IN-STORE FOR PRICING AND MORE INFORMATION Helping grow the country
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
18 NEWS Student farmy army helping out locals NIGEL MALTHUS
IF YOU need extra hands to herd heifers, plant trees, build a fence or clean up under a woolshed that hasn’t seen human intervention in decades, Handy Landys are here to help. Handy Landys is a group of mainly Lincoln University agriculture students offering their skills and labour to farmers. With support from the Rural Support Trust, the service is free to farmers; all the students ask in return is the experience and the opportunity to network as they begin their careers in the sector. Their website says the idea came, as all good
ideas do, during a session at the pub. Now about 100 strong, the group is available to muck in wherever they’re needed, in the spirit of the Student Volunteer Army which mobilised after the Canterbury earthquakes. Farmers can go to the website and register their task; a Handy Landys co-ordinator will assess the requirements, then schedule appropriately skilled volunteers to do the work. Recently four Handy Landys – second-year Lincoln students Sophie Gualter, Tessa Schmidt, Oscar Beattie and Matty Risi turned out to help familiarise first-time heifers with the milking platform on Peter and Adele King’s dairy farm
QUAD SAFETY MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
Sophie Gualter, left, Tessa Schmidt, Oscar Beattie (all second-year Lincoln students) and team leader, fourth-year student Matty Risi, right, ready for a day of handling heifers on a Canterbury dairy farm.
near Burnham. The Kings had about 135 in-calf heifers returning to the farm that day for the first time since they were weaned. As each truckload arrived they were introduced immediately to the milking platform before being allowed out to pasture.
Adele King said they were impressed and grateful for the help of the Handy Landys team, who put their backs into the task of urging the heifers into the rotary stalls. The Handy Landys can be contacted via their website at www. handylandys.co.nz
FATALITIES AND crashes on quads make depressing reading. Despite many efforts to promote adequate training, safe practice and understanding of machines and riders, the realities of human nature mean accidents will persist. Worksafe NZ will soon launch a survey of the scope of the problem, before making any recommendations. Meanwhile, its counterpart in Victoria, Australia four months ago put the onus on employers to fit crush protection devices (CPDs) if they believed employees were at any risk using quads. This stance was driven by statistics: Australia has had 104 quad-related fatalities since 2011, 23 of them in Victoria. The industry reckons there are about 30,000 quads in use in the state. Last week, the Victoria government launched a rebate scheme for farmers, under which A$6 million is available for two years to provide A$1200 for operators to buy up to two CPDs or spend the money on some other vehicle, such as the increasingly popular side-by-sides. Five years ago the Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety had called for
mandatory rollover protection on all such vehicles. Speaking for the Victoria Farmers Federation, president Peter Tuohey said, “its good news for Victorian farming families as ATV safety is a huge issue; 23 fatalities [have occurred] in the region since 2011 and two already in 2016”. However, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber dismisses the move as political puffery. “Clearly there is a strong desire by governments to be seen to be supporting ATV safety. The FCAI believes the rebate scheme has been rushed through to subsidise so-called safety devices which are not supported by any scientific evidence.” Weber says promoters of CPD’s have done little to prove their effectiveness and the work has been done is independently proven unreliable, as evidenced in a recent coroner’s inquest in Queensland. He says a study by US engineering firm Dynamic Research shows CPDs do not meet the International Standard ISO 13232-5 and can cause as many injuries as they seek to prevent. He says the industry wants helmet wearing made mandatory, since they are known to reduce head injuries by up to 60%. And he wants more rider training.
Falkirk
Greener grass, more fertile pastures
The Falkirk Index System is generating the largest private genetic client base in the Tri-Nations. Principal Director ~ Ian Walsh
Falkirk Scientific Foundation
Falkirk Scientific Foundation was founded in the Northern King Country to promote excellence in genetics across specie and breed. The focus of defining the optimal animal Applauds the complete Falkirk client base through the use CONGRATULATIONS; of ultrasound technology and sound stockNAILED judgmentITis enhancing the YOU HAVE genetic and financial outcomes offarm an expanding base. The Falkirk Index System It is considered by Falkirk that each business is aclient pragmatic science trial. Subscribing in excess of 1 million sheep selection and beef animals. is a •proven holistic method of animal that determines the genetic value and • Spanning 23 years of formal existence, providing robust measured data. commercial worth of an animal. Client referrals leverage growth. • Signifying commercial reality.
• Scientific confirmation of the definition of the optimal animal. Falkirk isisthe prime systems advocate to to move thethe sheep and beef beef industry • Simplistic epigenetic knowledge influences animal selection. Falkirk theunconditional unconditional primethat systems advocate move sheep, and to a true marketing environment for specified product through the conduit of valuethe based selection methodenvironment to define qualityfor genetics. dairy• Specialized industriesanimal to a true marketing specified product through • Systems pioneered for profit. payment systems. conduit of value based payment systems. • Surety of genetic main trait interface that contributes to achieved;
Survivability • Longevity • Environmental fitness • High Productivity Farmers –•• do you wish . . . Brandable quality product • Financial security
TM The K-Line Irrigation system delivers the right amount of water to the right areas, quickly, effectively and cost efficiently.
To find out more contact your local merchant or visit rxplastics.co.nz
Falkirk •ThisTo be in control of your cutting edge client base is fullybusiness? privately funded to secure ownership of
property. Immediately contractible andline? proofed the Falkirk industry leadership •intellectual To focus on expanding your profit
confirms the mandate for sheep and beefin farmers, in their natural environment. • Has become a brand partner the Campaign for Wool • To focus on production efficiency? CONGRATULATIONS the long vision support, loyalty. • Certified rams are beingforactively sought duecommitment to qualityand outcomes • To experience lower farm input costs? but improvement’ ‘Innovation is not just change, • Clients’ slaughter animals are superior on analyses • To farm the best genetics possible? for a confidental solutionto rebuild flocks • Certified female Contact progenyFalkirk are being actively sought • To producePhone lamb to 07 market 877quality 8345 status? Fax 07 877 8845 • Is•a To proven low risk,tolow cost farming system falkirk1@xtra.co.nz produce wool Email market quality status? • Quality genetics are more efficient and profitableTO PROFIT FALKIRK EMPOWERS FARMERS • To be associated with branded product? • Is•high on exacting market specification To receive value based payments for product?
We’re looking forward to the year ahead as we continue bringing you new and innovative products and decision support tools. Guided by the latest science and research, and in collaboration with farmers all over the country, we’re working hard to find new ways to help New Zealand lead the world in productive, sustainable farming. To find out more about our annual results visit www.ballance.co.nz
* The average rebate is $25 per tonne. Individual rebate will vary
based on the mix of fertiliser products purchased. For a copy of our Investment Statement please call 0800 267 266 or go to www.ballance.co.nz
WAVE23114_RN
Creating the Best Soil and Feed on Earth, Together
As a farmer-owned co-operative, we’re proud to have delivered a rebate of $25/tonne* to our shareholders this year.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
20 MARKETS & TRENDS MARKET SNAPSHOT Me at
BEEF MARKET TRENDS
No rth Is lan d
S o u th Is lan d
C h an g e c /kg
L as t We e k
C h an g e c /kg
L as t We e k
L amb - PM 16.0kg
+10
5 .4 8
+10
5 .4 3
S te e r - P2 300kg
+5
5 .5 5
n/c
5 .3 0
B u ll - M2 300kg
n/c
5 .4 5
n/c
5 .0 0
Ve n is o n - AP 60kg
+10
7 .9 5
+10
8 .1 0
c /kgCWT
LAMB MARKET TRENDS LAMB PRICES
BEEF PRICES Change
c/kgCWT
2 Wks A go
Last Year
+5
5.55
5.50
5.80
M 2 B ull - 300kg
n/c
5.45
5.45
5.85
P 2 Co w - 230kg
n/c
4.50
4.50
5.10
M Co w - 200kg
n/c
4.50
4.50
5.00
Lo cal Trade - 230kg
+5
5.65
5.60
5.70
NI
P 2 Steer - 300kg
SI
P 2 Steer - 300kg
n/c
5.30
5.30
5.60
M 2 B ull - 300kg
n/c
5.00
5.00
5.20
P 2 Co w - 230kg
n/c
4.15
4.15
4.10
M Co w - 200kg
n/c
4.15
4.15
4.00
Lo cal Trade - 230kg
n/c
5.50
5.50
5.65
No rth Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price $6.5
Last Week
$5.5
$4.5
1-May
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
This Year
1-Sep
40k
1-Oct
150k
This Year
100k
5.36
5.26
5.48
5.38
5.28
P X - 19.0kg
+10
5.50
5.40
5.30
P H - 22.0kg
+10
5.51
5.41
5.31
M X1 - 21kg
n/c
2.70
2.70
3.20
YM - 13.5kg
+10
5.43
5.33
5.06
P M - 16.0kg
+10
5.43
5.33
5.08
P X - 19.0kg
+10
5.43
5.33
5.10
P H - 22.0kg
+10
5.43
5.33
5.11
n/c
2.58
2.58
2.90
M X1- 21kg
N ort h Island Weekly Lamb Kill
50k
5yr Ave
k 24 Apr
$6 .0
k 1-May
$5 .5
5.46
+10
M utto n
Last Year
20k
S outh Island 16.0kg M Lamb Price
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
24 May
1-Oct
S outh Island Weekly Cattle Kill
30k
5yr Ave
$4 .0 1-May
1-Jun
Last Year
1-Jul
1-Aug
This Year
1-Sep
k 24 Apr
10k
No rth Island 300kg Bull Price
k 1-May
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
24 May
Export Market Demand 5yr Ave
$4 .5
Last Year This Y ear
$4 .0 1-May
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oc t
S outh Island 300kg Steer Price
$6 .0
95CL US$ /lb NZ$ /kg
$5 .5
Change
Last Week
2 Wks A go
Last Year
5yr A ve
n/c
2.25
2.25
2.56
2.24
-13
6.97
7.10
8.56
6.20
D e mand Indicator - US 95CL B eef
$3.00
24 Jun
24 Jul
24 Aug
24 Sep
Export Market Demand
1-Oct
Change
Last Week
2 Wks A go
Last Year
UK Leg £/lb
n/c
1.80
1.80
1.58
1.88
NZ$ /kg
-10
7.35
7.45
8.43
8.39
$5 .5 $5 .0
24 Sep
100k
This Year
1-Oc t
$6 .0
This Y ear
24 Aug
200k
Last Year
20k
24 Jul
300k 5yr Ave
$4 .5
Last Year
24 Jun
S outh Island Weekly Lamb Kill
400k
$5 .0
Last Year
200k
5yr Ave
$5.0 Last Year
2 Wks A go
+10
250k
N ort h Island Weekly Cattle Kill
60k 5yr Av e
Last Week
P M - 16.0kg
M utto n SI Lamb
Change
Slaughter
Slaughter
$6.0
c/kgCWT NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg
D e mand Indicator - UK Leg Price
£2.50 £2.00
Last Year
£1.50
This Year
£1.00 1-May
$2.50
5yr A ve
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oct
$5 .0
$2.00
$4 .5
5yr Ave
$4 .0
Last Year
$3 .5 1-May
This Y ear
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
Last Year
Procurement Indicator
This Year
$1.50 1-May
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oc t
Procurement Indicator Change
2Wks A go
3 Wks A go
Last Year
5yr A ve
% Returned NI
+2%
78.2%
76.1%
67.75%
74.9%
% Returned SI
+1%
71.7%
70.4%
60.7%
68.9%
No rth Island 60kg S tag Price
$8 .5 $8 .0
$7 .5 $7 .0
5yr Av e Last Year This Year
$6 .5 $6 .0 1-May
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oc t
S outh Island 60kg Stag Price
$9 .0
85%
2Wks A go
3 Wks A go
Last Year
5yr A ve
% Returned NI
1.7%
74.8%
73.2%
63.5%
72.3%
% Returned SI
1.6%
72.8%
71.1%
61.7%
71.3%
P rocu rement Indicator - North I. 80% 70% 60%
P rocu rement Indicator - North I. Last Year
80%
Change
1-Oct
1-Jul
This Year
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oct
This Y ear
75%
P rocu rement Indicator - South I.
70% 65% 1-May
Last Year
50% 1-Jun
80%
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oct
$8 .5
70% 60%
$8 .0
80%
$7 .5
P rocu rement Indicator - South I.
75%
$7 .0
5yr Ave
70%
$6 .5
Last Year
65%
$6 .0 1-May
This Year
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oc t
Last Year
Last Year This Year
50% 1-Jun
This Year
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oct
Venison Prices Change
Last Week
2 Wks A go
Last Year
5yr A ve
NI Stag - 60kg
+10
7.95
7.85
6.95
7.09
SI Stag - 60kg
+10
8.10
8.00
6.78
7.18
60% 55% 1-May
1-Jul
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
1-Sep
1-Oct
Beef & venison prices are reported as gross (before normal levies & charges are deducted). Lamb & mutton prices are reported nett (after levies & charges are deducted).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT VELVETLEAF Velvetleaf is an aggressive pest weed that’s been found in a number of locations around New Zealand. It’s important that farmers who have planted fodder beet seed and rural contractors know about this problem and how to manage it. Information meetings are being held in regions where velvetleaf is present. Come to a meeting in your area to find out more about velvetleaf, the problems it causes and how to control it. The full list of meetings, dates, times and venues is at: www.mpi.govt.nz/alerts
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
MARKETS & TRENDS 21 NEWS
PRICE WATCH
BEEF: Slaughter numbers continue to
track downwards as the season progresses, but a lack of processing capacity available is keeping competition down. This has kept all of cow, bull, and export prime prices steady recently. Local trade markets have been firmer by comparison, with prices edging 10-20c/kg above what export processors are paying. With some South Island processing plants resuming operations after temporarily closing for maintenance, there is the potential to see more competitive pricing from export meat companies. The volumes of store cattle traded are also slowing. Wet conditions are slowing interest in North Island while a general lack of stock in the South Island are meaning many are keeping numbers subdued there. The bobby calf season is just getting underway and early indications show plenty of interest in these. The average money in the North Island has tended to be around $150-$200. It is likely there will be a few more beef-cross type calves available this year as some dairy farmers looked to take advantage of the strong beef prices.
INTERNATIONAL BEEF: US imported beef prices have been flat to slightly firmer lately. The seasonal drop off in supply out of New Zealand coupled with lower than typical volumes entering the US from Australia are both
acting to underpin the market. The demand side of the market is only middling however. The outlook for US beef isn’t overly positive for late 2016 and 2017. US domestic production is expected to lift when the peak NZ kill gets underway while greater than usual volumes of pork and chicken within the US are likely to provide beef with even more competition. Beef markets in China have been stable. Beef consumption in China is usually at its lowest level at this point in the year, so this trend is far from discouraging.
SHEEP: A lack of supply is providing
enough incentive for processors to push slaughter prices higher. Processing plants are gradually reopening through the South Island as the bobby kill gets underway, which has the potential to nudge the spot market higher in the coming weeks. Pricing for store lambs has been solid across both the North Island and South Island. Those signed up to supplier contracts are making up a large portion of the buying side of the market. South Island prices have been locked in place over the past month, driven by very positive feed levels. There’s been some more variation through the North Island though.
VENISON: The strength of venison relative to other classes of stock has continued cause issue for processors.
WOOL PRICE WATCH
Overseas Wool Price Indicators
Change
28-Jul
21-Jul
Last Year
Indicators in US$/kg
Coarse Xbred
+13
5.14
5.01
4.78
Coarse Xbred
Fine Xbred
+14
5.45
5.31
5.26
Fine Xbred
Lamb
-
-
-
6.25
Mid Micron
-
8.90
-
10.16
Indicators in NZ$
Wool Indicator Trends
850
CXI
FXI
28-Jul
21-Jul
Last Year
+17
3.66
3.49
3.74
+18
3.88
3.70
4.25
Lamb
-
-
-
-
Mid Micron
-
6.33
-
6.75
Wool Indicator Trends
600
LI
CXI
550
750
Change
FXI
LI
500
650
450
550
400
450 Aug
Oct
Dec
Feb
Apr
350 Aug
Jun
Last Year
600
Dec
Feb
Apr
Jun
Coarse Xbred Indictor in US$
Coarse Xbred Indicator
650
Oct
450 This Year
400
550 350
500 450
Last Year
Oct
Dec
Feb
Apr
Jun
300
Aug
Farmers are opting to increase herd numbers, restricting the availability of deer for slaughter. This is causing issues as exporters are struggling to produce the required volumes of venison to meet their buyer’s needs. Exporters are reluctant to lift export pricing however, as there is the
Oct
Dec
Feb
Apr
This Year
Jun
Aug
potential they could price themselves out of the market once the peak venison kill gets underway. Spot market prices are slowly firming, helped by the recent weakening of the NZ dollar, though pricing is varied between companies.
PROMOTE PEAK PERFORMANCE WITH ce to win a Calcimat e pr chan a ize US L ! P
Nutrition is the key to optimum performance. Help your cows fly through calving with Calcimate® – the trusted, quality choice for calcium supplementation.
▶ Purchase a minimum of 1 tonne of Calcimate between 1 July to 31 October 2016 ▶ One entry permitted per tonne of eligible product purchased (Calcimate in 25kg bags only) ▶ TXT and your full name to 226 to enter the draw, or enter online at www.onlime.co.nz*
*Vis . it we ons bsite fo nditi r full Terms and Co
Calcimate® is certified as an organic input (with BioGro) and can be dusted, drenched or mixed with supplementary feed to help: ▶ Prevent Milk Fever (Hypocalcaemia) ▶ Maximise milk production ▶ Boost low calcium feeds ▶ Optimise animal health
No. 4928
0800 245 463 (North Island) 0800 107 475 (South Island)
GRA 1023
HOW TO ENTER:
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
22 AGRIBUSINESS
Forest interest up on a back of growing carbon values and log prices SIGNIFICANT RISES in New Zealand carbon prices and good prospects for exported timber point to a renaissance in forest plantings, says real estate company Bayleys. It may also present new opportunities for landowners and investors. Since April carbon prices in NZ have reached $18/tonne after languishing as low as $2.50/t two years ago. Meantime, log prices have firmed $15/t above their five year average, strong price signals having come during the past year from traditional markets including China and India and South Korea increasing their market share. As of May, export values were up 6% year-on-year. Bayleys Waikato agent and forest specialist Mark Dawe reports a wide range of would-be buyer interest in recent
months. These have included farmers seeking sheep and beef units with pine plantings and investors wanting substantial blocks of well-maintained mature trees. “We have seen forestry blocks sit at the lower end of the market for price, and in some cases eclipsed by blocks of manuka for honey production that command a premium. However once that demand is satisfied, we anticipate we will see that disparity disappear,” he says. Typically bare land suitable for forestry is valued at $2000-$2500/ha. “For a mature block you would take the bare land value and then have the forest assessed for crop value and that will depend greatly on what silviculture has been done to maintain qual-
ity.” Tree crop value can vary depending on how it grades; quality pruned-timber blocks can be worth twice those suitable only for low value pulp production. Dawe says the demand is caused more by the value of forest timber on a block than by potential carbon value under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). A report from the Global Agricultural Information Network highlights a rapid lift in carbon prices in NZ. It also anticipates that the downward trend in forest plantings may reverse as carbon prices approach $20/t. With NZ carbon prices now at
$18.50/t and a review of the ETS underway by government, the industry is pinning its hopes on at last seeing a realistic, sustainable and supported carbon market. The Paris climate change accord has brought more optimism into carbon markets and more plantings are expected. NZ Forest Owners Association president and PF Olsen chief executive Peter Clark welcomes the opportunities and greater certainty the Paris Accord has brought the forest sector, “encouraging the planting and replanting of plantation forests because of their ability to absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere,” he says.
James Macpherson of Bayleys in Gisborne says any potential carbon value was an “added bonus” to the strong forest value. He says interest is re-emerging on the North Island East Coast, following some larger overseas companies’ slowdown of plantings, in part due to problems getting Overseas Investment Office approval. “The average landholding here is about 1300ha, so you need money to get a forest block purchased, established and maintained. The lift in carbon values will certainly help with that.”
28 years of continuous development gives you a choice of 9 different models in the Mule range. From 2 to 6 seats, petrol or diesel. Kawasaki’s industrial strength has developed strong, dependable, practical and safe farm utility vehicles. Check out full details at www.kawasaki.co.nz or phone 0800 452 9272.
es
10 seri
Mule 6
01
Mule 4
for d M ne g i Des s
serie ule Pro
y
Pla t no k r o
s 0 serie
W
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
AGRIBUSINESS 23
Changing of the guard at dairy co-ops husband Mark, a New Zealander. “Toni is committed to spending [much] of her time on the West Coast to get to know our region, shareholders, staff and facilities well. We also expect she will spend a fair amount of time overseas directly leading Westland’s
SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
TWO NEW Zealand dairy cooperatives are getting new chief executives. Westland Milk, Hokitika, last month announced Toni Brendish as its new chief executive, effective next month. Brendish, an Australian, has long worked for the Danone Group, one of the world’s top three dairy companies. She replaces Rod Quin, who finished last month after seven years in the role. Tatua Dairy Company, in Waikato, says its chief executive Paul McGilvary will finish in January 2017; Tatua’s board is now looking for his replacement. Westland Milk is NZ’s second-largest dairy co-op, with about 400 farmer suppliers in Canterbury and West Coast and turnover of $830 million. Chairman Matt O’Regan says Brendish has extensive leadership
months notice to allow the company plenty of time to find a strong replacement. During his term the company has doubled staff numbers from 180 to 360. It built a new foods plant in 2010-11 and a new specialised powder dryer in 201415. It has set up offshore
“I have loved every minute of working at Tatua. I consider it a privilege to have led such an iconic NZ company.” – Paul McGilvary
Toni Brendish will takeover the helm at Westland Dairy next month.
experience in the international food and dairy industries, most recently as vice president of DKSH (Thailand), a large consumer goods distribution business based in Bangkok where she now lives. “Toni’s familiarity with the manufacture, supply chain and sales
and marketing of valueadded dairy products, including paediatric and nutritional powders and UHT dairy products, will be of immense value as we develop and execute our growth strategy for these businesses,” O’Regan says. Brendish will live in Christchurch with her
international marketing outreach,” O’Regan says. Tatua, a co-op formed in 1914, has 87 farming families and 330 employees. For eight years it has topped the payout stakes for NZ dairy companies, and in the last six years has increased its leadership in payout performance. McGilvary, chief executive for eight years, says it is time for another leader; he has given six
sales and marketing companies in Shanghai and Philadelphia and has one in Tokyo. Environmentally sustainability has been a particular focus: in July it announced it would build a $7 million wastewater treatment plant. McGilvary says customers, farmer suppliers and staff are the heart of Tatua and all are crucial to the company’s performance.
Tatua chief executive Paul McGilvary will step down in January 2017.
“I am proud of the relationships we have built and sure these will continue to be a strong focus after I leave. “I have loved every minute of working at Tatua. I consider it a privilege to have led such an iconic NZ company. “All companies need a change at the top
periodically to maintain the dynamism necessary for success to continue.” McGilvary has no immediate plans. He will continue as a director of WEL Networks where he has served for seven years and will watch for other directorships. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
24 OPINION EDITORIAL
EDNA
Cautious optimism WITH SPRING just around the corner and anticipated new growth of pastures, lambs and calves, are we also at last seeing green shoots of positivity in the rural sector? Granted, one swallow does not make a summer, but at least there is some good news after a long winter of discontent. Dairy prices surged to their highest level so far this year in the Aug 3 GDT auction, encouraging cautious optimism that a corner might have been turned for the struggling industry. The overall GDT index gained 6.6%, with an average given price of US$2435 per metric tonne, the highest since last November. The allimportant whole milk powder price lifted 9.9% to US2265/t, the highest since December 2015. Meanwhile, ASB is sticking with its prediction of $6/kgMS for dairy farmers this year – miles ahead of any other commentators. This is against an official forecast by Fonterra of just $4.25, which the co-op only reaffirmed on August 1. Fonterra also predicts earnings per share – and therefore a potential dividend – of up to 60c. That would see, on current forecasts, a payout of up to $4.85 for this season, much better than the measly $4.30 last season. Dairy analyst Susan Kilsby says the latest GDT auction shows that dairy commodity markets are “waking up” to the slowing of milk production worldwide. “Most of the extra milk produced in recent years has been in Europe, but output there is now stemmed by low returns. We are still seeing [production] growth in the US but that is largely being consumed in their domestic market.” Meanwhile, other positive signs for the rural sector include PGG Wrightson, posting its annual results this week, signalling earnings before tax likely to exceed $68 million. And fertiliser co-ops Ravensdown and Ballance recently posted strong profits and rebates to shareholders. These results show that throughout the recent downturn farmers have persisted in sound and reasoned business decisions. The horticultural sector also is doing well, notably strong in kiwifruit and apples. We need the beef markets to remain strong and to see the long-awaited promised resurgence of sheep meat. These early positive signs do not mean everything is booming – far from it. However, it makes a nice change to see a brighter outlook for the season ahead; let’s hope it plays out.
RURAL NEWS HEAD OFFICE POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 PUBLISHER: Brian Hight .............................................. Ph 09 307 0399 GENERAL MANAGER: Adam Fricker ........................................... Ph 09 913 9632 CONSULTING EDITOR: David Anderson .......................................Ph 09 307 0399 davida@ruralnews.co.nz
“OK! – who clipped the electric fence to Edna’s clothesline?”
THE HOUND
Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound? Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz
Chinese checkers
Milking it
Flop!
Selfish fisherman
YOUR OLD mate sees that Winston Peters has been making plenty of noise and sounding outrageous conspiracy theories in his opposition to the Chinese company Shanghai Maling taking a stake in Silver Ferns Farms. And it seems the hostility of the member for North Korea... sorry, Northland... to the Chinese investment is not restricted to the ailing meat co-operative; he has also come out against a proposed joint-venture $200 million milk processing plant in Southland because it too has a Chinese investor. However, the Hound notes there has not been a peep of discontent out of Peters about the anti-SFF/Shanghai Maling lead protagonist John ‘The Pom’ Shrimpton – the latter clearly not a Kiwi – being the biggest private shareholder in SFF, also owning thousands of hectares of NZ farmland.
YOUR OLD mate notes a recent Official Information Act request has revealed that millions of dollars was paid to ‘consultants’ during the reign of the former vice-chancellor of Lincoln University, Andy West. According to the OIA revelations, in 2013 Lincoln spent $1.9 million on consultants, in 2014 it spent another $1.5m and, also during this period at least $580,000 in fees was paid to companies associated with Ross Hyland – Matata Enterprises and Hamden NZ. Hyland also picked up another $28,000 in Lincoln Agritech director fees in 2013 and 2014. If the name sounds familiar to readers, it is because Hyland is none other than a former seed salesman turned red meat sector ‘expert’ who milked around $50,000 in fees when working as an advisor to the failed meat sector reform group MIE during the same period.
YOUR CANINE crusader had to laugh at a recent Green Party water quality publicity stunt that was a big flop. It seems the soap dodgers had planned to demonstrate their opposition to the Government’s minimum river standards by wading into a Wairarapa river; they chose a popular local swimming spot on the Ruamahanga River, halfway between Carterton and Masterton. When it came time to plunge, the Greenies cried off taking their dip because it was raining! However, the real upset for the stunt was statistics from Greater Wellington Regional Council that reveal data for the Ruamahanga River showing only one instance – in almost three years – of the river exceeding levels deemed unsafe for swimming.
THE HOUND had to do a doubletake when he saw a media release from the NZ Outdoors Party (who?) castigating this fine publication for applauding progress on the Ruataniwha dam project. According to the Outdoors Party’s ‘co-leader’ David Haynes – who appears to be little more than a broken-down fishing guide from Wellington – the Ruataniwha will mean the end of the world as we know it. Haynes, of course, is selfishly trying to protect his recreation all for an introduced pest – trout. Meanwhile, when the party holds its annual conference, Haynes and his unnamed ‘co-leader’ will have plenty of room in their phone box – no one else is likely to be there – to bore each other with long-winded stories about the one that got away.
PRODUCTION: Dave Ferguson ........................Ph 09 913 9633 Becky Williams ........................Ph 09 913 9634
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER: Ted Darley .......... Ph 07 854 6292/021 832 505 ted@ruralnews.co.nz
WELLINGTON SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Ron Mackay ......... Ph 04 234 6239/021 453 914 ronm@ruralnews.co.nz
REPORTERS: Sudesh Kissun ....................... Ph 09 913 9627 Pamela Tipa ............................ Ph 09 913 9630 Peter Burke .............................Ph 06 362 6319 Tony Hopkinson ......................Ph 07 579 1010 Nigel Malthus ...................... Ph 021 164 4258
AUCKLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Stephen Pollard ....Ph 09 913 9637/021 963 166 stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz
SOUTH ISLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Kaye Sutherland Ph 03 337 3828/021 221 1994 kayes@ruralnews.co.nz
MACHINERY EDITOR: Mark Daniel .............................Ph 021-906 723 or 07-824 1190 SUB-EDITOR: Neil Keating ............................Ph 09 913 9628
ABC audited circulation 81,004 as at 30.06.2015
WEBSITE PRODUCER: Jessica Wilson ........................ Ph 09 913 9621
Rural News is published by Rural News Group Ltd. All editorial copy and photographs are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions or comments expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of staff, management or directors of Rural News Group Ltd.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
OPINION 25
AgResearch still providing in a changing world big issues is attracting the top talent and delivering the most innovative solutions. To this end, AgResearch’s campus redevelopment programme will provide great working
science innovation. • Dr Tom Richardson Chief Executive, AgResearch AgResearch chief executive Tom Richardson.
Multitasking made easy
AGROFARM 100 GS (100HP) ROPS
ROWARTH RESPONDS
PAY AS LITTLE AS
*
AGROFARM 100 GS (100HP) CABIN
With 5 models available from 85-115hp, the Agrofarm series from Deutz-Fahr offers a range of multi-purpose tractors with the perfect balance of power and weight. The series includes cab and ROPS models with 100% locking front diff, true four-wheel braking, a flat platform and a super-smooth power-shuttle 40x40 transmission**. The Agrofarm is the ultimate general-purpose tractor, ideally suited to New Zealand farming. Contact your local Power Farming dealer today for all the details on the Agrofarm series from Deutz-Fahr.
POW0600
I ORIGINALLY wrote that AgResearch’s annual report 2014-15 indicated 45% of funding was from MBIE and should be strategic/public good. This was the focus of my concern about research for biosecurity and climate change, both of which are important for farmers and hence NZ. I am delighted to learn that the industry funding will not be ‘captured’ because some of it is funded by Government, but my concerns remain about funding for the areas mentioned. My second concern was about research for the regions. Innovation hubs have been shown to be successful for automotive industries, fashion, IT and pharmaceuticals. But agriculture – which in NZ involves a wide range of climate, soils, and hence weather-dependent pest-disease-pasture-animalenvironment interactions – is different. Research in the regions recognises the complexity and enables solutions for farmers to be developed.
environments and facilities for our science teams, and will support co-location and collaboration with research and commercial partners and stakeholders to drive
TERMS UP TO
greenhouse gas research, where we are now focusing more strongly on proof-of-concept research for mitigation technologies. This has been an agreed shift with all of the investors in this area. We still have one of the largest and best rumen microbiology teams in the world to both undertake this work and discover new approaches to address NZ’s most challenging greenhouse gas issue. We have focused our plant genetics work more firmly on longer term science. In doing so, we have scaled back some of our applied plant breeding work by transferring some of that applied capability to industry, in line with sector needs and with the strong support of our stakeholders. So this technical capability has not been lost to the sector or NZ and has enabled us to increase the level of innovation in this area which underpins our pastoral sector. Finally, Professor Rowarth is critical of the concept of innovation hubs. Increasingly, both here and overseas, collaboration and physical co-location to assemble the best science teams and tackle
INTEREST RATES FROM AS LOW AS
I WANT to respond to Jacqueline Rowarth’s comments about AgResearch in the July 19 of Rural News (page 23). Her assessment that 55% of AgResearch funding is commercial and therefore research effort and results will be captured only by industry is factually wrong (much of what is defined as “commercial revenue” is work for or via government agencies) and simplistic. We work closely with the agriculture sector to identify the innovation that’s needed and deliver science to improve the prosperity of the sector. In most cases, our sector partners co-invest in the science and then play the lead role in taking it out onto farms and into businesses, where it delivers better outcomes for the New Zealand economy and benefits all NZers. Over time, science and sector needs and opportunities change. AgResearch is growing areas of emerging opportunities where we can create more impact for NZ and we have scaled back some areas of science where needs and the potential for impact has declined. This scaling back includes some aspects of
* Conditions apply. Contact your local Power Farming dealer. ** Applicable to all models other than the 100DT.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
26 OPINION
NZ food is good and safe to eat MARK ROSS
THE FOOD we eat and how it is produced is never far from the news. The use of crop protection products and their residues can evoke emotive headlines and spark unnecessary concern among consumers. So it is pleasing to have assurances that the controls on agricultural products are working and that our food is safe as highlighted in the recent Food Residues Surveillance Programme report released by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). MPI manages our food safety system and does monitoring to show that the average New Zealand diet poses no dangers from chemical residues or contaminants. The NZ National Chemical Residues Programme Report released in May confirms that NZ follows good practice in using agricultural compounds and veterinary medicines. It also found no food safety issues. MPI sets very conservative limits for residues in food -- many times below levels that would be a risk to consumers. Residue monitoring includes meat, seafood, honey, milk and dairy
products. Fresh produce for export and domestic consumption and many other commonly eaten foods are also included. In total 3013 samples were collected nationwide and tested for hundreds of agricultural compounds, veterinary medicines and environmental contaminants. At least 205,196 individual tests were done, and 99.98% were found to comply. No more than 0.02% of the results were non-compliant, and risk assessments were made for each; the residues found were at extremely low levels. Residue levels set by NZ legislation include a wide safety margin, well above any cause for concern. So these foods are still safe to eat. Many foods contain no residues. Government and the researchers who monitor food residues use carefully considered processes. But much of the mainstream media reporting on agricultural compounds and veterinary medicines is misrepresentative and based on poor science. Soundbites are used to catch public attention but rarely precisely reflect actual amounts, effectiveness or impacts of agrichemical products.
Agcarm members manufacture safe products important to the sustainability of our natural environment. Good agricultural practice in crop protection and animal health helps produce more food of high quality and less expensive, e.g. fruit and vegetables. Producing more food per hectare is a good use of natural resources and less disruptive to our environment.
Labelling of products and proper training is also imperative in keeping residues as low as possible. Agcarm ensures labelling is clear and concise. Labelling tells how to mix, apply, store and dispose of a product. It tells, for example, where the product can be used, what pest it kills and how soon the food product can be eaten after an application. All this is linked to ensur-
ing that residues in food remain at compliant levels. Training in how to use agrichemicals is also essential to ensuring residues are kept low -- typically as low as one part per million. • Mark Ross is chief executive of Agcarm, the industry association for makers and distributors of crop protection and animal health products.
Check out our websites BREAKING NEWS MANAGEMENT STORIES MARKETS & TRENDS MACHINERY REVIEWS COMPETITIONS AND MUCH MORE...
www.ruralnews.co.nz
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
OPINION 27
What’s driving the growth in horticulture? be rolled out around the of Chilean kiwifruit. To A SURE sign of growth world under a controlled be able to pitch a product is the increase in tractor marketing system.” (2015 at premium pricing, the sales in Northland, World Apple Review). offering has to meet what Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Fruit and vegetables the consumer is prepared Wairarapa and Nelson were exported to 125 to pay for. New Zealand to horticulturists, countries in 2015. The has a unique advantage viticulturists and arable top five markets are in here in that we have farmers. order of size: Australia, some of the best growing In key horticulture USA, Japan, the UK conditions in the world areas, such as the Bay and, for the first time, and highly skilled and of Plenty for kiwifruit China. These five export marketing, processing innovative growers. orchards, the cost of markets accounted for and competition. The other key factor buying good quality over $2.58 billion in Produced annually, it is the development of orchards, for example, is sales, an increase of $130 provides an international new varieties through reaching record figures: million on 2014 and 60% competitiveness ranking world leading breeding Gold orchards sell for at of NZ’s total horticultural of the world’s 33 main programmes such as least $500,000/ha and exports in 2015. Japan apple producingthose run by Plant and high performing green is the largest importer countries. Food Research. The new orchards for not much of NZ’s fresh vegetables Of those 33 countries, varieties are protected less. and a big market for fruit. only NZ, Italy and Austria under international law There has been a Onions are also exported were in the top third in allowing the developer modest increase in in big quantities domestic sales There has been a modest increase in to the UK and volumes with Europe. There is prices driven by domestic sales volumes with prices however a gradual seasonal shortages. driven by seasonal shortages. The move for fruit The real growth and vegetables has been through real growth has been through export to be sold in Asia export values, with values, with significant future growth with a focus on significant future growth most likely most likely to come from export sales. the potential of China. to come from export Another key to all three sub-categories, to make a return on their sales. increasing horticulture’s signalling strong allR&D investment and The formula for export performance is round performances: offer a unique variety increasing export tariff reduction through “Among all the major to consumers earning sales is pitching our apple exporting countries, free trade agreements. a premium over open horticultural produce All fruit has benefited NZ has been consistently source varieties. as a premium offering from the Taiwan FTA, the largest risk taker in The World even when compared to kiwifruit from the Korean attempting to develop Apple Review is the same produce from FTA and buttercup and market newer a comprehensive competitors in South squash, traditionally varieties that can win a America. Zespri kiwifruit, assessment of current reliant on Japan, should premium from retailers production, trade, for example, can claim a also start to benefit from and consumers, and can consumption, prices, premium up to twice that
The cost of buying good quality kiwifruit orchards is reaching record figures.
recent trade agreements with China, Taiwan and South Korea. The opportunities presented by China are huge as would be a FTA with the European Union and the UK. The TPPA for horticulture has real tariff benefits totalling around $26 million per annum. NZ apples, kiwifruit, buttercup squash and onions will be the big winners when the TPPA comes into force. For
each kiwifruit grower this will be about $6000. However, the liberalisation of trade access rules to all the TPPA countries and with the FTA will progressively benefit other horticultural products as well. Often the difficulties associated with exporting to a new country take many years to overcome and even then changes in these rules can make continued exporting difficult. The TPPA will open the door
for existing and new exporters no matter how big or small their company is. Exports are the key to horticulture’s growth based on increasing exports sales using the unique NZ formula of our growing conditions, our highly skilled and innovative growers and our world leading innovation including our breeding programmes. - Mike Chapman is chief executive of HortNZ
UPGRADE
FREE LT-A500
LT-A750
CHANGE UP FOR FREE! SZM0252 KQ5
Buy an LT-A500XL6 for just $13,039.13+GST and we’ll give you the choice of taking an LT-A750XL6 at the same price instead! Offer available 1 August – 30 September 2016 or while stocks last. Talk to your participating Suzuki dealer today!
1/3 1/3 1/3 DEPOSIT
12 MONTHS
24 MONTHS
Stock is limited and not offered in conjunction with any other promotion. Prices exclude GST. Interest rate 5.99%. Payments include $395 documentation fee, $13 PPSR and $5 transaction fee. Normal lending and credit criteria apply.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
28 MANAGEMENT
Kiwi world leader in Mid-Canterbury farmer and businessman Craige Mackenzie was recently named the international Precision Farmer of the Year for 2016. He is travelling to St Louis, Missouri, in early August to receive the award from the US-based PrecisionAg Institute. Nigel Malthus caught up with him before he left. THE AWARD recognises “outstanding people, programmes and organisations making a difference in the precision ag industry”. It is a high honour for a man who was first invited to present a paper at an international conference in 2008 – but
who did not then consider himself a precision farmer. Mackenzie’s now a leader in the field, applying precision farming practices to the family’s own farms near Methven. In 2010 he and daughter Jemma founded Agri
Optics to provide precision farming services to the industry in general. Mackenzie and wife Roz run Greenvale Pastures, an intensive arable farm producing seed crops including carrots, radish, faba beans, plantain, chicory, wheat and
ryegrass, and are also partners in the neighbouring Three Springs Dairies farm, milking 1200 cows. Their advanced management practises saw them named winners of the 2013 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. Mackenzie says people
International Precision Farmer of the Year Craige Mackenzie on his farm near Methven in midCanterbury.
used to think precision farming was “a bit futuristic” but it is now being widely adopted. “Environmental sustainability and profitability actually go hand in hand and I think people are starting to realise there’s an opportunity to manage what they’re doing,” he told Rural News. “We now have to have farm environment plans, and there are other limits coming, and we need to be able to farm within those limits.” For a cropping farmer, Mackenzie says precision farming is about knowing exactly what you put where, and what you produce. “It’s the same with dairying. If you know how much grass or how many kilograms of dry matter you need to produce milk solids then actually you’re doing precision farming but you probably just don’t realise it.” In an environment of tractors that can steer themselves with an accuracy of 2cm, variable-rate fertiliser spreaders, and irrigator pivots with individually variable spray heads the game-changer has been the availability of GPS plotting. Agri Optics offers
electro-magnetic mapping, in which a device is run over a farm, measuring and plotting the EM conductivity of the soil at two depths, to plot water holding capacity and soil variability across the various areas. He said it had been particularly valuable in Canterbury where farmers amalgamated several fields to install large irrigation pivots. It allowed them to map the different soil types and the effects of different historic farming practices on the various paddocks. Mackenzie says EM mapping has to be done only once, unless the
soils are later physically changed. On his own farm it all but paid for itself in the first season because putting fertiliser only on the areas that needed it saved $48/ha. All the machinery on his own farms is GPSenabled and capable of variable-rate application. “So you know exactly where you are. We build a map in the office, hit a button and send it to the tractor. You know exactly how many kilograms you need, so you never pick up too much and you never run out, and exactly the right amount goes on. When you’ve finished you
Training grows your success
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
MANAGEMENT 29
precision farming The changing face of Canterbury agriculture: an irrigation boom on a fine winter morning with Mount Hutt in the background.
hit the button and it sends it back so you’ve got total proof of placement.” Mackenzie says even farmers without their own high-tech equipment can take advantage of precision techniques, with most fertiliser spreading companies now having variable-rate capability. “Sometimes they haven’t quite known how to use it so we’ve been instrumental in building that. We manage that data for them and send it to the truck. “If you need 3.63 tonnes, that’s all they put on, and the advantage for the fertiliser spread-
ing contractor is that’s all they pick up, and they don’t have to go back to the store because they’ve run out.” “There’s some real economic benefit both from the farmer’s and the contractor’s point of view.” He also uses soil moisture probes that gather data every 15 minutes and send it to the cloud to make irrigation decisions in real time. On his own farm the 200ha is divided into 35 individually managed zones. He now has three years worth of data showing no zone has ever been
over-irrigated, so the soils have never hit field capacity, when moisture would have gone beyond the root zone and taken nitrates into the ground water. “If we can do that, then we’re well down the track to being able to improve water quality and also represent to the wider community what we’re actually doing rather than being criticised all the time for not using water efficiently.” The company, which has now opened a North Island branch, had done several case studies across several farms and differ-
ent soil types, and shown water savings tend to be around 32%. “It depends on the season a bit – if you’re on the shoulders of a season, we’re often saving in excess of 50% because our heavy soils don’t need any water and our light soils do.” Fertiliser usage could show even more dramatic improvements, especially on farms where smaller historic paddocks have been amalgamated. By being able to map the underlying variables and apply accordingly, they had achieved up to 70% savings on lime and 40% on fertiliser, compared with blanket application. “Other times you
might not save anything -- you might just re-distribute. But what you are doing is driving up yield. Most farmers would all know they’ve got some areas that don’t produce but don’t know how to manage it until they’ve got the GPS-based data points to do it. At the heart of being able to do all this is GPS.” Another technology offered by Agri Optics is Weedseeker, which uses optical sensors to identify and spray only target weeds, giving environmental and cost savings over blanket spraying. Mackenzie says Agri Optics has patented what he calls a “reverse engineering” development
of Weedseeker – instead of spraying where it’s needed it will avoid applying where it’s not. For example, when applying nitrogen fertiliser to a dairy pasture it will recognise and avoid urine patches which don’t need further nitrogen, for possible savings of 20-30%, depending on the stocking rate. He believed every type of farming could benefit from precision techniques. On a high-country stock farm, for example, sheep naturally move about seeking sun, shade or shelter as they want, which results in a natural redistribution of nutrients. Major savings could therefore be made when
that was measured and taken into account. For the future, Mackenzie sees potential in aerial drones. The ‘holy grail’ for dairy would be airborne tools that could monitor and map all the variables such as nutrients, dry matter and protein, but such tools were not yet “completely nailed,” he said. Satellite imagery was also improving quickly. “I saw some images 12 months ago – this was in Scotland – where you could see the stem of a potato plant from a satellite. So when you get to that sort of resolution I think things become game changers. We’re only limited by our imagination.”
Storage silos on the farm of Craige Mackenzie near Methven in midCanterbury.
Knowledge grows everything • 50 % OFF* Horticulture Apprenticeships (first year fees)
• General Skills Programme • Effective Supervision Short Course
Primary ITO are industry leaders in horticulture training and if you or your staff require upskilling, our short courses and training programmes are the way to go. We will help you take the positive steps towards creating a safer working environment and a more productive workforce. Start growing your career, staff and business in the right direction today. To find out more, go to www.letsgrow.co.nz
0800 20 80 20 letsgrow.co.nz
KingSt13651_RN_A
Training Offers:
Horticulture processes are constantly changing and with the introduction of new technology and regulations, there’s plenty to learn right now. That’s why Primary ITO has developed specialist horticultural courses that grow business success. Whether you want to improve the skills of your team or develop your own management expertise, we can help.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
30 MANAGEMENT
Don’t forget about the humans NIGEL MALTHUS
THOUGH VETS ran a recent drought workshop in North Canterbury, people were as much a focus as animals. Scargill farmer Andy
Fox listed 42 hints and tips gleaned from “30 years of adverse events,” aimed at keeping the farm ticking over and morale high in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Fox spoke first at the event, hosted at Culverden by North Canterbury Veterinary Clinics, where two dozen farmers enjoyed a panel discussion then a barbecue. Fox moved from the
strictly practical to the apparently frivolous, saying he starts with a list of jobs, crossing each off as it gets done. He sounded a reminder: the measure of a man is not how he
Andy Fox, of Foxdown farm, Scargill, speaks to a group of farmers at a drought-management workshop held at the North Canterbury Veterinary Clinics’ Culverden centre.
Sharpen
®
Herbicide
Put the lid on pre-emergence weeds in maize.
stands during times of comfort and convenience, but how he faces challenge and controversy. Fox told farmers not to sleep in -- “one hour in the morning is worth two at night” -- and to dispose of dead animals immediately rather than risk seeing the depressing sight of a carcase time and again. Keep having fun, he quipped; “light the candle, use the nice sheets and wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Life is too short. The special occasion is today.” Water the lawn if possible, for the morale boost of green grass around the homestead; and take “heaps” of photos because of their therapeutic value,
i.e. photos of a wet winter are encouraging to look at during a drought -- and vice-versa -- as a reminder every adverse event will end. With North Canterbury still beset by New Zealand’s longest-running drought, the event was supported by the Rural Support Trust and the Hurunui drought committee, whose chairman, Hurunui mayor Winton Dalley, also attended. Dalley emphasised that the extended government funding for drought relief was not to subsidise farming businesses but for personal support of farmers and their families; it can be spent on, say, grocery vouchers or counselling.
Stock eating well in big dry
Why bottle up your frustrations with pre-emergent weeds, when Sharpen® + Acetochlor gives your maize crops reliable protection. Proven to be totally effective in local maize crops, Sharpen® + Acetochlor combines hard-hitting, pre-emergent weed control with an extended period of residual activity.
Sharpen® + Acetochlor. So good we’ve bottled it. Visit agro.basf.co.nz for more details or visit your local distributor.
BASF545671
SUPPLEMENTARY FEEDS commonly fed to cattle are proving useful for sheep farmers caught in the North Canterbury drought. Two farmers told a drought management event in Culverden of good results from feeding palm kernel and fodder beet to their sheep. Sam Holland says last and this year he fed out fodder beet a couple of weeks before lambing and “it couldn’t have gone better” -- so good that he intends growing his own fodder beet as normal practice when the drought ends. Another farmer says he started feeding palm kernel to his ewes last winter, putting it out in half-drums. The sheep didn’t run to crowd the drums, leaving their lambs behind, as with barley. “They just come over and help themselves.” Although sheep are more resilient than cattle, the vets emphasise gradual transitioning of stock from one feed to another. “If you could try to transition them back onto grass at the same time as you’re decreasing the fodder beet, it’s got to be better than just going cold turkey,” said vet Sarah Williams. She knows of many farmers in the drought area trying fodder beet or palm kernel on their sheep. Meanwhile, farmers in the drought area were praised for their stock management. Vet Noel McGirr had seen no “welfare explosion” and despite the drought they were recording scanning percentages in ewes 15-20% up on last year. While some farmers were caught overstocked at the start of the drought 15 months ago, this year farmers are managing better with early decision making, destocking, off-farm grazing and supplementary feed. – Nigel Malthus
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
MANAGEMENT 31
Farmers helping farmers in Northland PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
A NEW Northland farming initiative, Extension 350, in which cluster farms will share knowl-
edge, will officially start on June 1 next year, says chairman Ken Hames. It will start with one sheep and beef and two dairy clusters, Hames told Rural News. The aim is 350
Northland farms in four years. Designed to lift onfarm performance, it seeks to improve farm systems and profits by shared knowledge.
Nathan Guy
PROVEN FARM MODULES PRIMARY INDUSTRIES Minister Nathan Guy says Extension 350 will have five top performing ‘mentor farmers’ -- in clusters -- extending their knowledge, advice and direction to a group of five target farmers. “These target farmers then interact and influence a surrounding group of five associated farmers, extending the benefits of top performing farm practice from the original target farmer. The farm clusters are supported by farm consultants and other service providers. “The programme is a priority in the Tai Tokerau Northland Economic Action Plan launched earlier this year, and plans to have 350 farmers involved in four years.” Guy praised the programme at a function on Alister and Lyn Candy’s Okaihau farm. “Alister and Lyn have a proven track
The model is clusters of five farms working together with business advice and direction provided to a target farmer by an expert consultant in a relationship encouraged by a mentor farmer. The expectation is that the target farmer will similarly influence a group of associated farmers. Hames says Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ , the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Northland Regional Council have agreed to support it. Hames says now the concept is in place they will work out the detail and invite people to apply. The idea is farmers helping farmers, he says. “If a farmer has actually achieved something, other farmers will believe it can be done.” A pilot scheme at the Okaihau farm of Alister
and Lyn Candy from 2011 to 2014 encouraged local farmers to manage their businesses differently, resulting in greater resilience and $180,000 more profit annually. The scheme has the potential to improve profits on farms in Northland, says Hames, who has a 320ha bull farm and is a partner in milking 1000 cows on two dairy farms at Wellsford. “If you improve profitability you have choices; you have the flexibility to take your kids on holiday, make farm improvements, increase environmental compliance and repay debt.” Hames applauds the opportunity for BLNZ, DairyNZ, Northland Inc and MPI to work together to improve the region’s economy. Alison Whiteford, BLNZ, says the project
aligns with the group’s mantra ‘by farmers, for farmers’. “The project will engage skilled and profitable farmers with peers eager to enhance their farm systems. The increasing economic and climatic volatility is challenging farmers to adopt practices to enhance their viability; we see Extension 350 as significantly addressing these challenges.” Chris Neill, DairyNZ, says the organisation is pleased to partner with the Northland Dairy Development Trust to support the Focus Farm and Partner Farm pilot projects. “Extension 350 is the next step in scaling up farmers’ initiatives to many Northland farmers… to help grow Northland’s economy.” Julie Jonker, chair of
the Northland Agricultural Forum, likened the initiative to a business growth hub. “The forum has promoted this initiative as the agriculture sector’s collective step forward in growing Northland’s economy. It is the agriculture equivalent of a business incubator which customises business coaching to provide the skills, clarity and support to grow.” Northland Inc chief executive David Wilson says Extension 350 is a priority project in the Tai Tokerau Northland Economic Action Plan. “We believe it has the potential to change the way we farm by giving more farmers tools and profitability for sustainable practices in their farm systems.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
record of reducing costs and driving efficiencies within their business. With the help of a management team of local farmers the Candys revolutionised their dairy farming business from 2011 to 2013. “This has increased their profitability by around $180,000 per year and kept their farm costs under $4.00/ kgMS, helping cushion them from global milk price fluctuations.” Candys’ farm was a Northland Dairy Focus Farm jointly run through the Northland Dairy Development Trust and DairyNZ. Lessons learnt there have helped inform the design of Extension 350. “Extension 350 is a classic grassroots example of Kiwi farmers banding together to help lift each other’s farm performance and contribute to lifting the nation’s export capability,” Guy says.
SPREADING THE EASY WAY ROTAFLOW RO-M & RO-XL SPREADERS COMPETITIVE
FINANCE RATES
AVAILABLE* *Normal lending criteria & conditions apply
Contact your local Vicon dealer for more information www.powerfarming.co.nz
The RO-M Easy Weigh model can be operated with the Kverneland Group Focus II terminal, IsoMatch Tellus terminal or any ISOBUS compatible tractor terminal.
•
The unique RotaFlow system rotates the fertiliser before spreading. This acceleration prevents fragementation of the granules when discharged onto the vanes
•
Effective spreading widths of 12 to 45 metres
•
Capacity of 11003450 litres
•
Eight stainless steel vanes on each disc, for consistent gentle flow, no pulsation and less wear
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
32 ANIMAL HEALTH
Tool aimed at easing onfarm parasite monitoring and location data and uploaded to secure cloud-based storage facilities,” pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz Mirams says. “Remotely located experts analFARMERS TRYING to manage and yse the online images using custom monitor livestock parasites now have software applications a new tool to help in the fight. to simplify faecal egg FECPAKG2 is a system devel- The system is currently one of counting (FEC). oped for remote location para“Nematode eggs are site diagnostics, which reduces the parasite diagnostic platforms identified and digitally the need for highly specialised undergoing global evaluation marked on the images, expertise in the field, accordin a Bill and Melinda Gates which provides a record ing to Greg Mirams of Techion Foundation-funded project led by for each specimen and Group Ltd. its analysis.” Faecal samples are processed Ghent University and the Swiss The authenticated by a simple manual method and FEC results can then be digital photomicrographs are Medical Research Institute. linked instantly to vetattained in the field and submitscope and simplifies the digital image. erinarians via email and/or web portal ted online for analysis. “Recorded images are automati- viewing, improving interpretation and The system uses novel fluids to accumulate buoyant parasite eggs into cally linked to accompanying sample technical support. PAM TIPA
a single viewing area, Mirams says in a paper to the NZ Veterinary Association conference. He adds that a specialised imaging unit eliminates the need for a micro-
ENABLING TIMELY DECISIONS MIRAMS SAYS the FECPAKG2 system is a platform designed for industry (in clinic/lab or field) to enable easy access to FEC data and enable more informed, timely management decisions. Designed and developed with the University of Otago, the platform is based on a unique patented rod and well device that accumulates parasite eggs into a single viewing area. FECPAKG2 is also capable of providing an auto prompted (email) animal health plan for the season or year.
“This feature enables a vet to work up and agree a plan with the farmer, set it up once on FECPAKG2 and the system will then provide timely email prompts to undertake FEC testing relative to a specific stock class or highlight any other animal health management actions required,” Mirams explains. As an internet cloud system, it also enables easy collation of FEC results and parasite related information. He says FECPAKG2 has been designed to complement the needs of the various industry operators who
require FEC information. “There is a system for use in the field by operators such as farmers, veterinarians or technicians or a system for laboratory use.” FECPAKG2 is currently available for FEC testing sheep, cattle and horses. While the system uses the same equipment across species, sample preparation and methodology has been optimised to accommodate the variation and sensitivity requirements of each species. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
X Injecting your lambs with B12 this docking / tailing?
Vaccinating for Scabby Mouth? Visit virbac.co.nz / ashotandascratch to watch the campaign video and learn more.
“Results can then be consolidated and reported by region, user and host species, enabling live parasite surveillance.” Mirams says FECPAKG2 is a working example of the ‘One Health’ approach as the system is currently undergoing validation in a range of animal species, as well as validation for use in human parasite diagnostics. The system is currently one of the parasite diagnostic platforms undergoing global evaluation in a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded
project led by Ghent University and the Swiss Medical Research Institute. Mirams says the impact of parasitism on animal performance, the threat of drench resistance, the cost of treatment and chemical use in the red meat food ‘story’ – all continue to be significant challenges for the red meat industry. He adds that farmers are constantly balancing a number of factors when managing parasitism, including animal performance, cost and telling a positive red meat food story.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
ANIMAL HEALTH 33
Farming groups combine on new bobby calf rules PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
AUGUST 1 saw new regulations on bobby calves come into force. The regulations require bobby calves to be four days old before trucking, truck journeys must not exceed 12 hours, young calves may not be shipped across Cook Strait, and ‘blunt force’ killing (blow to the head) is banned except in an emergency. A major development in the quest to improve the welfare of bobby calves has been the setting up of the Bobby Calf
compliance. MPI’s director-general Scott Gallacher says from what he sees day-to-day the vast majority of NZ farmers do the right thing in animal welfare and MPI is confident the message has got out to farmers. “That’s why we are working with all players in the industry and have run a media campaign direct to consumers, the public and farmers to ensure all know that if they see anything giving cause for concern they should contact MPI and we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
A big development in the quest to improve bobby calf welfare has been the establishment of the Bobby Calf Action Group (BCAG).
As you focus on increasing your return per cow...
EVERY DOLLAR YOU SPEND NEEDS TO WORK HARDER.
All eight organisations have worked separately and collectively to educate their members about the new rules and their implementation. MPI’s campaign about the new regulations was to alert anyone with an interest in animal welfare to be empowered to call them. “It might well be an education programme all round because we are aware that often people see something that concerns them. I don’t want them to be left in the dark and have no-one to talk to. It is quite powerful for us when we get back to them and say ‘we have investigated that and it wasn’t what you thought. It was actually this situation and there was no breach of the animal welfare rules’. From our perspective it is part of an education process because we have had a conversation with them,” he says. Gallacher says this is all part of the process of reassuring the public that MPI will investigate any complaint and if there is a breach of the regulations it will prosecute. MPI is trying to sort out the minority who don’t look at the rules, or ignore them.
Freeing your herd from parasites for longer can increase milk production, shorten conception intervals in heifers, and improve the health and liveweight of your stock.1, 2 The returns add up with Cydectin®.
COST TO TREAT 420 COW HERD:
$
2,222
EXTRA REVENUE PER COW:
$
19.13
EXTRA REVENUE FROM HERD:
$
8,033
POTENTIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT:
$
5,810
Calculate your R.O.I when using Cydectin Pour-On at www.cydectin.co.nz
ZOE1304 ZOE 1304R
Action Group (BCAG), comprising DairyNZ, Dairy Companies Association of NZ, Meat Industry Association, Federated Farmers, NZ Petfood Manufacturers Association, Road Transport Forum, NZ Veterinary Association and the Ministry for Primary Industries. All eight organisations have worked separately and collectively to educate their members about the new rules and their implementation. DairyNZ and NZVA have run 60 training workshops for dairy farmers nationwide, and DCANZ has reviewed farmers’ individual terms and conditions of supply in respect of animal welfare and worked with other organisations to keep farmers informed. The Petfood Manufacturers Association has updated its code of practice for managing bobby calves, and the MIA and the Road Transport Forum have run education programmes for members and suppliers to ensure
DISCLAIMER: The extra revenue calculated is based on a pay-out value of $4.25 and 4.5kg milk solids per cow increase when treated four days after calving1. The cost of treatment is based on a 500kg cow and retail price of $1,799 for a 15L + 2L Bonus. Actual results may vary. Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Tel: 0800 650 277; www.zoetis.co.nz. CYDECTIN is a registered trademark of Zoetis Inc. or its subsidiaries. ACVM No. A6203. 1. A.W. Murphy; The effect of treatment with Moxidectin, a long-acting endectocide, on milk production in lactating dairy cows. World Buiatrics Congress Sydney 1998. 2. The Impact of Eprinomectin Treatment on Dairy Cattle Reproductive Performance. McPherson et al Proc. DCV NZVA, 2000.
ZOE 1304 Cydectin Spring 2016 280x187_ƒ1.indd 1
7/14/16 1:32 PM
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
34 ANIMAL HEALTH
MPI working to improve disease reporting PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
FARMERS AND VETERINARIANS are key to the passive surveillance system crucial to early detection of many unwanted organisms, notably foot-and-mouth disease, the Ministry for Primary Industries told the recent NZ Veterinary Association conference. Passive surveillance relies on individuals being motivated and aware, MPI says, so that rogue organisms can be detected early and their presence notified; this can reduce their impact
STREAMLINE Oat Roller Crusher Senior All Grain Roller Crusher
and assist in eradicating or containing them. A project to strengthen the ‘passive’ surveillance system is now underway, to improve the quality and quantity of notifications to MPI, by identifying and overcoming barriers people face in reporting their concerns. The system’s performance will be regularly measured and adjusted as required. “The pathway to notification may be direct from a primary observer such as a farmer, or indirect via an intermediary such as a
STREAMLINE Junior All Grain Crusher/Roller
veterinarian,” MPI says. “Veterinary specialists such as pathologists may also contact MPI after receiving suspect samples from a veterinarian. Each of these observers face several potential barriers preventing an incursion being notified.” A farmer who first comes in contact with unwanted organism or affected animal must have the knowledge to differentiate abnormal from normal findings. He/ she needs to be motivated to seek further assistance. A veterinarian receiving a call from a farmer must respond
STREAMLINE Hayway Chaff Cutter
quickly and recognise the presence of a potential exotic disease. Both need awareness and motivation to contact MPI. The barriers to reporting by people involved must be identified and ways found to overcome these barriers. To help understand the barriers a survey was taken in 201011 of 1000 farmers and growers, and 467 grower intermediaries, veterinarians and veterinary pathologists. This survey covered attitudes towards MPI, awareness of the emergency pest and disease hotline and likely action in reporting exotic pests and diseases. Identified barriers included a lack of awareness of the hotline among grower intermediaries, and low confidence in detecting unwanted organisms among veterinarians. However 84% and 95% of veterinarians and veterinary pathologists, respectively, said they would likely use the hotline in future. Those who had used this service rated it highly. The survey also showed that both livestock farmers and growers prefer to contact an intermediary regarding a suspected exotic disease.
MPI says farmers and vets are key to the passive surveillance system crucial to early detection of many unwanted organisms.
A foot-and-mouth infectious disease model found that including veterinarians and veterinary specialists in the notification pathway significantly reduces the period of silent disease spread and the total number of infected properties compared to the direct farmer-toauthority notification. This was thought to be due to the veterinarians’ network with farms, as a veterinarian may suspect an exotic disease earlier than farmers when he/ she finds clinical signs on multiple farms,. A farmer who discovers a disease or pest only on his/her farm
may not believe it to be a national concern. So it may be important to focus efforts on improving the knowledge of intermediaries and to further empower them to be biosecurity advisors. This survey will be updated this year for veterinarians and other industries and will examine barriers and motivation to reporting in further detail. This will then lead on to specific strategies to overcome barriers and enhance motivation. Current messaging strategies will be reviewed, as will relationships with intermediate notifiers.
Collaboration with industry bodies will also be essential. Creating new avenues for stakeholders to report to MPI may also encourage notification and provide additional benefits. MPI is now designing a web form as an alternative to its 0800 number. This will have the advantage of visual guides to help users identify pests and allow them to upload relevant images. A smartphone application for intermediaries is also being considered and social media is being explored.
THE NO.1* CATTLE INJECTABLE IN NZ BECAUSE THE REST AT BEST ARE NO.2’S
Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Tel: 0800 963 847; www.zoetis.co.nz. DECTOMAX is a registered trademark of Zoetis Inc. or its subsidiaries. ACVM Registration No A6199. *Data on file, based on total sales value, MAT Q1 2016.
ZOE1298
DECTOMAX®. SIMPLY NEW ZEALAND’S NO. 1* CATTLE INJECTABLE FOR QUITE A FEW GOOD REASONS. • UP TO 8 WEEKS BETWEEN TREATMENTS • LONG ACTING FORMULATION • BETTER CONDITIONED STOCK • EFFECTIVE AND CONVENIENT FOR ALL STOCK AGES
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
ANIMAL HEALTH 35
Work on vaccine for sheep pneumonia molytica was causing much of the disease. A vaccine is now being developed to combat this, Parlane says. “Ovine pneumonia has been a problem for a long time and we think we have the tools to help farmers and the industry tackle this disease,” she says. The vaccine is now being trialled on a commercial scale on farms, using the FarmIQ System and electronic tagging. Parlane and colleagues are working with three IQ Farms -- Mairedale, Ohineumeri and Mangarata -- and have so far handled 2800 lambs. They designed a trial that involves vaccinating twinning ewes before lambing with either the normal 5-in-1 or a new 6-in-1 vaccine, then when
Also, the FarmIQ System has enabled lambs to be tracked right through to include carcase weight reporting and detection of pleurisy. Parlane is now analysing the trial data and reports statistically significant results. “We need to do further trials, but it looks
the lambs are born vaccinating half of the twin offspring. This enables a comparison of lambs whose dam did or did not get the vaccine and that may or may not have had it themselves. During the trial, weights and blood serum samples were taken from live lambs.
NEW LIVE EXPORT RULES COMING
as though we are heading down the right track to develop a vaccine for Mannheimia haemolytica,” she says. Natalie Parlane says using the FarmIQ software made a largescale trial on commercial farms feasible.
LOGIC SAYS THEY’VE BOTH GOT IMMUNITY AGAINST PULPY KIDNEY.
THE MINISTRY for Primary Industries (MPI) says it will keep closer watch on the welfare of exported animals, under new rules in force from August 25. “New Zealanders care deeply about the welfare of animals, as reflected during the consultation,” says director biosecurity and animal welfare Julie Collins. “The changes will further strengthen NZ’s reputation as a responsible exporter of animals and animal products. They will give early effect to amendments made last year to the Animal Welfare Act 1999 that would otherwise not have taken effect until May 2020.” The changes will give MPI more power to: Require reports on the welfare of animals during their voyage and for up to 30 days after arrival Take that information into account when considering future export approvals. Also, the current regime under the Customs Export Prohibition (Livestock for Slaughter) Order 2013 will come under the Animal Welfare Act, these regulations coming into force on December 21, 2016. “This regime now comes under the Customs and Excise Act 1996, and needs to be renewed every three years. Under the new regulations no renewal will be required,” Collins says.
BUT THE SCIENCE SAYS OTHERWISE. MULTINE
LEADING COMPETITOR
Epsilon Antitoxin Concentration (u/mL)
40
40
Epsilon Antitoxin Concentration (u/mL)
A VACCINE against pneumonia in sheep is seen as possible by an AgResearch scientist heading a project trialling the FarmIQ system. Ovine pneumonia was found ten years ago to be incurring $53 million annual losses for sheep farmers whose lambs died or grew only slowly. These losses would now be $100m, says Dr Natalie Parlane of AgResearch’s Hopkirk Research Institute in Palmerston North. Research begun by Dr Tao Zheng identified the organisms that typically cause pneumonia in lambs, and Zheng suggested a pneumonia sheep vaccine was realistic. His work showed that a strain of bacteria called Mannheimia hae-
30
20
10
0
30
20
10
0 V1
V2+14
V1
V2+14
(Black lines depict the number of non-responders)
GET SOCIAL
In a recent New Zealand trial, we tested Multine® against one of the other leading 5-in-1s with the vaccines being administered at both tailing and weaning. In both cases the results were more than conclusive. Lambs vaccinated with Multine saw a significantly better immune response against Pulpy Kidney and Tetanus than those vaccinated with the competitor 5-in-1. MULTINE. There’s no better 5-in-1.
facebook.com/ruralnews
ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/rss www.ruralnews.co.nz
ELE-01773-RN
twitter.com/Rural_News ACVM No:A0934 ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone: 0800 800 543. www.coopersonline.co.nz NZ/MLT/0815/0010a
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
36 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
All you need is LUV MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
ACCIDENTS AND fatalities on quads have a devastating impact on the families involved and their communities. While crush protection devices (CPDs) are available, authorities are not yet convinced of their effectiveness, and quad manufacturers will not condone their use, insisting such devices alter the dynamics of vehicles and sometimes cause injury during a rollover. Training is the key to helping users reduce the number accidents. More important, as manufacturers report, is a swing away from quads to light utility vehicles (LUVs) which, though fitted with rollover protection (ROPS), still
require the driver to keep his mind on the job rather than adopt a ‘now-I’mbombproof’ mentality. With this in mind, Rural News attended a training day for LUV users near Lake Karapiro, intended to help users
Led by training manager Andrew ‘Simmo’ Simpson of CARNZ Training Ltd, the event focused on common sense – often not ‘common’ at all. Simpson says the tighter Health and
Rural News attended a training day for LUV users near Lake Karapiro, intended to help users – novice or experienced – understand these vehicles and their own capabilities. – novice or experienced – understand these vehicles and their own capabilities. A classroom session looked at the legalities of LUV use, then the day concluded with machine preparation and familiarisation, assessment of terrain and actual riding.
Safety at Work Act in force from April is prompting employers to better understand their obligations. The legalities of the use of LUVs was discussed extensively, raising interesting questions, not least, what is a LUV?, does it need to be registered?
and, if so, under what class? An LUV is principally designed for off-road use, must have ROPS, side-byside seating for at least two people, seatbelts and a conventional steering wheel. The question of registration centres on LUV use on roads, raising a question of interpretation: what is a road? The definition of a road, in transport law, is much broader than streets or highways; it includes any place with public access, e.g. bridges, beaches, riverbeds, parks and reserves or road shoulders. A LUV user has no automatic right to use such areas, and a vehicle used there must be registered and licensed, and driver behaviour must consider other ‘road’ users.
FARM MACHINERY STRENGTH / QUALITY / PERFORMANCE
Bale Feeders
Training is the key to helping users reduce the number accidents.
For registration purposes the NZTA regulations classify LUVs the same as quads if they meet the NZTA definition of a quad: more than three wheels, engine capacity exceeding 50cc and gross weight (machine/ cargo/ passengers) not exceeding 1000kg. If the gross weight is greater than 1000kg the vehicle cannot be classed as a quad, and is not road-legal. Rural users register vehicles under ‘Exemption’ classes, but
the only exemption for LUVs is Exempt class A -- as a quad. The more commonly used G licence class cannot apply to a LUV as all such vehicles are left-hand drive and fall outside the category. Note also that Exempt class A vehicles are not exempt registration or licensing, but are exempt registration fees and the vehicle license portion of the overall licensing fee. If the vehicle is registered as Exempt class A, vehicles do not need a warrant
EVERS FOLDING ROLLER • 6.3 metre • Levelling boards
Forage Wagons
of fitness inspection but must be kept roadworthy at all times. For driver licensing the same rules apply to quads and LUVs, again as long as the LUV meets the definition of quad, the minimum class being a class 1L (car) or class 6 (motorcycle) learner licence: no licence and you can’t drive on the road. • In the next Rural News we’ll look at the LUV– the vehicle and basic driving techniques.
• 53cm breaker rings • Improved design
Manure Spreaders
$27,800 + gst Tip Trailers
Available immediately!
Great prices with the current exchange rates www.mcintosh.net.nz FREEPHONE: 0800 622 276
Call Grant for more information 03 308 7910 | info@nzt.nz | www.nzt.nz
NEW ZEALAND TRACTORS
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 37
Comfort and capability MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
THE CONCEPT of a multipurpose side-by-side has been well accepted by farmers and landowners who see major advantages over the traditional quad – load capacity, safe seating for several occupants and a ROPS frame to enhance safety. Honda looks to be raising the bar for the genre with the arrival of the Pioneer 1000 and Pioneer 1000-5, with features like a purpose-built 999cc parallel-twin engine and the
side-by-side industry’s first dual clutch transmission (DCT). The new engine shares the Unicam design like that of Honda’s CRF motocross models to offer high performance with minimal weight and bulk. The longitudinally mounted engine is unique to Honda and eliminates unnecessary right angles in the driveline, ensuring an efficient transfer of power to the ground, via an all-gear layout, without belts, to provide a direct feel between the accelerator and the wheels, as well
as improved durability, reduced maintenance and efficient power transfer. The side-by-side market’s first fully automatic DCT also has a sport mode switch and manual paddle shifters; a lowrange sub-transmission, like a 4WD truck, essentially doubles the number of gears from six to twelve and combines with a diff lock for increased climbing ability or turf mode to reduce terrain damage in sensitive areas. The Pioneer 1000’s chassis is engineered comfort and capability; it
has a dual A-arm design and fully independent suspension front and rear, with 10.5 inches of travel up front and 10.0 inches at the rear to ensure a compliant ride. On the five-person models a self-levelling rear suspension system automatically maintains ride height via a series of hydraulic chambers, maximising ride comfort and maintaining consistent vehicle handling. A wide, comfortable bench seats up to three passengers, with handhold straps and a shoulder
The new Honda Pioneer 1000 and Pioneer 1000-5.
belt for the center passenger; safety nets are standard on all models. Large, easy-to-reach transmission and drive levers with positive detents make it easy to identify the selected gear and drive mode by sight or feel. The LCD multifunction display has a large,
easy-to-read screen, showing key machine functions, including maintenance reminders, while two open dash-storage areas and a weatherproof glovebox store bits and pieces. A large tilting cargo bed and massive onetonne towing capacity make the Pioneer set to
work hard, while an added bonus on the 5P model is the QuickFlip feature which means the cargo bed can be quickly converted to provide an extra two seats – exclusive to Honda. www.hondamotorbikes. co.nz @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
STILL WORKING PAST RETIREMENT AGE WHILE JULY 4 might be important to Americans, July 6 rates higher with tractor junkies. On this day 70 years ago the first TE 20, ‘Little Grey Fergie’, rolled off the production line at Banner Lane, Coventry in the UK. The brainchild of inventor and engineer Harry Ferguson, the TE20 rates among the 20th century’s most important engineering developments; it drove huge advances in efficient food production worldwide. Key to the success was a unique three point linkage system controlled by the tractor’s hydraulics, named the Ferguson System, which allowed the tractor to integrate with the attached implement, and to box above its weight compared to traditional and cumbersome trailed
70 years and still going strong.
implements of the era. Rated at just 20hp, the TE20 was light, manoeuvrable and efficient, cheap to operate and maintain, and quickly found favour with farmers in developing countries. Between that first day of production in 1946 and July 13 1956, when
production of the tractor ceased at Banner Lane, around 500,000 tractors left to go to work, many of which still earn their keep. Others took to adventuring, such as on Sir Edmund Hilary’s trek to the South Pole. – Mark Daniel
IT’S AS EASY AS The Agrispred® 3 point linkage Bale feeder is revolutionary in its self loading compact design.
WINTER SPRING SPECIAL
$ 9,750 +GST
1
2
3
WHANGAREI Power Farming Northland 09 438 9163 • DARGAVILLE Power Farming Northland 09 439 3333 • PUKEKOHE Power Farming Auckland 09 239 1200 • MORRINSVILLE Maber Motors 07 889 5059 • TE AWAMUTU Power Farming Te Awamutu 07 870 2411 • TAURANGA Capital Tractors 07 543 0021 • WHAKATANE Jacks Machinery 07 308 7299 • ROTORUA Truck & Tractor Services 07 349 6528 • GISBORNE Power Farming Gisborne 06 868 8908 • HASTINGS Power Farming Hawke’s Bay 06 879 9998 • HAWERA Power Farming Taranaki 06 278 0240 • FEILDING Power Farming Manawatu 06 323 8182 • MASTERTON James Trucks & Machinery 06 370 8240 • NELSON Brian Miller Truck & Tractor 03 544 5723 • GREYMOUTH Power Farming West Coast 03 768 4370 • CHRISTCHURCH Power Farming Canterbury 03 349 5975 • ASHBURTON Power Farming Ashburton 03 307 7153 • TIMARU Power Farming Timaru 03 687 4127 • DUNEDIN Power Farming Otago 03 489 3489 • GORE Power Farming Gore 03 208 9395 • INVERCARGILL Power Farming Invercargill 03 215 9039
Contact your local Agrispred dealer for more information www.powerfarming.co.nz
1 2 3
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
38 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Pumping the volume markd@ruralnews.co.nz
FROM
IN THIS 50th anniversary year of Claas building loader wagons at its Salgau plant in Germany, the company’s latest Cargos 8000 and 9000 series forage loader/transport wagons come in six capacities from 30 to 50
veloped to ensure uniform crop feeding under all conditions and to protect the components. “The Claas Efficient feeding system ensures all components in the loading, processing and unloading cycles are perfectly coordinated to maximise throughput and efficiency, as well as
cu.m. Both series have nearidentical technology, including a hydraulically suspended and driven pickup, a new crop cutting assembly, lowerable cutting floor and a hydraulically folding scraper floor. The loading and cutting unit on both series has been completely rede-
ensuring gentle handling of the crop, high compaction values and more efficient loading into a wider transfer zone,” says product specialist Luke Wheeler. The large 860mm diameter feeder rotor has nine rows of tines, each 22mm wide, a rotor torque sensor and an
Claas Cargos 8500.
optional hydraulically folding filling flap that ensures uniform loading at all times. The chopper unit has 40 double-sided blades
0%
FROM
MARK DANIEL
FINANCE*
DISCO REAR MOWER
DISCO FRONT MOWER
FROM – $11,990
FROM 0% FINANCE
+GST
MAX CUT cutterbar with safety link modules 3.0 m - 3.4 m working widths Compact and close to the tractor for optimal contour following PROFIL linkage for uniform cut and minimum crop soiling Easy maintenance, with fast access to all points
0%
FROM
FROM
Top chop quality 2.45 m - 3.8 m working widths Outstanding ground-contour following for optimum forage quality V-Belt drive with double gearbox for smooth running Easy maintenance, with fast access to all points
FINANCE*
VOLTO TEDDER
FROM – $11,990
0%
FINANCE*
0%
FINANCE*
LINER RAKE +GST
MAX SPREAD VOLTO spreading system PERMALINK system for continuous power transfer CLAAS power drawbar for comfort and stability Large tyres ensure minimal ground pressure Optimal adjustment to different crop conditions
FROM – $33,500
+GST
PROFIX tine arm - tough & wear-resistant Continuously lubricated sealed swathing drive Optimal ground-contour following with new fully floating suspension High working speeds and output performance Individual rotor protection
*Standard CFS terms, conditions and fees apply. 0% p.a. available with 30% deposit & 12 monthly repayments in arrears. Offer available while stocks last & some model exclusions may apply. Offer ends 30/09/2016 or while stocks last.
claasharvestcentre.com
A better business decision.
Ashburton Christchurch Dunedin Feilding Gore Hamilton Hastings
(03) 307 9400 (03) 341 6900 (03) 489 8886 (06) 323 0101 (03) 263 1000 (07) 843 9100 (06) 879 9090
Hawera Hokitika Invercargill Rotorua Timaru Wanaka Whangarei
(06) 278 0020 (03) 755 8450 (03) 215 6114 (07) 345 5599 (03) 688 6900 (03) 443 6781 (09) 430 3066
that provide a 38mm chop length with individual protection against foreign objects and can easily be turned to extend their operating life and reduce sharpening frequency. Likewise, the pre-tension of the knives can be mechanically or hydraulically adjusted to suit operating conditions, for example, you can increase the knife pressure to ensure cut quality when harvesting high value crops. The knives and cutting floor can be hydraulically lowered to remove blockages without needing to leave the tractor and also allow better maintenance access for tasks such as turning or replacing blades. The loading assembly and discharge rollers on
all models can be removed in less than 20 minutes. The Cargos 9000/8000 units are available in a range of tandem or tridem axles, spring or hydropneumatic suspension with electrohydraulic positive steering options. Other useful additional options include load weight indication, external weight display and Telematics. The Cargos can be controlled using the comfortable Communicator II or Operator control terminals, allowing on-the-go adjustments of all functions, including automatic loading and unloading. Alternatively, the Cargos can be contolled using the new Claas Easy onboard tablet-based app or other ISOBUS-compatible terminals if desired.
90 YEARS YOUNG ONE OF the farm machinery industry’s greatest thinkers has just celebrated his 90th birthday. Helmut Claas, for many years the managing partner of the Claas Group, has built the company founded by his father and uncles into a world-leading enterprise. “Helmut Claas has been a decisive source of ideas and action for decades,” says spokesman Lothar Kriszun. “With great expertise and persistence he led the Claas family Helmut Claas firm through good times and bad, repeatedly providing important stimuli for technological progress in agricultural engineering.” Born in 1926 in Harsewinkel, Germany, the eldest of three children, Claas graduated in mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Hannover (1948-1954), then led the planning and establishment of a Claas distributorship in France, now trading as Claas France. In 1958 he joined the family firm in Harsewinkel, Germany, becoming director of engineering in 1962, developing pioneering products and mass producing them economically. Many innovations followed, notably in 1970 the Dominator combine harvester, of modular construction, one of the most successful such machines in the world. Its successor, the Lexion, was also developed in Helmut Claas’s era and is still considered the most advanced and capable combine harvester worldwide. The Jaguar self-propelled forage harvester, starting with the SF series, now available up to 885hp, was developed under Claas’s eye. It remains the most recognised name in harvesting. In 2003 Claas took over the tractor division of Renault Agriculture, giving the company a complete product range.
LO
P E D F OR
L
N
EW
AN
D
DEV
E
ANY JOB YOU’RE READY
ZEA
OFFER ENDS SEPTEMBER 30 TH DEFENDER HD8
OUTLANDER 570
$2000
$500
GENUINE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES*
FACTORY REBATE*
DEFENDER DPS
OUTLANDER 650 +
HD8 & HD10 MODELS
650cc MODELS AND ABOVE
$1000
$1500
GENUINE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES*
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL
OR VISIT
WWW.CANAMOFFROAD.COM
0800 020 074
ALEXANDRA BLENHEIM CHRISTCHURCH DANNEVIRKE DARGAVILLE FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER
GISBORNE HASTINGS HIKURANGI INVERCARGILL KAITAIA MILTON
FACTORY REBATE*
MORRINSVILLE MOUNT WELLINGTON MOUNT MAUNGANUI NELSON NORTH CARTERTON OAMARU
PALMERSTON NORTH PUKEKOHE RANGIORA NORTH CANTERBURY ROTORUA STRATFORD WEST
TAPANUI TE KUITI WANGANUI WASHDYKE WELLSFORD
©2016 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ™, ® and the BRP logo are registered trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Products are distributed in New Zealand by BRP NZ. Make sure that all laws and regulations, are respected. Ride responsibly. *Can-Am ready to ride offer valid untitl September 30th at participating dealerships only. Includes MY14, MY15 and MY16 models only. Outlander 650cc and above models eligible for $1500 rebate at time of purchase. Outlander 570 models eligible for $500 at time of purchase. Defender HD8 non power steer models receive $2000 RRP genuine parts and accessories at time of purchase. Defender HD8 DPS and HD10 DPS models receive $1000 RRP genuine parts and accessories at time of purchase. Defender Max Models not eligible for a rebate. ^3 year warranty covers MY13/14/15/16 Can-Am Outlander and Renegade, and MY16 Can-Am Defender models only. 2 year warranty covers MY13/14/15/16 Commander and Maverick models only.
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
40 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Updated wagon offers more MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
POTTINGER HAS updated its popular Torro loader wagons with the introduction of the Combiline design, offering rated pick-up and transmission features to meet requests from operators. The new Torro 6010L and 6510L Combiline offer load volumes from 31.5m3 up to 35m3. These machines have higher capacity than the previous series and a power requirement of 160 and 300hp depending on size and operating terrain. At the front of the wagon, a sixrow floating pickup with cam track at both ends ensures best possible ground tracking and clean forage. A newly developed wind guard keeps crop under control, while an independently adjustable jockey wheels allow excellent flotation. An additional tracking roller, with a parallelogram mounting system, carries the weight of the pickup and is said to be particularly helpful in wet operating conditions by allowing precise control and lower levels of soil contamination.
Torru 6510 Combiline wagons.
Higher daily outputs of around 20% more than the previous models are achieved by a robust input gearbox and rotor drive system with a maximum input of up to 300hp, a PTO shaft with dual wide angle joints and uprated cam-type overload clutches rated to 2300Nm. The 800mm diameter loading rotor delivers high chopping quality with a low power requirement using eight rows of individual 10mm Durostat fine-grained steel tines, a scraper width of 20mm and an asymmetric knife configuration. The new Powercut chopping
Book a test drive today
system on the Torro Combiline now has 45 knives, rather than the previous 39 to achieve a theoretical chopped length of 34mm. The swing-out Easy Move knife bank can be disengaged without tools and swung out alongside the loader wagon hydraulically, controlled by the operator terminal next to the driver’s seat. Autocut automatic knife sharpening system is also available, providing added convenience of sharpening the knifes in the field, resulting in perfect chopping quality and lower power requirement from continuously sharp knives.
The introduction of a new scraper floor layout sees a lowering of 150mm at the front end allowing the fitment of tyres up to 800/45R26.5. This still allows the wagon to stand horizontally, with forage moved upwards to the rear – leading to smoother unloading and reduced power requirements. Quicker changes between selfloading and top-filling is achieved via a two-function front panel, which is operated hydraulically and offers a window to provide a good view into the loading area from the tractor. www.originagroup.co.nz
Contact your local Mahindra dealer
*Mahindra offers consist of either 0% finance over 3 years (36 Months) or $3000 cash back, paid by way of Visa prezzy card, when you purchase any brand new Mahindra Pik Up or Genio variant. Both offers are based on our recommended retail price. The 0% finance offer is to approved applicants of Auto Finance Direct Limited only. On road costs of $950 applies to both offers. Establishment fee of $450, PPSR fee of $13 and a $10 monthly account fee applies to 0% finance offer. These offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or discounts and must end at midnight on 31 August 2016 or while stocks last. MD Distributors Limited reserves the right to vary, withdraw or extend either of these offers. Terms and conditions apply.
KEEPING IT CONVENTIONAL THE 1980s saw round balers come to the fore, because of their output and ability to be mechanically handled. However, manufacturers report that small square conventional units are still selling in New Zealand at the rate of about 25 machines per year. The Welger AP 730 shown on the Lely Fieldays site is a case in point: it has been sold largely unchanged over the years -100,000 units. After the drive to the flywheel and main gearbox, the machine uses a shaft drive layout to drive the packer, knotter and pick up, which ensures accurate synchronisation of each, and the elimination of any chains or belts on the machine. To help achieve high bale densities, a heavy duty chassis and longer bale chamber combine to produce bales of 360 x 490mm section and from 0.50 to 1.20m long, with clearing from the swath being taken care of by a 1.74m wide pickup. The packer mechanism is protected from overload by packers with are able to deflect and then automatically reset using a nitrogen-over-hydraulic accumulator setup. Knotters are said to be maintenance free, using sealed-for-life bearings, removing the need for temperamental lubrication systems; they are fed by a twine storage system capable of holding 14 balls. www.lely.co.nz
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 41
Kiwis get to see how Aussies to it MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
IMPORTER AND retailer Power Farming (PFG) recently took 45 New Zealand farmers, contractors and dealers to discover what Tasmania and Melbourne had to offer in machinery and innovation. PFG Australia’s main dealer William Adams Ag arranged the Tasmania visit, visitors seeing agriculture related products and the industrial, earthmoving and mining equipment important to William Adams. Diversification is enabling the company to forge new pathways, it says, despite the downturn in mining, and their yard proved irresistible to the visiting ‘heavy metal’ enthusiasts. Interestingly, Tasmania’s place as a leader in environmental engineering was seen during a visit to Elphinstone, a William Adams company, whose core business is making dynamite transport and mammoth dump trucks for mining. And there was more: innovative design and build, from the ground up, of a diesel supported generator for wind turbines – three containers fitted out with equipment to generate electricity sustainably, supported by a diesel generator and good for shipping to any remote spot. Proving trials were done on nearby Flinders Island. A visit to The Van Diemen’s Land Company,
until recently owned by the New Plymouth District Council, and the largest dairy farm in the southern hemisphere, helped put the future of dairying into perspective. VDL owns and operates 25 dairy farms, a dairy support unit and a standalone heifer rearing operation on its 350,000ha property. With around 33,000 dairy stock – and plans to expand to 50,000 animals – the business produces 12% of Tasmania’s milk and 1% of Australia’s. This operation opened the eyes of the visitors; farmer Andrew Horrocks from Wanganui commented, “I’ve been blown away by what I‘ve seen in Tasmania.” After Tasmania, came Melbourne for a tour of the new PFG premises out west at Derrimut, where managing director Craig Maber gave an insight into the challenges of wholesale operations over such a vast and diverse country. The visitors saw how machines were received from suppliers located around the world, then assembled and eventually dispatched throughout Australia. The final day of the tour, the highlight for many, saw PFG stage a working demo for the Kiwi contingent, an overview of products and opportunity to use some broad-acre gear not typically seen at home. One such behemoth was the mighty Versatile 520 pivot steer tractor paired with a 30ft Great Plains Turbo-Max cultivator which had continu-
NOW READ IT ONLINE READING THE PAPER ONLINE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER ■ BREAKING NEWS ■ MACHINERY REVIEWS ■ MARKETS & TRENDS ■ MANAGEMENT STORIES ■ COMPETITIONS ■ AND MUCH MORE...
All the latest stories and more at www.ruralnews.co.nz
ous run of bums on seats throughout the event. Mark Davies, Welshy Contracting, Ashburton said, “Now I understand the full value of a family business and I have learnt
The group of New Zealand farmers, contractors and dealers on the Power Farming tour of Tasmania and Melbourne.
a great deal that I can apply to my own. This tour has confirmed my sense of loyalty to Power Farming. It has been quite an experience.” www.powerfarming.co.nz
Make it better. Make it yours. Limited time 0%* p.a. finance offer on all Ag Management Solutions From planning to harvest, only John Deere seamlessly connects machines, people, technology, and insights to give you the power of precision. No matter where you farm, what you grow, or the size of your operation, our Ag Management Solutions will help you save time, money and costly inputs, year after year. Visit your John Deere dealer today to find the right precision solution for your operation. Nothing Runs Like a Deere™
*Conditions apply. Finance available through John Deere Financial Limited to approved commercial applicants only. Offer is based on 25% deposit and 36 month term. Fees and charges apply. If not amended or withdrawn earlier, the promotion runs from 01/07/2016 and expires on 30/09/2016. Other terms and rates are available.
JohnDeere.co.nz/AMSOffer
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
42 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS / RURAL TRADER
Keeping the legend running ADAM FRICKER
RURAL NEWS staffers all wanted a ride in the bright yellow GT that Ford loaned us for a week. Kids as young as eight or nine recognised it:
“That’s the new GT!” Even the old dear drinking tea out front of a café we parked at said the Mustang had been her favourite car since its launch in 1964. The new car wears its
CAMBRIDGE FARM ROLLERS
NEW 10ft Roller with Extension Drawbar & Screw Jack $6900 Vee Ring Roller Seeder Drill with Vee bottom seed box, hydraulic clutch, ext. drawbar, ........................ $18,800 Special rollers made to order, • All prices ex-Factory, Excl GST • Spare parts, Rings and Bearings. Competitive freight rates to the North Island 26"dia rings ............................$90.00 Ph: 0800-838 963 24"dia rings ............................$85.00 AUSTINS FOUNDRY LTD 131 King Street, Timaru www.austinsfoundry.co.nz
AFFORDABLE QUALITY BALE FEEDERS
legendary lineage well, evoking memories of the ’64 model yet managing to look cool and contemporary at the same time. The same is true of the feeling you get nestled into the retro-yet-modern cabin. It feels like you imagine an American car from the ‘muscle car’ era would feel (and sound) like, but suffers none of the sloppy handling and reliability problems of those old cars. You could live with the GT as a daily driver. It has seats for four – just – a useful boot, touch screen controls, keyless
entry and push-button start, and is a proper right-hand drive production car with all the controls on the correct side. The GT enters the local market as the Ford Falcon is about the bow out. XR8 buyers will have a performance option if they can live with the smaller cabin, and at $77,880 for the GT coupe they won’t have to stretch the budget too far (an extra $8000 over the XR8). They’ll get a lot of car for their money. Aside from the killer looks,
the GT also has a decent specification level including leather interior, heated and cooled seats, infotainment centre and reversing camera. And it has a 5.0L V8 pumping out 306kW of normally aspirated power and 530Nm of torque. The engine needs a few revs to really get going, and the output
figures won’t scare a Commodore SS or Falcon XR8, but they’re still decent. And did we mention the sound? Glorious! The ride and handling of the new Mustang has surprised motor noters the world over because it is -- wait for it -- very good. Gone is the old live rear axle and indifferent
Feeds rounds & square TRAILERS
Complete with spare wheel & jockey wheel SHEEP CONVEYORS
Rubber Safety Matting • ATV Carrier Mats • Exit/Entry Areas • Calf Trailers • Horse Floats & Trucks • Weigh Platforms • Bale Mats • Comfort Mats for Wet & Dry Areas • Utility Deck Matting Ph 06 370 1329 | Stuart 0274 387 528 124 Lincoln Road | Masterton E: daytech@wise.net.nz | www.daytech.co.nz
NZ’s Premier Rural Health and Safety Provider
FOR PEACE OF MIND ARRANGE YOUR CONSULTATION TODAY
Phone: 0800 80 8570 www.burgessmatting.co.nz
Freephone: 0508 663 276 www.onfarmsafety.co.nz
LEADERS IN FARM MACHINERY DESIGN
Culvert Pipes New Zealand’s CHEAPEST Culvert Pipes! FREE joiners supplied on request. ONE STOP WATER SHOP 300mm x 6 metre ................................ $410 400mm x 6 metre ................................ $515 500mm x 6 metre ................................ $690 600mm x 6 metre ................................ $925 800mm x 6 metre .............................. $1399 1000mm x 6 metre ............................ $2175 1200mm x 6 metre ............................ $3475 ALL PRICES INCLUDE G.S.T.
• Lightweight, easy to install • Made from polyethylene
McKee Plastics Mahinui Street, Feilding Ph 06 323 4181 Fax 06 323 4183
sales@mckeeplastics.co.nz | www.mckeeplastics.co.nz
steering. In its place, a compliant and capable chassis that isn’t scared of a corner, getting the power down effectively even on a rough old Kiwi back road. Ford New Zealand has ticked the performance pack option, which includes firmer springs and bushings, and a thicker rear anti-roll bar. It also has the Brembo brakes from the old Shelby GT500 and 275/40 Pirelli p Zero tyres. It’s properly good by any standard. There is a cheaper four cylinder option that is apparently very good and good value too at $57,880. We expect most buyers will be after the V8 though. You can imagine the disappointment of the kids, the old dear outside the café and the rest of the gathered crowd waiting to hear the beast fire up, only to hear the same four-pot engine that powers a Mondeo. This is an icon and it should sound like what the looks are selling.
Phone
0800 625 826
for your nearest stockist
Joiners supplied FREE with culvert pipes
CRAIGCO SENSOR JET
RURAL NEWS // AUGUST 9, 2016
RURAL TRADER 43
DEAL TO FLY AND LICE • Cost Effective • Complete Package • Unbeatable pricing
FLY OR LICE PROBLEMS?
• Performance Guaranteed
The magic eye sheepjetter since 1989
Quality construction and options • Get the contractors choice Featuring...
P 06 835 6863 - www.craigcojetters.com
• Incredible chemical economy • Amazing ease 1500+ per hour • Unique self adjusting sides • Environmentally and user friendly • Automatically activated • Proven effective on lice as well as fly • Compatible with all dip chemicals • Accurate, effective application EARMARKERS
07 573 8512 | dipping@electrodip.co.nz – www.electrodip.com BIRDSCARER
DE HORNER PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 HOOF TRIMMER Tel: (09) 236 8414 Stainless Structure PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tuakau 1892 construction Fax: (09) 236 9321 dustries Ltd Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09) 236 8414 1,000 + Email: sheep/hr PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Fax: (09) 236 Fax: 9321(09) 236 9321 Fantastic Ltd stries LtdEmail: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Penetration Fast Easy Assembly Minimal Sweating
Automatic Super Jetter
Innovative Agriculture Equipment
POLY SILOS
$7,500 plus GST
With Davey Pump & Honda Motor
Longer Lasting No Rust
No
Blockages
Polyethylene
Full Range of Sizes:
PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Fax: (09) 236 9321 Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz
PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 From 1,600 L (1 tonne) Tel: (09) 236 8414 iry PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tuakau 1892 to Fax: (09) 236 9321 Free Range & Barn Eggs ed Systems Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09) 236 8414 y Dairy Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz40,000 L (30 tonne) Feed Systems SUPPLIERS OF: (09) 236 Fax: Fax: 9321(09) 236 9321 dms SystemsEmail: • Nest boxes - manual or PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz automated Industries Ltd
sales@pppindustries.co.nz
0800 901 902
SINGLE DOG BOX
TOP DOG BOX Accommodates up to 4 dogs 6 individual air vents Removable centre board 2 lockable galvanised gates In-house drainage Tie down lugs on each side Fits all wellside & flatdeck utes (2 models) ❱❱ Raised floor for insulation ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱
$745
GST $525 incl
incl GST
www.pppindustries.co.nz
Phone 0800 625 826 www.mckeeplastics.co.nz
PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Fax: (09) 236 9321 Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz
• Poultry Equipment
PO Box 73 Tuakau 1892
Tel: (09) 236 8414 Feed & Drinking Fax: (09) 236 9321 Email:trays PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz • Plastic egg
tunnel houses
QUALITY PRODUCTS MADE IN EUROPE OR BY PPPPO Box 73 Tuakau 1892
A trusted name in Poultry Industry Tel: (09) 236 8414 ultry for over 50 years PO Box 73 Tuakau PO Box 1892 73 Tuakau 1892 Fax: (09) 236 9321 uipment Rangiora Call: 236 0800 668 534 Tel: (09) 236 8414 Tel: (09) 8414 try Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Fax: (09) 236 Fax: 9321www.advantageplastics.co.nz (09) 236 9321 pment Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz Email: PPP.LTD@xtra.co.nz ❖
❖
DOLOMITE
NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser For a delivered price call... 0800 436 566
LATEST STORIES ON www.ruralnews.co.nz BREAKING NEWS MARKETS & TRENDS COMPETITIONS MANAGEMENT STORIES MACHINERY REVIEWS AND MUCH MORE...
EXTREME TOUGH SEAT COVERS HARD WEARING SEAT COVERS FOR HARD WORKING KIWIS
RUGGEDVALLEY.co.nz 0800 4 RUGGED
• Ideal addition to your block • Grow vegetables all year round and reduce your grocery bill • Very affordable and easy to install • Totally NZ made by family business making tunnelhouses for 30 years • Range of models from 2m to 8m long T/F 03 214 4262 E morrifield@clear.net.nz
www.morrifield.com
MOBILE FEED TROUGHS 4.5M (3 Wheel) Jumbo Culvert PK Feeder $3695.00 inc
6M Culvert (mobile) $1450.00 inc
4M - 800L Budget Drawbar $2150.00 inc
6.0M (6 Wheel) Jumbo Culvert PK Feeder $5250.00 inc
1700 Litres
McKee Plastics, Mahinui Street, Feilding | Phone 06 323 4181 | Fax 06 323 4183 sales@mckeeplastics.co.nz | www.mckeeplastics.co.nz
2400 Litres
Are you ready for calving? At PGG Wrightson, we’ll help you with the right range of products, competitive prices and expert advice. Talk to the team about your calving requirements today.
25% off Purchase 2, get
33% off t e g , 3 e s a h c r u P
% off 0 5 t e g , 4 e s a h c Pur
Power Whey Calf Milk Replacer 20 kg
Reliance Calf Milk Replacer 20 kg
Reliance Calf Milk Finisher 20 kg
High quality, easily digested ingredients combined with prebiotic, probiotic and organic acids to help reduce the incidence of scours and encourage hard feed intake. Formulated specifically for calves from day five.
An all milk powder blend produced using a range of high quality milk powders. Incorporates a specialised blend of vitamins, minerals and Bovatec® for optimum health and growth in calves. Formulated to meet the needs of young calves after the initial colostrum period.
Made from a blend of whole milk powder, skim milk powder, whey powder, vegetable fats and soy protein. Contains coccidiostat, Bovatec® and a range of minerals, trace elements and vitamins. Designed to be fed to calves from day five onwards.
NZAgbiz Supacalf™ or Ancalf™ Calf Milk Replacer with Deccox 20 kg
SealesWinslow Calf Pro1® 20% Muesli 25 kg
SealesWinslow Calf Pro1® 20% and Calf Grow® 16% Pellets 25 kg
Premium curding Calf Milk Replacer. Contains Actigen® for gut health and Deccox™ to help prevent coccidiosis. Designed to be fed to calves from day four onwards.
$
Applies to McKee Plastics Pen Meal Trough 20 L, Fence Mounted Hay and Grain Feeder Mini, Water Trough 12 L, 5 Teat Calf Feeder and 6 Teat Compartment feeders. Limited to maximum of four stated items. Discount is off the PGG Wrightson standard retail price. Must be purchased in one transaction.
$
5
$
Ideal starter feed. Highly palatable to encourage early feed intake and promote rumen development.
26
Promotes optimum intake and rumen development. Contains coccidiostat, minerals and additives.
10%
OVER
5%
AHD Colostrum Preserver 20 L
Calf Scour Paste 30 g
Calf Electrolyte 3.6 kg
Normally $125
Normally $29.99
Normally $74.99
26
99
$
$
30
99
Nil meat withholding
OVER
25
6999
$
OVER
25
%
OVER
40%
%
Shoof Obstetric Lubricant 5L
Virkon® S 2.5 kg
MetaBoost 4 in 1 Injection 500 ml Pillow
MetaBoost CBG Injection 500 ml Pillow
Pro-Cal Oral 500 ml
Normally $34.99
Normally $199
Normally $18.99 ea
Normally $17.99 ea
Normally $21.99 ea
2999
$
169
$
$
254
$
234
$
7499
Terms and Conditions: Offers and prices valid from 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2016, or while stocks last. Prices include GST and are subject to change. Some products may not be available in all stores but may be ordered on request. Prices do not include delivery, delivery costs are additional. Images are for illustrative purposes only.
Freephone 0800 10 22 76
www.pggwrightson.co.nz
Helping grow the country